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AssetID: 31362810

Headline: Astronaut Documents Airports From Space

Caption: PICTURE SHOWS: Nice Airport, France. "Beautiful approaches along the coast, going around the landscape." ...... An astronaut has shown his love of aviation by documenting airports from space. Thomas Pesquet has trained his lens on landing strips around the globe from his vantage point 400km up on the International Space Station. The Frenchman's stunning gallery of image range from famous transport hubs to obscure landing strips on remote islands. He even captured an odd location in the Australian outback where he suggests something mysterious is afoot. He commented: "The Australian outback hides lots of beauty, and some surprises. I don’t know what this is, but it looks strangely like an eyeball… It has its own runway and lots of regular shaped-buildings or structures around. Secret military base? Simple excavation site?" The European Space Agency spaceman also captured several French airports in tribute to his time as a commercial pilot for Air France, and snapped Heathrow Airport for fellow astronaut Tim Peake:" An airport from space birthday special for my friend Tim Peake: London Heathrow Airport. Do they still have your giant picture on the wall? Have a cup of tea on me mate." Also documented is Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira International Airport, (formerly Funchal Airport), which he describes as "One of the toughest approaches in the world. Close to the sea, small margins for error and sidewinds are frequent and high!" And a shot of Frances Hyeres-Toulon maybe suggests Thomas was slightly homesick in January, as he captured it: "Hyeres-Toulonand the surrounding beach, guess where I would rather be?"

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