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The International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday drifted away into orbit Tuesday to avoid collision with space debris. NASA said the ISS carried out a “150-second reset” to avoid “unknown” space debris. According to NASA calculations, the space debris was to pass through the ISS at a distance of 1.39 km, an extremely short range in space.
Currently, there are 3 astronauts on the ISS. NASA ordered them, ‘as a precaution’, to move to the Russian section of the ISS closest to the Soyuz spacecraft. This would have helped to get the astronauts out safely in case of any emergency.
The ISS is currently orbiting the Earth at a speed of 27,568 km / h (17,130 mph). At this speed, even a small object can cause damage to the ISS, the repair work of which is a costly affair running into the millions of dollars.
NASA stressed that there was no danger to the astronauts.
The problem of space debris
Space debris is a major impediment to space exploration. According to the Daily Mail, there are 160 million pieces of debris around the Earth. These include large objects like missing satellite, old and also small in dimensions of a few centimeters. But all of them are capable of causing great damage to the satellites that are working.
Amid global calls for comprehensive action to control space debris, the UK announced funding for the cleanup of space through its UKSA space agency.
The £ 1 million funding (around $ 12.96,880) will be used to remove space debris, although a concrete way to remove it has yet to be formulated.
