On Sunday, memorial services were held across the country to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. On this sombre anniversary, NASA provided a picture of New York City taken from orbit by one of its astronauts after hijacked aircraft struck the city’s recognizable twin towers. Photographed by Astronaut Frank Culbertson, the scene depicted enormous smoke plumes rising from Manhattan moments after the two planes collided with the structures.
The US space agency posted on social media, “On this 21st anniversary of that horrible day, we salute the victims and heroes of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.” “Each year, we pause and never forget,” it separately stated in a release. “The attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were a national tragedy that resulted in a devastating loss of life and a dramatic transformation in American culture.
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
Frank Culbertson, the sole American on the crew and astronaut on the International Space Station (ISS) at the time of the attacks, was quoted by NASA in the press release. He claimed that the smoke in his photo appeared to have a “odd bloom.”
On September 11, 2001, planes collided with the Pentagon in Washington, DC, the World Trade Center in New York City, and a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the terror assaults, and countless others were hurt.
