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  • Feb 09, 2010 - International Space Station, USA - In a very unique setting over Earth's colorful horizon, the silhouette of the space shuttle Endeavour is featured in this photo by an Expedition 22 crew member on board the International Space Station, as the shuttle approached for its docking on Feb. 9 during the STS-130 mission. <br />
©ZP/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Space_Shuttle_Endeavour...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • Urban Explorer Finds The Sad Remains Of The Soviet Space Shuttle Program<br />
<br />
Ralph Mirebs, an urban explorer and photographer in Russia, has revealed extraordinary photos of Soviet space shuttle prototypes gathering dust in an abandoned hangar in Kazakhstan.<br />
<br />
The abandoned hangar is located at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, which is still in operation today (with the close of NASA’s shuttle program, Russian Soyuz shuttles are the only way for astronauts to reach the International Space Station). The Buran prototype shuttles found by Mirebs, however, are from an earlier era – they are the last remnants of a space program that began in 1974 and was finally shuttered in 1993. The only operational Buran shuttle, Orbiter 1K1, completed one unmanned orbital flight before it was grounded. Unfortunately, this shuttle was destroyed in a hangar collapse in 2002.<br />
<br />
many areas of the huge Baikonur Cosmodrome are still in business today, and that it is from here that the Soyuz rockets are launched, supplying the International Space Station in supplies and crew members<br />
Mirebs’ photos show this forgotten space program derelict and frozen in time.<br />
©Ralph Mirebs/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Amaziing_Images_Sad_Remains_Of...jpg
  • City's By Night <br />
<br />
City Lights of Dubai, United Arab Emirates<br />
<br />
The city of Dubai‚the largest metropolitan area within the emirate of Dubai‚ is a favourite subject of astronaut photography largely due to the unique island developments situated directly offshore in the Persian Gulf. These artificial archipelagos have been built such that their full design is only visible from the vantage point of an airplane an orbiting spacecraft such as the International Space Station (ISS). Advancements in handheld camera technology and capabilities are also improving the ISS crew‚  <br />
The eye-catching appearance of the city at night displays the urban development pattern. In this image‚ taken with a long focal-length lens and digital camera optimized for fast response and high light sensitivity‚ several interesting patterns can be observed. The highways and major streets are sharply defined by yellow-orange lighting, while the commercial and residential areas are resolved into a speckle pattern of individual white, blue, and yellow-orange lights. Several brilliantly lit areas are large hotel and mall complexes, including the Burj Khalifa Tower. At 828 meters (2,717 feet), it is the world‚Äs tallest building.<br />
The brilliant lighting of the city contrasts sharply with both the dark Persian Gulf to the northwest, and largely undeveloped and unlit areas to the southeast. Likewise, the clusters of lighting in the Palm Jumeira complex correspond to the relatively small part of the archipelago that has been developed. Isolated areas of blurred city lights are due to patchy clouds.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night15.jpg
  • City's By Night <br />
<br />
London By Night<br />
This nighttime view of the British capital offers unique insight into the city’s urban density and infrastructure as highlighted by electrical lighting. Interpreting the brightest areas as the most populated, the population density drops off rapidly from the bright urban center until it reaches the vicinity of the Orbital, an encircling roadway. Beyond lie isolated bright areas marking the numerous smaller cities and towns of the region and as far southeast as Hastings on the coast. Note London’s two major airports, Heathrow and Gatwick, and the particularly bright, sinuous stretch of the Orbital to the south of the city.<br />
The crew of the International Space Station acquired this image shortly after 7:22 p.m. local time on the evening of February 4, 2003. Either thin, low clouds or perhaps fog is evident in the fuzzy character of patterns for some of the surrounding smaller cities while that of the warmer urban center is still clear and sharp.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night13.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
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Los Angeles at Night<br />
After sunset the borders of ‚The City of Angels‚are defined as much by its dark terrain features as by its well-lit grid of streets and freeways. Over 13 million people inhabit the coastal basin bounded roughly by the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains to the north and the Chino Hills and Santa Ana Mountains to the east and southeast.<br />
The crew of the International Space Station took this unique photo shortly after 1 a.m. local time on March 10, 2003. Both the glitter and sprawl of America‚ second largest city as well as a number of its renowned landmarks are highly visible. In the north, Hollywood is nestled against the south side of the Santa Monica Mountains. On the coast, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the port facilities at Long Beach Naval Shipyards are bright spots. Finally, even at this time of night, the bright lights of Disneyland in Anaheim are a standout feature.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night12.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
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Sochi at Night<br />
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Three months after bearing the Olympic torch outside their orbiting home, the astronauts and cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) got to look down on that flame from above. On the evening of February 10, 2014, an Expedition 38 crew member on the ISS captured this digital photograph of Sochi, Russia, along the coast of the Black Sea.<br />
In the image, the Olympic flame now burns in the circular Medals Plaza, ringed in gold and bright white lighting in the center of the Olympic Park. The oval-shaped Fisht Olympic Stadium is lit in blue and stands near the shore to the south. (Note that south is to the right in the image.) The Adler Arena Skating Center and the Iceberg Skating Palace both appear as black rectangles north and east of the Medals Plaza, and the Bolshoy Ice Dome has a pink tint and stands to the west.<br />
Sochi is a city of nearly 340,000 people in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, near the border between Georgia and Russia. Warmed by the Black Sea and straddling the continents of Europe and Asia, the resort city has a subtropical climate that draws many tourists. It is one of the warmer locations ever chosen for the Winter Games. However, snow coats the slopes of the Caucasus Mountains just 40 kilometers (25 miles) inland.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night4.jpg
  • City's By Night <br />
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Buenos Aires at Night<br />
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Buenos Aires is one of the larger cities seen by orbiting crews. Twelve million people, almost one third of all Argentines, live in this city, often called the ‚Paris of the South.‚ Taken very early on the morning of Saturday, February 8, 2003, from the International Space Station with the handheld electronic still camera, this remarkably clear image shows the lights of Argentina‚ capital city.<br />
Brightness of the lights exactly represents the density of the urban population, which declines all the way to the blackness of the farmlands that surround the city. The brightest area is the old part of the city centered on the port and the presidential palace, the Casa Rosada. The blackest part of the scene is the River Plate, the great estuary of the Atlantic Ocean on which this port city is located<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night2.jpg
  • CITYS BY NIGHT<br />
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Brussels and Antwerp at Night<br />
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An astronaut on the International Space Station took this night photograph of two of Belgium‚Äs major metropolitan areas. Antwerp is a major European port located on the Scheldt River, which appears as a black line angling through the lights. The city has access to the Atlantic Ocean, and its extensive dock facilities are even more brightly lit than the city center.<br />
Brussels is the capital and largest city in Belgium, and also the de facto headquarters of the European Union. Brilliant points of light are the city center and the Brussels National Airport. Developed roadways appear as straighter, brighter lines radiating from the two cities.<br />
About a minute before this photo was taken, an astronaut captured a wider contextual view of Belgium, Netherlands, and northwest Germany. Taken with a shorter (wider-angle) lens, the photo gives a panoramic view as the ISS crossed into Europe from the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night16.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
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Montreal at Night<br />
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Montreal, the largest city in the mostly French-speaking Province of Quebec, is considered by some to be the cultural capital of Canada. The metropolitan area (image center) is the country‚ second-largest, having been surpassed by Toronto in 1976. While the city of Montreal is located on the Island of Montreal, at the confluence of the St. Lawrence (image center) and Ottawa rivers (not visible), the city takes its name from Mont Royal, located at the city‚center. Several smaller urban areas form a loose ring around the metropolitan area: Sorel-Tracy, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Saint-Jerome, and Joliette are among those that can be readily identified.<br />
This astronaut photograph of the city lights of Montreal illustrates the extent of urbanization. Major roadways and industrial areas are traced by bright white lighting, while the adjacent residential and commercial lands are characterized by more diffuse yellow-gold lighting. Rivers and other water bodies appear black, while the surrounding countryside is faintly illuminated by moonlight. Blurry areas at image top and bottom right are caused by cloud cover.<br />
The International Space Station was located over the Pennsylvania-New York border (near Warren, Pa.) at the time this image was taken‚ground distance of approximately 600 kilometers (370 miles) southwest of Montreal. This distance from the camera target, coupled with the oblique (inclined) viewing angle from the ISS, results in the foreshortened appearance of urban areas in the image.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night9.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
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Salt Lake City at Night<br />
The Salt Lake City metropolitan area is located along the western front of the Wasatch Range in northern Utah. The city is known as ‚the crossroads of the West, as the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known informally as the Mormon Church), and as the state capital of Utah. Salt Lake City was founded in 1847 by Brigham Young, together with other followers of the Mormon faith. The city and surrounding urban areas is home to more than 2 million people, approximately 80 percent of the population of the state.<br />
Viewed at night from the vantage point of the International Space Station, the regular north-south and east-west layout of street grids typical of western U.S. cities is clearly visible. Both the color of the city lights and their density provide clues to the character of the urban fabric. Yellow-gold lights generally indicate major roadways, such as Interstate Highway 15, which passes through the center of the metropolitan area. Bright white clusters are associated with city centers, and commercial and industrial areas. Residential and suburban areas are recognizable as diffuse and relatively dim lighting.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night6.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
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Brasília at Night<br />
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Whether seen at night or during the day, the capital city of Brazil is unmistakable from orbit. Brasília is located on a plateau—the Planalto Central—in the west-central part of the country, and is widely considered to be one of the best examples of 20th century urban planning in the world. One of its most distinctive design features—as seen from above—suggests a bird, butterfly, or airplane traveling along a northwest-southeast direction, and is made dramatically visible by city light patterns (image center right, between Lake Paranoá and the airport).<br />
Following the establishment of Brasília in the early 1960s, informal settlements began to form around the original planned city. Ceilândia was one such settlement. In 1970, Ceilândia was formalized by the government and is now a satellite city of Brasília with its own distinct urban identity.<br />
The developed areas of Brasília and its satellites are clearly outlined by street grids and highway lights in this astronaut photograph taken from the International Space Station. The large unlit region to the upper right is the Brasília National Park. Other dark regions to the bottom and left include agricultural fields and expanses of the Cerrado tropical savanna.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night3.jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Hello Florida: Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, posted this photo to Twitter on Aug. 16, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'Hold on @BradPaisley, we don't usually like leaks at the launch pad ;) Here is Florida from the space station.'<br />
©Reid Wiseman/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Reid Wiseman posted this photo to Twitter on Sept. 2, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'My favorite views from #space just past #sunrise over the ocean.'<br />
©Reid Wiseman/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst took this photo on Sept. 3, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'Quite excited, I get to 'phone home' tomorrow, to my hometown, Kunzelsau.'<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook from the International Space Station on July 9, 2014 with the caption, 'Land use in South Africa - you can see where water is available.'<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook from the International Space Station on Aug. 19, 2014 with the caption, 'I believe this is where Pacman was invented. Irrigation in the Mid-Western USA.' It shows his signature style - odd shapes and patterns on the earth's surface.<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook from the International Space Station on Aug. 19, 2014 with the caption, 'Oil fields near Midland, Texas.'<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Reid Wiseman posted this photo to Twitter on Aug. 16, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'Unreal #EarthArt not clouds. These spirals are Pacific Ocean currents in sun glint.'<br />
©Reid Wiseman/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook from the International Space Station on Aug. 27, 2014 with the caption, 'Floods in northern India'.<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook from the International Space Station on Aug. 18, 2014 with the caption, 'Picturesque, but only a tiny display of cosmic destruction power. (Barringer Crater, USA)'<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook on Aug. 30, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'Wolkenwirbel', which means 'cloud vortex' in German.<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Reid Wiseman posted this photo to Twitter on Aug. 8, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, '#EarthArt - Australia style.'<br />
©Reid Wiseman/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook from the International Space Station on July 29, 2014 with the caption, 'Probably a river in Kazakhstan or slightly west of it.'<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photo to Facebook on Aug. 16, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'Looking for rain clouds in the Sahara Desert, this is all you get #BlueDot'.<br />
©Alexander Gerst/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • How aliens see us: Planet Earth, as viewed by International Space Station astronauts<br />
<br />
Tweeting from orbit has, it seems, become an important part of any self respecting astronaut's daily routine.<br />
But as these incredible images show, the results really are worth it. <br />
In a trend pioneered by Canadian ISS commander Chris Hadfield, new recruits are now tweeting regularly from orbit.<br />
Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who is currently aboard the station, is a prolific snapper, along with his German colleague Alexander Gerst. <br />
The pair have even developed their own styles, with Gerst preferring abstract patterns on the Earth's surface, while Wiseman favours storms and cities.<br />
Recently Gerst took part in a live Facebook Q&A to answer questions from people on Earth.<br />
One included Sir Richard Branson, who asked: 'What do you think the role of astronauts will be in 50 years' time? Pioneers? Guides? Or the norm?'<br />
Gerst responded: 'My hope would be that in 50 years from now, space travellers will not only be professional agency astronauts, but that everybody should have a realistic chance to make the incredible experience I am having right now.<br />
'Anyway, I hope there will still be pioneers out there who will fly to destinations farther away.'<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Astronaut Reid Wiseman posted this photo to Twitter on Aug. 23, 2014 from the International Space Station with the caption, 'Cool eddies off the coast of #England in the late afternoon. #EarthArt'.<br />
©Reid Wiseman/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Planet_Earth_From_Above...jpg
  • A UFO specialist claims to have caught a blue-light on NASA's live feed at the International Space Station minutes before the feed was cut off. The said blue light is reportedly a UFO and that NASA's move of cutting off the feed is a move to hide UFO evidence.<br />
Streetcap1 , the known prolific UFO hunter, caught sight of the alleged UFO during NASA's live stream at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 30. In the video, the UFO reportedly flew close to the HD camera, before the feed was cut off entirely.<br />
"Unidentified Object is brighter on the left side due to the light from the Sun, so not lens flare," wrote Streetcap1, adding, "NASA cut the camera feed so quickly even though this was very distant, but I still managed to get a couple of frames to enlarge."<br />
While skeptics claim the blue light is simply a lens flare, Streetcap1 is adamant that the image captured on the feed was indeed a UFO, as it appeared brighter on the left side which was facing the sun. According to the UFO specialist, a solid flying object that has the ability to reflect sunlight proves that it was flying in close to the ISS in low earth orbit.<br />
©Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_UFO_Hunter_Spots_Glowing_Blue_...jpg
  • A UFO specialist claims to have caught a blue-light on NASA's live feed at the International Space Station minutes before the feed was cut off. The said blue light is reportedly a UFO and that NASA's move of cutting off the feed is a move to hide UFO evidence.<br />
Streetcap1 , the known prolific UFO hunter, caught sight of the alleged UFO during NASA's live stream at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 30. In the video, the UFO reportedly flew close to the HD camera, before the feed was cut off entirely.<br />
"Unidentified Object is brighter on the left side due to the light from the Sun, so not lens flare," wrote Streetcap1, adding, "NASA cut the camera feed so quickly even though this was very distant, but I still managed to get a couple of frames to enlarge."<br />
While skeptics claim the blue light is simply a lens flare, Streetcap1 is adamant that the image captured on the feed was indeed a UFO, as it appeared brighter on the left side which was facing the sun. According to the UFO specialist, a solid flying object that has the ability to reflect sunlight proves that it was flying in close to the ISS in low earth orbit.<br />
©Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_UFO_Hunter_Spots_Glowing_Blue_...jpg
  • A UFO specialist claims to have caught a blue-light on NASA's live feed at the International Space Station minutes before the feed was cut off. The said blue light is reportedly a UFO and that NASA's move of cutting off the feed is a move to hide UFO evidence.<br />
Streetcap1 , the known prolific UFO hunter, caught sight of the alleged UFO during NASA's live stream at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 30. In the video, the UFO reportedly flew close to the HD camera, before the feed was cut off entirely.<br />
"Unidentified Object is brighter on the left side due to the light from the Sun, so not lens flare," wrote Streetcap1, adding, "NASA cut the camera feed so quickly even though this was very distant, but I still managed to get a couple of frames to enlarge."<br />
While skeptics claim the blue light is simply a lens flare, Streetcap1 is adamant that the image captured on the feed was indeed a UFO, as it appeared brighter on the left side which was facing the sun. According to the UFO specialist, a solid flying object that has the ability to reflect sunlight proves that it was flying in close to the ISS in low earth orbit.<br />
©Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_UFO_Hunter_Spots_Glowing_Blue_...jpg
  • A UFO specialist claims to have caught a blue-light on NASA's live feed at the International Space Station minutes before the feed was cut off. The said blue light is reportedly a UFO and that NASA's move of cutting off the feed is a move to hide UFO evidence.<br />
Streetcap1 , the known prolific UFO hunter, caught sight of the alleged UFO during NASA's live stream at the International Space Station (ISS) on September 30. In the video, the UFO reportedly flew close to the HD camera, before the feed was cut off entirely.<br />
"Unidentified Object is brighter on the left side due to the light from the Sun, so not lens flare," wrote Streetcap1, adding, "NASA cut the camera feed so quickly even though this was very distant, but I still managed to get a couple of frames to enlarge."<br />
While skeptics claim the blue light is simply a lens flare, Streetcap1 is adamant that the image captured on the feed was indeed a UFO, as it appeared brighter on the left side which was facing the sun. According to the UFO specialist, a solid flying object that has the ability to reflect sunlight proves that it was flying in close to the ISS in low earth orbit.<br />
©Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_UFO_Hunter_Spots_Glowing_Blue_...jpg
  • Jun 9, 2016 - Kazakhstan -<br />
 This stunning Earth image taken by the Expedition 47 crew on May 31, 2016, from the International Space Station looks from northwestern China on the bottom into eastern Kazakhstan. The large lake in Kazakhstan with golden sun glint is the crescent-shaped Lake Balkhash, the second largest lake in Central Asia. Lake Balkhash sits in the Balkhash-Alakol depression in southeastern Kazakhstan and stretches over 7,115 square miles.<br />
©NASA/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_Beams_of_Light_on_Golden_Lake1.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
<br />
The night lights of Tokyo Bay, Japan,<br />
<br />
Cities from different regions of the Earth are also identified by differences in their nighttime lights. Japanese cities glow a cooler blue-green than other regions of the world. Newer developments along the shore of Tokyo Bay are characterized by orange sodium vapor lamps, while the majority of the urban area has light green mercury vapor lamps.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night1.jpg
  • City's By Night <br />
<br />
Kuwait City at Night<br />
<br />
Seen at night, Kuwait City contrasts dramatically with the dark surface of the Persian Gulf and the sparsely populated desert. Night views also show some aspects of urban geography that are difficult to perceive in daylight images. Here the focus of radial traffic arteries and ‚ring roads‚guide the eye toward the financial center of Kuwait‚ capital‚on the cape extending into Kuwait Bay, north of the First Ring Road. The numbering of the ring roads shows the progressive southward development of the city towards the Seventh Ring Road, which still lies outside the built-up area.<br />
The differences in the color of city lighting also provide information on the urban geography. Areas with lighting of a yellow-green tinge are newer residential districts. The town of Al Ahmadi, known for its verdant vegetation, was built in 1946 when oil was discovered; it stands out with a characteristic blue-white light. Kuwait International Airport, like most major airports around the world, is particularly bright due to the high concentration of lights. By contrast, the low residential density of the Emir‚ palace grounds‚which also host Kuwaiti government offices and a large mosque‚stand out as a dark area within the city. The long, dark zone facing the Persian Gulf coast, just inshore of a narrow zone of coastal villas (image right), is being prepared for residential construction.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night14.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
<br />
Milan at Night<br />
<br />
The metropolitan area of Milan (or Milano) illuminates the Italian region of Lombardy in a pattern evocative of a patchwork quilt. The city of Milan forms a dense cluster of lights in this astronaut photograph, with brilliant white lights indicating the historic center of the city where the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) is located.<br />
Large dark regions to the south (image left) contain mostly agricultural fields. To the north, numerous smaller cities are interspersed with agricultural fields, giving way to forested areas as one approaches the Italian Alps (not shown). Low, patchy clouds diffuse the city lights, producing isolated regions that appear blurred. The Milan urban area is located within the Po Valley, a large plain bordered by the Adriatic Sea to the east-southeast, the Italian Alps to the north, and the Ligurian Sea and Appenines Mountains to the south.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night10.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
<br />
NORTH KOREA: PAN--NORTH & SOUTH KOREA AT NIGHT<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night8.jpeg
  • City's By Night<br />
<br />
New York City and East Coast City Lights<br />
Bright city lights along the coastline and interior delineate the eastern coast of the United States at night. Known as the ‚city that never sleeps, New York City with its population of more than 8 million residents (in 2000) is the largest and brightest metropolitan area along the coast. The metropolitan area straddles the Hudson River and spreads eastward over Long Island. Philadelphia is the second largest city in this image, situated south of New York (lower left in this scene). One of the most richly historic of U.S. cities, Philadelphia is where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night11.jpg
  • City's By Night<br />
<br />
Riyadh at Night<br />
<br />
The population of Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, has risen dramatically in the last half century‚from 150,000 in 1960 to 5.4 million in 2012. The city appears as a brightly colored patchwork in this nighttime astronaut photograph. The brightest lights, apart from those on the old Riyadh Airbase, follow the commercial districts along King Abdullah Road and King Fahd Branch Road. Many of the darker patches within the built area are city parks.<br />
University sectors stand out with different street and light patterns, including the King Saud University campus‚which houses the Arabic Language Institute‚and the Princess Nora Bint Abdul Rahman University‚which is the largest all-female university in the world. Highways and various ring roads also stand out due to bright, regular lighting. Lighted developments beyond the ring roads mark the growth of the city (image lower left and lower right). Newer neighborhoods, set further from the city center, are recognizable by blue-gray lightning.<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Citys_By_Night7.jpg
  • - Hanksville, Utah, U.S. - <br />
<br />
Life On Mars<br />
<br />
The Mars Society operates simulated Mars Missions here on Earth to teach scientists how to live and work on another planet, and is is dedicated to encouraging the exploration and settlement of Mars. This six-person international crew included engineers, and a biologist all doing their own research in relative isolation in a Mars environment. For two weeks, they traded earthly conveniences for scientific progress. They imposed a delay of roughly 20 minutes on e-mails to simulate the communication delay from the Red planet to Earth. When they ventured outside their cylindrical 'hab' or habitat, they had to wait in an airlock for 5 minutes of 'decompression' and don bulky simulated spacesuits ñ complete with boots, ski gloves, and bubble like perspex helmets. With the US space agency currently building spacecraft able to take humans to the Moon, Mars and possibly beyond - Space colonization is no longer the fodder of science fiction, it is becoming a reality.<br />
<br />
The Mars Society is dedicated to encouraging the exploration and settlement of Mars. Founded by Robert Zubrin and others in mid-1998, the Purpose of the Mars Society is to 'further the goal of the exploration and settlement of the Red Planet.' The organization is dedicated to convincing the public and governments of the benefits of Mars exploration, as well as exploring the possibilities of private Mars missions. Mars Analog Research Stations are laboratories for learning how to live and work on another planet. The Utah Mars Desert Research Station hosts teams of geologists, astrobiologists, engineers, mechanics, physicians and others in relative isolation in a Mars environment.The six-person international crew including civil and electrical engineers, and a biologist all doing their own research. For two weeks, they traded earthly conveniences for scientific progress. They imposed a delay of roughly 20 minutes on e-mails to simulate the communication delay from the R
    Exclusivepix_Life_On_Mars18.jpg
  • Out of this world: Photos of Grand Canyon taken by astronauts show natural wonder is just as awe-inspiring when seen from space<br />
<br />
Standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon is always a breath-taking experience but a new photo taken from the International Space Station shows that it is just as awe-inspiring from space.<br />
The latest image, which show the full expanse of the Grand Canyon as it cuts through the Kaibab Plateau, was taken by the Expedition 39 crew on March 25, as they orbited Earth. <br />
The photo shows the Colorado river, marked as a dark line snaking its way through the canyon's floor, as well as the forested areas along the north and south sides, which make up one of several vital eco-systems in the park.<br />
<br />
Jagged ridges rising above the surrounding arid landscapes also clearly mark out the 277-mile canyon, which was formed about 6 million years ago due to a combination of tectonic uplift and the Colorado river changing its course. <br />
Just as the Grand Canyon, with its 1.6km drop through sandstone and limestone, is a popular tourist attraction, bringing in up to 5 million visitors a year, it is also a popular landmark with Nasa's astronauts, who enjoying photographing it from the space station.<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Awe-inspiring: The jagged path of the Grand Canyon can be seen in this image taken by a crew on board the International Space Station<br />
©Earth Observatory/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Grand_Canyon_From_Space.jpg
  • 15/09/2010<br />
An out of this world view: Astronaut looks down at Earth from window of her space station<br />
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson realises there's no place like home as she peers down at Earth from the highest vantage point possible - space. Staring out of the windows of the International Space Station (ISS), astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson takes in the planet in all its wonderful glory. Orbiting our planet about 350 kilometres up, the ISS is high enough so that the Earth's horizon appears clearly curved.<br />
Astronaut Dyson's windows show some of Earth's complex clouds, in white, and life-giving atmosphere and oceans, in blue. <br />
The space station orbits the Earth about once every 90 minutes and it is not difficult for people living below to spot it in the sky if they look carefully. The ISS can frequently be seen as a bright point of light drifting overhead just after sunset.  In fact, telescopes can even resolve the overall structure of the space station.  The above image was taken in late September from the ISS's Cupola window bay.<br />
Photo Shows: Homesick: Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson peers down at Earth from her vantage point of around 350 kilometres above our planet<br />
©Nasa/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Astronaut_Looks_Down_On...jpg
  • 15/09/2010<br />
An out of this world view: Astronaut looks down at Earth from window of her space station<br />
Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson realises there's no place like home as she peers down at Earth from the highest vantage point possible - space. Staring out of the windows of the International Space Station (ISS), astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson takes in the planet in all its wonderful glory. Orbiting our planet about 350 kilometres up, the ISS is high enough so that the Earth's horizon appears clearly curved.<br />
Astronaut Dyson's windows show some of Earth's complex clouds, in white, and life-giving atmosphere and oceans, in blue. <br />
The space station orbits the Earth about once every 90 minutes and it is not difficult for people living below to spot it in the sky if they look carefully. The ISS can frequently be seen as a bright point of light drifting overhead just after sunset.  In fact, telescopes can even resolve the overall structure of the space station.  The above image was taken in late September from the ISS's Cupola window bay.<br />
Photo Shows: Homesick: Astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson peers down at Earth from her vantage point of around 350 kilometres above our planet<br />
©Nasa/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Astronaut_Looks_Down_On...jpg
  • Mar 2, 2016 - Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan - <br />
<br />
The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 46 Commander Scott Kelly of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos. Kelly and Kornienko completed an International Space Station record year-long mission to collect valuable data on the effect of long duration weightlessness on the human body that will be used to formulate a human mission to Mars. Volkov returned after spending six months on the station.<br />
 ©Bill Ingalls/NASA/Exclusivepix Media
    Exclusivepix_One_Year_Crew'_Returns_...jpg
  • The great Okavango Delta in the Kalahari Desert<br />
<br />
The great Okavango Delta in the Kalahari Desert is illuminated in the Sun’s reflection point in this panorama taken from the International Space Station (ISS). Using this sunglint technique, astronauts can capture the fine detail of water bodies.<br />
In this image, the bright line of the Okavango River shows the annual summer flood advancing from the well-watered Angolan Highlands (upper image margin). The flood water slowly seeps across the 150 kilometer-long (100 mile) delta—supplying forests and wetlands—and finally reaches the fault-bounded lower margin of the delta in the middle of winter. The wetlands support a highly diverse number of plant and animals species in the middle of the otherwise semiarid Kalahari Desert. For this reason, the Okavango Delta is now one of the most famous tourist sites in Africa.<br />
Most of the water from the Okavango River is consumed by forests or evaporates in the dry air. Only 2 percent of the river’s water actually exits the delta. This photograph shows the small quantity of water exiting through the Boteti River. Okavango water only reaches the dry lake floors (visible on the lower edge of the large image) in the wettest years.<br />
Part of one of the ISS solar arrays is visible on the right.<br />
©NASA/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Kalahari_Desert.jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • Chernobyl 2 Beyond The Horizon<br />
<br />
“Chernobyl-2″ is one of the most unique and secret places of the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In the Soviet times it was not even shown on maps, civilians were forbidden to come closer than several kilometers to this object. Only after the collapse of the USSR and the Chernobyl catastrophe some information about the small military unit involved in “space espionage” finally surfaced.<br />
<br />
In the 1970s Soviet scientists developed unique radar systems that allowed to keep watch over ballistic missile launching from a territory of a potential enemy (submarines and military bases).  This one is an over-the-horizon radar, it has huge masts and antennas. Its operation demanded much human resources and was provided by militarymen whose number was about 1000. Those people and their families were living in a small city specially built for them, that city had one street only – Kurchatov street.<br />
<br />
Over-the-horizon radar Duga-1 was the major object of that unit. It was also called object “Chernobyl-2″ or simply “Duga”. It was intended to detect launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles from the territory of Europe and the USA. No other stations in the whole world could boast of similar technological capabilities at that time.<br />
Access to the object for tourists was opened only last year. It had been planned to demolish the object and they actually started to take such measures but fortunately stopped destructing the station in proper time – if so huge metal structure would fall it might cause a serious earthquake and the Chernobyl sarcophagus would be damaged as well.<br />
Immediately after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant the station was put out of operation and all the personnel was evacuated. Much of its valuable equipment was transported to Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia, in 1987.<br />
<br />
The structure is really impressive. According to some data they invested seven billion Soviet rubles to build it.<br />
<br />
These antennas were buil
    Exclusivepix_Chernobyl_Beyond_The_Ho...jpg
  • The hi-tech Crimean facility that was intended to help the Russians put men on the moon... by telling them whether its surface was rock or quicksand<br />
<br />
At the height of the Cold War the Soviet Union, flush with the success of putting the first man into space, turned its gaze towards landing a cosmonaut on the moon ahead of the Americans.<br />
But a huge mystery faced the Communist nation's scientists - whether the moon's surface was comprised of a layer of loose dust or completely solid.<br />
To solve the question, the Gorky Research Institute of Radio Physics constructed an artificial 'moon' at the top of the Balaly Kai mountain in the Crimea region of Ukraine.<br />
A radio telescope was installed at the foot of the mountain and was used to compare radio emissions from the moon using the artificial moon - a five metre black disc covered with carbon foam - eventually leading to the discovery that the moon had a hard surface.<br />
Although the Russians never reached the moon, the station was then used to calculate the absolute temperatures of Jupiter, probe the Cassiopeia, Taurus, and Cygnus constellations, and also to study of the surface of Mars, Jupiter and Mercury.<br />
Today it is abandoned, but has partially survived because it is in a nature reserve and was therefore not cut into scrap metal. These pictures, taken by Russian photographer Sergey Anashkevitch, chronicle what remains of a bold era in Soviet space exploration.<br />
©Sergey Anashkevitch/Exclusivepix
    Exclusivepix_Abandoned_lunar_station...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
  • Coober Pedy: An Australian Town That Lives Underground<br />
<br />
Coober Pedy is a small town in northern South Australia, 850 kilometers north of Adelaide on the Stuart Highway. On the surface, the place looks pretty deserted. A treeless plain on the edge of the Stuart Ranges, with a few sparsely spaced houses, a couple of inns and restaurants, a police station, a school and a hospital further north. But that’s only half the town. The other half lives underground in spacious caves and tunnels called “dugouts” where the town’s residents have built homes, hotels, restaurants, bars, churches and more.<br />
Coober Pedy was established in 1915 following the discovery of opal by a 14-year old boy who was camping with his father's gold prospecting party. Within a few years hundreds of prospectors were tearing up the turf. But people who flocked here to mine the previous stones soon discovered life above ground was pretty tough. In the summer, the temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius. On these hot days, the relative humidity rarely gets over 20%, and the skies usually remained cloud-free.<br />
<br />
To escape the scorching daytime temperatures, the residents began to live underground. The early Coober Pedy houses were built in the holes that had already been dug in search for opal. Modern homes are dug into the hill sides and include all the amenities of an above-ground home including living rooms, kitchens, walk-in closets, bar and cellar. The entrance is usually at street level, and the rooms extend towards the back into the hill. All the rooms are ventilated with a vertical shaft, keeping the temperature regulated.<br />
This ingenious style of living was introduced by soldiers returning from the First World War to prospect from opal mining. Coober Pedy was originally known as the Stuart Range Opal Field, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. In 1920 it was re-named Coober Pedy, an anglicised version of Aboriginal words "kupa piti",
    Exclusivepix_Australian_Town_That_Li...jpg
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