ISS Astronaut Catches Out-of-this-World Photo of Best Friend's Rocket Launch | The Weather Channel
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Space

What do you do when your best friend is joining you in space? Snap an epic photo.

ByJan Wesner Childs
September 27, 2019Updated: September 27, 2019, 6:55 pm EDTPublished: September 27, 2019, 6:55 pm EDT

Christina Koch shot this photo of a Soyez rocket taking off from Kazakhstan, carrying her best friend to join her at the International Space Station.

(Christina Koch/NASA via Twitter)

NASA astronaut Christina Koch captured an out-of-this-world photo of a rocket launching into space Wednesday.

Even better – her best friend and fellow astronaut Jessica Meir was aboard the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, hurtling away from Earth to join Koch at the International Space Station.

Koch posted the photo to Twitter on Wednesday, the same day the rocket launched from a base in Kazakhstan and arrived at the space station six hours later.

(MORE: Huge African Dust Storm as Seen From Space)

She wrote: "When your best friend achieves her lifelong dream to go to space. Caught the second stage in progress! We can’t wait to welcome you onboard, crew of Soyuz 61!"

The rocket was carrying Meir, as well as a Russian astronaut and the first-ever space traveler from the United Arab Emirates, according to a NASA press release. She'll spend six months at the station, along with Koch and an international team of four other astronauts, conducting some 250 science investigations in areas including biology, earth science and human research.

Meir will also be helping Koch make history. Koch is slated to spend a total of 328 days on ISS, which would be a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.

NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan stow biological research samples into a science freezer located inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module aboard the International Space Station.

(NASA)

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