ISS adjusts orbit to avoid debris
Posted: Sat, Jan 14, 2012, 3:45 PM ET (2045 GMT)
The International Space Station moved into a slightly higher orbit on Friday to avois a close call with debris from a 2009 satellite collision. Thusters on the ISS's Zvezda module fired for nearly a minute at 11:10 am EST (1610 GMT) Friday, raising the station's orbit by 305 meters. The maneuver was approved after the US Strategic Command detected a piece of debris about 10 centimeters in diameter projected to come as close as one kilometer to the station. The debris was a fragment of the Iridium 33 satellite, which collided with a defunct Russian satellite in 2009. The maneuver was the 13th debris avoidance maneuver in the station's history; the maneuver also took the place of a previously-planned reboost of the station next week.
The International Space Station moved into a slightly higher orbit on Friday to avois a close call with debris from a 2009 satellite collision. Thusters on the ISS's Zvezda module fired for nearly a minute at 11:10 am EST (1610 GMT) Friday, raising the station's orbit by 305 meters. The maneuver was approved after the US Strategic Command detected a piece of debris about 10 centimeters in diameter projected to come as close as one kilometer to the station. The debris was a fragment of the Iridium 33 satellite, which collided with a defunct Russian satellite in 2009. The maneuver was the 13th debris avoidance maneuver in the station's history; the maneuver also took the place of a previously-planned reboost of the station next week.
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