[Updated at 3:34 p.m. ET] NASA determined Tuesday that a piece of space junk will not pose a threat to the crew aboard the International Space Station.

The space agency had been monitoring a piece of a Chinese satellite that was destroyed in 2007 and had warned the crew to begin making plans to take shelter in the Russian Soyuz capsule if necessary.

However, tracking data shows that the debris will not come close enough to warrant an evacuation of the station, NASA said in a statement after the crew was given the all-clear signal.

The debris is expected to be closest to the space station at 4:21 p.m. ET.

The current space station team is made up of NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli.

[Initial post, 1:04 p.m. ET] NASA is monitoring a piece of space junk that could come close enough to collide with the International Space Station, a spokeswoman for the space agency said Tuesday.

Plans are being made for the station's crew of three to take shelter in the Russian Soyuz capsule if necessary, Kelly Humphries said.

The junk is a piece of a Chinese satellite that was destroyed in 2007. It is expected to be near the space station at 4:21 p.m. ET.

A decision will be made around 3 p.m. whether the crew will need to seek safety aboard the Soyuz.

The current space station team is made up of NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli.