Earth observations taken during STS-79 mission

STS079-785-103 (16-26 Sept. 1996) --- In this 70mm frame from the space shuttle Atlantis, the Brazilian state of Rondonia is featured. The photograph shows some of the major settlements and the habitat fragmentation caused by large agriculture programs in Brazil. The Rondonia state in southwestern Brazil is an area of about 240,000 square kilometers (92,000 square miles). Approximately 11.5% of the tropical forests in Rondonia have been cleared since 1970. There are indicators showing that roughly 20% of the cleared land is reverting back to scrub every year due to low fertility. Space Shuttle photography of this region has documented the forest clearing since the mid 1980's. This view adds to the large database of imagery, including other satellite-based imagery, and provides a natural color view of the region.