NASA image of the International Space Station.
A small piece of space junk from an old Russian weather satellite forced the crew of the International Space Station to briefly take cover in an escape vehicle Thursday.
All ISS systems continued to operate normally while the Russian cosmonauts and NASA astronaut were in the Soyuz vehicle.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Officials at NASA Mission Control in Houston calculated that the fragment of space junk would pass close to the space station at 7:01 a.m. Central time. Based on the small chance of a “possible conjunction with the station,” flight director Ed Van Cise ordered ISS Commander Gennady Padalka and flight engineers Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko to take shelter in a Soyuz vehicle that is docked at the station.
After the debris passed by safely, the crew was cleared to return to work.
.@NASA @Space_Station Happy there was no impact. Great coordination with international ground teams. Excellent training. #YearInSpace
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) July 16, 2015
We need to launch a #SpaceSharknado where sharks have freakin' laser beams on their heads #pewpewpew https://t.co/MotcVuMKah
— Ed Van Cise (@Carbon_Flight) July 16, 2015