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In the days leading to Endeavor catching up with the International Space Station (ISS) in low-Earth orbit, astronauts aboard the orbital facility kept a close eye on how the shuttle was fairing in its pursuit. As such, they were able to capture one of the most amazing pictures available of the spacecraft, a unique view that sees Endeavor backdropped by our planet's horizon line. Against strange shades of blue, orange, brown and black, the spacecraft appears as a silhouette, perfectly contoured against its surroundings, Space reports.

Usually, a shuttle is a sight to behold, and one that is considerably different from a black shape on a more luminous horizon. It is gleaming white, with a dark, ominous-looking underbelly covered in small ceramic tiles. These protect it from the fiery temperatures, reaching thousands of degrees that form around the spacecraft as it reenters the Earth's atmosphere. Its cargo bay is the size of a bus, and the space plane can carry nearly 20 tons of supplies and other equipment to the ISS in one go. So, one might argue, it's anything but small.

The new image reveals all the major features of the shuttle, including its thrusters, wings and nose. They are very clear against the background, even if both Endeavor and the ISS were moving very fast in their orbits. The picture will be added to the existing galleries, which also feature some amazing shots of shuttles passing the Sun, or in other breathtaking situations. Some time last year, even an amateur astronomer was able to capture a view of a shuttle crossing the Sun, while affixed to the ISS, using nothing more than commercially available equipment, and conducting the observations from his backyard. - source: softpedia.com

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