Patterns in Crew-Initiated Photography of Earth from the ISS—
Is Earth Observation a Salutogenic Experience?BACKGROUND
Earth Observation Throughout Human SpaceflightJohn Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut in orbit, talked NASA into letting him
carry a camera on Friendship 7 on 20 February 1962.^1 On reaching orbit, Glenn told
capsule communicator Alan Shepard over the radio, “Oh, that view is tremen-
dous.” Glenn proceeded to describe each of the three sunrises and sunsets he saw
during the flight, and he continues to recount that experience in interviews today.^2
A number of the astronauts who have followed have verbally recounted emo-
tional experiences related to seeing and photographing Earth, and several astro-
nauts have documented in written form their responses to views of Earth linked
to their photography activities while in space. Space Shuttle astronaut Kathryn D.
Sullivan wrote in an article documented with her Earth photography, “It’s hard to
explain how amazing and magical this experience is. First of all, there’s the astound-
ing beauty and diversity of the planet itself, scrolling across your view at what
appears to be a smooth, stately pace... I’m happy to report that no amount of prior
study or training can fully prepare anybody for the awe and wonder this inspires.”^3
Observations of familiar places on Earth can also have strong emotional connec-
tions. NASA-Mir astronaut Jerry Linenger recorded photographing his hometown
in Michigan in his crew notebook, “Great View—Michigan + Great Lakes cloud-
free—ready to go home, now!”^4
From Apollo to the current ISS, scientists have assisted astronauts with crew-
initiated and science-specific photography of Earth. All the imagery is archived in
a searchable online database maintained by the descendant of the previous pro-
- Jay Apt, Justin Wilkinson, and Michael Helfert, Orbit: NASA Astronauts Photograph the
Earth (Washington, DC: National Geographic Society), pp. 11–13. - Bryan Ethier, “John Glenn: First American to Orbit the Earth,” American History, October
1997, available at http://www.historynet.com/magazines/american_history/3030096.html (accessed
7 June 2010). - Kathryn D. Sullivan, “An Astronaut’s View of Earth,” Update (newsletter of the National
Geographic Society’s Geography Education Program) (fall 1991): 1, 12–14, available at http://
eol.jsc.nasa.gov/newsletter/uft/uft1.htm (accessed 7 June 2010). - Kamlesh P. Lulla, Lev V. Dessinov, Cynthia A. Evans, Patricia W. Dickerson, and Julie A.
Robinson, Dynamic Earth Environments: Remote Sensing Observations from Shuttle–Mir Missions
(New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2000).