A robotic arm attached to theInternational Space Station(ISS ) has been hit by a petite piece of space debris , leave in damage to its thermal blanket and the bunce beneath . The component , known as Canadarm2 , rest useable , though the event dish up as a scandalous reminder of the fact thatspace junkis now a major trouble and has the electric potential to cause ruinous damage .
In a web log post , theCanadian Space Agency(CSA ) – which designed Canadarm2 – announced that the harm was first notice during a mundane inspection on May 12 . The piece of debris that hit the ISS was too small to be traverse , yet was locomote fast enough to pierce the metal outer layer of the arm .
“ Canadarm2 is continuing to conduct its planned operations , ” said the CSA . “ The damage is fix to a lowly section of the arm bunce and thermal blanket . ” The subdivision is presently schedule to complete a number of task , including maneuvering a automaton called Dextre into stance so that it can replace a faulty power switchbox .
The amount of man - made junk circulating in low-pitched - Earth range has been increase ever since the blank space long time began with the launching of Sputnik 1 in 1957 . More than 60 days on , the phone number of defunct objects in our orbit massively exceeds the number of participating satellites .
According to the CSA , “ over 23,000 objects the size of a softball or larger are tracked 24/7 to detect potential collisions with satellites and the ISS . ” Yet as these items degrade and fragment , they get smaller debris that ca n’t be tracked , thereby posing a important risk to all next space travel and operations .
TheEuropean Space Agencysays that the majority of these tiny fragment are yield as a resultant role of leftover fuel and assault and battery explode on discarded spacecraft , with an average of 12.5 events of this nature fall out each twelvemonth . As a consequence , it estimates that more than130 million objectsmeasuring upwards of a mm in size are presently clogging up our orbital cavity .
Though these fragments may be tiny , the speed at which they travel picture them subject of thrust satellites and other spacecraft , which is why yell are growing for rigid regulations in rules of order to restrain the amount ofspace rubble .
Meanwhile , the CSA enjoin it will continue to wreak closely with NASA in parliamentary procedure to tax the full extent of the harm suffered by Canadarm2 .
