Istres

Description

Istres is a commune in southern France, some 60 km northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d`Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture. Istres is adjacent to the étang de Berre lagoon, the largest in Europe, and the étang de l`Olivier lagoon. Istres is the home of the Le Tubé Air Base. This air base was one of 3 utilized by NASA as a contingency landing site for the Space Shuttle in the case of a Transoceanic Abort Landing.