Don Pettit

Cosmic colors at sunrise; never get tired of seeing what the new day brings

My favorite Earth photo from Artemis 2, reminiscent of images from the movie 2001.

@astro_reid @NASA @NASAArtemis what a view!

There are no words.

The Collapsable Contingency Urinal (CCU) now being used on Artemis 2 after a toilet malfunction. Essentially an open container (reusable, sealable, and drainable) that controls the urine-air interface using capillary forces like my Space Cup does coffee. When you are in cislunar space with a broken toilet, you need contingencies and the CCU replaces the need for about 25 pounds of diapers.

To the Moon! Go Artemis 2

Los Angeles, California seen from the ISS. I took this shortly after the January 2025 fires had ended, in the dark patch to the northwest.

@jeff_patti @Space_Station the roots would grow in all directions absent gravity, and all plants I have ever grown in space have grown far slower than they would have on Earth I have more pictures I will share later

@astro_Pettit @Space_Station How did it compare to growing potatoes on earth? Does the potato know how to send the plant above the soil and the roots/tuber down into the soil in microgravity? Do you have pictures of it as a mature plant? Thanks for sharing!

Spudnik-1, an orbiting potato on @Space_Station! I flew potatoes on Expedition 72 for my space garden, an activity I did in my off-duty time. This is an early purple potato, complete with spot of hook Velcro to anchor it in my improvised grow light terrarium. Potatoes are one of the most efficient plants based on edible nutrition to total plant mass (including roots). Recognized by Andy Weir in his book/movie "The Martian," potatoes will have a place in future exploration of space. So I thought it good to get started now!

Fishing boats off the coast of Thailand appear as thick green streaks of light in orbital long exposure photography! These lights are lures, and distinct from golden city lights seen on land.

Comet C/2023 A3 framed by the ISS Canadarm, SpaceX Crew Dragon and the sunlit rim of Earth near orbital dawn.

How to make planet Jupiter: 1) be on the @Space_Station 2) make a thin film sphere of water 3) add food coloring 4) blow on the edge to create swirls This is way cool!

Tanzania's Mt Kilimanjaro, among the clouds over East Africa. Photographed in space from the ISS, and on Earth from Amboseli National Park with National Geographic's @BabakTafreshi

@JackLinFLL @Space_Station that is atmospheric airglow!

@astro_Pettit @Space_Station Is that red glow coming off Earth an aurora or just atmospheric glow??

The Milky Way as seen from @Space_Station, with stars as points, rising sun, and cities as golden streaks below. Taken with Nikon Z9, Sigma 14mm f1.4 lens, 15 seconds, f1.4, ISO 6400, with homemade orbital sidereal drive to compensate for orbital pitch rate (4 degrees/min)

Las Vegas, Nevada, perhaps the brightest place on Earth! The new Vegas Sphere is centered, appearing from orbit as a distinct dot of light beside the famous Strip.

Lightning appears as bright blue flashes across the time history of our orbit seen in these exposures from @Space_Station. And visualize the intensity of the storm!

Aurora at dawn.

In the absence of gravity, electrostatic forces can induce semi-stable orbital motion between charged bodies. Using a homemade Van Der Graff generator to charge droplets with opposite polarity to a statically charged rod create these crazy orbits!

Views of Iran bordering the Caspian Sea above dark central desert. Photographed from ISS along with @BabakTafreshi's ground-based view of starry skies over Mt Damavand which holds a place in Persian mythology. Our "From Above & Below" collaboration is now featured in National Geographic.