International Space Station (ISS) makes emergency maneuver to avoid collision with debris

Astronauts on International Station (ISS) carried out an "avoidance maeuvre" on Tuesday to prevent from being hit by a piece of debris, US ncy NASA said, calling for better manment of objects in Earth's orbit.

Russian and US flight controllers toger carried out a two-and-a-half-minute operation to just station's orbit and move furr away to avoid a collision. debris passed ISS at a distance of just about 1.4 kilometres, NASA said.

Two Russians and one American crew member moved near ir Soyuz craft as maeuvre began, so y could evacuate if necessary. NASA said precaution was taken out of extreme caution. astronauts were able to return to ir rmal activities after procedure, according to NASA.

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NASA chief Jim Bridenstine informed on Twitter after maeuvre was completed in wee hours of Wednesday. “ astronauts are coming out of safe haven," he wrote. Astromer Jonathan McDowell said that debris was actually a piece of a 2018 Japanese rocket which broke up into 77 different pieces last year.

ISS usually orbits roughly 420 kilometres above Earth, at a speed of about 17,000 miles per hour. At such a velocity, even a small object could cause severe dam to a solar panel or or facets of station. Such a maeuvre is necessary on a regular basis. NASA said ISS h been move 25 times between 1999 and 2018.

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frequent relocation of ISS

Bridenstine said was third maeuvre of ISS this year. operations may become more frequent considering Earth's orbit has become littered with pieces of satellites, rockets and or objects launched into over last sixty years. Accidental or deliberate collisions, such as anti-satellite missile launches by India in 2019 and China in 2007, can break objects in even furr and create ded risk.

Civilians want Office of to take over surveillance of junk, a job that is currently occupied by military.

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(Im credits: NASA)