When you're an astronaut floating 250 miles above the Earth, you have the best view in the solar system. But getting the perfect shot isn't as easy as it sounds. For American astronaut Terry Virts, one subject remained elusive for his entire 200-day mission on the International Space Station (ISS): the pyramids of Giza.
According to a report from IFL Science, Virts, who was commander of Expedition 43 in 2015, had been trying for months to capture a crystal-clear image of the ancient wonders. He finally succeeded on his very last day in space.
He posted the stunning, clear photo to X (formerly Twitter) with a caption that summed up his long-held frustration and final triumph: "It took me until my last day in space to get a good picture of these!"
Virts' 200 days at the ISS were part of The Soyuz TMA-15M mission, where he conducted experiments and spacewalks. But his personal mission was photography. He later told Time magazine that even at the end of his stay, he wasn't ready to leave.
“I was ready to stay up there because there were still pictures I wanted to take, there were still videos I wanted to do,” Virts said. “If you’re an astronaut flying in space, you gotta look at that as your last flight. And so you gotta enjoy it. And I’ve got the rest of my life to be on Earth.”
Virts' dedication to capturing those images was historic. According to a report from the Greenville Journal, Virts shot a staggering 319,275 photos during his seven-month mission, "the most anyone has ever taken in space."
Many of those images, including the coveted pyramids shot, were included in his book, "View From Above: An Astronaut Photographs the World."
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In an interview shared with the Greenville Journal, Virts explained why he felt such an urgent need to document his journey. "Most people will never get a chance to visit space, so my goal with this book was to share the experience as best as I could through words and photos. I touch on launches, landings, and just about all other aspects of living in space."
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You can follow Astronaut Terry Virts on Instagram and Twitter for more space-related content. If you are interested in space travel, you can go through his book "How to Astronaut."This article originally appeared earlier this year.
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