(PresidentialWire.com)- NASA confirmed on Thursday that the International Space Station is still at major risk of being hit by orbiting debris in space, following a new weapons test from Russia.
On Monday, Russia launched a new missile designed to destroy a satellite that is orbiting the earth just above the International Space Station. On Wednesday, NASA said that the biggest threat to the station and the seven astronauts aboard it came within those first 24 hours, and that while the threat will gradually go down, there is still a very real possibility that debris may eventually hit the station.
Hatches between most of the International Space Station compartments were closed during this period as a precaution.
According to the United States Space Command, more than 1,500 fragments of satellite are being actively tracked to ensure that they don’t hit the station. However, hundreds of thousands of smaller pieces of debris are still floating around the planet and are not possible to track.
A planned spacewalk on the station is being reviewed, along with many other normal station operations, to ensure that everybody aboard remain safe.
The space walk in question is planned for November 30 and will be used to repair a damaged antenna, and to perform other inspections to ensure there is no additional damage.
There are four Americans aboard the International Space Station, along with one German and two Russians.
