Crew Earth Observations (CEO) taken during Expedition 9

ISS009-E-05953 (7 May 2004) --- The Pinacates Biosphere Reserve is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 9 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). The Pinacates—a moon-like volcanic landscape that lies in the Sonoran Desert in Mexico just a few miles from the border with Arizona—is one of the most unique and striking landscapes in North America. The volcanic range is surrounded by one of North America’s largest dune fields, Gran Desierto. The natural history of the region includes thousands of years of human occupation; it is the aboriginal homeland of the O’Odham tribe, also known as the Papago. The region also served as an early training site for Apollo astronauts in the mid-late 1960s. The name Pinacate is derived from “pinacatl,” the Aztec name for the desert stink beetle which is common in the region. The natural and cultural resource management of the region, including the archeological sites and the high biodiversity, is now guaranteed: the site was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1993. The high-resolution image provides a view of a large volcanic crater called Crater Elegante, which is one of the most prominent and interesting features of the Pinacates.