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It looks like computer-generated imagery, but this spectacular video taken in space shows the departure of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft as seen by astronaut Don Pettit.
Followers of PetaPixel will be well aware of Pettit, arguably the greatest photographer to ever visit space. The NASA astronaut is currently residing onboard the International Space Station (ISS) and has been taking epic photos of nearby galaxies among other cool projects.
And yesterday Pettit shared a video of SpaceX Dragon cargo number 31 undocking from the ISS and returning back to planet Earth “carrying the spoils from our research” after it had been parked there for over 40 days.
Dragon cargo number 31 undocked yesterday and returned to planet Earth carrying the spoils from our research. pic.twitter.com/YdG6CgF8EU
— Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) December 17, 2024
Although the video makes it look like the Commercial Resupply Service (CRS) boosted away from the ISS at speed, in reality the video is a timelapse that speeds up an event that takes a considerable amount of time.
The SpaceX-made Cargo Dragon was the 31st commercial resupply services mission for NASA. Digital Tends notes that it was carrying crew supplies and scientific experiments and weighs around 2,700 kilograms.
After departing from the ISS, the cargo capsule splashed down off the Florida coast yesterday. Scientists on Earth will now analyze the scientific experiments contained within it. Space notes that Dragon is the only cargo spacecraft capable of bringing back experiments to Earth. Other capsules by Northrop Gruman or Russia’s Progress burn up during reentry, spoiling whatever is inside.
The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft is pictured departing the vicinity of the space station following its undocking from the International Space Station on January 9, 2023.Pettit recently gave an interview live from the ISS Cupola alongside fellow astronaut and photographer extraordinaire Matthew Dominick where the pair revealed what it is like taking photos in zero gravity.
Dominick explains that there are handrails and footholds to hold his body in place freeing up his hands to shoot photos. He even has “ninja” socks that grip things to help him stabilize while taking pictures.
The Earth is moving past so quickly (the ISS travels at 17,500 miles per hour) that photographers in orbit have to pick a fast shutter speed or “hand track” the Earth as it goes by to reduce motion blur. Even a fast shutter speed like 1/400 will still get motion blur because the ISS is moving so fast, which is where the hand-tracking method comes in.
“When you’re doing that, you’re stabilizing on the Earth by looking through the viewfinder,” Dominick told the SmarterEveryDay YouTube channel. “You can see the Earth and you look to keep the center of the crosshairs of the camera on the same spot of Earth.”
Image credits: NASA/Don Pettit
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