-
Soyuz 13 Docked at ISS
Photograph courtesy NASA
The blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide the backdrop for this image of the docked Soyuz 13 (foreground) and the Progress 22 resupply vehicle. Astronauts photographed the Soyuz from a window on the International Space Station while space shuttle Discovery was docked with the station.
-
ISS Spacewalk
Photograph courtesy NASA
Astronaut Robert Curbeam works on the port overheard solar array wing on the International Space Station's P6 truss. Construction and repairs are an ongoing process on the ISS, which may be completed by 2010. When it's finished, the space station will be larger than a typical five-bedroom house.
-
ISS Construction
Photograph courtesy NASA
Discovery mission specialists Robert Curbeam (left) and Christer Fuglesang work on ISS construction during a spacewalk in 2006. Visiting astronauts typically live and work at the station for about six months before heading home.
-
International Space Station
Photograph courtesy NASA
This view of the International Space Station over a blue-and-white Earth was taken shortly after the space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the orbital outpost on September 17, 2006. During its six days on the space station, the Atlantis crew installed a pair of 240-foot (73-meter) solar wings, attached to a 17.5-ton section of truss with batteries, electronics, and a giant rotating joint. The new solar arrays were designed to double the station's onboard power.
-
Pirs Docking Compartment, ISS
Photograph courtesy NASA
A crew member aboard the space shuttle Endeavour snapped this image of the Pirs docking compartment of the International Space Station. The compartment has two primary functions: It serves as a docking port for transport and cargo vehicles and as an airlock for spacewalking astronauts.
-
ISS Over Miami, Florida
Photograph courtesy NASA
The turquoise waters of Miami, Florida, gleam underneath the International Space Station as it floats some 240 miles (390 kilometers) above the Earth's surface. The orbiting lab has hosted a rotating international crew since November 2000.
-
ISS Over Earth
Photograph courtesy NASA
The International Space Station has been under construction since November 1998. In that year the first piece of its structure, the Zarya Control Module, was launched into orbit with a Russian Proton rocket. Today the station features more space than the average three-bedroom house—and it's still growing.
-
Space Station Maintenance
Photograph courtesy NASA
When renovations or repairs are needed on the International Space Station, it's up to astronauts to do the job. Before donning a special pressurized suit and heading out on a spacewalk, though, they must first spend over two hours decompressing in order to avoid the bends. Once their spacesuits are on, the astronauts must spend another hour breathing pure oxygen before they can step outside.
More Space Exploration Photos
Health and Human Body
Prehistoric World
Space
Shop National Geographic
2011 Emerging Explorers
ScienceBlogs Picks
Advertisement
National Geographic Channel
-
Rocket City Rednecks
Wednesdays at 9P and 9:30P
Meet a group of backwoods Alabama geniuses who tackle problems with hillbilly ingenuity.
-
Mad Scientists
Wednesdays at 10P and 10:30P
Travel across America with host John Bowler as he seeks out the weirdest inventions.
-
National Geographic Investigates
Fridays at 8P, 9P, and 10P et/pt
Get up close with some of the world's most fascinating underground communities, from gangs to cults to organized crime families.
National Geographic Magazine
-
Staffordshire Gold Hoard Pictures
Buried in the English countryside. Anglo-Saxon in origin. Who hid it and why?
-
Iceman Unfrozen Photo Gallery
There was only one way scientists could unlock the mystery of the famous iceman. Take away his ice.
-
Africa's Rift Valley Pictures
As the global population soars toward nine billion by 2045, this corner of Africa shows what's at stake in the decades ahead.
Genographic
