Y
ou can barely hear the sound of
the countdown as the engines roar beneath you. As you look out the window of the Russian spacecraſt , Earth seems to fall away. Beside you, two other astronauts are also strapped in their seats. You’re all rocketing toward the International Space Station (ISS). Your mission in space today is tied
to helping people back on Earth. T e space station isn’t just a place where scientists study space. Astronauts there keep track of many experiments every day. Many of these experiments lead
to technologies that improve life on Earth. Your work today will help farmers in the United States, doctors in Brazil, and ship captains on the open ocean.
Welcome Aboard! Aſt er only a few hours, you’ve
traveled more than 385 kilometers from Earth. Suddenly, the space station comes into view. It’s big! T e ISS is made up of many
connected sections. Astronauts live in some sections. T ey work and do their experiments in others.
20 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
Taking Pictures Your spacecraſt docks to the station.
A fellow astronaut opens the hatch, and you float inside. Your first task is to help Gary Wagner. No, he’s not an astronaut. He’s a farmer, and he lives in Minnesota. Wagner is counting on you to use
ISSAC. It’s a special camera. It takes pictures of forests, grasslands, and farmland. T en it sends these images back to Earth. Farmers and ranchers use the images to help them make decisions about crops and animals. Farmers can tell which of their
plants are growing well and which ones aren’t. T en they can make decisions about how to water and feed their plants. Ranchers can see where their animals graze.
Sending Signals As you transmit new images to
Wagner from space, he can study this current data and know what to do. ISSAC does more than just help people like Gary Wagner. ISSAC also collects images of the
changing environment around the globe. Over time, it tracks natural disasters. Scientists on Earth use this data to try to solve global problems.
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