Colorado-educated astronaut Kjell Lindgren posts incredible shots of Colorado from International Space Station
A decorated astronaut and Colorado State University graduate posted pictures of various national parks, schools he attended, and other notable areas in the U.S., including the CSU campus and Air Force Academy in Colorado. But the pictures weren't taken from ground level.
The photos were taken from advanced satellite cameras aboard the International Space Station, where Kjell Lindgren has been living and working for the last 300 days.
Lindgren received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1995, his Master of Science degree in Cardiovascular Physiology from Colorado State University in 1996 and his Doctor of Medicine from University of Colorado in 2002. Wednesday, he tweeted the following picture of the CSU campus:
It has been a privilege to be the eyes and hands of the @ISS_Research program. Thank you to faculty, staff, friends and mentors @ColoradoStateU for providing an exceptional foundation for my research career! pic.twitter.com/Y2yVeZqtYR
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) October 12, 2022
"Yep, that's Ram Country from space," CSU wrote in a Facebook post of Lindgren's tweet. "Safe travels home, Kjell."
Though not born in Colorado, Lindgren spent almost the entirety of his young adult life in schools in Colorado. He's credited those schools with helping him achieve his life goal of becoming an astronaut on several occasions.
He also tweeted a photo of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs from several miles above it, thanking the academy for helping him get there.
Last hours in orbit! Thank you to the @AF_Academy, @USAFWingsOfBlue and my KTP95 classmates for being a part of this journey! pic.twitter.com/cEwJi9Jcxi
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) October 12, 2022
Outside of the Centennial State, Lindgren posted photos of campuses of other schools he attended and other prominent places around the U.S., like Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, the Sierra Nevadas and more.
Our national parks are national treasures. @YosemiteNPS is a gem! pic.twitter.com/gXdO75pL8D
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) October 12, 2022
Many of the pictures are collages of several pictures that had to be digitally pasted together. When the pictures are blown up, the details in the landscapes are stunning and somewhat jarring, given the perspective and distance they were taken from. (Seriously, click and expand them!)
A grand panorama of the Grand Canyon - thanks to @devinboldt for putting this together! pic.twitter.com/niypZKHsiu
— Kjell Lindgren (@astro_kjell) October 12, 2022