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Like a comet streaking across the atmosphere, the Space Shuttle Atlantis left space for the final time on July 21, 2011, descending to a smooth landing at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This astronaut photograph, taken from the vantage of the International Space Station (ISS), shows the streak of an ionized plasma plume created by the shuttle’s descent through the atmosphere.
At the time of the image, the ISS was positioned northwest of the Galapagos Islands, while Atlantis was roughly 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles) to the northeast, off the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The maximum angle of the shuttle’s descent was roughly 20 degrees, though it appears much steeper in the photo because of the oblique viewing angle from ISS. Parts of the space station are visible in the upper right corner of the image.
In the background of the image, airglow hovers over the limb of the Earth. Airglow occurs as atoms and molecules high in the atmosphere (above 80 kilometers, or 50 miles altitude) release energy at night after being excited by sunlight (particularly ultraviolet) during the day. Much of the green glow can be attributed to oxygen molecules.
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Growing protests attract tens of thousands across Brazil
For the fifth straight day, pent-up frustration has boiled over into protests over the Brazilian government’s skyrocketing expenditures in preparation for the upcoming World Cup and Summer Olympics, declining economic growth and a harsh response from police that has left hundreds injured.
In the city of Sao Paulo alone, an estimated 65,000 people clogged the streets for the “Free Fare Movement,” which has fought against a recent 10-cent hike in bus fares.
For some perspective on the issue of transportation costs in the country:
Two weeks ago, the Sao Paulo bus fare for a standard one-way trip increased to about $1.50. Workers on minimum wage who take two buses a day can end up spending more than 25% of their monthly income on transportation.
See more from the protests over at Framework., and read more about the demonstrator’s grievances at World Now.
Photos: Marcelo Say’o / EPA, Victor R. Caivano / Associated Press, Christophe Simon / AFP/Getty Images
(via highlandvalley)
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Check out the hottest Doumi Asian Girls, the ultimate female companions for Guys Night Out!
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Lanterns in China
Acclaimed humanitarian photographer Lisa Kristine specializes in images of remote indigenous peoples. Kristine’s art is her personal statement about the connection of humanity, and about the diversity, beauty, and hardship of our world. She has documented life in over 80 countries on six continents, using a 19th-century 4×5” field view camera for the majority of her work.
Pictured is her 2008 work, Lanterns (China).
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