A Shuttle Back Flip at the Space Station
Explanation:
Last week, crew members of the
International Space Station (ISS) watched carefully as the
Space Shuttle
Discovery did a planned but unusual back flip upon approach.
Discovery Commander
Eileen Collins guided the shuttle through the flip,
which was about 200 meters from the
ISS when the
above picture was taken.
The
ISS crew took detailed images of the
dark heat shield tiles underneath during a 90-second photo shoot.
The images are being analyzed to assess the condition of the dark
heat shield.
Later the shuttle
docked
with the space station.
On the more usually photographed top side of the Space Shuttle, the
above
image shows
Discovery's cargo bay doors open toward a distant
Earth below.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
