COURTESY NASA
American astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted out a photo of Hawaii during a pass by the International Space Station over Hawaii on May 24.
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NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted out a photo of Honolulu and Diamond Head taken during the International Space Station’s last pass over Hawaii in May.
The photo shows Diamond Head Crater, Waikiki, Kahala, Kaimuki and parts of East Honolulu, bordered by blue and aqua-blue water and white surf.
In the May 24 tweet, Kelly wished everyone a happy Memorial Day.
“Just flew over you #Honolulu #Hawaii. Happy #MemorialDay! #YearInSpace,” the tweet read.
Kelly is spending a year, longer than any other American astronaut, on a mission to understand how the human body reacts to long periods in space. The mission also involves Kelly’s twin brother, Mark, a retired astronaut who is remaining on Earth as a control subject to help scientists see how Scott Kelly’s body has changed when he returns.
Three other space station astronauts returned to Earth safely Thursday after 199 days in orbit.
Scott Kelly and the space station crew will have another opportunity to photograph Hawaii, and Hawaii residents will have a change to see the space station fly over next weekend,.
The station’s orbit is scheduled to take it over Honolulu from June 19 through 24, where it will be visible at night.
The space station will be visible for one minute at 9:27 p.m. June 19, about 11 degrees above the north-northwest horizon to 16 degrees above north; at 8:34 p.m. June 20, 10 degrees above north-northeast to 13 degrees above northeast for two minutes; 20 degrees above northwest to 31 degrees above northwest for one minute at 9:17 p.m. June 21; for four minutes on June 22 from 12 degrees above north-northwest to 20 degrees above east at 8:23 p.m.; from 12 degrees above west to 20 degrees above west-southwest on June 23 for two minutes at 9:06 p.m.; and for three minutes on June 24 at 8:13 p.m. from 36 degrees above west-northwest to 20 degrees above south-southeast.