186 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
186 lines
8.3 KiB
Plaintext
"6_2_10.TXT" (8257 bytes) was created on 02-21-89
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SPACE SHUTTLE EARTH OBSERVATIONS PHOTOGRAPHY
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BACKGROUND
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Astronauts have used hand-held cameras to photograph the Earth for
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nearly 25 years, beginning with the Mercury missions in the early
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1960s. Since 1981, Space Shuttle astronauts have taken more than
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37,000 photographs with the Hasselblad Model 500 EL/M and the Aero
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Linhof Technika 45 hand-held cameras. About 85 percent of these
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photographs are Earth-looking views. The rest show satellite
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deployments, extravehicular activities, and astronaut activities in
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the cabin.
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Astronauts are trained in scientific observation of geological,
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oceanographic, environmental and meteorological phenomena. They are
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also instructed in the use of photographic techniques and equipment.
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Training helps the astronauts make informed decisions on which areas
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and phenomena to photograph. Specific areas of scientific interest are
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selected before each flight by a group of scientists. The astronauts
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receive intensive training and in-flight aids to help them locate
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these sites.
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PHOTOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
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Most of the photographs are in natural color, although a limited
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amount of black-and-white film has been used with polarizing filters.
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Beginning in 1963, a small about of color infrared film was tested on
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some missions.
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Three lenses (50 mm, 100 mm, and 250 mm) on the Hasselblad cameras and
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two lenses (90 mm and 250 mm) on the Aero Linhof camera offer a wide
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variety of both areal coverage and spatial resolution. The Shuttle
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flies at different altitudes; for example, on the first 24 missions,
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the altitude range was between 204 and 555 km (110 and 300 nautical
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miles), which adds to this variation. Table 1 offers a guideline to
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the areal coverage provided by the photographs.
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======================================================================
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TABLE 1 - APPROXIMATE DISTANCE ACROSS A VERTICAL
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PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN FROM AN ALTITUDE OF 296 KILOMETERS
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(160 NAUTICAL MILES)
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Camera Lens Distance
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Kilometers Nautical Miles
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Hasselblad 50 mm 325 175
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100 mm 165 90
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250 mm 65 35
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Aero Linhof 90 mm 310 x 395 170 x 215
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250 mm 110 x 145 60 x 75
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======================================================================
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A rule of thumb is that 100-mm lens offers spatial resolution similar
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to that of Landsat multispectral scanner (approximately 80 m) and the
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25-mm lens has resolution similar to that of the Landsat thematic
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mapper (approximately 30 m).
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For most Shuttle missions, the orbital tracks cover the tropical and
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temperate regions of the Earth between 28 degrees N. and 28 degrees S.
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latitude. Nine Space Transportation System (STS) missions have flown
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at higher latitudes, with the orbits of STS Missions 9, 41-G, 51-B,
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and 61-A extending to 57 degrees N. and 57 degrees S. latitude. Repeat
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coverage of an area is obtained by acquiring photography on several
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missions and/or by taking photographs from different viewing angles
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during a single mission.
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As a result of the Earth's rotation and the Shuttle's orbit duration
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(approximately 90 minutes), an area may be photographed at different
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Sun angles during a single mission.
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Stereoscopic coverage is available for a number of areas.
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USES OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY
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The Shuttle hand-held photography fills a niche between the coverage
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provided by aerial photography and that of unmanned satellite scanners
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and complements these two familiar formats with additional
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information. The ability of the trained astronaut to rapidly identify
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and photograph important phenomena on the Earth makes the Shuttle
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photographs unique. Near-real-time information exchange with the crew
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facilitates the recording of current events of environmental,
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geological, oceanographic, and meteorological importance.
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Photographing at various Sun angles highlights different geologic
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features and takes advantage of sun glint to show intricate ocean
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structures and land/water interfaces. Critical environmental
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monitoring sites are photographed repeatedly over time; some have
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photographic records dating back to the Gemini and Skylab missions.
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Earth-limb pictures taken at sunrise and sunset document the changes
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in the Earth's atmospheric layering.Volcanic activity is monitored in
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cooperation with the Scientific Event Alert Network of the Smithsonian
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Institution. Meteorological phenomena are monitored and photographed
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during Space Shuttle missions. Documentation of hurricanes,
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thunderstorms, squall lines, island cloud wakes, and jet stream,
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complements meteorological satellite data by offering better
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resolution and stereoscopic coverage of such phenomena. The
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photographs can be used in geologic mapping and in updating existing
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maps.
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OBTAINING INFORMATION ON SPACE SHUTTLE HAND-HELD PHOTOGRAPHY
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Each frame of the hand-held Shuttle photography has a set of
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descriptors to help the user understand the photographic content. This
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information is available in a set of catalogs or through an automated
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data base search.
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o CATALOGS - Catalogs of the photography for each Space Shuttle
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mission can be obtained by contacting the Earth
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Resources Observations System (EROS) Data Center.
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o DATA BASE - A computerized data base containing more than 15
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descriptors for each frame of the Shuttle Earth-
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looking photography has been compiled. A data base
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query can be made through the EROS Data Center
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o VIEWING CENTERS -
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The photographs can be viewed on microfilm at
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National Cartographic Information Centers: the
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Technology Application Center, University of New
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Mexico; the Lunar Planetary Institute, Houston, TX,
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and the Library of Congress, Washington DC.
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o VIDEO DISK - The Earth-viewing photography from the first 24 STS
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missions is available on a video disk through the
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Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.
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======================================================================
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O R D E R I N G P H O T O G R A P H S
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Prints, slides, and transparencies of STS Earth-looking photography
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are distributed through three agencies. The primary source of the data
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is:
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EROS DATA CENTER
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User Services Section
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Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57198
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Phone: (605) 594-6151
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FTS: 784-7151
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Other sources are:
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TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS CENTER
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University of New Mexico
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Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
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Phone: (505) 277-3622
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and
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MEDIA SERVICES BRANCH
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Still Photography Library
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NASA/Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
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P.O. Box 58425, Mail Code AP3
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Houston TX 77258-8425
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Phone: (713) 483-4231
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A user may contact these agencies for ordering assistance, price
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lists, and oder forms. To order a picture, submit the Shuttle mission
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number, the film roll number, and the frame number.
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If the interest lies in a specific area, a listing of available
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photographs can be obtained through the EROS Data Center. submit the
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geographic name (i.e. country, island chain, ocean, or sea) and the
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latitude and longitude coordinates for the area of interest.
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The Space Shuttle Earth Observation Project Office recommends that a
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user visit one of the viewing centers to select the photograph best
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satisfying his or her requirements before ordering a photograph.
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======================================================================
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NASA, SPACE SHUTTLE EARTH OBSERVATIONS PHOTOGRAPHY, JSC, Houston, TX,
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January 1987
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