An external pallet packed with old nickel-hydrogen batteries is pictured shortly after mission controllers in Houston commanded the Canadarm2 robotic arm to release it into space.
The International Space Station was orbiting 265 miles above the north coast of Chile in South America at the time this photograph was taken. The external pallet will orbit Earth between two to four years before burning up harmlessly in the atmosphere. The batteries were removed during previous spacewalks and replaced with newer lithium-ion batteries to continue powering the station’s systems.
iss064e041189 (March 11, 2021) – larger image
