INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION:
NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EARTH SCIENCE
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

Topical Session T-12, sponsored by the
Earth Sciences and Image Analysis at NASA Johnson Space Center and the
Planetary Geology, International, and Geoscience Education Divisions of GSA

Geological Society of America Annual Meeting
Denver, Colorado — October 25 - 28, 1999

	Assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) has begun, and the U.S. Laboratory module will be launched in 2000. The Lab is equipped with an optical-quality window that is oriented for Earth observation and with a rack designed for mounting remote-sensing instruments. ISS orbits permit continuous monitoring of more than 75 percent of the Earth's surface. From photographs taken by collaborating astronauts to images acquired through mounted sensors, this new platform offers exciting opportunities for Earth science researchers and educators.
Through Earth science research conducted aboard the Russian Mir station, we better understand the types and durations of events that can be uniquely studied and expertly recorded by ISS crew members on long-duration flights. Electronic images and photographs from the ISS will build upon a database of more than 30 years of Earth photographic data acquired by astronaut crews from Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and Mir. These data, including coverage of the most dynamic regions of the world, encourage -- perhaps demand -- integrative investigations of geologic, atmospheric, oceanographic, and biologic processes, including human impacts on the land, air, water and ecosystems.
	Technological developments in image analysis and data distribution have markedly increased the scientific applicability of astronaut photographs of Earth. Images can readily be digitized and rectified to maps and to other suites of data using off-the-shelf hardware and software. In monitoring geologic processes -- e.g., delta growth, shoreline change, and movement of lahars -- precise, accurate and replicable results are routinely achieved and digital images can be transmitted among investigators. Recently expanded Internet access to the image database makes this wealth of photographic data available to the global scientific and educational community for innovative applications.
The ISS also provides educators a platform for a variety of Earth Sciences data and experiments to excite students of all ages. First to use the ISS Earth observation facility will be EarthKAM, a program conducted by students at middle schools throughout the United States. This payload, originally flown on the Space Shuttle, will provide students the opportunity to select targets for imaging and download the resultant images from their web site. The process of tracking the spacecraft, requesting images, and manipulating and interpreting the images allows both students and teachers to work across science and social science disciplines.

Titles and Abstracts

This service is provided by the International Space Station program and the JSC Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science Directorate. Recommended Citation: Image Science and Analysis Laboratory, NASA-Johnson Space Center. "The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth." .
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