NASA analyzing ‘junk’ that could threaten 13 astronauts
CAPE CANAVERAL (AP) – A massive piece of space junk drifted toward the shuttle-station complex and its 13 astronauts Wednesday, though NASA officials said the threat would not delay an upcoming spacewalk.
Mission Control kept close tabs on the piece of European rocket because there was a chance, however unlikely, it could come too close or even hit the linked space shuttle Discovery and international space station if their path is not altered.
As of Wednesday night, the debris was expected to pass within two miles of the outpost Friday, said John McCullough, chief of NASA’s flight director office.
That’s five miles closer than earlier projections, but it’s still “looking very positive” that the shuttle and station will not have to dodge the junk. That’s because with every passing hour, there’s more accuracy on the precise location of the spacecraft and debris, McCullough said.
Experts will continue to track the debris – part of a 3-year-old Ariane 5 rocket – to make sure it stays at a safe distance. Pieces of uncontrolled space junk sometimes stray from their orbit, however, and that is the concern. The object’s oval-shaped orbit – stretching as far out as 20,000 miles – made it especially difficult to monitor.
Experts estimate that the piece of junk – part of a booster that was used to deploy a satellite – has about 200 square feet of surface area. Its exact dimensions are unknown.
The late-breaking news did not affect the work of the two crews aboard the complex. They moved more cargo into the space station and even installed some of the new big-ticket items, including a sleeping compartment.
Shuttle astronaut Jose Hernandez, a Mexican-American who grew up in a migrant worker family, also took time out for several TV interviews and discussed his Catholic faith.
When asked in Spanish if being surrounded by all that space technology diminished his faith, Hernandez replied that on the contrary, seeing all the stars confirms his belief that all this cannot possibly be by chance and that there is a greater plan with a supernatural power.