The lost bag became an artificial satellite of the Earth, visible through binoculars
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The tool bag, lost by American astronaut Jasmine Moghbeli during a spacewalk on November 2, 2023, was officially registered as artificial Earth satellite 58229 / 1998-067WC with orbital parameters of 415 by 416 kilometers.
The object’s magnitude (a measure of its brightness) is +6 – enough to be seen with binoculars. The bag moves across the starry sky “ahead” of the ISS.
It is expected that by March 2023, the new Earth satellite will reduce the altitude of its orbit and burn up in the atmosphere.
A similar incident occurred in 2008, when NASA astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper lost her bag while repairing the control mechanism of one of the ISS solar panels.
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