Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

STS-105 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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STS105-E-5416 California Wildfires as Seen From the Space Shuttle:After undocking with Space Station Alpha, on August 20, 2001, astronauts on the Space Shuttle photographed wildfires burning in the western U.S. using a digital camera. Zooming in with a longer lens length, astronauts recorded details of individual fires. The digital images were then downlinked to the ground.
The Trough Fire, burning in Mendocino National Forest was 76 percent contained and had burned 16,751 acres at the time the photo was taken. Information on fire status and locations was obtained from the National Fire Interagency Center and U.S. Forest Service Detailed Fire Intelligence.

STS105-E-5417 California Wildfires as Seen From the Space Shuttle:After undocking with Space Station Alpha, on August 20, 2001, astronauts on the Space Shuttle photographed wildfires burning in the western U.S. using a digital camera. Zooming in with a longer lens length, astronauts recorded details of individual fires. The digital images were then downlinked to the ground.
The Hoover Complex Fire had burned 3,750 acres in Yosemite National Park and was not threatening structures or communities at the time the photo was taken. The Creek wildfire covered approximately 6,700 acres and was 50 percent contained. It threatened the towns of Groveland and Big Oak Flat and had spread into Stanislaus National Forest. The Leonard Fire, also near Stanislaus National Forest, covered 2,455 acres and was 20 percent contained. Information on fire status and locations was obtained from the National Fire Interagency Center and U.S. Forest Service Detailed Fire Intelligence.

STS105-E-5421 California Wildfires as Seen From the Space Shuttle:After undocking with Space Station Alpha, on August 20, 2001, astronauts on the Space Shuttle photographed wildfires burning in the western U.S. using a digital camera. With a shorter lens, astronauts recorded this regional view, showing the smoke around the California Central Valley blowing into Nevada. The digital images were then downlinked to the ground.
The Trough Fire, burning in Mendocino National Forest was 76 percent contained and had burned 16,751 acres at the time the photo was taken. The Hoover Complex Fire had burned 3,750 acres in Yosemite National Park and was not threatening structures or communities at the time the photo was taken. The Creek wildfire covered approximately 6,700 acres and was 50 percent contained. It threatened the towns of Groveland and Big Oak Flat and had spread into Stanislaus National Forest. The Leonard Fire, also near Stanislaus National Forest, covered 2,455 acres and was 20 percent contained. Information on fire status and locations was obtained from the National Fire Interagency Center and U.S. Forest Service Detailed Fire Intelligence.

STS105-723-7 African Dust Blows over the Caribbean:Shuttle astronauts frequently track Saharan dust storms as they blow from north Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Dust palls blowing from Africa take about a week to cross the Atlantic. Recently, researchers have linked Saharan dust to coral disease, allergic reactions in humans, and red tides. The photograph was taken by Space Shuttle astronauts while docked to the International Space Station on August 19, 2001. The spacecraft is over the Atlantic Ocean at roughly 45°N, 60°W. The astronauts were looking obliquely to the south; the boundaries of the dust plumes can be traced visually by the abrupt change from clear to hazy atmosphere-the hazy line marks the northern edge of the dust pall near the Caribbean.

STS105-331-18 Biogenic Films at the Mouth of the Suez Canal:Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery used the sunglint off the surface of the Mediterranean Sea to reveal biogenic films on the ocean surface. ("Biogenic film" refers to a thin layer of biologically-produced film resting on the surface. Click for more details.) The films dampen surface capillary waves, creating brighter and darker reflections, which, in turn, trace the complex surface water movements along the coast. The sunglint also highlights coastal features (jetties, submerged coastal areas) near the Port of Suez.
Image STS105-331-18, taken in August 2001, was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.

STS105-711-54 Nile River Margin, Egypt:New agricultural development that extends into the desert to the west of the heavily cultivated darker looking region of the Nile River Delta (bottom left and center of the image) can be seen in this near-vertical view. This newly developing agricultural region located to the northwest of the city of Cairo, has been expanding since the mid- to late- 1990’s. Center pivot irrigation fields (circular) are visible at the right center of the image.

STS105-707-19 International Space Station:The International Space Station is visible in this east-looking view over Southeastern England between the Isle of Wight and the Strait of Dover. This unique view was acquired by one of the crewmembers on Space Shuttle Discovery shortly after undocking from the Space Station.

STS105-714-28 Simplesat over Lake Michigan:With Lake Michigan as a backdrop, this north-looking view shows the recently deployed small sciences satellite called Simplesat (dark rectangular object near the center of the image). Simplesat is an engineering satellite designed to evaluate the use of inexpensive commercial hardware for spacecraft. The satellite was spring-ejected from a canister at the rear of the Shuttle’s cargo bay. Lake Michigan is the second deepest and third largest of the five Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is 307 miles (494 km) long and is the only Great Lake wholly within the United States. Cloud free Lake Superior, the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, is discernible just below the horizon at the top center of the image.

STS105-E-5343 Laguna Mar Muerto, Mexico:The large body of water in the left center part of the image is the western end of the Laguna Mar Muerto. This saltwater lagoon is located along the Pacific Ocean coast in southern Mexico. Small cities with their distinctive grid street pattern are scattered throughout the multicolored, agricultural landscape. Highways that connect the farming communities along the narrow coastal plains are visible. The highly reflective area that fringes most of the lagoon is a transition zone where the changing tides have created a brackish marsh environment. A small section of the sandy beach that separates this large lagoon from the blue water of the Gulf of Tehuantepec is in the upper left corner of the image. North is towards the lower right corner of the image.

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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: Tracy Calhoun

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:

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STS105-E-5416	California Wildfires as Seen From the Space Shuttle:After undocking with Space Station Alpha, on August 20, 2001, astronauts on the Space Shuttle photographed wildfires burning in the western U.S. using a digital camera. Zooming in with a longer lens length, astronauts recorded details of individual fires. The digital images were then downlinked to the ground. The Trough Fire, burning in Mendocino National Forest was 76 percent contained and had burned 16,751 acres at the time the photo was taken. Information on fire status and locations was obtained from the National Fire Interagency Center and U.S. Forest Service Detailed Fire Intelligence.
STS105-E-5417	California Wildfires as Seen From the Space Shuttle:After undocking with Space Station Alpha, on August 20, 2001, astronauts on the Space Shuttle photographed wildfires burning in the western U.S. using a digital camera. Zooming in with a longer lens length, astronauts recorded details of individual fires. The digital images were then downlinked to the ground. The Hoover Complex Fire had burned 3,750 acres in Yosemite National Park and was not threatening structures or communities at the time the photo was taken. The Creek wildfire covered approximately 6,700 acres and was 50 percent contained. It threatened the towns of Groveland and Big Oak Flat and had spread into Stanislaus National Forest. The Leonard Fire, also near Stanislaus National Forest, covered 2,455 acres and was 20 percent contained. Information on fire status and locations was obtained from the National Fire Interagency Center and U.S. Forest Service Detailed Fire Intelligence.
STS105-E-5421	California Wildfires as Seen From the Space Shuttle:After undocking with Space Station Alpha, on August 20, 2001, astronauts on the Space Shuttle photographed wildfires burning in the western U.S. using a digital camera. With a shorter lens, astronauts recorded this regional view, showing the smoke around the California Central Valley blowing into Nevada. The digital images were then downlinked to the ground. The Trough Fire, burning in Mendocino National Forest was 76 percent contained and had burned 16,751 acres at the time the photo was taken. The Hoover Complex Fire had burned 3,750 acres in Yosemite National Park and was not threatening structures or communities at the time the photo was taken. The Creek wildfire covered approximately 6,700 acres and was 50 percent contained. It threatened the towns of Groveland and Big Oak Flat and had spread into Stanislaus National Forest. The Leonard Fire, also near Stanislaus National Forest, covered 2,455 acres and was 20 percent contained. Information on fire status and locations was obtained from the National Fire Interagency Center and U.S. Forest Service Detailed Fire Intelligence.
STS105-723-7	African Dust Blows over the Caribbean:Shuttle astronauts frequently track Saharan dust storms as they blow from north Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Dust palls blowing from Africa take about a week to cross the Atlantic. Recently, researchers have linked Saharan dust to coral disease, allergic reactions in humans, and red tides. The photograph was taken by Space Shuttle astronauts while docked to the International Space Station on August 19, 2001. The spacecraft is over the Atlantic Ocean at roughly 45°N, 60°W. The astronauts were looking obliquely to the south; the boundaries of the dust plumes can be traced visually by the abrupt change from clear to hazy atmosphere-the hazy line marks the northern edge of the dust pall near the Caribbean.
STS105-331-18	Biogenic Films at the Mouth of the Suez Canal:Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery used the sunglint off the surface of the Mediterranean Sea to reveal biogenic films on the ocean surface. ("Biogenic film" refers to a thin layer of biologically-produced film resting on the surface. Click for more details.) The films dampen surface capillary waves, creating brighter and darker reflections, which, in turn, trace the complex surface water movements along the coast. The sunglint also highlights coastal features (jetties, submerged coastal areas) near the Port of Suez. Image STS105-331-18, taken in August 2001, was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
STS105-711-54	Nile River Margin, Egypt:New agricultural development that extends into the desert to the west of the heavily cultivated darker looking region of the Nile River Delta (bottom left and center of the image) can be seen in this near-vertical view. This newly developing agricultural region located to the northwest of the city of Cairo, has been expanding since the mid- to late- 1990’s. Center pivot irrigation fields (circular) are visible at the right center of the image.
STS105-707-19	International Space Station:The International Space Station is visible in this east-looking view over Southeastern England between the Isle of Wight and the Strait of Dover. This unique view was acquired by one of the crewmembers on Space Shuttle Discovery shortly after undocking from the Space Station.
STS105-714-28	Simplesat over Lake Michigan:With Lake Michigan as a backdrop, this north-looking view shows the recently deployed small sciences satellite called Simplesat (dark rectangular object near the center of the image). Simplesat is an engineering satellite designed to evaluate the use of inexpensive commercial hardware for spacecraft. The satellite was spring-ejected from a canister at the rear of the Shuttle’s cargo bay. Lake Michigan is the second deepest and third largest of the five Great Lakes. Lake Michigan is 307 miles (494 km) long and is the only Great Lake wholly within the United States. Cloud free Lake Superior, the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, is discernible just below the horizon at the top center of the image.
STS105-E-5343	Laguna Mar Muerto, Mexico:The large body of water in the left center part of the image is the western end of the Laguna Mar Muerto. This saltwater lagoon is located along the Pacific Ocean coast in southern Mexico. Small cities with their distinctive grid street pattern are scattered throughout the multicolored, agricultural landscape. Highways that connect the farming communities along the narrow coastal plains are visible. The highly reflective area that fringes most of the lagoon is a transition zone where the changing tides have created a brackish marsh environment. A small section of the sandy beach that separates this large lagoon from the blue water of the Gulf of Tehuantepec is in the upper left corner of the image. North is towards the lower right corner of the image.

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: Tracy Calhoun 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