NASA photography captured the smoke from the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.
21 years after the attack on the Twin Towers , NASA remembered the tragic event with a space photograph taken on September 11.
Through its social networks, NASA showed an image of the column of smoke that rose from the Manhattan area after the collision of the planes against the towers.
On September 11, 2001, @NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson took this photo from the ISS of smoke rising from the Twin Towers in New York City. On this 21st anniversary of that terrible day, we honor the victims and heroes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
More: https://t.co/MpwLNcPoHq pic.twitter.com/gPg5vX06SM
— NASA History Office (@NASAhistory) September 11, 2022
NASA and its work during the attack
“The attacks of September 11, 2001, were a national tragedy that resulted in a staggering loss of life and a significant change in American culture. Every year, we pause and remember”, mentions the space agency from its official website.
“Beyond honoring the Americans who died that day, NASA also assisted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in New York in the days that followed and remembered the victims by delivering flags flown aboard the space shuttle to their families,” he recalls.
Expedition 3 commander Frank Culbertson was aboard the International Space Station at the time of the attacks and was the only American on the crew.
As soon as he learned of the attacks, he began documenting the event in photographs because the station was flying over the New York City area.
“The smoke seemed to have a strange bloom at the base of the column flowing south out of town. After reading one of the news articles we just received, I think we were looking at New York around the time of, or shortly after the collapse of the second tower. How horrible … “wrote the astronaut.
His subsequent actions
NASA ‘s science programs sprang into action after Sept. 11, 2001, when the agency worked with FEMA to fly sensors over affected areas on aircraft to look for airborne contaminants and used satellite resources to monitor from above.
NASA flew nearly 6,000 4-by-6-inch flags on Endeavor’s flight during STS-108 to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania