Photo #: STS084-706-69 Date: May 1997 Geographic Region: BOLIVIA Feature: LAKE POOPO, DUST |
STS084-706-069 Altiplano, Lake Poopo, Uyuni Salar, Bolivia May 1997 The Altiplano of southern Bolivia is a sediment-filled depression between the eastern and western ranges of the Andes Mountains. The high plateau sits at an average elevation of 12,000 feet (3660 meters) and is nearly 500 miles (805 km) long and reaches 500 miles (805 km) at its widest point. Vegetation is sparse. The climate is dry and cold. The region is dotted with salars or salt pans. One such salar is the Salar Uyuni located just above the center of the image. The Salar Uyuni is nearly 85 miles (137 km) wide and 100 miles (161 km) long and covers an area of 3600 sq. miles (9324 sq. km). The Salar Uyuni is a sea of salt with a crust between 6 feet (18 meters) to 24 feet (72 meters) thick. The Salar Uyuni is the largest expanse of salt in South America. This and other salars in the southern region of the Altiplano of southern Bolivia are the remnants of former Lake Minchin that flooded the region over 10000 years ago, the result of melting glaciers from the Ice Age. Between the center and the right center of the image, Lake Poopo is discernible. Covering an area of 965 sq. miles (2499 sq. km) and sitting at 11000 feet (3355 meters) above sea level, Lake Poopo has an average depth of just 10 feet (3 meters) and at times will have little or no standing water within it. The Desaguadero River feeds the lake. |
Images: | All Available Images Low-Resolution 313k |
|
Mission: | STS084 |
|
Roll - Frame: | 706 - 69 |
|
Geographical Name: | BOLIVIA |
|
Features: | LAKE POOPO, DUST |
|
Center Lat x Lon: | 19.5S x 68W |
|
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: | LO | LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical |
Camera Focal Length: | 100 |
|
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: | W | The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West |
Stereo?: | N | Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't |
Orbit Number: | 115 |
|
Date: | 19970522 | YYYYMMDD |
Time: | 152535 | GMT HHMMSS |
Nadir Lat: | 17.7S |
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
Nadir Lon: | 63W |
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft |
Sun Azimuth: | 16 | Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point |
Space Craft Altitude: | 212 | nautical miles |
Sun Elevation: | 51 | Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point |
Land Views: | PLATEAU, SALAR, MOUNTAIN |
|
Water Views: | LAKE |
|
Atmosphere Views: | JET STREAM |
|
Man Made Views: | |
|
City Views: | |
|
Photo is not associated with any sequences |
NASA Home Page |
JSC Home Page |
JSC Digital Image Collection |
Earth Science & Remote Sensing |
|