‘Lucky strike’? Space debris punches hole in robotic arm on International Space Station — RT

 

A piece of orbital debris crashed into the robotic arm on the International Space Station, blasting a hole through the high tech equipment in what Canada’s space agency deemed an unlikely collision.

The space junk slammed into the ISS’s ‘Canadarm2’ in mid-May, the Canadian Space Agency confirmed in a press release last week, noting that while the “utmost precautions” are taken to avoid collisions, “impacts with tiny objects do occur.”

“One such hit was noticed recently during a routine inspection of Canadarm2 on May 12,” the CSA said, though added that the arm continues to function without issue.

    Despite the impact, results of the ongoing analysis indicate that the arm's performance remains unaffected. The damage is limited to a small section of the arm boom and thermal blanket. A hole approximately 5mm in diameter is visible.