Current:Home > NewsA NASA astronaut's tool bag got lost in space and is now orbiting Earth-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
A NASA astronaut's tool bag got lost in space and is now orbiting Earth
View Date:2024-12-23 23:41:50
A bag of tools lost by NASA astronauts during a space walk is now orbiting around Earth. During a nearly seven-hour spacewalk, Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara, who are on the International Space Station, were replacing parts of the station when the tool bag was inadvertently lost, NASA said in a blog post.
"Flight controllers spotted the tool bag using external station cameras, the blog post states. "The tools were not needed for the remainder of the spacewalk. Mission Control analyzed the bag's trajectory and determined that risk of recontacting the station is low and that the onboard crew and space station are safe with no action required."
While the tool bag is not a threat to the space station, it is now flying through space. Like all orbiters, the tool bag has been labeled: 1998-067WC/58229.
Video taken by Moghbeli shows the bag floating away. European Space Agency astronaut Meganne Christian shared the video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying the bag was last spotted by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Satoshi Furukawa.
N2YO, a blog that tracks more than 28,000 space objects, is following the bag, which is labeled as satellite debris. The bag was flying just above Japan and out over the Pacific Ocean as of Wednesday morning, according to N2YO. But it is moving very fast, according to N2YO's map.
A lot of space debris, which isn't visible from Earth, moves very quickly in low Earth orbit, or LEO. Some space debris can move at 18,000 miles per hour.
NASA says LEO is an "orbital junk yard" and "the world's largest garbage dump," with millions of pieces of space junk orbiting in it – much of the debris is human-made, coming from space craft, satellites and other objects sent to space from Earth.
NASA has been looking for ways to limit space debris since 1979, but the high volume of space debris in LEO was caused in part by two events: the destruction of a Chinese spacecraft, Fengyun-1C, in 2007, and the accidental destruction of two American and Russian spacecraft, which collided in 2009. Both increased the debris in this area by about 70% and also increased the chances of other spacecraft colliding, NASA says.
There are no laws to clean up the nearly 6,000 tons of debris in LEO and removal is expensive.
Caitlin O'KaneCaitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.
veryGood! (8362)
Related
- Quincy Jones laid to rest at private family funeral in Los Angeles
- As Solar Panel Prices Plunge, U.S. Developers Look to Diversify
- Friday at the beach in Mogadishu: Optimism shines through despite Somalia's woes
- Chrysler recalls 330,000 Jeep Grand Cherokees because rear coil spring may detach
- Whoopi Goldberg calling herself 'a working person' garners criticism from 'The View' fans
- Climate Activist Escapes Conviction in Action That Shut Down 5 Pipelines
- This winter's U.S. COVID surge is fading fast, likely thanks to a 'wall' of immunity
- Booming Plastics Industry Faces Backlash as Data About Environmental Harm Grows
- 'America's flagship' SS United States has departure from Philadelphia to Florida delayed
- Starbucks to pay $25 million to former manager Shannon Phillips allegedly fired because of race
Ranking
- King Charles III celebrates 76th birthday amid cancer battle, opens food hubs
- U.S. Army soldier Cole Bridges pleads guilty to attempting to help ISIS murder U.S. troops
- U.S. Military Report Warns Climate Change Threatens Key Bases
- Stay Safe & Stylish With These Top-Rated Anti-Theft Bags From Amazon
- The boy was found in a ditch in Wisconsin in 1959. He was identified 65 years later.
- A Surge of Climate Lawsuits Targets Human Rights, Damage from Fossil Fuels
- We asked, you answered: More global buzzwords for 2023, from precariat to solastalgia
- This winter's U.S. COVID surge is fading fast, likely thanks to a 'wall' of immunity
Recommendation
-
Why California takes weeks to count votes, while states like Florida are faster
-
Agent: Tori Bowie, who died in childbirth, was not actively performing home birth when baby started to arrive
-
Scant obesity training in medical school leaves docs ill-prepared to help patients
-
Florida police officer relieved of duty after dispute with deputy over speeding
-
Only 8 monkeys remain free after more than a week outside a South Carolina compound
-
Why Olivia Wilde Wore a White Wedding Dress to Colton Underwood and Jordan C. Brown's Nuptials
-
A baby spent 36 days at an in-network hospital. Why did her parents get a huge bill?
-
Some Muslim Americans Turn To Faith For Guidance On Abortion