Orbital View: Space Selfie
Editor’s Note: This article previously appeared in a different format as part of The Atlantic’s Notes section, retired in 2021.
There’s a lot happening in this photo. Scott Kelly is wearing a pressurized spacesuit. He’s floating outside of the International Space Station, which is traveling at over 17,000 miles per hour. He’s attached to it by only a cord. And the best part: He’s taking a selfie.
Kelly, along with NASA flight engineer Kjell Lindgren, conducted his first-ever spacewalk on Wednesday. They spent seven hours performing maintenance work on the orbital station with the help of mission control advisers back on Earth.
I would argue that this photo breaks the record for most people included in a single selfie: Kelly, and the millions of people living on that tiny bit of Earth reflected in his helmet.
About the Author
Marina Koren is a former staff writer at The Atlantic.