Astronauts accidentally lose a shield in space

During a spacewalk in 2017, NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough accidentally lost a fabric shield needed for the International Space Station. The shield, which was about the size of a twin bed, had been removed to cover an access point where a docking port had been disconnected and moved.

As Whitson was working on the shield, it suddenly drifted away and floated off into space. The astronauts were able to retrieve a cover from the docking port and use it to patch the hole left by the lost shield, but the incident raised concerns about the safety of spacewalks and the potential for debris to damage the space station.

The lost shield is not expected to pose a threat to the space station or astronauts. It will eventually degrade and burn up upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. However, the incident is a reminder of the challenges of working in space and the importance of safety protocols.