“The answer is quite simple, all the photos we take from space are taken in the crew’s own personal time. No time is allotted in our work day normally for Earth pictures. So if we want to capture a specific point on the ground we have to first know exactly when we will fly over that spot, second be available to grab a camera and get to a window, and third have the weather and proper sun angles to get a great shot. Over the course of my six months in space I was never able to get all three of those to align for Mt. Everest.”

It's a wonder why so many directors have turned to visual effects. Sometimes it's just to long of a wait to get the shot. Sometimes the sun and clouds are not in the right position.