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Lost Astronaut Tool Bag Spotted With Telescope
Posted by Sean Fallon at 11:00 AM on November 26, 2008
The toolbag lost by astronaut Heidi Stefanyshyn-Piper last week is quickly becoming the most famous piece of $US100,000 junk floating around in space. In fact, countless nerds have pointed their telescopes into the night sky attempting to catch a glimpse of the backpack-sized bag orbiting the Earth. At least one man has succeeded in this endeavor—and he managed to capture it on video to boot. Hit the video after the break to watch the original "D'oh!" moment.
A NASA astronaut lost her bag of tools outside the International Space Station earlier today when she went outside to clean up a solar panel. Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper's grease gun exploded all over her helmet camera and gloves, and while wiping off the mess, she shifted her attention off the tool bag. She lost her grip and it floated away. "Oh, great," she was reported to mumble.
Craftsman thought they had finally cornered the lazy-arse market with their 12V, lithium-rechargeable Hammerhead Auto-Hammer, but they made one fatal mistake: We're way too unindustrious to build anything with or without electronic gizmos to back us up. Still, we can appreciate the design as this miniature jackhammer drives nails in at 35 strikes per second with a form factor that's not so different from the original hammer. But haven't we seen this idea somewhere before...namely from a certain Homer Simpson?
I hope you guys drink your milk because strong bones are essential if you want to use this 21-piece finger socket set. Outside of the potential for compound fractures, this idea is actually quite ingenious. The concept has probably been around for a while in various forms, but for any tinkerer that gets frustrated with manoeuvring tools into tight spaces, having a socket attached to your finger could prove invaluable—although it seems like you would never have proper leverage. Available for $US20. [
Using machining products developed by SecoTools, a 
Like a useful little Autobot, the Micro-Max tool transforms into not just two or three, but nineteen different doohickeys for you to use. Included within its moving parts are six types of screwdrivers, two hex wrenches, a bottle opener, pliers, a file, and wire tools. If you're a DIY enthusiast, or just like really tiny and complicated things, the Micro-Max is $US13 off of ThinkGeek. [
Besides being a magnet for penis puns, this pen is absolutely bursting with functionality that will leave just about any tool junkie satisfied. At the most basic level you get a handsome stainless steel ballpoint pen, but it can also transform into "a hole puncher, a stainless steel file, a short cutting blade, a flat screwdriver, a wire sleeve remover/small nail remover, an ear pick, a long cutting blade, a tweezer, a Philips screwdriver, and a stainless steel fork and a saw." It could very well be the best US$15 you ever spend outside of a bordello my friend. [
This isn't the tool box you'd likely see at your local garage right now. No, this is straight out of a gearhead's rock n' roll fantasy: A huge tool chest that also comes with an integrated Pioneer sound system and beer fridge. Top that off with self-illumination and built-in power strip and you've got almost everything you'd need. Except tools. At US$1600 it's something you might actually start seeing in hobbyist garages soon. I know my stepdad's going to want one. [
Cutting open a person for surgery using a plain old scalpel seems pretty barbarian compared to this new cutting tool from Peak. Instead of a sharp metal edge, or even an electrosurgical cutter, the Plasmablade uses pulses of plasma generated around its tip to locally cut and cauterise flesh such as skin, fat and muscle. It has the advantages of not damaging nearby tissue since its generated heat remains short term and local, and there's less... uh... smoke to worry about than with electrosurgical tools. If you can stomach the idea, there's a pretty graphic demo video of the blade in action. Just don't be eating while you watch.
I was really excited to see A-Level hit the App Store today--I've actually needed to use a level recently, but I don't have one. And replacing a physical tool with a 99-cent mobile software app is what the future's all about, right? But after grabbing it and giving it a test, it's a well-executed app but with one fatal flaw: you can't re-zero your accelerometers.
