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NASA Atlantis & Others

Here are some stunning new NASA pictures, plus a few photos from a Russian source, you can get a closer look at science and maintenance work in orbit, including several fascinating spacewalks.

STS-117 Atlantis mission's rendezvous with Expedition 15 of the International Space Station.

Astronaut Steven Swanson during the mission's second spacewalk.

Sand. Made up of 25 percent silicon, is, after oxygen, the second most abundant chemical element that's in the earth's crust. Sand, especially quartz, has high percentages of silicon in the form of silicon dioxide (SiO2) and is the base ingredient for semiconductor manufacturing.