If the piece of debris does come near the station, it will fire its thrusters to avoid it and will have several opportunities to do so.

FORBES: Progress 46 Successfully Docks With International Space Station

Earlier, it had said the debris might have come from two tires.

CNN: graphic

In August, a room tag from the line's Maasdam cruise ship and sewage washed ashore in Lynn, Massachusetts, leading town officials to suggest the debris may have come from the ship.

CNN: Cruise ship fails CDC health inspection

But Holland America now says its investigation suggests the debris didn't come from their ship.

CNN: Cruise ship fails CDC health inspection

The US space agency's (Nasa) Associate Administrator for Space Operations, Bill Gerstenmaier, said it was the closest a debris object had ever come to the station.

BBC: International Space Station in debris scare

An idea for a groundbreaking technology can come from anything--even eye debris.

FORBES: Magazine Article