Space provided unique vantage
point of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks


On Sept. 11, 2001, NASA astronaut, Frank Culbertson, was the lone American not on the planet. Culbertson and two Russian cosmonauts were orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station as members of the Expedition 3 crew. Included is video captured by Culbertson and crew as they flew over New York City just after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Included is additional footage aboard the ISS, as well as interview excerpts of Culbertson's recollections ten years later. Credit: NASA
 

The Expedition 3 crew aboard the International Space Station captured remarkable images of the plume of smoke emanating from lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center towers fell. Credit: NASA

The Expedition 3 crew aboard the International Space Station captured remarkable images of the plume of smoke emanating from lower Manhattan after the World Trade Center towers fell. Credit: NASA

The commercial Ikonos imaging satellite collected this snapshot of Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site on Sept. 12, 2001. Credit: GeoEye

These ten satellite photos chronicle changes at Ground Zero from 2002 until 2011. Click on the image for a larger version. Credit: DigitalGlobe

A DigitalGlobe satellite collected this view of Ground Zero on Aug. 5, 2011, showing the new memorial and World Trade Center towers under construction. Credit: DigitalGlobe

Space models