NASA delays spacewalk because of debris

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- NASA postponed a spacewalk from the International Space Station originally scheduled for Wednesday morning because of the potential of space junk in the area.

The space agency said the debris was from a fragment from the upper stage of a Russian Fregat-SB that appeared scheduled to pass near the ISS.

"Based on this new data, flight control teams directed the crew to stop spacewalk preparations as the ground team stepped into procedures to perform a Pre-Determined Debris Avoidance Maneuver," NASA said.

"The maneuver will use the Roscosmos Progress 81 thrusters to provide the complex an extra measure of distance away from the predicted track of the debris. The crew is not in any immediate danger."

NASA said without nudging the ISS, the fragment could have passed within less than a quarter mile from the station.

In April, researchers from Edinburgh University warned in the journal Nature Astronomy that space junk was creating a greater threat and more troublesome in the space environment.

The European Space Agency said researchers have already spotted more than 30,000 items of space debris through surveillance networks.

Astronomers have called for better tracking and improved means of removing debris from Earth's orbit and private companies become more involved in space and the emergence of more communication satellites.

The astronauts had planned on installing a rollout solar array on the laboratory. The spacewalk, which will eventually be conducted by Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada, will increase electrical power to support operations and scientific research.

The International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, which arrived Nov. 27, will be the fourth installed on the ISS and will be followed by two more installations, NASA said.

"Overall, the iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station's total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts," NASA said in a statement.

The spacewalk was expected to last about seven hours. If more work needs to be done, the installation can be completed in a second spacewalk at a later date.

A Russian spacewalk at the ISS was canceled last week as they evaluated a coolant leak that was detected coming from the aft end of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft docked to the International Space Station, NASA said then.