Astronauts can view the earth below from the cupola.

photo by: Paolo Nespoli and Roland Miller

March 29, 2018

A Sense of Place in Space

  • By: Carson Bear

Photographer Roland Miller has always had a passion for space and the unique design of the things and places we build to fly (or orbit) there. After documenting abandoned space launch and test facilities with his book, Abandoned in Place, and photographing space shuttles that are no longer in use, Miller turned set his sights ... higher.

Miller partnered with Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli to document the International Space Station, with a focus on the station's lesser-seen interiors. The project was intended to ensure there would be a physical reminder of the ISS long after it's gone, but it was also a remarkable show of innovative thinking (how do you make cameras stay straight in zero gravity?) and camaraderie between people from different nations. Perhaps most importantly for preservationists, the project gives longevity to a place designed to be temporary.

Learn more about the project, and what it means to have a sense of place, in this video interview between Miller and Nespoli.

Carson Bear

Carson Bear was an Editorial Coordinator at the National Trust. She’s passionate about combining popular culture with historic places, and loves her 200-year-old childhood farmhouse in Pennsylvania.

Share your stories from Route 66! Whether a quirky roadside attraction, a treasured business, or a piece of family history, we are looking for your stories from this iconic highway.

Share Your Story