( CNN ) -- Floating high above the Earth , astronaut Karen Nyberg pointed her camera at a swirling white cloud spreading across the planet . Little did she know the devastation that was unfurling beneath . This remarkable image of Super Typhoon Haiyan over the Philippines , was taken by the NASA astronaut during a five-month mission in space . It was one of many specular photographs taken by Nyberg -- who in 2008 became the 50th woman in space -- and was retweeted thousands of times by her followers back on Earth . CNN spoke to the mechanical engineering professor earlier this year , in a live broadcast from the International Space Station . Watch the full interview here . As she returned to Earth this week , we again caught up with the American astronaut to chat about her fascinating experiments and adjusting to life back on the blue planet . CNN : What was it like , taking a photograph like that and realizing the impact it might have on Earth as you looked out the window ? Karen Nyberg : It definitely makes you think , because it 's so beautiful when you look out the window . I could n't even fit the entire storm in one picture . I used a 50 millimeter lens to capture as much as I could , but just knowing the devastation underneath this beautiful cloud is pretty sad . CNN : You 've also taken some other photographs which have been just as beautiful , and not caused such a devastating impact -- like sunrises over Earth . KN : Yes , I love taking pictures and I enjoyed it more and more as the mission went on -- that 's probably one of the things I 'll miss the most . It was a great geography lesson for me too , to get these images from all over the world . CNN : Do you see the world in the same way , as before you went up as an astronaut ? KN : You actually do see it a little differently -- in a strange way you feel closer to everybody . I wish everybody could experience that . CNN : What sort of experiments were you working on while you were up there ? KN : A lot of the experiments were being done on us -- looking at our eyesight and how that changes , and looking at our bone density and how that changes by the effects of micro gravity . We also did a lot of experiments on fluids and combustion -- a lot of these are for developing systems to travel further into outer space , and a lot of them will really benefit what we 're doing on Earth . CNN : A lot of astronauts apparently experience long-term vision problems after returning to Earth -- is that something that 's happened to you , and do you know what causes it ? KN : I had some vision changes during my stay on the space station , but it 's coming back to normal again -- I think that 's happened frequently to other astronauts . I have n't experienced long-term changes but we have done quite intensive studies on me and my crew mates . CNN : What are other changes you 've noticed since coming back to Earth ? KN : It seems like I never left in a lot of ways -- it 's almost a time warp . You get back to home and work , and it 's like you were never away . I think I 'll need to go back and look at my pictures pretty soon and reminisce . To see more of Karen Nyberg 's photographs from space , follow her on Twitter or like her on Facebook . Learn more about the history of women in space .
CNN astronaut captures typhoon Haiyan over Philippines , from space . Nyberg speaks to NASA after 2008 mission in space . Conducted experiments on astronauts ' eyesight and bone density .