All eyes were on
Turin, Italy, in February for the Twentieth Olympic Winter Games,
including those of the astronauts in the International Space Station (ISS).
They acquired the background image above with a Kodak 760C digital
camera using a 180mm lens. Venues for the Games include several
locations within downtown Turin and the nearby Alps to the west.
GeoEye’s IKONOS satellite also captured the scene, providing the 1-meter
inset image of the city’s Olympic venues, including the Olympic Stadium
where opening and closing ceremonies were held. Collected June 26, 2005,
the image is one of many available at the company’s 2006 Winter Olympics
Explorer at
www.spaceimaging.com/gallery/2006TurinOlympics/default.htm.
The ISS image illustrates the striking landscape surrounding the city,
with the snow-capped Alps visible to the west and north. The city is
located on the northern banks of the Po River.
The built area of Turin appears dark grayish brown, with large building
complexes indicated by white roofs (bottom image center). La Mandria
Regional Park is a nature and historical preserve approximately 6 mile
northwest of the city center.
The astronauts’ photograph has come full circle in a sense, as several
ISS components were constructed in Turin. Additional images taken by
astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA/JSC Gateway to
Astronaut Photography of Earth at
http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov.
