Astronaut Photography of Earth - Display Record
ISS014-E-15732
Low-resolution Browse Image
(Most browse images are not color adjusted.)Images
Conditions for Use of Images >>Image Transformation Tutorial >> Saving, Color Adjusting, and Printing Images >>
Images to View on Your Computer Now
| File Name | File Size (bytes) | Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Comments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View | ISS014-E-15732.JPG | 78197 | 639 | 435 | No | No | ||
| View | ISS014-E-15732.JPG | 198258 | 540 | 355 | Yes | Yes | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | |
| View | ISS014-E-15732.JPG | 582284 | 1000 | 658 | No | Yes | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | |
| View | ISS014-E-15732.JPG | 1131740 | 3032 | 2064 | No | No |
Request the original image file.
Download a Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file for use in Google Earth.
Electronic Image Data
Camera Files >> No sound file available.Identification
Mission: ISS014 Roll: E Frame: 15732 Mission ID on the Film or image: ISS014Country or Geographic Name: BOTSWANA
Features: SALT WORKS, SUA PAN
Center Point Latitude: -20.5 Center Point Longitude: 26.1 (Negative numbers indicate south for latitude and west for longitude)
Stereo: (Yes indicates there is an adjacent picture of the same area)
ONC Map ID: JNC Map ID:
Camera
Camera Tilt: 41Camera Focal Length: 800mm
Camera: E4: Kodak DCS760C Electronic Still Camera
Film: 3060E : 3060 x 2036 pixel CCD, RGBG array.
Quality
Film Exposure:Percentage of Cloud Cover: 10 (0-10)
Nadir
Date: 20070301 (YYYYMMDD)GMT Time: 064047 (HHMMSS)Nadir Point Latitude: -18.4, Longitude: 27.6 (Negative numbers indicate south for latitude and west for longitude)
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: Southwest
Sun Azimuth: 87 (Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point)
Spacecraft Altitude: 179 nautical miles (332 km)
Sun Elevation Angle: 35 (Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point)
Orbit Number: 3372
Captions
ISS014-E-15732 (1 March 2007) --- Salt ponds of Botswana are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station. This recent, detailed view shows the salt ponds of one of Africa's major producers of soda ash (sodium carbonate) and salt. Soda ash is used for glass making, in metallurgy, in the detergent industry, and in chemical manufacture. The image shows a small part of the great salt flats of central Botswana known as the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. The soda ash and salt are both mainly exported (since 1989) to most countries in southern and central Africa. Brines from just beneath the pan floor are evaporated to produce the soda ash and salt -- a process for which the semiarid climate of Botswana is ideal. Red salt-loving algae in the ponds indicate that the salinity of the evaporating brines is medium to high. The salt pans of Botswana--a prominent visual photo target of interest for astronauts aboard the station--lie at the low point of a vast shallow continental basin. Rivers draining from as far away as central Angola - more than 1,000 kilometers away - supply water to the pans. According to scientists, during several wet climatic phases in the recent geological past the pans were permanently filled with water, for thousands of years, only to dry out when climates fluctuated to drier conditions. During dry phases water only reaches the pans underground. These are the brines that support the ash and salt industry. During wet phases when open water exists, beach ridges are constructed by wave action. One of these crosses the lower part of the view.Salt Ponds, Botswana:
This detailed astronaut photograph shows the salt ponds of one of Africa’s major producers of soda ash (sodium carbonate) and salt. Soda ash is used for making glass, in metallurgy, in the detergent industry, and in chemical manufacture. The image shows a small part of the great salt flats of central Botswana known as the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. The soda ash and salt are mainly exported (since 1989) to countries in southern and central Africa. Salt water from just beneath the pan floor is evaporated to produce the soda ash and salt—a process for which the semiarid climate of Botswana is ideal. Red, salt-loving algae in the ponds indicate that the salinity of the evaporating water is medium to high.
The salt pans of Botswana—an easily recognizable visual feature for astronauts aboard the ISS—lie at the low point of a vast, shallow continental basin. Rivers draining from as far away as central Angola, more than 1000 kilometers (621 miles) away, supply water to the pans. During several wet climatic phases in the recent geological past, the pans were filled with water for thousands of years, only to dry out when climates fluctuated to drier conditions. During dry phases, water only reaches the pans underground. This underground, salty water supports the ash and salt industry. During wet phases, when open water exists, waves build up beach ridges. One of these ridges crosses the lower part of the view.
Additional astronaut imagery shows another prominent set of salt ponds, near the Dead Sea.
Download Packaged File.
This option downloads the following items, packaged into a single file, if they are available:
- Browse image
- Large JPEG
- Cataloged information with captions
- Camera file
- Sound file
