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As we celebrate Earth Week, there is no better way to remember why we work so hard to conserve it, than to gaze down at our home from above. NASA collected and published this week a video compilation of the best satellite images and data visualizations they captured over the last year. In these images, you can see the planet changing before your very eyes.
And if you want to stretch your mind further about our living planet, consider the Gaia hypothesis. As explained in an essay by Ferris Jabr, the science writer for The New York Times, “‘Life is not something that happened on Earth, but something that happened to Earth,’ said David Grinspoon, an astrobiologist at the Planetary Science Institute. ‘There is this feedback between the living and nonliving parts of the planet that make the planet very different from what it would otherwise be.’ As Dr. Margulis wrote, ‘Earth, in the biological sense, has a body sustained by complex physiological processes. Life is a planetary-level phenomenon and Earth’s surface has been alive for at least 3,000 million years.'” #EarthDay #PictureEarth
Have you ever wondered what space smells like? Now we know. According to astronauts, it is “a mix of gunpowder, seared steak, raspberries and rum.” Hmmm. CNN reports that the fragrance was invented to help astronauts train for space — so that nothing about it would be surprising to them (seems like that would take […]
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Using inexpensive tracking technology and a large antenna installed on the International Space Station, a consortium of researchers is hoping to gather a wider range of data than they had using previous tracking technologies, including long migration patterns, allowing them to better understand how climate change and habitat loss impact wildlife.
Why This Matters: In addition to better understanding of wildlife migration and threats, the technology could be used for a range of other goals.
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Elon Musk’s company Space X is behind the latest NASA chapter, in which the Dragon Capsule launched by the Falcon 9 rocket will deliver astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley in style (wearing Tesla emblazoned custom-made Space X pressure suits) to the international space station – liftoff is set for today 4:33 pm ET.
Why This Matters: When it comes to the future, for better or worse, we are in Elon Musk’s hands, even as he argues to rapidly re-open the economy.
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