On November 1, 2023, two NASA astronauts, Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara, embarked on their inaugural spacewalk around the International Space Station (ISS) for routine maintenance. During the 6-hour and 42-minute spacewalk, they replaced a bearing and removed a handling bar fixture outside the space station. However, upon reentering the ISS, they made a startling discovery: their tool bag was missing.
"During the activity, one tool bag was inadvertently lost," NASA stated on its website about the spacewalk. The agency clarified that the tools within the bag were not needed for the entire spacewalk and that the trajectory of the bag posed a minimal risk of collision with the ISS.
The wayward tool bag is currently drifting through space, approximately 250 miles above Earth, and it is expected to remain in orbit for an extended period. According to EarthSky, a platform that monitors celestial events, the luminous white tool bag is projected to linger in space for several months before eventually disintegrating.
Under a clear sky and armed with a pair of binoculars, individuals on Earth might have the chance to spot the errant bag, as suggested by EarthSky. The recommended approach is to gaze upward toward the ISS and then scan the vicinity for the bag. The contents of the bag, specifically the types of tools it held, remain uncertain. NASA did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment.
The lost tool bag has joined the multitude of objects drifting through space. According to the European Space Agency's statement in September 2023, there are over 35,000 debris objects in space, meticulously tracked and cataloged by space surveillance networks. This inventory includes items like grease guns and bolts, and the tracking is essential to prevent potential damage to satellites.
US Marine Corps veterans O'Hara and Moghbeli have been residing on the ISS for several weeks. O'Hara successfully docked onto the space station via a Soyuz rocket on September 15, 2023, as per NASA. Moghbeli, serving as the commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 mission, docked at the space station on August 27, 2023, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, according to the agency.
The loss of the tool bag serves as a reminder of the challenges and unexpected events that can occur during space exploration. While the astronauts were able to continue their mission without the missing tools, the incident highlights the need for careful planning and preparation to minimize risks and ensure the safety of astronauts and spacecraft.
The growing presence of debris in space poses a significant concern for the future of space exploration. Several initiatives are underway to address this issue, including developing technologies to capture and remove debris from orbit, promoting international cooperation to establish guidelines and regulations, and increasing public awareness of the issue.
The lost tool bag, though seemingly insignificant, represents a small piece of a larger puzzle – the challenge of managing and mitigating space debris. As humanity continues to venture further into the cosmos, addressing this issue will be crucial for ensuring the long-term sustainability of space exploration.
