Space station robotic arm hit by orbital debris in 'lucky strike'

Space.com ^ | May 31, 2021 | By Elizabeth Howell

[BenLurkin]

A piece of space junk smacked into the robotic arm on the International Space Station, but near-term operations should not be affected, according to the agencies involved.

Robotic operators noticed a hole in the station's Canadarm2 provided by the Canadian Space Agency, which has been in service in orbit since 2001, during a routine inspection on May 12, the CSA officials said in a blog post Friday (May 28). Officials called the hole a "lucky strike" given the relatively small size of the arm, which is 57.7 feet (17.6 meters) long and has a diameter of just 14 inches (35 cm).

The size of the hole is not apparent in the pictures, nor if the debris went all the way through. However, it does appear Canadarm2's role in keeping the space station properly maintained can continue without interruption, following careful work from both CSA and NASA.

[allendale]

The strikes on observation, communications and positioning satellites in the next war won’t be “random” events.

[enumerated]

Hoovering up space debris might be a good mission at some point.

[PIF]

Got this on a shelf at home

[Libloather]

Can a Cheeto damage the International Space Station? Reddit decides

https://www.thewashingtontime.com/can-a-cheeto-damage-the-international-space-station-reddit-decides/

[logi_cal869]

Orbiting crews have seen holes in space station solar arrays before, such as a "bullet hole" that Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield tweeted about during his last mission in 2012-13. "Bullet hole — a small stone from the universe went through our solar array," Hadfield wrote in April 2013, suspecting the hole was caused by a tiny space rock called a micrometeoroid.

The horrible bias by this author is badly tempered by the single citation of a prior event above with an ironic quotation which followed:

"Glad it missed the hull."

[epluribus_2]

Target practice for uocoming high energy anti-satellite and defensive armament, vaporizing them.

Wonder if they will make the Pew, Pew sound like Star Wars?

[Dr. Sivana]

Hoovering up space debris might be a good mission at some point.

This is a job for Adam Quark.

[Chode]

pre-war, before Lucky Strike went to war and stopped using the green

[corkoman]

Got some of that LSMFT?

[BenLurkin]

They’re smoking Lucky Strikes and wearing nylons too.

[TheDon]

[Texaspeptoman]

You mean “Loose straps mean flabby t****s”?

[PIF]

pre-war, before Lucky Strike went to war and stopped using the green
—

yew but worth more

[Spitzensparkin1]

They announce no serious damage to the arm without pulling back the insulation to take a look. That thing looks like it was drilled with a 50 cal. Bet that arm is shattered.

OK I just invented class IV+ bulletproof soft boom/armor insulation. How much you need NASA?

SS1

[Spitzensparkin1]

We pay these aerospace engineering people big $$$ and they couldn’t figure this out??? Probably couldn’t change a flat in the rain either, sheesh. Engineers today.

But they have high self esteem.

SS1

[Chode]

100%

iirc their slogan, other than LS/MFT, was Lucky Strike Green goes to war or some such

[Tallguy]

(Putting my AR-15 away and doing my best “Bart Simpson” impression...)

[PIF]

Luck’s were in during my town hoodlum days

[TheDon]

Hmmm....Chicom taikonauts taking pot shots at the ISS did cross my mind.