NASA's $100k tool bag lost in space is now orbiting Earth and surprisingly visible to stargazers

NASA astronauts made a pretty expensive mistake last week when a $100,000 tool bag slipped out of their grasp and drifted off into its own orbit of Earth.

The tool bag, which is valued at about $100,000, is now orbiting Earth just ahead of the space station and is so bright that stargazers can catch a glimpse of the runaway gear using just binoculars. Those hoping to catch a glimpse of the bag should locate the ISS, then scan the sky just ahead of its trajectory, the report notes.

A report in SciTechDaily noted that the spacewalkers were conducting repairs on ISS equipment when the toolbar slipped away, though the mishap luckily happened after the equipment was no longer needed for the repairs. A mission control analysis following the mishap determined that there was low risk of the tool bag recontacting the ISS and that the crew were safe to continue the mission without further action.