You know those amazeballs space shots from 2001. Those shots where you thought: yes, that’s how the future must look like. Well, my friends, look at this spectacular image taken as the Automated Transfer Vehicle-3 docks with the ISS. The future, it seems, is here.
The unmanned cargo spacecraft docked to the space station at 6:31 p.m. EDT on March 28, 2012. The ATV-3 delivered 220 pounds of oxygen, 628 pounds of water, 4.5 tons of propellant and nearly 2.5 tons of dry cargo. Among other items, the station crew received experiment hardware, spare parts, food and clothing.
It is beautiful. This video shows the last moments of the docking operation:
