Poppy Bilderbeck
A NASA astronaut onboard the International Space Station has shared 'breathtaking' images of 'the world and beyond'.
On March 14, 2025, SpaceX's Crew-10 mission was launched into space aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, carried by a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The team is conducting 'research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory' at the International Space Station (ISS), NASA reports.
The tenth operational NASA Commercial Crew Program flight and the 16th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, the mission saw four onboard including commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, and mission specialists Takuya Onishi and Kirill Peskov.
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And NASA astronaut Ayers - who's on her very first space flight - has since taken to Twitter to share her 'awe' at catching her first glimpse of 'the world and beyond' from the space station.
Taking to Twitter on May 13, Ayers shared three images from inside the International Space Station explaining they were 'shot from a few different lenses for perspective'.
She wrote: "I’m still in awe of our view of the world and beyond. Today was the Flower Moon and it did NOT disappoint!
"[...] I love how you can see the texture in the clouds and on the Moon itself."
And it's not taken long for people to weigh in, many in similar 'awe'.
One user responded: "How gorgeous."
I’m still in awe of our view of the world and beyond. Today was the Flower Moon and it did NOT disappoint! 🌕 🌸
— Nichole “Vapor” Ayers (@Astro_Ayers) May 13, 2025
These were shot from a few different lenses for perspective. I love how you can see the texture in the clouds and on the Moon itself. pic.twitter.com/AImsX4kQ1O
"Beautiful. I needed to see this today. Thank you," another added.
A third wrote: "Breathtaking."
And a fourth said: "The universe is so magical."
Crew-10's arrival at the space station allowed for NASA's Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to safely return home after their days-long trip turned into a whopping nine-month period.
And other than catching 'magical' sights onboard the station, the team are conducting multiple experiments during their expected six months in space.
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim - who arrived at the ISS on April 8, 2025, along with two cosmonauts, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky on Russian Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft as part of the Expedition 72/73 crew - took to Twitter to share details of the experiments.
M+33: The Air Force Academy (@Astro_Ayers's alma mater) is doing a neat botanical experiment to examine whether a carbon dioxide replacement can reduce a plant’s dependence on photosynthesis and increase growth in space-grown plants.
— Jonny Kim (@JonnyKimUSA) May 19, 2025
This can help reduce energy use on future… pic.twitter.com/TBCCejVIqS
In one post, he explained one experiment is seeing him and Ayers work alongside one another to 'see how different types of nanomaterials can be fabricated in microgravity to improve biomedical applications on Earth'.
The pair previously worked together and Kim reflected 'the experience brought back nostalgic memories'.
He also shared images of a 'neat botanical experiment to examine whether a carbon dioxide replacement can reduce a plant’s dependence on photosynthesis and increase growth in space-grown plants'.
"This can help reduce energy use on future missions and help us understand how plants adapt to life in microgravity. It’s been fun watching these little guys sprout," he added.
Kim stated: "Science experiments are the lifeblood of our Space Station and we look forward to conducting more research on our Expedition."