Last week, two astronauts ventured outside the International Space Station (ISS) for a maintenance and repair mission. Dr. Sebastian Voltmer, an astrophotographer, attempted to capture images of the astronauts outside the space station from… his backyard on Earth.
Dr. Voltmer resides in Sankt Wendel, Germany, which is also the hometown of one of the astronauts on the ISS mission, Matthias Maurer. As a fellow countryman with a shared passion for space, Voltmer decided to document the first “spacewalk” (extravehicular activity) of the astronaut, not just from Earth, but from Maurer’s hometown. Thanks to a powerful telescope and modern mount, Voltmer achieved this incredible feat.
Sebastian Voltmer attempted to capture images of the astronauts outside the space station from his backyard.
“I used a C11 EdgeHD telescope mounted on a 10micron GM 2000 HPS mount. A day before the ISS passed over my area, I updated the mount with the latest coordinates of the space station,” he stated. “With the servo motor, the mount allowed me to track the ISS, which moves very quickly.”
Dr. Voltmer shared how he was able to track and photograph the ISS in a video he posted a few days before the astronauts’ spacewalk mission.
Capturing images of the ISS from Earth
“I was able to capture images of the International Space Station under the best observational conditions from the hometown of ESA astronaut Dr. Matthias Maurer,” Voltmer said. “The resolution of the images shows details within about 20 cm. It clearly shows the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that the current Crew-3 crew has flown to the ISS.”
He mentioned that he planned the photography by updating the ISS coordinates on the mount before the space station passed overhead on March 23, the same day Maurer was scheduled for maintenance outside the station. Voltmer captured this stunning moment just after sunset, with the photo providing enough detail to recognize Maurer, a robotic arm, and a new camera system installed on the space station.
The resolution of the image shows details within about 20 cm.
“During the spacewalk of astronauts Raja Chari and Matthias Maurer, the International Space Station appeared just after sunset in the bright evening sky over Germany. This image of the ISS was taken on March 23, 2022, under optimal viewing conditions through my C11 EdgeHD telescope from the hometown of ESA astronaut Dr. Matthias Maurer,” Dr. Voltmer wrote on Space Weather.
Voltmer’s photo was further analyzed by Philip Smith, another ISS photographer, who discovered that Chari also appeared in the image alongside Maurer.
The ISS orbits approximately 408 km above Earth.
“I feel like I just created a lifetime photo,” Voltmer said. “This is probably the first ground-based photo showing two ‘spacewalkers’ on the ISS at the same time.”
According to NASA, Raja Chari and Matthias Maurer began their spacewalk to install temperature control support tubes on the ISS on March 23, 2022. The duo’s primary mission was to install thermal systems and electronic components on the outside of the space station. Maurer and Chari completed their mission outside the station in 6 hours and 54 minutes. This was Chari’s second spacewalk and Maurer’s first.
The ISS orbits approximately 408 km above Earth. Launched in November 1998, the ISS has now been operational for nearly 24 years. NASA plans to “retire” the ISS in 2031. At that time, they will gradually begin to push the ISS back against its own orbit over the next few years, aiming to reduce its operational altitude from the current height to about 340 km by mid-2030.
At that point, the crew will perform final tasks on the station, including clearing any reusable materials and equipment, and conducting a deorbit burn to rapidly lower the altitude to about 280 km. This is the moment NASA considers the “point of no return.”
The ISS will burn up upon re-entering Earth, with a remote area in the South Pacific chosen as the final resting place for any remaining debris from the ISS.
