Fragment of an old Russian satellite went at full speed near the International Space Station (ISS), forcing the astronauts to seek refuge quickly inside the two Soyuz capsules. The report is from the Russian and American space agencies. The fragment came from errant Russian satellite, Cosmos 2251, launched in 1993 collided with a U.S. communications satellite, Iridium-33, in February 2009.
NASA has said, via Twitter, that it is the third time that the astronauts are forcedto take refuge in the Soyuz capsule becauseof the transit of satellite’s debris. According to the Russian space agency, the fragment is passed at about 23 kilometers from the international station, forcing the astronauts - three Russians, two Americans and one German- to seek protection in spacecraft designed to return them to Earth in an emergency. "The threat has passed" reassured a managerof the Russian mission control center of the Interfax news agency: "The astronauts can continue their mission".
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