Science
Williams returns to Earth after over 500 days spent in space
The last time American astronaut Jeff Williams set foot on Earth was March 18, 2015—534 days ago. Today, he returns to our planet, having set a new NASA record for cumulative time spent in space.
During his time working in space, Williams has seen the International Space Station (ISS) grow from a single, crew-less module to the continuously-manned orbiting laboratory that it is today. His first mission was aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis back in 2000, where he worked to prepare the space station for its first crew, spending just 10 days in space. He returned in 2006 and spent six months there, setting up experiments and replacing equipment. In 2009 ,Williams commanded the station for the first time, overseeing the arrival of, among other things, the famous cupola. On his most recent mission, the station had officially been declared complete, but Williams still found work to do, adding adocking adapter and helping to deploy a new module.
Over those 534 days, Williams has shown that he has a great photographic eye for some of Earth’s more spectacular features, sharing many of his shots on social media. He has delighted in spotting the pale blues of coral reefs, unique agricultural plots, and winding river deltas, along with astrological features such as noctilucent clouds, aurorae, and thefull moon.
“It’s a real thrill for me to be able to bring the experience to you through photography,” Williams said in a NASA video earlier this year, “You never get tired of viewing the beautiful planet that is home to all of us.”
Williams won’t have long to enjoy his crown. Peggy Whitson is scheduled to break his record during her next mission, which launches in November.
astronaut-jeff-williams-01
The south cape of Hawaii, showing a grid of streets in the lower right
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-02
Bright yellow plots of rape seed growning in Szombathely, Hungary
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-03
Fields in Gaines County, Texas
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-04
Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River, on the border of Texas and Oklahoma
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-05
Coral reefs in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Mozambique
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-06
Part of the Sahara desert, Algeria.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-07
The Richat Structure or “Bulls Eye” in Mauritania.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-08
Salt domes in the Great Salt Desert of eastern Iran.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-09
The Exmouth Gulf, in Western Australia.
Jeff Williams—NASA
South Africa agriculture, July 20, 2016
Agriculture in South Africa.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-11
The Giza Plateau in Giza, Egypt.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-12
Agriculture in Alpera, Spain.
Jeff Williams—NASA
Kansanshi mine in Zambia, Africa's largest copper mine, July 20, 2016
Kansanshi mine, Africa's largest copper mine, in Zambia.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-14
Karachi, Pakistan and the Indus River delta.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-15
The General Carrera Lake in Patagonia, Chile.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-16
Sunset over Earth.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-17
Noctilucent clouds, formed by ice crystals, high up in Earth's mesosphere.
Jeff Williams—NASA
astronaut-jeff-williams-18
The full moon rises just before sunset, over western China.
Jeff Williams—NASA
No comments:
Post a Comment