A View from the Top: Looking at Earth from Space
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Pre-Conference Activity ---> |
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ISS EarthKAM and The Visible Earth
PurposeThis activity enables students to become familiar with what different geographical features look like from space.
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DurationOne class period
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Materials
Several computers with Internet access (no more than 3 students per computer) or teacher computer with a projector or hard copies of the images below.
Procedure
- Please review the images on the ISS EarthKAM website http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/public/students/activities/landformations as well as the images described below from The Visible Earth website.
a. Earth’s City Lights http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1438
This image of Earth’s city lights was created with data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite
Program (DMSP) Operational Linescan System (OLS). Originally designed to view clouds by moonlight,
the OLS is also used to map the locations of permanent lights on the Earth’s surface. The brightest
areas of the Earth are the most urbanized, but not necessarily the most populated. (Compare
western Europe with China and India.) Cities tend to grow along coastlines and transportation
networks. Even without the underlying map, the outlines of many continents would still be visible.
b. City Lights of Europe http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1513
Growth in "mega-cities" is altering the landscape and the atmosphere in such a way as to curtail
normal photosynthesis. By using data from The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program's
Operational Linescan System, researchers have been able to look at urban sprawl by monitoring the
emission of light from cities at night.
C. Chicago, IL
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=11090
This image, taken by the MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) spacecraft, shows
the densely populated area of downtown Chicago. Notice the urban development around a major
natural feature, Lake Michigan, and how the population is spread out along the coastline.
d. Washington D.C. (Infrared)
http://visibleearth.nasa.gov/view_rec.php?id=1366
The White House, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument with its shadow are all
visible in this image of Washington, D.C. With its 15- meter spatial resolution, ASTER (Advanced
Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) satellite, took this picture using three
bands of the reflected visible and infrared wavelength region on June 1, 2000. The image covers an
area 14 km (8.5 miles) wide by 13.7 km (8.2 miles) long.
2. Inform your class that they will be viewing images from cameras onboard the International Space Station (EarthKAM) as well as unmanned satellites orbiting around the Earth. Emphasize the importance of this imagery for scientists all over the world in such areas as meteorology, geology, urban development, geography, and biology.
3. Divide the class into teams of 3 to 5 students.
4. Explain that you would like your students to explore images from space by color, shape, and patterns. Students should familiarize themselves with characteristics that help observers recognize certain natural and human-made objects.
Color – vegetation, oceans, rivers, lakes, human-made objects (cities, roads, bridges)
Shapes – coastlines, rivers, lakes, mountain ranges, cities (homes vs. businesses)
Patterns – human-made vs. natural structures and objects
5. Once the students have had the opportunity to look at the pictures and analyze them, query the students about what they observed in the photos. Ask questions such as:
a. What do you think this is a picture of?
b. Do you recognize any of the features?
c. What questions come to mind as you look at the picture?
d. Is there something in the picture that you want to know more about?
e. After studying the picture, what can you tell me about it?
f. What do you think a geographer or an early scientist looks for in a picture like
this?
g. Would this be a good place for a city? Why?
h. Are there problems with the environment in this area?
i. What types of geographic features are located here?