The Power of Engines and the Flight Upwards: NASA Selects the Best Photos of the Year

Historical moments and captivating moments have been captured in the frame.

NASA has summarized the sixth annual "Photographer of the Year" contest. This competition is held among the agency's staff photographers. It features images that reflect the work of NASA employees who are not in space.

A total of 12 images were selected, divided into four categories: "Documentary," "Places," "People," and "Portrait." In each category, three prize-winning places were determined.

One of the most impressive shots was taken from the cockpit of the T-34C test aircraft. While performing an advanced aerobatic maneuver, the lead photographer of the Armstrong Flight Research Center, Jim Ross, managed to photograph pilot Nils Larson, as well as the ground and sky in an upside-down position. This photo won in the "People" category.

In the "Documentary" category, the winner was Kenny Allen. He photographed the evacuation procedures following the landing of the Orion spacecraft capsule, which will send humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis program.

Second place in the same category went to Bill Ingalls. He worked at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and captured powerful jets of flame emitted by the engines of the Soyuz rocket, which was sending a crewed spacecraft to the ISS.

Completing the top three in the "Documentary" section was a shot by Michael Democker from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The photographer captured the preparations for the installation of the RS-25 engine. This was the first of four such engines that will be placed on the SLS rocket, which will send the crewed Artemis mission to the Moon.

In the "Places" category, the winner was Robert Markowitz, who photographed the entrance to a giant thermal vacuum chamber at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This chamber is used for testing large spacecraft.

It is worth noting that the best images of space objects are usually awarded in separate competitions.