Space Shuttle Endeavour Does A 'Backflip' To Dock With ISS (VIDEO)

The space shuttle Endeavour, which blasted off on Monday for its final mission, docked with the International Space Station on Wednesday.

NASA has released a video of the Endeavour performing the "rendez pitch maneuver" (which NASA dubs a "backflip") as it arrived at the ISS for the last time.

As the AP noted, the shuttle is carrying, "the most expensive payload ever carried by a shuttle, a $2 billion magnetic device that scientists hope will unravel the mysteries of the cosmos." The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer will be attached to the ISS on Thursday.

See the video below, then check out photos of Endeavour's blastoff here.

WATCH:

Comments

[PathofTotality]

03:27 PM on 05/19/2011

Sweet!!!
Would love to be there on the Shuttle even for only a couple laps around the Earth.

[VapeGirl]

12:17 PM on 05/19/2011

Some of you really do not know who is filming this? It was filmed by the ISS...you know the International Space Station. They do this flip so that the team on board the ISS can examine the shuttle for damage before it docks with the station.

[mdelwarte59]

11:49 PM on 05/19/2011

Alright then I just got served... I know very little about all this, thanks for the good information! It would have been cool if the reason for the flip was included in the article then I wouldn't have put foot in mouth. May the force be with you.
RD-D2

[Lawrence Farinelli]

08:27 AM on 05/19/2011

imagine that in slow motion....stupid

[jessiecruzj]

08:10 AM on 05/19/2011

What a joke and a waste of tax payers money, who is going to believe this crap, God must have been filmimg this, do you believe me now, that's the reson they dump this project from the budget; Imao

[mdelwarte59]

05:42 AM on 05/19/2011

Who the heck is filming this? Are there cameras everywhere? I am sure glad I am not picking my nose right now! Talk about big brother... sheesshh.

@ RelaxThereIsNoGod... I am not so sure, I think it is simulated.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard - USS Enterprise

[Edward Searles]

10:17 PM on 05/18/2011

visit www.911site.us

[Edward Searles]

10:16 PM on 05/18/2011

wow that just cost 30 billion dollars i am fing amazed

[abuckley23]

01:24 PM on 05/18/2011

That was some pretty fancy flying. However the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer? Do we really need to look to Star Trek for fun scientific gadget type stuff?

[homer winslow]

03:01 PM on 05/18/2011

There are a number of everyday devices we use and take for granted that came from Star Trek.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/164195/star_trek_tech_we_use_today_almost.html

[mondit]

12:18 PM on 05/18/2011

Space envy. Got it bad. Let me clean toilets, vomit, I don't care. Let me up there!

[homer winslow]

03:01 PM on 05/18/2011

Ditto!

[ellbit1]

05:36 PM on 05/18/2011

Ditto, ditto!

[tonyschiano1]

12:12 PM on 05/18/2011

Sweet!

[claudiam]

11:35 AM on 05/18/2011

Very cool. claudiatucsonaz

[RelaxThereIsNoGod]

11:33 AM on 05/18/2011

I'm sure it's real, but it seriously looks like a bad editing job in After Effects.

[Andy Clark]

10:23 AM on 05/18/2011

that's pretty neat.