Spacecraft and Space Station

Photographs of spacecraft, including supply vehicles and the International Space Station, against the backdrop of Earth and space, highlighting space exploration.

June 15, 2005 - An unpiloted Progress 17 supply vehicle departs from the International Space Station carrying its load of trash and unneeded equipment to be deorbited and burned up in Earth's atmosphere. The undocking cleared the way for the arrival of Progress 18, which launched June 16 and docked with the Station on June 18, 2005.

June 15, 2005 - An unpiloted Progress 17 supply vehicle departs from the International Space Station carrying its load of trash and unneeded equipment to be deorbited and burned up in Earth's atmosphere. The undocking cleared the way for the arrival of Progress 18, which launched June 16 and docked with the Station on June 18, 2005.

ISS036-E-030730 (9 Aug. 2013) --- The International Space Station's Canadarm2 grapples the unpiloted Japanese "Kounotori" H2 Transfer Vehicle-4 (HTV-4) as it approaches the station, and will attach it to the Earth-facing port of the station's Harmony node. The HTV-4 is delivering 3.6 tons of science experiments, equipment and supplies to the orbiting complex. A blue and white part of Earth provides the backdrop for the scene.

ISS011-E-08855 (15 June 2005) --- Backdropped by a blue and white Earth, an unpiloted Progress 17 supply vehicle departs from the international space station at 3:16 p.m. (CDT) on June 15, 2005, carrying its load of trash and unneeded equipment to be deorbited and burned up in Earths atmosphere. The undocking clears the way for the arrival of a new Progress 18, planned to launch June 16 and dock with the station on June 18.

S128-E-006628 (30 Aug. 2009) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-128 crew member as Space Shuttle Discovery and the station approach each other during rendezvous and docking activities on flight day three. Docking occurred at 7:54 p.m. (CDT) on Aug. 30, 2009.

ISS012-E-24219 (8 April 2006) --- Backdropped by a blanket of clouds, the Soyuz TMA-7 spacecraft departs from the International Space Station carrying astronaut William S. (Bill) McArthur Jr., Expedition 12 commander and NASA space station science officer; Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Valery I. Tokarev, flight engineer; and Brazilian Space Agency astronaut Marcos C. Pontes. Undocking occurred at 2:48 p.m. (CDT) on April 8.

Satellite in space, International Space Station

S134-E-010590 (29 May 2011) --- Backdropped by Earths horizon and the blackness of space, the International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-134 crew member on the space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 11:55 p.m. (EDT) on May 29, 2011. Endeavour spent 11 days, 17 hours and 41 minutes attached to the orbiting laboratory.

S125-E-011808 (19 May 2009) --- An STS-125 crew member aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis captured this still image of the Hubble Space Telescope as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation on May 19, after having been linked together for the better part of a week. During the week five spacewalks were performed to complete the final servicing mission for the orbital observatory.

iss048e017239 (07/01/2016) --- View of the undocked Russian Progress 62 spacecraft against a backdrop of Earth and space during a test of the upgraded tele-robotically operated rendezvous system, or the TORU manual docking system.

STS082-708-045 (11-21 Feb. 1997) --- Backdropped against the darkness of space, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) begins its separation from the Space Shuttle Discovery following its release from Discovery's cargo bay. This is the first in a series of post-release views recorded on 70mm film by the crew members. Five Extravehicular Activities (EVA) were performed by two pairs of astronauts who alternated days of EVA to service the giant orbiting observatory.

ISS013-E-42973 (26 June 2006) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth's horizon and airglow, an unpiloted Progress supply vehicle approaches the International Space Station. The Progress 22 resupply craft launched at 10:08 a.m. (CDT) on June 24, 2006 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to deliver 2.5 tons of food, water, fuel, oxygen and other supplies to the Expedition 13 crewmembers onboard the station. Progress automatically docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 11:25 a.m. (CDT) on June 26 as the spacecraft and the station flew approximately 220 miles above a point near northern Africa.

Non-Earthobs

ISS027-E-036768 (23 May 2011) --- This image of the International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour, flying at an altitude of approximately 220 miles, was taken by Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli from the Soyuz TMA-20 following its undocking on May 23, 2011 (USA time). The pictures taken by Nespoli are the first taken of a shuttle docked to the International Space Station from the perspective of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Onboard the Soyuz were Russian cosmonaut and Expedition 27 commander Dmitry Kondratyev; Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut; and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman. Coleman and Nespoli were both flight engineers. The three landed in Kazakhstan later that day, completing 159 days in space.

View of the ISS port Truss segments taken through a window in the Kibo Japanese Experiment Pressurized Module (JPM). ExPRESS (Expedite the Processing of Experiments to Space Station) Logistics Carrier-3 (ELC-3) and ELC-1 are in view.

International Space Station backdropped against the blue and white Earth,

STS097-703-030 (30 Nov.-11 Dec. 2000) --- The International Space Station (ISS) is photographed during a fly-around by the Space Shuttle Endeavour. The 240-foot-long, 38-foot-wide solar array (top) is the newest part and one of the most prominent components of the station. Onboard ISS for about 40 days at the time of this photo were astronaut William M. Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri P. Gidzenko and Sergei K. Krikalev. Onboard the shuttle were STS-97 astronauts  commander Brent W. Jett, Jr., pilot Mike Bloomfield and mission specialists Marc Garneau of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), Carlos I. Noriega and Joseph R. Tanner.

S120-E-009604 (5 Nov. 2007) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-120 and Expedition 16 crews concluded 11 days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 4:32 a.m. (CST) on Nov. 5, 2007.

STS097-704-074 (9 December 2000) --- This picture is one of a series of 70mm frames exposed of the International Space Station (ISS) following undocking at 1:13 p.m. (CST), December 9, 2000. This series of images, as well as video and digital still imagery taken at the same time, represent the first imagery of the entire station with its new solar array panels deployed. Before separation, the shuttle and space station had been docked to one another for 6 days, 23 hours and 13 minutes. Endeavour moved downward from the space station, then began a tail-first circle at a distance of about 500 feet. The maneuver, with pilot Michael J. Bloomfield at the controls, took about an hour. While Endeavour flew that circle, the two spacecraft, moving at five miles a second, navigated about two-thirds of the way around the Earth. Undocking took place 235 statute miles above the border of Kazakhstan and China. When Endeavour made its final separation burn, the orbiter and the space station were ne

STS098-707-019 (9 February 2001) --- This close view of the International Space Station (ISS), backdropped against the blackness of space, was photographed by one of the astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis as it approached the station for docking on Feb. 9, at 10:51 a.m. (CST).

iss059e051334 (May 6, 2019) --- The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is installed to the Harmony module's Earth-facing port a few hours after it was captured by astronauts David Saint-Jacques and Nick Hague with the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

S132-E-007808 (16 May 2010) --- The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-132 crew member on space shuttle Atlantis as the shuttle approaches the station during rendezvous and docking operations. Docking occurred at 9:28 a.m. (CDT) on May 16, 2010.

ISS038-E-004967 (19 Nov. 2013) ---

Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) System Primary function: Detects debris, spacecraft or other distant space objects without interference from weather, atmosphere or time of day. Weight: 2,277 lbs. Power: Solar arrays generating 840 watts. Orbit: Approximately 390 miles.

ISS007-E-14453 (4 September 2003) --- An unpiloted Progress 11 supply vehicle departs from the Pirs Docking Compartment on the International Space Station (ISS) at 2:42 p.m. (CDT) on September 4, 2003 for another month alone in orbit, as part of a Russian scientific experiment. It will then be deorbited with its load of trash and unneeded equipment and burn in the Earths atmosphere.

Aqua satellite in space upon earth and rising sun, elements of this image furnished by NASA - 3D render

. iss068e025787 (12/2/2022) --- The J-SS0D-23 CubeSat mission is shown as deployed from the International Space Station. The BIRDS-5 Project consists of three CubeSats: PearlAfricaSat-1 (1U), Science, Technology, and Innovation Office of the President (Uganda), TAKA (2U) Kyushu Institute of Technology (Japan), and ZIMSAT-1 (1U). SpaceTuna1 (1U) also deploys (Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) (Zimbabwe). Service provider: Mitsui Bussan Aerospace Inc. (Japan).

JSC2011-E-016372 (March 2011) --- Computer-generated artists rendering of the International Space Station as of March 2011, during which space shuttle Discovery (STS-133/ULF5) delivers the ExPRESS Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4) and Permanent Multi-Purpose Module (PMM). European Space Agency's Johannes Kepler Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 (ATV2) is docked to the Zvezda Service Modules aft port. The Japanese Kounotori2 H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV2) is linked to the Harmony nodes zenith port.

iss059e011765 (April 4, 2019) --- Russia's Progress 72 resupply ship is pictured approaching the International Space Station's Pirs docking compartment carrying 3.7 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 59 crew.

Space station in Earth orbit, artwork.

STS086-710-007 (25 Sept - 6 Oct 1997) --- A 70mm view of Russias Mir Space Station backdropped against a cloud-covered Earth was photographed during a fly-around by the Space Shuttle Atlantis following the conclusion of joint docking activities between the Mir-24 and STS-86 crews. One of the solar array panels on the Spektr Module shows damage incurred during the impact of a Russian unmanned Progress re-supply ship with collided with the space station on June 25, 1997.

Installing Tranquility's Cupola

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus space freighter is pictured moments away from being captured with the Canadarm2 robotic arm being commanded by NASA astronaut Raja Chari as the International Space Station orbited 259 miles above northern Iraq. This is Northrop Grummans 17th contracted resupply mission under the second Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA.

STS072-726-051 (15 Jan. 1996) --- The Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) Flyer satellite begins its period of free flight, as it is let go by the end effector of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The crewmembers retrieved the satellite two days later.

S121-E-06058 (8 July 2006) --- Astronauts Piers J. Sellers (red stripes) and Michael E. Fossum, STS-121 mission specialists, work in tandem on the shuttle's Remote Manipulator System/Orbiter Boom Sensor System (RMS/OBSS) during the mission's first scheduled session of extravehicular activity (EVA).

February 19, 2010 - The International Space Station backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth.

S121-E-05286 (6 July 2006) --- Backdropped against the blackness of space, the International Space Station approaches the Space Shuttle Discovery, from which this digital still image was recorded during rendezvous and docking activities on flight day three.

S123-E-009264 (24 March 2008) --- Backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Endeavour as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews concluded 12 days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 7:25 p.m. (CDT) on March 24, 2008.

ISS021-E-024524 (12 Nov. 2009) --- Backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth, the new unpiloted Russian Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2), also known as Poisk, approaches the International Space Station. The MRM2 docked to the space-facing port of the Zvezda Service Module at 9:41 a.m. (CST) on Nov. 12, 2009. It began its trip to the station when it was launched aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Nov. 10. Poisk is a Russian term that translates to search, seek and explore. It will provide an additional docking port for visiting Russian spacecrafts and will serve as an extra airlock for spacewalkers wearing Russian Orlan spacesuits. Poisk joins a Russian Progress resupply vehicle and two Russian Soyuz spacecraft currently docked at the station.

ISS040-E-069182 (16 July 2014) --- Intersecting the thin line of Earths atmosphere, the Orbital Sciences Cygnus cargo craft attached to the end of the Canadarm2 robotic arm is berthed to the nadir port of the Harmony node of the International Space Station.

Asteroid mining outpost.

. iss069e092250 (Sept. 25, 2023) --- The Soyuz MS-24 crew ship is pictured docked to the International Space Station's Rassvet module. The spacecraft launched three Expedition 69-70 crew members, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, to the orbiting lab on Sept. 15, 2023. At left, is a portion of the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter and one of its cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays.

ISS038-E-028035 (12 Jan. 2014) --- The Canadarm2 moves toward the Orbital Sciences Corp. Cygnus commercial cargo craft as it approaches the International Space Station on Jan. 12, 2014. A blue and white part of Earth provides the backdrop for the scene.

A computer-generated image depicts NASA's Juno spacecraft firing its main engine.

S123-E-010116 (24 March 2008) --- Backdropped by a blue and white part of Earth, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Endeavour as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews concluded 12 days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 7:25 p.m. (CDT) on March 24, 2008.

Space station, conceptual illustration

Illustration of a satellite orbits Earth against the backdrop of space.

ISS038-E-001185 (10 Nov. 2013) --- The Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft departs from the International Space Stations Zvezda Service Module and heads toward a landing near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Nov. 11, 2013 (Kazakh time). Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 37 commander; along with NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, both flight engineers, are ending a five-and-a-half month stay at the space station where they served as members of the Expedition 36 and 37 crews.

December 2006 - A graphic rendering of the International Space Station as it appeared during the STS-116 mission.

JSC2010-E-188991 (December 2010) --- Computer-generated artists rendering of the International Space Station as of Dec. 17, 2010. Soyuz 25 (TMA-20) docks to the Rassvet Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM1), bringing three Expedition 26 crew members (Kondratyev, Coleman, Nespoli) to the ISS. Progress 40 resupply vehicle is docked to the Pirs Docking Compartment. Progress 39 resupply vehicle remains docked to the Zvezda Service Modules aft port and Soyuz 24 (TMA-01M) is linked to the Poisk Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2).

Hubble Space Telescope

. iss069e088417 (Sept. 15, 2023) --- The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft carrying three crew members approaches the International Space Station for a docking to the Rassvet module. Nearly three-and-half hours after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, would open the Soyuz hatch, enter the station, and begin their space research mission.

TESS Spacecraft, illustration

S130-E-012188 (19 Feb. 2010) --- Surrounded by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-130 crew member on space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 7:54 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 19, 2010.

Wind-Cloud China Weather Satellite

Hubble Space Telescope

Artwork of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) above the Earth. The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990 into low Earth orbit by Space Shuttle Mission S...

STS-82 Shuttle

JSC2007-E-113507 (December 2007) --- Computer-generated artist's rendering of the International Space Station as of Dec. 26, 2007. Progress 27 resupply vehicle docks to the Pirs Docking Compartment. Soyuz 15 (TMA-11) remains docked to the Zarya nadir port.

Satellite orbiting Mars, computer artwork.

S121-E-05272 (6 July 2006) --- Backdropped against the blackness of space, the International Space Station approaches the Space Shuttle Discovery, from which this digital still image was recorded during rendezvous and docking activities on flight day three.

S133-E-011265 (7 March 2011) --- Backdropped against the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Discovery as the two orbital spacecraft accomplish their relative separation on March 7 after an aggregate of 12 astronauts and cosmonauts worked together for over a week. During a post undocking fly-around, the crew members aboard the two spacecraft collected a series of photos of each others vehicle.

STS085-706-051 (7 August 1997) --- This view documenting the release from the Space Shuttle Discovery of Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2 (CRISTA-SPAS-2) was taken early in the flight (August 7, 1997) over northwest Canada. The viewing direction is east. The swirl of cloud indicates a storm which tracked over Canada during the flight, limiting the topographic photo opportunities for the subsequent several days.

S122-E-011027 (18 Feb. 2008) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Atlantis as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-122 and Expedition 16 crews concluded almost nine days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 3:24 a.m. (CST) on Feb. 18, 2008.

ISS037-E-002667 (25 Sept. 2013) --- The Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft approaches the International Space Station, carrying Expedition 37 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov, NASA Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins and Russian Flight Engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy. The Soyuz docked to the Poisk Mini-Research Module 2 (MRM2) at 10:45 p.m. (EDT) on Sept. 25, 2013.

S121-E-05267 (6 July 2006) --- The International Space Station looms larger to the Space Shuttle Discovery crew as the two spacecraft moved toward each other for their much-anticipated docking on flight day three for the shuttle crew.

This photograph shows the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory being released from the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-35 mission in April 1991. The GRO reentered the Earth's atmosphere and ended its successful mission in June 2000. For nearly 9 years, GRO's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE), designed and built by the Marshall Space Flight Center, kept an unblinking watch on the universe to alert scientist to the invisible, mysterious gamma-ray bursts that had puzzled them for decades. By studying gamma-rays from objects like black holes, pulsars, quasars, neutron stars, and other exotic objects, scientists could discover clues to the birth, evolution, and death of star, galaxies, and the universe. The gamma-ray instrument was one of four major science instruments aboard the Compton. It consisted of eight detectors, or modules, located at each corner of the rectangular satellite to simultaneously scan the entire universe for bur

In response to President Reagan's directive to NASA to develop a permanent marned Space Station within a decade, part of the State of the Union message to Congress on January 25, 1984, NASA and the Administration adopted a phased approach to Station development. This approach provided an initial capability at reduced costs, to be followed by an enhanced Space Station capability in the future. This illustration depicts the baseline configuration, which features a 110-meter-long horizontal boom with four pressurized modules attached in the middle. Located at each end are four photovoltaic arrays generating a total of 75-kW of power. Two attachment points for external payloads are provided along this boom. The four pressurized modules include the following A laboratory and habitation module provided by the United States; two additional laboratories, one each provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan; and an ESA-provided Man-Tended Free Flyer, a pressurized module capable of op

S128-E-009804 (8 Sept. 2009) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Discovery as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-128 and Expedition 20 crew concluded nine days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 2:26 p.m. (CDT) on Sept. 8, 2009.

ISS035-E-019722 (15 April 2013) --- The Russian Progress 49 unmanned cargo carrier spacecraft leaves the aft port of the Zvezda service module aboard the International Space Station on April 15, 2013.

STS097-702-070 (3 December 2000) ---An astronaut inside Endeavour's crew cabin used a handheld 70mm camera to expose this frame of the International Space Station's starboard solar array wing panel, backdropped against an Earth horizon scene.

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite TESS space telescope in orbit of planet Earth with moon in background. 3D illustration

ISS036-E-007858 (15 June 2013) --- The European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle-4 (ATV-4) Albert Einstein” approaches the International Space Station. The spacecraft went on to successfully dock to the orbital outpost at 2:07 GMT, June 15, 2013, following a ten-day period of free-flight.

An Asteroid Lander is docked to a Deep Space Vehicle.

ISS and Earth, illustration

This artist's digital concept depicts the completely assembled International Space Station (ISS) passing over Florida. As a gateway to permanent human presence in space, the Space Station Program is to expand knowledge benefiting all people and nations. The ISS is a multidisciplinary laboratory, technology test bed, and observatory that will provide unprecedented undertakings in scientific, technological, and international experimentation. Experiments to be conducted in the ISS include microgravity research, Earth science, space science, life sciences, space product development, and engineering research and technology. The sixteen countries participating the ISS are United States, Russian Federation, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and Brazil.

S98-04904 (21 July 1997) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour prepares to capture the Functional Cargo Block (FGB) using the shuttle's mechanical arm in this artist's depiction of the first Space Shuttle assembly flight for the International Space Station (ISS), mission STS-88 scheduled to launch in December 1998. The shuttle will carry the first United States-built component for the station, a connecting module called Node 1 or Unity, and attach it to the already orbiting FGB, which supplies early electrical power and propulsion. The FGB, Zarya, will have been launched about two weeks earlier on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazahkstan. Once the FGB is captured using the mechanical arm, astronaut Nancy J. Currie will maneuver the arm to dock the FGB to the conical mating adapter at the top of Node 1 in the Shuttle's cargo bay. In ensuing days, three Extravehicular Activitys (EVA) by astronauts Jerry L. Ross and James H. Newman will be performed to make power, d

STS082-703-051 (11-21 Feb. 1997) --- In Discovery's cargo bay, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is backdropped against Earth's limb and atmosphere following its servicing by astronauts and prior to its release. Two teams of space walkers alternated Extravehicular Activity (EVA) days to complete five total days of servicing chores on the orbiting observatory.

S123-E-009188 (24 March 2008) --- Backdropped by the blackness of space, the International Space Station is seen from Space Shuttle Endeavour as the two spacecraft begin their relative separation. Earlier the STS-123 and Expedition 16 crews concluded 12 days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station. Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 7:25 p.m. (CDT) on March 24, 2008.

Space satellite orbiting the earth. Elements of this image furnished by NASA.

STS082-709-097 (18 Feb. 1997) --- Backdropped against the darkness of space, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is lifted by the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) from its berth in the cargo bay of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Discovery following its servicing by the astronauts and just prior to its release back into space. Two teams of space walkers alternated Extravehicular Activity (EVA) days to complete five total days of servicing chores on the orbiting HST observatory.

Shenzhou manned space vessel in the direction of coupling to the TIANHE core module in TIANGONG 3 - Chinese space station with the planet Earth behind on black space with stars background. 3D Illustration. Shenzhou manned space vessel in the direction of coupling to the TIANGONG 3 - Chinese space station with the planet Earth behind on black space with stars background. 3D Illustration

View of TIANGONG 3 - Chinese space station orbiting the planet Earth on black space with stars background. 3D Illustration. TIANGONG 3 - Chinese space station orbiting the planet Earth on black space with stars background. 3D Illustration

STS109-E-5011 (3 March 2002) --- The Hubble Space Telescope is backdropped against black space as the Space Shuttle Columbia, with a crew of seven astronauts on board, eases closer and closer in order to latch its 50-foot-long robotic arm onto a fixture on the giant telescope. As Columbia flew 350 miles above the Pacific Ocean Southwest of Mexico, with astronaut Nancy J. Currie, mission specialist, in control of the arm and astronaut Scott D. Altman, mission commander, at the controls of the shuttle, the crew went on to capture the Hubble. The image was one of a series recorded with a digital still camera.

Artwork: "NASA's Manned Orbital Research Laboratory (MORL)". Artist: Gordon Phillips, US Air Force Art Collection. Country: Unknown

ISS007-E-14454 (4 September 2003) --- An unpiloted Progress 11 supply vehicle departs from the Pirs Docking Compartment on the International Space Station (ISS) at 2:42 p.m. (CDT) on September 4, 2003 for another month alone in orbit, as part of a Russian scientific experiment. It will then be deorbited with its load of trash and unneeded equipment and burn in the Earths atmosphere.

ISS020-E-040509 (17 Sept. 2009) --- A close-up view of the unpiloted Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) in the grasp of the International Space Stations robotic Canadarm2. NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, all Expedition 20 flight engineers, used the stations robotic arm to grab the cargo craft and attach it to the Earth-facing port of the Harmony node. The attachment was completed at 5:26 (CDT) on Sept. 17, 2009.

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) begins its separation from the space shuttle Endeavour following a week and a half of repairs while in the space vehicle's cargo bay.

S116-E-06854 (18 Dec. 2006) --- Anchored to the International Space Station's Canadarm2 foot restraint, astronaut Robert L. Curbeam Jr. and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Christer Fuglesang (center), both STS-116 mission specialists, work with the port overhead solar array wing on the station's P6 truss during the mission's fourth session of extravehicular activity (EVA). The spacewalkers used specially-prepared, tape-insulated tools, to guide the array wing neatly inside its blanket box during the 6-hour, 38-minute spacewalk.

Space station in orbit around Earth with space shuttle.

The 57.7-foot-long Canadarm2 robotic arm and the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour (top left) are pictured as the International Space Station orbited 258 miles above southeast Asia.

This 1986 artist's concept shows the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) towing a satellite. As envisioned by Marshall Space Flight Center plarners, the OMV would be a remotely-controlled free-flying space tug which would place, rendezvous, dock, and retrieve orbital payloads.

Thanks to NASA for providing us with these wonderful images. These images are created by NASA but you are allowed to use them in your commercial projects. PeopleImages has digitally restored and cleaned each of these images manually and spent hundreds of hours fixing scanning lines, sensor dust and noise problems. Enjoy!

ISS016-E-009182 (3 Nov. 2007) --- While anchored to a foot restraint on the end of the Orbiter Boom Sensor System (OBSS), astronaut Scott Parazynski, STS-120 mission specialist, participates in the mission's fourth session of extravehicular activity (EVA) while Space Shuttle Discovery is docked with the International Space Station. During the 7-hour, 19-minute spacewalk, Parazynski cut a snagged wire and installed homemade stabilizers designed to strengthen the damaged solar array's structure and stability in the vicinity of the damage. Astronaut Doug Wheelock (right), mission specialist, assisted from the truss by keeping an eye on the distance between Parazynski and the array. Once the repair was complete, flight controllers on the ground successfully completed the deployment of the array.

Artist's concept of the old Meteorological Satellite in orbit, with the earth in the background. Country: Unknown

An artist's illustration of the Chandra spacecraft in orbit.

iss063e034124 (July 1, 2020) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 63 Flight Engineer Bob Behnken (center) works during a six-hour and one-minute spacewalk to swap an aging nickel-hydrogen battery for a new lithium-ion battery on the International Space Station's Starboard-6 truss structure. Protruding diagonally towards the upper left are the station's main solar arrays which are the length of basketball court.

This artist concept shows the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in operational configuration orbiting the Earth after its deploy from Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103 during STS-31. The high gain antennas (HGAs) and solar arrays (SAs) have been extended. HST's aperature door is open as it views the universe from a vantage point above the Earth's atmosphere. View provided by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner crew ship approaches the International Space Station on the company's Orbital Flight Test-2 mission before automatically docking to the Harmony module's forward port. The orbiting lab was flying 271 miles above the south Pacific off the coast of New Zealand at the time of this photograph.

ISS006-E-48583 (28 April 2003) --- Backdropped against the blackness of space, the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft approaches the International Space Station (ISS). Onboard the spacecraft are the Expedition Seven crewmembers, cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, mission commander representing Rosaviakosmos, and astronaut Edward T. Lu, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer. The Soyuz docked at the functional cargo block (FGB) nadir port at 12:56 a.m. (CDT) on April 28, 2003.

During STS-31, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), grappled by the remote manipulator system (RMS) end effector, is held against the blackness of space. The two solar array (SA) wings (large gold panels) are fully extended with bistem cassette and secondary deployment mechanism (SDM) handle clearly visible. The two deployed high gain antennae (HGA) masts are parallel to the SA panels. RMS end effector is positioned on the starboard fixture during the predeployment checkout operations above Discovery's, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103's, payload bay (PLB).

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