New Delhi: NASA has unveiled a striking image of Earth’s city lights captured by astronaut Don Pettit from the International Space Station (ISS). This photograph is part of a vast collection that allows scientists to monitor changes on Earth due to human activities and natural events.
The ISS crew has documented hundreds of thousands of images, which are invaluable for tracking environmental changes, assessing natural disasters, and guiding effective responses. These images also facilitate the study of natural phenomena and the overall health of the planet.
Currently, the ISS team is engaged with supplies delivered by SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. On November 5, the Expedition 72 crew, including Commander Sunita Williams and Flight Engineers Don Pettit, Nick Hague, and Butch Wilmore, unloaded scientific experiments and temperature-sensitive specimens.
On November 7, Pettit initiated DNA research on microbial samples collected from the ISS. The extracted DNA will undergo further analysis. Hague set up a biology experiment previously transferred to the Kibo module, alongside a physics experiment in the Microgravity Science Glovebox to observe particle movements in fluids. Williams mixed microbes with proteins for a student-designed experiment, while also handling science maintenance and cargo unloading. The crew plans to install a heliophysics experiment on the ISS exterior soon.