On the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, NASA shared a deeply moving letter from Frank Culbertson, the only American astronaut in space at the time of the tragic event. Culbertson, who was aboard the International Space Station (ISS) during the attacks, reflected on witnessing the horror unfold from orbit.
In his letter, written on September 12, 2001, Culbertson expressed the shock and disbelief he felt upon learning about the attacks. “Well, obviously the world changed today,” he wrote, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of the situation. “What I say or do is very minor compared to the significance of what happened to our country today when it was attacked by…by whom? Terrorists is all we know, I guess.”
Witnessing the Tragedy from Space
Serving as the commander of Expedition Three on the ISS, Culbertson vividly recalls seeing the devastating aftermath from space. As the ISS passed over New York, he captured haunting images of the smoke plume rising from the site where the Twin Towers once stood. Describing the moment, he noted how surreal it was to witness his country under attack from such a distance.
“It’s difficult to describe how it feels to be the only American completely off the planet at a time such as this,” Culbertson wrote in the letter shared by NASA. “The feeling that I should be there with all of you, dealing with this, helping in some way, is overwhelming.”
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Culbertson’s video footage from space shows the smoke rising from lower Manhattan, with an “odd bloom” at its base. It wasn’t until later that he learned his classmate, Captain Charles Burlingame, was the pilot of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, further personalizing the tragedy for him.
A Lasting Record of a Fateful Day
The September 11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, left an indelible mark on the world. Culbertson’s letter, along with the images he captured from space, remains a powerful reminder of that day’s events. The letter concludes with the somber recognition that life would never be the same again: “Things would never be the same again after that.”
In the 23 years since the attacks, a memorial now stands where the Twin Towers once did, honoring the lives lost in the terror attack. A study by Pew Research reflects the profound and lasting impact the 9/11 attacks had on U.S. public opinion, calling it an event that transformed the nation in countless ways.
Culbertson’s account from space serves as a unique and poignant record of one of the darkest days in American history, offering a perspective that few others can claim.
