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Over a Blue Earth - With a bright blue Earth in the background, the shuttle Discovery's robotic arm and heat shield inspection boom begins to conduct thorough inspections of the shuttle's thermal tile system on Feb. 25, 2011, flight day 2 of the shuttle's final spaceflight.
The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-133 crew member on space shuttle Discovery as the shuttle approaches the station during rendezvous and docking operation on Feb. 27, 2011.
Astronauts Alvin Drew and Nicole Stott, both STS-133 mission specialists, take a break from flight day 2 duties on Discovery's aft flight deck on Feb. 25, 2011 during the STS-133 mission.
On Approach After a very cloudy day at Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England, the skies cleared to allow a view of this stunning pass of the ISS and Discovery on Feb. 26, 2011. Photographer Rob Bullen, who captured this breath-taking view of the shuttle Discovery and the space station, said, "I could not believe the timing was so fortuitous to show the shuttle closing in on the station. I captured this, what I guess could potentially be, a once in a lifetime image of these two spaceships traveling as separate craft using Canon EOS 40D using eyepiece projection through a hand guided 8.5 inch Newton." Image Credit:Rob Bullen
Space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 crew and the space station's Expedition 26 crew members speak with reporters during an in-flight interview on Feb. 27, 2011, the mission's fourth day
Discovery docked at the International Space Station during STS-131. Mexico, Baja California, and the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez) can be seen below as the Earth sits in the background.
The Space Shuttle Discovery approaches the International Space Station for docking -- but before the link-up could occur, the orbiter "posed" for a thorough series of inspection photos, including performing the "Rendezvous pitch maneuver."
NASA mission specialist Clayton Anderson participates in the third and final session of extravehicular activity on mission STS-131. Anderson's goal: routine maintenance on the International Space Station.
In this Feb 26, 2011 NASA image photographed by an Expedition 26 crew member, the space shuttle Discovery is seen against a cloud-covered part of Earth.
Making the Grade NASA astronauts Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew (partially obscured at center) conducted the STS-133 mission's spacewalk on Monday, Feb. 28. During the six-hour, 34-minute spacewalk, Bowen and Drew installed the J612 power extension cable, moved a failed ammonia pump module to the External Stowage Platform 2 on the Quest Airlock for return to Earth at a later date, installed a camera wedge on the right hand truss segment, installed extensions to the mobile transporter rail and exposed the Japanese "Message in a Bottle" experiment to space.
- Vivid colours and bizarre shapes come together in an image that could be an imaginative illustration for a fantasy story. This labyrinth of exotic features is present along the edge of Russia's Chaunskaya Bay (vivid blue half circle) in northeastern Siberia. Two major rivers, the Chaun and Palyavaam, flow into the bay, which in turn opens into the Arctic Ocean. Ribbon lakes and bogs are present throughout the area, created by depressions left by receding glaciers. - Picture: USGS/NASA/Rex Features
"These are some of my most favourite aurora borealis photos I have taken in recent years," said the 31-year-old from Reykjavik. "No words can properly describe the experience. Even though I've seen them now and again throughout my life, I'm still awe-inspired and flabbergasted every time they show up" - Picture: Kiddi Krisjans / Barcroft Medi
"Then in early 1989 a friend of mine asked if I'd seen the big aurora last night. It became known as the Great Aurora for its huge size and brightness. I missed it - I was kicking myself."
Oulanka National Park, Finland The phenomenon of solar winds interacting with the earth’s magnetic fields known as the aurora borealis, or more commonly the Northern Lights, is a heart-stoppingly fantastic thing to witness. And while sightings are more common in certain places than others, seeing them is never guaranteed because conditions have to be perfectly clear (no clouds) and dark (unpolluted by light). A good place to try is the gloriously rugged, densely forested Oulanka National Park in the far north of Finland, just south of the Arctic Circle – especially early in the season (October, November) and late (March, April). Join Exodus on its Finnish Wilderness Week and combine outdoor activities with a nightly chance of experiencing the world’s best natural light show. Staying at Basecamp Oulanka – a series of cosy log cabins with saunas and hot tubs overlooking a lake – you will cross-country ski past frozen waterfalls, drive your own team of huskies on a six-mile dog-sledding adventure, snowshoe through magical forests and learn wilderness skills including igloo building
.Watch NASA Video: Discovery Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver
.Space Station in Sight
.Discovery Astronauts Take a Break
.Space.com: The Gang's All Here > Video: ISS Crew speaks with reporter on Earth
.CBC: Shuttle astronauts complete 1st spacewalk despite glitch
.> Photos: The Age of Discovery Is Coming to an End
.CBC: Space station getting extra storage room
.> Photos
.NASA Images
.> NASA: Shuttle and Station Missions
.Guardian: International Space Station: pottering about at 17,500 mph
.IBT: Discovery Crew Gets A Call From Obama
..Earth as Art: Landsat satellite images of the Earth from space look like paintings
..Aurora borealis: pictures of the northern lights in Iceland by photographer Kristjan Unnar Kristjansson
..A green arc of an aurora captured in Deeside on November 07, 2004 at 22:37
..Places to see the Northern Lights: four of the best
