Earth Sciences and Image Analysis: Photographic Highlights

STS-097 Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Photographic Highlights

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STS097-E-5104 International Space Station over Cook Strait: The International Space Station is shown over Cook Strait (between North Island and South Island), New Zealand.

STS097-E-5106 International Space Station over Chatham Island: The International Space Station is shown over Chatham Island, New Zealand.

STS097-701-17 Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: Kilimanjaro (elevation 5875 m) is a complex of three volcanic peaks in the Kenya branch of the East African rift, just south of the Kenya-Tanzania border. Rift volcanism in this region includes fissure and fault eruptions along the floor of the rift, but the largest volcanoes are at intersections of north-trending rift-valley faults and the ancient, northwest-trending Aswa fault zone. Volcanoes at such intersections are commonly long-lived; Kilimanjaro has erupted episodically for almost a million years, and Reusch crater on the Kibo summit may be only a few hundred years old, as steam and sulfur fumaroles are still active. Kilimanjaro is capped by glacial relics of the last ice age. Field studies indicate that most of Kilimanjaro was once covered by much as 100m of ice and that glaciers extended well down the mountainsides. The most extensive remaining glaciers are on the southern and southwestern flanks.
Mt. Kilimanjaro’s Receding Glaciers: Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), the highest point in all Africa, was photographed by the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-97 on December 2, 2000. Kilimanjaro (Kilima Njaro or "shining mountain" in Swahili) is capped by glaciers on its southern and southwestern flanks.
The glaciers and snow cap covered a far greater area ten years prior to the view above. Compare the photograph above with a photograph of Kilimanjaro taken in November 1990 by the Space Shuttle mission STS-38 crew.

STS097-711-54 Hobart, Tasmania: The capital city of Tasmania, Hobart is on the estuary of the River Derwent in northwestern Storm Bay (upper left). Pitt Water is the smaller, sinuous body of shallow water (upper center) that is separated by a land spit from Frederick Henry Bay. Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas (lower right) constitute the eastern shore of Norfolk Bay. Characteristic Tasmanian marsupials, such as echidnas and Tasmanian devils, are protected in natural habitats on the rugged coast of the Tasman Peninsula and on islands in Storm Bay.

STS097-711-93 Cape Delgado, Tanzania & Mozambique: The Rovuma River rises in the Matagoro Mts. in southeastern Tanzania and marks the border between Tanzania (north) and Mozambique (south). The Rovuma is navigable to about 100 km inland, to the Upinda cataract. The delta of the Rovuma has built outward onto the continental shelf to create the broad, arcuate Cape Delgado. Islands and shoals, with their surrounding shallow turquoise waters, form the delta fringe.

STS097-717-89 Sossus Vlei, Namibia: The long, parallel, deep red dunes at Sossus Vlei ("vlei" is Dutch for marsh), central Namibia, are constructed by the prevailing winds moving northward up the coast. Along the course of the ephemeral stream (white strands at center), the ground-water table is at or near the land surface, and the damp sand disrupts or prevents dune formation. Where winds are deflected around bedrock outliers, smaller and less continuous dunes result. Similar aeolian features can be seen in images of the floor of Hebes Chasma, Herschel impact basin, and the north polar region of Mars, taken with the Mars Orbital Camera.

STS097-717-36 Galapagos Islands: Basaltic lavas have risen through the crust above a mantle hotspot to construct the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Details of three large, active volcanic craters are visible on Isabela, the seahorse-shaped island, and another on Fernandina to the southwest; dark lava flows have spread outward from the craters. The islands, visited by Charles Darwin in 1835, are home to unique and varied wildlife including giant tortoises, marine and land iguanas, lava lizards and sea lions.

STS097-702-24 Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia: Wilsons Promontory forms the southernmost tip of Australia; Tasmania lies across Bass Strait to the south. Waratah Bay flanks the point on the west, Corner Inlet opens into the Tasman Sea on the east, and the forested foothills of the Great Dividing Range rise from the coastal plain farther north. Within Corner Inlet, current and sediment-transport patterns are visible.

STS097-711-69 Cape Town, Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa: The capital and largest city of Western Cape Province, Cape Town (1995 population in the urban and suburban area over 1.9 million), is visible between False Bay (large, U-shaped bay) and a smaller bay along the Atlantic coast of the peninsula. Within the urban built up area some of the infrastructure of Cape Town, including the city center and the harbor and waterfront facilities, can be identified near the small bay (near the middle left edge of the image). Table Mountain elevation of 3563 feet (1086 meters above sea level) separates the city center (north of the mountain) from the southern suburbs of Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope, long famous as the gateway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, is located at the southern tip of the claw-shaped peninsula. False Bay is a popular recreational region for the local residents of the greater Cape Town region, as well as a tourist attraction for people who live beyond the borders of South Africa. The lighter-colored terrain, mainly north of Cape Town, shows a landscape of large, cultivated field patterns. These coastal plains are separated from the interior by a chain of folded mountain ranges that include the Cedarberg (dark,linear, north/south aligned feature in the upper right corner) and the more complex, folded Herrivierberge Mountains (dark structure, right middle) that are located northeast of Cape Town.

STS097-715-61 Central Andes Mountains, Argentina/Chile: Extending 5500 miles (8850 km) along the western coast of South America from northern Colombia to Cape Horn in southern Chile, the Andes are the longest mountain range, above sea level, and the second highest range in the world. This immense system came into existence nearly 70 million years ago. With numerous active volcanoes and a slow uplift, the building of the Andes Mountains continues today rising 4 inches (10 cm) per century. In this north-looking view, snow covers the higher peaks of the range, some of which rise to over 20000 feet (6100 meters) above sea level. Along the left or western portion of the view, clouds can be seen along coastal areas of Chile. In the bottom left quadrant of the scene, the blue waters of the Paloma Reservoir, a recreational lake, are visible. The folded Tontal Range (bottom center) and the Valle Fertil Range (upper right quadrant and partially cloud covered) of western Argentina can be seen. The rocks of these ranges are ancient compared to the younger volcanic peaks and ranges of the Andes. The city of San Juan, Argentina is visible on the eastern (right) base of the Tontal Range in the lower right quadrant of the view.

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STS097-E-5104	International Space Station over Cook Strait: The International Space Station is shown over Cook Strait (between North Island and South Island), New Zealand.
STS097-E-5106	International Space Station over Chatham Island: The International Space Station is shown over Chatham Island, New Zealand.
STS097-701-17	Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: Kilimanjaro (elevation 5875 m) is a complex of three volcanic peaks in the Kenya branch of the East African rift, just south of the Kenya-Tanzania border. Rift volcanism in this region includes fissure and fault eruptions along the floor of the rift, but the largest volcanoes are at intersections of north-trending rift-valley faults and the ancient, northwest-trending Aswa fault zone. Volcanoes at such intersections are commonly long-lived; Kilimanjaro has erupted episodically for almost a million years, and Reusch crater on the Kibo summit may be only a few hundred years old, as steam and sulfur fumaroles are still active. Kilimanjaro is capped by glacial relics of the last ice age. Field studies indicate that most of Kilimanjaro was once covered by much as 100m of ice and that glaciers extended well down the mountainsides. The most extensive remaining glaciers are on the southern and southwestern flanks. Mt. Kilimanjaro’s Receding Glaciers: Mt. Kilimanjaro (Tanzania), the highest point in all Africa, was photographed by the crew of Space Shuttle mission STS-97 on December 2, 2000. Kilimanjaro (Kilima Njaro or "shining mountain" in Swahili) is capped by glaciers on its southern and southwestern flanks. The glaciers and snow cap covered a far greater area ten years prior to the view above. Compare the photograph above with a photograph of Kilimanjaro taken in November 1990 by the Space Shuttle mission STS-38 crew.
STS097-711-54	Hobart, Tasmania: The capital city of Tasmania, Hobart is on the estuary of the River Derwent in northwestern Storm Bay (upper left). Pitt Water is the smaller, sinuous body of shallow water (upper center) that is separated by a land spit from Frederick Henry Bay. Forestier and Tasman Peninsulas (lower right) constitute the eastern shore of Norfolk Bay. Characteristic Tasmanian marsupials, such as echidnas and Tasmanian devils, are protected in natural habitats on the rugged coast of the Tasman Peninsula and on islands in Storm Bay.
STS097-711-93	Cape Delgado, Tanzania & Mozambique: The Rovuma River rises in the Matagoro Mts. in southeastern Tanzania and marks the border between Tanzania (north) and Mozambique (south). The Rovuma is navigable to about 100 km inland, to the Upinda cataract. The delta of the Rovuma has built outward onto the continental shelf to create the broad, arcuate Cape Delgado. Islands and shoals, with their surrounding shallow turquoise waters, form the delta fringe.
STS097-717-89	Sossus Vlei, Namibia: The long, parallel, deep red dunes at Sossus Vlei ("vlei" is Dutch for marsh), central Namibia, are constructed by the prevailing winds moving northward up the coast. Along the course of the ephemeral stream (white strands at center), the ground-water table is at or near the land surface, and the damp sand disrupts or prevents dune formation. Where winds are deflected around bedrock outliers, smaller and less continuous dunes result. Similar aeolian features can be seen in images of the floor of Hebes Chasma, Herschel impact basin, and the north polar region of Mars, taken with the Mars Orbital Camera.
STS097-717-36	Galapagos Islands: Basaltic lavas have risen through the crust above a mantle hotspot to construct the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Details of three large, active volcanic craters are visible on Isabela, the seahorse-shaped island, and another on Fernandina to the southwest; dark lava flows have spread outward from the craters. The islands, visited by Charles Darwin in 1835, are home to unique and varied wildlife including giant tortoises, marine and land iguanas, lava lizards and sea lions.
STS097-702-24	Wilsons Promontory, Victoria, Australia: Wilsons Promontory forms the southernmost tip of Australia; Tasmania lies across Bass Strait to the south. Waratah Bay flanks the point on the west, Corner Inlet opens into the Tasman Sea on the east, and the forested foothills of the Great Dividing Range rise from the coastal plain farther north. Within Corner Inlet, current and sediment-transport patterns are visible.
STS097-711-69	Cape Town, Western Cape Province, Republic of South Africa: The capital and largest city of Western Cape Province, Cape Town (1995 population in the urban and suburban area over 1.9 million), is visible between False Bay (large, U-shaped bay) and a smaller bay along the Atlantic coast of the peninsula. Within the urban built up area some of the infrastructure of Cape Town, including the city center and the harbor and waterfront facilities, can be identified near the small bay (near the middle left edge of the image). Table Mountain elevation of 3563 feet (1086 meters above sea level) separates the city center (north of the mountain) from the southern suburbs of Cape Town. The Cape of Good Hope, long famous as the gateway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, is located at the southern tip of the claw-shaped peninsula. False Bay is a popular recreational region for the local residents of the greater Cape Town region, as well as a tourist attraction for people who live beyond the borders of South Africa. The lighter-colored terrain, mainly north of Cape Town, shows a landscape of large, cultivated field patterns. These coastal plains are separated from the interior by a chain of folded mountain ranges that include the Cedarberg (dark,linear, north/south aligned feature in the upper right corner) and the more complex, folded Herrivierberge Mountains (dark structure, right middle) that are located northeast of Cape Town.
STS097-715-61	Central Andes Mountains, Argentina/Chile: Extending 5500 miles (8850 km) along the western coast of South America from northern Colombia to Cape Horn in southern Chile, the Andes are the longest mountain range, above sea level, and the second highest range in the world. This immense system came into existence nearly 70 million years ago. With numerous active volcanoes and a slow uplift, the building of the Andes Mountains continues today rising 4 inches (10 cm) per century. In this north-looking view, snow covers the higher peaks of the range, some of which rise to over 20000 feet (6100 meters) above sea level. Along the left or western portion of the view, clouds can be seen along coastal areas of Chile. In the bottom left quadrant of the scene, the blue waters of the Paloma Reservoir, a recreational lake, are visible. The folded Tontal Range (bottom center) and the Valle Fertil Range (upper right quadrant and partially cloud covered) of western Argentina can be seen. The rocks of these ranges are ancient compared to the younger volcanic peaks and ranges of the Andes. The city of San Juan, Argentina is visible on the eastern (right) base of the Tontal Range in the lower right quadrant of the view.