This note shows that any solution u of the Navier-Stokes equations in a 3-D
exterior domain which decays as O(\x\(-1)) at infinity has the optimal dec
ay del (k)u(x) = O(\x\(-1-k)) for k greater than or equal to 1, if the body
force f satisfies del (m)f(s) = O(\x\(-3-m)) for all m < k. The main tool
is an interior estimate for the Stokes system.