Pictures in Space, featuring NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

03/26/2026

At its best, photography draws from both science and art, to give resulting images a dual purpose—aesthetic innovation and scientific merit. And when that photography happens from the windows of the International Space Station, capturing star trails, city lights, and our blue planet against the void of space, it becomes something truly transcendent.

Above Photograph © Donald Pettit, NASA

In today’s show, we’re privileged to chat with NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit, a scientist, inventor, and photographer who has spent nearly two years living, working, and making pictures in orbit.

Star Field from the International Space Station (ISS).
Star Field from the International Space Station (ISS).
Frame from a time-lapse video showing SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft thrusters firing after undocking from the ISS.
Frame from a time-lapse video showing SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft…
The ISS orbits 272 miles above planet Earth with the non-periodic Comet C/2024 G3 (ATLAS) some 235 million miles away, heading for a trip around the Sun.
The ISS orbits 272 miles above planet Earth with the non-periodic Comet…
NASA Astronaut Suni Williams during a spacewalk at the ISS.
NASA Astronaut Suni Williams during a spacewalk at the ISS.
Cosmic colors at sunrise from the ISS, 250 miles above planet Earth.
Cosmic colors at sunrise from the ISS, 250 miles above planet Earth.
An aurora dances above the city lights of Canada as the ISS orbits 259 miles above Vancouver, BC.
An aurora dances above the city lights of Canada as the ISS orbits 259…
City lights of Southeast Asia and green lights of fishing boats seen from the ISS as it orbits 259 miles above the Andaman Sea, with a star-filled sky and the Milky Way in the distance.
City lights of Southeast Asia and green lights of fishing boats seen…
The Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station
The Pacific Ocean from the International Space Station
Group portrait of Expedition 72 crew. From top left: NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, astronauts Matthew Dominick and Mike Barratt, and cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Aleksandr Gorbunov. From bottom left: astronauts Suni Williams, Nick Hague, Don Pettit and Butch Wilmore, and cosmonaut Ivan Vagner. Photo Credit: NASA
Group portrait of Expedition 72 crew. From top left: NASA astronaut…
NASA Astronaut Don Pettit admiring his Cupola Camera Setup. Photo Credit: NASA
NASA Astronaut Don Pettit admiring his Cupola Camera Setup. Photo…
Sun glint on water from the International Space Station
Sun glint on water from the International Space Station
Betsiboka River in Madagascar from the ISS.
Betsiboka River in Madagascar from the ISS.
Athens, Greece from the ISS.
Athens, Greece from the ISS.
Nighttime view of Bangkok, Thailand, viewed from the ISS, 257 miles above planet Earth.
Nighttime view of Bangkok, Thailand, viewed from the ISS, 257 miles…
Images © NASA/Don Pettit, except where otherwise indicated in captions

Some fun take aways from our chat include:

  • How photographing in a microgravity environment can turn a traditional group portrait into bodies scattering like bowling pins when the photographer tries to join the shot.

  • The vast perspective when viewing out a window of the ISS—on the order of half a continent—rather than a 50-to-100-kilometer horizon on earth.

  • The stratospheric volume of imagery captured during a mission, and the discerning Lightroom workflow Don uses to retrieve individual photos from his archive at home.

  • The importance of a humble synch cord to connect two cameras and render the “many decades of brightness” on an EV scale as a single HDR image to illustrate the rapid transition from day to night that occurs in orbit.

  • And, finally, how Don has taken the concept of synchronized imagery to a cosmic level by pairing the same phenomena he captures from orbit with a complementary view recorded from earth, in collaboration with astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi.

As Don explains towards the end of our chat, “I'm a big proponent of the concept of a frontier. My frontier happens to be space, but there are frontiers all around us.”

Chicago from the ISS.
Chicago from the ISS.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit with his camera set up in the ISS Cupola. Photo Credit: NASA
NASA astronaut Don Pettit with his camera set up in the ISS Cupola…
Pettit sets up a "Science of Opportunity" experiment aboard the ISS. Photo Credit: NASA
Pettit sets up a "Science of Opportunity" experiment aboard the ISS…
Pettit’s fingers are refracted in a sphere of water in the microgravity environment of the ISS.
Pettit’s fingers are refracted in a sphere of water in the microgravity…
Pettit grew thin wafers of water ice in microgravity using a blank, white laptop display as the illuminator, a polarizing filter, and the ISS freezer, set at -140 degrees F. What results are colorful, fragmented ice crystals—where space science meets art!
Pettit grew thin wafers of water ice in microgravity using a blank,…
While demonstrating simple space physics phenomena, Pettit stares at a ball of water shaped by microgravity and attached to research hardware by surface tension. Photo Credit: NASA
While demonstrating simple space physics phenomena, Pettit stares at a…
NASA astronaut Don Pettit, seen in quarantine, during a press conference at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, 9/10/24. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA astronaut Don Pettit, seen in quarantine, during a press…
NASA astronaut Don Pettit helped his colleagues suit up for two spacewalks.
NASA astronaut Don Pettit helped his colleagues suit up for two…
Star trails trace the rotation of ISS during an attitude change (orientation relative to earth and stars). The only stationary object is the Dragon SpaceX-31 cargo vehicle.
Star trails trace the rotation of ISS during an attitude change …
A transient luminous event of colorful electrical discharges that occur above thunderstorms.
A transient luminous event of colorful electrical discharges that occur…
The Milky Way appears beyond Earth's horizon as the ISS orbits 263 miles above the Pacific Ocean, just before sunrise.
The Milky Way appears beyond Earth's horizon as the ISS orbits 263…
Star field image of the Southern Cross
Star field image of the Southern Cross
Comet C/2023-A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and a Meteor burning up in the atmosphere.
Comet C/2023-A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) and a Meteor burning up in the…
Waning Crescent Moon from the International Space Station
Waning Crescent Moon from the International Space Station
Images © NASA/Don Pettit, except where otherwise indicated in captions

He then shares this parting advice: “So just explore the frontiers that present themselves to you, the frontiers that you're motivated to go to. And just open your eyes and collect data, and then record or write about it, because you could make an observation and if you don't somehow share that with others through publications or imagery, it's almost as if it's never been done.”

Guest: NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

Episode Timeline

  • 2:06: Donald Pettit’s introduction to photography, plus connections between his love of science and his creative vision.
  • 5:51: Don’s first space flight in 2002-2003, using both film and digital cameras, plus the learning curve on the ground to prepare for photographing in space.
  • 10:36: The success rate when shooting with film and challenges to photographing in orbit.
  • 13:42: From photographing with a barn-door tracker to Don’s recent use of an orbital sidereal tracker.
  • 19:07: Advances in digital camera technology, Don’s relationship with NASA photo trainers, and challenges to capturing group shots in microgravity.
  • 23:43: Don’s most memorable photos from space, the advantages of pro-level camera technology, plus his personal everyday camera—the Nikon Z9.
  • 29:38: Episode Break
  • 30:33: The benefits to fast glass for nighttime images, plus Don’s reluctant transition to mirrorless technology.
  • 33:57: Capturing the colors of city lights, plus the spread of cosmic fireflies—commonly known as Starlink satellites.
  • 37:54: Changes on Earth that affect a view from space, plus the extra gear list for Don’s next flight.
  • 42:10: The volume of images captured during a mission, Don’s Lightroom workflow at home, plus taking notes on the ISS for future reference on Earth.
  • 49:32: Don’s Antarctic expedition to hunt for meteorites, and the creative potential of a frontier environment.
  • 53:17: Don’s project From Above and Below with astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi, plus the unicorns in space he hopes to capture on future missions.
  • 57:52: Parting advice about chasing your dreams.

Guest Bio

Donald Pettit is NASA astronaut and a veteran of four spaceflights, logging more than 590 days in space, primarily on the International Space Station. Currently NASA’s oldest active astronaut, Don’s missions have focused on scientific research into topics that include microgravity, 3D printing, water purification, and plant growth. He’s also known for his remarkable in-space inventions, stunning astrophotography, and engaging educational content that makes space science engaging and fun. A native of Silverton, Oregon, Pettit was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Oregon State University and a doctorate in the same field from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining NASA, Pettit worked as a staff scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

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