NASA pays tribute to Nelson Mandela

Zee Media Bureau

Nelson Mandela, the revered South African anti-apartheid icon who led his country to democracy and became its first black president is no more. The world is mourning the loss of an indomitable spirit and one of its greatest heroes. NASA has also joined the worldwide wave of tributes by highlighting an image of his native land as seen from the International Space Station (ISS). "In honor of the anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who passed away today at the age of 95, here is an image of Cape Town, South Africa, from space," the space agency said Thursday on its Google+ page. " Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield while living and working aboard the International Space Station had taken this photo on May 9, 2013.He tweeted this image and wrote, `Cape Town, South Africa and the South Atlantic calling to forever.`" This picture went out to NASA`s 5.4 million Twitter followers as well as the agency`s 1.7 million Google+ followers. Pic courtesy: NASA