APOD: The ISS from Above (2010 Mar 03)

[APOD Robot]

The International Space Station from Above

Explanation: The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest human-made object ever to orbit the Earth. The ISS is so large that it can be seen drifting overhead with the unaided eye, and is frequently imaged from the ground in picturesque fashion. Last month, the station was visited again by space shuttle, which resupplied the station and added a new module. The ISS is currently operated by the Expedition 22 crew, now consisting five astronauts including two supplied by USA's NASA, two by Russia's RKA, and one by Japan's JAXA. After departing the the above spectacular vista of the orbiting space city high above the clouds, waters, and lands of Earth. Visible components include modules, trusses, and expansive solar arrays that gather sunlight that is turned into needed electricity.

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[pfclassical12]

I am probably disqualified from the prize with two answers, but I believe the region to be either the horn of Africa or the deciduous forests of Appalachia.

[yasgur]

I lost my imagination in an industrial accident some years ago. All I see are clouds, but I'll take a shot at Russia near the Sea of Okhotsk.

[Allan Morton]

I think this photograph was taken near the triple border junction of Turkmenistan, Iran and Afghanistan.

[BikerMike]

Now, I may be blind in one eye and can't see out of the other but I can't see anything that would indicate a definitive land mass. So I'm going to take a WAG and say it's the southern Pacific Ocean with the possibility of the Antarctic in the lower left corner. Probably nowhere near there.

[Pontifex]

looks like the mediterranean over Greece and Turkey to me.

[dcmur]

It looks like the Great Lakes of North America to me. Specifically Lakes Michigan and Superior.

[HankB]

I can't recognize the landscape- looks like mainly ocean with a land mass along the upper border of the picture. However, NASA let us know this:

Undocking of the two spacecraft occurred at 7:54 p.m. (EST) on Feb. 19, 2010.

So this picture was probably taken within an hour of that time. Is there an orbital tracker for the ISS that allows you to go back and see the ground track for a given date and time?

Without some constraints on the possibilities, this is almost like a Rorschach test.

[BikerMike]

HankB, Wouldn't that be kind of cheating?

[JerryW]

Look like Antarctica to me but it is hard to say.. will someone tell us the right answer at some point?

[Camster]

A total utter guess here, but I reckon that the land shown is Western Australia. I believe that you can just begin to see Shark Bay just near the top of the solar panels and even then there is alot of cloud obscuring the rest of it. I also think that the southern coast is shown leading into the Great Australian Bight on the right hand side of the picture.

If I could only get my X-Ray goggles to work to see what was behind the ISS then I would know for sure!

Of course, there is no indication that the direction of up in the photo is actually north...

[Webby]

I'll have a bet on the Great Australian Bight. By chance I looked up to see the most fantastic view of the station following the shuttle about an hour after dark in North Western New South Wales. This could be the previous orbit as it passed over the bight into Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

[Birdladyoo]

I believe it is Austrailia

[cwduggan]

Australia

[AaronSeah]

China

[MooseDrool]

Looks like Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Greenland to me.

[Dr. Dot]

There seems to be a serious lack of consensus. What the heck, I'll toss in my SWAG:

To me, it looks like the southern coast of Austrailia where the top of the picture is south and the further down you go, the farther north you go.

[bangner]

What's wrong with you people? That's obviously the Netherlands.

What do I win?

[rstevenson]

Greenland at the top of the picture, with the view "down" being towards the east, more or less.

Rob

On second thought... water, water everywhere, and nary a drop to drink. No land, just ocean.

[Johnstd]

I reckon it is the Dalmation coast of Croatia.

[Ralbow]

Tanzania

[biddie67]

If there is any land that is able to be seen through all those clouds, it must be white also - maybe Antartica ????

P.S. I miss the Digg link with its collection of crazy comments.

[fbsimpson]

This land area looks like the western part of the Iberian Penninsula--mainly Portugal.

[conneryrj]

Judging from the cloud circulation, it is the middle latitudes, and it looks to me like the Himalayas peeking through the clouds.

[IrishScott]

This shows the ISS above the west coast of Australia.