NASA engineers are conducting an investigation after a sizable chunk of metal, weighing about 2lb, crashed through the roof and two stories of a house in Naples, Florida. The cylindrical slab, believed to be part of a discarded battery pallet from the International Space Station (ISS), caused significant damage to the home on the afternoon of March 8.

Homeowner Alejandro Otero, who was on vacation at the time, described the impact as a "tremendous sound," with the object narrowly missing his son. The incident left a big hole on the floor and the ceiling. Otero reached out to NASA but did not receive a response regarding the damage to his home.

According to the scientific journal Ars Technica, the US space command recorded the re-entry of a piece of space debris over the Gulf of Mexico, on a trajectory towards southwest Florida at 2.29pm on March 8. Otero's Nest home security camera captured the sound of the crash just five minutes later.

Otero pointed out that the cylindrical shape and the direction of the object indicate that it traveled through the atmosphere. NASA spokesperson Josh Finch confirmed that analysis is underway to determine the origin of the metal chunk. However, experts speculate that it could be linked to a 2.9-tonne pallet used for a battery upgrade on the ISS, which was jettisoned in March 2021.

In a tweet, Harvard-Smithsonian astronomer Jonathan McDowell mentioned that the pallet was scheduled for an "uncontrolled re-entry" between March 7 and 9 and that fragments were expected to reach the Earth's surface. McDowell estimated that about half a tonne of fragments could survive the re-entry.

Otero shared photos of the damage in response to McDowell's tweet, expressing his concerns about who will cover the cost of the repairs. Ars Technica highlighted that determining liability could be complicated since the exact origin of the metal chunk has yet to be determined. The batteries were owned by NASA but were attached to a pallet structure launched by the Japanese space agency, JAXA.

While uncontrolled re-entries are not uncommon, the European Space Agency (ESA) assured that the likelihood of a person being hit by debris is very low. They stated that "most spacecraft, launch vehicles, and operational hardware are designed to limit the risks associated with a re-entry." The ESA monitored the descent of the pallet and predicted that only some parts may reach the ground.

NASA is now working diligently to analyze the metal chunk and determine its origin. As investigations continue, Otero is hopeful that the responsible party will assume responsibility for the damage caused to his home.