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Page 1: Earth observations during space shuttle flight sts‐49:               Endeavor's               mission to planet earth (May 7–16, 1992)

This article was downloaded by: [University of Auckland Library]On: 21 December 2014, At: 12:41Publisher: Taylor & FrancisInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: MortimerHouse, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

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Earth observations during space shuttle flightsts‐49: Endeavor's mission to planet earth (May7–16, 1992)David L. Amsbury a b , Cynthia Evans a b , Steven Ackleson a b , Federick R.Brumbaugh c , David R. Helms c , Kamlesh P. Lulla d , M. Justin Wilkinson c , DanielC. Brandenstein , Kevin P. Chilton , Richard J. Hieb , Bruce E. Melnick , Pierre J.Thuot , Kathryn C. Thornton & Thomas D. Akersa Johnson Space Center , NASA , Code SN5, Houston, Texas, 77058, U.S.A.b Lockheed Engineering and Sciences Company (LESC) , Houston, Texas, 77058,U.S.A.c LESC ,d NASA ,Published online: 17 Sep 2008.

To cite this article: David L. Amsbury , Cynthia Evans , Steven Ackleson , Federick R. Brumbaugh , David R.Helms , Kamlesh P. Lulla , M. Justin Wilkinson , Daniel C. Brandenstein , Kevin P. Chilton , Richard J. Hieb , BruceE. Melnick , Pierre J. Thuot , Kathryn C. Thornton & Thomas D. Akers (1994) Earth observations during spaceshuttle flight sts‐49: Endeavor's mission to planet earth (May 7–16, 1992), Geocarto International, 9:2, 67-80, DOI:10.1080/10106049409354452

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10106049409354452

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Page 2: Earth observations during space shuttle flight sts‐49:               Endeavor's               mission to planet earth (May 7–16, 1992)

Earth Observations during Space Shuttle Flight STS-49:Endeavor's Mission to Planet Earth

(May 7-16, 1992)

David L. Amsbury, Cynthia Evans, and Steven AcklesonCode SN5, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77058, U.S.A. andLockheed Engineering and Sciences Company (LESC), Houston, Texas 77058, U.S.A.

with contributions from

Federick R. Brumbaugh (LESC), David R. Helms (LESC), Kamlesh P. Lulla (NASA) andM. Justin Wilkinson (LESC)

The STS-49 Astronauts:

Daniel C. Brandenstein, Kevin P. Chilton, Richard J. Hieb, Bruce E. Melnick, Pierre J. Thuot,Kathryn C. Thornton, and Thomas D. Akers

Mission Overview

STS-49 was the first flight of the new spacecraftEndeavor, which performed flawlessly. The majoraccomplishment by the crew (Figure 1) was atroublesome manual recovery of, and straightforwardreplacement of a booster rocket motor on, theINTELSAT VI satellite. The recovery and other missiongoals required extensive Extra Vehicular Activities(EVAs), setting several records: four spacewalks on a

single Space Shuttle Mission; a three-person EVA; thetwo longest EVAs; and the longest EVA by a femaleastronaut. During landing, the orbiter drag chute wasdeployed for the first time.

The mission began at Kennedy Space Center, Florida,lasted 8 days, 21 hours, and 17 minutes, and orbitedEarth 141 times between May 7 and May 16, 1992,landing at Edwards Air Force base, California. Orbitalinclination was 28.35 degrees, altitude 366 km (197.6NM).

Figure 1 The STS-49 crewmembers (clockwise from bottom right): Richard J. Hieb, Thomas D. Akers,Kathryn C. Thornton, Pierre J. Thuot, Daniel C. Brandenstein, Kevin P. Chilton, and Bruce E.Melnick. NASA photo S49-21-005.

Geocarto International (2) 1994 67

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Page 3: Earth observations during space shuttle flight sts‐49:               Endeavor's               mission to planet earth (May 7–16, 1992)

Because the spacecraft carried the same name asCaptain Cook's flagship, crew members were interestedin viewing and photographing as much of the territoryexplored by Cook as possible. Despite the extremelybusy mission, and the relatively low latitude of STS-49, they were successful in photographing many placesvisited by Captain Cook in the southwestern Pacific, aswell as islands famous (or notorious) in World War IIhistory (Figure 2, Table 1). Excellent coverage of partsof Central America and the Caribbean, northwesternAfrica, and some fine photographs elsewhere wereobtained.

Some of the pictorially outstanding, and scientificallyinteresting, photographs obtained on STS-49 aredescribed below, and a few are illustrated. Copies ofall of the Space Shuttle handheld photographs may beobtained from designated public sources, and the entiredata base may be searched electronically (Lulla, 1992;Pitts et al, 1992).

Southwestern Pacific Ocean; Wind andWater

A packet of internal waves, sea-surface effects of acollapsed thunderstorm, and mesoscale eddieshighlighted by slicks (Figure 3) were photographed offthe northeastern coast of Borneo on May 8,1992, thefirst day of the STS-49 flight. Two coral atolls ofTubbataha Reef (Lat. 9N, Long. 120E) can be seen nearthe center of the photograph. The crest-to-crest length

of the internal waves (left center of the photograph) isabout 10km (5.4 NM). Such waves propagate at theboundaries between water layers of different density.Their surface expression is very subtle, but it can readilybe seen in the sunglint. Several small eddies can alsobe seen in the sunglint pattern. A 250mm shot (Figure4) of the open spot on the sea surface shows that cloudswere pushed from the center by relatively cool air thatspread downward and outward from a dyingthunderstorm. Around the edges of the downdraftedair, new, though smaller, storms are developing.Sunglint highlights the radial pattern of sea-surfaceroughness associated with the downdraft. Thisphotograph is part of a series that includes details ofthe internal waves and surface slicks in sunglint (S49-71-040) and a view of the collapsed thunderstorm outof sunglint (S48-71-043).

Many more phenomena of oceanographic interestwere photographed: For example, a complex eddyfield, delineated by the distribution of surfactants, isseen in a sunglint view (S49-96-060) of the South ChinaSea, midway between China and the Philippines. Anoil slick, probably resulting from ship bilge-pumpingalong the coast of the Phillippine island of Luzon wasphotographed in sunglint (S49-96-062). The interestingaspect of this slick is a braided pattern that appears togrow and develop with distance from the ship, whichcan be seen within the photo.

A dramatic example of a suloy (a line of shearbetween two water masses) was photographed between

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Figure 2 Centerpoints of STS-49 Earth observation photographs NASA photograph S93-27143 (map).

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Table 1 Southwestern Pacific Views: Captain Cook and World War II

New CaledoniaSTS49-73-077, 078, 079: New Caledonia (Loyalty Islands- oblique), 21.5S, 165ESTS49-73-080: New Caledonia, 21.5S, 165.5ESTS49-73-081: Loyalty Islands, 21.5S, 167.5ESTS49-73-084: Loyalty Islands (near vertical), 21.5S, 167.5E

Vanuatu (New Hebrides)STS49-73-082, 083: Tanna, Anatom Is., 20S, 169.5ESTS49-73-085, 086: Tanna, Anatom Is. (near vertical), 20S, 169.5ESTS49-83-016: Erromango Is., 19S, 169ESTS49-83-017, 018: Efate Is., Port Vila-heavily vegetated, 17.5S, 167.5E

Tonga IslandsSTS49-85-001, 002, 003, 004: Tongatapu Group (Airfield), 19.5S, 175.3W

Samoa IslandsSTS49-73-091: Western Samoa (Saval'l, Upolu), 13.5S, 173W

Society Islands/Tuamotu ArchipelagoSTS 49-74-014, 015, 016, 017: Tuamotu Archipelago (Anaa Is.), 17.5S, 145.5WSTS49-74-021, 022, 023, 024, 025, 026: Vahitahi Is. (very small oval), 19S, 139WSTS49-152-013, 014, 015, 016, 017, 018, 019: Tuamotu Archipelago (Fakarava, Raraka, etc.), series of atolls east of

TahitiIndonesia

STS49-97-051 (CIR), STS49-85-033: Lombok Island, 8.5S, 116.5ESTS49-97-054 (CIR), STS49-85-034: Sumbawa Island, 8.5S, 188ESTS49-75-096: Small Island "Connected" Subsurface Between Borneo and Celebes IslandsSTS49-75-081: Kai Is., 5.5S, 132.5ESTS49-97-046, 047, 048, 049, 050, 051, 052, 053, 054 (All CIR): Indonesian Is. (excellent CIR)STS49-97-059 (CIR): Tukang Besi Is., 6S, 124E

Bismark ArchipeligoSTS49-75-045: Trobriand Is., 8.5S, 151ESTS49-75-046: D'Entrecasteaux Is.-NE tip New Guinea (Goodenough, Fergusson Is.), 9.5S, 150.5ESTS49-75-048: Green Islands (NNW Bougainville), 4.5S, 154ESTS49-75-049, 050: Tulun Islands (N. Bougainville), 5S, 155.5E

Gilbert IslandsSTS49-73-092: Maiden Is., 4S, 155WSTS49-83-087: Nonouti Is., .5S, 174.5ESTS49-83-088, 089: Tabiteuea Is., 1.5S, 175E

PhilippinesSTS49-94-081: Manila BaySTS49-96-064,065,066,067 (ALL CIR): Mount Pinatubo; good series of scenes through N. Luzon (Mag 96, frames 063

through 081)STS49-96-078 (CIR): Babuyan Is., 19N, 121ESTS49-151-223: Mount Pinatubo

Caroline IslandsSTS49-85-078: Yap Island, 9.9N, 140.6ESTS49-76-093: Truk Island, 7N, 152ESTS49-93-049: Palau Islands (Babelthuap Island-under clouds), 9N, 133.4ESTS49-82-024: Unidentified Atolls/Islands, nadir 5.8N, 139.8E

MarianasSTS49-94-007: Salpan and Tinian Islands, 15N, 145.7ESTS49-96-083 (CIR): Iwo Jima (25N, 141E)

Marshall IslandsSTS49-71-011: Wake Islands (Corregidor Island), 19.3N, 166.5ESTS49-75-057: Johnston Island, 16.5N, 169.5WSTS49-76-078: Majuro Atoll, 7N, 172ESTS49-76-094: Enewetak Island, 11.5N, 162ESTS49-92-035: Wotje, Erikub AtollsSTS49-81-081, 082, 083: Rongelap, Ailinginae Atolls, 11N, 167ESTS49-81-086, 087, 088: Wotje, Erikub Atolls, 9.5N, 170ESTS49-81-089, 090: Mejit ls.«very small, 10N, 171E

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Figure 3 Internal waves and a collapsed thunderstorm, between Borneo and Mindoro (Philippine Islands). Hasselblad camera, 100-mm lens,Ektachrome Professional 5017 film; NASA Photograph S49-72-013.

the Phillippine Islands and the Celebes (2.5N, 121.9E)on May 9,1992 (S49-75-098). Suloys characteristicallydisplay an abrupt difference in sea-surface roughness,caused by convergence of water bodies having differentdensities. A similar feature in the northwestern PacificOcean (26N, 150E) shows the boundary between twowater masses, seen in the sunglint pattern as a changein sea surface roughness (S49-96-048). Wind streaksare seen as a pattern of linear features oriented nearly

perpendicular to the front. Low-altitude clouds appearto be forming on one side of the front, perhapsindicating a relative increase in water temperaturebetween the two water masses. If this is the case, thewind would be blowing from the colder water mass(no clouds) to the warmer water mass. The warmerwater heats the surface air causing convection and theformation of the clouds.

Another long, linear front was photographed (S49-

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Figure 4 Radial pattern of sea-surface roughness caused by outflow after collapse of a thunderstorm. Hasselblad camera, 250mm lens,Ektachrome Professional 5017 film; NASA photograph S49-71-042.

83-094) within the sunglint pattern of the northernPacific Ocean (20N, 146W). Surface waves withwavelengths of about 100 m are also seen crossing thefront, but are not noticeably affected by the front.Without additional information, it is difficult to saywith certainty what is causing the front, except that itmarks the boundary between two water masses thatare different in density.

Southwestern Pacific, Coasts andVolcanoes

Many spectacular coastal features and volcanoeswere photographed both in color and color-infraredduring the STS-49 mission. For example, a large bay(Sandu Ao; 26.4N, 119.7E), islands, and tidal passes onthe coast of the People's Republic of China between

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Xiapu and Fuzhou is seen in S49-87-002 and 003 (colorinfrared). This pair illustrates the use of bracketing:frame 002 is slightly light but exposed about as well asit could be; frame 003 is underexposed about 1/2 stop.Four succeeding frames were taken in sunglint. Thecolor-infrared film illustrates vegetation patternsonshore, without losing much information on waterpatterns.

Several features of coastal landscapes of the MalayPeninsula can be seen in S49-77-014: a barrier islandoffshore (similar in structure to Padre Island, Texas);the prominent parallel lines of past beaches making a"strandplain" (water in the low points reflects the sun);a river delta interrupting this standplain; and sanddunes driven by oblique onshore winds making a white,filigree pattern on the barrier island.

The Tineg River at Vigan, northwestern Luzon,Philippine Islands, was caught in flood using color-infrared film (S49-96-070). Sediment and water form abraided pattern in major stream beds. Remnant closed-canopy forest is shown in purplish-red tones on thehills; the topographic pattern suggests folded andfaulted rocks underlying the hills. This is one frame ofseveral that cover northwestern Luzon from ManilaBay, through the Lingayan Gulf, into the CagayanRiver valley.

Mount Pinatubo, north of Manila, erupted violentlyin June 1991. The STS-49 crew obtained the first fairlycloud-free Shuttle photographs since the eruption. InS49-79-027 (Hasselblad camera, color film) the summitarea and extensive ash and mudflows that spreadfrom the volcano are well shown. Runways of ClarkAir Force Base, abandoned in August 1991, can be seenclearly east of the volcano. The crew also used theLinhof (5-inch film) camera to photograph thePhilippine Islands. In S49-151-223 the region fromnorthern Manila Bay to well north of Mount Pinatubopeeks through wispy clouds and cumulus. Sunglinthighlights canals and ditches on the north side of thebay. Mount Pinatubo, marked by an octopus shape ofmud and ash flows, is seen as the northernmost of achain of four large volcanoes. This photograph shouldbe viewed in comparison with S49-79-027 (70mm color)and STS49-96-065, and 067 (70mm color infrared).

Outstanding shots of some Indonesian volcanoeswere obtained. Tamboro, on the island of Sumbawa,was photographed both in color infrared (Figure 5)and color (S49-92-040). Tamboro rises to more than9,000 feet. An eruption from this volcano in 1815 sentso much sulfuric acid, and perhaps fine ash, into thestratosphere that New England experienced "The YearWithout A Summer" in 1816. The color-infrared, near-nadir photograph of the volcano captures much detailwithin the summit caldera which had not previouslybeen part of the Shuttle photo database. Although an

active eruption has not been reported for more than100 years, the summit region is almost completelydevoid of substantial vegetation growth, likely due tothe acid environment within the caldera.

Several geologic and landuse processes are revealedby the color-infrared photograph (Figure 6) of LombokIsland, Indonesia. The large volcano Rinjani, over12,000 feet high, dominates the scene. Not only is themorphological detail of the volcano highlighted byearly morning shadows, but the differences invegetation on and around the summit indicate that thevolcano, which has erupted many times in the pastcentury, maintains active fumarolic activity, inhibitingextensive vegetation growth near the summit.Differences in vegetation growth define linear, lobateareas coming off the flanks of Rinjani, most prominentto the south and east of the volcano. These areas areprobably old pyroclastic flows from Rinjani.Differences in composition, consolidation andweathering of the flows produce differences in thevegetation they support, especially where the land iscultivated. The eastern end of the island (the "tail"which extends to the background of Figure 6) hasclearly experienced topography-controlled deforestat-ion and cultivation. The high regions, and the rockyand inaccessible coast, remain forest-covered, but thelowlands and the accessible coastal regions have beencleared of forest.

An overall scene of Java (S49-85-068, May 12,1992at 01:59:57 GMT) illustrates modifications of the normaleasterly wind direction by several local effects, creatingstrange, curved, cloud street patterns. Wind flow wasinfluenced by sea breezes from both sides of Java, andby the winds forced to rise up and around the island'smountains (orographic and afternoon heating).

Processes of erosion and deposition in Australiawere topics for photography. Tidal flats on the coast ofWestern Australia, including the Montgomery Islands(16S, 124.5E) illustrate land buildup by sedimentprovided to a high-tide coast (S49-82-002). Mudflatsat and below low tide level are brown and dark gray incolor film; sandy deposits near high tide level are lighttan; and dark vegetation (presumably mangrove)anchors "permanent" land at and above normal tidelevels. An intricate pattern of tidal creeks and gulliesis outlined at low tide along the southeastern coast ofJoseph Bonaparte Gulf (border of Western Australiaand Northern Territories; 15S, 129E), in S49-82-007.The muddy water of the estuary marks sedimentbrought down by the Victoria and Fitzmaurice Rivers,some of which is deposited on the tidal flats at hightide.

Stream patterns within the Island Continent werenot neglected. For example, S49-85-006 through S49-85-009 are dramatic views of central Australia (the

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Figure 5 Tamboro Volcano, Indonesia. Hasselblad camera, 250mm lens, color-infrared film (Ektachrome 2443). NASA photograph STS49-97-054.

"channel country" of western Queensland), showingthe southflowing Georgina River and Diamantina Riverdrainages. Lake Machattie, a prominent water body,and other lakes show that it had rained in this normally-desert region in the immediate past.

United States

Weather conditions over southern North Americavaried from extremely clear to very cloudy and hazy

during the mission. In consequence, the crew obtainedsome nice shots of certain reqions, and documentedinteresting weather phenomena in others. Theyobtained a nearly cloud-free view of the ColoradoRiver Delta from the Gulf of California (Mexico) to theSalton Sea (California) (S49-81-047). The U.S./Mexicanborder shows clearly in the different field patterns andthe intensity of the greenish color, offering a sharpcontrast between irrigated agriculture and thesurrounding desert.

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Figure 6 Lombok Island, Indonesia. Hasselblad camera, 250mm lens, Ektachrome 2443 film. NASA photograph S49-97-051

San Antonio, Texas (S49-97-ON), Corpus Christi,Texas (S49-97-OU), and Tampa, Florida (S49-97-020)were photographed using color-infrared film in nearlycloud-free conditions. Vegetation contrasts show upnicely, and man-made features such as airports, bridges,highways, and urban/suburban land-use patterns arestriking. Tampa was also photographed simultane-ously using color film (S49-92-017), providing infor-mation on water color within the bays and nearby Gulfof Mexico.

A hazy view of the Mississippi River Delta was

photographed with color film (S49-92-011) and colorinfrared (S49-97-008). Boundaries such as the coastlineare blurred by atmospheric scatter in natural color, butsediment-laden river waters are clearly visible asbrownish plumes entering the relatively clear, bluewaters of the Gulf of Mexico from the numerouschannels of the birds-foot delta. Land-water boundariesappear sharper in color infrared, partly becauseatmospheric haze has been filtered out with the IRfilter, and partly because of the extreme difference inthe reflectance of near-IR irradiance from land

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vegetation, which appears red, and water, whichabsorbs most of the near-IR light. The unique brownishcolor of the river plume is lost, also because spectralinformation within the blue portion of the spectrumwas filtered out.

A picture of Galveston Bay, Texas (S49-92-006, May12, 1992 at 22:18:53 GMT) shows low clouds beingcarried onshore by southerly winds. A definite stabilitychange is evident as shown by the approach of diffusestratus along the coast, becoming cellular andincreasing in brightness as the cloud moves inland.During the Texas spring, the northern Gulf of Mexicooffshore of Texas remains relatively cool compared tothe rapidly moderating, warm adjacent coastallandmass. The Gulf water temperatures wereapproximately 21°C(70°F) while the afternoon landmaximum temperature approached 29°C(85°F). Thetemperature gradient had a strong effect in modifyingthe low level stability of the Texas coastal margin.

Cuba and the Bahamas

An excellent series, suitable for a mosaic, wasobtained over Batabano Bay in southwestern Cubausing the Linhof camera (S49-151-100 to 107). Paleblue to greenish colors highlight the shallow, calcium-carbonate floored water of the bays. Sunglint on thestraitbetween the Isle of Pines and the mainland reflectsin orange and pink colors. Interesting mountain-waveturbulence over Cuba was also captured on May 5th,1992 at 20:42:50GMT (S49-88-09). Banded cloudsassociated with winds blowing perpendicular to amountain range resulted in lee-side sinusoidal verticalmotion, as the air moved away from the mountainrange. Wave or lenticular clouds are seldom observedin the tropics because the necessary dynamics for cloudformation are insufficient. In this case a mid-latitudetrough was pushing southward, causing unusuallystrong southwest winds to flow over the central Cubanmountains.

Astronauts have a variety of lenses at their disposal.A photograph of the Bahama Banks in color (S49-99-061) was taken using a 50-mm (wide-angle) lens toshow much of the region within one frame. Cuba canbe seen at the bottom of the frame, most of the westernbanks, including Andros Island, along the left side,and the Tongue of the Ocean in the center. Greenwater over the banks is less that 30 feet deep; the deepblue Tongue of the Ocean is 4000 to 6000 feet deep. Allthe sediment on the banks, including the material thatforms the islands, is calcium carbonate ("lime")precipitated from sea water by animals and plants.Detailed photographs of Bahama Islands were takenat the same time using the 250mm lens and colorinfrared film; in particular, a superb triplet (S49-98-

108, 109, 110) suitable for a mosaic (Figure 7) showsdelicate patterns of vegetation, land use, and intertidalfeatures.

South America

Color-infrared film was used to photograph spottycloud-free regions of northwestern South America.Parabolic ("hairpin") dunes that apperently formed inthe recent past are surprisingly common in parts of theAmazon headwaters. During STS-49, old dunes werephotographed under the dry forests of westernVenezuela (S49-88-066); there is an almost-continuousunderlying surface of dune sand. Dunes are greater indensity downwind of the major rivers of the Llanos,indicating that sand blew directly out of the dry rivercourses. Shuttle photography has shown the surprisingfact that sand blows out of river beds regularly underthe present wetter climate, although dunes apparentlyare not forming. Parabolic dunes shown by a whitehairpin pattern cover large areas of the eastern Peruvianlandscape, too. Color-infrared film (S49-88-064, 065,066, a bracketted triplet) clearly shows the locations ofvegetation growth along dendritic streams, and thatthe dark-toned elements of the landscape observed insome underexposed color photographs do not representhealthy vegetation.

Rivers in eastern Peru (S49-84-002) show differencesin meander intensity and various floodplain featuressuch as riasfiuviales, lakes dammed by levees of largerrivers. Such natural dams rapidly develop differentecologies from the through-flowing rivers as can beseen by the fact they are clear and the rivers aremuddied with flood-sediment. Dense, closed-canopyforest (reddish purple) containing small patches ofsecond-growth vegetation (brighter red) still remainsnear the Peru/Brazilian border as shown in color-infrared (S49-88-014,015,016, a bracketted triplet).

Africa

A Saharan dust storm near the Algeria-Niger borderwas caught in one of the best examples of a dust stormin the Shuttle photo data base (Figure 8). A series ofgust fronts, caused by dissipating thunderstorms, havepicked up dust along the outflow boundaries. Smallcumulus clouds have formed over the most vigorouslyascending parts of the dust front, enhancing the visualeffect of the front. The storm is moving roughly NNW,at right angles to the most typical path for duststormsin this part of the Sahara (shown by lines of sand on thedesert surface in the foreground). Storms such asthese can move out into the Atlantic, bringing dusteven as far as the Americas on some occasions.

The crew photographed numerous examples of

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Figure 7 Mosaic of Andros Island, Bahamas. Hasselblad camera, 250mm lens, Ektachrome 2443film. NASA photographs S49-98-108 (north), 109, and 110.

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Figure 8 Duststorm near the Algeria/Niger Border, May 13,1992,16:43:51 GMT. Hasselblad camera, 100mm lens, Ektachrome Professional5017 film. NASA photograph S49-92-071.

agricultural features in northern Africa, includingrelatively small, scattered, individual fields beingsuperseded by very large multiple fields (S49-86-008,009,010, a bracketted triplet (26 N, 15 E). Presumablythe water to nurture the large, new fields is beingpumped from deep wells. Farther east in the Khartoomregion, Sudan, a series of more than a dozen framesdocuments extensive irrigated agriculture in color (S49-77-072 etc.) and color infrared (S49-96-003 etc.). Theagricultural region contains thousands of rectangular

fields bounded by canals, which carry water from boththe Blue and the White Nile. A crop rotation system isused, so that some fields are growing cotton, sorghum,or millet and others lie fallow to conserve moistureand control weeds and insects.

The mouth of the Zaire (Congo) River wasphotographed by the STS-49 crew (S49-91-061), webelieve for the first time during the U.S. Manned SpaceProgram. The Zaire River is Africa's second longestriver and has the second largest drainage basin in the

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world (only the Amazon drains a larger area). Ladenwith silt from its 4700 kilometer (2,900 miles) trip tothe sea, its shallow outlet must constantly be dredgedto keep the channel open. The river enters the AtlanticOcean between Banana Point, Zaire (under clouds)and Sharks Point, Angola (visible on the view).Eastward within Zaire along the Vele River just westof the village of Niangara, cleared pasture land showslight green (S49-91-079), in contrast to dark, closed-canopy forest of Zaire. Remnant woodland along minordrainages indicates the intricate drainage network ofthis hilly region. Scattered vegetation-free spots showdeep red, tropical soil.

The crew photographed many interesting featuresof southern Africa. Examples include an open-pitcopper mine in the Phalaborwa complex, northeasternTransvaal Province, Republic of South Africa (S49-71-058); and the Pilanesberg circular structure andplatinum mines, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa(S49-72-062).

Red Sea and Western Indian Ocean

The crew imaged Raas Xaafun, the easternmost pointof continental Africa (S49-87-035). The Cape of Xaafuunis barely attached by dry land to mainland Africa. Itconsists of a former island (the outermost end of thecape) joined by a narrow spit of beach sand and lowswampy country with a lagoon (into which empties asmall local river). Beach sand blows across most of thecape giving it a lighter color than the rocks of thehinterland.

Photography into the sunglint literally highlightsmany ocean-surface features. Scenes of the south-central Red Sea near 16.6N, 40.3E (S49-77-077, 078)display the different surface roughness, and thereforedifferent reflectivity, across a suloy (shear boundary).A prominent ship wake shows as a V-shaped pattern,and parts of a spiral eddy are marked by slicks. Highconcentrations of surfactants in the Red Sea, adjacentto Saudi Arabia, delineate a complex circulation patternin sunglint in an area of shallow reefs and small islands.Another shipwake, formed by the passage of a ship asit dumped its bilges of oil into the Arabian Sea, is seenas a bright line in S49-87-065. Such man-made oilslicks can serve to illustrate the relative movement ofsurface waters. At the bottom of the frame, the slickshows where the ship passed a front, where shearbetween the two water masses has distorted the oilslick.

The sunglint pattern of the Indian Ocean,photographed along the coast of Somalia (S49-87-036),shows a set of internal waves approaching the shoreline

north of the pininsula. The waves appeared to besheared off at a front that extends northward, parallelto the coast, from the tip of the peninsula.

Indian Subcontinent

Sunglint on numerous agricultural canals, damsand small rural tands shows dramatically the edge ofthe heavily populated Indus River valley in Pakistan,as contrasted with the nearly-uninhabited sand-dunecountry of the Thar Desert (Figure 9). Sunglint alsohighlights saline water in low spots within a well-formed set of linear paleodunes. There was actively-growing vegetation in only a few, though large, fieldsat the time the photograph was taken.

The crew obtained a long mapping strip along theNarmada River in northwestern India, from the Gulfof Cambay 350 miles inland to 79.5 E (S49-87-82 through106). The Narmada River at Hoshangabad, southeastof Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh Province, displays ameandering pattern before it enters a very long, straightreach. Sediment from a tributary has recently coveredmuch of its floodplain; a small, irregular reservoir canbe seen on the tributary. The Operational NavigationChart chart shows this reservoir as a very large, broadfeature; the size of the reservoir and the downstreamsediment suggest a recent, large flood, perhapscoincident with a dam failure.

Farther east, a remarkably clear, pre-monsoon photoof northeastern India, in the Himalayan foothills nearNepal and the west Bengal border region (27.0° N,88.6° E) shows an aircraft contrail and its shadow(Figure 10). This area has an annual average rainfall of3-8 meters, most during the summer monsoon. TheTista River is the major stream seen on this photo.There are two major airports nearby—the contrail seenon the photo seems to be related to the BagdograAirport (off the photo to the left). Sharp boundariesbetween forest cover and agricultural land use areclearly seen. Gentle slopes (medium green) aregenerally used for tea cultivation. Foothills forests(dark green) are dominated by subtropical pines andfirs. The intensity of agricultural land use, mostlysmall farms, on the Ganges Plain is evident in themottled brownish tones of this photograph.

Photography continued along the the Ganges Riverplain, including the river at Jamalpur, Bihar State (S49-87-113). Canals, wide deposits of sediment along theriver, and tributaries are displayed. The color-infraredfilm clearly illustrates closed-canopy woodland on therange of hills south of the river, and scattered patchesof growing vegetation throughout the landscape. Thisscene is the darkest of a bracketted triplet.

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Figure 9 Edge of the Indus River floodplain, east of Nawabshah, Pakistan. Hasselblad camera, 250mm lens, Ektachrome 2443 film. NASAphotograph S49-96-032.

Summary

STS-49 was an excellent mission for Earthphotography, despite the fact that crew members spentmost of their time in orbit engaged in the delicate anddemanding task of retrieving and re-boosting theINTELSAT IV satellite.

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Figure 10 Aircraft contrail near Darjeeling, northeastern India. Hasselblad camera, 250mm lens, Ektachrome Professional 5017 film. NASAphotograph S49-78-096.

References

Lulla, K., 1992. Improvements in the Space Shuttle EarthObservations Photography Database Public Access.Geocarto International 7 (2), p. 64-65.

Pitts, D.E., and others, 1992. Earth Observations DuringSpace Shuttle Mission STS-45. Geocarto International 7 (4),p. 69-80.

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SPOT Image of Guangzhou (Canton), China

Image of Guangzhou (Canton) area on the Zhu Jiang River: © CNES 1994 — Distribution SPOT ASIA

This image was acquired on January 6th, 1994 by the Earth Observation Satellite SPOT 3. This French satellite was launched end

of September 1993 and joined the SPOT 1 and 2 satellites on a 830 km polar orbit. This Multispectral image has a ground resolution of

20 m with 3 Spectral bands. SPOT can also provide Panchromatic images with 10m resolution. The size of the area covered by this image

is 60 x 60 km. It is represented on a preprocessing level IB which does not include geometrical corrections.

The SPOT data and the derivated products are distributed in South East Asia by SPOT ASIA, a joint venture between SPOT

IMAGE (France) and SSC SatellitBild (Sweden).

SPOT ASIA can provide you with a large range of products and services including SPOT data, Imagemaps, GIS products, and

projects.

For more information please contact SPOT ASIA, 73 Amoy Street 0106, SINGAPORE. Tel: (65) 2275582 Fax: (65) 2276231

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