Testimony of the only American astronaut who saw the September 11 attacks from space

When the hijacked passenger planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001, NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson was hundreds of kilometers away from the planet.

Culbertson, who was on duty aboard the International Space Station (ISS), was the only American outside Earth that day.

The ISS passed over New York shortly after the attacks. Culbertson saw the giant smoke clouds rising from the city from space and told what happened to NASA's mission control center in Houston.

Even though 25 years have passed, Culbertson's words remain one of the most extraordinary testimonies of the September 11 attacks.

Culbertson said he could clearly see traces of the attack as the space station passed over New York.

"We can see New York and the smoke rising from the fires," he said during a call with NASA's mission control center. he said.

The astronaut stated that he was trying to understand whether he could see traces of another event along the east coast of the USA and said that they were praying for people in New York and Washington.

Four passenger planes were hijacked during the September 11 attacks. Two of the planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and one crashed into the Pentagon near Washington.

The fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers intervened against the hijackers. The plane's target was assessed to be the US Capitol or the White House.

While Culbertson said he wanted those responsible for the attacks to be caught and brought to justice, he also sent a message to New Yorkers from space.

“I want people to know, New Yorkers, your city still looks beautiful from space.” he said.

However, he explained the emotions created by the view he saw from hundreds of kilometers above the Earth in more detail in an open letter he wrote a day later.

Culbertson began his letter by saying, “The world has changed today.” He started with his words.

He stated that what he said and did in space was insignificant compared to the magnitude of his own country being attacked.

The astronaut also explained the contradiction between the beauty of watching the Earth from space and the destruction happening below.

“It is terrible to see smoke rising from the wounds in your own country from such an extraordinary vantage point.” he wrote.

Frank Culbertson arrived at the International Space Station on the space shuttle Discovery on August 12, 2001. Next to him were Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin.

The three astronauts made up the Expedition 3 crew, the International Space Station's third long-duration crew. The mission lasted until December 2001. For Culbertson, this was his third and final spaceflight.

The astronaut retired from NASA in August 2002 and later started working in the private space sector.