Every weekend, an image that made the news or caught our attention. On November 1, during US EVA 89, an American astronaut dropped a tool bag. The story repeats itself…
When nothing goes right…
On November 1, for 6 hours and 42 minutes, American astronauts Jasmine Moghbeli And Loral O’Hara carried out a spacesuit exit into the void – the second since the start of theExpedition 70 (commanded by Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen), and the 269th since the start of assembly of the International Space Stationin December 1998.
It was also the fourth EVA 100% feminine made from those of Christina Koch And Jessica Meirin October 2019 and January 2020.
The main task of this US EVA 89 was to dismantle an antenna to send it back to Earth aboard the Dragon CRS 29, which was due to join the ISS imminently (it was launched from Florida on November 10 at 1:28 a.m. UTC, and docked the next day at 10:07 a.m.).
Unfortunately, difficulties with a preliminary operation postponed the main task until a later release.
Furthermore, a Crew Lock tool bag, which notably contained a grease gun, was lost during the EVA, fortunately without consequences for the rest of the operations, nor risk of collision for the station…
Debris visible in binoculars (with training)
The incident is reminiscent of that which marked the exit from the ISS carried out on November 18, 2008 by the American astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piperduring the STS-126 mission / Endeavor – an episode to be found in the book Space womenwhich will soon be released by Gingko publisher, just like EVA by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.
The new tool bag satellited on November 1st was cataloged under the numbers 1998-067WC (Cospar) and 58229 (U.S. Space Command).
The debris is currently in a high orbit of 415 x 416 km, inclined at 51.6°, and precedes the ISS by two to four minutes.
Her magnitude would be +8.
Thus, for a few weeks (the time for it to fall and disintegrate in the atmosphere), the most keen observers should be able to spot and observe the object with binoculars, during its rapid passages in the night sky. ; at 28,000 km/h, the show should last less than 10 seconds…
