Astronauts return to Int'l Space Station as threat passed

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Chinese media) --

Astronauts returned to the International Space Station on Thursday after taking

refuge in Soyuz capsule in case of a collision with a flying debris cloud, NASA

said.

International Space Station (ISS)

Commander Mike Fincke (L) and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov work outside

the Russian segment of the station during their spacewalk from the

orbiting laboratory in this March 10, 2009 image from NASA TV. Dressed in

Russian spacesuits, Fincke and Lonchakov floated outside the orbiting

outpost for six hours of work, including setting up a European materials

science experiment, before the shuttle Discovery's scheduled arrival on

Friday. (Chinese media/Reuters, FilePhoto)
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"The debris threat to the International Space Station

has passed," NASA said in a statement posted on its website.

The International Space Station Expedition 18 crew

members returned the station to normal operations after being notified of the

all clear at 12:45 p.m. EDT (1645 GMT). They took refuge for 11 minutes in the

Soyuz escape capsule.

The crew took precautionary measures due to space

debris that has been determined to be within the range where a collision is

possible. News of the close approach came too late for flight controllers to

coordinate an avoidance maneuver.

Crew members entered their Soyuz TMA-13 capsule and

soft-locking the hatches, in case the debris should affect the space station and

they are required to undock. The closure of the hatches ensures the safety of

the crew and the ability to quickly depart the station in the unlikely event the

debris collided with the station causing a depressurization.

The time of closest approach of the debris to the

station is 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT). The debris was about one-third of an inch

in width.

ISS crew take shelter in spacecraft to

dodge debris cloud

MOSCOW, March 12 (Chinese media) -- The crew of the

International Space Station (ISS) evacuated to a Russian spacecraft on Thursday

when a piece of space debris passed by, the Mission Control Center outside

Moscow said.

"The cosmonauts entered the spacecraft at 7:35 p.m.

Moscow time (1635 GMT) and stayed there for 10 minutes while the station was in

dangerous proximity to a piece of space debris," Valery Lyndin, spokesman for

the flight control center, was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

NASA: Space shuttle Discovery's launch

no earlier than March 15

The space shuttle Discovery sits on

launch pad 39A as it is fueled for launch at the Kennedy Space Center in

Cape Canaveral, Florida, in this May 31, 2008 file photo.(Chinese media/Reuters

Photo)
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WASHINGTON, March 11 (Chinese media) -- U.S. space shuttle

Discovery’s launch to the International Space Station is now targeted for no

earlier than March 15, NASA said in a statement on Wednesday.

Liftoff on March 15 would be at 7:43 p.m. EDT (2343

GMT). The exact launch date is dependent on the work necessary to fix the

hydrogen leak problem, according to the statement. Managers will meet on

Thursday at 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) to further assess the troubleshooting plan. Full story

NASA postpones space shuttle

Discovery's launch due to gas leak

WASHINGTON, March 11 (Chinese media) -- The launch of U.S. space

shuttle Discovery was postponed again on Wednesday due to a hydrogen gas leak

found several hours before its scheduled liftoff, NASA said. Full story