Spacewalking astronaut loses mirror, newest space junk:
A spacewalking astronaut added to the millions of pieces of junk orbiting the Earth on Friday, losing a small mirror on his sleeve as soon as he emerged from the International Space Station for battery work.
Commander Chris Cassidy said the mirror quickly floated away. The lost item posed no risk to either the spacewalk or the station, according to NASA.
While millions of pieces of space debris orbit Earth, more than 20,000 items including old rocket parts and busted satellites are big enough to be tracked in order to safeguard the space station and working satellites.
Spacewalking astronauts wear a wrist mirror on each sleeve to get better views while working. The mirror is just 5-by-3 inches (7-by-12 centimeters), and together with its band has a mass of barely one-tenth of a pound (50 grams).
The mirror came loose in darkness. Cassidy inspected his spacesuit sleeve later in sunlight but didn't see any clues that might explain how the mirror came off.
The rest of the six-hour spacewalk went swimmingly.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @12:11AM (4 children)
Had to look at a mirror, while space walking for buddha sakes.
Fucking millenials, so vain, cosmetic cosmonauts.
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday June 29 2020, @12:22AM (3 children)
You need good situational awareness on a spacewalk.
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(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @12:56AM (1 child)
If it's all about keeping that Space Junk in check, tighter shorts should do the trick.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @06:18AM
If you r junk starts floating away, you have plenty more problems than tracking yet another item in orbit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @04:25AM
Also space sharks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @12:17AM
Losing a mirror in space will put a 30 day hex on mankind, because astronomers might look in the sky and see the back of the mirror which would show humanity's future backwards.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Monday June 29 2020, @12:20AM (2 children)
How much is a space mirror then? 100k? 1M?
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday June 29 2020, @12:25AM
4.494×10^15 joules
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @01:11AM
It's a good question. That money could have been spent on housing a few homeless guys for a few days. Oh the humanity!
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @12:31AM (2 children)
Why isn't there mention of the tens of thousands of pieces of space junk that SpaceX and others want to launch over the next decade?
(Score: 2) by NickM on Monday June 29 2020, @12:36AM
I a master of typographic, grammatical and miscellaneous errors !
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday June 29 2020, @03:48PM
You mean the space junk that won't be launched to an orbit where it will stay there forever, where the catastrophic failure mode, is it will de-orbit on it's own in a few years, that space junk?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @10:13AM (2 children)
There are so many bits of junk floating around in space, and little ones like this only last for a short time, maybe a year, probably less. Astronauts drop tools from time to time. It's not a big deal.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @11:37AM
>> It's not a big deal.
Say that again after a space wrench hits you on the head.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday June 29 2020, @02:19PM
It's a big deal for the tool !
Gosh you people are so insensitive...
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Monday June 29 2020, @07:09PM
(Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday June 30 2020, @06:04PM
Could have lost the banknote or the cocaine.
Account abandoned.