Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Data acquired January 21, 2003 3032 x 2064 2 MB - JPEG
Data acquired January 21, 2003 JPEG
Data acquired January 21, 2003 540 x 405 JPEG
With a population of just over two million, Mashhad is Iran’s second-largest city. It is located in the Kashaf River valley near the northeast corner of the country, not far away from the borders of Turkmenistan and Afganistan. Besides being the capital and center of commerce for Khorasan province, Mashhad is tourist center as well as a site of pilgrimage for millions to the shrine of martyred Shi’ate Imam Reza. The crew of STS-107 acquired this snow-enhanced image just after noon (local time) on January 21, 2003. Note how little snow is visible in the urbanized areas and the discoloration of snow in the surrounding area, probably due to wind-borne smoke generated by fuel burning in the city.
STS107-E-5290 was provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.
Published February 1, 2003 Data acquired January 21, 2003