Aerial photographers must surely wish they had the chance to stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), with the orbiting outpost offering ever-changing views of Earth from 250 miles above the ground.
It’s no surprise then that the space station’s seven-window Cupola module, with its stunning panoramic views of Earth and beyond, is by far the most popular spot in the facility among lucky enough astronauts. to visit it.
While some simply gaze out of the dome to marvel at the scenery below, others grab a camera to capture the best of what they see before sharing it with the rest of us here on the land.
Current ISS resident Mark Vande Hei, who arrived at the facility in April 2021, likes to share the occasional image taken from above, his latest effort more like something Van Gogh could have painted than a photograph.
The incredible photo was taken over the Himalayas, with NASA’s Vande Hei challenging people to spot Mount Everest (answer at the end of this article), the world’s tallest mountain at 29,032 feet ( 8,849 meters).
My New Years resolution is to get out as much as possible. Well, after landing it is. Can you find Mount Everest in this photo? pic.twitter.com/4CKQ2agYi3
– Mark T. Vande Hey (@Astro_Sabot) January 4, 2022
Here is a better preview of the image …
One of the most enthusiastic photographers to visit the space station in recent times was French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. In an article towards the end of his last sojourn which ended in November, Pesquet revealed how much planning is required to have the best chance of capturing striking images of the ISS.
This is because astronauts spend most of their time there working on science experiments rather than looking out the window. Plus, with the station orbiting Earth 16 times a day, glimpses of points of interest are never fleeting. This prompted Pesquet to plan ahead using NASA’s special navigation software that shows ISS times for night and day, forecast cloud cover and, most importantly, the precise route of the orbits. approach.
If the routes match the points of interest Pesquet wrote down before his mission, he can calculate the precise time he needs to be in the dome to get the hang of it.
As for Vande Hei’s great effort, were you able to spot Everest? Twitter’s Inkfish project seems to have succeeded …
– Inkfish Project (@ProjectInkfish) January 4, 2022
And here is the same view via Google Maps…
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