Any fan of two- and four-wheeled competition can recognize some circuits with ease no matter where they look at them from… but not many have had the chance to see them from space. Astronaut Drew Feustel has cars in his blood as much as science, and as part of Expeditions 55 and 56 on the International Space Station, he didn't think twice: With the help of a Nikon D5 SLR, Feustel captured a long list of circuits, and despite the extreme technical difficulties, he did an excellent job.
Drew Feustel: a car-loving astronaut
What do geophysics, cars, outer space, and photography have in common? One name: Drew Feustel, a NASA astronaut who participated in Expeditions 55 and 56 (serving as commander of the latter), and in two Space Shuttle missions. Growing up in Detroit, he was constantly exposed to cars, and he bought his first vehicle at just 14 years old, a '67 Mustang. His professional career took him from Oakland Community College to Purdue University, then to Queen's University in Canada (his wife is Canadian and they moved there), and finally to Exxon, until he joined NASA in the year 2000. With 225 days in space and more than 60 hours of EVA, anyone would think this astronaut has no time or space for anything else, but his passion for cars and professional racing never disappeared. In fact, whenever he had the chance, he dedicated himself to photographing race tracks... from orbit.
The technical challenge
These shots were taken with one of the 53 Nikon D5 cameras that NASA ordered in 2017 (8,500 euros... just the body), and an 800mm telephoto lens equipped with a doubler, reaching a focal length of 1,600mm. The technical challenge was impressive. Feustel had to coordinate his activity with people on the ground and make the most of the small intervals available for each photograph. On average, he only had a minute to locate the circuit before "losing it," not easy when you consider it's like finding a needle in a haystack while traveling at 7.6 kilometers per second. Even so, he managed to capture all the circuits on his list.
A passion for cars
Another aspect Feustel really enjoys about cars is restoration, to the point that he ordered parts for one of his BMWs while on the International Space Station. If you want to see and learn more about this astronaut's activities both in space and on Earth, don't hesitate to follow his Instagram profile.
Race tracks from orbit
