CAPE CANAVERAL (CBSMiami/AP) – NASA has postponed its scheduled spacewalk for Tuesday after receiving a space debris warning for the International Space Station.
Officials have determined there has always been debris in space, but current levels could jeopardize the space suits worn by astronauts.
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Two US astronauts were booked to replace a bad antenna outside the space station. But on Monday night, Mission Control learned that an orbital debris could come dangerously close. There wasn’t enough time to assess the threat, so station managers delayed the spacewalk by at least a few days.
This is the first time a spacewalk has been canceled because of the threat of space junk.
The space station and its seven-man crew have been at increased risk from space junk since Russia destroys a satellite during a missile test two weeks ago.
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It remains unclear whether the object of interest is part of a Russian satellite debris.
In a press conference Monday, NASA officials said the November 15 rocket test resulted in at least 1,700 pieces of satellites large enough to be tracked, and thousands more too small to be observed from a distance. ground, but can still penetrate a spacewalker’s suit.
NASA officials say astronauts Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron face a 7% higher risk of punctures on board the spacecraft due to Russian-made debris. But they said it was still within acceptable limits based on previous experience.
Marshburn and Barron arrived at the space station earlier this month.
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(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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