CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A spacewalking astronaut has added to the millions of pieces of junk orbiting the Earth. The commander of the International Space Station, Chris Cassidy, had barely exited the hatch Friday when he reported that his left wrist mirror had floated away.
Mission Control says the lost mirror poses no risk to either the spacewalk or station.
Cassidy and Bob Behnken are conducting the first of several spacewalks to replace the last bunch of old station batteries. Once the six new lithium-ion batteries are installed, the station should be good for the rest of its operational life.