Astronauts on the ISS Have Captured Amazing Photos of Earth
From 250 miles above Earth, astronauts on the International Space Station are snapping breathtaking images of our planet.
High above Earth, astronauts living on the International Space Station have been taking stunning photos of our planet. The station orbits about 250 miles above the ground, giving astronauts a view that almost no one else ever gets to see. From glowing auroras in the sky to fireworks launched from the ground, their photos show Earth in a whole new way.
The International Space Station, often called the ISS, has been circling Earth in low orbit for more than 25 years. It travels about 260 miles above the planet and has been home to astronauts from countries all around the world. Scientists use the station as a lab to study what happens to the human body and materials in microgravity, the near-weightless environment of space. The ISS has also been used for private missions in recent years, opening its doors beyond just government astronauts.
The space station is run by a team of space agencies working together from different countries. These include NASA from the United States, Roscosmos from Russia, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the Canadian Space Agency. This global partnership means astronauts from many nations share meals, do experiments, and work side by side in space.
Right now, seven astronauts are living and working aboard the ISS. The newest crew members arrived in early October and include NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk from the Canadian Space Agency, and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov. They are part of a mission called Crew-13, which launched on a SpaceX Dragon capsule sitting on top of a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Another group of astronauts arrived at the ISS in mid-July. That crew includes NASA astronaut Anil Menon along with Russians Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina. They flew to the station on a Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft and plan to stay for about eight months. Together, all seven crew members help keep the aging station running while also getting ready for future missions deeper into space.
More than 290 spacefarers from 26 countries have visited the International Space Station, including 174 from the United States alone.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. About how high above Earth does the International Space Station orbit?
2. How many astronauts are currently living and working on the ISS?
3. Which rocket carried the Crew-13 mission to the ISS?