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This Incredible Photo Of The ISS Shows The Spacecraft In All Of Its Beauty
The ISS is one of the most impressive achievements in human space exploration — and this latest photo of it showcases the spacecraft in all of its glory. Humanity has a lot of tools at its disposal for exploring space and nearby planets. There's the Hubble telescope, Perseverance and Curiosity rovers, the Juno probe, and the upcoming James Webb telescope expected to launch in December. Along with all of those things, there's also the International Space Station.
The International Space Station (better known as the ISS) launched over 20 years ago in November 1998. The football field-sized spacecraft is used for a number of things. It's a place where astronauts from all around the world can come together to conduct scientific research, study how space affects humans, and get people on Earth familiar with the idea of folks working/living beyond the planet. Furthermore, the lessons learned from the ISS give scientists the info they need to explore Mars and other planets in the future.
Thanks to a new blog post published by the ESA (European Space Agency), there's a new photo of the ISS that offers an amazing view of it. The picture shows the ISS's main body, its many modules, and the large solar arrays that power the spacecraft. Also visible is the Earth below it in a gorgeous blue hue. This photo was taken by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet when he was departing the ISS on November 8. Pesquet is the same astronaut who took a picture earlier this month of a breathtaking aurora covering the Earth. If there's an astronaut with a keen eye for photography, it's Pesquet.
A Calm View After A Hectic Year For The ISS
While this image offers a calm and peaceful view of the ISS, those aren't words that best describe how 2021's gone for the vessel. In July, a Russian module misfired and temporarily knocked the ISS off course. That was followed by 'bad cracks' being discovered in a section of the ISS in August. Combine that with space debris causing a couple of issues aboard the ISS in November, and it's safe to say this year has been a stressful one for the crew.
However, no matter what issue the ISS faced this year, it managed to deal with it and keep moving forward. That's not to say the station isn't in need of important upgrades and repairs, but it's a testament to just how resilient it truly is. Even so, here's to hoping 2022 comes with smoother sailing.
