Why ICESaturn Shards of metal no bigger than a fleck of paint can do the ISS enough damage that astronauts have to spend weeks repairing it.

By Norm Roulet, 29 October, 2024

LEAKY SHIP Astronauts on the ISS warned of urgent evacuation as Nasa monitors 50 ‘areas of concern’ including 5-year leak

The ISS has been orbiting Earth since 1998 - but nothing within Earth's orbit can stay in space forever.

Space debris is increasingly a threat to the ISS, which is roughly the size of a football field, and therefore an easy target.

The outpost occasionally has to move its orbit to dodge larger pieces of space junk.

In June, astronauts aboard the ISS were forced to take cover when a defunct Russian shattered into 200 metal pieces in orbit.

However, this is not always possible to dodge debris, particularly with the smaller pieces.

Shards of metal no bigger than a fleck of paint can do the ISS enough damage that astronauts have to spend weeks repairing it.

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