Debris from old Russian satellite forced ISS crew into contingency ops

Life aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has returned to normal after a late conjunction threat forced the Station’s crew into contingency operations. The implementation of Flight Rule B4-101 – resulting in the crew taking up the “safe haven” of a docked Russian Soyuz vehicle – was required during a close pass of debris from an old Russian weather satellite. The threat of space debris is a continuous consideration for all spacefaring vehicles. The ISS has the safety blanket of Space Command/NORAD, which tracks relatively large pieces of debris – usually originating from expended satellite and rocket hardware. More

(Source: NASASpaceFlight.com - Jul 17)