| STS-131 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights |
| TOP PICKS |
| Click here to view the complete online collection of astronaut photography of Earth >> |
| STS131-E-12035 |
 STS131-E-12035 Click the photo number to access all resolutions available and the database record. |
| Orbital View of Earth from Docked Shuttle Discovery: The
International Space Station orbits 354 kilometers (220 miles) above
the Earth, completing one trip around the globe every 92 minutes.
Cruising along at 27,700 km (17,200 miles) per hour, the astronauts
experience 15 or 16 sunrises and -sets every day. Since the launch of
the Zarya Control Module on November 20, 1998, the station has
orbited the Earth over 66,500 times (as of June 27, 2010). The
station’s orbit is inclined to the equator by 51.65°, meaning at its
most northerly, it is at the latitude of London, England, and at it
most southerly it is over the latitude of the Falkland
Islands. This view features the arid interior of Australia colored myriad shades of red. At image top center,the white expanse of Lake Gairdner - the fourth largest salt lake in Australia when wet, and a large salt flat when dry - is visible. |
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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." . |
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