Lost bag doesn’t mar spacewalk
SpaceDuring repair job, astronaut lets go after a grease gun explodes

By The Associated Press
Published: November 19, 2008

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A spacewalking astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded. She helplessly watched as the tote and all inside floated away.


In this image from NASA TV, astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper, attached to the end of a robotic arm, maneuvers by the tail of the docked space shuttle Endeavour. AP PHOTO

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It was one of the largest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker. The incident occurred during an unprecedented attempt to clean and lube a gummed-up joint on a solar panel.

Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper was just starting to work on the joint when the mishap occurred.

She said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark gray stuff all over a camera and her gloves. While wiping off herself, the white, backpack-size bag slipped out of her grip, and she lost all her other tools.

"Oh, great,” she mumbled.

She and her fellow spacewalker Stephen Bowen then shared tools to finish their tasks in about seven hours.


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Related Topics: Science and Technology, Technology, Space Technology, Manned Space Flight


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