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			Photo #: STS033-84-84 Date: Nov. 1989 Geographic Region: DJIBOUTI Feature: KHARAB BAY-LAKE ASAL



	STS033-084-084 Lake Assal, Djibouti November 1989 This near-vertical photograph shows Lake Assal, the third lowest surface in the world (excluding the ocean basins) and the lowest point in Africa at 510 feet (155 meters) below sea level. Lake Assal sits in a rift valley, a depression where the earth's crust has split and adjacent areas have moved with respect to one another. The lake is located in the Danakil Desert near the western end of the Gulf of Aden. Because Lake Assal has no outlet, it is ten times saltier than the ocean and is the most saline body of water in the world. The evaporation rate of Lake Assal is very high because summer temperatures sometimes reach 125F (52C), and are accompanied by strong dry winds. The surrounding plain (visible on the image to the right of the lake), once the lake floor, is a glistering expanse of salt. The region surrounding the lake is mostly a stony desert with isolated plateaus and highlands. Lava flows from an old volcano are visible just to the left near the shore of the lake.

Images:	All Available Images Low-Resolution 135k
Mission:	STS033
Roll - Frame:	84 - 84
Geographical Name:	DJIBOUTI
Features:	KHARAB BAY-LAKE ASAL
Center Lat x Lon:	11.5N x 42.5E
Film Exposure:	N	N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP:	15
Camera:	HB
Camera Tilt:	4	LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length:	250
Nadir to Photo Center Direction:	N	The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?:	Y	Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number:	39
Date:	19891125	YYYYMMDD
Time:	102811	GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat:	11.3N	Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon:	42.5E	Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth:	215	Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude:	153	nautical miles
Sun Elevation:	51	Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views:	FAULT, ESCARPMENT, DESERT, RIFT, VOLCANO
Water Views:	GULF
Atmosphere Views:
Man Made Views:
City Views:

Photo is not associated with any sequences

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