Don Pettit has done it again. Not happy with dazzling earthlings with incredible photos Captured from his current home aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the NASA astronaut has now taken us behind the camera to show you the coolest lens swap you’ve ever seen.
Back on dry land, where gravity lives, changing a lens can sometimes be a cumbersome task that makes you wish you had two pairs of hands instead of one.
But in orbit, master photographer Pettit has found a way to make the most of the space station’s microgravity conditions when it comes to swapping camera lenses. In a video (below) shared on X, we see the NASA astronaut with a floating camera that has a lens attached, along with a second lens, which is also floating.
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First, Pettit removes the camera lens and then floats it into position in the microgravity environment. He then removes the back cap from the other lens before attaching it to the camera body, which he then leaves floating in front of him. Finally, Pettit grabs the first lens, attaches the back cap, and then returns it to its floating position. Job done!
How to change the lens of a camera… pic.twitter.com/JUujYAYSiI
-Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) January 18, 2025
In addition to working on various experiments during his six-month stay aboard the ISS, Pettit has also been sharing some magnificent images and footage of Earth and beyond.
His most recent effort offered an unusual sight of the recent launch of the New Glenn rocket by Blue Origin when it flew into space for the first time.
In another post (below) he shared on Monday, Pettit revealed how he installed several cameras inside the station’s dome, a seven-window module that offers panoramic views of Earth and beyond.
“To photograph New Glenn, I installed three cameras with wide-angle lenses on the dome, thinking one would capture its exoatmospheric trajectory,” Pettit said in the post.
To photograph New Glenn, I installed three cameras with wide-angle lenses on the dome, thinking that one would capture its exoatmospheric trajectory. pic.twitter.com/412gvfnW84
-Don Pettit (@astro_Pettit) January 19, 2025
