The vast scope of the disaster in Japan from Friday’s Earthquake and Tsunami is vivid in satellite views.
Some of the most stirring high altitude photographs come from DigitalGlobe, the Longmont, Colo., satellite imagery company.
NASA’s Terra and Aqua Earth science satellites are also providing images of the disaster.
The imagery below was taken Saturday, in the early hours following the Earthquake.
Click for more Digital Globe views.
The devastation also forced the closure of Japan’s space center in Tsukuba.
An evacuation forced a shutdown of all but essential hardware on Japan’s Kibo module aboard the International Space Station.
NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston is serving as a backup.
The tsunami's devastation is evident from this image of the port in Sendai, Japan. Shipping containers, shown in red, were strewn like match sticks. Photo Credit/DigitalGlobe
Tihe extensive flooding and threat from fire in Sendai s evident in this Terra satellite image taken with infrared and visible light sensors. The water is depicted in dark blue and black. Photo Credit/NASA Terra
Tsunami and fire damage in Natori, Japan as witnessed by a DigitalGlobe satellite. Photo Credit/Digital Globe
Devastation at the Pai-ichi Nuclear Plant in Okuma, Japan represents the sustained challenge of recovering from the devastation. Photo Credit/DigitalGlobe