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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: ISS010-E-8524 Date: Nov. 2004
Geographic Region: INDIA
Feature: SAMBHAR, SALTWORKS, AGR.

Ordering information for space photography
 
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  View Low-Resolution Image  
  Lake Sambhar, India

Lake Sambhar, India's largest salt lake, sits west of the Indian city of Jaipur (Rajasthan, NW India). On the eastern end, the lake is divided by a 5-km long dam made of stone. East of the dam are salt evaporation ponds where salt has been farmed for a thousand years.

This image, taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, shows Lake Sambhar's eastern saltworks in detail. Today, they are operated by a joint venture between Hindustan Salts and the Government of Rajasthan. East of the dam is a railroad, built by the British (before India's independence) that provides access from Sambhar Lake City to the salt works.

More importantly, Sambhar has been designated as a Ramsar site (recognized wetland of international importance) because the wetland is a key wintering area for tens of thousands of flamingos and other birds that migrate from northern Asia. The lake is actually an extensive saline wetland, with water depths fluctuating from just a few centimeters (1 inch) during the dry season to about 3 meters (10 feet) after monsoon season. The specialized algae and bacteria growing in the lake provide striking water colors and support the lake ecology that, in turn, sustains the migrating waterfowl.

 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 373k
Mission: ISS010  
Roll - Frame: E - 8524
Geographical Name: INDIA  
Features: SAMBHAR, SALTWORKS, AGR.  
Center Lat x Lon: 26.9N x 75.2E
Film Exposure:   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 10
 
Camera: E4
 
Camera Tilt: 31   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 800  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: SW   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number: 2347  
 
Date: 20041124   YYYYMMDD
Time: 073355   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 28.3N  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 76.5E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 196   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 189   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 40   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:  
Water Views: LAKE  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views: DAM  
City Views: JAIPUR  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


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