Start Date: End Date: Published Date Data Date
Remembering UARS
720 x 720 JPEG
Published September 24, 2011
Twenty years ago this month, astronauts on the space shuttle Discovery used the spacecraft's robotic arm to launch the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite into orbit around the Earth.
Related images:
2804 x 2804 4 MB - JPEG
Hawaiian Vog Photographed from Space Shuttle
720 x 480 JPEG
Published May 22, 2009
This image, taken by the crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis shows volcanic plumes from Kilauea rising up from three locations: Halema‘uma‘u Crater, Pu‘u ‘O‘o Crater, and from along the coastline where lava flows from the East Rift zone were entering the ocean.
1440 x 960 562 KB - JPEG
Classroom in Space
540 x 563 JPEG
Published January 25, 2003
The above photo of the International Space Station was taken by an astronaut aboard the space shuttle on April 17, 2002. Although its construction is not yet complete, Space Station Alpha began operations in November 2000. It now serves as home to three astronauts as well as dozens of already ongoing science experiments.
4126 x 4302 2 MB - JPG
Salt Ponds, South San Francisco Bay
1402 x 995 1 MB Bytes - JPEG
Published July 21, 2002
The red and green colors of the salt ponds in South San Francisco Bay are brilliant visual markers for astronauts. The STS-111 crew photographed the bay south of the San Mateo bridge in June, 2002.
Thunderstorms over Brazil
540 x 405 JPEG
Published May 15, 2002
This photograph, acquired in February 1984 by an astronaut aboard the space shuttle, shows a series of mature thunderstorms located near the Paraná River in southern Brazil. With abundant warm temperatures and moisture-laden air in this part of Brazil, large thunderstorms are commonplace. A NASA-funded researcher has discovered that tiny airborne particles of pollution may modify developing thunderclouds by increasing the quantity and reducing the size of the ice crystals within them. These modifications may affect the clouds’ impact on the Earth’s “radiation budget,” or the amount of radiation that enters and leaves our planet.
5266 x 5266 7 MB - JPG
Biogenic Films at the Mouth of the Suez Canal
540 x 352 JPEG
Published September 23, 2001
Astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery used the sunglint off the surface of the Mediterranean Sea to reveal biogenic films on the ocean surface (“Biogenic film” refers to a thin layer of biologically-produced film resting on the surface.). The films dampen surface capillary waves, creating brighter and darker reflections, which, in turn, trace the complex surface water movements along the coast. The sunglint also highlights coastal features (jetties, submerged costal areas) near the Port of Suez.
1641 x 1070 269 KB - JPEG
African Dust Blows over the Caribbean
1276 x 1296 444 KB - JPEG
Published September 9, 2001
Shuttle astronauts frequently track Saharan dust storms as they blow from north Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Dust palls blowing from Africa take about a week to cross the Atlantic. Recently, researchers have linked Saharan dust to coral disease, allergic reactions in humans, and red tides. The top photograph, a classic image showing African dust over the Caribbean, was taken at a time when few scientists had considered the possibility. The image was taken by Space Shuttle astronauts on July 11, 1994. This photograph looks southwest over the northern edge of a large trans-Atlantic dust plume that blew off the Sahara desert in Africa. In this view, Caicos Island in the Bahamas and the mountainous spines of Haiti are partly obscured by the dust. Closer to the foreground, (about 26 degrees north latitude), the skies are clear.
1296 x 1105 234 KB - JPEG
Vail, Colorado
540 x 708 JPEG
Published June 24, 2001
The snow-covered ski runs of Vail, Colorado, look like white ribbons in contrast to the dark green forests of the Rocky Mountains. This detailed image is part of a larger view of area ski resorts photographed by the STS-100 Space Shuttle crew in April, 2001.
2968 x 1980 2 MB - JPEG
Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi), Turkey
540 x 347 53 KB - JPEG
Published June 17, 2001
1362 x 874 237 KB - JPEG
540 x 347 JPEG
Mount Ararat (16,940 feet; 5165 meters) is the largest volcano in Turkey. Although not currently active, its most recent eruption has probably been within the last 10,000 years. It is located in extreme northeastern Turkey, near the borders with Iran and Armenia. Southwest of the main peak lies Little Ararat (12,877 feet; 3896 meters). Ahora Gorge is a northeast-trending chasm dropping 6000 feet from the top of the mountain and was the focus of a major earthquake in 1840. A number of claims by different explorers to have found remnants of Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat have led to continuing expeditions to the mountain, many of which have focused their searches on the gorge area.