Alexander Gerst, a German astronaut currently stationed in the International Space Station, has tweeted a picture of the current situation between Israel and Hamas. The photo, which was uploaded to Gerst’s personal twitter account, purports to show rockets and explosions throughout the region, made visible through the fact that the sun doesn’t enter the photo from any perspective.
0724-Israel-Gaza-space_full_600The photo, which Gerst has described as his saddest one yet, comes after the death toll in the conflict currently waging in the area has risen to over 700 people. Gerst also noted in his tweet that, from the International Space Station, him and the other astronauts aboard can see the explosions as they occur.
Currently, the International Space Station orbits at approximately two hundred and twenty miles above the surface of the earth.
This is far from the first time that astronauts aboard the International Space Station have been able to capture historical and newsworthy events while still orbiting. Back in 2001, Frank Culbertson, who was aboard the International Space Station at the time, managed to capture a massive plume of smoke escalating from the twin towers after terrorists hijacked two planes and flew them straight into the buildings.
Speaking in a video released on the tenth anniversary of the attack, Culbertson said:
“I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but I knew it was really bad because there was a big cloud of debris covering Manhattan. That’s when it really became painful because it was like seeing a wound in the side of your country, of your family, your friends.”
Gerst has taken may photos from the International Space Station since his arrival in May; many of these include places that he has been on holiday, including the Great Salt Lake in Utah, as well as photographing the river Nile and the pyramids.
Deborah Campbell
