International space station spins 180 degrees for Russian spacecraft docking, watch video here

Space has a way of surprising us—even with a simple turn. NASA astronaut Don Pettit recently captured such a moment, sharing a rare manoeuvre by the International Space Station (ISS) that gave viewers a spectacular look at Earth from above.

Station Flips Backwards for Docking
The ISS rotated 180 degrees and flew backwards in space. The unusual turn helped with docking the Russian Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft. Pettit shared a video of the event online. “We rotated 180 degrees and flew backwards,” he posted. He told viewers to wait for a surprise in the middle.

The docking welcomed three new crew members to the ISS. They included Nasa’s Jonny Kim and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky. The trio launched earlier that day from Kazakhstan. They reached the ISS in just three hours.

They will now spend eight months on the station. Their work will focus on scientific research and experiments.

Auroras Shine Midway Through Space Spin
Pettit’s video didn’t just show the docking process. It also captured stunning green auroras swirling around Earth. These northern lights were caused by solar activity. The glow came from solar particles hitting Earth’s magnetic field.