ISS035-E-26253
| NASA Photo ID | ISS035-E-26253 |
| Focal Length | 50mm |
| Date taken | 2013.04.21 |
| Time taken | 08:09:56 GMT |
1443 x 960 pixels 720 x 480 pixels 4256 x 2832 pixels 640 x 426 pixels
Photo center point: 32.5° S, 19.0° E
Photo center point by machine learning:
Country or Geographic Name: | REPUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA |
Features: | CAPE TOWN, MOUNTAINS, GREAT ESCARPMENT, CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, CAPE AGULHAS |
| Features Found Using Machine Learning: | PAN- |
Cloud Cover Percentage: | 25 (11-25)% |
Sun Elevation Angle: | 36° |
Sun Azimuth: | 38° |
Camera: | Nikon D3S Electronic Still Camera |
Focal Length: | 50mm |
Camera Tilt: | High Oblique |
Format: | 4256E: 4256 x 2832 pixel CMOS sensor, 36.0mm x 23.9mm, total pixels: 12.87 million, Nikon FX format |
Film Exposure: | |
| Additional Information | |
| Width | Height | Annotated | Cropped | Purpose | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1443 pixels | 960 pixels | No | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 720 pixels | 480 pixels | Yes | No | NASA's Earth Observatory web site | Download Image |
| 4256 pixels | 2832 pixels | No | No | Download Image | |
| 640 pixels | 426 pixels | No | No | Download Image |
Nelson Mandela took the long view of South Africa. He saw the potential for prosperity and peace through equality during a time of repression, turmoil, and inequality. In tribute to Mandela, astronaut Chris Hadfield offered up his version of South Africa's long view.
This photo was taken from the International Space Station on May 9, 2013, looking across the southwestern tip of the country. The image focuses on the mountainous Western Cape, dominated by the Great Escarpment, a 5,000-kilometer long mountain chain that marks the edge of the African plateau. The Cape of Good Hope hooks out from the mainland, with the city of Cape Town coloring the top in cement gray. To the east is Cape Agulhas, the southernmost point of the African continent where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean.
The view from above helps us see the geographic connections that bind humanity together on a single planet. Writing in Wired, Hadfield said: "While I was on the space station, I used Twitter to ask hundreds of thousands of people what they would like me to take a picture of. Resoundingly, the answer was 'home.' After millennia of wandering and settling, we are still most curious about how we fit in and how our community looks in the context of the rest of the world."
Connection is something that Nelson Mandela understood on many levels. Speaking at Mandela's memorial service on December 10, 2013, President Barack Obama stated: "Mandela understood the ties that bind the human spirit. There is a word in South Africa - Ubuntu - that describes his greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us."
As the world pauses to lay Nelson Mandela to rest on December 15, we salute the power of connections.
- Clark, V.R., Barker, N.P., and Mucina, L. (2011, July 22) The Great Escarptment of southern Africa: A new frontier for biodiversity exploration. Biodiversity and Conservation. Accessed December 13, 2013.
- CNN (2013, December 10) Nelson Mandela memorial: Barack Obama's speech in full. Accessed December 13, 2013.
- Hadfield, C. (2013, November 25) Chris Hadfield: We should treat Earth as kindly as we treat spacecraft. Wired. Accessed December 13, 2013.
