DUBAI // A perfect picture of The Palm developments from space was ruined by a photo-bombing spacecraft on Sunday.
British astronaut Tim Peake had been waiting to get a clear shot of Dubai’s coastline from the International Space Station when the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft stole the show by appearing in his line of sight.
Along with the image of the unmanned capsule obscuring parts of UAE’s northern and eastern seaboards, he tweeted: “I’ve been waiting to get a pic of The Palms, Dubai and then this happened just prior to capture.”
A clearer and magnified image of the Palm Jumeirah and Palm Jebel Ali, without the presence of the attention-seeking spaceship, was posted minutes later.
“Dubai minus the Dragon spacecraft photo-bomb this time,” tweeted the European Space Agency astronaut.
Shortly after its untimely appearance, Mr Peake captured the SpaceX Dragon with the use of one of his space station’s robotic arms.
Launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on April 8, the cargo supply ship delivered supplies, science experiment materials and a prototype inflatable space habitat for the six-person space station crew.
Mr Peake, who is the first Briton to complete a spacewalk, has been orbiting Earth since December and has two months left on his space flight mission.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae