Whilst becoming an astronaut is one of the most arduous and selective processes of any business, it is undeniable that the perks are fairly crazy.
Whether it be getting to float around in zero gravity, join an illustrious group of people to have genuinely left the planet (with the recent addition of Katy Perry), or simply be able to call yourself an astronaut – it’s all an experience you wouldn’t trade much for.
Astronauts on the International Space Station have proven this once again in sharing incredibly photos of Mount Everest taken from space.
Being able to see Everest from that perspective is a unique privilege, and one shared by the astronauts on the space station.
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The photos were shared by Don Pettit, the oldest active NASA astronaut, who is well known for posting photography and videos from aboard the space station.
Whilst he took videos himself of the Northern Lights from above, this time it was taken by a crew mate by the name of Butch Wilmore, who you might recall was one of the two 'stranded astronauts' who returned to Earth last month.
He posted the pictures to Instagram saying: “Mount Everest; crew mate Butch Wilmore took these, the best photos from space of Everest I have seen!”
One comment on Instagram read: “God damn that is amazing”.
Another simply said: “Insane!”
The photos come as Pettit is in his last days before his return from the International Space Station.
Pettit, alongside two Russian Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, will return to Earth Saturday, April 19.
The trio travelled to the station on September 11, 2024, and by the time they depart will have orbited the Earth 3,520 times according to NASA.
This is Pettit’s fourth mission in space, racking up a total of 590 days in orbit by the time he hits down on Earth.
Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner will return via a parachute landing in Kazakhstan, arriving at 9.20pm EDT.
Pettit gave an interview whilst on the ISS speaking about the importance of astrophotography, saying: “Images from space helped tell the story to people on Earth that don't have the opportunity to go into space.
“When your mission is over its photographs and memories…and the photographs help complete the story of what it means for human beings to expand space and expand into this frontier.”
As well as the photos shared of Everest, Pettit has shared photos of the Nile river at night from above, star trails above the earth, and even the Los Angeles fires from space.
Topics: Space, Mount Everest, NASA
Michael Slavin