COLLECTION NAME:
NASA Johnson Space Center Collection
Record
Title:
STS-56 Earth observation of the northeastern Nile Delta
Description:
STS-56 Earth observation of the northeastern Nile Delta was photographed from the Earth-orbiting Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103. The branch of the Nile featured in the frame is Daimietta. The Suez Canal marks the boundary of the Nile Delta agriculture and the Sinai Desert to the right. Lake Masada, the dark waterlogged area to the west (left) of Port Said is becoming more saline as the Aswan Dam has reduced sediment downstream. This sediment reduction, according to NASA scientists studying the STS-56 photography, has resulted in increased coastal erosion and the intrusion of a salt-water lens to the ground water, particularly in the northeastern portions of the delta. Center pivot irrigation fields are located along either side of the Ramses Canal, which connects the Daimietta Nile with Great Bitter Lake. This canal has been re-dug three or four times in the past 3,000 years. Historians note that the canal's most famous use was as the departure point of the fleet of Pharaoh Necho.
Date Taken:
1993-04-17
Program:
Shuttle
Mission:
STS-056
Subject Terms:
(FROM
facet_what:
Crew Earth Observation (CEO)
facet_where:
Egypt
Photo ID:
STS056-152-165
Film Type:
4x5
UID:
SPD-JSC-STS056-152-165
