Astronaut recorded a chilling clip of the Twin Towers collapsing in the 9/11 attack from space

On the dreadful day of 9/11, only one American watched the terrorist attack unfold in New York City from miles above. He was in space and still, it was absolutely gut-wrenching for him to see his city being engulfed in debris and fire. We are talking about NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson, who was leading the three-men crew of International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 3 in 2001. His stay in space turned into a discomforting experience after he witnessed the fall of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center from his space vessel. 

Image Source: US astronaut Frank Culbertson training for a shuttle flight to international space station Alpha. Culbertson took command of the international space station along with two Russian cosmonauts, where he will spend the next four months. (Photo by NASA/Getty Images)

With a heavy heart, he recorded the moment from space and it was made public by NASA on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack. Back in 2001, the American aerospace engineer from South Carolina took command of the ISS Expedition 3 team on STS-105 Discovery, which launched on August 10. Little did Culbertson know that he was on the brink of witnessing one of the most devastating terror attacks in human history.

For Culbertson, it was a normal day as he went about his work in the space vessel. During a routine call to Earth, he learned about the tragic plane crash as his operator said, “Well, Frank, we’re not having a very good day down here on Earth.” He was shocked to hear about the hijacked commercial airlines crashing into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia.

Image source: Smoke pours from the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes on September 11, 2001, in New York City. (Photo by Fabina Sbina/ Hugh Zareasky/Getty Images)

He was also informed that the fourth plane, known as United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into an open field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing all passengers and crew members along with the terrorists on board. "I realized our country was under attack," the astronaut recalled his feelings in the NASA clip. "Once I saw it out the window, we took the video as the second tower was collapsing," he mentioned. "I didn't know exactly what was happening, but I knew it was really bad because there was a big cloud of debris covering Manhattan. That's when it really became painful because it was like seeing a wound in the side of your country."

In a snippet of 2014 documentary "Astronauts: Houston We Have a Problem" shared on Instagram by a page titled Everything Fly (@everythingaerovation), Culbertson is seen sharing his experience of the tragic day. "The weather was perfectly clear that day. I could easily see New York City – a big black column of smoke coming out of the city, and as I zoomed in with the video camera, I could see this big grey blob enveloping southern Manhattan," he said.

Culbertson added that he "raced around and found a video camera and a window facing in the right direction." The “big grey blob” was later confirmed as the falling of the second tower. The astronaut further said, "We can see New York City and the smoke from the fires. Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there and everywhere else. I’m looking up and down the East Coast to see if I can see anything else."

Image source: A still image, taken from video sent from the International Space Station showing a smoke plume rising from the Manhattan borough on September 11, 2001, in New York City. (Photo by Frank Culbertson/Courtesy of NASA/Getty Images)

Later on, Culbertson also learned about the death of his Naval Academy classmate, who had lost his life after the hijacked jet, American Airlines Flight 77, crashed into the Pentagon, per MailOnline. It has been over two decades since the 9/11 attacks in New York, but it is still counted as the worst terror attack on U.S. soil. Culbertson retired from his space profession in 2002.