NASA eyes debris as Discovery nears space station

Mar 16 2009
By MARCIA DUNN
Associated Press Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA kept close tabs on an old piece of space junk Monday that threatened to come too close to the international space station, as the shuttle Discovery raced toward the orbiting outpost for a 220-mile-high linkup.

Experts initially warned that the debris from a Soviet satellite that broke up in 1981 could veer within a half-mile of the space station. But later in the morning, they said it appeared that the small piece of junk—about 4 inches in size—might remain at a safe distance.

The debris was in an erratic orbit, and that was causing the constant revisions. NASA said the trend appeared to be moving in the right direction, though, and that the space station might not have to move out of the way. the rest