Enjoy these amazing space images by NASA’s oldest active astronaut

At 67, Don Pettit is NASA’s oldest active astronaut. During three trips to the International Space Station (ISS) — in 2002, 2008, and 2011 — Pettit earned a reputation as a

highly skilled photographer, creating extraordinary images of the ISS, Earth, and beyond. Pettit, who describes himself as “an engineer by schooling, a scientist by

profession, and an explorer by heart,” continues to share his amazing pictures on Twitter and Instagram, wowing his many followers on the social media platforms. Check out

this one, for example, captured during ISS Expedition 30, a six-month mission that began in December 2011. Shared on Twitter on Sunday, the image features star trails over

Earth. Another of my favorite star trails. These typically are 15-30 stacked shorter exposures yielding a total exposure of 20-30 minutes. The darkest part of orbital

night lasts about 30 minutes, so that is the longest effective time exposure I can make. Taken during Expedition-30. pic.twitter.com/Z2mqFHxnR3 — Don Pettit

(@astro_Pettit) January 15, 2023 Another remarkable effort, shared just a few days ago, shows mangrove forests off the coast of India. “Sunlit, specular solar reflections

from the surface of water, give an intense spot of light that not only differentiates where water is and isn’t, but also can show surface ripples caused by surface flow,” Pettit

says in a comment accompanying the image. Sunlit, specular solar reflections from the surface of water, give an intense spot of light that not only differentiates where

water is and isn’t, but also can show surface ripples caused by surface flow. Here shown are mangrove forests off the coast of India. pic.twitter.com/xnSv5rgrdl