Cape Canavarel, Fla. — A spacewalking astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded, and helplessly watched as the tote and everything inside floated away.
It was one of the largest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker and occurred during an unprecedented attempt to clean and lube a gummed-up joint at the international space station.
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper was just starting to work on the joint when the mishap occurred.
She said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark gray stuff all over a camera and her gloves. While she was wiping everything off, the white, backpack-size bag slipped out of her grip, and she lost all her tools.
“Oh, great,” she mumbled.
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Starlight (anonymous) says…
It seems incredibly asinine that this bag wasn't tethered. Was this an oversight on Heidemarie's part or Nasa's? Surely she wasn't expected to keep hold of the bag and work at the same time!