20 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 men, women and children, NASA commemorates that day, sharing images and memories.

A satellite image provided by the agency shows smoke rising from space over the Manhattan area after two hijacked planes collided with the World Trade Center towers in New York.

“The attacks of September 11, 2001 were a national tragedy that resulted in the astonishing loss of life and a significant change in American culture. Every year we stop and never forget. To remember and honor the Americans who died on the same day. In addition, NASA also assisted FEMA during its New York days and remembered the victims by giving their families a space shuttle ride,” NASA wrote in a statement.

NASA also shared the words of astronaut Frank Culbertson, who was the only American in the crew and crew at the time of the attack on the International Space Station (ISS).

He began documenting the incident in the form of photographs as the station took off over the New York area.

“It looked like a strange plume of smoke at the foot of a column flowing south of the city,” Culbertson wrote in a message at the time of the attack. After reading one of the news stories we just received, I think we saw [New York] at or shortly after the collapse of the second tower. how terrible…”

“It’s terrifying to see the smoke coming out of wounds in our own country with such a big perspective,” he said. “This duality of being on a spacecraft dedicated to improving life on Earth and seeing the destruction of life caused by such deliberate, horrific actions disturbs the psyche no matter who you are.”

NASA noted that after the attack, its science programs were “launched” as the agency worked with FEMA to fly sensors over damaged areas of the aircraft – looking for airborne contaminants – and monitor from above. Satellite resources used.

To this day, NASA raised nearly 6,000 4 x 6-inch flags in December 2001 on Endeavor in honor of the victims. Tickets were later distributed to relatives in the summer of 2002.

In addition, NASA used aluminum — bearing the U.S. flag — collected from destroyed World Trade Center towers on Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity rock consumables.

“One day both rovers will be silent. In the cold and dry environment where they have worked on Mars, the monuments on board the victims of the 9/11 attack could remain in good condition for millions of years,” NASA wrote.

Finally, in 2011, the Florida Space Gate flag was sewn into the U.S. flag – known as “The National 9/11 Flag” – which was recovered near Ground Zero after the attacks.