Baikonur, formerly Leninsk, is a city in Kazakhstan rented and administered by the Russian Federation to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The Soviet government established the site as a missile test range, and launched Sputnik from here in 1957. Baikonur was photographed by the U.S. U-2 plane in 1957 (according to Wikipedia). The site is used for launch of all Russian crewed missions, as well as geostationary, lunar, planetary and ocean observing missions. The U.S. uses the Russian launch capabilities to send their astronauts to the Space Station while they develop their own heavy launch vehicle to replace the Space Shuttle. The image covers 15 x 23 km, was acquired on July 27, 2010, and is located at 46 degrees north latitude, 63.6 degrees east longitude.
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With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 metres (about 50 to 300 feet), The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images Earth to map and monitor the changing surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments launched on 18 December 1999, on the Terra satellite. The instrument was built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint U.S.–Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of the instrument and data products.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
Taken on 27 July 2010
<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA16292">PIA16292: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan</a>