'Like science fiction': Astronauts awe-struck by gleaming International Space Station

The International Space Station backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space


Glowing in the sunlight, this is the latest stunning shot of the International Space Station, taken from the shuttle Endeavour as it came in to dock.

Astronaut Stephen Robinson was awe-struck when he drew close to the space station, during Endeavour's approach from below.

'To look up and see what humankind could really accomplish in space was just almost impossible to believe. It seemed like science fiction,' he said.

'Now here we are with human beings that are living on board. That truly is the amazing legacy of the space shuttle programme.'

The six-strong space shuttle crew brought vital food supplies with them as well as an Italian-made viewing balcony, which will give the astronauts panoramic views of our planet

By the time Endeavour leaves next week, the space station will be 90 per cent complete. Just four scheduled shuttle flights remain.

The 11 astronauts were in high spirits as they greeted one another in the early hours of Wednesday but it was soon back to business. They started to fix the recycling system that turns urine into water and prepared for the first of three space walks.


The underside of the crew cabin of the space shuttle is exposed as it prepares to dock


Space shuttle Endeavour docked with the forward docking port of the Harmony module

Shuttle astronaut Robert Behnken will have to borrow the upper part of a suit already on the station for today's spacewalk, after the glove heaters and helmet camera failed to work on his own.

Meanwhile, Nasa is assessing a cracked thermal tile and protruding ceramic ring on the space shuttle Endeavour.


'Initially, it doesn't look like we're going to be very concerned about them,' said mission management leader LeRoy Cain.


'But we want to be very vigilant and take a closer look.'

Nasa would prefer not sending astronauts out to work near the cockpit windows and other critical systems. They could inadvertently create a worse problem if they damaged the sensitive equipment.

The U.S. space agency has been extra careful about such matters ever since Columbia was brought down by a cracked wing in 2003. The wing was smacked by a piece of fuel-tank foam insulation that broke off at liftoff. The extent of the damage was not known until the shuttle broke apart during re-entry.

The most important job - installing a new room and an observation deck at the International Space Station - will get under way during Thursday night's spacewalk.


source: dailymail