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The International Space Station has been hit by fast-moving debris but it didn't cause too much damage. Space junk hurtling towards the station smashed into one of its robotic arms, leaving a hole.

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency first noticed the damage on Canadarm2 on May 12, according to a recent statement. The debris left a gaping hole in a section of the arm boom and thermal blanket.

According to NASA, over 23,000 objects the size of a softball or larger are being tracked by the U.S. Department of Defense at all times to monitor for possible collisions with satellites and the ISS. However, some smaller objects that cannot be tracked still pose a threat, like rocks, dust particles and flecks of paint that chip off of satellites.

"A number of space shuttle windows were replaced because of damage caused by material that was analyzed and shown to be paint flecks," NASA said. "In fact, millimeter-sized orbital debris represents the highest mission-ending risk to most robotic spacecraft operating in low Earth orbit."

Space junk, which includes both natural meteoroids and man-made objects, has become a growing area of concern as the region of space immediately surrounding Earth becomes more and more crowded with rocket parts, satellites and other objects. This debris, which travels at approximately 15,700 miles per hour in low-Earth orbit, poses a threat to both spacecraft and astronauts due to their fast speeds.

"Orbital debris is any human-made object in orbit about the Earth that no longer serves a useful function," NASA says. "Such debris includes nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris, and fragmentation debris."

Officials say the nearly 60-foot arm's capabilities were unaffected by the impact and small hole created by the unknown object. Operations are continuing as planned, while officials continue gathering data on the "lucky strike."

"The threat of collisions is taken very seriously," CSA said. "NASA has a long-standing set of guidelines to ensure the safety of Station crew. The safety of astronauts on board the orbiting laboratory remains the top priority of all Station partners."

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Space junk slams into International Space Station, damaging a robotic arm - CBS News

FP TrendingJun 04, 2021 17:43:05 IST

NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Shane Kimbrough are currently living on the International Space Station. They and their fellow crew members are constantly greeted with sights of the Earth that we, mere mortals, can only dream of. Recently, these two astronauts managed to capture and share some glorious images of our planet with their fellow earthlings on Twitter. They shared pictures of the Himalayas and Italys Turin, as viewed from space. Here are some of the recent images that the astronauts on the ISS have shared with us:

Hei shared a picture of The Himalayas clicked from space on his Twitter account. The stunning image shows the Himalayas on a clear, bright day. Hei added that he cannot get enough of these images.

While the image of the snow-covered mountains was shared by Hei, Kimbrough gave a treat to the Italians with the picture he shared. He posted a picture of the northern Italian city Turin as seen from space. It seems to be nighttime as lights are glowing in the picture. Kimbrough confirmed it by saying Buona Notte Italia! (Good Night Italy).

Kimbrough also posted pictures of Canada's Montreal explaining to viewers how to spot the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) facility in the images. Several people commented on their tweets, appreciating the beautiful images that were captured from space.

Another astronaut named Thomas Pesquet who is at ISS currently often shares images of cities and regions from space. A stunning image of Egypts capital Cairo was shared by Pesquet recently as part of the #CitiesAtNight series.

The official handle of NASA had also shared an image of Turkeys Istanbul where the city can be seen glowing at night. The image was captured from the ISS as it was orbiting 263 miles above the Black Sea.

Hei is a NASA astronaut who arrived at ISS on 9 April. Shane Kimbrough, another NASA astronaut, reached the station with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet in late April.

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Earth looks spectacular from space: 5 images clicked by astronauts on the Space Station - Firstpost

Two Russian cosmonauts will prepare a long-time docking module for eventual dismemberment from the International Space Station during a spacewalk on Wednesday (June 2) and you can watch it live.

Coverage will begin at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT), and you can watch it live here on Space.com or on NASA Television and here at Space.com. Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov are expected to start their spacewalk at 1:20 a.m. EDT (0520 GMT). The extravehicular activity, or EVA, should last six and a half hours, although the timing is subject to change depending on how the procedures go.

Novitskiy will have red stripes on his Orlan spacesuit to designate him as lead spacewalker, while Dubrov will wear blue stripes. The cosmonauts both on their first spacewalk will exit the International Space Station (ISS) using the Russian Poisk module.

Video: Russians spacewalk to decommission Pirs in animated explainerRelated: The most memorable spacewalks in history

"The two cosmonauts will disconnect all external mechanical links between Pirs and the station, reposition spacewalk hardware and antennas, and relocate other gear previously used for spacecraft dockings to Pirs," NASA said in a statement. "The cosmonauts also will replace a fluid flow regulator on the nearby Zarya module and replace biological and material science samples on the exterior of the Russian modules," the agency added.

This spacewalk is the second in what will be a series of excursions to decommission Pirs, which has been in space since 2001; previously, cosmonauts performed work on Pirs in November 2020. NASA says this is the sixth spacewalk of 2021 and the 238th spacewalk overall in support of space station assembly, maintenance and upgrades. (Much of the 2021 spacewalk activity so far has been focused on upgrading the ISS solar arrays for at least a few more years of science in orbit.)

Pirs hosts an airlock for spacewalks along with a docking port for Soyuz crewed spacecraft and Progress uncrewed spacecraft. It can also transport fuel between the Russian Zvezda or Zarya modules or docked vehicles, NASA said in a description of the module. This summer, Pirs will be disposed of using an uncrewed Progress cargo ship that will push Pirs towards Earth, NASA added in a blog post

Pirs will be replaced a couple of days later with a new Russian Multi-Purpose Laboratory Module named "Nauka," which is Russian for "science." The long-delayed Nauka was originally supposed to launch in 2007, and after overcoming technical and funding obstacles it will finally launch July 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, according to Spaceflight Now's launch calendar.

"The spacecraft was designed to provide room and facilities for experiments focused on material science and biotechnology," Russian space journalist Anatoly Zak said in a description of Nauka's capabilities on RussianSpaceWeb.com, adding that the module is "designed to provide a number of critical service systems to the Russian segment of the International Space Station."

If all goes to plan, Nauka will extend the science work done on the Kristall module of the Mir space station that the Soviet Union and later, Russia managed in the 1980s and 1990s, Zak said. In November 2020, Roscosmos space chief Dmitry Rogozin said the new module will include a multi-docking hub for the Russian segment of the ISS.

Notably, Roscosmos has discussed forming an independent space station with its newer ISS modules after the end of the international project, which is slated for 2024 with a possible extension to 2028.

Follow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Spacewalking cosmonauts will decommission an old space station module early Wednesday. Watch it live! - Space.com

Cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko is pictured in an Orlan spacesuit with red stripes during a spacewalk in December 11, 2018, to inspect the Soyuz MS-09 crew ship. Credit: NASA

Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov of the Russian space agency Roscosmos have completed a spacewalk lasting seven hours and 19 minutes.

The two cosmonauts opened the hatch to the Poisk docking compartment airlock to begin the spacewalk at 1:53 a.m. EDT. They re-entered the airlock and closed the hatch at 9:12 a.m.

Pyotr Dubrovs helmet camera spots Oleg Novitskiy on the other end of the 46-foot-long (14 meters) Strela boom, a Russian crane, that the spacewalkers detached from the Pirs airlock. Credit: NASA

During the spacewalk, the duo disconnected the external mechanical links between Pirs and the space station, relocated spacewalk hardware including a telescoping crane, and reconfigured antennas to prepare the Pirs module for undocking and disposal. Additionally, the cosmonauts replaced a fluid flow regulator panel on the nearby Zarya module, jettisoned the old panel as planned, and replaced biological and material science samples on the exterior of the Russian modules.

Cosmonauts (from left) Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov conducted their first career spacewalks together. Credit: NASA

Pirs will be replaced by the new Russian Multipurpose Laboratory Module, named Nauka, which is Russian for science. The undocking of Pirs is scheduled for this summer, about two days after Nauka launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

This was the first spacewalk for both cosmonauts and the 238th spacewalk overall in support of International Space Station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades. It also marks the sixth spacewalk of 2021.

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Cosmonauts Finish Spacewalk to Ready Space Station for New Module - SciTechDaily

A Long March-7 Y3 carrier rocket carrying the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft blasts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site on May 29, 2021 in Wenchang, Hainan Province of China.

Yuan Chen | VCG | Getty Images

GUANGZHOU, China China has completed another major part of its own space station, the latest in a string of ambitious extraterrestrial projects from the world's second-largest economy.

The Long March 7 rocket carrying the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft took off at 8:55 p.m. local time on Saturday from the Wenchang launch site, according to the China Manned Space agency.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Tianzhou-2 docked with the core module of the space station called Tianhe.

China's space station will be made of three modules which includes the Tianhe "core," cargo spacecraft such as Tianzhou-2 and laboratories. China will carry out 11 missions this year and next to complete the construction of the space station, and bring astronauts and supplies up too. The space station is expected to go into operation in 2022.

The docking of Tianzhou-2 has paved the way for China to launch astronauts to the space station. The cargo spacecraft carried up astronaut supplies including space suits and food. Shredded pork and kung pao chicken are among the food items transported to space, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

China's first self-developed space station will rival the International Space Station, which is a co-operative effort between the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. China is not involved.

Beijing has been putting a lot of emphasis on ambitious space projects. Last year, China completed its global navigation system called Beidou, a rival to the U.S. government-owned Global Positioning System (GPS).

After China launched its first major Mars mission last year, an unmanned Chinese spacecraft landed successfully on the Red Planet.

However, the Asian giant was criticized this month when the rocket carrying the core module for its space station, re-entered the earth's atmosphere uncontrolled and landed in the Indian Ocean.

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China completes another part of its own space station paving the way for astronauts to live there - CNBC

NASA's ion propulsion system

China's upcoming Tiangong space station's first module will be equipped with an ion propulsion system which will greatly improve energy efficiency and could slash journey times to Mars,the South China Morning Post(SCMP) reports.

Such thrusters have been used since the 1970s; however, the Tiangong's core module is set to become the first crewed spaceship propelled by ion drives. China is betting big on ion thrusters and intends to develop them on a far greater scale for its deep-space missions.

The space stations core Tianhe module,which will welcome its first astronauts later this month if all goes to plan, ispropelled by four ion thrusters, which utilize electricity to accelerate ions as a type of propulsion.

When compared to chemical propulsion, which keeps the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit, ion drives are much more efficient. According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the ISS's thrusters require four tons of rocket fuel to keep it afloat for a year, whereas ion thrusters would require only 882 pounds (400kg) to do the same.

Today's rocket technology would take a crew aboard a spaceship large enough to carry fuel and other supplies to Mars in more than eight months. However, according to some calculations by researchers, a vehicle powered by a 200-megawatt ion drive array may reduce the journey time to 39 days, allowing the mission to employ smaller vessels or carry more supplies.

It sounds good on paper, but its implementation hasn't been the best due to the thrust created not being significant enough. Most ion thrusters deployed in space, mostly in satellites, generate roughly 1 kilowatt of power, SCMP writes, but China's goal is much more ambitious.

An ion thruster generates thrust by accelerating ions using electricity: It ionizes a neutral gas by removing some electrons from atoms, creating a cloud of positive ions. When fired up, the ion drive emits blue fumes that are created by incredibly hot, electrically charged particles leaving the engine at speeds exceeding 30 times the speed of sound.

These charged particles can degrade engine components, reducing satellite longevity and possibly putting astronauts at risk. Moreover, the thrust is usually fairly low. However, the Chinese Academy of Sciences says they found a way to make it work.

The Chinese scientists put the thrusters through rigorous testing to make sure the engines could resist the damage caused by the particles. By putting a magnetic field over the engine's inner wall to repel damaging particles, they were able to protect the engine from erosion. They also developed a unique ceramic material designed to withstand severe heat or radiation for an extended period of time.m adoption has been hampered by the fact that the thrust produced isnt very significant.

Their ion thruster has reportedly run non-stop for more than 11 months without a hitch.

As space programs all around the world become more ambitious, it will be interesting to see if ion thrusters can be used in ways they have never been done before.

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China's New Space Station Will Be Powered by Ion Propulsion System - Interesting Engineering

GUILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) A big day for Guilford company Butterfly Network with one of their high-tech medical devices launched into space to be used on the international space station.

Company founder Jonathan Rothberg, Ph.D. explains how they took bulky ultrasound technology and put it into a handheld device.

Its the worlds first and only handheld whole-body scanner so you can look into any part of your body by ultrasound which is completely safe and its built based on a semiconductor chip, says Rothberg.

A Butterfly iQ ultrasound device was on the SpaceX Dragon cargo resupply rocket that launched Thursday afternoon, heading for the International Space Station.

Now we can monitor the health of our astronauts every day.

The device connects by telemedicine with a doctor on Earth. It will be tested in the zero-gravity conditions, with the potential to be a key scanning device in long-term space flights like trips to Mars, which will take six months to get there.

Dr. Rothberg has had a long relationship with the NASA program and has other inventions.

Today I handed over to the SpaceX team our Detect and it wont just be for COVID-19, it will be for anything that comes up while youre in the space station so we have to be more self-sufficient.

He says more testing is needed but his test can be reprogrammed to detect any pathogen so the possibilities are endless for its use in space. The invention of the Butterfly iQ was not for space but rather to make medicine equitable and available to all corners of the world.

Were working with 100 charities or nongovernmental organizations to get the butterflyeverywhere where its needed.

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Guilford companys medical invention on shipment headed to the International Space Station - WTNH.com