JAKARTA – A piece of space debris too small to track has hit and damaged parts International Space Station (ISS) . The debris penetrated the thermal blanket and damaged the boom under the Canadarm2 robot.
Space debris is indeed a serious problem for astronauts and satellites orbiting Earth. More than 23,000 pieces are being tracked in low-Earth orbit to help satellites and the ISS avoid collisions.
READ: The International Space Station Is Attacked By Alien Bacteria, Is It Aliens?
So far, tens of thousands of chips identified are debris the size of a softball. While small space debris is very difficult to track but can cause significant damage, including punching holes in metal plates.
Canadarm2 – officially known as Remote Manipulator System Space Station (SSRMS), designed by the Canadian Space Agency. This robotic arm has been a fixture on the space station for 20 years.
It is a multi-jointed titanium robotic arm that can assist in maneuvering objects outside the ISS, including transporting cargo, and performing station maintenance.
READ ALSO: The Dangers of Facebook When Censoring the Palestine-Israel Conflict
It is not clear exactly when the incident occurred. But the damage was first noticed on May 12, 2021, during a routine inspection. NASA and CSA worked together to take detailed images and assess the damage.
“Regardless of the impact, the results of ongoing analysis suggest that arm performance remains unaffected,” the CSA wrote in a blog post.
“Damage was limited to a small part of the boom arm and thermal blanket. Canadarm2 continues to carry out planned operations.”
READ ALSO: Fantastic, here are the 8 most expensive car paints in the world
Although ISS this time lucky, the space junk problem seems to be on the rise. Last year, the ISS had to perform three emergency maneuvers to avoid a collision with space debris at an altitude of about 400 kilometers (250 miles).
(es)
– .
