Overview

• The Instagram snippet of Massimino’s August interview has gone viral, generating widespread shares and comments about his orbital observations.
• Massimino described India as “very beautiful” from space, highlighting the clear stars and the distinctive glow of Mumbai and New Delhi at night.
• Seeing those city lights inspired him to visit India, and he found its ground-level beauty matched what he witnessed from orbit.
• With more than 571 hours in space and over 30 hours of spacewalking across two missions, Massimino helped pioneer social media engagement from the ISS.
• The viral response demonstrates how personal astronaut narratives and digital platforms can deepen global appreciation for cultural and geographic landmarks.