NASA astronauts accidentally drop tool bag during ISS spacewalk; visible from Earth

Apart from the moon, stars, shuttle wreckage, broken satellites, and tools from earlier space missions, there is an unexpected object visible in space: a toolbox.

NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara lost the tool bag on November 2, 2023, during a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS).

The tool bag is not visible with the unaided eye, but skywatchers equipped with binoculars can detect it. Over the next few months, observers will be able to track the space station and catch a glimpse of the bag, which will be floating two to four minutes ahead of the station. Thankfully, the tool bag was not required for the rest of the tasks for the astronauts. 

Reserve astronaut Meganne Christian took to microblogging website X to share the footage of the tool bag's escape. In her post on X, she wrote, “Last seen by Astronaut Satoshi, while floating over Mount Fuji, the 'Orbital Police' can confirm that the lost EVA gear is being tracked.”

Last seen by @Astro_Satoshi while floating over Mount Fuji 🗻 the 'Orbital Police' can confirm that the lost EVA gear is being tracked 🫡 https://t.co/wz4MITmAfM pic.twitter.com/eksfu9fPFw

— Dr Meganne Christian (@astro_meganne) November 5, 2023

The crew lock bag, as it is officially called, is currently orbiting slightly ahead of the International Space Station (ISS). Its visual magnitude is about 6, which makes it slightly dimmer than Uranus, the ice giant.

“Mission Control analysed the bag’s trajectory and determined that risk of recontacting the station is low and that the onboard crew and space station are safe with no action required,” NASA said. EarthSky said that the tool bag will remain in orbit for a few months before disintegrating into the Earth’s atmosphere. Preliminary estimates show the bag entering the atmosphere around March 2024, as per the New York Post.