Tiny Satellites Leave Station
Several tiny satellites are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station.
The satellites were released outside the Kibo laboratory using a Small Satellite Orbital Deployer attached to the Japanese modules
robotic arm on Oct. 4, 2012. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, flight engineer, set up the satellite de-
ployment gear inside the lab and placed it in the Kibo airlock. The Japanese robotic arm then grappled the deployment system and its
satellites from the airlock for deployment. A portion of the stations solar array panels and a blue and white part of Earth provide
the backdrop for the scene.
