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Astronaut won't lose another bag
Last Modified: 20 Nov 2008
By:
Channel 4 News
A US astronaut whose butter-fingered spacewalk was broadcast around the world vows not to let any more equipment drift into space.
Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper accidently let go of a tool bag while carrying out repair work outside the International Space Station on Tuesday.
The mishap, captured by Nasa cameras and broadcast around the world, happened while she was carrying out some repair work outside the station.
Today, Stefanyshyn-Piper gave an interview live from the space station promising never to let it happen again.
She said: "It was very disheartening to see it float away.
"You have to learn from your mistakes - I am definitely not going to do it again.
"You are not going to see us lose another bag.
"There was a split second when I saw it floating away and I tried to judge how far away it was and thought 'can I reach and get it'? But that would have made things worse."
The bag contained two grease guns, scrapers and other equipment needed to begin fixing a 10-foot-wide rotary joint that positions the station's solar wing panels toward the sun for power.
Within 24 hours of being dropped the bag had floated two miles away.







