pictures by astronaut douglas h. wheelock – 2010

Pictures by Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelock – 2010

Last voyage of the Shuttle Discovery to the Space Station in November 2010

Space Station reflecting blue Earthshine as the rising sun pierces the razor-thin atmosphere

Isle Juan de Nova in the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and the African mainland

Aurora Borealis in the distance on this beautiful night over Europe. The Strait of Dover is clear as is Paris, the City of Lights. A little fog over the western part of England and London. It is incredible to see the lights of cities and towns against the backdrop of deep space.

Aurora Borealis in the distance on this beautiful night over Europe. The Strait of Dover is clear as is Paris, the City of Lights. A little fog over the western part of England and London. It is incredible to see the lights of cities and towns against the backdrop of deep space.

Moon from the International Space Station (ISS)

Progress unmanned resupply spaceship on final approach for docking. It was laden with food, fuel, spare parts, and much needed supplies for our orbiting outpost. The greatest gift was inside the hatch, bags of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Progress unmanned re-supply spacecraft, with the islands of The Bahamas below

Astronaut working on the outside of ISS while traveling at 17,500 miles per hour orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes, with a sunrise or sunset every 45 minutes. Half of our space walk is in complete darkness, so the helmet lights are essential.

View of the Cupola from outside the Space Station

Solar panel with Earth in the background

Another breathtaking sunrise…16 of these each day in Earth orbit, each one a treasured moment. The beautiful thin blue line is what makes our home so special in the cosmos.

A beautiful atoll in the South Pacific about 1200 miles south of Honolulu in the ‘Line Islands’ along ‘Christmas Ridge,’ either ‘Teraina’ or ‘Tabuaeran’

Cyprus and beautiful reflection of sunlight on the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Over the central Atlantic with the spiral bands of Hurricane Earl visible in the setting sun

Australia’s sacred and majestic 'Uluru,' popularly known as 'Ayers Rock'.

Morning breaking over the majestic Andes in South America

Egypt and the Nile and the lower Mid-East by day

And by night

A section of the Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia

Italy, on a clear summer night, stretching into the Mediterranean Sea. You can see many of the beautiful islands adorning the coastline including Capri, Sicily, and Malta.

Patagonia glacier at the southern tip of South America. The jewel of Patagonia combines awe-inspiring beauty of rugged mountains, massive glaciers, fjords, and the open sea.

Greece during a clear night with Athens shining brightly along the Mediterranean Sea

Middle East by night

The Florida peninsula and the southeastern U.S. on a clear autumn night with moonlight over the water and the sky filled with billions of stars

Sunset during the season for viewing Polar Mesospheric CloudsWe were able to capture this thin layer of noctilucent clouds

View out of the Cupola as Tracy views Earth and quietly reflects on her incredible journey

Soyuz 23 as we pass over the snow-capped Caucuses, ready to carry a crew back to Earth

Shannon, I, and Fyodor all suited up in our Sokol (‘Falcon') pressure suits in the Russian MRM-1 module