Today’s satellite images are significantly more complex, and while they might look like simple photographs, they are actually the result of combining measurements of various light wavelengths.Īhead of Space Day May 1, Stacker has curated a gallery of some of the most intriguing and interesting images of Earth from space. Mengel conducted experiments by launching rockets into orbit and placing cameras on them. The first satellite images were captured back in 1947 when scientist John T. Utilizing the data from satellite images also provides a wide range of information about the Earth, from measuring plant growth to chemical deviations in the atmosphere. Images of the Earth captured by satellites not only help scientists map things like population density, but they also showcase the effects of climate change, natural disasters, and major weather fronts. While expeditions to strange new worlds sound exciting, one of the most important aspects of space exploration is that it allows scientists to study our own planet. Since then, NASA has had more than 200 successful, manned spacecraft launches and sent out more than 1,000 unmanned satellites. quickly followed with its own launch of Explorer 1 in 1958. Russia launched the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957. As modern science expands and evolves, so too does its investigation of the cosmos-including thousands of satellites that are now orbiting the Earth. From satellite launches and manned missions to stepping on the moon and planning a visit to mars, our obsession with space exploration seems to only grow. Our fascination with space and the worlds beyond our own comes from a deep-seated human desire to better understand our place in the universe. In fact, a majority of the photos taken on the space station have been of Earth - including a prior milestone image.50 spectacular images of Earth from space 'These include shots of science, thousands of maintenance photos for engineers on the ground, views of life on board and tons of our beautiful planet,' described NASA spokesman Dan Huot in a video segment about the three-millionth image. But the space station's increased volume has been the focus of only a fraction of the snapshots that the astronauts and cosmonauts took over the past 15 years. Since then, more than a dozen rooms have expanded the size of the complex, adding numerous locations for photos to be taken.

At that time, Zvezda was one of two modules that comprised the orbital laboratory. 4, 2000 by the space station's first expedition crew. The image is similar to one taken in the same module on Dec.

International Space Station Expedition 1 crewmates Yuri Gidzenko, William Shepherd and Sergei Krikalev pose for a photograph in the Zvezda service module on Dec. German photographer Sebastian Voltmer snapped a remarkable image in which you can make out two. The six crewmates were captured floating inside Zvezda, the station's Russian service module. A MAN has snapped one of the clearest photos of the International Space Station ever taken from Earth. The photo, which was taken a few days earlier on April 30, shows Williams with his fellow NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, British astronaut Tim Peake of ESA (the European Space Agency), and Roscosmos cosmonauts Yuri Malenchenko, Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin. 'Excited to mark this photography milestone with my crew,' he tweeted on May 5. Williams, who is the first American astronaut to embark on a third long-duration mission on the station, posed with his Expedition 47 crewmates to take the three-millionth shot. '15 years, 3 million photos, and 1 beautiful planet,' NASA flight engineer Jeff Williams wrote on Twitter. The orbiting outpost's crew recently took the three millionth photograph since the space station's first residents began sending back images in November 2000. To suggest that the astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been 'snap happy' would be an understatement of astronomical proportions.

Images from international space station