Florida Family Files Claim Against NASA Over Space Junk That Hit House: 'If The Debris Had Hit A Few Feet In Another Direction ... Could Have Been A Fatality'

As the American space program grows and sends more rockets to the International Space Station and beyond, space debris could become a problem for NASA.

A Florida family is fighting the space company for compensation after space debris ended up in its home.

What Happened: Growing interest in space stocks and companies associated with space exploration could take a backseat with risks of litigation.

A Naples, Florida, family is requesting that NASA pay for damages to their home that was hit by space junk, as reported by Space.com.

On March 8, the space junk went through the roof and two floors of the home, according to the report. While no one was injured in the accident, the report said the son of homeowner Alejandro Otero was nearly hit.

"[The Otero family is] grateful that no one sustained physical injuries from the incident, but a ‘near miss' situation such as this could have been catastrophic," Cranfill Sumner LLP Partner Mica Nguyen Worthy said. The law office is representing the Otero family in the claim.

Worthy said the Otero family is seeking "adequate compensation" for the stress and impact the event had on their lives.

Ars Technica reported that Worthy said the claim is for NASA to pay "in excess of $80,000" for the non-insured property damage loss and items like emotional and mental anguish damages.

"We intentionally kept it very reasonable because we did not want it to appear to NASA that my clients are seeking a windfall," Worthy told Ars Technica.

"If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality."

NASA confirmed the space debris came from the International Space Station and was expected to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

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Why It's Important: Worthy said that space debris is real and serious with the growth in space traffic over the recent years.

The claim against NASA represents a "real life example" and not a hypothetical, Worthy added.

"How NASA responds to her claim will form the foundation upon which the legal landscape in this filed will be built," Worthy said.

Worthy also claims if the space debris fell into another country, the U.S. would be held liable and have to pay for the damages under the "Space Liability Convention."

The family and law firm have not officially filed a lawsuit against NASA and Worthy said there have been productive conversations with NASA representatives.

The historical magnitude of this being the first legal claim for damages for space debris against NASA could make future updates for the case important for the space sector.

NASA has six months to respond to the claim according to the suit.

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Photo: L Galbraith on Shutterstock