In 1990, NASA began developing Mission to Planet Earth (MTPE), an initiative aimed at using satellites to study the planet’s environment from space. With the Earth Observing System (EOS) as its technological cornerstone, MTPE’s main goal was to better understand fundamental processes such as climate change. The View from Space tells the remarkable story of this unprecedented convergence of science, technology, and policy in one of the most significant “Big Science” programs in human history. Richard B. Leshner and Thor Hogan offer an engrossing behind-the-scenes look at how and why NASA managed to make an aggressive earth science research program part of the national agenda—an accomplishment made possible by the pragmatic and assertive efforts of the earth science community. This is the first book to focus on describing and analyzing the historical evolution of the MPTE/EOS initiative from its formative years in the 1980s to its political and technical struggles in the 1990s to its scientific successes in the 2000s. Though detailed in its coverage of science and technology, The View from Space is primarily concerned with questions of policy—specifically, how MTPE/EOS came to be, how it developed, and how its proponents navigated the fraught politics of the time. Compelling in its own right, this in-depth history of the initiative is also a valuable object lesson in how political, technical, and scientific infighting can shape a project of such national and global consequence—particularly in the age of climate change.

Gathers photographs taken by sixteen U.S. astronauts, members of Projects Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo

The #1 international bestseller: An astronaut's tour of our planet from the heavens, featuring 150 mesmerizing photographs (with commentary) from the International Space Station. During his six-month mission to the International Space Station, astronaut Tim Peake became the first British astronaut to complete a spacewalk -- and, perhaps more astonishingly, the first to run an entire marathon in space. During his historic mission, he captured hundreds of dazzling photographs, the very best of which are collected here. Tim captures the majesty of the cosmos and of the planet we call home: breath-taking aerial photos of the world's cities illuminated at night, the natural beauty of the northern lights, and unforgettable views of oceans, mountains, and deserts. Tim's lively stories about life in space appear alongside these photographs, including the tale from which the title is taken: his famous wrong number dialed from space, when he accidentally called a stranger and asked: "Hello, is this planet Earth?" With this truly unique perspective on the incredible sights of our planet, Tim demonstrates that while in space, hundreds of miles above his friends and family, he never felt closer to home.

Discusses activities astronauts do while they're in space.

Experience the Amazing Unmanned Journeys to Explore the Universe In Incredible Stories from Space, veteran space journalist Nancy Atkinson shares compelling insights from over 35 NASA scientists and engineers, taking readers behind the scenes of the unmanned missions that are transforming our understanding of the solar system and beyond. Weaving together one-on-one interviews along with the extraordinary sagas of the spacecraft themselves, this book chronicles the struggles and triumphs of nine current space missions and captures the true spirit of exploration and discovery. Full color images throughout reveal scientific discoveries and the stunning, breathtaking views of our universe, sent back to Earth by our robotic emissaries to the cosmos. -Travel along with the first mission to Pluto -Explore Mars alongside the Curiosity Rover -Join the unprecedented hunt for extrasolar planets -Unlock the mysteries of the cosmos with the iconic Hubble Space Telescope -Discover the latest findings in our solar system -See the future of space exploration with a preview of upcoming missions

Shares photographs and details of the author's experiences in space.

Remote Sensing will continue to replace slower, more costly data collection on the ground, providing fast and repetitive coverage of extremely large areas for everyday applications. With the fast-paced nature of the modern world economy, archaic data is rendered seemingly useless. Decision-makers and researchers alike need to analyse and present data in real time. The use of remotely sensed data has opened many unexplored opportunities for exciting and innovative research. It was Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry’s character, Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise who said, “to boldly go where no man has gone before”. The View From Space: A Beginner’s Guide was written and designed to assist you in accomplishing just that. The View From Space lays the foundation for the understanding of the basic principles of remote sensing and the various open data courses available. The focus of The View From Space takes you on an interstellar journey, focusing predominantly on the use of the Google Earth Engine application. The public data catalogue contains nearly 600 datasets from more than 50 different data providers from across the world, and the list continues to grow. The View From Space contains numerous Google Earth Engine scripts or codes that will assist in accessing the data and information directly from the Google Earth Engine application. You don’t have to be a coding genius to access the wonderful world that is the Google Earth Engine. It is all included. The View From Space further engages in the open-source GIS software QGIS and statistical open-source R and R-Studio software as a crucial element of the journey into space. The View From Space delicately illustrates the wonderful world of remote sensing through the application of the Google Earth Engine and open-source software to several case studies. This completes your initial journey into space, having boldly gone where you have not gone before. I trust you will find this experience worthwhile. Our exhilarating exploration of remote sensing has just begun. Happy reading at maximum warp!