WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

The Straits of Mackinac are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 10 crewmember on the International Space Station (ISS). The Mackinac Bridge spans a stretch of water five miles wide between Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. The strait connects Lakes Michigan (left) and Huron (right). The bridge is a combination of pier-supported spans with a high, central suspension sector that allows passage of lake steamers. The suspension sector is the longest in the Americas (8614 feet or 1.6 miles). Prior to construction of the bridge, the only passage across the straits was by ferryboat. This view shows the ice broken into a series of irregular rafts that appear gray against bright water in this partial sunglint view. The shipping channel is maintained even through remnants of the ice mass, but the ice ridges can be hazardous to shipping during ice break-up.