ISS NIGHTPOD

Any keen photographer knows that shooting in low light conditions can present unique challenges. Imagine then, if you were taking shots from the International Space Station; as well as low light levels you would also have to take into account the ground motion (which often causes blurry images).

Astronauts on the ISS have experimented with high speed film and manual tracking, with mixed results. The European Space Agency then developed NightPod.

NightPod includes a mount system for digital cameras designed to compensate for the motion of the Station relative to the Earth (27,000 km/h). The instrument can be set to auto mode for up to six hours – as a result the crew can take pictures while they sleep.

Pictured here is Liège, Belgium. A network of roadways is clearly seen extending out to the darker Belgian countryside. The image is about 70 km across.

Astronauts often take photographs of significant man made and natural events on the Earth – including storms and volcanic erruptions. These images can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth archive.