A crack was found on an observation window of International Space Station's Copula module. The agency predicts that it was caused by a tiny space debris [Courtesy of European Space Agency]
Disastrous events taken in space are a common theme of science fiction (SF) novels and films. Last month, astronauts' nightmare almost broke out on International Space Station. Tiny space debris hit an observation window of a Cupola module, leaving a crack.
European Space Agency (ESA) released an image of the crack on Cupola module's observation window, saying that it was found last month, but the fused-silica borosilicate-glass windows managed to survive the impact. The ESA also noted that it is rare, but sometimes the ISS suffers from impacts by tiny space debris.
ESA astronaut Tim Peake, who took the photo said, "I am often asked if the International Space Station is hit by space debris. Yes, this is the chip in one of our Cupola windows, glad it is quadruple glazed!"
The crack is 7mm-diameter and the ESA predict the window is probably hit by a paint flake or small metal fragment no bigger than a few thousandths of a millimeter across. Although most of the space debris cannot be seen from Earth, it can cause serious damages at orbital speeds.
"While a chip like the one shown here may be minor, larger debris would pose a serious threat. An object up to 1cm in size could disable an instrument or a critical flight system on a satellite. Anything above 1cm could penetrate the shields of the Station’s crew modules, and anything larger than 10 cm could shatter a satellite or spacecraft into pieces." ESA explained.
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Park Sae-jin
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