Flight controllers are reviewing plans for spacewalks set to take place during space shuttle Endeavour's visit to the international space station, after a crucial tool bag floated out to space during a repair trip.
The briefcase-sized tool bag drifted away from astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper as she cleaned and lubricated a gummed-up joint on a wing of solar panels on the space station.
Controllers are considering having the two spacewalkers share ast
ronaut Stephen Bowen's pair of grease guns for the three remaining spacewalks today, Saturday and Monday.
They could also use caulking guns meant for repairing the space shuttle.
Another option is to have one spacewalker clean the joint while the other uses the grease gun to lubricate it.
Ms Stefanyshyn-Piper said her grease gun exploded, getting the dark grey stuff all over a camera and her gloves. While wiping herself off, the white, backpack-size bag slipped out of her grip, and she lost all her other tools.
She and her fellow spacewalker, Stephen Bowen, then went on to finish their tasks in six hours and 52 minutes by sharing tools.
Mr Bowen had his own tool bag with another grease gun, putty knife and oven-like gloves to wipe away metal grit from a clogged joint.
Earlier, the spacewalkers spotted a screw floating by, but were too far away to catch it. "I have no idea where it came from," Ms Stefanyshyn-Piper told Mission Control.
Mission Control said the screw was not considered a serious hazard, but did not immediately elaborate on the missing tool bag.
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