Astronomy Picture of the Day |
APOD: 2006 May 16 - The International Space Station from Above
Explanation:
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest
human-made object ever to orbit the Earth.
Last August, the station was
visited and
resupplied by space shuttle
Discovery.
The ISS is currently operated by the Expedition 13 crew, consisting a Russian and an American astronaut.
After departing the
ISS, the crew of Discovery captured
this spectacular vista of the orbiting
space city high above the
Caspian Sea.
Visible components include modules,
trusses, and expansive
solar arrays
that gather sunlight that is turned into needed
electricity.
APOD: 2002 October 20 - The Space Shuttle Docked with Mir
Explanation:
Before there was the
International Space Station,
the reigning orbiting spaceport was Russia's Mir.
Pictured above in 1995, the United States
Space Shuttle Atlantis docked with the segmented
Mir.
During shuttle mission
STS-71, astronauts answered questions from
school students over
amateur radio and performed
science experiments
aboard Spacelab.
The Spacelab experiments helped to increase understanding of the
effects of long-duration space flights on the
human body.
Last year, after 15 years of successful service, the decaying
Mir space station broke up as it
entered the
Earth's atmosphere.
APOD: 2006 April 29 - Skylab Over Earth
Explanation:
Skylab was an orbiting laboratory launched by a
Saturn V rocket in May 1973.
Skylab,
pictured above, was visited three times by
NASA astronauts who sometimes stayed as long as two and a half months.
Many scientific tests were performed on
Skylab, including astronomical observations in
ultraviolet and
X-ray light.
Some of these observations yielded valuable information about
Comet Kohoutek,
our Sun and about the
mysterious X-ray background -
radiation that comes from all over the sky.
Skylab
fell back to earth on 11 July 1979.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and
Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
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A service of:
EUD at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.