Photos
Photos of Earth from the International Space Station
Colonel Douglas Harry Wilcock is a NASA astronaut and commander of the 25th expedition to the ISS, which began on September 22, 2010, and shared his photos with stunning views of our planet from space. All captions for the photos are his own.
Let's go! It was October 23, 2007, at 11:40 AM, it was my first flight on the 'Discovery' into space. It's beautiful... very sad that this will be its last flight. September 23, 2010
"The Glow of Earth"... The space station is bathed in the bluish glow of Earth as the rays of the rising sun penetrate the atmosphere and illuminate our station with blue light. I will never forget this place... November 7, 2010
NASA astronaut Douglas Harry Wilock
Juan de Nova Island, located in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and the African continent. Beautiful colors complement the amazing places in the Caribbean. November 15, 2010
The Northern Lights on this beautiful night over Europe. The Dover Strait is clearly visible, as are the lights of Paris. A slight fog over the western part of England and London. It's incredible to see the lights of cities from distant space. I will miss these beautiful views of our world ... November 8, 2010
I hope we never stop being amazed. The passion for exploration and discovery is a noble legacy that we will leave to our children. I hope that one day we will set sail and embark on adventures. And it will be a wonderful day ... August 22, 2010
Of all the places on our planet, few can rival the bright colors of the Bahamas. Here is a view of our cargo ship 'Progress-37' against the backdrop of the Bahamas. What a beautiful world! August 22, 2010
Traveling at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour (8 kilometers per second) ... we orbit the Earth every 90 minutes with a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. Thus, half of our space walk takes place in complete darkness. The light from our helmets is essential during work. August 14, 2010
Every minute I glance out the window at our beautiful planet, my soul just sings! ... 'I see blue skies ... and white clouds ... and a bright sunny day ...'. June 29, 2010
Another breathtaking sunset ... we have 16 of them every day in Earth's orbit. The beautiful thin blue line is what makes our home so special from space. June 21, 2010
A beautiful atoll in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean through a 400mm lens. About 1200 km south of Honolulu. November 15, 2010
Beautiful reflections of sunlight on the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. From space, there are no borders or conflicts... just breathtaking beauty, like this view of the island of Cyprus June 21, 2010
We are over the central Atlantic before yet another magnificent sunset. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the spiral of hurricane 'Graf' is visible. An interesting view of the life-giving energy of our Sun. The solar panels on the left side of the space station, like hurricane 'Graf', are collecting the last energy before sunset. August 20, 2010
A little further east, we saw the sacred and majestic rock 'Uluru'. You might be more familiar with its other name - 'Ayers Rock'. I haven't had the chance to visit Australia, but one fine day, I hope to stand next to this natural wonder. October 26, 2010
The majestic Andes in South America. I'm not sure I know what this mountain is called... I was just in awe of its majesty, reaching the heights of the winds and the rising sun. October 30, 2010
The Sahara Desert — ancient sands and thousands of years of history. The Nile River can be seen flowing through Egypt, the Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, and Greece appearing on the horizon. June 9, 2010
A night view of the Nile River winding through the Egyptian desert towards the Mediterranean Sea. Such a striking contrast between the dark, lifeless desert of North Africa and the Nile River with its abundance of life along its banks. January 31, 2010
Our unmanned cargo spacecraft 'Progress 39' before docking last Sunday. It brought us food, fuel, and spare parts. The real treat was behind its hatch — several bags of fresh fruits and vegetables. Such a pleasure after 3 months of eating from plastic bags! September 15, 2010
This weekend we said goodbye to our teammates Sasha, Misha, and Tracy. They have safely returned to planet Earth. Tracy is in quiet contemplation of our incredible journey... The road home... September 26, 2010
Soyuz 23 docked with the Space Station. We will travel home to planet Earth on it when our work is done. We fly over the majestic and snow-covered Caucasus mountains. The sunrise reflects off the Caspian Sea. September 26, 2010
An explosion of color, movement, and life is painted on the canvas of our wonderful world. This is part of the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. August 22, 2010
The beauty of Italy on a clear summer night. You can see many beautiful islands adorning the coasts of Capri, Sicily, and Malta. The city of Naples and Mount Vesuvius stand along the coast. August 22, 2010
In the south of South America lies the pearl of Patagonia. The impressive beauty of rocky mountains, massive glaciers, fjords... I dreamed of this place. August 28, 2010
The "Dome" module of the ISS, providing panoramic views of our planet. Fyodor took this shot from the docking compartment-module "Pirs". That's me in the "Dome", preparing the camera to shoot hurricane "Graf". August 31, 2010
Greek islands on a clear night. Athens shines brightly along the Mediterranean Sea. A very surreal feeling from the view of this magnificent ancient land from space. September 4, 2010
Evening view of the Florida peninsula and the southeastern United States — the view I miss the most. A clear autumn night with moonlight over the water and a sky filled with billions of stars. November 2, 2010
A clear, starry night over the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient lands with millennia of history stretch from Athens, Greece to Cairo, Egypt. Ancient lands, legendary cities, and charming islands ... Athens — Crete — Rhodes — Izmir — Ankara — Cyprus — Damascus — Beirut — Haifa — Amman — Tel Aviv — Jerusalem — Cairo — lighthouses among the cool November night. November 7, 2010
Images of glowing noctilucent clouds in the mesosphere. Noctilucent or polar mesospheric clouds are the highest cloud formations that form in the atmosphere. June 25, 2010
Shannon, me and Fedor. The countdown to landing begins. Don't turn off the light, we'll be home soon... November 20, 2010
Let's go! It was October 23, 2007, at 11:40 AM, it was my first flight on the 'Discovery' into space. It's beautiful... very sad that this will be its last flight. September 23, 2010
"The Glow of Earth"... The space station is bathed in the bluish glow of Earth as the rays of the rising sun penetrate the atmosphere and illuminate our station with blue light. I will never forget this place... November 7, 2010
NASA astronaut Douglas Harry Wilock
Juan de Nova Island, located in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and the African continent. Beautiful colors complement the amazing places in the Caribbean. November 15, 2010
The Northern Lights on this beautiful night over Europe. The Dover Strait is clearly visible, as are the lights of Paris. A slight fog over the western part of England and London. It's incredible to see the lights of cities from distant space. I will miss these beautiful views of our world ... November 8, 2010
I hope we never stop being amazed. The passion for exploration and discovery is a noble legacy that we will leave to our children. I hope that one day we will set sail and embark on adventures. And it will be a wonderful day ... August 22, 2010
Of all the places on our planet, few can rival the bright colors of the Bahamas. Here is a view of our cargo ship 'Progress-37' against the backdrop of the Bahamas. What a beautiful world! August 22, 2010
Traveling at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour (8 kilometers per second) ... we orbit the Earth every 90 minutes with a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. Thus, half of our space walk takes place in complete darkness. The light from our helmets is essential during work. August 14, 2010
Every minute I glance out the window at our beautiful planet, my soul just sings! ... 'I see blue skies ... and white clouds ... and a bright sunny day ...'. June 29, 2010
Another breathtaking sunset ... we have 16 of them every day in Earth's orbit. The beautiful thin blue line is what makes our home so special from space. June 21, 2010
A beautiful atoll in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean through a 400mm lens. About 1200 km south of Honolulu. November 15, 2010
Beautiful reflections of sunlight on the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. From space, there are no borders or conflicts... just breathtaking beauty, like this view of the island of Cyprus June 21, 2010
We are over the central Atlantic before yet another magnificent sunset. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the spiral of hurricane 'Graf' is visible. An interesting view of the life-giving energy of our Sun. The solar panels on the left side of the space station, like hurricane 'Graf', are collecting the last energy before sunset. August 20, 2010
A little further east, we saw the sacred and majestic rock 'Uluru'. You might be more familiar with its other name - 'Ayers Rock'. I haven't had the chance to visit Australia, but one fine day, I hope to stand next to this natural wonder. October 26, 2010
The majestic Andes in South America. I'm not sure I know what this mountain is called... I was just in awe of its majesty, reaching the heights of the winds and the rising sun. October 30, 2010
The Sahara Desert — ancient sands and thousands of years of history. The Nile River can be seen flowing through Egypt, the Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea, and Greece appearing on the horizon. June 9, 2010
A night view of the Nile River winding through the Egyptian desert towards the Mediterranean Sea. Such a striking contrast between the dark, lifeless desert of North Africa and the Nile River with its abundance of life along its banks. January 31, 2010
Our unmanned cargo spacecraft 'Progress 39' before docking last Sunday. It brought us food, fuel, and spare parts. The real treat was behind its hatch — several bags of fresh fruits and vegetables. Such a pleasure after 3 months of eating from plastic bags! September 15, 2010
This weekend we said goodbye to our teammates Sasha, Misha, and Tracy. They have safely returned to planet Earth. Tracy is in quiet contemplation of our incredible journey... The road home... September 26, 2010
Soyuz 23 docked with the Space Station. We will travel home to planet Earth on it when our work is done. We fly over the majestic and snow-covered Caucasus mountains. The sunrise reflects off the Caspian Sea. September 26, 2010
An explosion of color, movement, and life is painted on the canvas of our wonderful world. This is part of the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. August 22, 2010
The beauty of Italy on a clear summer night. You can see many beautiful islands adorning the coasts of Capri, Sicily, and Malta. The city of Naples and Mount Vesuvius stand along the coast. August 22, 2010
In the south of South America lies the pearl of Patagonia. The impressive beauty of rocky mountains, massive glaciers, fjords... I dreamed of this place. August 28, 2010
The "Dome" module of the ISS, providing panoramic views of our planet. Fyodor took this shot from the docking compartment-module "Pirs". That's me in the "Dome", preparing the camera to shoot hurricane "Graf". August 31, 2010
Greek islands on a clear night. Athens shines brightly along the Mediterranean Sea. A very surreal feeling from the view of this magnificent ancient land from space. September 4, 2010
Evening view of the Florida peninsula and the southeastern United States — the view I miss the most. A clear autumn night with moonlight over the water and a sky filled with billions of stars. November 2, 2010
A clear, starry night over the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea. Ancient lands with millennia of history stretch from Athens, Greece to Cairo, Egypt. Ancient lands, legendary cities, and charming islands ... Athens — Crete — Rhodes — Izmir — Ankara — Cyprus — Damascus — Beirut — Haifa — Amman — Tel Aviv — Jerusalem — Cairo — lighthouses among the cool November night. November 7, 2010
Images of glowing noctilucent clouds in the mesosphere. Noctilucent or polar mesospheric clouds are the highest cloud formations that form in the atmosphere. June 25, 2010
Shannon, me and Fedor. The countdown to landing begins. Don't turn off the light, we'll be home soon... November 20, 2010
A few more photos of Douglas Harry Wilcock without captions:
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