Andre Kuipers is one of a handful of astronauts who has had to 'shelter-in-place' from a piece of marauding space debris.

In 2012, a debris fragment was spotted heading towards the International Space Station. Its orbit was hard to predict but it looked like it could pass at a distance of approximately 10 kilometres: that meant code red.

ESA astronaut Andre, along with his fellow passengers, had to seek shelter in the two Soyuz spaceships which function as safe houses and as lifeboats. Fortunately, the debris passed safely by. We spoke to Andre about what this experience was like, and also to his wife Helen who recounts the exact moment she found out.

Video Special: ESA Explores: Andre Kuipers on sheltering from oncoming space debris

Related Links
Space Debris at ESA
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

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New laser to help clear the sky of space debris
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Apr 13, 2021
Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have harnessed a technique that helps telescopes see objects in the night sky more clearly to fight against dangerous and costly space debris. The researchers' work on adaptive optics - which removes the haziness caused by turbulence in the atmosphere - has been applied to a new 'guide star' laser for better identifying, tracking and safely moving space debris. Space debris is a major threat to the $US700 billion of space infrastructure ... read more