MOSCOW, February 9 (RIA Novosti correspondent Alexander Kovalev) - Experts at the Russian Mission Control cannot identify the object that detached from the International Space Station (ISS) last Friday and "sailed" into the open space. The Mission Control (MC) is unable to identify the origin of this object because it has not received images from its American colleagues, a MC representative told RIA Novosti.
American astronaut Michael Foale, who works at the ISS with his Russian crewmate Alexander Kaleri, saw an object similar to a strip of cloth from the station's window. On February 6, during an engine test on a Russian cargo ship Progress, the crew observed a thin strip, about 25cm long, detach from the ISS. The astronauts were able to take pictures of the object.
The incident presents no danger for the astronauts or the station, NASA's spokesman in Russia Sergei Puzanov told RIA Novosti. Experts at the MC noted that ISS is operating in normal mode and no malfunctions have been reported.
