The real ISS "Room with a View" is installed

A while back I did a post about the new viewing window that was being installed onthe International Space Station. I posted a picture at the top of that post, of an artist's rendition of what it was supposed to look like.

Now it's installed. Here is what it actually looks like:


Not quite as bright and glamorous as the artist's rendition, is it? But close enough; it's practical and gets the job done. It allows the astronauts to see much of the Space Station's exterior without having to rely totally on cameras.

The view in this photo is, I think, the Sahara desert. But the view changes constantly, as the station orbits the earth about 16 times a day.