BIG PIC: The H-II Transfer Vehicle Approaches...On Sept. 17, Ralf Vandebergh photographed the Japanese cargo vehicle as it approached the space station... from 300km below.
 Sept. 25, 2009 -- Astrophotography is by no means an easy feat, especially when you're trying to track the International Space Station (ISS) as it speeds overhead. Ralf Vandebergh (from Wittem, the Netherlands) managed not only to photograph the ISS on Sept. 17, he did it with outstanding clarity through a 0.25 meter Newtonian telescope. However, the ISS isn't the only object in the photograph. On the left-hand side of the image, approximately 100 meters from the orbiting outpost, is the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-1) carrying 4 tonnes of supplies to the space station. The HTV-1 was launched on Sept. 11 and it docked shortly after this photograph was taken. This was the first automated Japanese space station supply vehicle to be launched and the mission appears to be a total success. Now the vehicle is docked with the ISS it will be unloaded and then filled back up with trash before it is undocked and eventually dropped into the atmosphere to burn up on re-entry. For more astrophotography, including a close-up view of the HTV-1, see Ralf Vandebergh's galleries. Photo Credit: Ralf Vandebergh For space news, photos, video and more, take a look at Discovery News: Space and Ian O'Neill's blog: Space Disco. Got Something To Say?Got something to say? Speak up here:
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Want more? Click here for the rest of the Wide Angle: Supplying the Space Station. Credit: NASA
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