The Mississippi River crested at nearly 48 feet on Tuesday in Memphis, Tennessee -- inches shy of the record set in 1937. As the massive surge of water works its way further south, residents in places like the Mississippi Delta are preparing for historic flooding.

On-the-ground photos of the floods along the Mississippi show the harrowing disaster locals are having to deal with up close. Now, shocking photos from NASA show the extent of the disaster seen on a much wider scale -- from space.

The images below show the Mississippi River before and after flooding around Memphis, Tennessee. Captured by the Thematic Mapper on NASA's Landsat 5 satellite, the photos show the river on both May 10, 2011 and April 21, 2010. Slide your mouse back and forth over the image below to compare before and after the recent flooding, and CLICK HERE to see what you can do to help relief efforts in Tennessee.

LOOK:

Interactive graphic by Mike Sparks.