Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

STS-086 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

TOP PICKS

Click here to view the complete online collection of astronaut photography of Earth >>

STS086-705-27 New Zealand: City of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand. Banks Peninsula is a drowned volcano that was active about 7 million years ago (Miocene). Where the rim has been breached submerged portions of the old crater provide sheltered harbors, such as Lyttleton and Akaroa, for freighters and other large ships. Waimakariri is one of the great braided rivers that drain the Southern Alps of South Island.

STS086-723-79 New Zealand: Mt. Cook and the Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand. Mt. Cook is the centerpiece of this photograph, with Tasman glacier flowing down its southeast flank. The waters of Lake Pukaki, which is fed by the Tasman and Murchison glaciers, contain rock that has been ground to the consistency of flour by the ice; the suspended rock flour gives the lake its lighter color (cf. Lakes Ohau, Hawea, Wanaka). The Southern Alps of South Island have been uplifted along the Alpine fault zone, which marks the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates of the Earth's crust. Mt. Cook rises above 11,000 ft (3754 m) and occupies a point where the straight segment of the Alpine fault zone begins to branch off into southeasterly splays. Lakes Pukaki, Ohau, Hawea and Wanaka lie in valleys formed by such faults.

STS086-724-86 Aldabra, Seychelles: Aldabra Is of the Seychelles (NW of Madagascar). Assumption Is. (smaller and to the south has a runway where researchers can land and travel to Aldabra. In common with about half the other islands of Seychelles, the Aldabra Islands are volcanic in origin. They were created by an uplift process where part or all of a reef system may become land as a result of crustal movements raising it above sea level. Mangrove forests are found on the islands. The Aldabras were once rich in guano (deposits formed from bird droppings), but it was almost all collected and sold for fertilizer in the early 1950s. It is now famous for its giant tortoises, and a nature reserve established in 1976 completely protects them and other animals. The Aldabras were designated a World Heritage Site in 1982. The islands were uninhabited in the late 20th century. Tortoises are found in both the Old World and the New, but the majority of the 40-odd living species are confined to Africa and Madagascar. Of the giant tortoises native to about 30 islands in the Indian Ocean, all are extinct except the group native to South Aldabra Island. Giant tortoises attain very large sizes relative to most other living turtles. One captive Gal pagos tortoise had a shell length (measured along the curve) of about 1.3 m (4.25 feet) and a weight of about 140 kg (300 pounds). Weights of about 180 kg have been recorded for specimens from Santa Cruz Island.

< Previous 1 Next >

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

STS086-705-27	New Zealand: City of Christchurch and Banks Peninsula, South Island, New Zealand. Banks Peninsula is a drowned volcano that was active about 7 million years ago (Miocene). Where the rim has been breached submerged portions of the old crater provide sheltered harbors, such as Lyttleton and Akaroa, for freighters and other large ships. Waimakariri is one of the great braided rivers that drain the Southern Alps of South Island.
STS086-723-79	New Zealand: Mt. Cook and the Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand. Mt. Cook is the centerpiece of this photograph, with Tasman glacier flowing down its southeast flank. The waters of Lake Pukaki, which is fed by the Tasman and Murchison glaciers, contain rock that has been ground to the consistency of flour by the ice; the suspended rock flour gives the lake its lighter color (cf. Lakes Ohau, Hawea, Wanaka). The Southern Alps of South Island have been uplifted along the Alpine fault zone, which marks the boundary between the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates of the Earth's crust. Mt. Cook rises above 11,000 ft (3754 m) and occupies a point where the straight segment of the Alpine fault zone begins to branch off into southeasterly splays. Lakes Pukaki, Ohau, Hawea and Wanaka lie in valleys formed by such faults.
STS086-724-86	Aldabra, Seychelles: Aldabra Is of the Seychelles (NW of Madagascar). Assumption Is. (smaller and to the south has a runway where researchers can land and travel to Aldabra. In common with about half the other islands of Seychelles, the Aldabra Islands are volcanic in origin. They were created by an uplift process where part or all of a reef system may become land as a result of crustal movements raising it above sea level. Mangrove forests are found on the islands. The Aldabras were once rich in guano (deposits formed from bird droppings), but it was almost all collected and sold for fertilizer in the early 1950s. It is now famous for its giant tortoises, and a nature reserve established in 1976 completely protects them and other animals. The Aldabras were designated a World Heritage Site in 1982. The islands were uninhabited in the late 20th century. Tortoises are found in both the Old World and the New, but the majority of the 40-odd living species are confined to Africa and Madagascar. Of the giant tortoises native to about 30 islands in the Indian Ocean, all are extinct except the group native to South Aldabra Island. Giant tortoises attain very large sizes relative to most other living turtles. One captive Gal pagos tortoise had a shell length (measured along the curve) of about 1.3 m (4.25 feet) and a weight of about 140 kg (300 pounds). Weights of about 180 kg have been recorded for specimens from Santa Cruz Island.

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