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1\25 ISS On-Orbit Status 25-01-2003
Part 2 of 2

Crew Earth Observation (CEO): Passes have been confined to the ocean
hemisphere, and very interesting images of cloud formations have been
received, much appreciated by the meteorologist in the Earth Obs 
group.  Excellent contextual shots of southern Louisiana and Florida 
have also been received. The latest image of Lake Poopo (high tropical 
Andes), a long-term monitoring site, updates the Expedition 5 image of 
three months ago: between the cloud masses, it shows that the 
predicted fall in lake levels has begun to occur. This key image 
suggests that the theory of lake decline during El Niņo is robust. 
Immediate publication is being considered.  Today's CEO targets, 
limited because daylight passes are currently mainly over the oceanic 
hemisphere, were Kerguelen and Heard Islands (Dynamic Event. 
Comparatively clear weather over these remote, poorly photographed 
southern Indian Ocean islands. Trying to document the glaciers. 
Kerguelen to the left of track, Heard Island 30 secs later to the 
right. The islands are part of a mainly submerged microcontinent left 
trailing behind the migrating larger continental plates in the 
movements of the last 150 million years.  During the low sea levels of 
the last ice age, the Kerguelen were many times the size they are 
today), Singapore (looking just left for this island nation. Daily 
thunderstorm activity may have lessened enough to take advantage of 
this sunglint opportunity), and Buenos Aires, Argentina (urban area 
just right of track across the River Plate).

CEO images can be viewed at the website http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov

ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:04am EST [= epoch]):
Mean altitude -- 388.5 km
Apogee -- 392.1 km
Perigee -- 384.9 km
Period -- 92.32 min.
Inclination (to Equator) -- 51.63 deg
Eccentricity -- 0.0005341
Orbits per 24-hr. day -- 15.60
Altitude loss -- 120 m (mean) in last 24 hours
Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. '98) -- 23874

For more on ISS orbit and worldwide naked-eye visibility dates/times, 
see http://www.hq.nasa.gov/osf/station/viewing/issvis.html

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