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Browse All : Phoenix from 2004
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Description
ISS009-E-10382 (7 June 2004) --- Tucson, Arizona is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 9 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). Tucson lies between the forested Catalina Mountains and the Tucson Mountains (dark reddish brown at left). The typical western North American cityscape is a pattern of regular north-south aligned rectangles outlined by major streets set one mile apart. Tucson?s Randolph golf course is the large rectangular dark zone in the image center. The striking contrast between the golf course and its surroundings is due to dense grass cover maintained by frequent watering. The rectangular grid pattern disappears in the small streets of the original city center, situated along the Santa Cruz River (enters the view lower left and exits in the top left corner). Newer and less densely built-up neighborhoods in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains are designed to incorporate natural landscape features, and retain major washes with natural vegetation. This portion of the cityscape seen from space is consequently quite different from the main city grid. The foothills afford views of the city to the south and the mountains to the north and are major areas of development. Large white dots within the urban grid are the reflective rooftops of shopping malls. Tucson enjoys an important position along several major crossroads. Interstate highway I-10, which connects southern California to Florida, appears as a straight line running parallel with the Santa Cruz River northwest from Tucson in the direction of Phoenix. The I-10 traverses a well-marked alluvial fan that extends from the Santa Rita Mountains to the southeast (fine drainage pattern lower center) and exits the view lower right. Highway I-19 is the straight line (lower left) leading south from the city center, between the Santa Cruz River and rectangular spoil heaps of nearby copper mines. The I-19 connects Tucson with Nogales on the Mexican border.
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