NASA Expedition 25 Commander Douglas H "Wheels" Wheelock has been entertaining his Twitter followers for months now with dozens of breath-taking pics tweeted from space.
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| Aurora Borealis as I will forever paint it in my dreams |
One of his latest batch shows the green lights of the aurora borealis snaking over the northern hemisphere.
Others tweets include a picture of Britain at night - the extent of light pollution crystal clear - and following a request from a Twitter follower, he shared a picture of Ireland at night.
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| France and Britain (above) by night |
Mr. Wheelock tweeted: "Earth at night, when viewed from space, is a beautiful mosaic of light that stirs the imagination.". He has delighted his Twitter fans with the photos.
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| Great Barrier Reef off the eastern coast of Australia. |
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| Hurricane ‘Igor the Terrible’ |
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| At the southern end of South America lies the jewel of Patagonia |
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| Morning breaking over the majestic Andes in South America |
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| Lake Titicaca: the highest lake of the world |
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| The Isle of Juan de Nova off the African coast |
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| The Southern Lights. |
And while remembering his childhood, he said: "On this sacred night, when the aurora looked like rain, I reflected back on my childhood dreams of flying a spaceship through the infinite expanse of space... to be among the mosaic of billions of stars, and visit other worlds. Now as I look from space at our planet I realize that had I been born and spent my childhood here in space... how much greater and more vivid my dreams would have been to visit this blue planet."
On November 18, the astronaut and father-of-one said he had mixed feelings about returning to Earth after almost six months in space.
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Almost time to return home... no regrets... but mixed emotions. Leonardo da Vinci was right ... 'For once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the Earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been... and there you will long to return'." he said.
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| Sixteen sunsets each day |
Another breathtaking sunset…we get 16 of these each day in Earth orbit, each one a treasured moment. That beautiful thin blue line is what makes our home so special in the cosmos. Space is cool…but, the Earth is a raging explosion of life in a vast sea of darkness.
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| From the ISS Cupola reflecting on a life challenge |
From the ISS Cupola reflecting on a life challenge I heard long ago – 'Be strong enough to know when you are weak... brave enough to face yourself when you are afraid... never substitute words for actions. Learn to stand up in the storm, but have compassion for those who fall. Always have a heart that is clean, a goal that is high... learn to laugh but never forget how to weep.' - Until we meet again...
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