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  Image: Geographic Location Direction Photo #: STS044-81-55 Date: Nov. 1991
Geographic Region: AUSTRALIA-SA
Feature: SIMPSON DESERT

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  STS044-081-055 Ephemeral Salt Lakes, Simpson Desert, South Australia November 1991
This low-oblique, east-looking photograph captures the salt lakes of the Ephemeral Salt Lakes region of the Simpson Desert. The Simpson Desert is located near the center of Australia in the vast, sparsely populated heartland known as the great outback, the bleak and harsh desert that was shunned even by the hardy aborigines. The salt lake region lies north of Lake Eyre (not visible in the photograph). The most impressive distinguishing feature of the Simpson Desert, as seen in this photograph, is the seemingly endless succession of long, parallel sand ridges, which rise to heights of more than 100 feet (30 meters) and are separated by troughs that average about 1000 feet (300 meters) in width. Rainfall in this part of the Simpson Desert, which amounts to only 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 centimeters) annually, is sparse and erratically distributed. When the infrequent rains do fall, the lake basins and troughs can hold water for only short periods of time before drying in the intense, hot sunlight. As the basins dry, more salt deposits are laid down on the lake and trough floors. South of the salt lakes near the south center of the photograph, a portion of the intermittently flowing Kallakoopah River is seen.

This image of abstract shapes is comprised numerous subparallel, very long, orange colored linear dunes and patchy grey dry lakes (playas). The dunes are aligned north to south in the great central basin of Astralia (27.0S, 138.0E). The regularity of the dunes is created by the winds blowing from the south. As the dunes advance, jaged edges on the south side of each dry lake are formed while the north side is eroded smooth by the wind and water.
 
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Images: All Available Images Low-Resolution 117k
Mission: STS044  
Roll - Frame: 81 - 55
Geographical Name: AUSTRALIA-SA  
Features: SIMPSON DESERT  
Center Lat x Lon: 27S x 138.0E
Film Exposure: N   N=Normal exposure, U=Under exposed, O=Over exposed, F=out of Focus
Percentage of Cloud Cover-CLDP: 0
 
Camera: HB
 
Camera Tilt: 19   LO=Low Oblique, HO=High Oblique, NV=Near Vertical
Camera Focal Length: 250  
 
Nadir to Photo Center Direction: S   The direction from the nadir to the center point, N=North, S=South, E=East, W=West
Stereo?: N   Y=Yes there is an adjacent picture of the same area, N=No there isn't
Orbit Number: 46  
 
Date: 19911127   YYYYMMDD
Time: 212916   GMT HHMMSS
Nadir Lat: 25.9S  
Latitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Nadir Lon: 137.6E  
Longitude of suborbital point of spacecraft
Sun Azimuth: 102   Clockwise angle in degrees from north to the sun measured at the nadir point
Space Craft Altitude: 198   nautical miles
Sun Elevation: 41   Angle in degrees between the horizon and the sun, measured at the nadir point
Land Views: DESERT, DUNE  
Water Views: RIVER, PLAYA  
Atmosphere Views:  
Man Made Views:  
City Views:  
Photo is not associated with any sequences


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