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Most of the time, the International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 220 miles (354 km), which places it in low Earth orbit (LEO). This distance can change, however, and has varied from 205 miles (330 km) to a planned maximum of 248 miles (400 km).
One of the Expedition 34 crew members aboard the ISS, flying approximately 240 miles above Earth, exposed this vertical night image of the Bay Area of California, including parts of San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, on January 28, 2013.