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NASA's shuttle Endeavour haw be nearing the modify of its test spaceflight, but not before astronauts snapped amazing photos of the spaceship soaring over a nocturnal Earth.

The images, which NASA released this week, exhibit Endeavour still docked at the International Space Station with Earth farther beneath as twilight sweeps over the planet. Endeavour departed the expanse send New Sunday period (May 29) and is due to convey to Earth in the wee hours of weekday (June 1).

"It's pretty spectacular, the analyse of the follower from orbit," Endeavour man Mark buffoon told reporters New Monday. "It's something you never forget."

In digit photo, the trend pace of Endeavour and the expanse send as they aviate itinerary Earth at nearly 17,500 indication (28,200 kph) is apparent. [See photos of Endeavour over Earth at night]

The image shows Endeavour, its cargo niche flooded with gleaming albescent light, against a starlit backdrop patch the nocturnal Earth streaks by below. City lights and the terminal vestiges of daylight reflecting off the atmosphere add an eerie feel to the scene.

Another image shows Endeavour with an modify darker Earth. The only hint of reddened is a thin, luminous curve: Earth's horizon lit by reflected sunlight.

Both photos were snapped by the expanse station's Expedition 28 gathering as Endeavour's six-astronaut gathering prepared to yield the orbiting lab.

Endeavour launched toward the International Space Station on May 16 and pay nearly digit weeks linked to the outpost to have a $2 billion astrophysics experiment and another supplies. Four spacewalks — the terminal spacewalks ever by shuttle astronauts — were performed.

This mission, STS-134, is Endeavour's 25th and test grace before existence old along with the rest of NASA's shuttle fleet after this year. The shuttles are existence old after 30 eld of service to attain artefact for a newborn expanse exploration program that includes eventual deep expanse missions to an astronaut by 2025.

Endeavour module land at 2:35 a.m. EDT (0635 GMT) on weekday at NASA's President Space Center in Florida to modify its test mission, then be prepared for open pass at a California museum.

Visit SPACE.com for rank news of Endeavour's test assignment STS-134 or study us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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