Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

ISS008 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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ISS008-E-12564 Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia: Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water.
This oblique photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. An accompanying view can be found at ISS008-E-12555.

ISS008-E-12555 Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia: Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water.
This photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. An accompanying oblique view, ISS008-E-12654, shows all three large remnant pieces of A-38 close to South Georgia Island.

ISS008-E-17326 Mt. Fuji, Japan: Fuji, Japan’s tallest volcano (3,776 m) and a national symbol, is located about 110 km (70 miles) west-southwest of Tokyo in central Honshu, Japan. It is a highly recognizable target from space and last week International Space Station crew members peered down onto Fuji’s snow-capped cone. The summit crater is about 250 m deep, with a diameter of about 500 meters. Fuji last erupted in 1707 from Hoei crater, a vent on the mountain’s southeastern flank.
When this image was taken, the winter snow cover highlighted trails, roads, and other clearings above a certain elevation. Developments on Fuji’s lower flanks, which include military installations and tourist resorts, remained snow-free.

ISS008-E-9603 Argudan, Caucasus Mts., Russian Federation: The striking land use pattern, seen through a high magnification lens and highlighted by winter snow and low Sun angles, produces a unique view of the village of Argudan near the north slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The image was taken with a handheld camera from the International Space Station in the early afternoon of December 20, 2003. This rural, agricultural community sits astride the main highway about 15 km east-southeast of the city of Nalchik. Shadows from a line of trees planted as a windbreak near the highway give the road a ragged appearance. A small stream flowing northeastward exits heavily forested foothills through the village and fields of intensely cultivated croplands on the plains. Snow falls through the vegetation, making the woodlands appear extremely dark compared to the snow-covered fields. Astronauts also photographed nearby Nalchik, a tourist resort and industrial center. It is the major city of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (population ~ 750,000), one of five small republics on the north slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, 200 km west of Chechnya.

ISS008-E-16355 Massive Sandstorm in Qatar: This striking photograph shows a massive sandstorm sweeping over the Persian Gulf state of Qatar as it races southward toward southeastern Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on February 15, 2004. A major upper level low pressure over southwestern Asia led to a series of storms sweeping through the area. The crew of the International Space Station acquired this image with a digital camera using a 50-mm lens.

ISS008-E-16328 Major Dust Storm East of Bam, Iran: This stunning photo shows a major dust storm raging in the Kerman Desert, just east of the city of Bam in Southeastern, Iran. The image was acquired by the crew of the International Space Station on the afternoon of February 15, 2004, using a digital camera with a 50-mm lens.

ISS008-E-8951 Thinning Upper Atmosphere: From a vantage point about 360 km (225 miles) over the Earth, Space Station crewmembers photographed the crescent moon through the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. At the bottom of the image, a closed deck of clouds is probably at about 6 km (3 miles). The shades of blue grading to black are caused by the scatter of light as it strikes gas molecules of the very low density upper atmosphere.
Models predict that emissions of carbon dioxide are causing the upper atmosphere to cool and contract, and therefore reduce the density of gases in the layer spanning from 90 to 649 km (60 to 400 miles) above the surface—known as the thermosphere. According to a study by the Naval Research Laboratory, the density of the thermosphere has decreased about 10 percent over the last 35 years. These findings are important both for space science and for Earth science. Spacecraft in orbit, such as the International Space Station, experience less drag and need fewer boosts to maintain their orbit. At the same time, space debris also remains in orbit longer, which increases hazards to spacecraft. Most importantly, the study validates models of the “greenhouse effect” of increased carbon dioxide release on the dynamics of the atmosphere.

ISS008-E-9610 Nalchik, Caucasus Mts., Russian Federation: This winter-time view of the city of Nalchik on the north slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, was taken with a handheld camera from the International Space Station in early 2004. Rectangles are the city blocks of Nalchik (population ~240,000), a city which lies where the major Terek River exits from the mountains. The river appears as a meandering line crossing the view, slightly diagonally from right to left. Dark forests (top right and lower right) make the mountain sides appear snow free. A dark line, probably a major canal, crosses the view to the lower left corner. Nalchik is a tourist resort and industrial center. It is the major city of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (population ~ 750,000), one of five small republics on the north slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, 200 km west of Chechnya.

ISS008-E-12390 Viedma Glacier, Southern Argentina: This detailed view was taken with an 800 mm lens from the International Space Station on 10 January, 2004. The image shows the lower end of the Viedma Glacier that flows into Lake Viedma, one of three major glacially formed lakes on the Patagonian side of the southern Andean ice sheet, at 50 degrees South.
The image reveals the slender dark lines of rock material (moraine) which is carried in the slowly flowing ice. Lighter lines at right angles are patterns of crevasses. The glacier diverges into two lakes where calved icebergs can be seen floating in the lakes.
The glacier here is about 1.8 km wide. The thickest moraine parallels the north side of the valley. This moraine separates lighter-colored ice to the south (in the main part of the glacier) from darker ice along the northern margin (between arrows). The ice is darker due to greater proportions of rock material mixed with it. Ice on the northern margin flows into embayments in the valley wall (top center and top left), resulting in a greater flow distance and hence more time for the ice to be impregnated with rocky material from the valley floor and walls.

ISS008-E-12372 Pangue Dam, Bíobío River, Chile: Chile’s Bíobío River flows northwestward from the high Cordillera of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean near Concepción, about 450 km south of Santiago. The river is known globally for spectacular white-water rafting. This image shows a section of the river that skirts around Antuco volcano in the Andes, and features the Pangue Dam and reservoir filling a narrow, meandering segment of the Bíobío River valley. Completed in 1996, the dam is the first of six hydroelectric dams planned by ENDESA, a Chilean utility company.
The future development of the Bíobío River is a point of intense debate among Chileans, and has been called Chile’s “defining environmental issue.” Over a million people use the resources of the river. Controversial issues include ecological damage from the reservoirs, impacts to native peoples, and international financing and accountability. One of the planned dams upstream from Pangue, the Ralco, would require relocation of indigenous peoples who still maintain traditional lifestyles and affect temperate rainforest. A Chilean activist, Juan Pablo Orrego, won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1997 for his work to preserve the natural environment around the Bíobío.
In May 2003, a Santiago court ruling allowed construction of the Ralco Dam to continue, but prohibited flooding the area occupied by the indigenous people. Upstream from the Pangue Reservoir (to the right in the image), the cleared areas associated with earth moving and construction of the Ralco Dam are visible. The straight white lines in cleared forest between the two dams probably represent power transmission lines.

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This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate.

Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .

NASA Responsible Official: Susan Runco

Curator: jsc-earthweb@mail.nasa.gov

Contributors: Earth Sciences Web Team

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

International Space Station National Laboratory

Last Update:

Server: 1

ISS008-E-12564	Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia: Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water. This oblique photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. An accompanying view can be found at ISS008-E-12555.
ISS008-E-12555	Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia: Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water. This photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. An accompanying oblique view, ISS008-E-12654, shows all three large remnant pieces of A-38 close to South Georgia Island.
ISS008-E-17326	Mt. Fuji, Japan: Fuji, Japan’s tallest volcano (3,776 m) and a national symbol, is located about 110 km (70 miles) west-southwest of Tokyo in central Honshu, Japan. It is a highly recognizable target from space and last week International Space Station crew members peered down onto Fuji’s snow-capped cone. The summit crater is about 250 m deep, with a diameter of about 500 meters. Fuji last erupted in 1707 from Hoei crater, a vent on the mountain’s southeastern flank. When this image was taken, the winter snow cover highlighted trails, roads, and other clearings above a certain elevation. Developments on Fuji’s lower flanks, which include military installations and tourist resorts, remained snow-free.
ISS008-E-9603	Argudan, Caucasus Mts., Russian Federation: The striking land use pattern, seen through a high magnification lens and highlighted by winter snow and low Sun angles, produces a unique view of the village of Argudan near the north slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. The image was taken with a handheld camera from the International Space Station in the early afternoon of December 20, 2003. This rural, agricultural community sits astride the main highway about 15 km east-southeast of the city of Nalchik. Shadows from a line of trees planted as a windbreak near the highway give the road a ragged appearance. A small stream flowing northeastward exits heavily forested foothills through the village and fields of intensely cultivated croplands on the plains. Snow falls through the vegetation, making the woodlands appear extremely dark compared to the snow-covered fields. Astronauts also photographed nearby Nalchik, a tourist resort and industrial center. It is the major city of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (population ~ 750,000), one of five small republics on the north slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, 200 km west of Chechnya.
ISS008-E-16355	Massive Sandstorm in Qatar: This striking photograph shows a massive sandstorm sweeping over the Persian Gulf state of Qatar as it races southward toward southeastern Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on February 15, 2004. A major upper level low pressure over southwestern Asia led to a series of storms sweeping through the area. The crew of the International Space Station acquired this image with a digital camera using a 50-mm lens.
ISS008-E-16328	Major Dust Storm East of Bam, Iran: This stunning photo shows a major dust storm raging in the Kerman Desert, just east of the city of Bam in Southeastern, Iran. The image was acquired by the crew of the International Space Station on the afternoon of February 15, 2004, using a digital camera with a 50-mm lens.
ISS008-E-8951	Thinning Upper Atmosphere: From a vantage point about 360 km (225 miles) over the Earth, Space Station crewmembers photographed the crescent moon through the upper layers of Earth’s atmosphere. At the bottom of the image, a closed deck of clouds is probably at about 6 km (3 miles). The shades of blue grading to black are caused by the scatter of light as it strikes gas molecules of the very low density upper atmosphere. Models predict that emissions of carbon dioxide are causing the upper atmosphere to cool and contract, and therefore reduce the density of gases in the layer spanning from 90 to 649 km (60 to 400 miles) above the surface—known as the thermosphere. According to a study by the Naval Research Laboratory, the density of the thermosphere has decreased about 10 percent over the last 35 years. These findings are important both for space science and for Earth science. Spacecraft in orbit, such as the International Space Station, experience less drag and need fewer boosts to maintain their orbit. At the same time, space debris also remains in orbit longer, which increases hazards to spacecraft. Most importantly, the study validates models of the “greenhouse effect” of increased carbon dioxide release on the dynamics of the atmosphere.
ISS008-E-9610	Nalchik, Caucasus Mts., Russian Federation: This winter-time view of the city of Nalchik on the north slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, was taken with a handheld camera from the International Space Station in early 2004. Rectangles are the city blocks of Nalchik (population ~240,000), a city which lies where the major Terek River exits from the mountains. The river appears as a meandering line crossing the view, slightly diagonally from right to left. Dark forests (top right and lower right) make the mountain sides appear snow free. A dark line, probably a major canal, crosses the view to the lower left corner. Nalchik is a tourist resort and industrial center. It is the major city of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic (population ~ 750,000), one of five small republics on the north slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, 200 km west of Chechnya.
ISS008-E-12390	Viedma Glacier, Southern Argentina: This detailed view was taken with an 800 mm lens from the International Space Station on 10 January, 2004. The image shows the lower end of the Viedma Glacier that flows into Lake Viedma, one of three major glacially formed lakes on the Patagonian side of the southern Andean ice sheet, at 50 degrees South. The image reveals the slender dark lines of rock material (moraine) which is carried in the slowly flowing ice. Lighter lines at right angles are patterns of crevasses. The glacier diverges into two lakes where calved icebergs can be seen floating in the lakes. The glacier here is about 1.8 km wide. The thickest moraine parallels the north side of the valley. This moraine separates lighter-colored ice to the south (in the main part of the glacier) from darker ice along the northern margin (between arrows). The ice is darker due to greater proportions of rock material mixed with it. Ice on the northern margin flows into embayments in the valley wall (top center and top left), resulting in a greater flow distance and hence more time for the ice to be impregnated with rocky material from the valley floor and walls.
ISS008-E-12372	Pangue Dam, Bíobío River, Chile: Chile’s Bíobío River flows northwestward from the high Cordillera of the Andes to the Pacific Ocean near Concepción, about 450 km south of Santiago. The river is known globally for spectacular white-water rafting. This image shows a section of the river that skirts around Antuco volcano in the Andes, and features the Pangue Dam and reservoir filling a narrow, meandering segment of the Bíobío River valley. Completed in 1996, the dam is the first of six hydroelectric dams planned by ENDESA, a Chilean utility company. The future development of the Bíobío River is a point of intense debate among Chileans, and has been called Chile’s “defining environmental issue.” Over a million people use the resources of the river. Controversial issues include ecological damage from the reservoirs, impacts to native peoples, and international financing and accountability. One of the planned dams upstream from Pangue, the Ralco, would require relocation of indigenous peoples who still maintain traditional lifestyles and affect temperate rainforest. A Chilean activist, Juan Pablo Orrego, won the Goldman Environmental Prize in 1997 for his work to preserve the natural environment around the Bíobío. In May 2003, a Santiago court ruling allowed construction of the Ralco Dam to continue, but prohibited flooding the area occupied by the indigenous people. Upstream from the Pangue Reservoir (to the right in the image), the cleared areas associated with earth moving and construction of the Ralco Dam are visible. The straight white lines in cleared forest between the two dams probably represent power transmission lines.

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate. Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .
	NASA Responsible Official: Susan Runco Curator: jsc-earthweb@mail.nasa.gov Contributors: Earth Sciences Web Team	National Aeronautics and Space Administration Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center	International Space Station National Laboratory Last Update:
Server: 1