How a home in Florida was hit with space junk
About 2,000 kilometres above in low Earth orbit is a junkyard with millions of pieces of space junk travelling at a very high speed.
Last month, a mysterious object crashed into the roof of a home in Florida and it turned out to be a piece of metal that was used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet from the International Space Center.
While it only weighed less than two pounds and was 1.6 inches in diameter, it ripped through the ceiling and tore up the flooring in the home in Naples, Fl.
Former astronaut Julie Payette explained in an interview with CTV News on Friday that space debris can be anything from old or inactive satellites, rocket stages, and other discarded hardware such as instrument covers or separation bolts.
Even though some debris is very small, they can do a lot of damage since they can travel as fast as seven times the speed of a bullet.
Payette said there are several options for decommissioning hardware that is in space: disassembly and return to Earth, boosting to a higher orbit, natural orbital decay with random re-entry, and controlled targeted re-entry to a remote ocean area.
Watch the video above for the full interview with CTV Montreal Anchor Mutsumi Takahashi.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.