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Waving hi to ISS

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
November 25, 2017
Photo from Karthik Easvur.

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits at approximately 220 miles (350 km) above the Earth and it travels at an average speed of 17,227 miles (27,724 km) per hour. The ISS makes multiple orbits around the Earth every day. To us on Earth, the space station looks like a bright star moving quickly above the horizon. Then, just as suddenly as it appears, it disappears. Karthik Easvur in Hyderabad, India caught it on November 22, 2017, using a Gopro hero5 camera in timelapse mode.

ISS will likely pass over your location every so often. Click here to learn how you can see ISS, as it soars overhead in your sky.

This month marks 17 years of humans living and working continuously aboard ISS. The current crew – Expedition 53 – began in September 2017 and ends next month. It consists of six crew members, whose official portrait is below.

Visit the Expedition 53 mission page

Here’s who’s aboard ISS now. This official crew portrait of Expedition 53 was taken June 20, 2017 at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Seated in the front (from left) are Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Commander Randy Bresnik of NASA. Standing in the back (from left) are NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei, Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency. Image via NASA Johnson on Flickr.
NASA astronaut and ISS flight engineer Randy Bresnik takes photos of Earth from the Cupola window. Image via NASA.

Bottom line: Waving to the International Space Station on November 22, 2017 from Hyderabad, India.

Posted 
November 25, 2017
 in 
Human World

Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah 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. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. 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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