Since the last spacewalk by two NASA astronauts currently stationed on the International Space Station (ISS), there has been some more ‘space junk’ flying around in space. Because the two lost a bag of tools, which is now orbiting the Earth – and can even be seen with the naked eye.
The accident happened during a ‘spacewalk’ in early November. Jamin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara had to perform maintenance on the space station’s solar panels. But apparently they were under time pressure and wanted to complete all the tasks before having to go back inside. The astronauts probably lost their tool bag, which, according to the American news agency UPI, cost $ 100,000 (the equivalent of almost 94,000 euros).
In the video below you can see part of the outdoor operation:
“No danger” to the ISS
The station’s external cameras immediately recorded the tools drifting away, which the US space agency said were no longer needed to complete the tasks. According to crew and ground control calculations, the bag, now considered space debris, poses “no threat” to the ISS.
According to the tracking website EarthSky, the instruments are now orbiting the Earth and can even be observed with binoculars in good weather conditions. This should continue for a few months before the lost items burn up.
More than 35,000 objects fly through space
As recently as September, the European Space Agency calculated that there are currently more than 35,000 objects orbiting our planet that are considered space debris. Together they have an estimated weight of more than 11,000 tons, the report said.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
