A view worth its salt

In this image provided by NASA, Great Salt Lake serves as a striking visual marker for the STS-135 astronauts orbiting over North America in the space shuttle Atlantis on Saturday. A sharp line across the lake’s center is caused by the restriction in water flow from the railroad causeway. The eye-catching colors of the lake stem from the fact that Great Salt Lake is hypersaline, which means it’s typically three to five times saltier than the ocean. Atlantis is the last of NASA’s three remaining shuttles to be retired, as the space agency turns its focus on expeditions to an asteroid and Mars. It will remain at Kennedy Space Center upon its return and be put on public display.