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International Space Station (ISS) and Earth of Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
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Forest Fire Smoke Surroundin
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| Title |
Forest Fire Smoke Surrounding Mt. McKinley |
| Description |
This view of Mt McKinley (Denali)—the highest point in North America (6,194 meters, 20,230 feet)—looks as if it were taken from an aircraft. In fact, an astronaut onboard the International Space Station took advantage of cloud-free skies and a powerful 800-millimeter lens to photograph this peak while the spacecraft was over the Gulf of Alaska, 800 miles to the south of the mountain. The powerful lenses are difficult to use, requiring motion compensation by the astronaut, so these kinds of detailed images of horizon detail are seldom taken. The rising sun casts long shadows across the Kahiltna Glacier that angles down from Denali (left). In addition to the blueness inherent in all images taken at great distance (the atmosphere scatters blue light more than it does other colors), this image also shows unusually dense atmospheric haze at lower altitudes: all the valleys in the foreground appear murky. The explanation is dramatically portrayed in a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image taken on the same day, Sunday, August 14, from the Terra satellite. On that day, an enormous smoke pall hung over central Alaska, all the major mountain ranges protruded above the smoke layer, which was held close to the surface by high atmospheric pressure. The smoke came from more than 100 forest fires burning in the summer heat of Alaska. The MODIS image shows that the smoke on August 14 was far thicker to the north of the Alaska Range where Denali is. The Space Station image shows this denser smoke settled between the Alaska Range and the distant horizon of the Kuskokwim Mountains, 80 miles to the north. Astronaut photograph ISS011-E-11806 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=11806 ] was acquired August 14, 2005, with a Kodak 760C digital camera fitted with an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/index.html ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Central Africa Dust Storm
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Central Africa Dust Storm |
| Description |
This image was taken from the International Space Station on March 8, 2004, from a position about 1400 kilometers off the coast of Mauritania (about 600 kilometers west of the Cape Verde Islands). Looking northwest, this image shows the dusty Saharan airmass in the lower third of the view, with clear air beyond a marked northeast-trending boundary. The dust, which originated in Central Africa, is blowing west southwest, parallel to the front?a common trajectory during northern winters. The width of the dust column was about 1800 kilometers, of which only 200 kilometers is seen here. The MODIS sensor composite for the same date shows the dust nearly reaching South America. Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-18202 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=18202 ] was taken from the International Space Station on November 26, 2003, with a Kodak DCS760 digital camera equipped with a 35 mm lens. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ]. Image courtesy the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center |
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Central Africa Dust Storm
| Title |
Central Africa Dust Storm |
| Description |
This image was taken from the International Space Station on March 8, 2004, from a position about 1400 kilometers off the coast of Mauritania (about 600 kilometers west of the Cape Verde Islands). Looking northwest, this image shows the dusty Saharan airmass in the lower third of the view, with clear air beyond a marked northeast-trending boundary. The dust, which originated in Central Africa, is blowing west southwest, parallel to the front?a common trajectory during northern winters. The width of the dust column was about 1800 kilometers, of which only 200 kilometers is seen here. The MODIS sensor composite for the same date shows the dust nearly reaching South America. Astronaut photograph ISS008-E-18202 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=18202 ] was taken from the International Space Station on November 26, 2003, with a Kodak DCS760 digital camera equipped with a 35 mm lens. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ]. Image courtesy the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center |
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Iceberg Melt, Near South Geo
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| Title |
Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia |
| Description |
Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg [ http://nsidc.org/icebergs/a38/ ] that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water. The top photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. Above, an accompanying oblique view shows all three large remnant pieces [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16434 ] of A-38 close to South Georgia Island. More melt water had formed on the surface of the iceberg when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) captured two additional images on February 7 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/SouthGeorgia.A2004038.1720 ] and February 9, 2004. The false-color image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/SouthGeorgia.A2004038.1720.721 ] from February 7 shows the entire top of the iceberg covered in a dark blue pool of liquid water in contrast to the bright blue ice. Both photographs were taken from the International Space Station using a Kodak DCS760 digital camera and a 400-mm lens on January 6, 2004. ISS008-E-12555 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=12555 ] was taken first, and ISS008-E-12564 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=12564 ] was taken 2 minutes and 37 seconds later. Information provided by Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, image provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Iceberg Melt, Near South Geo
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| Title |
Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia |
| Description |
Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg [ http://nsidc.org/icebergs/a38/ ] that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water. The top photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. Above, an accompanying oblique view shows all three large remnant pieces [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16434 ] of A-38 close to South Georgia Island. More melt water had formed on the surface of the iceberg when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) captured two additional images on February 7 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/SouthGeorgia.A2004038.1720 ] and February 9, 2004. The false-color image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/SouthGeorgia.A2004038.1720.721 ] from February 7 shows the entire top of the iceberg covered in a dark blue pool of liquid water in contrast to the bright blue ice. Both photographs were taken from the International Space Station using a Kodak DCS760 digital camera and a 400-mm lens on January 6, 2004. ISS008-E-12555 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=12555 ] was taken first, and ISS008-E-12564 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=12564 ] was taken 2 minutes and 37 seconds later. Information provided by Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, image provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Iceberg Melt, Near South Geo
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| Title |
Iceberg Melt, Near South Georgia |
| Description |
Astronauts on board the International Space Station took this detailed view of melt water pooled on the surface of iceberg A-39D, an iceberg measuring 2 km wide by 11 km long and currently drifting near South Georgia Island. The different intensities of blue are interpreted as different water depths. From the orientation of the iceberg, the deepest water (darkest blue) lies at the westernmost end of the iceberg. The water pools have formed from snowmelt—late January is the peak of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This iceberg was part of the original A-38 iceberg [ http://nsidc.org/icebergs/a38/ ] that calved from the Ronne Ice Shelf in October 1998. Originally the ice was between 200 and 350 meters thick. This piece of that iceberg is now probably about 150 meters thick, with around 15 m sticking up above the surface of the water. The top photograph was taken by astronauts looking south over the south Atlantic Ocean from the International Space Station on January 22, 2004. Above, an accompanying oblique view shows all three large remnant pieces [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16434 ] of A-38 close to South Georgia Island. More melt water had formed on the surface of the iceberg when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) captured two additional images on February 7 [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/SouthGeorgia.A2004038.1720 ] and February 9, 2004. The false-color image [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004038-0207/SouthGeorgia.A2004038.1720.721 ] from February 7 shows the entire top of the iceberg covered in a dark blue pool of liquid water in contrast to the bright blue ice. Both photographs were taken from the International Space Station using a Kodak DCS760 digital camera and a 400-mm lens on January 6, 2004. ISS008-E-12555 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=12555 ] was taken first, and ISS008-E-12564 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS008&roll=E&frame=12564 ] was taken 2 minutes and 37 seconds later. Information provided by Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Data Center, image provided by the Earth Observations Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ ] supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Smoke from fires in Idaho an
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Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana |
| Description |
On August 13, 2007, while docked to the International Space Station (ISS), the crew members of Shuttle Mission STS-118 and ISS Expedition 15 reported seeing the smoke plumes from wide-spread fires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3? img_id=14443 ] across Idaho and Montana. The crew photographed and downlinked images of isolated plumes (top image) and regional views of the smoke (bottom image) from different perspectives. Strong westerly winds were driving the smoke eastward. The close-up view shows the WH Complex Fire in southern Montana, which was burning in Gallatin National Forest. As of Friday, August 17, the National Interagency Fire Center [ http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info.html ] estimated its size as 25,400 acres, and it was only 5 percent contained. The rugged topography that makes firefighting in the area so difficult is highlighted by shadows created by the oblique (from the side) perspective from which the astronauts took the photo. The plume has topography of its own, some plumes towering above others, casting dark shadows. The regional view was taken looking westward toward the horizon. It shows fires not only in Montana, but also fires to the south in Wyoming, and to the northwest in Idaho. South (to the left) of the WH Complex Fire are the Columbine 1 Fire in Yellowstone National Park (18,500 acres and 0 percent contained), and the Hardscrabble Fire in Bridger-Teton National Forest (3,074 acres and 40 percent contained). An even broader regional view of the extent of the fires was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] sensor onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite on August 12, 2007, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3? img_id=17738 ] the day before these images were taken by astronauts onboard the ISS. Featured astronaut photographs ISS015-E-22274 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ scripts/sseop/photo.pl? mission=ISS015&roll=E&frame=22274&QueryResultsFile=118730112526521.tsv ] and ISS015-E-22276 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/ photo.pl? mission=ISS015&roll=E&frame=22276&QueryResultsFile=118730112526521.tsv ] were acquired by the ISS 15 crew [ http://www.nasa.gov/ mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition15/index.html ]on August 13, 2007, with a Nikon D2X digital camera using a 24–120 mm lens at 95 and 40 mm focal length respectively. They are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. The International Space Station Program [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/home/ index.html ], supports the laboratory to help astronauts take pictures of Earth that will be of the greatest value to scientists and the public, and to make those images freely available on the Internet. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth. [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Upgrading the International
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| Title |
Upgrading the International Space Station |
| Explanation |
The International Space Station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm ] (ISS) will be the largest human-made object ever to orbit [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/orbv.html ] the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ]. The station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/orbit_assembly.htm ] is so large that it could not be launched [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010723.html ] all at once -- it is being built piecemeal [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/assembly/ndxpage1.html ] with large sections added continually by flights of the Space Shuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990411.html ]. To function, the ISS needs trusses [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/its.html ] to keep it rigid and to route electricity [ http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html ] and liquid coolants. These trusses [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/its/ ] are huge, extending over 15 meters long, and with masses over 10,000 kilograms. Pictured above [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-116/html/s116e05983.html ] earlier this month, astronauts [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/astronauts/wannabe.html ] Robert L. Curbeam [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/curbeam.html ] (USA) and Christer Fuglesang [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fuglesan.html ] (Sweden) work to attach a new truss segment [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts116/news/STS-116-07.html ] to the ISS and begin to upgrade the power grid. |
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A Blue Crescent Moon from Sp
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| Title |
A Blue Crescent Moon from Space |
| Explanation |
What's happening to the Moon? Drifting around the Earth in 2006 July, astronauts from the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060920.html ] (ISS) captured a crescent Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060618.html ] floating far beyond the horizon. The captured above image [ http://eobadmin.gsfc.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17542 ] is interesting because part of the Moon appears blue [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap040731.html ], and because part of the moon appears missing. Both effects are created by the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html ]. Air molecules [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecules ] more efficiently scatter increasingly blue light, making the clear day sky blue [ http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html ] for ground observers, and the horizon blue for astronauts. Besides reflecting sunlight, these atmospheric molecules [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air ] also deflect moonlight, making the lower part of the moon appear to fade away. As one looks higher in the photograph [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=54329 ], the increasingly thin atmosphere appears to fade to black [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000913.html ]. |
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A Supply Ship Approaches the
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| Title |
A Supply Ship Approaches the Space Station |
| Explanation |
Looking out a window of the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060920.html ] brings breathtaking views. Visible vistas include a vast and colorful Earth, a deep dark sky, and an occasional spaceship sent to visit the station. Visible on September 20 of last year was a Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_TMA-9 ] carrying not only supplies but also three new astronauts. A few days before this picture [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-13/html/iss013e82934.html ] was taken, the U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so8axV56ujY ] had just departed. The three new approaching astronauts were American Michael E. Lopez-Alegria [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_interview_lopez-alegria.html ], Russian Mikhail Tyurin [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_interview_tyurin.html ], and Iranian-American Anousheh Ansari [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anousheh_Ansari ]. Ms. Ansari visited the International Space Station (ISS) briefly as a paying spaceflight participant for the Federal Space Agency [ http://www.roscosmos.ru/index.asp?Lang=ENG ] of Russia, and wrote a popular blog [ http://spaceblog.xprize.org/ ] about her experiences. Lopez-Alegria would lead the ISS crew dubbed Expedition 14 [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/index.html ], which included the flight engineer and Soyuz pilot Tyurin, flight engineer American Sunita Williams [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition14/exp14_interview_williams.html ], and flight engineer German Thomas Reiter [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/reiter-t.html ]. Tyurin returned [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html ] to the Earth with Lopez-Alegria this past week. |
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Aurora from Space
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Aurora from Space |
| Explanation |
From the ground, spectacular auroras seem to dance [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/ gallery_01mar03.html ] high above. But the International Space Station (ISS [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070625.html ]) orbits at nearly the same height as many auroras [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/ auroras/ ], sometimes passing over [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010210.html ] them, and sometimes right through them. Still, the auroral electron [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] and proton [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/lament.html ] streams pose no direct danger to the ISS [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ ]. In 2003, ISS Science Officer Don Pettit [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pettit.html ] captured the green aurora, pictured above [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/ 24mar_noseprints.htm ] in a digitally sharpened image. From orbit, Pettit reported [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp6/ spacechronicles.html ] that changing auroras [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ] appeared to crawl around like giant green amoebas [ http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep01/ amoeba.html ]. Over 300 kilometers below, the Manicouagan Impact Crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001213.html ] can be seen in northern Canada, planet Earth. |
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A Flying Astronaut Over Eart
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| Title |
A Flying Astronaut Over Earth |
| Explanation |
What would it be like to fly free over the seas and clouds of Earth? In 1994 astronaut Mark Lee [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lee.html ] found out when he tested the Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) system for NASA [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/ ]. SAFER [ http://archive.larc.nasa.gov/shemesh/Lfm97/slides/lfm97-bldsafer-slides/P003.html ] is a backpack propulsion unit [ http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/space/teachers/suited/6work.html ] that incorporates small nitrogen [ http://periodic.lanl.gov/elements/7.html ] thrusters controlled by hand and moderated by computer. Pictured [ http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-001040.html ], Lee jets about the bay of Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/discovery.html ], over 200 kilometers above Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html ] in the first untethered space walk [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990801.html ] in ten years. Lee was not in danger -- the shuttle could have been used to retrieve him. SAFER [ http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts092/video/001019safer1_qt.html ], smaller than the Manned Maneuvering Unit [ http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211.web.stuff/Adamczak/mmu.htm ], is designed as a backup system to help astronauts [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/ ] in the unlikely event that they become too separated from their work outside the International Space Station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/ ]. |
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Space Station and Space Shut
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| Title |
Space Station and Space Shuttle: Backyard View |
| Explanation |
Knowing when and where [ http://www.heavens-above.com/ ] to look, many enthusiastic sky gazers have been able to spot the International Space Station (ISS) as a bright star streaking [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001214.html ] through the twilight. But with a digital camera and a small telescope, recognizable images are possible [ http://www.hobbyspace.com/SatWatching/ ] too. Astronomer Ricardo Borba offers this example [ http://www.borba.com/iss/ ] of the Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010320.html ] docked with the ISS [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010228.html ], recorded this August from his backyard in Ottawa, Canada. Operating a digital video camera on an 8 inch reflecting telescope, Borba tracked the Earth-orbiting pair by hand. Unwanted telescope motion and atmospheric blurring [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000725.html ] caused most of the video frames to be indistinct, still the single best frame (left) from his video sequence is amazingly sharp. For comparison, he constructed a computer generated image (right) showing the approximate orientation of the Shuttle/ISS docking configuration based on virtual 3D models [ http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/er/seh/sehvrml.html ] available on the web [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/vrml/station/ ]. |
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Earth at Twilight
| Title |
Earth at Twilight |
| Explanation |
No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into night [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061001.html ] in this gorgeous view [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/ photo.pl?mission=ISS002&roll=E&frame=7377 ] of ocean and clouds over our fair planet Earth [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ]. Instead, the shadow line or terminator [ http://sci.gallaudet.edu/daylight.html ] is diffuse and shows the gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight. With the Sun illuminating the scene from the right, the cloud tops reflect gently reddened sunlight filtered [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14B.html ] through the dusty troposphere, the lowest layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/ atmosphere.html ]. A clear high altitude layer, visible along the dayside's upper edge, scatters blue [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14.html ] sunlight and fades into the blackness of space. This picture actually [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] is a single digital photograph taken in June of 2001 from the International Space Station orbiting at [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021103.html ] an altitude of 211 nautical miles [ http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/units/sea.htm ]. |
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Orbiting Astronaut Reflects
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| Title |
Orbiting Astronaut Reflects Earth |
| Explanation |
Astronaut self-portraits [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060121.html ] can be particularly interesting. Visible in the above picture [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/ sts-118/html/iss015e22561.html ], working in from the outer borders, are the edges of the reflecting helmet of a space suit [ http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-suit.htm ], modules of the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070625.html ] (ISS), the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070325.html ], the arms of Expedition 15 [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/ expedition15/index.html ] astronaut Clay Anderson [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/ expedition15/exp15_interview_anderson.html ], and the digital camera used to snap the image. This picture [ http://www.digg.com/space/Could_this_be_the_best_self_shot_ever_PIC ] was taken during the shuttle orbiter Endeavour [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour ]'s mission to expand the space station last August. The large curvature of the Earth [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition16/journal_peggy_whitson_7.html ] appearing in the visor reflection [ http://mirrorproject.com/ ] is not the true curvature of our spherical Earth, but rather an artifact of the curve of the space helmet. Earth's horizon appears only slightly curved [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap071127.html ] when viewed from the height of the ISS -- approximately 400 kilometers. The next space shuttle mission [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html ] to the space station is currently expected to take place next month and includes the installation of the scientific Columbus Laboratory [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_laboratory ]. |
|
Himalayan Horizon From Space
| Title |
Himalayan Horizon From Space |
| Explanation |
This stunning aerial view [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?7837 ] shows the rugged snow covered peaks of [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/education/Everest/ ] a Himalayan mountain range in Nepal. The seventh-highest peak on the planet [ http://www.math.ufl.edu/~metzler/Frame/ Outdoor/Data/asia.html ], Dhaulagiri, is the high point on the horizon at the left while in the foreground lies the southern Tibetan Plateau of China. But, contrary to appearances, this picture wasn't taken from an airliner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010129.html ] cruising at 30,000 feet. Instead it was taken with a 35mm camera and telephoto lens by the Expedition 1 crew [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp1/ index.html ] aboard the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011012.html ] -- orbiting 200 nautical miles [ http://www.seewise.com/or/faqtxt/a3.html ] above the Earth. The Himalayan mountains [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/ images.php3?img_id=4704 ] were created by crustal plate tectonics [ http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/ dynamic.html ] on planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001002.html ] some 70 million years ago, as the Indian plate began a collision with the Eurasian plate. Himalayan uplift still continues today at a rate of a few millimeters per year. |
|
Space Station Mir Over Earth
| Title |
Space Station Mir Over Earth |
| Explanation |
This picture of the Russian space station Mir over the Pacific Ocean was recorded by the Space Shuttle Discovery [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950808.html ] in February 1995. During this mission [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-63/mission-sts-63.html ] Discovery performed a rendezvous and "fly around" with Mir in preparation for a future docking mission. Many scientific experiments and astronomical observations were completed jointly by the American astronauts and the Russian cosmonauts. An IMAX [ http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/sonytheatres/imax/imax.html ] camera took many pictures [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/NewsRoom/imaxgallery.html ] of this historic encounter. Some cosmonauts have spent more than a year on board Mir, the longest anyone has ever lived in space. Work on an International Space Station [ http://issa-www.jsc.nasa.gov/ss/SpaceStation_homepage.html ] is in progress. |
|
The Space Shuttle Docked wit
…
| Title |
The Space Shuttle Docked with Mir |
| Explanation |
Before there was the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020423.html ], the reigning orbiting spaceport was Russia's Mir. Pictured above [ http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/ABSTRACTS/GPN-2000-001315.html ] in 1995, the United States Space Shuttle Atlantis [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html ] docked with the segmented Mir [ http://www.cosmicimages.com/Mir/index.html ]. During shuttle mission STS-71 [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/missions/sts-71/mission-sts-71.html ], astronauts answered questions from school students over amateur radio [ http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html ] and performed science experiments [ http://www.sciserv.org/isef/ ] aboard Spacelab [ http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/sts71/sts71.stm ]. The Spacelab experiments helped to increase understanding of the effects of long-duration space flights [ http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/news/expandnews.cfm?id=988 ] on the human body [ http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/ ]. Last year, after 15 years of successful service, the decaying Mir space station [ http://www.russianspaceweb.com/mir_close_calls.html ] broke up as it entered [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010323.html ] the Earth's atmosphere [ http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/atmosphere.html ]. |
|
Mir is 10
| Title |
Mir is 10 |
| Explanation |
The first module of the Russian Space Agency's Mir Space Station [ http://www.osf.hq.nasa.gov/mir/Welcome.html ] was launched into orbit 10 years ago (on February 20, 1986). Mir has since been substantially expanded [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/rsa/mir.html ] in orbit by adding additional modules including the Kvant Astrophysics Module [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/missions/kvant.html ](1987) and recently a docking module. NASA's Space Shuttle Atlantis [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap950812.html ] was modified to allow it to dock with Mir in 1995 (STS-71, [ http://lib04.jsc.nasa.gov/sts-71/ ], STS 74 [ http://lib04.jsc.nasa.gov/sts-74/glance/ ]) beginning a series of Shuttle-Mir flights [ http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bdp/vsohp/mir-shuttle.html ] scheduled to continue through 1997. In this wide angle view - poised above planet Earth with sunlight glinting from solar panels - Mir and Atlantis are seen connected via the docking module from the perspective of the shuttle payload bay. The image is from an IMAX movie frame [ http://lib04.jsc.nasa.gov/sts-74/images/imax/ ] taken during the STS 74 mission. In late 1997, building on this jointly developed understanding and experience, the US and Russia will launch the first modules of the International Space Station [ http://issa-www.jsc.nasa.gov/ss/spacestation.html ]. |
|
Beefing Up the International
…
| Title |
Beefing Up the International Space Station |
| Explanation |
The International Space Station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm ] (ISS) will be the largest human-made object ever to orbit [ http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/orbv.html ] the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ]. The station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/orbit_assembly.htm ] is so large that it could not be launched [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010723.html ] all at once -- it is being built piecemeal [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/assembly/ndxpage1.html ] with large sections added continually by flights of the Space Shuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990411.html ]. To function, the ISS needs trusses [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/kscdirect/archives/launch/sts110/iss-qa.htm ] to keep it rigid and to route electricity [ http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html ] and liquid coolants. These trusses [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/its/ ] are huge, extending over 15 meters long, and with masses over 10,000 kilograms. Pictured above [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-113/html/iss005e21771.html ] at the end of last month, astronaut [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/astronauts/wannabe.html ] Michael Lopez-Alegria [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lopez-al.html ] works to install the Port-One Truss [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/flights/11a.html ]. On the right is the end of Canadarm2 [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/mss/index.html ], the robotic remote control arm of the ISS [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021208.html ]. |
|
London at Night
| Title |
London at Night |
| Explanation |
Do you recognize [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951119.html ] this intriguing globular [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020416.html ] cluster of stars? It's actually the constellation of city lights surrounding London, England [ http://www.ph.ucla.edu/epi/snow/1859map/map1859.html ], planet Earth, as recorded with a digital camera [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS006 &roll=E&frame=22939&QueryResultsFile=1048138731408.tsv ] from the International Space Station [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2002/ 29may_lookingglass.htm ]. Taken in February 2003, north is toward the top and slightly left in this nighttime view. The encircling "London Orbital" highway by-pass, the M25 (... but not Messier 25 [ http://www.seds.org/messier/m/m025.html ]), is easiest to pick out [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/sseop/images/EO/lowres/ISS006/ ISS006-E-22939.JPG ] south of the city. Even farther south are the lights of Gatwick airport and just inside the western (left hand) stretch of the Orbital is Heathrow. The darkened Thames river estuary fans out to the city's east. In particular, two small "dark nebulae [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020108.html ]" - Hyde Park and Regents Park - stand out slightly west of the densely packed lights at the city's core. |
|
Aurora From Space
| Title |
Aurora From Space |
| Explanation |
What do auroras look like from space? From the ground, auroras dance [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/gallery_01mar03.html ] high above clouds [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010402.html ], frequently causing spectacular displays [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000410.html ]. The International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021103.html ] (ISS) orbits just at the same height as many auroras [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/ ], though. Therefore, sometimes it flies over [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010210.html ] them, but also sometimes it flies right through. The auroral electron [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] and proton [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/lament.html ] streams are too thin to be a danger to the ISS [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ ], just as clouds [ http://seaborg.nmu.edu/Clouds/bluesky.html ] pose little danger to airplanes [ http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/aero/airflylvl3.htm ]. ISS Science Officer [ http://spacelink.nasa.gov/NASA.News/NASA.News.Releases/Previous.News.Releases/0 2.News.Releases/02-09.News.Releases/02-09-16.First.NASA.ISS.Science.Officer ] Don Pettit [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pettit.html ] captured a green aurora, pictured above [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/24mar_noseprints.htm ] in a digitally sharpened image. From orbit [ http://science.nasa.gov/ppod/ ], Dr. Pettit [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp6/spacechronicles.html ] reports, changing auroras [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ] can appear to crawl around like giant green amoebas [ http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep01/amoeba.html ]. Far below, on planet Earth, the Manicouagan Impact Crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001213.html ] can be seen in northern Canada [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html ]. |
|
The Southern Sky from the In
…
| Title |
The Southern Sky from the International Space Station |
| Explanation |
Look up from Earth's South Pole [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021222.html ], and this stellar starscape is what you might see. Alternatively, this patch of sky [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000618.html ] is also visible from many southern locations as well as the orbiting International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021208.html ], where the above image [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-6/html/iss006e28028.html ] was recently recorded. To the left of the photograph's center are the four stars that mark the boundaries of the famous Southern Cross [ http://library.thinkquest.org/C005462/scross.html ]. The band of stars, dust, and gas [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990224.html ] crossing the middle of the photograph is part our Milky Way Galaxy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/milky_way.html ]. At the lower left is the dark Coal Sack Nebula [ http://www.allthesky.com/nebulae/coals.html ], and the bright nebula on the far right is the Carina Nebula [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010717.html ]. The Southern Cross [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Crux.html ] is such a famous constellation [ http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellation_list.html ] that it is depicted on the national flag [ http://www.pm.gov.au/aust_focus/nat_symbols/flag.htm ] of Australia [ http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html ]. |
|
Earth at Twilight
| Title |
Earth at Twilight |
| Explanation |
No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into night [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020810.html ] in this gorgeous view [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/ photo.pl?mission=ISS002&roll=E&frame=7377 ] of ocean and clouds over our fair planet Earth [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ]. Instead, the shadow line or terminator [ http://sci.gallaudet.edu/daylight.html ] is diffuse and shows the gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight. With the Sun illuminating the scene from the right, the cloud tops reflect gently reddened sunlight filtered [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14B.html ] through the dusty troposphere, the lowest layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/ atmosphere.html ]. A clear high altitude layer, visible along the dayside's upper edge, scatters blue [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14.html ] sunlight and fades into the blackness of space. This picture actually [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] is a single digital photograph taken in June of 2001 from the International Space Station orbiting at [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021103.html ] an altitude of 211 nautical miles [ http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/units/sea.htm ]. |
|
Astronaut at Work
| Title |
Astronaut at Work |
| Explanation |
Did you ever have a day where everything got turned around and you just couldn't tell which way was up? Fortunately, this didn't happen to astronaut James S. Voss [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/voss-ji.html ] on 2000 May 21, who spent six hours preparing to fix and upgrade the International Space Station [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/index.html ]. Voss is shown above [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-101/html/s101e5074.html ] anchored in the clutches of Space Shuttle Atlantis [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html ]' mechanical arm [ http://ffden-2.phys.uaf.edu/211.web.stuff/Adamczak/rms.htm ], maneuvering outside the shuttle's cargo bay high above planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010204.html ]. This space walk [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990801.html ] was the 85th in US history and the fifth dedicated to the construction of the International Space Station [ http://spacelink.nasa.gov/NASA.Projects/Human.Exploration.and.Development.of.Space/Human.Space.Flight/International.Space.Station/.index.html ]. The STS-101 mission [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/reports/sts101/STS-101-06.html ] returned after successfully replacing the station's batteries [ http://www.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm ], lifting the station into a higher orbit, and replenishing needed supplies. |
|
Mir Above
| Title |
Mir Above |
| Explanation |
Photographed from [ http://shuttle-mir.nasa.gov/shuttle-mir/photos/sts89/ esc/Flightday09/ ] the approaching Space Shuttle Endeavour [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap961130.html ], the Mir space station floats above the clouds of planet Earth. Mir's modular construction [ http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/mir/ ], bristling with solar panels and antennas, lends it a slightly whimsical [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap960603.html ], insect-like appearance. Astronaut Andrew Thomas [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/thomas-a.html ] was dropped off at Mir by Endeavour in January and recently picked up by the Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-91 [ http://www.imoc.com/sts-91/ ], the ninth and last Mir docking mission. Thomas' 4 1/2 month stay culminates the shuttle-Mir program [ http://shuttle-mir.nasa.gov/shuttle-mir/ ] in which seven U.S. astronauts spent a total of 977 days with Russian crews on board Mir. The experience gained will be applied toward the construction [ http://station.nasa.gov/reference/factsheets/index.html#firstflights ] of the International Space Station [ http://station.nasa.gov/ ] scheduled to begin with launches in November and December 1998 [ http://station.nasa.gov/news/pressrel/ksc66-98.html ]. |
|
Assembling The International
…
| Title |
Assembling The International Space Station |
| Explanation |
Batteries [ http://www.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm ] and solar panels were included with this version of the International Space Station (ISS) [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/station/index.html ] but some assembly is still required [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/station/assembly/index.html ]. On Saturday, December 5th, the STS-88 crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavor [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-88/countdown.html ] achieved the in orbit docking [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/medialibrary/images/shuttle/sts-88/ in-flight/day3/html/s88e5010.html ] of the Zarya [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/fgb/index.html ] and Unity [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/node1/index.html ] (foreground) ISS modules. On Monday, astronauts James Newman [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/newman.html ] (left) and Jerry Ross [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap951129.html ] continued the assembly procedures connecting power and data cables during the first of [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/medialibrary/images/shuttle/sts-88/ in-flight/day5/html/s88e5059.html ] three planned spacewalks. Ground controllers were then able to successfully activate the ISS. Now orbiting planet Earth at an altitude of about 248 miles, Endeavour [ http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/endeavour.html ] and the ISS [ http://station.nasa.gov/station/reference/index.html ] are reported to be in excellent shape and crew members plan to enter the new space station today. Five Americans, one Russian [ http://shuttle.nasa.gov/shuttle/crew/index.html ], and the Unity module itself were lifted into orbit by the shuttle on Friday, December 4, while the Zarya (sunrise) module was launched on a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome [ http://station.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/fgb/baikonur.html ] in Kazakstan on November 20. |
|
Himalayan Horizon From Space
| Title |
Himalayan Horizon From Space |
| Explanation |
This stunning aerial view [ http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/viewrecord?7837 ] shows the rugged snow covered peaks of [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/education/Everest/ ] a Himalayan mountain range in Nepal. The seventh-highest peak on the planet [ http://www.math.ufl.edu/~metzler/Frame/ Outdoor/Data/asia.html ], Dhaulagiri, is the high point on the horizon at the left while in the foreground lies the southern Tibetan Plateau of China. But, contrary to appearances, this picture wasn't taken from an airliner [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050513.html ] cruising at 30,000 feet. Instead it was taken with a 35mm camera and telephoto lens by the Expedition 1 crew [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp1/ index.html ] aboard the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap011012.html ] -- orbiting 200 nautical miles [ http://www.onlineconversion.com/faq_07.htm ] above the Earth. The Himalayan mountains [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/ images.php3?img_id=4704 ] were created by crustal plate tectonics [ http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/ dynamic.html ] on planet Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001002.html ] some 70 million years ago, as the Indian plate began a collision with the Eurasian plate. Himalayan uplift still continues today at a rate of a few millimeters per year. |
|
Earth at Twilight
| Title |
Earth at Twilight |
| Explanation |
No sudden, sharp boundary marks the passage of day into night [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020810.html ] in this gorgeous view [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/ photo.pl?mission=ISS002&roll=E&frame=7377 ] of ocean and clouds over our fair planet Earth [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/BlueMarble/ ]. Instead, the shadow line or terminator [ http://sci.gallaudet.edu/daylight.html ] is diffuse and shows the gradual transition to darkness we experience as twilight. With the Sun illuminating the scene from the right, the cloud tops reflect gently reddened sunlight filtered [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14B.html ] through the dusty troposphere, the lowest layer of the planet's nurturing atmosphere [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/space/ atmosphere.html ]. A clear high altitude layer, visible along the dayside's upper edge, scatters blue [ http://webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/14.html ] sunlight and fades into the blackness of space. This picture actually [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap030324.html ] is a single digital photograph taken in June of 2001 from the International Space Station orbiting at [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021103.html ] an altitude of 211 nautical miles [ http://www.gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/units/sea.htm ]. |
|
A Shuttle Back Flip at the S
…
| Title |
A Shuttle Back Flip at the Space Station |
| Explanation |
Last week, crew members of the International Space Station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/ ] (ISS) watched carefully as the Space Shuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990411.html ] Discovery [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/discovery.html ] did a planned but unusual back flip upon approach. Discovery Commander Eileen Collins [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/collins.html ] guided the shuttle through the flip, which was about 200 meters from the ISS [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html ] when the above picture [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/html/iss011e 11074.html ] was taken. The ISS crew [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition11/index.html ] took detailed images of the dark heat shield tiles [ http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/Shuttle/About/therm.html ] underneath during a 90-second photo shoot. The images are being analyzed to assess the condition of the dark heat shield [ http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/tps.htm ]. Later the shuttle docked [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021020.html ] with the space station. On the more usually photographed top side of the Space Shuttle, the above image [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/crew-11/html/iss011e11074.html ] shows Discovery's cargo bay doors open toward a distant Earth below. |
|
Aurora from Space
| Title |
Aurora from Space |
| Explanation |
From the ground, spectacular auroras seem to dance [ http://science.nasa.gov/spaceweather/aurora/ gallery_01mar03.html ] high above. But the International Space Station (ISS [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050827.html ]) orbits at nearly the same height as many auroras [ http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/ auroras/ ], sometimes passing over [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010210.html ] them, and sometimes right through them. Still, the auroral electron [ http://www.aip.org/history/electron/ ] and proton [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/lib/lament.html ] streams pose no direct danger to the ISS [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ ]. In 2003, ISS Science Officer Don Pettit [ http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/pettit.html ] captured the green aurora, pictured above [ http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2003/ 24mar_noseprints.htm ] in a digitally sharpened image. From orbit [ http://science.nasa.gov/temp/StationLoc.html ], Pettit reported [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/crew/exp6/ spacechronicles.html ] that changing auroras [ http://www.geo.mtu.edu/weather/aurora/ ] appeared to crawl around like giant green amoebas [ http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artsep01/ amoeba.html ]. Over 300 kilometers below, the Manicouagan Impact Crater [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001213.html ] can be seen in northern Canada, planet Earth. |
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