KSC-2010-4249

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Hatchlings from endangered loggerhead turtle eggs, brought from beaches along the northern U.S. Gulf Coast, are being released into the Atlantic Ocean at Playalinda Beach, adjacent to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge within NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The release and relocation work is part of an effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the National Park Service, NOAA, FedEx and conservationists to help minimize the risk to this year's sea turtle hatchlings from impacts of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This plan involves carefully moving an anticipated 700 nests deposited on Florida Panhandle and Alabama beaches during the next several months. Note: The photos were shot using an infrared filter to protect the hatchlings. Photo credit: NASA_Dimitri Gerondidakis