The International Space Station will not have to maneuver out of the path of approaching space debris tonight, NASA managers have confirmed to the station's three residents. NASA was tracking the debris as space shuttle Discovery prepares to dock with the outpost Tuesday afternoon.
The object was also spotted less than a week after the station crew - Americans Mike Fincke and Sandra Magnus and Russian Yury Lonchakov - was forced to take shelter in a Soyuz "lifeboat" because of another piece junk that approached with less notice.
Last week's scare passed without incident, and managers have determined that the more recently detected debris is not tracking within a specified zone around the station that would require a precautionary maneuver.
That imaginary box around the station is now considered "green," not "red," which would have prompted a move.
The maneuver could have adjusted the station's scheduled docking time by a few seconds or minutes, managers said today, but otherwise wouldn't have significantly impacted Discovery's planned 13-day mission.
The shuttle crew is taking a dinner break after inspections this afternoon of the heat-shielding panels covering the orbiter's left wing edge and nose cap.
They'll resume the inspection shortly on the right wing's leading edge.
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