MISSE-6 hardware. NASA public domain image colelction.

ISS020-E-037371 (1 Sept. 2009) --- A close-up view of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-6) on the exterior of the Columbus laboratory is featured in this image photographed by a space walking astronaut during the STS-128 mission’s first session of extravehicular activity (EVA). MISSE collects information on how different materials weather in the environment of space. MISSE was later placed in Space Shuttle Discovery’s payload bay for its return to Earth. A portion of a payload bay door is visible in the background. The blackness of space and Earth’s horizon provide the backdrop for the scene.