NASA astronaut describes wild weather scenes from International Space Station
Leroy Chiao served in a variety of capacities with NASA, including as commander on the International Space Station, until retiring in 2005.
Meet the first full heritage Chinese American Astronaut
Former Astronaut and International Space Station Commander Dr. Leroy Chiao joins FOX Weather to talk about his career and to give insights on current space launches and programs.
Retired U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao spoke with FOX Weather about the hurricanes, tsunamis, lightning storms and other types of extreme weather he saw from space.
With a background in chemical engineering, Chiao became the first full heritage Chinese American astronaut with NASA in 1991. He served in a variety of capacities with NASA, such as commander on the International Space Station, until retiring in 2005.
Portrait of NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao.
(NASA Johnson / NASA)
During his more than 229 days in space, Chiao had a perspective of Earth and its wild weather events that only he and fellow astronauts have personally witnessed.
His first weather event was a hurricane, which he said gave him and his team an appreciation for how large and destructive hurricanes can be.
FILE - Hurricane Florence photographed from the ISS on September 10, 2018.
(Ricky Arnold / NASA)
He also saw lightning storms and thunderstorms, in which the bolts seemed to trigger each other in a chain of lightning strikes.
FILE - Crew members on the International Space Station capture a lightning flash over the Pacific Ocean at night.
(NASA / NASA)
Perhaps one of the largest weather events Chiao witnessed was the large tsunami that hit Indonesia in 2004.
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Triggered by a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in Indonesia the day after Christmas, the tsunami created waves as high as 167 feet near the epicenter and sent waves as far away as Sri Lanka and Somalia.
![Pictures of the Kalutara, Sri Lanka before the tsunami (bottom) and after (top). In the top picture, structures are submerged in water.]()
Image 1 of 2Pictures of the Kalutara, Sri Lanka before the tsunami (bottom) and after (top). In the top picture, structures are submerged in water. (NASA)
![Pictures of the Indonesian province of Aceh before the tsunami (bottom) and after (top). According to NASA, almost all the trees, vegetation, and buildings in the area were washed away. Behind the town, low-lying agricultural areas remained covered with water four days after the disaster, and sand on the nearby beaches was completely removed.]()
Image 2 of 2Pictures of the Indonesian province of Aceh before the tsunami (bottom) and after (top). According to NASA, almost all the trees, vegetation, and buildings in the area were washed away. Behind the town, low-lying agricultural areas remained covered with water four days after the disaster, and sand on the nearby beaches was completely removed. (NASA)
Apart from weather events, Chiao has seen the beauty of Earth from the ISS. His photo below shows a winding river in north central Africa.
Serpentine river in Africa.
(Leroy Chiao / Instagram / FOX Weather)
Another photo Chiao took captures the texture and majesty of the Algerian Desert. The sand dunes appear orange from above, as the valleys between the dunes form lines that snake through the desert.
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Image of the Algerian Desert from the ISS.
(Leroy Chiao / Instagram / FOX Weather)
The stunning blue waters of the Bahamas did not escape Chiao's view from the space station, either. In the photo below, puffy white clouds hang over an island as the sky over the ocean remain clear.
A view of the Bahamas from the ISS.
(Leroy Chiao / Instagram / FOX Weather)
Chiao also captured views of glaciers in Patagonia, carving their way through the South American landscape and making their way to the sea.
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A view of glaciers in Patagonia from the ISS.
(Leroy Chiao / Instagram / FOX Weather)
As much beauty as Chiao saw looking down on Earth, he also witnessed plenty of beauty in space – including that of our closest neighbor, the moon.
The moon, from the ISS.
(Leroy Chiao / Instagram / FOX Weather)