NASA/Jim Ross
NASA photographer Jim Ross was honored for a thrilling inverted in-flight aerobatic maneuvers image.
Riding in the back seat of a regular car might not be the most exciting thing, but riding in the back of a NASA aircraft? That’s a whole different story! Just ask Jim Ross, the photo lead at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. He snagged first place for an awesome photo he took while flying upside down in a T-34C research aircraft.
The picture, which won NASA Photo of the Year in 2023, shows NASA research pilot Nils Larson in action, decked out in full gear while the plane pulls off some crazy maneuvers. It’s not easy to snap a pic like that when you’re upside down and moving at high speeds, but Jim and his team make it look effortless.
“When we fly proficiency flights, my mind is always thinking about what kind of photo I can take that will share what I am experiencing in the aircraft,” Ross said. “This photo was one that I feel is able to tell that story.” It’s telling the story that makes Ross’s work so important to NASA. Much of what NASA works on can only be witnessed by researchers and scientists, but having it capture in photo and video allows us to share the images with the world.
source NASA
