5. Space Photography 



Photographs of the oceans from space have proved a unique and 

 tantalizing tool for oceanic investigations. The high resolution of these 

 color photographs has shown a wealth of detail impossible to duplicate 

 by television pictures. Surface and near surface conditions appear as 

 sea scars, rips, sea state, bathymetric features, etc. Many of these 

 features have been shown to exist over large areas on a scale previously 

 unimagined. Close examination of such photos, especially those containing 

 sun glint, has raised more questions than have been answered. 



The fact that all of the pictures have been in color has aided visual 

 examination. The contrast of color enhances the differences between oceanic 

 structures of interest, delineating features that seem continuous when 

 seen in black and white. Because the illustrations in this publication 

 are in black and white, the full definition possible from these pictures 

 cannot be shown. Thus, only a limited number of examples are presented. 



Broad-band color film has its limitations, however, in differentiating 

 phenomena close together on the spectral scale. Multi-spectral photography 

 on future flights will be a welcome improvement over the presently used 

 color systems. 



The Gemini color pictures have been subjected to a series of experiments 

 to extract spectral information for depth determination. One experiment, 

 conducted by Don Ross of the Philco-Ford Corporation, is based on the 

 idea that in shallow, relatively clear water, the amount of light reflected 

 from the bottom is inversely proportional to depth. Consequently, areas 

 of equal color intensity may be supposed to indicate areas of equal depth. 



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