Astronaut Doi's Status Report

#1(November 23 CST) #2(November 27 CST) #3(November 28 CST) #4(December 2 CST)

Astronaut Doi's Status Report #3
(November 28 CST)

Hello everyone. Today I would like to talk about how the Earth and stars look from the Space Shuttle.

We have several equipment onboard the shuttle for Earth and astronomic observations. This camera here is a one I'm sure you're all familiar with, the 35mm lens camera. It's easy to use, and it's great for taking pictures of the Earth. We also have the camcorder to take moving images of the Earth. The shuttle is also equipped with a binocular. We are enjoying a magnificent view of the Earth from here. Let's take a look.

The Earth is glowing with life in the complete darkness of space. It is amazing to think that billions and billions of people are living on this serene, shining blue planet. You can see from here the blue ocean, the white clouds and the continents.

For us on the shuttle, our home is the Earth. It does not matter if we cannot see where the United States, Ukraine, India or Japan is, the Earth is our home.

When we are flying over the ocean, I am always in awe of the patterns of the white clouds. When we are flying over the land, I am never tired of looking at the continents. I feel very grateful to be born on this planet.

In the nighttime, we can see the starry skies, but unlike the stars seen from the Earth, we are flying above the atmosphere, so the stars do not twinkle. It is quite a strange feeling to find stars below yourself.

Now I would like to answer several questions from members of the Toa Astronomical Society in Japan. The first question is, "Can you see the Milky Way from the shuttle"? The answer is yes. I can see it very well from up here. The shuttle is flying from the south equator and the north equator, so I have seen both ends of the Milky Way. I have also seen several nebulas.

The second question is " Can you see the stars even in the daytime"? The only stars I could see in the daytime were the very bright ones, such as the Venus. But it is very interesting to see the bright sun and the shining Earth in the midst of the black space in the daytime.

Later during this mission, I am planning to take some pictures of the stars using the camera on board the shuttle. I hope you will be looking forwards to the pictures I will take.

Thanks everyone!

Last Updated : December 2, 1997