Noctilucent Clouds of Planet Earth | International Space Station

Noctilucent Clouds of Planet Earth | International Space Station

Noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds are "Earth’s highest clouds, forming in the mesosphere, about 50 miles above the surface. They form from water ice crystals that condense on minute meteor dust particles, reaching upward toward the perimeter of space. I’ve observed many of these from the International Space Station over the past week . . . a fitting tribute to the life and legacy of Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator and member of the Mercury 13, a group of women who demonstrated that they had the skills and determination needed for spaceflight."

"Although the Mercury 13 were not part of NASA’s astronaut corps and never flew in space through that program, Wally continued to break barriers in aviation throughout her remarkable career." 

"I had the pleasure of meeting Wally at NASA's Johnson Space Center and flew a postcard with her picture on it (that she gave me that day) to the ISS with me on my first mission. Shortly after in 2021, Wally reached space herself aboard a Blue Origin

New Shepard flight."

"Thank your contributions and inspiration, Wally. May you continue to fly high."

Follow Expedition 74:

https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/

Expedition 74 Crew
Station Commander: Sergey-Kud Sverchkov (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia) Flight Engineers: Andrey Fedyaev, Sergei Mikaev

European Space Agency Flight Engineer: Sophie Adenot

NASA Flight Engineers: Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Chris Williams

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Image Credit: NASA's Johnson Space Center/J. Meir
Release Date: July 10, 2026

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