GALAPAGOS IMAGES FROM THE SHUTTLE

Photos taken by astronauts from the space shuttle are among the most evocative of the images from orbit. Why should that be? Perhaps the human eye can gauge subtleties of color and composition impossible for robotic cameras in satellites. The pictures show real-color views of the Galapagos Islands. These are close to what you would see if you went into space.

Limitations of human vision constrain the amount of information that can be got from these images so different cameras are used to take pictures in the infra-red and other parts of the spectrum. When converted to colors we can see, these images yield data about sea temperatures, plankton growth, ocean currents and so on. (See images from sensing satellites.)

(Images courtesy of NASA-Johnson Space Center)