An astronaut on the International Space Station, presumably taking a break from more cosmic duties, recently snapped a photo of the Capital Beltway's northeast side as it passes through Greenbelt, Maryland. The image, captured on July 30, 2023, conveniently coincides with the time of year when plants do their whole 'being green' thing.
One of the standout green spaces is the aptly named Greenbelt Park, a 5-square-kilometer (2-square-mile) area containing trails, picnic spots, and a campground. The land, once eyed for city expansion, was acquired by the National Park Service in 1950, preserving it for future generations of hikers and picnickers.
Just north of the park lies Greenbelt's historic district, a crescent-shaped community born from the 1930s New Deal program. It was designed to provide work and affordable cooperative housing with accessible green space, connecting homes via walking paths to one of the nation's oldest planned shopping centers - a utopian vision with sidewalks.
East of the beltway sits NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, established on May 1, 1959, as NASA's first spaceflight complex. Forested patches separate its buildings, while the large green spaces north in Beltsville are a mix of forest and agricultural fields belonging to the University of Maryland and USDA research sites. The university's main campus in College Park is visible just west of Greenbelt.
Other verdant areas include Hyattsville, south of College Park, recognized as a 'tree city' for over 30 years, and the tree-lined Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD-295), which bisects Greenbelt Park. The photo, ISS069-E-39302, was taken with a Nikon D5 digital camera using a 1150-millimeter lens by an Expedition 69 crew member, then cropped and enhanced for our viewing pleasure.