This time lapse footage was taken by astronaut Don Pettit — of Saturday Morning Science and the Zero-G coffee cup fame — during his time on the International Space Station. It shows Earth from day to night and back to day again. Pettit was on the ISS from November 23, 2002 to May 3, 2003, so he was in space when the Columbia accident happened. Pettit is one of the most interesting and quirkier astronauts and I hope he gets to return to the ISS. is scheduled to return to the ISS in 2011 (thanks to Ben H. for clarifying — see comments). This video provides some great views of Earth, especially at night, that can’t be captured with a regular video shot. Stunning.
via @wiredscience on Twitter
Don Pettit is currently slated to fly on Expedition 30/31 as a Flight Engineer. He will be launching on Soyuz TMA-03M in December 2011 and will come home in June 2012. More info can be found at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TMA-03M
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_30
Great timelapse!
– Ben H.
Space City, TX
Amazing. It really makes me yearn to see more!
Thanks Ben H. for the info! Article has been updated.
Very cool! I particularly like the stars/planets that appear about 11 seconds into the piece. Thanks Don, and Nancy!