Astronauts returned to the International Space Station on Thursday after taking refuge in Soyuz capsule in case of a collision with a flying debris cloud, NASA said.

International Space Station (ISS) Commander Mike Fincke (L) and Flight Engineer Yury Lonchakov work outside the Russian segment of the station during their spacewalk from the orbiting laboratory in this March 10, 2009 image from NASA TV. Dressed in Russian spacesuits, Fincke and Lonchakov floated outside the orbiting outpost for six hours of work, including setting up a European materials science experiment, before the shuttle Discovery’s scheduled arrival on Friday. (Xinhua/Reuters, File Photo)

The International Space Station Expedition 18 crew members returned the station to normal operations after being notified of the all clear at 12:45 p.m. EDT (1645 GMT). They took refuge for 11 minutes in the Soyuz escape capsule.

The crew took precautionary measures due to space debris that has been determined to be within the range where a collision is possible. News of the close approach came too late for flight controllers to coordinate an avoidance maneuver.

Crew members entered their Soyuz TMA-13 capsule and soft-locking the hatches, in case the debris should affect the space station and they are required to undock. The closure of the hatches ensures the safety of the crew and the ability to quickly depart the station in the unlikely event the debris collided with the station causing a depressurization.

The time of closest approach of the debris to the station is 12:39 p.m. EDT (1639 GMT). The debris was about one-third of an inch in width.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet