DIY disaster as tool box is lost in space

Dec 5 2008 by Alan Shaw

GETTING a bit of DIY done and mislaying the tools is something I’m sure we’ve all done at some point. I once managed to lose a screwdriver in a completely empty room. I was convinced that it must have slipped into another dimension or something.

But even losing your pen when writing out the Christmas cards is something that’s happened to us all, and can be a bit annoying.

I’m sure ‘annoying’ wasn’t the word used by the American astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper though, when she accidentally let go of her toolkit during a spacewalk over 200 miles above earth. You can guess what happened next. It floated off to join the rest of the space junk in orbit around the planet.

For some reason though, this particular piece of debris has attracted quite a cult following amongst stargazers. Men with beards and duffel coats had their telescopes pointed skywards last week as the toolbox, described as ‘backpack sized’ passed over the UK.

I have no idea how much success they had in trying to spot it, not much I would have thought. Trying to find a backpack through a telescope on land would be like trying to find the proverbial needle in a haystack, let alone one that is over 200 miles up in the dark sky and travelling at 15,000mph. Last time I used a telescope I couldn’t even find the moon.

Even the internet was buzzing with blogs and websites devoted to tracking the bag through the sky and advising on the best times and best places to catch a glimpse of it.

Thankfully though, some sensible words came from the Royal Astronomical Society, where Dr Robert Massey is quoted as saying: “I wouldn’t waste too much time looking for it.” I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Remember that this week on West FM we’ve got some great chances for you to be a winner, including the chance to win helicopter flights on Friday, just in time for Christmas. Friday is also the day we bring you the Cash For Kids Christmas Lunch, live from Ayr Racecourse – listen out for that going live from 2pm.

I’ll talk to you on the Breakfast Show, Monday to Friday from 6am on 96.7 West FM.