The month in space: May 2010

The space shuttle Atlantis is docked to the International Space Station in orbit on May 17. Atlantis delivered a new Russian compartment and fresh batteries during its final scheduled space mission. The shuttle fleet is scheduled to be retired late this year.

An extreme-ultraviolet image from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows a dark and elongated filament hovering above the sun's surface on May 18, with bright regions beneath it.

The Saturnian moon Rhea looms large above the small moon Epimetheus in this picture from the Cassini orbiter, released May 21. The two moons are actually separated by almost 150,000 miles, with Saturn and its rings in the background.

The Seagull Nebula, seen in this infrared mosaic from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, draws its common name from its resemblance to a gull in flight. Color variations represent emissions in different wavelengths of infrared radiation. The picture was relsaead on May 20.

NASA's Terra satellite captured this visible-light image of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill on May 17, using its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. The oil slick appears as a dull gray on the water's surface and stretches south from the Mississippi Delta with what looks like a tail.

Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, the Japanese Kibo complex of the International Space Station is featured in this May 23 image photographed from the space station during the shuttle Atlantis' visit.

A European Ariane 5 rocket blasts off from its launch pad in Kourou, French Guiana, on May 21. The rocket sent two telecommunications satellites into orbit.

The spiral galaxy Messier 83 is a delicate wisp in infrared wavelengths, as seen at left by the HAWK-I instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope. But it looks like a fiery pinwheel in the visible-light image at right, captured by the MPG/ESO telescope. The images, released May 19, illustrate how scientists use different views to get a fuller picture of celestial phenomena.

The overflowing Cumberland River is pictured just north of Nashville, Tenn., in this DigitalGlobe satellite image from May 5. At least 29 people were killed in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky by either floodwaters or tornadoes. Water submerged parts of the Grand Ole Opry House, considered by many to be the heart of country music.

The space shuttle Atlantis, backdropped by a colorful Earth, points directly at the camera during its May 16 approach to the International Space Station.

Deposits of volcanic ash color this view of Mars' Meridiani Planum region, as seen by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter. The picture was released May 12.

An ultraviolet image captured by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the aftermath of a solar eruption and flare. The dark regions show the site of evacuated material from the eruption, and the large magnetic loops were formed during the flare. The SDO team released this image May 17.

Anchored to a Canadarm2 mobile foot restraint, NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman uses a still camera during a May 17 spacewalk at the International Space Station. Spacewalkers replaced six batteries on the station, installed a spare communication antenna and added a spare parts platform to the station's exterior.