This is a nadir view of Hurricane Frances as it churned at about 8 a.m EDT Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004.

From 230 miles above, this is a nadir view of Hurricane Frances as it churned in the Atlantic Ocean almost 500 miles east-southeast of West Palm Beach, Fla., at about 8 a.m EDT Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004. At the time, Frances was a category 4 hurricane with winds of 145 mph. Astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke took this photo through the window of the International Space Station. Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Fincke, the NASA ISS Science Officer and Flight Engineer, are in the fifth month of a six-month stay on the orbiting research platform.