Space Next Chapter

Space Next Chapter

On Earth Day, here’s the view from space

Katia Hetter
By Katia Hetter and Ashley Strickland, CNN
Published 5:14 AM EDT, Thu April 22, 2021
<strong>The Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco: </strong>The swirling hues of the Anti-Atlas Mountains were captured by ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) on NASA's Terra satellite. Formed roughly 80 million years ago, the mountains formed when Africa and Eurasia collided, resulting in a diverse composition of limestone, sandstone, gypsum and granitic rocks.
The Anti-Atlas Mountains, Morocco: The swirling hues of the Anti-Atlas Mountains were captured by ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) on NASA's Terra satellite. Formed roughly 80 million years ago, the mountains formed when Africa and Eurasia collided, resulting in a diverse composition of limestone, sandstone, gypsum and granitic rocks.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
<strong>Lake Qinghai, China: </strong>NASA's EarthKAM captured this surreal image of Lake Qinghai -- the largest in China. Located on the Tibetan Plateau, the lake stretches across 1,667 square miles and reaches a depth of 84 feet.
Lake Qinghai, China: NASA's EarthKAM captured this surreal image of Lake Qinghai -- the largest in China. Located on the Tibetan Plateau, the lake stretches across 1,667 square miles and reaches a depth of 84 feet.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
<strong>Paris, France:</strong> You can just barely make out the Eiffel Tower -- in the middle on the left, by the Seine River -- in this image from NASA's Terra satellite.
Paris, France: You can just barely make out the Eiffel Tower -- in the middle on the left, by the Seine River -- in this image from NASA's Terra satellite.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team/NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
<strong>Empty Quarter, Saudi Arabia:</strong> NASA's EarthKAM caught a beautiful intersection between the outskirts of As Sulayyil Sulayel city and the Rub' al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia. Also known as the Empty Quarter, this is the world's largest contiguous sand desert.
Empty Quarter, Saudi Arabia: NASA's EarthKAM caught a beautiful intersection between the outskirts of As Sulayyil Sulayel city and the Rub' al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia. Also known as the Empty Quarter, this is the world's largest contiguous sand desert.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
<strong>Grand Canyon National Park, United States:</strong> A marvel of nature, America's most famous national park stretches 277 miles in length and is a mile deep. From NASA's Terra spacecraft, the canyon's veins of red rock look like a work of art.
Grand Canyon National Park, United States: A marvel of nature, America's most famous national park stretches 277 miles in length and is a mile deep. From NASA's Terra spacecraft, the canyon's veins of red rock look like a work of art.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
<strong>Patagonia, Chile:</strong> NASA uses ASTER images to monitor shrinking glaciers, as an indicator of global warming. Pictured here, an ice sheet in Northern Patagonia features assigned colors -- with vegetation in red -- to measure the glacier's size over time.
Patagonia, Chile: NASA uses ASTER images to monitor shrinking glaciers, as an indicator of global warming. Pictured here, an ice sheet in Northern Patagonia features assigned colors -- with vegetation in red -- to measure the glacier's size over time.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
<strong>Great Wall of China:</strong> Stretching more than 13,000 miles across northern China, the Great Wall of China is thought to have been built in the third century BC. The ancient fortification is now one of the most visited landmarks in the world. The Terra satellite took this image showing northern Shanxi Province, where the wall weaves through the craggy mountains.
Great Wall of China: Stretching more than 13,000 miles across northern China, the Great Wall of China is thought to have been built in the third century BC. The ancient fortification is now one of the most visited landmarks in the world. The Terra satellite took this image showing northern Shanxi Province, where the wall weaves through the craggy mountains.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team/NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
<strong>Rio Gurupi, Brazil:</strong> This EarthKAM image of Rio Gurupi in Brazil has an abstract appearance from space. Part of the Gurupi Biological Reserve, the river flows into an open sea delta, where a dynamic ecosystem includes dozens of islets, mangrove forests, dunes, lagoons and beaches.
Rio Gurupi, Brazil: This EarthKAM image of Rio Gurupi in Brazil has an abstract appearance from space. Part of the Gurupi Biological Reserve, the river flows into an open sea delta, where a dynamic ecosystem includes dozens of islets, mangrove forests, dunes, lagoons and beaches.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
<strong>Danube Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine:</strong> As the European Union's longest river, the Danube winds across 19 countries, including Germany, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Ukraine. Here, NASA's Earth Observatory snapped the Danube Delta, where the river flows into the Black Sea. The area is a United Nations World Heritage Site and a hub of biodiversity, boasting more than 300 species of birds.
Danube Biosphere Reserve, Ukraine: As the European Union's longest river, the Danube winds across 19 countries, including Germany, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Ukraine. Here, NASA's Earth Observatory snapped the Danube Delta, where the river flows into the Black Sea. The area is a United Nations World Heritage Site and a hub of biodiversity, boasting more than 300 species of birds.
NASA Goddard
<strong>Grand Bahama Bank</strong>: Taken by EarthKAM, this surreal image depicts the Grand Bahama Bank, where the deep water of Tongue of the Ocean (an underwater canyon) mixes with the shallow shoals of the archipelago.
Grand Bahama Bank: Taken by EarthKAM, this surreal image depicts the Grand Bahama Bank, where the deep water of Tongue of the Ocean (an underwater canyon) mixes with the shallow shoals of the archipelago.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
<strong>Andes Mountains:</strong> The Andes Mountains in South America, as captured by the EarthKAM.
Andes Mountains: The Andes Mountains in South America, as captured by the EarthKAM.
NASA
<strong>Sakhalin Island, Russia:</strong> Off the coast of Russia, north of Japan, Sakhalin Island looks like an abstract painting in this photo captured by EarthKAM.
Sakhalin Island, Russia: Off the coast of Russia, north of Japan, Sakhalin Island looks like an abstract painting in this photo captured by EarthKAM.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
<strong>Monastery of Saint Anthony, Egypt:</strong> In an image taken by the Terra spacecraft, St. Anthony's Monastery in Egypt looks like a tiny speck. Hidden way in the Red Sea mountains, the remote building is the oldest Christian monastery in the world.
Monastery of Saint Anthony, Egypt: In an image taken by the Terra spacecraft, St. Anthony's Monastery in Egypt looks like a tiny speck. Hidden way in the Red Sea mountains, the remote building is the oldest Christian monastery in the world.
NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team/NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team
<strong>Persian Gulf:</strong> From the atmosphere above the Persian Gulf, EarthKAM captured this image of the Tigris, Euphrates, Shatt al-Arab and Karun rivers -- all merging into the ancient delta.
Persian Gulf: From the atmosphere above the Persian Gulf, EarthKAM captured this image of the Tigris, Euphrates, Shatt al-Arab and Karun rivers -- all merging into the ancient delta.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
<strong>Australian Outback: </strong>Taken by EarthKam, this image paints a surreal scene, where the edge of a lake collides with the Australian Outback's rocky desert.
Australian Outback: Taken by EarthKam, this image paints a surreal scene, where the edge of a lake collides with the Australian Outback's rocky desert.
NASA/JPL/UCSD/JSC
In pictures: Earth from above
CNN  — 

The view from space of our planet’s most impressive natural and constructed landmarks is striking, and not just on this year’s Earth Day.

The long and winding Grand Canyon; the European Union’s longest river, the Danube; and the 13,000 miles of the Great Wall of China become almost abstract works of art when photographed from space.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover Jr., who conducted his third spacewalk in late February, talked then about how fragile Earth looks from space, and “just how special it is for there to be human life on this planet.”

“It makes me want to do all that I can to protect that,” Glover said.

Many of the photos shown here were shot by EarthKAM, a project started in 1995 by the late Sally Ride, America’s first woman in space. It was first called KidSat. It allows middle school students around the world to ask for images of locations on Earth.

The EarthKAM camera flew on two more shuttle flights before moving to the International Space Station in 2001, according to NASA. Sally Ride died in 2012, and NASA renamed the program Sally Ride EarthKAM the following year. It remains a permanent payload on the ISS.

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