July 27, 2005
On the day you were born, the universe was already ancient beyond measure — and yet, in all those billions of years, it had never once...
America Returns to Human Space Flight
Birthday · July 27, 2005
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
Free PNG · 1080 × 1350 · No account needed
Image rights and credit requirements apply when sharing or reusing imagery.
Date & occasion only
Change the year
APOD published July 27, 2005. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
NASA's launch of the massive Space Shuttle Discovery yesterday brought a nation known for its tremendous space program back to human space flight. Shuttle flights had been suspended for over two years previously following the tragic loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia crew on 2003 February 1. The complex, powerful Space Shuttle Discovery lifted a crew of seven into an Earth orbit that will bring them to the International Space Station (ISS). The shuttle crew will deliver supplies to the ISS, perform repairs, and test new methods for inspecting and repairing the shuttle's thermal protection system. Three space walks are planned. This Return to Flight Mission STS-114 is pictured above launching from Pad 39B on Cape Canaveral, Florida.