NASA’s astronauts orbit the Earth inside of the Space Station from a height of 250 miles above sea level. Each day, the ISS completes 16 laps around the planet, passing from daytime into complete darkness every 45 minutes. It is during these brief windows of opportunity that astronauts have a chance to observe our home planet in its full glory. And the good news for us down on Earth is the astronauts always have a few cameras with them when in space.
In a tweet, NASA has shared four pictures of the Earth and its vibrant diversity.
In one photo, you can see the edge of the planet and the pitch black darkness of space behind it.
In another picture, astronaut Kathleen Rubins snapped colourful swirls of mixing water in a lake.
She said: “We captured swirls in a lake with a long 500mm lens – Earth is beautiful from space.”
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And another NASA photo showcases what is arguably the most stunning workplace view in the world – a view of the Earth from the ISS’ Cupola Observation Module.
NASA said: “Every day, humans living and working aboard the Space Station take in remarkable views of our home planet.
“Here’s a look at Earth as seen from 250 miles above.”
The ISS is an orbital laboratory constructed through an international collaboration of spacefaring nations.
The Space Station is the single largest object ever put into space and has been continuously inhabited since November 2000.
Here’s a look at Earth as seen from 250 miles above
NASA
Today, astronauts from America, Russia, Europe and Asia provide crew members to operate the Space Station and conduct experiments in a microgravity environment.
The US space agency said: “The Space Station has made it possible for people to have an ongoing presence in space.
“Human beings have been living in space every day since the first crew arrived.
“The Space Station’s laboratories allow crew members to do research that could not be done anywhere else.
“This scientific research benefits people on Earth. Space research is even used in everyday life.”
The Space Station can house up to six professional astronauts plus guests and is larger in volume than a six-bedroom house.
As of March 2019, 230 people from a total of 18 countries have visited the ISS.
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