STS090-714-42
|
Beijing, China: Beijing has been one of the most important
cities in the world for more than three thousand years—it first was
named a capital city in 1057 B.C. This image of Beijing was taken
from the Space Shuttle five years ago (in late April-early May 1998),
and is one of the best photographs of the city taken from orbit. The
image has been scanned from film and reduced in resolution for
display over the Internet, but still shows the city’s distinctive
historical features such as the Forbidden City and Summer
Palace. Modern Beijing is home to over 12 million people, and
covers nearly 17,000 square kilometers (6400 square miles). Beijing
has been a focus of international concern since the outbreak of the
SARS virus in November 2002. Beijing was hit hard by the outbreak,
with large portions of the cases worldwide and deaths reported there.
|
STS090-705-69
|
Salamis Island, Athens: Salamis Island, Athens, ground
clearing for the new Athens airport. The light rectangular patch at
the southwesternmost tip of the Attic Peninsula is the Temple of
Poseidon, which is readily resolved in this excellent photo.
|
STS090-706-78
|
Thessaloniki and Corinth Canal: This view spans the region
from Thessaloniki southwestward to the Gulf of Corinth and the
Corinth Canal, the village and archeological site of Ancient Corinth,
and the peak of Acrocorinth which rises above the southern perimeter
of the site. Ancient Corinth rivaled Athens in wealth and influence,
particularly from the 8th through 2nd centuries B.C. One can stand in
the remains of a Neolithic settlement and see an astounding
progression of Archaic, Classic, Hellenic, Roman, Byzantine, Frankish
and Turkish structures. Acrocorinth is crowned with an 18th-century
Turkish fortress.
|
STS090-759-49
|
Athens and Piraeus: Exceptionally fine view of Athens and the
port city of Piraeus. On the green hill of the Acropolis, the light
rectangular areas of the Parthenon and the Agora are easily visible.
|
STS090-767-56
|
Peloponnesos, Greece: The Peloponnesos of Greece is another
region feeling the effects of the northward convergence of the
African tectonic plate. Twenty-seven hours after this photograph was
taken, an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 shook the port town of
Kalamata; the town and the faults of the area can be seen in the
lower right of this frame.
|
STS090-767-62
|
Attic Peninsula, Cyclades: From the southern tip of the Attic
Peninsula, the islands of the Cyclades decorate the Aegean. Santorini
is a volcanic island, half of which was blown out to the west when
the volcano erupted in 1625 B.C. Acrotiri, a significant Minoan city
that rivaled those on Crete from the 18th century B.C., was entirely
buried in ash and pumice from the eruption. Sunglint helps define Nea
Kameni, a young lava dome in the midst of the half-drowned caldera,
which still spouts steam, gas and ash.
|
STS090-771-38C
|
Yosemite Valley, California: Yosemite Valley, California.
|
STS090-739-79
|
Ariake Sea, Kyushu, Japan: The Isahaya Bay Reclamation project
separated approximately 3,000 hectares of tidal flats from the Ariake
Sea in 1997. This photograph was taken from the Space Shuttle on
April 27, 1998, a year after the sea wall separating Isahaya Bay from
the rest of the Ariake Sea was closed. The reflective white area
(center arrow) shows the straight edge of the sea wall and the drying
tidal flats. The project has been highly controversial because of
concerns by environmental groups about the loss of wetland habitat.
Hirofumi Yamashita was awarded the 1998 Goldman
Environmental Prize for his scientific efforts documenting the
ecological value of the bay and his grassroots activism trying to
stop the closing of the sea wall. In 1992, he catalyzed other
organizations to form the Japan Wetlands Action Network, composed of
70 grassroots and national conservation organizations, and became its
spokesperson. Yamashita died in July 2000. According to a January
2001 Reuters News Article, fishermen have been demonstrating at the
sluice gates in support of a government panel’s recommendation that
the gates be opened. Seaweed growers believe the reduced availability
of nori (seaweed) produced in the Ariake Sea is tied to environmental
damage caused by the building of the seawall.
|
