Astronaut Tool Bag Becomes Unexpected Satellite After ISS Spacewalk Slip-Up

In space, misplacing a bag of tools is hard to recover from. A tiny mishap during a recent spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS) has led to a new object in the night sky, with a tool bag now orbiting Earth ahead of the space station, temporarily taunting the astronauts who dropped it.

WatchTaking out the Trash (in Space) CCShare SubtitlesOffEnglishThe orbital slip-up was tracked and cataloged as a +6th magnitude object that’s approximately one minute ahead of the space station. At +6th magnitude, the wayward tool bag is just slightly below the limit of visibility to the unaided eye, EarthSky revealed. But if you’re curious about the lost tools, you can probably view the bag with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope, depending on weather and ambient light conditions. AdvertisementAdvertisementThis isn’t the first time spacewalking astronauts have misplaced their tools while tethered to the outside of the space station. Most recently in 2009, an orbiting tool bag met its fiery demise in Earth’s atmosphere after floating away from NASA astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper nearly 9 months earlier.The tool bag likely doesn’t pose a threat to the orbiting space station, but a growing amount of space junk in Earth orbit increases the risk of it bumping into spacecraft and causing some damage. AdvertisementThe orbiting tools will likely remain in orbit for a few months before losing altitude and disintegrating in Earth’s atmosphere. But for now, it haunts the pair of spacewalking astronauts who lost it.For more spaceflight in your life, follow us on X (formerly Twitter) and bookmark Gizmodo’s dedicated

Based on reporting by gizmodo.com.