The space junk It’s a problem that gets worse over time. The situation is such that it not only poses an obstacle to future space missions but also becomes a threat to the living beings that inhabit the Earth.

Last March, a piece of space debris hit a house in Naples, Florida, and penetrated the roof and two floors. The fact that the object was cylindrical in shape left little room for doubt that it was something man-made and sent out into space as part of some structure. Two weeks after meeting with When an object hit a house in Florida, NASA itself came forward to confirm that it was a piece of the International Space StationISS in its English abbreviation.

The American space agency NASA analyzed the cylindrical object on April 8 and concluded that it came from the battery charging platform that was released from the ISS in 2021. More precisely, it was a support part used to mount the platform’s batteries made of inconel. metal alloys capable of withstanding extreme environments such as high temperatures, pressure or mechanical loads. The piece that hit Earth weighs 1.6 pounds (about 0.77 kilograms) and is 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) tall.

The original shape of an object from the International Space Station that landed on Earth. Source: NASA.

There have been recent reports of components launched by SpaceX and the China National Space Administration crashing on property, but the normal thing in these cases is for the debris to burn up in the atmosphere as it finds its way to Earth. . NASA says it would be normal for the cylindrical object that hit the Florida home to break up and finds out why it didn’t happen.

If cases of space debris that eventually fall to Earth continue to attract new news, it would not be surprising if sooner or later serious and vigorous measures are required to prevent disasters that harm human activity and the rest of living beings. which exist.

Cover image: Alejandro Otero.