Pic of the Week: ISS Space Junk

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Canadarm2 robotic arm jettisoning flight support equipment toward the Earth’s atmosphere. (NASA)

This week’s image is a recent shot from the International Space Station (ISS) showing how it deals with unneeded equipment. Fortunately, this “space junk” will quickly burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere rather than remain a threat to the ISS. Given the size of that junk, I hope nothing else bumps into it on the way down.

Here is the story from NASA:

The Canadarm2 robotic arm is pictured extending away from the International Space Station after jettisoning flight support equipment toward the Earth’s atmosphere. The flight hardware secured a pair of roll-out solar arrays inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship’s trunk during its ascent to orbit and rendezvous with the space station in November 2022. The jettisoned support equipment drifted safely away from the station and will eventually harmlessly burn up in the atmosphere with no chance for recontacting the space station.

Note: As this story illustrates, NASA has a habit of tossing out the trash from orbit.