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>> HELLO.
I'M ASTRONAUT RANDY BRESNIK.
WANNA KNOW ONE OF THE BEST PARTS
ABOUT BEING AN ASTRONAUT
UP IN SPACE?
OUR VIEW OF THE EARTH FROM
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
IS ABSOLUTELY SPECTACULAR.
AND VIEWING THE EARTH FROM SPACE
IS A BIG PART OF OUR JOB.
IN ADDITION TO MANY OTHER
IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS,
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
SERVES AS A GLOBAL MONITORING
AND DIAGNOSIS STATION,
WE CAN CONDUCT OBSERVATIONS
ACROSS THE GLOBE.
AIMED AT UNDERSTANDING
AND RESOLVING
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WE FACE
ON OUR HOME PLANET.
LET'S HAVE A LOOK.
THE SPACE STATION OFFERS
A UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT
FOR OBSERVING
THE EARTH'S ECOSYSTEMS
WITH HANDS ON
AND AUTOMATED CAMERAS
AND IMAGE CAPTURE EQUIPMENT.
THESE TOOLS ENABLE ASTRONAUTS
TO BOTH OBSERVE AND EXPLAIN
WHAT THEY'RE WITNESSING
IN REAL TIME.
THE IMAGE CAPTURE EQUIPMENT
ON THE SPACE STATION
ALSO PROVIDES INPUT
TO PERSONNEL BACK ON EARTH,
WORKING TO PROGRAM
THE STATION'S AUTOMATED
EARTH SENSING SYSTEMS,
PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY
AND AN ADVANTAGE
OVER SENSORS ON
UNMANNED SPACE CRAFT
AND SATELLITES.
SCIENTISTS AND RESEARCHERS
FIND THIS ESPECIALLY USEFUL
WHEN UNEXPECTED NATURAL EVENTS,
SUCH AS VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS,
EARTHQUAKES, HURRICANES, FIRES,
AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS
LIKE FLOODS OCCUR.
THROUGH EXISTING INTERNATIONAL
AND INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
FUNDAMENTAL TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
DATA SHARING THAT CAN
BENEFIT PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD
IS FACILITATED,
PROMOTING INTERNATIONAL
COLLABORATION
ON A RANGE OF EARTH
OBSERVATION ACTIVITIES.
A WIDE VARIETY OF
EARTH OBSERVATION EQUIPMENT
CAN BE ATTACHED TO
THE SPACE STATION'S EXTERIOR,
LIKE I DID ONE OF MY
SPACE WALKS.
SEVERAL INSTRUMENTS HAVE
ALREADY BEEN INSTALLED
AND RESEARCHERS FROM
AROUND THE GLOBE ARE PROPOSING
ADDITIONAL PAYLOADS TO INSTALL.
IN CONTINUING TO USE
A COMBINATION OF CREW OPERATED
AND AUTOMATED
EARTH OBSERVATION PAYLOADS,
THE SPACE STATION COLLECTS
CRUCIAL DATA ON
THE GLOBAL CLIMATE,
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE,
AND POTENTIAL HAZARDS
TO THE HEALTH OF HUMANITY
AND OUR HOME PLANET.
THE WINDOW OBSERVATIONAL
RESEARCH FACILITY,
OR AS WE CALL IT, THE WORF
PROVIDES A HIGHLY STABLE
INTERNAL MOUNTING PLATFORM
TO HOLD CAMERAS AND SENSORS.
WITH THE WORF,
THE HIGH QUALITY OPTICS
OF THE NADIR,
OR THE BOTTOM VIEWING WINDOW
OF THE SPACE STATION
ALLOWS US TO LOOK STRAIGHT DOWN
ONTO EARTH.
DO YOU WANNA PARTICIPATE
IN SOME OF OUR
EARTH OBSERVATION MISSIONS?
COME JOIN US.
CHECK OUT THE SALLY RIDE
EARTHKAM WEBSITE.
GO TO EARTHKAM.ORG
AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS
TO SIGN UP.
AND HAVE A LOOK AT SOME OF
THE SPECTACULAR EARTH VIEWS
FROM SPACE
AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN IDENTIFY.
YOU CAN ALSO TRY THE ACTIVITY
IN THE LINK WE PROVIDED
IN THE DESCRIPTION
OF THIS VIDEO.
THANKS FOR JOINING ME.
SEE YOU ALL NEXT TIME.