ISS crew moved to Soyuz vehicle as debris flew by station

The crew on board the International Space Station was moved into the Soyuz vehicle docked to the station Thursday morning as a precaution as a piece of space debris cruised past the orbiting complex.

The debris passed closest to the station at 8:01 a.m.  EDT. The all clear was given by Mission Control about five minutes later.

NASA officials said all systems were operating normally, but the decision to move the crew was a precaution because of the late notice of the passing debris.

This was only the fourth time in the history of the International Space Station a crew has moved to the Soyuz due to the potential close pass of debris. NASA officials called it a "rare occurrence."

The debris was from an old Russian weather satellite.