This week is the 50th anniversary of the launch of Mercury Sigma 7 capsule with astronaut Wally Schirra on October 3, 1962. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mercury/missions/sigma7.html

Sigma 7 featured the first Hasselblad camera and photography from earth orbit. The camera was purchased at a Houston photo shop. http://www.space.com/17873-schirra-sigma-7-50th-anniversary.html

50 years of technology later, beautiful photographs were released today by NASA from ISS.

The photos are of small satellites released outside the ISS Kibo laboratory using a Small Satellite Orbital Deployer attached to the Japanese module's robotic arm. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, flight engineer, set up the satellite deployment gear inside the lab and placed it in the Kibo airlock for deployment. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/gallery/iss033e009286.h...

Space Reference http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=42238

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