American astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara lost their bag of tools during a spacewalk on November 1, writes “AiF” with reference to The Guardian.
NASA astronauts were repairing components that allow the ISS solar panels to constantly track the movement of the Sun. During the operation, the bag with instruments slipped out of the women's hands. The bag now rotates around the Earth.
“The instruments were not needed until the end of the spacewalk. Mission control analyzed the bag's flight path and determined that the risk of re-contact with the station was low”, - the statement said.
What happens to a lost tool bag?
The US federal department said that the loss of a bag with tools does not pose a serious danger.
“Mission Control analyzed the bag’s flight path and determined that the risk of re-contact with the station was low and that the on-board crew and space station were safe without any action”, - the department said.
Is it possible to see a lost bag from Earth?
Yes, it is possible, writes The Guardian. The white bucket bag is clearly visible against the background of the night sky. You can spot it with binoculars or a telescope.
Astronomers from different parts of the world have already observed the lost bag.
“The bag is no brighter than Uranus, but it can be seen even with binoculars. To track the bag, observers only need to find the ISS, which is the third brightest object in the night sky, according to NASA. The bag will be in Earth’s orbit two to four minutes before the ISS”, - informs the media.
Interestingly, the loss of the bag is not the first time that female NASA astronauts have accidentally left tools in outer space.
In 2008, American astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper also lost her tool bag during a spacewalk. The bag has been orbiting Earth for almost 15 years and has been classified as space debris.
