Space Shuttle and Space Station Photographed Together

[teleclimber]

This reminds me of an experience I had in Joshua Tree one evening.

The sun had just set and it was getting dark. I noticed two bright dots in the sky in close proximity to each-other. At first I thought "airliners", but had to rethink my hasty conclusion because the lights weren't blinking. I had to stop walking to really take in the scene: two very bright white dots in the eastern sky, about one closed fist at arm's length away from each other, moving across the sky slowly but consistently.

Having observed ISS before I knew how bright it could be. This certainly seemed like another ISS sighting, but what was the other thing? Then I remembered: the shuttle had launched not too long ago for a mission to ISS. Could I have just witness the moments after undocking? I checked NASA's data as soon as I got home and sure enough the undocking time was just prior to my observation.

This was among the last shuttle missions so I'll never forget that moment!

[tempestn]

Immediately wanted to use this for my wallpaper, but was hoping I could find a better multi-monitor version. It still looks cool if you just center it, but it would be even better if the earth weren't cut off.

Couldn't find one, so decided to make it. I basically rotated and cropped it to get as much of ISS as possible, then added a bit more Earth. This way it looks like the planet is naturally just falling below the horizon of your monitors, rather than being cut off. Fortunately the space background is a nice deep black, so that's easy to extend.

If anyone else is running (2560x1440) x 3, feel free to use it: http://www.helpertubes.com/images/iss_shuttle_7680x1440.jpg

Or if you prefer, this version crops the top solar panels of ISS, so you get a closer view, and less artificially generated Earth: http://www.helpertubes.com/images/iss_shuttle_7680x1440_clos...

Enjoy!

[tempestn]

Here are a couple more:

7680x1600 version: http://www.helpertubes.com/images/iss_shuttle_7680x1600.jpg

9516x2320 source: http://www.helpertubes.com/images/iss_shuttle_9516x2320.jpg

[ceejayoz]

Not just the Shuttle, but a Soyuz and a European ATV. Every significant spacecraft model at the time in one photo.

[jackgavigan]

Looks like two Soyuz...

Edit: Actually, one Soyuz (TMA-21 on Poisk) and a Progress (M-10M on Pirs). The ATV is the Johannes Kepler.

[hcarvalhoalves]

Pretty crowded. How many people are up there in this pic?

The 2x Soyuz (counting the one taking the pic) fit 3 each, the Space Shuttle fits 5-7, Progress and ATV are unmaned. Anyone knows how many in the ISS?

[otoolep]

Be sure to check out the full pic at

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1408/shuttleiss_nasa_6048.jp...

[rbanffy]

I used one of this series as my wallpaper for quite some time after its initial release. It's useful to remember humans can do extraordinary things.

[darklrd]

This is amazing.

[ape4]

Wow

[mutagen]

The damaged S1 cooling panel lends it an authentic, lived in, this thing is here to stay look.

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-27/h...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station_ma...

[tdicola]

The thing that impresses me the most about the shuttle is that it was designed in the mid 60's, built in the 70's/80's, and flew 100+ missions to space over ~30 years. I have a car that was built in the mid-80's and barely trust driving it a few thousand miles a year without it breaking down. I can't imagine what it took to keep the shuttles flying to space for so long without more major accidents.

[FigBug]

There were six shuttles and had 25, 28, 10, 39, 33 & 0 missions each for a total of 135 missions and killed 14 astronauts. Not that impressive a record for something that was originally intended to do 55 launches a year.

Something I find more impressive is the B52 Bomber, first flew in 1952, finished production in 1962, expected to be in service until 2040. Will be in service for almost 100 years.

If like an aircraft, you were doing 1 hour of maintenance for every 10 - 20 hours driving, I'm sure your car would be more reliable.

[dredmorbius]

Cars have annual production runs in the tens to hundreds of millions. There were six shuttles built (one a replacement). Keeping production facilities upon and staffed to create one or two craft per decade was impractical.

Similar arguments apply to military aircraft: the last B-52 was completed in the mid 1960s. Dies and machining for the SR-71 Blackbird were destroyed after the initial production run was completed. Aotomobile production and economics simply don't apply.

[otoolep]

Well, your car cost a few thousand dollars. The shuttle cost a lot more. :-) I don't think it's a fair comparison.

[dlhavema]

i'm guessing these shuttles got routine maintenance (your car probably did too.. ) but also heavy inspections before and after every trip. We can make things last, it just takes a lot of effort and/or generally a lot of money..

[otoolep]

All amazing engineering achievements, and yet such white elephants in so many ways. The Mars Rovers and Space probes have been so much more valuable for science.

[tdicola]

I wouldn't write off the shuttle so quickly. It flew 100+ missions, brought up the Hubble and helped fix it, brought up parts of the ISS, etc. Sure it didn't get past low earth orbit but it did a lot of great stuff.

[mendort]

Man, the shuttle's cargo bay was rediculously huge. Lofting that whole volume for a routine iss resupply seems insanely wasteful. (I know that it is expensive to loft mass, not volume. But in this case it is volume that needed to be enclosed in a shell that could survive reentry.)

[comrh]

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-27/i... http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-27/i... http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-27/i...

for more of them both. Some great shots.

[SpaceInvader]

And few pics of the ISS + other space crafts taken from Earth: http://www.astrokraai.nl/viewimages.php?category=9

[netman21]

Has anyone ever created a virtual walk through of the ISS? Like every real estate web site does for their listings? Google????

[leephillips]

I don't know, but this is probably better: http://www.wimp.com/orbitaltour/

This is astronaut Sunita Williams providing an extensive video tour of the ISS. Gives you a feel for what life is like up there. For example: they need to take care that the use of the stationary exercise bike doesn't set up vibrations that shake the exterior solar panel arrays.

[rwmj]

Is the Canadarm inspecting the bottom/tiles on the Shuttle? If not, then it's dangerously close to them ..

[leeoniya]

wow those solar panels are huge.

[roadnottaken]

WHO'S TAKING THAT PICTURE??

[aaronbrethorst]

    [D]uring the Space Shuttle Endeavour's last trip
    to the International Space Station in 2011 May,
    a supply ship departed the station with astronauts
    that captured a series of rare views. The supply
    ship was the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 which landed in
    Kazakhstan later that day.