Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Old Havana, Cuba
3032 x 2064 2 MB - JPEG
Published January 5, 2003
he red tile roofs and historic buildings of Cuba’s Old Havana appear distinctly in this high-resolution photograph taken by astronauts on board the International Space Station.
Related images:
JPEG
540 x 540 JPEG
Plankton Blooms, Capricorn Channel
1000 x 754 693 KB - JPEG
Published December 29, 2002
This image captures a plankton bloom in the Capricorn Channel off the Queensland coast of Australia. The whispy pattern of the bloom suggests that the plankton are Trichodesmium—a photosynthetic cyanobacteria, also called “sea saw dust” that is common in the world’s oceans. Trichodesmium is frequently observed around Australia this time of year. In fact, Captain Cook’s ship logs written while he was sailing in Australian waters in the 1700s contain detailed descriptions of Trichodesmium blooms. Astronauts frequently photograph large plankton blooms during their missions because a significant portion of the ISS orbits cross long stretches of ocean. In the process, astronauts become acute observers of subtle changes in sea surface dynamics. Imagery of surface plankton blooms offer multi-dimensional (in space and time) visualizations of the unique physical and chemical circumstances that support the blooms.
540 x 405 JPEG
The Acropolis, Athens, Greece
1000 x 1469 2 MB - JPEG
Published December 22, 2002
This high-resolution photograph taken by astronauts on board the International Space Station shows details of Athens historic ruins. The detail panel shows actual pixels for the area of the Acropolis—some of the most distinctive features are the Parthenon, and Odeum of Herodes Atticus.
540 x 670 JPEG
Emi Koussi Volcano, Chad, North Africa
1000 x 1504 427 KB - JPEG
Published December 8, 2002
Emi Koussi is a high volcano that lies at the south end of the Tibesti Mountains in the central Sahara in northern Chad. The volcano is one of several in the Tibesti massif, and reaches 3415 m in altitude, rising 2.3 kilometers above the surrounding sandstone plains. The volcano is 65 kilometers wide. This view of the Emi Koussi caldera is detailed to the point that it doesn’t include the entire 10-kilometer diameter of the caldera, but reveals individual lava strata within the walls of the summit cliffs. Nested within the main caldera is a smaller crater that contains white salts of a dry lake at its lowest point. Here too, strata are visible in the walls of the smaller crater. The smaller crater is surrounded by a region of darker rocks—a geologically young dome of lava studded with several small circular volcanic vents.
Lake Tandou, New South Wales, Australia
1000 x 1469 500 KB - JPG
Published December 1, 2002
Sections of Australia have been experiencing their worst drought in 100 years. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station documented conditions in Australia in 2002, including these images of Lake Tandou in the Menindee Lake system along the Darling River. The Menindee Lakes are part of an innovative water conservation project. This lakebed is protected from flooding and is used for agriculture—primarily cotton, sunflower and grains. It is one of several interconnected lakes that sit along the lower Darling River like a string of pearls. Other lakes function as water capture reservoirs to support controlled water flow for environmental and agricultural needs down river, and to provide flood mitigation.
540 x 872 JPEG
1000 x 1469 536 KB - JPG
1000 x 1469 618 KB - JPG
Mt. Elbrus, Caucasus Range
3032 x 2004 3 MB - JPEG
Published November 10, 2002
The Caucasus Mountains form a long (more than 1200 kilometers) and steep spine connecting the Black Sea to the Caspian. Mt. Elbrus, the summit of the Caucasus Mountains, is located in southern Russia just north of the Georgian border, and is distinguished as Europe’s highest peak (5642 m). Elbrus is also an ancient volcano, although it has not erupted for nearly 2000 years. Elbrus’s profile comprises two volcanic peaks (East and West). They are popular trekking and mountain climbing destinations—the saddle between them provides access to the region. In mid-September, the Russian and American crew aboard the International Space Station viewed Mt. Elbrus’s glaciated landscape as part of a study by Russian glaciologists. Elbrus is located west of the recent glacier slide on Mt. Kazbek, another giant peak in the Caucasus Mountains.
540 x 358 JPEG
Spectacular View of Etna from the International Space Station
540 x 410 JPEG
Published November 5, 2002
1000 x 760 183 KB - JPEG
Key West
1000 x 702 634 KB - JPEG
Published November 3, 2002
Turquoise blue waters, coral reefs and sandy beaches were apparently on the minds of International Space Station astronauts last week. As they passed over the Florida Keys, they acquired a sequence of images from Key West eastward along the outer keys. The detail of the images showcases the clarity of the Caribbean waters, and allows for mapping of both land use and shallow marine features. This image of Key West shows the intensive built-up area of the town, the offshore sand flats and grassbeds surrounding Key West, the patterns of natural tidal channels and artificially dredged channels that allow boat access to the local marinas.
540 x 451 JPEG
Easter Island
1000 x 1469 494 KB - JPEG
Published October 6, 2002
On September 25, 2002, astronauts aboard the International Space Station viewed Easter Island, one of the most remote locations on Earth. Easter Island is more than 2000 miles from the closest populations on Tahiti and Chile—even more remote than astronauts orbiting at 210 nautical miles above the Earth. Archaeologists believe the island was discovered and colonized by Polynesians at about 400 AD. Subsequently, a unique culture developed. The human population grew to levels that could not be sustained by the island. A civil war resulted, and the island’s deforestation and ecosystem collapse was nearly complete.