The space shuttle Endeavour is currently nearing the end of its final mission. Today, it detached from the International Space Station to begin its return to Earth. It's scheduled to land at 2:35 a.m. tomorrow, local time, at Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. NASA transmitted this photo (click here to see it full size) of Endeavour in action during its nearly 12-day mission to the space station. Images like this are part of the reason we love keeping up with the space program, and a big part of why the public continues to support it. It's a contemplative time for NASA, with the Spirit rover dead on Mars and the shuttle program readying for its final launch with Atlantis on July 8. This singular perspective of humans on earth reminds us why we care.

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Adam Martin