STS086-724-86 Click the photo number to access all resolutions available and the database record.
| STS-086 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights |
| TOP PICKS |
| Click here to view the complete online collection of astronaut photography of Earth >> |
| STS086-724-86 |
STS086-724-86 Click the photo number to access all resolutions available and the database record. |
| 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. |
| < Back |
|
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." . |
||||
 |
|
|
 |
|