View of the Mir space station

STS071-741-091 (27 June-7 July 1995) --- This wide-angle view shows Russia's Mir Space Station backdropped against much of south-central Brazil (an area of more than 600 miles is represented from left edge to right). The area covers from the rainforest of Amazonia at top left, to the undeveloped swamplands of the Pantanal at bottom left in a lighter shade of green, to the Parana, running southward to Argentina down the right side of the view. Brown colors all around Mir indicate agricultural lands: brown and red colors are the colors of tropical soils which underlie the region and are visible because some soils have been exposed by plowing. Brasilia, the capital district of Brazil, is not visible in this view but lies near the light blue lake top right in the headwaters of the Parana River.