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NASA
The space shuttle Endeavour is docked to the International Space Station in this unprecedented view, captured on May 23 from a departing Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
NASA has released unprecedented views of the International Space Station linked up with the shuttle Endeavour, as seen from a departing Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli captured the images during just a few minutes on May 23, but it took more than two weeks for the views to follow a tortuous route to the Web.
Nespoli and his two crewmates — Russia's Dmitry Kondratyev and NASA's Catherine "Cady" Coleman — just happened to be heading back to Earth while Endeavour and its crew were visiting the station, which set up a golden opportunity for the kinds of pictures that had never been taken before. The images show the shuttle and station from a distance of about 600 feet (200 meters), with Earth's curving disk in the background.
NASA
The International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour are seen at an angle in this picture, captured May 23. Endeavour is visible at the top of the station's central stack, with the shuttle's robotic arm snaking around it.
While Nespoli recorded stills and high-definition video, Moscow's Mission Control commanded the space station to do a 130-degree turn worthy of a fashion model.
Only one shuttle flight remains, and that virtually guarantees that these will be the only shuttle-station shots of this type ever taken. "It's unprecedented, and we worked hard to get here," NASA's space station flight director, Derek Hassman, said at the time.
NASA
The International Space Station and the shuttle Endeavour sail over Earth's oceans and clouds in this image, captured May 23 from a departing Soyuz craft.
NASA and its Russian partners had to work hard to get the pictures back as well: When the Soyuz crew landed in Kazakhstan, the data chips containing the precious images were left inside the spacecraft. The chips and the Soyuz's other contents had to be shipped back separately to RKK Energia's processing facility in Moscow, and then cleared for distribution. That's why it took so long to get these pictures out to the world.
Maybe they could have hustled up the process. But considering the fact that these pictures will probably be showing up in history books for generations to come, I think they're still well worth the two-week wait. Do you agree? Before you answer, check out the full-size photos in NASA's online gallery.
NASA
The space shuttle Endeavour is visible at the top of the International Space Station's line of modules, with its robotic arm extended and kinked. Endeavour is connected to the Harmony node, with Japan's Kibo lab extending to the right and Europe's Columbus lab at left. Below Harmony is the U.S. Destiny lab, the Unity node, the Leonardo storage module and the Tranquility module, with its Cupola observation deck visible toward the lower right corner of the image.
More amazing views from Endeavour's mission:
- Take a virtual ride on Endeavour
- Up, up and away ... to see the shuttle
- Awesome photo of shuttle from airplane
- Slideshow: Shuttle Endeavour, this is your life
Update for 11:45 p.m. ET June 7: For the photography buffs out there ... NASA officials say that Nespoli's camera equipment was provided by the Russians, so they can't say specifically what he was using. But veterans on the NASASpaceflight.com forum have tracked down the data and say Nespoli had a Nikon D3X. I've written a follow-up posting specifically about that part of the story.
Update for 12:05 p.m. ET June 8: You had to know that the ultimate space portrait would merit a mention on the network news shows. Here's a clip from "Nightly News" in which NBC News anchor Lester Holt shares some of the imagery with TV viewers. But be sure to look at the complete NASA gallery as well:
NBC's Lester Holt reports on the ultimate pictures on "Nightly News."
Update for 5:45 p.m. ET June 8: I've put together a follow-up item about the newly released high-definition video from Nespoli's photo shoot.
You can connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page or following @b0yle on Twitter. Also, give a look to "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
Leave a Comment:
Definitely worth the wait. I saw it online and it was so mind-blowing to see the station rotate live. Will frame a few of these to put on my wall.
Absolutely astounding! Words do not suffice.
But...(there's always a but..) I was kind of shocked to see how Rube Goldberg-esque the ISS really is.
So, nobody gave any thought to curb appeal?
Beautiful photo.
You are too generous. That thing looks like the TV antenna my childhood home had attached to the roof back in the 70's and 80's.
Anyone that viewed these spectacular photo's and does not believe they are true and believe in the technological advancements( Being a professional photographer aside ) should just put the I pod or I pad down and just go to sleep and wake up when it's all over....
WOW!
VERY WOW!
That is just INSPIRING!!!! Way to Go ISS and Shuttle Fleet
So awesome. I think we have actually waited a decade for a picture like this and was worth the wait.
Nice, breathtaking
Awesome, "Thanks Nespoli"
not to bust your bubble or anything but am I the only person who notices the completely different cloud coverage on the earth in each picture but 1 guy leaving took them all?? or the fact that there isn't 1 star in the background?? if memory and the night sky have taught me anything it's that stars are everywhere but in these photos of course....
They were taken during the day, when the stars aren't out, of course. Really, you can't be that ignorant.
What are you trying to get at........?
Firstly, the Earth is constantly revolving relative to where these pictures were taken, hence the changing cloud coverage. They also weren't all taken in a few seconds... these were spread out over the course of half an hour or so.
Secondly, there are no stars visible for the same exact reason you can't see stars in the daylight here on Earth. With no atmosphere in a vacuum the sun is extremely bright. In addition, the cameras exposure is extremely fast and because of that the stars are too dim to make out.
Lastly, even then I *can* make out some stars in the shots where the camera is zoomed in on the station.
Nice Albert, way to break apart the conspirocon's thought's before their non-sense takes hold.
You are correct above Albert. Thanks for helping ShadowFox understand. The space station orbits at an average speed of 17,239.2 mph. ShadowFox, they are photos of different parts of the earth. I would be highly concerned if they all looked the same:)
Albert is right, ShadowFox. The ISS orbits the planet every 91 minutes. That means, over the half an hour or so that these photos were taken you'd see vastly different parts of the Earth below, being 1/3 the way around the globe (at 200 miles up).
About the stars. It's called light pollution. It's the same thing that happens at night in a big city as compared to out in the country away from city lights... When you're out camping you can see the milky way and many many stars. When you're in the big city you'd be lucky to make out 100 stars. When you're in space there is a glare coming off the daylight side of Earth that is so intense that it blocks the light coming from the stars to the camera lens. It is also the same thing that made the sky look flat black in the Apollo moon landings. When you're driving down the road on a sunny day and a crap ton of light hits you in the eyes try looking past it and see how much you can make out. Trust me, it's tough to make out anything with that much light hitting your retinas.
BOOM ROASTED! you lose mr. shadow flob
To Waynejohn, OF COURSE he can!!!(Be that ignorant) LOL
Even in orbit, the sun is too bright for stars to show up. You couldn't even take time exposures
because the glare from the earth would ruin the pics. On the night side it is totally doable and has been recently.
albert a. well i must say your wrong you can see the moon on a nice sunny day an you can see stars too,the bad thing is there in space an yopu dont see any stars at all something is wrong with that ,next the sun must be so brite you cant see no light shiney on no parts of the space station at all ? oh yeah NASA stands for Never A Stright Answer . HAHAHA
Hey Xman3585925- Please go back to school and take a few science classes; because you are truly too ignorant to believe. Also, take some english classes so at least you can learn to spell, speak, and write in somewhat intelligent ways. I have very little hope for the world if the majority are as dumb as you.
whatchu talkin' 'bout Xman? Light pollution is a very real thing and you see it (yes I do mean YOU personally, because we all see it) on a regular basis (unless you are blind).
And the camera melted thereby making that burden of proof, well...about as necessary as having the images processed in less than 10 days. Who cares if it's phony when it's their choice?
Wow.....it really makes you understand how complicated this whole effort has been and the fact that the whole thing just does not break apart. I wonder if any of the major news organizations will show this on their shows so more folks can see it.
You have to respect any news outlet that makes a story more than 5 minutes out of these photos. It's good, wholesome news and that doesn't draw many crowds. But us space nerds would tune in by the droves. Be sure to follow the link provided in the article to see all the photos. There are 33 photos in all. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/e27depart.html
Not only can the I.S.S. be used as space station it can also be used as a transport to the Moon and Mars and beyond.
Look at the third image from the top. You will notice that the truss work contain's radiator's and other electrical equipment necessary for the operation of the robotic arm that runs on tracks up and down the trusswork.
Once the truss work and non-essential modules have been removed we have the Pilyhas-1. At the top of the image where the shuttle is docked is where the Orion Command Module/Habitat Module Combination would be located. At the end of the image where the last module closest to the Earth is located would be the VASIMR engine unit to propel the craft forward thus rounding out the Pilyhas-1 design meant to carry not only large numbers of humans to the Moon and Mars but would also be used in station form as waypoints in travel between the Moon and Mars the Moon and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter as well as from Mars to the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The other new form of space vehicle known as the SEV could also be docked to the Pilyhas-1 the same way that the shuttle docks to the I.S.S. The SEV would then ferry people to an from the surface of the Moon as well as being able to be used to explore the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter let alone minethe same asteroid belt.
Designing such a ship would be like dropping a single droplet of water into a turbulent sea....Imagine.
This idea has been floated and sunk many times. Unfortunately the ISS is far to fragile to attach any kind of thrusters to it (even a VASIMR). Every time a Shuttle docks, the whole assembly undulates like a limp noodle. It's also in a near-useless, high-inclination orbit which is not really suitable for interplanetary flight. And lastly, the ISS is not shielded for long-duration deep-space flight. The unfortunate inhabitants would be fried by radiation not long after they cleared lunar orbit. Nope, sorry, as magnificent as it is, the ISS is never leaving low Earth orbit - although, someone has floated the idea of using just one of its modules for a moon mission, I read somewhere...
Wouldn't the fuel requirements also be really high to stop at the station and then continue on to the moon or mars? My understanding is that you can't do both efficiently, its either one or the other.
zeroscott -- actually the orbital speed could be used to help "slingshot" out of orbit aimed in the proper trajectory for the trip course. A matter of waiting for teh right window. However the ISS DOES appear as far too fragile
Too cool!
Very, very cool pictures.
WOW, totally worth the wait. Now I have several months worth of desktop backgrounds.
It's surprising just how big the space shuttle is compared to the finished ISS. I would have imagined the ISS to be bigger. Amazing all the same! fantastic photos!!
I've said this before, but if NASA devoted a little bit more time/effort on showing the public these kinds of awe inspiring things, the public would have had more interest in the manned space program and what we were doing out there. Sure, we go the occasional great shot of a spacewalker and lots of great views of the Earth itself, but these kind of images help to make what we're doing up there "real". I just watched a video NASA just released of Endeavor's last launch taken from cameras mounted on the SRB's. To see the shuttle peel away from the SRB's as they separate was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. And, then to get to "ride" all the way to splashdown with the SRB - - too cool!.
What I wish NASA did do was mount a camera right on the dashboard of the shuttle, so the world could see exactly what it looks like from the pilot's point of view when you enter orbit and re-enter the atmosphere.
Watch NASA TV during the next (and final) launch - should be July 8th. You get to see all of that, and LIVE and in HD (depending on your computer monitors quality). I can't say enough good things about NASA TV. Save this link in your bookmarks and tune in for the launch of Atlantis, you won't be disappointed. http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html
*you probably already had the page since you just watched the Endeavour video, but just in case, there it is.
I do watch NASA TV, but I'm unaware of any video feed that comes from within the shuttle as it launches.
Totally awesome.
In the 27th image on the NASA photo gallery (linked in the article) you can zoom in and see a damaged section of solar array. One of the panels seems to be damaged (to my untrained eyes).
I believe what you are looking at is the radiators, not solar panel. Not good either way.
Fantastic pictures! :D
You say they recorded hidef video too. Do you have a link? Thanks!
Not yet, that's the next thing we're looking forward to.
Right, and we didn't land on the moon either - idiot....
Let's be polite, okay? I, for one, am tired of name-calling on newsvine. I have no problem with differing points of view, but is it too much to ask that we speak civilly to each other?
Neat pictures... Too bad America won't be able to go there anymore except as guests of the Russians and Chinese.
Just try to keep in mind that NASA will have it's own human spaceflight capability again, by approximately 2017. And the plan is to keep the ISS going until 2020, perhaps even 2028, so we'll be able to go there plenty more times without anyone's help.
@ShadowFox - I suppose you're one of those people that believe we never landed on the moon. The amount of money NASA spends on making elaborate models to spoof everyone, why can't they take that money to research space travel and exploration!
1903 - Wright brothers flew Wright Flyer I
2011 - International Space Station and Space Shuttle
What a trip.
In the words of stanly kubric, DEODOTO!!!!
240Z........you are spot on.....we can only imagine what its all going to look like in another 100 years
Too bad we can't usually get inspirational info like this in the world of the news cycle. It makes the human race look at bit more dignified.
it is such a perfect fit ! Do ya think there's a chance they could simply stack used-by shuttles ,they wouldn't age as much , and more useful ... plus you carry your original prototype , and history of production of history...let alone history of the history of post-pre-evolutionary production duh...er...um.!?...great blog , whether this gets up or not , at least you read it to decide its publishability...so , goodonya all-round...
Actually, most postings go up automatically, and we rely on the community (including me) to get rid of messages that should not be published (such as spam, egregiously uncivil comments, etc.). We do have some automatic filters for obscenity as well, I believe. But I'm glad to say that your comment is eminently publishable. ;-)
After 50 years we still don't have a REAL space ship. Very sad.
Your comment begs the question... What is YOUR idea of a "real" space ship??
Great images. I wish there was a pic of a space walker to get a good sense of scale. I liked the close-up
one the best. I think the US concept of having the shuttle transport modules and equipment and have EVA's
for construction is the best means. The Russians idea of launch, self-propel and robotic construction is handy but really can't construct large scale structures ultimately. However, the Russian modules are set to be re-used for other space stations after the ISS has expired.