Dodging rockets

NASA raised the International Space Station’s orbit by 1.5 kilometres last
week to avoid a spent Pegasus rocket, which was being monitored by the US Space
Command. NASA predicts it will have to move the station twice a year to evade
space debris. This was the first successful manoeuvre. In June an effort to move
away from a spent Russian rocket stage failed, leaving the station adrift
temporarily. However, it escaped damage
(New Scientist, 26 June, p 5).