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STS-115 crew visits SSC
Commander Brent Jett (center
…
10/25/06
| Description |
Commander Brent Jett (center) talks with employees and visitors at NASA Stennis Space Center. The astronauts of NASA's STS-115 space shuttle mission visited SSC in south Mississippi to share highlights of their 12-day mission and to thank SSC employees for the reliability of the space shuttle's main engines, which helped propel Space Shuttle Atlantis into orbit. STS-115's other crewmembers are (from left) Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean of the Canadian Space Agency. The mission launched Sept. 9, 2006, resuming construction of the International Space Station. |
| Date |
10/25/06 |
|
From Cloudy to Clear
| Description |
During a recent flyby of Titan, the Cassini spacecraft looked beyond the utterly overcast moon and spied clear, distant Rhea in the blackness. |
| Full Description |
During a recent flyby of Titan, the Cassini spacecraft looked beyond the utterly overcast moon and spied clear, distant Rhea in the blackness. Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) is two-and-a-half times smaller than Earth and much less massive. This circumstance causes its atmosphere to extend to much higher altitudes above the surface than does Earth's. The Cassini spacecraft is unable to fly much closer than about 1000 kilometers (600 miles) above Titan's surface -- much closer, and the spacecraft would experience excessive torques from the atmosphere that could interfere with its ability to track the target. By contrast, the International Space Station orbits Earth at an altitude of about 350 kilometers (220 miles). The bright, fresh crater on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) appears near the center of the moon's crescent. The image was taken in visible-light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on May 20, 2006, at a distance of approximately 53,000 kilometers (33,000 miles) from Titan and 873,000 kilometers (543,000 miles) from Rhea. Image scale is 320 meters (1,050 feet) per pixel on Titan and 5 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel on Rhea. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
June 21, 2006 |
|
Eclipsed Earth
| title |
Eclipsed Earth |
| date |
03.29.2006 |
| description |
The shadow of the moon falls on Earth as seen from the International Space Station, 230 miles above the planet, during a total solar eclipse at about 4:50 a.m. EST March 29. This digital photo was taken by the Expedition 12 crew, who are wrapping up a six-month mission on the ISS. Visible near the shadow are portions of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Turkey. *Credit:* NASA |
|
| Photo Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis' drag chute deploys to slow the orbiter as it rolls out on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base at the conclusion of its 13-day STS-117 mission to the International Space Station. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down at Edwards Air Force Base on June 22, 2007, to conclude International Space Station construction and supply mission STS-117. |
| Project Description |
Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis touches down at Edwards Air Force Base on June 22, 2007, to conclude International Space Station construction and supply mission STS-117. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
The crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-117 gathered in front of the shuttle Atlantis following landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, June 22, 2007. From left to right: mission specialists Patrick Forrester and Steven Swanson, Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and mission specialists John D. Olivas and James Reilly II. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
DFRC Center Director Kevin Petersen greets STS-117 Commander Frederick Sturckow and the crew of the Space Shuttle Atlantis at Edwards, AFB, Calif., on June 22, 2007. Left to right: DFRC Center Director Kevin Petersen, Commander Frederick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault, and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson and John D. Olivas. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
Following its landing on June 22, 2007, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is towed from the runway at Edwards Air Force Base to NASA Dryden's Mate-Demate Device (MDD) for post-flight processing in preparation for its return to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
Lit by sunlight filtered through the smoke of a distant forest fire, the Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA?s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 25, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
Accompanied by a convoy of recovery vehicles, the Space Shuttle Atlantis is towed up the taxiway at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California, following its landing on June 22, 2007. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis starts to deploy its braking parachute following touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 22, 2007. |
| Project Description |
Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 22, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis receives post-flight servicing in the Mate-Demate Device (MDD), following its landing at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, June 22, 2007. The gantry-like MDD structure is used for servicing the shuttle orbiters in preparation for their ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, including mounting the shuttle atop NASA?s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 23, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
Technicians attach the tail cone, which helps reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during its ferry flight, to the Space Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for its return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the tail-cone is installed, Discovery will be mounted on NASA?s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, for the return flight. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 28, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
Technicians attach the tail cone, which helps reduce aerodynamic drag and turbulence during its ferry flight, to the Space Shuttle Atlantis in preparation for its return to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the tail-cone is installed, Discovery will be mounted on NASA?s modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, for the return flight. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
June 28, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Atlantis on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cross-country journey will take approximately two days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
July 1, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Atlantis on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cross-country journey will take approximately two days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
July 1, 2007 |
|
| Photo Description |
NASA's modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with the Space Shuttle Atlantis on top lifts off from Edwards Air Force Base to begin its ferry flight back to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cross-country journey will take approximately two days, with stops at several intermediate points for refueling. |
| Project Description |
Space Shuttle Atlantis descended to a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., concluding a successful assembly mission to the International Space Station. With Commander Rick Sturckow and Pilot Lee Archambault at the controls, Atlantis landed at 12:49 p.m. PDT on June 22, 2007. Atlantis launched June 8, 2007, and arrived at the International Space Station on June 10. While at the orbital outpost, the crew installed the Starboard 3 and 4 truss segment and conducted four spacewalks to activate it. During the third spacewalk, the crew repaired an out of position thermal blanket on the left orbital maneuvering system pod. Atlantis also delivered a new station crew member, Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson. He replaced astronaut Suni Williams, who is the new record holder for a long-duration single spaceflight for a woman. She arrived at the station in December of 2006 with STS-116. STS-117 is the 118th shuttle mission and 21st mission to visit the space station. |
| Photo Date |
July 1, 2007 |
|
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stef
…
| Name of Image |
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper During STS-115 Training |
| Date of Image |
2002-08-02 |
| Full Description |
Attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, STS-115 astronaut and mission specialist, Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, is about to begin a training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center in preparation for the STS-115 mission. Launched on September 9, 2006, the STS-115 mission continued assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) with the installation of the truss segments P3 and P4. |
|
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stef
…
| Name of Image |
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper During STS-115 Training |
| Date of Image |
2005-05-11 |
| Full Description |
Wearing a training version of the shuttle launch and entry suit, STS-115 astronaut and mission specialist, Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, puts the final touches on her suit donning process prior to the start of a water survival training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center. Launched on September 9, 2006, the STS-115 mission continued assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) with the installation of the truss segments P3 and P4. |
|
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stef
…
| Name of Image |
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper During STS-115 Training |
| Date of Image |
2002-09-06 |
| Full Description |
Attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, STS-115 astronaut and mission specialist, Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, is about to begin a training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center in preparation for the STS-115 mission. Launched on September 9, 2006, the STS-115 mission continued assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) with the installation of the truss segments P3 and P4. |
|
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stef
…
| Name of Image |
Astronaut Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper During STS-115 Training |
| Date of Image |
2002-09-06 |
| Full Description |
Attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, STS-115 astronaut and mission specialist, Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, is submerged into the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center for training in preparation for the STS-115 mission. Launched on September 9, 2006, the STS-115 mission continued assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) with the installation of the truss segments P3 and P4. |
|
STS-115 Launch
| Name of Image |
STS-115 Launch |
| Date of Image |
2005-09-09 |
| Full Description |
The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its six-member crew launched at 11:15 a.m. (EDT) on September 9, 2006 to begin the two-day journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on the STS-115 mission. During the 11-day mission, the STS-115 crew of six, along with station crews and ground teams, resumed construction of the ISS with the installation of a girder-like structure, known as the P3/P4 truss. The 35,000-pound piece includes a set of giant solar arrays, batteries and associated electronics. The arrays eventually will double the power capability of the Station. |
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Lab-on a-Chip
| Name of Image |
Lab-on a-Chip |
| Date of Image |
0000-00-00 |
| Full Description |
Labs on chips are manufactured in many shapes and sizes and can be used for numerous applications, from medical tests to water quality monitoring to detecting the signatures of life on other planets. The eight holes on this chip are actually ports that can be filled with fluids or chemicals. Tiny valves control the chemical processes by mixing fluids that move in the tiny channels that look like lines, connecting the ports. Scientists at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama designed this chip to grow biological crystals on the International Space Station (ISS). Through this research, they discovered that this technology is ideally suited for solving the challenges of the Vision for Space Exploration. For example, thousands of chips the size of dimes could be loaded on a Martian rover looking for biosignatures of past or present life. Other types of chips could be placed in handheld devices used to monitor microbes in water or to quickly conduct medical tests on astronauts. The portable, handheld Lab-on-a Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) made its debut flight aboard Discovery during the STS-116 mission launched December 9, 2006. The system allowed crew members to monitor their environment for problematic contaminants such as yeast, mold, and even E.coli, and salmonella. Once LOCAD-PTS reached the ISS, the Marshall team continued to manage the experiment, monitoring the study from a console in the Payload Operations Center at MSFC. The results of these studies will help NASA researchers refine the technology for future Moon and Mars missions. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer) |
|
Dr. Monaco Examines Lab-on a
…
| Name of Image |
Dr. Monaco Examines Lab-on a-Chip |
| Date of Image |
2003-12-01 |
| Full Description |
Dr. Lisa Monaco, Marshall Space Flight Center?s (MSFC?s) project scientist for the Lab-on-a-Chip Applications Development (LOCAD) program, examines a lab on a chip. The small dots are actually ports where fluids and chemicals can be mixed or samples can be collected for testing. Tiny channels, only clearly visible under a microscope, form pathways between the ports. Many chemical and biological processes, previously conducted on large pieces of laboratory equipment, can now be performed on these small glass or plastic plates. Monaco and other researchers at MSFC in Huntsville, Alabama, are customizing the chips to be used for many space applications, such as monitoring microbes inside spacecraft and detecting life on other planets. The portable, handheld Lab-on-a Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) made its debut flight aboard Discovery during the STS-116 mission launched December 9, 2006. The system allowed crew members to monitor their environment for problematic contaminants such as yeast, mold, and even E.coli, and salmonella. Once LOCAD-PTS reached the International Space Station (ISS), the Marshall team continued to manage the experiment, monitoring the study from a console in the Payload Operations Center at MSFC. The results of these studies will help NASA researchers refine the technology for future Moon and Mars missions. (NASA/MSFC/D.Stoffer) |
|
International Space Station
…
| Name of Image |
International Space Station Configuration After P6 Truss Installation |
| Date of Image |
2006-12-19 |
| Full Description |
Photographed from the Space Shuttle Discovery upon its separation from the orbital outpost, the International Space Station (ISS) is shown sporting its new additions. A fly-around gave the crew a look at their handiwork, a new P5 spacer truss segment and a fully retracted P6 solar array wing. Earlier, the STS-116 and Expedition 14 crews concluded eight days of cooperative work onboard the shuttle and station where they accomplished the installation of the newest piece of the station and completely rewired the power grid over the course of four space walks. The station is currently the size of a typical three-bedroom house, with a surface area large enough to cover four basketball courts. The image reflects the latest configuration of the ISS as of December 19, 2006. |
|
STS-116 Crew Portrait
| Name of Image |
STS-116 Crew Portrait |
| Date of Image |
2006-07-21 |
| Full Description |
This is the STS-116 Crew Portrait. Pictured on the front row from left to right are: William Oefelein, pilot, Joan Higginbotham, mission specialist, and Mark Polansky, commander. On the back row, left to right, are: Robert Curbeam, Nicholas Patrick, Sunita Williams, and the European Space Agency?s Christer Fuglesang, all mission specialists. Williams joined Expedition 14 in progress to serve as flight engineer aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on December 9, 2006, the seven delivered two high profile Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC?) payloads: The Lab-On-A Chip Application Development Portable Test System (LOCAD-PTS) and the Water Delivery System, a vital component of the Station?s Oxygen Generation System. The primary mission objective was to deliver and install the P5 truss element. The P5 installation was conducted during the first of three space walks, and involved use of both the shuttle and station?s robotic arms. The remainder of the mission included a major reconfiguration and activation of the ISS electrical and thermal control systems, as well as delivery of Zvezda Service Module debris panels, which will increase ISS protection from potential impacts of micro-meteorites and orbital debris. |
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Ash Plume from Cleveland Vol
…
| Title |
Ash Plume from Cleveland Volcano |
| Description |
At 3:00 p.m. Alaska Daylight Time on May 23, 2006, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams from International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 13 contacted the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu/ ] to report that the Cleveland Volcano had produced a plume of ash. Shortly after the activity began, he took this photograph. This picture shows the ash plume moving west-southwest from the volcano's summit. A bank of fog (upper right) is a common feature around the Aleutian Islands. The event proved to be short-lived, two hours later, the plume had completely detached from the volcano (see image from May 24 [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13598 ]). The AVO reported that the ash cloud height could have been as high as 6,000 meters (20,000 feet) above sea level. Cleveland Volcano, situated on the western half of Chuginadak Island, is one of the most active of the volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands, which extend west-southwest from the Alaska mainland. It is a stratovolcano, composed of alternating layers of hardened lava, compacted volcanic ash, and volcanic rocks. At a summit elevation of 1,730 meters, this volcano is the highest in the Islands of the Four Mountains group. Carlisle Island to the north-northwest, another stratovolcano, is also part of this group. Magma that feeds eruptions of ash and lava from the Cleveland Volcano is generated by the northwestward movement of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American Plate. As one tectonic plate moves beneath anothera process called subductionmelting of materials above and within the lower plate produces magma that can eventually move to the surface and erupt through a vent (such as a volcano). Cleveland Volcano claimed the only known eruption-related fatality in the Aleutian Islands, in 1944. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-24184 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=24184 ] was acquired May 23, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. 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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Ash Plume from Cleveland Vol
…
| Title |
Ash Plume from Cleveland Volcano |
| Description |
On May 23, 2006, the Cleveland Volcano in the Aleutian Islands emitted an ash plume. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13597 ] By the time the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture, on May 24, the ash cloud had already moved away from the volcano. In this image, the ash cloud appears as a gray-beige puffball near the bottom of the image. No discernible trail of ash extends back to the snow-capped volcano that produced the ash plume the day before. The Cleveland Volcano occupies the western end of Chuginadak Island, a dumbbell-shaped, uninhabited island in the Aleutian archipelago. The eruption on May 23, 2006, was reported to the Alaskan Volcano Observatory [ http://www.avo.alaska.edu/ ] by Jeff Williams, a flight engineer on the International Space Station. [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ ] NASA image courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ], NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Bernese Alps, Switzerland
| Title |
Bernese Alps, Switzerland |
| Description |
The formidable mountain system of the Alps stretches across much of central Europe, with seven countries claiming portions of the mountains within their borders: Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, and Slovenia. The glacial landscape of the Bernese Alps, located in southwestern Switzerland, is well illustrated by this astronaut photograph. An astronaut took this picture by looking north-northwest while the International Space Station was over the Mediterranean Sea between Corsica and Italy. This oblique viewing angle imparts a sense of perspective to the image. This type of viewing angle complements nadir,or downward-viewing, imagery of the region. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=5193 ] Three of the higher peaks of the central Alps are visible: Jungfrau at 4,158 meters (13,642 feet), Moench at 4,089 meters (13,415 feet), and Eiger at 3,970 meters (13,025 feet). To the east and south of the Jungfrau is the Aletsch Glacier, [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletsch_Glacier ] clearly marked by dark medial moraines extending along the glacier's length parallel to the valley axis. The medial moraines are formed from rock and soil debris collected along the sides of three mountain glaciers located near the Jungfrau and Moench peaks. As these flowing ice masses merge to form the Aletsch Glacier, the debris accumulates in the middle of the glacier and is carried along the flow direction. Lake Brienz to the northwest results from the actions of both glacial ice and the flowing waters of the Aare and Lütschine rivers, and has a maximum depth of 261 meters (856 feet). The lake has a particularly fragile ecosystem, as demonstrated by the almost total collapse of the whitefish population in 1999. Possible causes for the collapse include increased water turbidity associated with upstream hydropower plant operations, and reduction of phosphorusa key nutrient for lake algae, and a basic element of the local food webdue to water quality changes. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-77377 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=77377 ] was acquired September 5, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, 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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Gallipoli and Dardanelles St
…
| Title |
Gallipoli and Dardanelles Strait, Turkey |
| Description |
The city of Gallipoli (Gelibolu in Turkish) sits at a crossroads between the Marmara and Aegean Seas, connected by the Dardanelles Strait. The strait is a 61-kilometer-long drowned valley formed along a fault (fracture in Earth's crust). The fracture formed as the Arabian, Indian, and African tectonic plates collided with the Eurasian plate during the Tertiary period, approximately 2-65 million years ago. This faulting created the rugged terrain of western Turkey visible in the lower half of this astronaut photograph, as well as the great mountain ranges of the Alps and Himalayas. Plate collision continues today as Turkey moves westward in relation to Eurasia. The movement leads to frequent strike-slip earthquakes (quakes in which the relative ground motion along the fault is forward or backward, rather than up or down.) The urbanized area of modern Gallipoli is visible as a light gray to pink region at the entrance to the Dardanelles Strait. Water in the Strait flows in both northeast and southwest directions due to opposite surface and undercurrents. The Strait has a long history of strategic importance as it provides a conduit between the Mediterranean and Black Seas, as well as access to Istanbul to the northeast (not shown). Several ships are visible in the Strait to the southwest of Gallipoli (image center left). The Battle of Gallipolipart of an Allied plan to capture Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman Empirewas fought near the city during World War I. Astronaut photograph ISS014-E-8138 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS014&roll=E&frame=8138 ] was acquired November 9, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 180 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, 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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Diverse Terrain of Iran's Da
…
| Title |
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Dasht-e Lut |
| Description |
Roughly 480 by 320 kilometers (300 by 200 miles), Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran. The desert fills a low basin that stretches southward from the Khorasan province into the Kerman province. Although the entire salt desert has just one name, it has more than one appearance. These natural-color images, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show landscapes so different, one can scarcely imagine they come from the same part of the world, let alone the same desert basin. The picture on the left shows part of the central portion of Dasht-e Lut. The strong diagonal lines result from wind erosion that has carved deep troughs and sharp ridges into the landscape. These wind-sculpted ridges are known as yardangs, and geologic research [ http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-19.HTML ] has determined that Iran contains some of the world's largest yardangs. ASTER acquired this image on May 13, 2006. The picture on the right shows part of the southeastern portion of Dasht-e Lut. This area consists of sand, and it contains some of the world's tallest dunes, some reaching a height of 300 meters (1,000 feet). In this image, the white areas are saltpansthe aftermath of water that drained into the basins among the dunes and later evaporated. Golden dunes make swirling pattenrs across the image, becoming less tightly packed in the bottom of the scene. ASTER acquired this image on July 17, 2003. Dasht-e Lut's dramatic landscapes are a popular remote-sensing target. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17226 ] salt lakes from Dasht-e Lut and nearby faulted rocks on February 28, 2006. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Diverse Terrain of Iran's Da
…
| Title |
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Dasht-e Lut |
| Description |
Roughly 480 by 320 kilometers (300 by 200 miles), Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran. The desert fills a low basin that stretches southward from the Khorasan province into the Kerman province. Although the entire salt desert has just one name, it has more than one appearance. These natural-color images, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show landscapes so different, one can scarcely imagine they come from the same part of the world, let alone the same desert basin. The picture on the left shows part of the central portion of Dasht-e Lut. The strong diagonal lines result from wind erosion that has carved deep troughs and sharp ridges into the landscape. These wind-sculpted ridges are known as yardangs, and geologic research [ http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-19.HTML ] has determined that Iran contains some of the world's largest yardangs. ASTER acquired this image on May 13, 2006. The picture on the right shows part of the southeastern portion of Dasht-e Lut. This area consists of sand, and it contains some of the world's tallest dunes, some reaching a height of 300 meters (1,000 feet). In this image, the white areas are saltpansthe aftermath of water that drained into the basins among the dunes and later evaporated. Golden dunes make swirling pattenrs across the image, becoming less tightly packed in the bottom of the scene. ASTER acquired this image on July 17, 2003. Dasht-e Lut's dramatic landscapes are a popular remote-sensing target. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17226 ] salt lakes from Dasht-e Lut and nearby faulted rocks on February 28, 2006. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Da
…
| Title |
Diverse Terrain of Iran's Dasht-e Lut |
| Description |
Roughly 480 by 320 kilometers (300 by 200 miles), Dasht-e Lut is a large salt desert in southeastern Iran. The desert fills a low basin that stretches southward from the Khorasan province into the Kerman province. Although the entire salt desert has just one name, it has more than one appearance. These natural-color images, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite show landscapes so different, one can scarcely imagine they come from the same part of the world, let alone the same desert basin. The picture on the left shows part of the central portion of Dasht-e Lut. The strong diagonal lines result from wind erosion that has carved deep troughs and sharp ridges into the landscape. These wind-sculpted ridges are known as yardangs, and geologic research [ http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/geomorphology/GEO_8/GEO_PLATE_E-19.HTML ] has determined that Iran contains some of the world's largest yardangs. ASTER acquired this image on May 13, 2006. The picture on the right shows part of the southeastern portion of Dasht-e Lut. This area consists of sand, and it contains some of the world's tallest dunes, some reaching a height of 300 meters (1,000 feet). In this image, the white areas are saltpansthe aftermath of water that drained into the basins among the dunes and later evaporated. Golden dunes make swirling pattenrs across the image, becoming less tightly packed in the bottom of the scene. ASTER acquired this image on July 17, 2003. Dasht-e Lut's dramatic landscapes are a popular remote-sensing target. Astronauts on the International Space Station photographed [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17226 ] salt lakes from Dasht-e Lut and nearby faulted rocks on February 28, 2006. NASA images created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the NASA/GSFC/MITI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. [ http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Dust and Smog in Northeast C
…
| Title |
Dust and Smog in Northeast China |
| Description |
Much of the land surface is obscured in this oblique image of the North China Plain and parts of Inner Mongolia. In this image, a mass of gray smogmainly industrial pollution and smoke from domestic burningobscures Beijing and surrounding cities. Numerous plumes with their source points appear within the mass. Beijing suffers some of the worst air pollution in the world from these chronic sources, and the characteristic colors and textures of the smog can be easily seen through the windows of the International Space Station. The pale brown material in Bo Hai Bay, about 300 kilometers east of Beijing, is sediment from the Yellow River and other rivers. Separated from the smog mass by a band of puffy, white cumulus clouds is a light brown plume of dust. The line of white clouds has developed along the steep slope that separates the heavily populated North China Plainthe location of the largest population concentration on Earthand the sparsely populated semi-desert plains of Inner Mongolia. Most Northern Hemisphere deserts saw dust storms in the spring of 2006, and the Gobi and Taklimakan Deserts of western China were no exception. Dust plumes originating in these deserts typically extend hundreds of kilometers eastward, regularly depositing dust on Beijing, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. Some plumes even extend over the Pacific Ocean. In extreme cases, visible masses of Gobi-derived dust have reached North America. An astronaut handheld-camera image taken in 1996 shows a broad corridor of smog moving off the mainland out into the Pacific Ocean from China's more southerly population center near Taiwan. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=15295 ] Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-21250 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=21250 ] was acquired March 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 50 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. 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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Hurricane Ernesto
| Title |
Hurricane Ernesto |
| Description |
shuttle launch information site. [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/launch/index.html ] NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center., Tropical Storm Ernesto formed in the eastern Caribbean Sea on August 24, 2006. Within a day, it had become organized enough to be classified as a tropical storm and get named as the fifth storm of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season. Ernesto built in power gradually as it moved westward and slightly north through the Caribbean Sea, just reaching hurricane strength as it neared Hispaniola on August 27. However, the interactions of the storm with land robbed Ernesto of enough power for it to be downgraded back to tropical-storm status. It remained a tropical storm as it passed over the southern tip of Haiti, traveled along the spine of mountains that run the length of Cuba, and crossed the Straits of Florida. Ernesto made landfall in southern Florida on August 30, and it was predicted head northeastward into the Atlantic and then come back ashore near the South Carolina-North Carolina border. This photo-like image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on August 28, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. local time (18:00 UTC). Tropical Storm Ernesto at the time of this image was a well-developed storm system, but its interactions with Hispaniola and Cuba had disrupted its shape enough to prevent the formation of a well-defined eye. The spiral-arm structure of clouds was also not as distinct as it would be in a well-developed hurricane. Thus, even as the storm was crossing the warm waters of the Straits of Florida, the storm still was unable to significantly re-intensify. According to the University of Hawaii's Tropical Storm Information Center, [ http://www.solar.ifa.hawaii.edu/Tropical/tropical.html ] Ernesto had sustained peak winds of around 75 kilometers per hour (45 miles per hour) at the time of this image. Before August 30, weather forecasters anticipated the storm could re-intensify into a hurricane in the Straits of Florida. With that forecast in hand, NASA mission planners opted to bring the Space Shuttle "Atlantis" off Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center where it was waiting for launch and into its hangar to protect it from potential damage. Partway through the transfer, the forecast changed as weather observations showed how severely Ernesto's interactions with the mountains of Cuba had disrupted the storm. Mission planners then reversed course and sent the shuttle back to its launch pad to resume preparations for a possible launch in the following week. When deciding whether to continue or delay launch preparations, mission teams have to balance safety concerns, launch-window opportunities, and the schedule for construction of the International Space Station. You can read more about shuttle operations and launch schedules, including details of STS-115, the flight to resume construction on the International Space Station, at the Kennedy Space Flight Center |
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Lake Natron, Tanzania
| Title |
Lake Natron, Tanzania |
| Description |
This image of the southern half of Lake Natron shows the characteristic colors of lakes where very high evaporation occurs. As water evaporates during the dry season, salinity levels increase to the point that salt-loving organisms begin to thrive. Salt-loving organisms include some cyanobacteria, tiny bacteria that grow in water and make their own food with photosynthesis as plants do. The red pigment in the cyanobacteria produce the deep reds of the open water of the lake, and orange colors of the shallow parts of the lake. In the inset, numerous, near-white salt-crust "rafts" pepper the shallowest parts of the lake. Bright white clouds are also visible just right of center and on the top margin. The lake is quite shallow, less than three meters deep, and varies in width depending on its water level. In this image, the lake is about ten kilometers wide. Tan lines run north-south, parallel to the eastern lake shore on the right side of the image. Called fault scarps, these lines are the steep, step-like slopes created when the land was pushed up during earthquakes along faults in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. Also part of the rift system is Gelai Volcano, the slopes of which appear in the lower right corner. The four main environments typical of salt (alkali) lakes in East Africa are illustrated well in the image. The delta of one of two dominant streams that flow into the lake (top left) shows where fresh water enters the basin. Open water, salt flats with salt crusts, and mud flats succeed each other in a west-to-east progression towards the shallow side of the lake. Vast numbers of the pink Lesser Flamingo (2.5 million by one calculation) rely on Lake Natron as their only breeding ground in the Rift Valley. The flamingoes feed on the nutrient-rich cyanobacteria. As salinity increases, so do the number of cyanobacteria, and the lake can support more nests. Threats to the salinity balance from increased fresh water influxes will come from projected logging in Natron watersheds and a planned hydroelectric power plant. Although development plans include construction of a dike at the north end of the lake to contain the fresh water, the threat of dilution to this breeding ground may still be serious. The government of Tanzania recognized both the threat and the uniqueness of the habitat in 2001, when it placed Lake Natron on the list of Wetlands of International Importance [ http://www.ramsar.org/key_sitelist.htm ] as part of the Ramsar Convention, an intergovernmental treaty meant to protect wetlands. Images of Lake Natron from four other dates can be seen on the Earth Observatory [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=10852 ], and associated links. The area and shape of the open water and salt-raft zones depend on lake levels, controlled mainly by local rainfall and evaporation. Patterns of these sub-environments therefore appear different across the span of a few years. Astronaut photograph ISS012-E-20456 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=20456 ] was acquired March 15, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 400 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, 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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Mount Etna, Sicily
| Title |
Mount Etna, Sicily |
| Description |
One of the most consistently active volcanoes in the world, Sicily's Mount Etna has a historical record of eruptions dating back to 1500 BC. This astronaut photograph captures plumes of steam and possibly ash originating from summit craters on the mountain: the Northeast Crater and Central Crater, which includes two secondary craters (Voragine and Bocca Nuova). Locals heard explosions coming from the rim of the Northeast Crater on July 26, 2006, and the plumes shown in this image are likely a continuation of that activity. The massive 3,350-meter-high volcano is located approximately 24 kilometers north of Catania, the second-largest city in Sicily, and it dominates the city's northern skyline. Much of Etna's surface consists of generations of dark, basaltic lava flows that extended outwards from the summit craters. Fertile soils developed on older flows are marked by green vegetation. Although Etna's current explosive eruptions tend to occur at the summit, lava flows generally erupt through fissures lower down on the flanks of the volcano. Cinder cones, such as Monte Frumento, mark many of the lava flow vents on the volcano's flanks. There is evidence of larger eruptive events as well. The Valle del Bove to the south-southeast of the summit is a caldera formed by the emptying of a subsurface magma chamber during a large eruptive event. Once the magma chamber emptied, the overlying roof material collapsed downwards. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-62714 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=62714 ] was acquired August 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have also been removed. 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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Mount Ubinas, Peru
| Title |
Mount Ubinas, Peru |
| Description |
Subduction of the Nazca tectonic plate [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Plate ] along the western coast of South America forms the high Peruvian Andes. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andes_Mountains ] The subduction (movement of one plate beneath another) also produces magma, feeding a chain of historically active volcanoes along the western front of the mountains. The most active of these volcanoes in Peru is Ubinas. [ http://www.volcano.si.edu/world/volcano.cfm?vnum=1504-02= ] A typical, steep-sided stratovolcano comprised primarily of layers of silica-rich lava flows, it has a summit elevation of 5,672 meters (18,609 feet). At 1.4 kilometers (0.87 miles) across, the volcano's caldera gives it a truncated profile. Hardened lava flows from past eruptions linger on the volcano's flanks. This oblique image (looking at an angle) from the International Space Station (ISS) captures an ash cloud first observed on satellite imagery at 11:00 GMT on August 14, 2006. An ISS astronaut took this picture one hour and 45 minutes later. The ash cloud caused the Buenos Aires Volcanic Ash Advisory Center to issue an aviation hazard warning. Minor to moderately explosive eruptions of ash and pumice characterize modern activity at Ubinas. Pumice and ash blanket the volcanic cone and surrounding area, giving this image an overall gray appearance. Shadowing of the western flank of Ubinas throws several lava flows into sharp relief, and highlights the steep slopes at the flow frontscommon characteristics of thick, slow-moving lavas. The most recent major eruption of Ubinas occurred in 1969, although its historical record of activity extends back to the 16th century. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-66488 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=66488 ] was acquired August 14, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have also been removed. 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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Munich International Airport
…
| Title |
Munich International Airport, Germany |
| Description |
The Franz Josef Strauss, or Munich, International Airport served 29 million passengers in 2005, making it Germany's second-busiest airport, after Frankfurt. The airport serves the Bayern (Bavaria) region of southeastern Germany, and is a hub for the Lufthansa airline. Like other large international airports, the facility occupies portions of multiple municipalities including Freising, Oberding, Hallbergmoos, and Marzling. During the construction of this airport, the village of Franzheim was demolished, and its 500 residents relocated. The airport lies 31 kilometers to the northeast of Munich. Rather than being an extension of the metropolis, the airport is surrounded by agricultural fields and small towns. The agricultural fields in active use appear in various shades of green, while the exposed soils of fallow fields appear brown to tan. Roadways around the airport appear as thin, intersecting lines. The white concrete airport runways are 4 kilometers in length. At bottom center, the magnified shadows of clouds hang over the scene. The airport grew in 2003 with the addition of Terminal 2, designed specifically to accommodate the needs of Lufthansa and its partner airlines. This astronaut photograph, taken from the International Space Station, shows enough detail to distinguish individual airplanes on the terminal apron (inset, white rectangle marks location on main image), and the dark gray-blue rooftop of Terminal 2. Astronauts achieve this level of photographic detailthe image resolution approaches 4 meters/pixelby manually tracking the motion of the ground as the spacecraft orbits the earth at more than 7 kilometers per second. This photo was taken at a relatively slow shutter speed (1/60 second), which equates to more than 100 meters of ground motion. Precise astronaut tracking is required to improve the resolution in detailed images taken with long lenses. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-18319 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=18319 ] was acquired May 12, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, 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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Oshigambo River and Etosha P
…
| Title |
Oshigambo River and Etosha Pan, Namibia |
| Description |
Etosha Pan in northern Namibia is a large, dry lakebed in the Kalahari Desert. The 120-kilometer-long (75-mile-long) lake and its surroundings are protected as one of Namibia's largest wildlife parks. Herds of elephants occupy the dense mopane woodland on the south side of the lake. Mopane trees are common throughout south-central Africa, and host the mopane worm, [ http://www.mopane.org/biology.htm ] which is the larval form of the Mopane Emperor Moth and an important source of protein for rural communities. About 16,000 years ago, when ice sheets were melting across Northern Hemisphere land masses, a wet climate phase in southern Africa filled Etosha Lake. Today, Etosha Pan is seldom seen with even a thin sheet of water covering the salt pan. Two images taken about nine months apart document an unusually wet summer in southern Africa. The upper view (March 2006) shows the point where the Oshigambo River flows into the salt lake, the lower regional image (June 2005) shows the same inletbut dryon the north shore of Etosha Pan. The Oshigambo River is almost never seen with water, but in early 2006, rainfall twice the average amount in the river's catchment generated flow. Greens and browns show vegetation and algae growing in different depths of water where the river enters the dry lake (upper image, center). Typically, little river water or sediment reaches the dry lake because water seeps into the riverbed along its 250-kilometer (55-mile) course, reducing discharge along the way. In this image, there was enough surface flow to reach the Etosha Pan, but too little water reached the mouth of the river to flow beyond the inlet bay. The unusual levels of precipitation also filled several small, usually dry lakes to the north (upper image, right). Astronaut photograph ISS012-E-23057 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=23057 ] was acquired March 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 180 mm lens. The regional oblique view, ISS011-E-9504, [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=9504 ] was taken June 24, 2005, also with the Kodak 760C and a 180 mm lens. Both images are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The images in this article have 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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Oshigambo River and Etosha P
…
| Title |
Oshigambo River and Etosha Pan, Namibia |
| Description |
Etosha Pan in northern Namibia is a large, dry lakebed in the Kalahari Desert. The 120-kilometer-long (75-mile-long) lake and its surroundings are protected as one of Namibia's largest wildlife parks. Herds of elephants occupy the dense mopane woodland on the south side of the lake. Mopane trees are common throughout south-central Africa, and host the mopane worm, [ http://www.mopane.org/biology.htm ] which is the larval form of the Mopane Emperor Moth and an important source of protein for rural communities. About 16,000 years ago, when ice sheets were melting across Northern Hemisphere land masses, a wet climate phase in southern Africa filled Etosha Lake. Today, Etosha Pan is seldom seen with even a thin sheet of water covering the salt pan. Two images taken about nine months apart document an unusually wet summer in southern Africa. The upper view (March 2006) shows the point where the Oshigambo River flows into the salt lake, the lower regional image (June 2005) shows the same inletbut dryon the north shore of Etosha Pan. The Oshigambo River is almost never seen with water, but in early 2006, rainfall twice the average amount in the river's catchment generated flow. Greens and browns show vegetation and algae growing in different depths of water where the river enters the dry lake (upper image, center). Typically, little river water or sediment reaches the dry lake because water seeps into the riverbed along its 250-kilometer (55-mile) course, reducing discharge along the way. In this image, there was enough surface flow to reach the Etosha Pan, but too little water reached the mouth of the river to flow beyond the inlet bay. The unusual levels of precipitation also filled several small, usually dry lakes to the north (upper image, right). Astronaut photograph ISS012-E-23057 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=23057 ] was acquired March 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 180 mm lens. The regional oblique view, ISS011-E-9504, [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS011&roll=E&frame=9504 ] was taken June 24, 2005, also with the Kodak 760C and a 180 mm lens. Both images are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, Johnson Space Center. The images in this article have 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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Sicily's Mount Etna
| Title |
Sicily's Mount Etna |
| Description |
One of the most consistently active volcanoes in the world, Sicily's Mount Etna has a historical record of eruptions dating back to 1500 BC. This astronaut photograph captures plumes of steam and possibly ash originating from summit craters on the mountain: the Northeast Crater and Central Crater, which includes two secondary craters (Voragine and Bocca Nuova). Locals heard explosions coming from the rim of the Northeast Crater on July 26, 2006, and the plumes shown in this image are likely a continuation of that activity. The massive 3,350-meter-high volcano is located approximately 24 kilometers north of Catania, the second-largest city in Sicily, and it dominates the city's northern skyline. Much of Etna's surface consists of generations of dark, basaltic lava flows that extended outwards from the summit craters. Fertile soils developed on older flows are marked by green vegetation. Although Etna's current explosive eruptions tend to occur at the summit, lava flows generally erupt through fissures lower down on the flanks of the volcano. Cinder cones, such as Monte Frumento, mark many of the lava flow vents on the volcano's flanks. There is evidence of larger eruptive events as well. The Valle del Bove to the south-southeast of the summit is a caldera formed by the emptying of a subsurface magma chamber during a large eruptive event. Once the magma chamber emptied, the overlying roof material collapsed downwards. Astronaut photograph ISS013-E-62714 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=62714 ] was acquired August 2, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using an 800 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have also been removed. 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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The East Pacific Rise from N
…
| Title |
The East Pacific Rise from Near and Far |
| Description |
What do oceanographers and astronauts have in common? Observations of the complex interactions between different Earth systems, for one. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station routinely observe and photograph the Earth's surface to visualize the complicated interfaces between the atmosphere, the ocean, the land, and life on the surface. Oceanographers are also interdisciplinary students of the Earth, their interests include geology, chemistry, hydrology, and biology. Currently, a team of scientists is cruising the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico and is preparing for submersible dives on the East Pacific Rise, part of the world's mid-ocean ridge system. The mid-ocean ridges are tectonic plate boundaries where new ocean crust forms. The plates move slowly apart, and lava erupts through vents and large fissures along the seafloor. Wrapping around the globe like the seams on a baseball, [ http://www.ridge2000.org/SEAS/for_students/reference/hydrothermal_vent_intro.html ] the mid-ocean ridge system is the largest single volcanic feature on the Earth. As part of their deep-sea expedition, the scientists will place a phone call to the astronauts on the space station to discuss their respective observations of Earth processes. Students are invited to learn more about both the oceanographic and space expeditions and to submit questions (see details at the bottom of this article.) This image, taken by an astronaut in early 2003, shows the land-sea interactions along a section of Mexico's west coast just south of Mazatlan and the Isla Marias archipelago. The islands are a manifestation of intersecting plate boundariesthe spreading center of the East Pacific Rise, which traces south from the Gulf of California, and the subduction zone that consumes the Cocos plate beneath southern Mexico. These islands are biologically important: they comprise the Islas Marias Biosphere Reserve and contain endemic species (found nowhere else) of raccoons and rabbits. They also provide important habitat for birds and marine life. Between the islands and the mainland, swirling surface currents are highlighted by sun glinting off the ocean surface. Along the Mexican coast, water flows out from a coastal lagoon, and nearshore currents carry sediment (light-colored water) along the beach front. The team of oceanographers preparing to visit the East Pacific Rise is returning to a study site a few hundred miles south of Manzanillo, Mexico, where lava erupted on the sea floor in 2006, creating new oceanic crust. Hydrothermal circulation through the new crust has created warm water vents that support a community of bizarre chemosynthetic organisms. Chemosynthetic organisms get energy not from photosynthesis, but from chemicals available in the mineral-rich fluids coming from hydrothermal vents. (See the Students Experiments at Sea Website [ http://www.ridge2000.org/SEAS/for_students/reference/hydrothermal_vent_intro.html ], for more information on hydrothermal vents, and the mid-ocean ridge system.) The scientists will use the deep-sea exploration vehicle known as "Alvin" [ http://www.whoi.edu/marops/vehicles/alvin/ ] to obtain a close look at the sea floor lavas, vents, and organisms. Oceanographers who are expert geologists, chemists, and biologists are working together to understand how the new lava, circulating waters, and organisms interact and affect each other. On Friday, January 26, 2007, "Alvin" scientists will make a phone call from the submersible vehicle on the East Pacific Rise to the International Space Station to talk to astronaut Suni Williams about their respective observations. Students are invited to submit questions to the scientists participating in the phone call. More information, including the student link, is provided at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's From the Seafloor to the Space Station Website. [ http://www.whoi.edu/sbl/liteSite.do?litesiteid=13252 ] Astronaut photograph ISS006-E-51456 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS006&roll=E&frame=51456 ] was acquired in early 2003 with a Nikon 1 digital camera, and is 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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Total Solar Eclipse over Afr
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| Title |
Total Solar Eclipse over Africa and the Mediterranean |
| Description |
The International Space Station (ISS) was in position to view the umbral (ground) shadow cast by the Moon as it moved between the Sun and the Earth during the solar eclipse on March 29, 2006. This astronaut image captures the umbral shadow across southern Turkey, northern Cyprus, and the Mediterranean Sea. People living in these regions observed a total solar eclipse, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17228 ] in which the Moon completely covers the Sun's disk. The astronaut photograph was taken at approximately 2:00 p.m. local time. The terminator of the eclipsethe line between the light and dark parts of the Sun's disk is visible as it passes across central Turkey. This total solar eclipse is the fourth to have occurred since 1999. The portion of the ISS visible at image top is the Space Station Remote Manipulator System. [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/mss/index.html ] Astronaut photograph ISS012-E-21351 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS012&roll=E&frame=21351 ] was acquired March 29, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 35 mm lens, and is provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. The image in this article has been enhanced to improve contrast, and lens artifacts have been removed. 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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Wave Patterns Near Bajo Nuev
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| Title |
Wave Patterns Near Bajo Nuevo Reef, Caribbean Sea |
| Description |
In these images captured by International Space Station astronauts on August 27, 2006, bright sunlight glinting off the western Caribbean Sea reveals intersecting wave patterns and oily surfactants on the surface waters around Bajo Nuevo Reef. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajo_Nuevo_Bank ] Bajo Nuevo is a collection of small islets arranged into two U-shaped cays, low islands made of coral or sand. This pair of images shows the easternmost of the two cays (also known as "keys") and surrounding waters. The top image shows a wide area of the sea around the cay, which encloses a lagoon. Within the lagoon, the water is calmer, and the submerged reef makes a bright blue outline on the downwind side of the islands. Surrounding the lagoon, silvery ocean swells from slightly different directions crisscross the surface. The swells are generally from the east, coming from the direction of the prevailing winds (generally right to left in this image). The detailed view (lower image) reveals the small, low islands that fringe the upwind side of the lagoon. These islands seem dwarfed by wave swells, which almost appear to wash over them. Superimposed on the regular swell pattern are thin ribbons and zones of highly reflective surfactants, chemicals such as natural or synthetic oils that change the water's surface tension. The surfactants trace additional water dynamics around the edges of the reef, following swirling eddies. The dark, rod-shaped object near upper right is likely a ship that navigated into the reef's shoals. It appears to be trailing an oily substance, which makes an iridescent ribbon along the south side of the lagoon. The very bright appearance of the Caribbean Sea in these images results from sunglint. Sunglint occurs when the Sun's light bounces off the ocean's surface and directly back into a satellite sensor's field of view or a camera's lens. While sunglint can create a washed-out appearance to the surface in some situations, it may also reveal details that aren't visible in other lighting conditions. For example, in many space-based images, the ocean surface appears as a flat, nearly featureless blue expanse. Astronaut photographs ISS013-E-71473 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=71473 ] and ISS013-E-71468 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=71468 ] were acquired August 27, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 28 mm lens, and are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. These images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. 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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Wave Patterns Near Bajo Nuev
…
| Title |
Wave Patterns Near Bajo Nuevo Reef, Caribbean Sea |
| Description |
In these images captured by International Space Station astronauts on August 27, 2006, bright sunlight glinting off the western Caribbean Sea reveals intersecting wave patterns and oily surfactants on the surface waters around Bajo Nuevo Reef. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajo_Nuevo_Bank ] Bajo Nuevo is a collection of small islets arranged into two U-shaped cays, low islands made of coral or sand. This pair of images shows the easternmost of the two cays (also known as "keys") and surrounding waters. The top image shows a wide area of the sea around the cay, which encloses a lagoon. Within the lagoon, the water is calmer, and the submerged reef makes a bright blue outline on the downwind side of the islands. Surrounding the lagoon, silvery ocean swells from slightly different directions crisscross the surface. The swells are generally from the east, coming from the direction of the prevailing winds (generally right to left in this image). The detailed view (lower image) reveals the small, low islands that fringe the upwind side of the lagoon. These islands seem dwarfed by wave swells, which almost appear to wash over them. Superimposed on the regular swell pattern are thin ribbons and zones of highly reflective surfactants, chemicals such as natural or synthetic oils that change the water's surface tension. The surfactants trace additional water dynamics around the edges of the reef, following swirling eddies. The dark, rod-shaped object near upper right is likely a ship that navigated into the reef's shoals. It appears to be trailing an oily substance, which makes an iridescent ribbon along the south side of the lagoon. The very bright appearance of the Caribbean Sea in these images results from sunglint. Sunglint occurs when the Sun's light bounces off the ocean's surface and directly back into a satellite sensor's field of view or a camera's lens. While sunglint can create a washed-out appearance to the surface in some situations, it may also reveal details that aren't visible in other lighting conditions. For example, in many space-based images, the ocean surface appears as a flat, nearly featureless blue expanse. Astronaut photographs ISS013-E-71473 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=71473 ] and ISS013-E-71468 [ http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/scripts/sseop/photo.pl?mission=ISS013&roll=E&frame=71468 ] were acquired August 27, 2006, with a Kodak 760C digital camera using a 28 mm lens, and are provided by the ISS Crew Earth Observations experiment and the Image Science & Analysis Group, Johnson Space Center. These images have been cropped and enhanced to improve contrast. Lens artifacts have been removed. 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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Atlantis to Orbit
| Title |
Atlantis to Orbit |
| Explanation |
Birds [ http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/ ] don't fly this high. Airplanes [ http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/aero/background/ ] don't go this fast. The Statue of Liberty [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_liberty ] weighs less. No species [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species ] other than human can even comprehend what is going on, nor could any human [ http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/photos.html ] just a millennium ago [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html ]. The launch of a rocket [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060913.html http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/K-12/TRC/Rockets/history_of_rockets.html ] bound for space is an event that inspires awe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021023.html ] and challenges description. Pictured above [ http://mediaarchive.ksc.nasa.gov/detail.cfm?mediaid=30062 ], the Space Shuttle Atlantis [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html ] lifted off to visit the International Space Station [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060724.html ] during the morning of 2006 September 9. From a standing start, the two million kilogram rocket ship left [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010219.html ] to circle the Earth [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050102.html ] where the outside air is too thin to breathe and where there is little noticeable onboard gravity [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microgravity ]. Rockets [ http://www.howstuffworks.com/rocket1.htm ] bound for space are now launched [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021023.html ] from somewhere on Earth about once a week [ http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/launches/launch_schedule.html ]. |
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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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The International Space Stat
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| Title |
The International Space Station Expands Again |
| Explanation |
The developing International Space Station [ http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/ISS_OVR/index.htm ] (ISS) has changed its appearance again. During the past week, the Space Shuttle [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010412.html ] Atlantis [ http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/atlantis.html ] visited the ISS [ http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/spacestation/index.html ] and added pieces of the Integrated Truss Structure [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/elements/its/ ] that mirrored [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Truss_Structure#P3.2FP4.2C_S3.2FS4_truss_assemblies ] those added in September 2006, including a second impressively long [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISS_Truss ] array of solar panels. The entire array of expansive solar panels are visible at the edges of the above image [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-117/html/s117e08011.html ] taken by the Shuttle Atlantis Crew [ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/index.html ] after leaving the ISS [ http://www.howstuffworks.com/space-station1.htm ] to return to Earth. The world's foremost space outpost [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ ] can be seen developing over the past several years by comparing the above image [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-117/html/s117e08011.html ] to [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060920.html ] past [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap021208.html ] images [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020102.html ]. Also visible above are many different types of modules [ http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/station/assembly/ndxpage1.html ], a robotic arm [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010509.html ], another impressive set of solar panels [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_panels ], and a supply ship. Construction began on the ISS [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Space_Station ] in 1998. |
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