WE TALK ABOUT LIABILITY FOR FALLING DEBRIS IN MY SPACE LAW CLASS, but — though there has, in fact, been damage to things on the ground from falling debris before — the issue always seemed somewhat remote. But then there’s this:

NASA is accepting claims from people who say they were injured or their property was damaged by falling Columbia debris.

The space agency is coordinating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to address claims requiring immediate action, officials said Sunday.

A foot-long metal bracket smashed through the roof of a dentist’s office in Nacogdoches, Texas. A jagged, half-moon-shaped metal piece about 5-feet long landed in a front yard in the town. . . .

An 18-inch piece of what appeared to be duct piping put a dent in the roof of Rice High School in Navarro County. Debris was also found near the pitcher’s mound of the school’s baseball field and track.

At least no one on the ground was hurt.