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Tomorrow the Space Shuttle Atlantis is due to touch down on Earth after a successful seven-day mission to deliver vital equipment to the International Space Station.
During the past week as astronauts stockpiled the outpost and performed maintenance a series of stunning images were taken which we reveal here.
Previously when images were released by Nasa they were soon after the event but still very fuzzy. It is only on recent missions that images of this quality of image were released almost as soon as they had happened. They are testament to the rapid advances in technology available to both the public and space scientists.
NASA's Atlantis shuttle blasted off Monday with a haul of spare parts for the International Space Station and some microscopic worms that could explain muscle loss in space.