Twelve years ago, the critically acclaimed film Gravity gave viewers a harrowing look at what it might look like if an astronaut was placed in jeopardy as a result of debris moving through space at high velocity. The troubling properties of space debris also played a big part in the third season of For All Mankind. But now, science fiction is becoming science fact, only in the least appealing way possible.
As Stephen Clark reported at Ars Technica, a trio of Chinese astronauts is currently stranded on board the space station Tiangong. The reason? The station normally has two capsules that astronauts can use to return to Earth. In fact, three of the station’s crew did precisely that earlier this month, safely landing in the Gobi Desert. Unfortunately for their three colleagues, space junk damaged the other capsule, leaving it unsafe to use.
Clark cites a post made by the China Manned Space Agency to the effect that the as-yet-unused capsule had a small crack in its window as a result of an unspecified object in space colliding with it. That said, when you’re dealing with space travel and re-entry, even a small crack can rapidly become a literal fatal flaw in the structure.
European Space Agency Report Warns of Too Much Space Junk
It’s always been a problem, and it’s getting worseWhat is next for the trio of astronauts — Wu Fei, Zhang Hongzhang and Zhang Lu — who are still on board the space station? Ars Technica reports that the next Chinese space launch, the Shenzhou 22 mission, will send supplies to the trio so that they have a consistent amount of food and drink on board.
As Space.com’s Brett Tingley reports, the launch of Shenzhou 22 will be moved up to later this month from a scheduled launch in early 2026. That mission should also include a working capsule to get these astronauts home when their stint on board Tiangong comes to an end.
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