Category: Earth from Space

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Earth from Space Space Exploration

First Flower Grown in Space

the first flower grown in space
Back in 2016, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shared this beautiful photo showing the first flower grown in space (a zinnia flower) with our beautiful Earth in the background. This flowering crop experiment began on Nov. 16, 2015, when NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie system and its rooting "pillows" containing zinnia seeds. The challenging process of growing the zinnias provided an exceptional opportunity for scientists back on Earth to better understand how plants grow in microgravity, and for astronauts to practice doing what they'll be tasked with on a deep space mission: autonomous gardening.

A beautiful photo showing the first flower grown in space (a zinnia flower) with our beautiful Earth in the background. Now retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly shared photographs of a blooming zinnia flower in the Veggie plant growth system aboard the International Space Station on his Twitter account back in 2016.

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Moon Landing Earth from Space Space Exploration

China Puts Chang’e 4 Lander on the Far-Side of the Moon!

The first photos from the Chang'e 4 lunar lander and rover
Chang'e-4 lands on the Moon and sends back first images. China's lunar mission (lander and rover) landed in the Von Kármán Crater, located in the Aitken Basin, in the South Pole region on the far side of the Moon, on 3 January 2019, at 02:26 UTC (10:26 Beijing time). The Chang'e-4 lunar mission was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan Province, southwest China, on 7 December 2018, at 18:23 UTC (8 December at 02:23 local time). Image Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)

Today, on January 3, 2019, China’s lunar lander and rover Chang’e 4 achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon in the history of humanity’s space exploration. It’s a space feat no nation or space agency (including NASA) has accomplished until now.

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Earth from Space Space Exploration

10 Most Beautiful Earth Photos Taken From the International Space Station in 2018

Full Moon Over Newfoundland
The crew of the International Space Station snapped this image of the full Moon on April 30, 2018, as the station orbited off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The station orbits 220 miles, or 354 kilometers, above the Earth, completing one trip around the globe every 92 minutes. Cruising along at 17,200 miles, or 27,700 kilometers per hour, the astronauts experience 15 or 16 sunrises and sunsets every day. Image: NASA

Here are the top ten most beautiful Earth photos taken by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2018. Which one is your favorite? Or if your favorite image was not listed here, please leave a comment below. To see all images taken from the International Space Station and published by NASA, visit Space Station Images.

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Moon Landing Earth from Space Space Exploration

Apollo 8: The Daring Adventure

Apollo 8 Earthrise
Apollo 8 Earthrise. Image: NASA

On December 21, 1968, Apollo 8, the second crewed spaceflight mission in NASA’s Apollo program was launched and became the first crewed spacecraft to leave low Earth orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and safely return. It was also the first crewed launch of the Saturn V rocket.

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Earth from Space Space Exploration

Amazing time-lapse of the Russian spacewalk over the Atlantic Ocean (video)

Russian spacewalk (December 11, 2018)
On December 11, 2018, the cosmonauts went outside to install a plug and thermal insulation on the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft which was damaged by a powertool causing an air leak. The EVA examined a section of the external hull of the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft, took samples of residue found on the hull, along with digital images of the area before the plan called for the placing a new thermal blanket over it. The spacewalkers literally cut into the Soyuz’s black thermal blankets and pulled away the insulation to expose the area around the hole. The samples and images will provide additional information that will aid the investigation into the cause of the pressure leak, according to NASA.

The European Space Agency has published an amazing sped-up time-lapse video of the Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Sergey Prokopyev during their spacewalk as they floated over the Atlantic Ocean. The video was taken from the European Columbus laboratory.

The two cosmonauts look like working honeybees in the upper-right corner in this sped-up video.

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Space Exploration Earth from Space

Soyuz MS-11 Launch and Dock as seen from the ISS

Soyuz MS-11 Launch from the ISS, December 3, 2018
Soyuz MS-11 Launch from the ISS, December 3, 2018. European Space Agency astronaut aboard the International Space Station, Alexander Gerst photographed the launch and the docking from the ISS. Photograph: Alexander Gerst on Twitter

On December 3, 2018, a Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, carrying NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko. It was the first manned launch since the Soyuz MS-10 spaceflight aborted shortly after launch on 11 October 2018 due to a failure of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle boosters (see notes 1). It was the 100th orbital launch of 2018.

Soyuz MS-11 successfully docked to the ISS about six hours after the launch.

European Space Agency astronaut aboard the International Space Station, Alexander Gerst photographed the launch and the docking from the ISS and published these amazing photos on his Twitter account.

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Earth from Space Space Exploration

Space Shuttle Endeavour over Cook Strait

Space Shuttle Endeavour over Cook Strait (ISS005-E-21472)
ISS005-E-21472 (25 November 2002) --- The Space Shuttle Endeavour is backdropped over Cook Strait, New Zealand as it approaches the International Space Station (ISS) during STS-113 rendezvous and docking operations. Docking occurred at 3:59 p.m. (CST) on November 25, 2002. The Port One (P1) truss, which was later to be attached to the station and outfitted during three spacewalks, can be seen in the space shuttle's cargo bay. Endeavour's namesake, and her captain, First Lieutenant James Cook, moved through the waters of Cook Strait for the first time on Feb. 7, 1770. The Cook Strait also is named after James Cook. He sailed through it in 1770. lies between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast, and runs next to the capital city, Wellington. It is 22 km(14 mi) wide at its narrowest point, and is considered one of the most dangerous and unpredictable waters in the world. Image: International Space Station Imagery on the NASA spaceflight website

This amazing photo was taken from the International Space Station showing the Space Shuttle Endeavour over Cook Strait, New Zealand. It was taken on November 25, 2002, as the space shuttle approaches the International Space Station (ISS) during STS-113 rendezvous and docking operations.

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Earth from Space Space Exploration

The longest continuous timelapse from the ISS (video)

Horizons Mission Timelapse, from USA to Africa
European Space Agency has published an amazing time-lapse video showing the Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The space agency wrote "Join ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst for a quick flight from the USA to Africa aboard the International Space Station in this time-lapse filmed 12.5 times faster than actual speed." In the footage, which is sped up by a factor of 12.5, the space station passes over the U.S. and Africa and covers around 8,700 miles (14,000 kilometers). "Seen from a distance our planet is just a blue dot, a fragile spaceship for humankind. We need to understand the Universe we live in to protect our home." --Alexander Gerst

To celebrate the 20th birthday of the International Space Station (ISS), the European Space Agency (ESA) published the longest continuous time-lapse video from the orbiting laboratory. In just under 15 minutes, this 4K HD video below takes us from Tunisia across Beijing and through Australia in two trips around the world. You can follow the ISS’s location using the map at the top right-hand side of the screen alongside annotations on the photos themselves.

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Earth from Space Space Exploration

A Complete Orbit Around Earth from the ISS in Real-Time [Video]

Earth from ISS
"Orbit" shows a complete orbit around Earth from the ISS in real time. It is a real-time reconstruction of time-lapse photography taken on board the International Space Station by NASA's Earth Science & Remote Sensing Unit. The ISS maintains an orbit with an altitude of between 330 and 435 km (205 and 270 mi) by means of reboost maneuvres using the engines of the Zvezda module or visiting spacecraft. It completes 15.54 orbits per day.

Videos that contain images of the Earth taken aboard the International Space Station are usually time-lapse (see notes 1), but this amazing HD video below, titled “Orbit” shows a complete orbit around Earth from the ISS in real-time. A breathtaking 92-minute and 39-second show of the beauty and majesty of our planet from 250 miles (400 km) above.

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Mars Earth from Space Space Exploration

Earth, a “Bright Evening Star” as seen from Mars

PIA17936: Earth from Mars by the Curiosity Rover (January 31, 2014)
This view of the twilight sky and Martian horizon was taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover includes Earth as the brightest point of light in the night sky. Earth is a little left of center in the image, and our moon is just below Earth. Researchers used the left eye camera of Curiosity's Mast Camera (Mastcam) to capture this scene about 80 minutes after sunset on the 529th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars (Jan. 31, 2014). The image has been processed to remove the effects of cosmic rays. A human observer with normal vision, if standing on Mars, could easily see Earth and the moon as two distinct, bright "evening stars." The distance between Earth and Mars when Curiosity took the photo was about 99 million miles (160 million kilometers). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/TAMU

On January 31, 2014, about 80 minutes after sunset on its 529th Martian day (or sol), NASA’s Curiosity Rover has turned its camera back home and took this amazing photo of Earth and Moon from a distance of around 99 million miles (160 million kilometers). In the image which has the serial number PIA17936, Earth can be seen as the brightest point of light in the night sky, a little left of the center of the photo, and our Moon appears just below Earth.

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