![](\"http:\/\/www.esa.int\/var\/esa\/storage\/images\/esa_multimedia\/images\/2017\/04\/spotting_debris\/16887442-1-eng-GB\/Spotting_debris_small.jpg\")
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\nOn 30 March, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson ventured outside the International Space Station on a seven-hour spacewalk. The duo\u2019s work included installing four thermal shields on the US Tranquility module, protecting a docking port. \n<\/p>\n
\nUnfortunately, one shield was lost during the spacewalk. It posed no immediate danger to the astronauts and they went on to install the remaining shields on the port.\n<\/p>\n
\nThe lost shield is in orbit some distance in front of the Station and is visible from Earth through a pair of good binoculars.\n<\/p>\n
\nDuring the evening of 3 April, Marco Langbroek<\/a>, from Leiden, the Netherlands, photographed the shield passing over in the night sky, using a Canon EOS 60D DSLR camera and a Samyang 1.4\/85 mm lens.\n<\/p>\n \nIn a pair of excellent images created from a series of photos<\/a>, the shield is seen as the very faint, thin streak (in the image at left), followed a minute later by the Station itself, seen as the thick streak (in the image at right).\n<\/p>\n \nThe shield is about 1.5 x 0.6 m, and is expected to drop from orbit and burn up in the atmosphere within a few months.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThe item poses very little risk to navigation, and an accidental release like this is not unexpected given the complexity and challenges of working outside during a spacewalk,\u201d says Holger Krag, Head of ESA\u2019s Space Debris Office.\n<\/p>\n \nHe says the incident does, however, put a spotlight on the current space debris situation<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThere are some 750 000 debris objects 1\u201310 cm in orbit, and any one of these could damage or destroy a functioning satellite.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nLater this month, ESA\u2019s Space Debris Office will host the 7th European Conference on Space Debris<\/a>, the world\u2019s largest gathering on this topic. The conference will be opened by ESA Director General Jan Woerner and NASA\u2019s former orbital debris chief scientist, Donald Kessler.\n<\/p>\n \nHighlight talks will address acute issues like debris avoidance measures, novel concepts for removing debris and the deployment of large constellations of several thousand satellites for telecommunications.\n<\/p>\n \nMore information<\/b>\n<\/p>\n \nMarco Langbroek http:\/\/sattrackcam.blogspot.com<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nVideo of ISS pass with shield seen in front<\/a> (WMV, 24 MB)\n<\/p>\n \nWhere\u2019s the dropped fabric shield? http:\/\/www.n2yo.com\/satellite\/?s=42434<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nESA Space Debris http:\/\/www.esa.int\/debris<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nESA CleanSpace http:\/\/www.esa.int\/CleanSpace<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nOn 30 March, NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson ventured outside the International Space Station on a seven-hour spacewalk. The duo’s work included installing four thermal shields on the US Tranquility module, protecting a docking port. \n<\/p>\n \nUnfortunately, one shield was lost during the spacewalk. It posed no immediate danger to the astronauts and they went on to install the remaining shields on the port.\n<\/p>\n \nThe lost shield is in orbit some distance in front of the Station and is visible from Earth through a pair of good binoculars.\n<\/p>\n \nDuring the evening of 3 April, Marco Langbroek<\/a>, from Leiden, the Netherlands, photographed the shield passing over in the night sky, using a Canon EOS 60D DSLR camera and a Samyang 1.4\/85 mm lens.\n<\/p>\n \nIn a pair of excellent images created from a series of photos<\/a>, the shield is seen as the very faint, thin streak (in the image at left), followed a minute later by the Station itself, seen as the thick streak (in the image at right).\n<\/p>\n \nThe shield is about 1.5 x 0.6 m, and is expected to drop from orbit and burn up in the atmosphere within a few months.\n<\/p>\n \n“The item poses very little risk to navigation, and an accidental release like this is not unexpected given the complexity and challenges of working outside during a spacewalk,” says Holger Krag, Head of ESA’s Space Debris Office.\n<\/p>\n \nHe says the incident does, however, put a spotlight on the current space debris situation<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n \n“There are some 750 000 debris objects 1–10 cm in orbit, and any one of these could damage or destroy a functioning satellite.”\n<\/p>\n \nLater this month, ESA’s Space Debris Office will host the 7th European Conference on Space Debris<\/a>, the world’s largest gathering on this topic. The conference will be opened by ESA Director General Jan Woerner and NASA’s former orbital debris chief scientist, Donald Kessler.\n<\/p>\n \nHighlight talks will address acute issues like debris avoidance measures, novel concepts for removing debris and the deployment of large constellations of several thousand satellites for telecommunications.\n<\/p>\n \nMore information<\/b>\n<\/p>\n \nMarco Langbroek http:\/\/sattrackcam.blogspot.com<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nVideo of ISS pass with shield seen in front<\/a> (WMV, 24 MB)\n<\/p>\n \nWhere’s the dropped fabric shield? http:\/\/www.n2yo.com\/satellite\/?s=42434<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nESA Space Debris http:\/\/www.esa.int\/debris<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n