NASA calls off space station’s dodging of junk

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. (AP) - The International Space Station is safe from two pieces of menacing junk.

NASA said Thursday the orbiting lab does not need to move out of the way of fragments from an Indian rocket and an old Russian satellite. The maneuver had been planned for Thursday morning, but was called off.

Mission Control says there is a high degree of confidence neither object will come too close to the space station and its three occupants. The astronauts and controllers can now turn their attention to Friday’s undocking of a European cargo ship. The departure was put off earlier this week because of a communication system error.

The space station’s neighborhood 260 miles up is full of potentially damaging debris. Usually, the junk keeps a safe distance.

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Online:

NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html