Podcast Summary: "Pictures in Space" with NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

B&H Photography Podcast — March 25, 2026
Host: Derek Fassbender
Guest: Dr. Donald Pettit, NASA Astronaut, Inventor, Space Photographer

Episode Overview

This episode of the B&H Photography Podcast explores an extraordinary frontier in photography: image-making aboard the International Space Station (ISS). NASA astronaut Dr. Donald Pettit, a chemist, inventor, and celebrated space photographer, shares how his fascination with photography began, the unique technical and creative problems presented by photographing Earth and the cosmos from orbit, his ongoing inventions to push the capabilities of in-space imaging, and the collaborative, frontier spirit that fuels his work.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Passion for Photography

Getting Started: Pettit describes his first camera, a Brownie, and early experiments with film and composition, relishing both the technological and creative aspects.

“I just was drawn to photography… Even though the Brownie camera just had one button and you pushed it and it went click… I loved it all.” — Don Pettit [02:40]
Growing Up: Progressed to second-hand Zeiss and Nikon cameras; developed film and assembled his own film canisters to get more shots per roll.

“I bought a Nikon F with the FTN finder… That’s when it all took off.” — Don Pettit [03:30]

2. Scientist Meets Photographer

Technical Meets Artistic: Pettit credits his chemical engineering background for fueling inventions and understanding life support—all chemical engineering problems in microgravity.

“…Once you get into space and you got human beings inside this can, how do you make air, how do you purify water, how do you remove the CO2? …These processes are just standard chemical engineering processes.” — Don Pettit [04:44]

3. Learning & Preparing for Space Photography

Extensive Preparation: Every astronaut trains for two years on the ground, practicing on the same gear that will be used in space, reviewed and critiqued by NASA’s professional Photo-TV trainers—many from RIT.

“Through a process of doing that for maybe two years on the ground, you get good at using the equipment. And then when you get in space, the learning curve changes a little bit to get used to that environment.” — Don Pettit [08:06]
Skill Levels in Space: All astronauts are trained, but, as on Earth, compositional skill varies among crewmembers.

“…There’s a span of, call it composition skill set in any group of photographers on Earth. And the same thing you’ll find when you get into space.” — Don Pettit [09:58]

4. Technical Hurdles & Solutions

Exposure Challenges: The ISS environment confounds typical metering (because most of the frame can be deep black). Bracketing exposures is crucial.

“You get into space and you look at Earth from space, you might have 2/3 of your frame just black… We use bracketing a lot… to ensure that you will get a good exposure.” — Don Pettit [10:44]
Engineering vs. Artistic Photography: Regularly required to photograph engineering targets (solar panels, connectors, etc.), but creative images out the window are up to crew initiative.

“Most of the task list imagery are… boring engineering topics. …Anything beyond that is typically left up to the crew member.” — Don Pettit [12:15]

5. Inventions: On-Orbit Solutions

Barn Door Tracker: Built from scavenged ISS parts, it counteracts orbital motion for sharp city nightscapes.

“…Allowed me to manually track the cities while I took these 1 ½ to 2 second exposures and get consistently sharp images of cities at night.” — Don Pettit [13:49]
Sidereal Tracker: A mechanical clock-based device, counters orbital rotation for pinpoint star photos—enables exposures 60× longer than before.

“We made a mechanical wind up clock that the hour hand turns once every 90 minutes… so… you could take time exposures with a star field and have the stars as pinpoints instead of streaks.” — Don Pettit [16:39]

6. Evolution of Space Camera Technology

From Film to Digital: Shifted from film and early digital hybrids to full digital (post-2003, as shuttle flights stopped exposing stored film to cosmic rays).

“NASA stopped flying film in space and switched entirely to digital format… By 2008 we were using the state-of-the-art digital cameras.” — Don Pettit [19:01]
Adoption Driven by Trainers: NASA’s photo trainers push for constant upgrades, supporting both astronauts’ technical training and active feedback from orbit.

“They will review it and send you a message back saying, hey, you’re overexposing…” — Don Pettit [21:04]

7. Everyday & Specialized Gear

Preference for Fast Lenses: Loves wide, fast glass (f/1.4, T1.8) to balance rapid orbital motion, ISS vibration, and low noise requirements.

“…On orbit the world moves by really fast. So there’s upper limits on shutter speeds… ISO 6400 is about my upper limit… An f/2.8 lens… is four times slower than an f/1.4 lens.” — Don Pettit [30:09]
Shift to Mirrorless: Initially reluctant, was quickly won over by Nikon Z9 mirrorless cameras in microgravity.

“…Started training with the Z9 camera… I got converted and am embracing it.” — Don Pettit [31:56, 33:05]
On Using Smartphones: Space pictures are shot on 14-bit RAW files and pro SLRs for maximum dynamic range; phone cameras are used for quick documentation but can’t match pro results.

“…The 14-bit files can preserve detail on either end of the scale where shooting a standard JPEG… will not preserve that detail.” — Don Pettit [25:56]

8. Workflow & Data Management

Massive Image Output: On his last mission (7 months, 7 crew), 1.2 million images (60TB); personally, 100TB across four missions.

“…I've got about 100 terabytes of raw data that I need to juggle at home…” — Don Pettit [41:27]
Lightroom Multi-Variable Search: Uses detailed logs and catalogs segmented per mission; logs allow quick retrieval by date, exposure, lens, etc.

“…Knowing a few bits of information… I could typically find almost any picture… within 10 minutes.” — Don Pettit [44:43]
Note-Keeping: Detailed field notebooks (5 per mission), logging exposures, conditions, and phenomenon for both experimental and photographic later review.

“…I filled five of those on my last mission… I write down notes all the time and I refer to these notebooks extensively when I come back…” — Don Pettit [46:07]

9. Changing Earth from Orbit

LED City Lights & Starlink: Notable new phenomena for space photographers:
- LEDs change city color palettes and complicate astrophotography (“can’t filter out” as with sodium or mercury vapor).
“City lights… are either bright white, white, white, or pastel colors. …It’s beautiful from orbit.” — Don Pettit [33:16]
- Starlink Satellites appear as bright “cosmic fireflies”, sometimes outshining Jupiter.
“…They will see hundreds of them flashing in front of you while you’re taking these nighttime images. And I’ve gotten to call them cosmic fireflies.” — Don Pettit [33:16]
Urban Growth: Expanding city lights, more suburbs, especially in Asia, make population and development visually apparent from space.

“The number of city lights that you see from orbit have markedly increased over… the last decade.” — Don Pettit [37:25]

10. Creative Process & Collaboration

Pursuing the Next Shot: Keeps a “wish list” after every mission of elusive or next-level shots and gear ideas for future flights—such as wider, ultrafast lenses or longer sync cables for dual-camera HDR.

“Unicorns in space. Next time I fly, I’ve got a list of shots that I want and I know the little bits of equipment that I need to bring.” — Don Pettit [53:47]
Working With Earth-Based Photographers: Notably coordinated with astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi on synchronized campaigns (“From Above and Below”)—simultaneously shooting phenomena from ground and orbit.

“We could do synchronized imagery… where we would be looking at the same phenomenon, but his perspective would be Earth and my perspective would be from orbit.” — Don Pettit [51:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Moment | |-----------|---------|--------------| | 02:40 | Don Pettit | "I just was drawn to photography… I loved it all." | | 13:49 | Don Pettit | "The barn door tracker allowed me to manually track cities… and get consistently sharp images of cities at night." | | 16:39 | Don Pettit | "[Sidereal tracker]… you could take time exposures with a star field and have the stars as pinpoints instead of streaks." | | 23:25 | Don Pettit | “It’s the imagery out the window, particularly the nighttime imagery, …those are the kinds of pictures when I look back that I smile the most at.” | | 30:09 | Don Pettit | “…On orbit the world moves by really fast. So there’s upper limits on shutter speeds… An f/2.8 lens… is four times slower than an f/1.4 lens.” | | 33:16 | Don Pettit | "There are literally thousands of [Starlink satellites] and they're really, really bright… I've gotten to call them cosmic fireflies." | | 53:47 | Don Pettit | "Unicorns in space. Next time I fly, I've got a list of shots that I want and I know the little bits of equipment that I need to bring." | | 57:03 | Don Pettit | “…Just explore the frontiers that present themselves to you… and just open your eyes and collect data and then record or write about it.” | | 58:59 | Don Pettit | “…I am going back into the basic training that astronauts need to do in order to maintain your currency. …I'm going to be working on the crew aspects of the lunar rovers… in the Artemis program.” |

Timestamps for Key Segments

Early Passion and Gear Memories: 02:40 – 04:30
Science Meets Art in Space: 04:44 – 05:32
ISS Photography Training: 08:06 – 09:39
Exposure Challenges & Solutions: 10:44 – 12:01
Barn Door & Sidereal Trackers: 13:49 – 18:34
Switch from Film to Digital: 19:01 – 20:08
Collaborative & Creative Process: 46:07 – 47:53, 51:11 – 53:09
Post-Processing Workflow: 41:27 – 44:43
City Lights & Satellite Pollution: 33:16 – 37:25
Advice to Listeners & ‘Frontiers’: 57:03 – 58:48
Future Missions & Current Projects: 58:59 – End

Closing: Advice & Looking Forward

Dr. Pettit encourages all listeners to recognize “frontiers” in their own lives—whether it's space, the ocean, or their backyards—and to pursue exploration, take notes, and share insights for others to discover.

“Just explore the frontiers that present themselves to you… and just open your eyes and collect data and then record or write about it. Because you could make an observation, and if you don’t somehow share that… it’s almost as if it’s never been done.” — Don Pettit [57:03]

Where to Follow Dr. Pettit:

Instagram: @astropettit
X (Twitter): @astropettit
Reddit (Astrophotography): Active under ‘astropettit’ with technical details supplied

Summary

This episode is a rich and inspiring journey through the technical, artistic, and collaborative world of space photography—punctuated by humor, curiosity, and the spirit of invention. Dr. Pettit’s stories illuminate how the tools, challenges, and beauty of photography multiply in the ultimate frontier, inviting every listener to explore, invent, and record their own discoveries.

Podcast Summary: "Pictures in Space" with NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

B&H Photography Podcast — March 25, 2026
Host: Derek Fassbender
Guest: Dr. Donald Pettit, NASA Astronaut, Inventor, Space Photographer

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Passion for Photography

Getting Started: Pettit describes his first camera, a Brownie, and early experiments with film and composition, relishing both the technological and creative aspects.

“I just was drawn to photography… Even though the Brownie camera just had one button and you pushed it and it went click… I loved it all.” — Don Pettit [02:40]
Growing Up: Progressed to second-hand Zeiss and Nikon cameras; developed film and assembled his own film canisters to get more shots per roll.

“I bought a Nikon F with the FTN finder… That’s when it all took off.” — Don Pettit [03:30]

2. Scientist Meets Photographer

Technical Meets Artistic: Pettit credits his chemical engineering background for fueling inventions and understanding life support—all chemical engineering problems in microgravity.

“…Once you get into space and you got human beings inside this can, how do you make air, how do you purify water, how do you remove the CO2? …These processes are just standard chemical engineering processes.” — Don Pettit [04:44]

3. Learning & Preparing for Space Photography

Extensive Preparation: Every astronaut trains for two years on the ground, practicing on the same gear that will be used in space, reviewed and critiqued by NASA’s professional Photo-TV trainers—many from RIT.

“Through a process of doing that for maybe two years on the ground, you get good at using the equipment. And then when you get in space, the learning curve changes a little bit to get used to that environment.” — Don Pettit [08:06]
Skill Levels in Space: All astronauts are trained, but, as on Earth, compositional skill varies among crewmembers.

“…There’s a span of, call it composition skill set in any group of photographers on Earth. And the same thing you’ll find when you get into space.” — Don Pettit [09:58]

4. Technical Hurdles & Solutions

Exposure Challenges: The ISS environment confounds typical metering (because most of the frame can be deep black). Bracketing exposures is crucial.

“You get into space and you look at Earth from space, you might have 2/3 of your frame just black… We use bracketing a lot… to ensure that you will get a good exposure.” — Don Pettit [10:44]
Engineering vs. Artistic Photography: Regularly required to photograph engineering targets (solar panels, connectors, etc.), but creative images out the window are up to crew initiative.

“Most of the task list imagery are… boring engineering topics. …Anything beyond that is typically left up to the crew member.” — Don Pettit [12:15]

5. Inventions: On-Orbit Solutions

Barn Door Tracker: Built from scavenged ISS parts, it counteracts orbital motion for sharp city nightscapes.

“…Allowed me to manually track the cities while I took these 1 ½ to 2 second exposures and get consistently sharp images of cities at night.” — Don Pettit [13:49]
Sidereal Tracker: A mechanical clock-based device, counters orbital rotation for pinpoint star photos—enables exposures 60× longer than before.

“We made a mechanical wind up clock that the hour hand turns once every 90 minutes… so… you could take time exposures with a star field and have the stars as pinpoints instead of streaks.” — Don Pettit [16:39]

6. Evolution of Space Camera Technology

From Film to Digital: Shifted from film and early digital hybrids to full digital (post-2003, as shuttle flights stopped exposing stored film to cosmic rays).

“NASA stopped flying film in space and switched entirely to digital format… By 2008 we were using the state-of-the-art digital cameras.” — Don Pettit [19:01]
Adoption Driven by Trainers: NASA’s photo trainers push for constant upgrades, supporting both astronauts’ technical training and active feedback from orbit.

“They will review it and send you a message back saying, hey, you’re overexposing…” — Don Pettit [21:04]

7. Everyday & Specialized Gear

Preference for Fast Lenses: Loves wide, fast glass (f/1.4, T1.8) to balance rapid orbital motion, ISS vibration, and low noise requirements.

“…On orbit the world moves by really fast. So there’s upper limits on shutter speeds… ISO 6400 is about my upper limit… An f/2.8 lens… is four times slower than an f/1.4 lens.” — Don Pettit [30:09]
Shift to Mirrorless: Initially reluctant, was quickly won over by Nikon Z9 mirrorless cameras in microgravity.

“…Started training with the Z9 camera… I got converted and am embracing it.” — Don Pettit [31:56, 33:05]
On Using Smartphones: Space pictures are shot on 14-bit RAW files and pro SLRs for maximum dynamic range; phone cameras are used for quick documentation but can’t match pro results.

“…The 14-bit files can preserve detail on either end of the scale where shooting a standard JPEG… will not preserve that detail.” — Don Pettit [25:56]

8. Workflow & Data Management

Massive Image Output: On his last mission (7 months, 7 crew), 1.2 million images (60TB); personally, 100TB across four missions.

“…I've got about 100 terabytes of raw data that I need to juggle at home…” — Don Pettit [41:27]
Lightroom Multi-Variable Search: Uses detailed logs and catalogs segmented per mission; logs allow quick retrieval by date, exposure, lens, etc.

“…Knowing a few bits of information… I could typically find almost any picture… within 10 minutes.” — Don Pettit [44:43]
Note-Keeping: Detailed field notebooks (5 per mission), logging exposures, conditions, and phenomenon for both experimental and photographic later review.

“…I filled five of those on my last mission… I write down notes all the time and I refer to these notebooks extensively when I come back…” — Don Pettit [46:07]

9. Changing Earth from Orbit

LED City Lights & Starlink: Notable new phenomena for space photographers:
- LEDs change city color palettes and complicate astrophotography (“can’t filter out” as with sodium or mercury vapor).
“City lights… are either bright white, white, white, or pastel colors. …It’s beautiful from orbit.” — Don Pettit [33:16]
- Starlink Satellites appear as bright “cosmic fireflies”, sometimes outshining Jupiter.
“…They will see hundreds of them flashing in front of you while you’re taking these nighttime images. And I’ve gotten to call them cosmic fireflies.” — Don Pettit [33:16]
Urban Growth: Expanding city lights, more suburbs, especially in Asia, make population and development visually apparent from space.

“The number of city lights that you see from orbit have markedly increased over… the last decade.” — Don Pettit [37:25]

10. Creative Process & Collaboration

Pursuing the Next Shot: Keeps a “wish list” after every mission of elusive or next-level shots and gear ideas for future flights—such as wider, ultrafast lenses or longer sync cables for dual-camera HDR.

“Unicorns in space. Next time I fly, I’ve got a list of shots that I want and I know the little bits of equipment that I need to bring.” — Don Pettit [53:47]
Working With Earth-Based Photographers: Notably coordinated with astrophotographer Babak Tafreshi on synchronized campaigns (“From Above and Below”)—simultaneously shooting phenomena from ground and orbit.

“We could do synchronized imagery… where we would be looking at the same phenomenon, but his perspective would be Earth and my perspective would be from orbit.” — Don Pettit [51:11]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Early Passion and Gear Memories: 02:40 – 04:30
Science Meets Art in Space: 04:44 – 05:32
ISS Photography Training: 08:06 – 09:39
Exposure Challenges & Solutions: 10:44 – 12:01
Barn Door & Sidereal Trackers: 13:49 – 18:34
Switch from Film to Digital: 19:01 – 20:08
Collaborative & Creative Process: 46:07 – 47:53, 51:11 – 53:09
Post-Processing Workflow: 41:27 – 44:43
City Lights & Satellite Pollution: 33:16 – 37:25
Advice to Listeners & ‘Frontiers’: 57:03 – 58:48
Future Missions & Current Projects: 58:59 – End

Closing: Advice & Looking Forward

“Just explore the frontiers that present themselves to you… and just open your eyes and collect data and then record or write about it. Because you could make an observation, and if you don’t somehow share that… it’s almost as if it’s never been done.” — Don Pettit [57:03]

Where to Follow Dr. Pettit:

Instagram: @astropettit
X (Twitter): @astropettit
Reddit (Astrophotography): Active under ‘astropettit’ with technical details supplied

wavePod

Pictures in Space, featuring NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Pictures in Space" with NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Passion for Photography

2. Scientist Meets Photographer

3. Learning & Preparing for Space Photography

4. Technical Hurdles & Solutions

5. Inventions: On-Orbit Solutions

6. Evolution of Space Camera Technology

7. Everyday & Specialized Gear

8. Workflow & Data Management

9. Changing Earth from Orbit

10. Creative Process & Collaboration

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Closing: Advice & Looking Forward

Summary

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Pictures in Space" with NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit

Episode Overview

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Passion for Photography

2. Scientist Meets Photographer

3. Learning & Preparing for Space Photography

4. Technical Hurdles & Solutions

5. Inventions: On-Orbit Solutions

6. Evolution of Space Camera Technology

7. Everyday & Specialized Gear

8. Workflow & Data Management

9. Changing Earth from Orbit

10. Creative Process & Collaboration

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Timestamps for Key Segments

Closing: Advice & Looking Forward

Summary