Picture of the day - May 16, 2006

Spectacular View Of The International Space Station

Photo courtesy of NASA. In August 2005, the space shuttle Discovery visited the International Space Station and dropped off some much-needed supplies, then it un-docked and flew away. As they was leaving, the Discovery crew snapped this amazing photo of the orbiting Space Station as it flew more than 240 miles above the Caspian Sea. The International Space Station is so named because it was funded and built by several nations working in partnership. These partners in space pioneering include former arch-enemies America and Russia as well as Japan, Canada, and the European Space Agency. This amazingly complex structure is the largest human-made object ever to orbit the earth. It is so large in fact that light reflected from it can easily be seen with the naked eye - even during the daytime! Interplanetary human space travel will most likely take place in the not-so-distant future, beginning with a manned mission to Mars. Eventually, the bravest of the brave will venture on to more distant parts of the solar system - and beyond. But first there are many things to learn and numerous problems to solve, and the International Space Station is the laboratory where much of this critical research and testing is being done.   Picture Of The Day Homepage | Submit a photo Interesting Articles