Any use of one of these images other than strictly private must be subject to prior authorization from legault@astrophoto.fr FEBRUARY 28 : an astronaut in spacewalk in 3D video This is the only image ever taken from the ground of an astronaut in extravehicular activity (EVA1). Steve Bowen, attached to the end of the ISS robotic arm (MSS), was working on a defective ammonia pump. The pump was hooked to the ISS mobile base system (MBS). All major elements of the robotic arm are visible, including the structures of the motorized joints and some elements along the arms (smaller than the astronaut).

Passage of the International Space Station and Discovery, taken on February 28th 2011 at 17:58UT from the area of Weimar, Germany. The video is accelerated 2.5 times (acquisition at 10 fps, video at 25 fps). The altitude of the ISS is 360 km (200 miles), for a size of a hundred metres. The speed of ISS is 17,000 miles per hour and its angular speed at zenith is 1.2° per second. For the best view of the video, switch to Full HD mode (1080p) and full screen.

As shown in the caption below, Discovery is docked to the ISS on the left of the image and is seen essentially from the rear (stabilizer and nozzle), the wings being vertical. At the beginning of the sequence, we see the inside of the payload bay, while at the end we see the heat shield, the body flap and the payload bay doors (opened) as two bright lines.

The video also includes a passage of the International Space Station and Discovery 30 minutes before docking, taken on February 26th 2011 at 18:40UT from the area of Weimar, Germany. It's sunset on the ISS at the beginning of the passage. The shooting equipment is described in detail in this page. The 1600 frames of the sequence has been registered and combined by groups of 15 (processing with Prism and VirtualDub). This video needs Flash Player 10. Click on the small square with an arrow inside (video menu) for fullscreen view.

MARCH 7 & 8 : Discovery before return to Earth

On March 7, the robotic arm is used for a last inspection of the protection tiles before landing.

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