[20-Feb-2022 02:14:48 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function add_action() in /home/australi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/autoload/vendors/cf7.php:8 Stack trace: #0 {main} thrown in /home/australi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/autoload/vendors/cf7.php on line 8 [21-Feb-2022 01:47:50 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function add_action() in /home/australi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/autoload/vendors/woocommerce.php:19 Stack trace: #0 {main} thrown in /home/australi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/autoload/vendors/woocommerce.php on line 19 [20-Feb-2022 05:33:37 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function add_action() in /home/australi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/autoload/vc-pages/settings-tabs.php:27 Stack trace: #0 {main} thrown in /home/australi/public_html/wp-content/plugins/js_composer/include/autoload/vc-pages/settings-tabs.php on line 27 The Value of Astronaut Photography of Earth - Australian Science

The Value of Astronaut Photography of Earth

 

A brushfire near Burrinjuck Dam in New South Wales, Australia. Credit: Chris Hadfield/NASA
A brushfire near Burrinjuck Dam in New South Wales, Australia. Credit: Chris Hadfield/NASA

Earthlings were spoiled when Chris Hadfield turned his camera to Earth. The astronaut, just returned in May from a five-month mission to the International Space Station, uploaded dozens of pictures of Australia to his Twitter feed and other social networks.

His observations ranged from the whimsical — “Jackson Pollock would have been even further inspired by seeing the Outback from orbit” — to scientific: “Another of the Australian bushfires, this one near Burrinjuck Dam. Look closely and you can see the flames from orbit.”

While the pictures may have appeared to be taken at random, astronauts receive serious training  in photography before undertaking any flight to the International Space Station.

Their role as Earth ambassadors in orbit extends to also keeping watch over the planet. If their orbital track passes over a hurricane that threatens the Australian basin, or Outback fires that are threatening a town, NASA will request the astronauts take photos to assist Earthly emergency responders. Astronauts also take note of long-term changes in Earth’s environment.

Science and disaster management

Hurricane Earl near Puerto Rico in August 2010, as seen from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Hurricane Earl near Puerto Rico in August 2010, as seen from the International Space Station. Credit: NASA

The first astronaut photos took place along with the beginning of the space program. Both Soviet and American astronauts snapped pictures in the 1960s using small, handheld cameras. Photography took on a more serious role as missions progressed, perhaps most notably in the Apollo moon mission era of 1968-1972. Geologists on Earth depended on astronauts’ photography of features on the moon to help identify the context in which rocks appeared.

Closer to Earth, however, astronauts play an important supplemental role in capturing images. There are many Earth-gazing satellites that orbit overhead, but sometimes their ground tracks — the path their spacecraft takes over the planet — do not fly over, say, a volcanic eruption soon enough.

Also, satellites are preprogrammed machines that can only be altered with a great cost of time and effort. With astronauts, however, changing their program is a simple radio call away from a ground control center.

NASA’s Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website features thousands upon thousands of images taken by astronauts in its various programs. With the International Space Station now the agency’s main focus, the images can be taken by astronauts of any nationality — not just American. The space station partners ensure their respective astronauts receive instructions on how to observe the oceans, the environment and the weather from their orbital perch.

Next, when the astronauts are in orbit, scientists will send along a list of photographic targets, NASA stated on its astronaut photography website.

“Messages are routinely sent to the station crew members listing the best opportunities for photographing target site areas,” the agency wrote. “The sites include major deltas in South and East Asia, coral reefs, major cities, smog over industrial regions, areas that typically experience floods or droughts triggered by El Nino cycles, alpine glaciers, long-term ecological research sites, tectonic structures, and features on Earth, such as impact craters, that are analogous to structures on Mars.

Scientific results from orbit

Lake Fitri, an endorheic or “terminal
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<b><div style=Cite this article:
Howell E (2013-06-14 06:08:12). The Value of Astronaut Photography of Earth. Australian Science. Retrieved: Mar 29, 2024, from http://australianscience.com.au/space/the-value-of-astronaut-photography-of-earth/