Famous British astronaut Tim Peake shared the breathtaking photo on Twitter. His post came as SpaceX’s first ever manned spacecraft was making its return drop to Earth tonight. Colonel Doug Hurley and Colonel Bob Behnken piloted the capsule as it made a fiery 17,500mph freefall through the atmosphere, slowing rapidly to 15mph as it approached the ocean.
Mr Peake posted a view from a window of a return capsule, with stars racing by and a red glow.
He wrote on Twitter that the temperatures the capsules experiences is around 1900C (3452F).
He said: “This is the view during reentry, as temperatures outside reach around 1900C and g-loads build up to 4 or 5g.
“The atmosphere is essentially your air brake for several minutes.”
READ MORE: WATCH as SpaceX Crew Dragon makes dramatic splashdown in spectacular return to Earth
Mr Peake also tweeted out his congratulations to the crew of the SpaceX trip.
He said: “Fantastic to see SpaceX Dragon splashdown – welcome home Doug Hurley and Colonel Bob Behnken!”
Mr Hurley and Colonel Behnken made an ocean landing off the Florida coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
The pair returned after launching on May 30, making a 15mph splashdown.
Despite Mr Peake’s description of insane temperatures, the SpaceX crew enjoyed a much more manageable 24C (75.2F) inside their capsule.
But Colonel Behnken had admitted that he expected a much bumpier journey back to Earth before the mission started.
He said: “I’m expecting a little bit of vomiting to maybe happen in the end.”
He added that he would look forward to light travel sickness as a “celebratory event”.
In a heartwarming moment, Mr Hurley’s son pre-recorded a message for his dad in space.
The son said: “Good morning Dragon Endeavor. I’m happy you went into space but I’m even happier that you’re coming back home.”
President Donald Trump also hailed the returning astronauts on Twitter.
He said: “Great to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month mission.”