Photo: H-II Transfer Vehicle-3 Being Readied For Release

The International Space Station’s Canadarm2 unberths the unpiloted Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV-3), filled with trash and unneeded items, in preparation for its release from the station. JAXA astronaut Aki Hoshide and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, both Expedition 32 flight engineers, used the station’s robot arm to grapple the HTV-3 and unberth it from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony node. The cargo craft was released at 11:50 a.m. (EDT) on Sept. 12, 2012. ISS032-E-026879 (12 Sept. 2012) – high res (0.9 M) low res (68 K)