Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Space Junk Forced Astronauts Into ISS Escape Capsules

Posted by timothy on from the april-fools! dept.

According to a story from CNN, "A piece of a debris from a Russian Cosmos satellite passed close enough to the International Space Station on Saturday that its crew was ordered into escape capsules as a precaution, NASA said. The six crew members were told to take shelter late Friday in their Soyuz capsules after it was determined there was a small possibility the debris could hit the station, the U.S. space agency said in a statement." This isn't the first time it's happened, either. The escape capsules (actually, they're Soyuz spacecraft) must be nice to have on hand, but I'd hate to have to test their efficacy.

3 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. silly commentary indeed... by sribe · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The escape capsules (actually, they're Soyuz spacecraft) must be nice to have on hand, but I'd hate to have to test their efficacy.

    You mean you don't want to come home at the end of the mission?

  2. Re:analysis showed a slight possibility of hitting by Mr.+Freeman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When you consider how amazingly big space is and how incredibly fast debris can travel, that's actually really close.

    --
    -1 disagree is not a modifier for a reason. -1 troll, flaimbait, redundant, overrated are NOT acceptable substitutes.
  3. Re:analysis showed a slight possibility of hitting by osu-neko · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The debris was predicted to pass about 23 kilometers (14.2 miles) from the space station, NASA said."

    Sooo, 14 miles and CDR Riker yells "red alert!"

    The key word is "predicted". When something will pass within 14 miles of your location, give or take 20 miles...

    --
    "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."