NASA astronaut shares chilling video of what 9/11 looked like from space: "The world changed..."

One of the deadliest events in United States history and the world, the 9/11 terrorist attacks have left a deep scar in American culture. While thousands fell victim to the tragedy on the ground, a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) felt an intense tug in the heart watching his nation suffer from a place unimagined– space.  Frank Culbertson, commander of Expedition 3, could not believe his eyes when he witnessed the aftermath of the attacks miles above the Earth’s surface. He was the only American in the crew at the time and decided to capture New York City from his unique point of view, NASA reported. 

Culbertson, initially unaware of the incident, learned of the attacks as soon as the news reached him and realized that the ISS was orbiting over the exact NYC area. “The smoke seemed to have an odd bloom to it at the base of the column that was streaming south of the city,” he stated, per the report. He documented the scenes from his unique vantage point in space in photographs moments following the drastic consequences engulfing the bustling city. The chilling image was shared on X by @NASA. The astronauts figured it was the affected region and what they were witnessing was moments after the collapse of the second tower, as the ISS was then orbiting near New York. 

In an elaborate public letter the next day, the astronaut profoundly wrote about the impact of the terror attacks and how it would change the world from here on, per another NASA report. “The world changed today. What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked,” Culbertson reflected. He was horrified to witness the barrels of smoke pouring out from the “wounds” in his country from a view meant to cherish the world. “The dichotomy of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on the earth and watching life being destroyed by such willful, terrible acts is jolting to the psyche, no matter who you are,” the astronaut said, drawing a moving contrast between the progress and destruction of life and humankind. 

It has been over two decades since nineteen hijackers from the extremist group al-Qaeda seized four commercial planes to launch a series of coordinated attacks that would scar the country forever. On September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, and a third plane hit the Pentagon in Washinton D.D., the U.S. Department of Defense Headquarters. The fourth plane, United Flight 93, flew into an open field in Pennsylvania failing to hit another target. The tragic day remains etched in U.S. history and is commemorated as Patriot Day to honor the nearly 3,000 victims who lost their lives to the terrorist attacks.

In the aftermath, economic damage followed, costing the nation around $100 billion, per Investopedia, along with the US invading Afghanistan and establishing the "War on Terror" to eradicate terrorism from the face of Earth. Meanwhile, NASA made deliberate attempts to honor the Americans who died and acknowledge the tragedy from thousands of miles in space. They flew 6,000 small flags on Endeavor’s flight during STS-108. The 9/11 attacks are now remembered as an enduring legacy that changed the world.