The second commercial cargo craft to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) was a SpaceX Dragon, which departed ISS yesterday – March 26, 2013 – after a several-week stay. Dragon was carrying a precious cargo of thousands of pounds of science experiment samples and gear. ISS astronauts used the space station’s robotic arm to pluck Dragon from its berthing port and release it back to Earth orbit. The capsule splashed down in the Pacific about five hours later. Before leaving ISS behind, Dragon’s camera turned back and captured this cool photo of ISS, floating in the abyss of space.
Deborah Byrd created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. Today, she serves as Editor-in-Chief of this website. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named 3505 Byrd in her honor. In 2020, she won the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society, the largest organization of professional astronomers in North America. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.
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