The object was expected to “burn up completely” upon entering the Earth's atmosphere.
A man in Naples, Florida, now has answers, more than a month after an alien object crashed into his roof.
NASA confirmed in a press release That the object was part of a charging pad containing old nickel hydride batteries from the International Space Station.
Specifically, NASA said the object was “a support of NASA's flight support equipment used to mount the batteries on the charging pad.”
“In March 2021, NASA ground controllers used the International Space Station’s robotic arm to launch a charging platform containing old nickel hydride batteries from the space station after the delivery and installation of new lithium-ion batteries as part of power upgrades at the orbital outpost,” the agency said, noting that “ The total mass of the devices launched from the space station was about 5,800 pounds.”
After examination, NASA said it estimated the object was made of an Inconel metal alloy, weighed 1.6 pounds, and was four inches high and 1.6 inches in diameter.
NASA said the cargo platform is expected to “completely burn up” as it reenters Earth's atmosphere, according to the press release.
However, the prop hit the roof of Alejandro Otero's home in Naples, Florida, on March 8, Otero confirmed to ABC News at the time, after sharing Several photos of damage to X.
Otero said in a post dated March 15 that the alien object “came through the roof” and penetrated two floors of his home, and that the object “almost hit my son.”
In a statement to ABC News on April 2, NASA said the agency “collected the item in cooperation with the homeowner, and will analyze the object at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as possible to determine its origin,” adding then that “more information will be made available.” information once the analysis is complete.”
In an April interview with wink tv In feet. Otero, Myers, Fla., said he was on vacation when the accident happened but his son was home and called him about the damage, saying, “Something tore the house apart and then put a big hole in the floor and in the ceiling.”
“When we heard that, we felt like it was impossible, and then I immediately thought it was a meteorite,” Otero told WINK.
“It had a cylindrical shape, and you could tell by the shape of the top that it traveled in that direction through the atmosphere. Everything you burned, it originated in that burn, and it melted the metal in that direction,” Otero said. wink.
“I was shaking. I was in complete disbelief,” Otero told WINK of his reaction upon arriving home and seeing the damage from the collision. “What are the odds of something falling on my house with that much force to cause that much damage?” “I'm very thankful that no one was hurt,” he said, adding.
In response to the damage the prop caused to Otero's home, NASA said in the statement: “NASA remains committed to operating responsibly in low Earth orbit, mitigating as much risk as possible to protect people on Earth when space hardware must be launched.”
