MOL
FLORIDA -Astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) have front row seats to some of the most spectacular shows on Earth.
Unparalleled views of the Northern Lights, powerful storms and distant galaxies are just some of the wonders shared daily with the world over Twitter. But the latest image from Nasa astronaut Rick Mastracchio reveals that it’s not just natural spectacles that can leave a poignant mark. This image, shared with Mastracchio’s 39,000-strong Twitter army yesterday, shows the Ariane 5 rocket breaking free from the Earth’s atmosphere. It launched from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, yesterday after a delay of over two hours due to poor weather.
It was carrying a satellite called ABS-2 designed to provide services for cable television, data networks and telecommunications across four continents.
The other passenger was Athena-Fidus, a French-Italian telecommunications satellite designed to improve public broadband internet technologies. And Mastracchio’s keen eyes were able to spot a second launch on Wednesday with an image tweeted this morning. ‘A progress launch out of Baikonur as seen from ISS,’ wrote the Mastracchio. ‘Six hours later it docked. I’ve seen two launches in two days now.’ The Progress 54 resupply spacecraft, loaded with 2.8 tonnes of cargo, automatically docked to the ISS on the same day as its launch.  
At the time of docking, the station was soaring about 260 miles over the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida.