Woman loses handbag lol

by archien on Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:54 am

First woman ever to be involved in work while spacewalking at spacestation looses her toolbag biggrin

Astronauts working on the International Space Station have lost a tool bag.

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper watched helplessly as the kit drifted away from her as she serviced the solar array system on the orbiting platform.

The briefcase-sized tool bag is one of the largest items ever lost on a spacewalk.

The event occurred during the first spacewalk of the latest shuttle flight to the ISS, which is intended to give the orbiting platform a major makeover.

The works undertaken by the visiting Endeavour astronauts will allow the station to increase its residential crew complement next year from the current three members to six members. MISSION STS-126
Repair and servicing of the space station solar arrays
Installation of new crew quarters and water system
Drop off astronaut Sandra Magnus and pick up Greg Chamitoff

New water system for ISS

Stefanyshyn-Piper's slip occurred as she was greasing a rotary joint on the station's giant starboard solar array system. The joint has been unable to automatically point the solar wings toward the Sun for maximum energy production for over a year.

Just as she was finishing up the job, the tool bag became untethered from a larger kit case and floated away along with a pair of grease guns, wipes and a putty knife.

She reached out, but to no avail. The lost bag is now moving ahead of the station and increasing its distance to the platform, giving flight controllers confidence it poses no danger to the ISS.

Laughing