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S44-71-037 - STS-044 - STS-44 Earth observation shows purplish twilight over the Atlantic Ocean
Summary
The original finding aid described this as:
Description: STS-44 Earth observation taken aboard Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, shows twilight over the Atlantic Ocean. OV-104 was at a point in the north Atlantic located at 28 degrees north latitude and 37 degrees west longitude. The spacecraft has just passed sundown on the Earth's surface, but it was still daylight at an altitude of 195 nautical miles. During the mission, the astronauts noted that the limb of the Earth displayed a more purplish tint instead of its normal blue. This effect, according to NASA scientists, is attributed to the high altitude residue (mostly sulfuric acid particles) from the Mount Pinatubo eruptions of mid June 1991. Note the broad band of twilight in the center of the image. This band is another indicator of the upper atmospheric scattering of sunlight caused by this layer of haze that exists between 20 and 30 kilometers above Earth. Sunlight highlights the empty payload bay (PLB), the vertical tail, and orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pods against the blackness of space. Image 037 was chosen by the Public Affairs Office (PAO) for public release.
Subject Terms: STS-44, ATLANTIS (ORBITER), PAYLOAD BAY, ATLANTIC OCEAN, EARTH ATMOSPHERE, EARTH LIMB, EARTH OBSERVATIONS (FROM SPACE), SULFURIC ACID, SUNSET, TWILIGHT GLOW
Date Taken: 11/25/1991
Categories: Earth Observations
Interior_Exterior: Exterior
Ground_Orbit: On-orbit
Element: Shuttle Payload Bay
Original: Film - 70MM CT
Preservation File Format: TIFF
geon: ATLANTIC OCEAN
feat: SHUTTLE TAIL
nlat: 28
nlon: -35.3
azi: 254
alt: 210
elev: -15
STS-44
Space Shuttle Atlantis was a space shuttle that was operated by NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program. It was the fourth operational shuttle built, and the last one to be built before the program was retired in 2011. Atlantis was named after the first research vessel operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and it made its first flight in October 1985. Over the course of its career, Atlantis completed 33 missions and spent a total of 307 days in space. Its last mission was STS-135, which was the final mission of the Space Shuttle program. Atlantis is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) was one of the four first operational orbiters in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA, the space agency of the United States. (The other two are Discovery and Endeavour.) Atlantis was the fourth operational shuttle built. Atlantis is named after a two-masted sailing ship that operated from 1930 to 1966 for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Atlantis performed well in 25 years of service, flying 33 missions.
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