A dolphin swims through the water in the Launch Complex 39 Area turn basin at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 6, 2007. The turn basin was carved out of the Banana River when NASA Kennedy was built. Dolphins are a frequent sight in the rivers around Kennedy, which shares a boundary with the Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge.
The refuge was established in 1963 for the protection of migratory birds. Consisting of 140,000 acres, the refuge provides a wide variety of habitats: coastal dunes, saltwater marshes, managed impoundments, scrub, pine flatwoods, and hardwood hammocks. These habitats provide a home for more than 1,500 species of plants and animals and 15 federally listed species.
Image credit: NASA/George Shelton
一只海豚在佛罗里达州NASA 肯尼迪航天中心的39号发射区回旋区（Turn Basin）水域中畅游，拍摄时间为2007年11月6日。该回旋区是在建设肯尼迪航天中心时，从香蕉河（Banana River）开凿而成。在肯尼迪周边的河流中，经常可以看到海豚的身影。肯尼迪航天中心与梅里特岛国家野生动物保护区（Merritt Island Wildlife Nature Refuge）相邻。
该保护区成立于1963年，旨在保护候鸟栖息环境。保护区占地约14万英亩（约合56,656公顷），拥有多种生态栖息地，包括：海岸沙丘、咸水沼泽、水体调控区、灌木丛、松林平原和硬木林带。这些丰富的生态环境为超过1,500种植物和动物以及15种联邦列名保护物种提供了栖息之所。
图片来源: NASA/George Shelton
