Database Content Summary

This page provides an up-to-date summary of the number of photographs of Earth that have been taken by astronauts. Please note that we have a database of metadata about each image, and a set of digital images available online. Some older missions have not yet been digitized by NASA, so their counts are not included in the "All Images" section. Similarly, recent and current missions may have digital images online, but the accompanying metadata has not been uploaded, so their counts are not included in the "All Metadata" section. The information is tabulated to provide a standard way of describing the contents of the database that would be comparable between different applications and over the coming years. Statistics about specific subsets (e.g., number of photos of Namibia) can be compiled from the Technical Search page.

Cameras used on the ISS and Shuttle missions >>

Date tabulated: 3 Sep. 2008
Number of missions in catalog: 163

UNIQUE RECORDS (Images Table and Frames Table) This total includes both photos that have images in our database and those that do not.
Total number of photographs taken by astronauts: 770,669


ALL IMAGES (Images Table) This total is based on counts of unique photo IDs (mission-roll-frame combinations) in the IMAGES table. Note that the IMAGES table can contain multiple images per photo ID. So the count below is of all of these per photo ID just once. This total includes only those photos that have images in our database.
Total number of images taken by astronauts: 628,922

Missions

Total number of images taken from:

International Space Station: 323,317
Space Shuttle: 287,116
Mir: 2,512
Skylab: 4,591
Apollo, Gemini & Mercury: 11,386

ALL METADATA (Frames Table)
Number of frames with all metadata complete: 580,057
Frames in process (metadata being assembled): 190,612


Special film types

Number of frames that are color visible light: 359,421
Number of frames that are color infrared: 42,262
Number of frames that are black and white: 23,793
Number of frames taken with ESC: 142,795
Of These, number that are EarthKam: 3,335

Camera / Film formats

Number of frames taken by Skylab Multispectral Photographic Camera: 33,285
Number of frames taken by Skylab Earth Terrain Camera: 5,478
Number of frames taken by Linhof: 29,557
Number of frames taken by Hasselblad: 337,401
Number of frames taken by 35 mm: 19,362
Number of frames taken by Kodak digital camera: 135,991

Number of frames with a tilt value or both a center point and a feature that suggests they are earth-looking: 519,568

Of these, number of remaining frames with an entry for focal length: 497,187
Of these, number of remaining frames with normal exposure: 228,256
Of these, number of frames designated with HO tilt angle: 41,552
Of these, subset taken with 40-89 mm lens: 13,398
Of these, subset taken with 90-249 mm lens: 18,315
Of these, subset taken with 250 + mm lens: 8,975
Of these, number of frames designated with LO (or number < 56) or NV tilt angle: 180,006
Of these, subset taken with 40-89 mm lens: 13,179
Of these, subset taken with 90-249 mm lens: 66,286
Of these, subset taken with 250 + mm lens: 100,041

FRAMES <= 25% cloud cover
Number of frames <= 25% cloud cover in catalog: 388,940
Number of these frames with a tilt value or both a center point and a feature that suggests they are earth-looking: 337,337

Of these, number of remaining frames with an entry for focal length: 322,604
Of these, number of remaining frames with normal exposure: 138,526
Of these, number of frames designated with HO tilt angle: 18,006
Of these, subset taken with 40-89 mm lens: 5,415
Of these, subset taken with 90-249 mm lens: 7,728
Of these, subset taken with 250 + mm lens: 4,329
Of these, number of frames designated with LO (or number < 56) or NV tilt angle: 115,890
Of these, subset taken with 40-89 mm lens: 6,884
Of these, subset taken with 90-249 mm lens: 41,141
Of these, subset taken with 250 + mm lens: 67,599

FRAMES >= 70% cloud cover
Number of frames >= 70% cloud cover in catalog: 78,834

SUNGLINT
Number of frames taken with a sun elevation between 42 and 57 degrees. 110,440

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