NASA: Debris Threat Delays Spacewalk

An International Space Station (ISS) spacewalk that had been set for Tuesday was abruptly called off due to the threat of debris.

Kimberly Johnson

Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at 11:24 AM ET

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NASA received a debris notification for the International Space Station on Monday evening. Credit: NASA

Key Takeaways:

An International Space Station (ISS) spacewalk was delayed due to a debris notification, as NASA lacked sufficient time to assess the potential risk to astronauts.
This debris concern follows a Russian anti-satellite test two weeks prior, which created over 1,500 trackable pieces of space junk.
The spacewalk, involving astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron, was intended to repair a faulty communications antenna.
Despite a 7% increased debris risk, NASA indicated it falls within acceptable historical parameters for spacewalks, and the antenna issue has not impacted ISS operations due to redundancy.

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An International Space Station (ISS) spacewalk that had been set for Tuesday was abruptly called off due to the potential threat of debris, NASA announced.

“The evening of Monday, Nov. 29, NASA received a debris notification for the International Space Station,” NASA said in a statement. “Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the spacewalk planned for Tuesday, Nov. 30 until more information is available.