NASA Photo ID: STS048(E)010 File Name: 10065037.jpg
Film Type: ESC BW Date Taken: 09/18/91
Title: STS-48 ESC Earth observation of ice pack, Antarctic Ice Shelf
Description:
STS-48 Earth observation taken aboard Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103,
is of the breakup of pack ice along the periphery of the Antarctic Ice
Shelf. Strong offshore winds, probably associated with katabatic
downdrafts from the interior of the continent, are seen peeling off the
edges of the ice shelf into long filaments of sea ice, icebergs, bergy
bits, and growlers to flow northward into the South Atlantic Ocean. These
photos are used to study ocean wind, tide and current patterns. Similar
views photographed during previous missions, when analyzed with these
recent views may yield information about regional ice drift and breakup of
ice packs. The image was captured using an electronic still camera (ESC),
was stored on a removable hard disk or small optical disk, and was
converted to a format suitable for downlink transmission. The ESC
documentation was part of Development Test Objective (DTO) 648, Electronic
Still Photography.
Subject terms:
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
DISCOVERY (ORBITER)
EARTH OBSERVATIONS (FROM SPACE)
ELECTRO-OPTICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
ICE
ICE FLOES
OCEAN CURRENTS
OCEANS
PACIFIC OCEAN
SEA ICE
SNOW
STS-48
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