This shot of the Houston area was taken with a 
250-mm lens in November 1985. Patterns of land 
use and transportation are especially prominent, 
as is the cloud of sediment dumped into Trinity 
Bay by the Trinity River.  The black smoke is from 
an explosion at a chemical plant near Mt. Belview, 
Texas, and highlights the importance of Space 
Shuttle photography in recording unexpected events. 
(STS61A-42-048)