Despite any political differences between the United States and Russia, the space agencies of the two countries continue their cooperative work in Earth's orbit, aboard the International Space Station. Apart from the research being done in microgravity, ISS crew members continue to send back amazing images of our home world, photographed from low Earth orbit. Gathered here are recent images of Earth from aboard the ISS, and from a handful of other NASA satellites.

“This quirky collection of photos proves that a little imagination is the key to a good a picture. By simply using a collection of keys and a strip of chalk, photographer, Stanislav Aristov, 32, is able to re-create everyday scenes and objects. Stanislav wanted to show that even the simplest of items can help change your view on the world. After acquiring a large selection of keys from friends and family as well as local charity shops, Stanislav then went about scrawling anything from a key shaped rain drops to a key-eyed crab”. – Caters News. Photo: A man walking his dog in a park made using chalk and keys. (Photo by Stanislav Aristov/Caters News)

High-flying photographer Jeffrey Milstein, renowned for his aerial photos of US cities, snaps landmarks through the open door of a helicopter. This month he hired a chopper in London and amazingly he had just an hour to cover all the buildings he wanted to capture including Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the glass roof of the British Museum and the Gherkin and Walkie Talkie towers in the City. Here: Jeffrey Milstein captured these stunning images through the door of a helicopter hovering over central London. (Photo by Jeffrey Milstein/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A rat's head rests as it is constricted in an opening in the bottom of a garbage can in the Brooklyn borough of New York, U.S., October 18, 2016. The Brooklyn rat was saved on Tuesday after getting its head stuck in the dumpster while scavenging for food, according to the New York Daily News. As the rat was scurrying around the bottom of the trash can, it came across a few ventilation holes. The hungry creature poked his head into one of them, but to its dismay couldn't get back out,Reuters photographer Lucas Jackson told the Daily News. Jackson was able to take some adorable photos of the rat's unfortunate situation before it was rescued. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

Battersea Power Station. The chimney rims are thinner on top than you might expect. (Photo by Bradley L. Garrett)

Aerial view of a boat working in the green water of Taihu Lake covered by blue-green algae, Wuxi city, Jiangsu province, China on May 23, 2018. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Mount Whaleback iron ore mine 23°21’32.3”S, 119°40’40.1”E. The Mount Whaleback Iron Ore Mine in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Roughly 98% of the world’s mined iron ore is used to make steel and is thus a significant component in the construction of buildings, automobiles, and appliances such as refrigerators. (Photo by Daily Overview/DigitalGlobe, a Maxar Company)

Aerial view of tourists in life vests and rubber rafts in the Grand Canyon of western Henan, Sanmenxia, China on August 5, 2017. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)