We’re so often impressed by the amazing images of Earth captured by astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), but the latest photos to come to our attention were taken from an even higher orbit and therefore show our planet from a slightly different — and perhaps more beautiful — perspective.
The pictures were captured during the world’s first all-civilian space mission operated by SpaceX earlier this month.
While the four crewmembers have already shared lots of images and videos from their three days in orbit aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, the latest images (below) to be shared were taken with a professional DSLR camera and therefore feature a new level of astonishing detail.
“When you look up at the sky, you dream about being among the stars. When you’re with the stars and look down, you dream about being back on the earth.” — @ChrisSembroski
More stunning photos from our #Inspiration4 crew’s three-day journey to orbit 🌎 pic.twitter.com/ppZhzNJkQI
— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 29, 2021
During the Inspiration4 mission, the crew orbited 357 miles above Earth (575 kilometers), a position about 100 miles further away from our planet than the ISS.
The four crew members were able to capture photos through the spacecraft’s new all-glass dome that afforded panoramic views of Earth and beyond.
An onboard camera captured crewmember Chris Sembroski pointing his camera out of the dome to grab a shot of the vista outside.
Jared Isaacman, the commander of the Inspiration4 mission, said they have about 700 photos to share that were taken with the crew’s professional Nikon camera, so we should be in for a real treat in the coming weeks as additional images appear online.
For more on the groundbreaking Inspiration4 mission, which was essentially SpaceX’s first space tourism endeavor, check out this Digital Trends feature showing the best bits from launch to landing.
And if you’d like a behind-the-scenes look at how ISS astronauts go about capturing their impressive Earth images, this article tells you all you need to know.
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