NASA shows first pics of shuttle docked to space station

Newly released pictures from NASA are the first that show a shuttle docked to the International Space Station.

The decidedly risky photo session, which shows space shuttle Endeavour docking in its final days in orbit, was performed by Soyuz TMZ-20 crewmember Paolo Nespoli, who counts photography as a hobby, according to his NASA bio.

The photos were taken two weeks ago from the vantage point of the Soyuz, a manned spaceflight combining the resources of the European Space Agency, NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscosmos.

In addition to Nespoli, aboard the Soyuz were members of Expedition 27, Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev and NASA astronaut Cady Coleman, who made news last month when she sent an email from space for Mother's Day.

See more pictures of the International Space Station on NASA’s website.

FULL STORY at CNN's This Just In