Blogging From Orbit

Well, not exactly, but ISS astronaut Peggy Whitson has been writing a series of “letters home.” Some of the content is a little technical, but it’s also quite descriptive.

One of the really striking things that I had noticed when I first saw the Earth’s horizon, is that the atmosphere that protects the Earth is so small compared to the relative size of the Earth. As you might expect, the appearance of the horizon can vary dramatically, depending on the lighting (sunrise/sunset or just daytime). As the sun rises (approaches us from behind the Earth), initially, only a thin, very bright band of light is visible. A deep royal blue line appears first, followed by the addition of oranges and reds. The rays of light seem to wrap fingers of light around the planet, and reflect from the upper atmosphere downward onto Earth, all within the thin layer of the atmosphere.

I don’t know how anyone can read letters like these and think that there’s no market for public space travel.