Space station spared by space junk

The three astronauts aboard the International Space Station no longer have to worry about the threat of space junk colliding with the space station.

Mission Control informed the crew Tuesday afternoon that the debris no longer poses a threat.

Eight hours earlier, Mission Control told the astronauts they might have to seek shelter in their attached Soyuz capsule. That precaution is no longer needed.

The 15-centimetre-wide piece of debris is from a Chinese satellite that was deliberately destroyed in 2007 as part of a weapons test. Initial estimates put it passing within five kilometres of the space station late Thursday afternoon.

But as the afternoon wore on, the threat level went from red to green.

One Russian, one American and one Italian are on board.