The US laboratory module that forms the heart of the International Space Station, launched by the space shuttle Atlantis in February 2001. Destiny is 8.5 metres long and 4.3 metres in diameter and consists of three cylindrical sections and two endcones with hatches for connecting to other station components. It holds a series of equipment racks for experiments in human life science, materials research, Earth observations and commercial applications. A window in the centre section allows astronauts to take high-quality photos and video of floods, avalanches, fires and ocean events. Destiny also contains the control centre for the station's robotic arm operations.

The space shuttle's remote manipulator system is used to move the US Destiny laboratory from the cargo bay of Atlantis. It was photographed by astronaut Thomas Jones on extravehicular activity during the manoeuvre.

Credit: NASA