STS-117 Atlantis mission's rendezvous with Expedition 15 of the International Space Station.

Here are some stunning new NASA pictures, plus a few photos from a Russian source, you can get a closer look at science and maintenance work in orbit, including several fascinating spacewalks.

STS-117 Atlantis mission's rendezvous with Expedition 15 of the International Space Station.


Astronaut Steven Swanson during the mission's second spacewalk.






Inspection of the thermal shield.









Shuttle's payload bay is clearly visible, with a valuable cargo inside.



Shuttle approaching the International Space Station






"The Backflip" - flipping Atlantis on her "belly" to allow for closer examination of the heat shield.












Giving out packages from Earth...



Astronaut Jim Reilly during spacewalk.

Mission's first spacewalk (connecting station's newly installed truss)






Construction of the International Space Station continues - activating new truss segments.






Folding the older solar arrays...



Astronaut Patrick Forrester during the mission's fourth spacewalk.









New solar array configuration. Future missions will add more arrays to each side and several science modules.


Aurora Borealis as seen from space:


(Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA)


Sunset over the Pacific:


(Image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA)