Astronaut Photography of Earth


Even from space Huntsville looks like the cat’s ass.

Astronauts have used hand-held cameras to photograph the Earth for more than 30 years, beginning with the Mercury missions in the early 1960s. Crewmembers on NASA missions have taken nearly 400,000 photographs with Hasselblad, Linhof, Rolleiflex, and Nikon hand-held cameras. About 85 percent of these photographs are Earth-looking views. The rest show satellite deployments, extra-vehicular activities, and astronaut activities in the cabin. This NASA site gives you access to all photographs taken since 1961.