The first Instagram image uploaded from space is a selfie (#nofilter)

Astronaut Steven Swanson uploaded the picture of himself onboard the International Space Station

James Vincent
Tuesday 08 April 2014 06:38 EDT
Comments
American astronaut Steven Swanson floating in the cupola of the ISS
American astronaut Steven Swanson floating in the cupola of the ISS

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Ever since astronaut Mike Massimo became the first person to tweet from orbit in 2009 (May 12th: “Launch was awesome!”) social media has excelled in making space exploration more accessible than ever before.

Now, to add to the prolific tweetings of Massimo and his colleagues, we have the very first Instagram photo posted from space. And, of course, it's a selfie.

Uploaded by the official Instagram account of the International Space Station (who have previously only covering aspects of training and the occasional press conference), the image shows American astronaut Steven Swanson floating in the cupola of the ISS.

This is the seven-windowed observation dome that pops out of the side of the spacecraft, offering the best space for viewing Earth, visiting vehicles and other celestial objects. It contains the largest window ever used in space (31 inches across) and comes equipped with metal shutters to protect against micrometeorites.

What the cupola looks like from the outside. Nasa astronaut Ron Garan looks down at the night view of Australia.
What the cupola looks like from the outside. Nasa astronaut Ron Garan looks down at the night view of Australia.

Swanson uploaded the image on Monday with the caption “Back on ISS, life is good” and although it’s not likely to go as viral as Chris Hadfield’s ISS-bound rendition of Space Oddity (21 million views and counting - and worth another watch if you'd forgotten about it) it’s still a good reminder that although you may be stuck in an office today, at least some of Earth’s population are having fun off-planet.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in