Astronauts have returned to the American side of the International Space Station after a scare.

The crew fled to the Russian segment yesterday after an alarm indicated a possible toxic leak.

But Nasa later said there was no leak of the ammonia coolant and a computer problem likely set off the false alarm.
 
When the alarms went off, the crew followed emergency procedures - slapping on oxygen masks, taking cover in the Russian quarters, then sealing the hatches between the US and Russian sides.

At the same time, flight controllers at Nasa's Johnson Space Centre in Houston turned off non-essential equipment.
 

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