That panoramic view can be quite useful when observing natural disasters as they occur, such as wildfires or volcanic eruptions. And that comes down to the ability of the crew to take pictures that are panoramic and oblique versus a straight down look.' He says: 'Hand held cameras used by the crew act as a compliment to the data gathered by the station's various instruments. Over 3,000,000 images have been collected by astronauts from the station, and those images can be put to a variety of uses.Ĭredit: Stefanov is branch chief for the exploration science office, a part of the Exploration Integration and Science Directorate at Johnson Space Center.

There's another, and often overlooked observational instrument on board the space station: crew members, equipped with digital cameras. And through the use of two cutting edge spectral imagers on the station, HISUI and DESIS, researchers have access to highly detailed information on materials across Earth's surface, from identifying minerals and rock types to distinguishing between plant species. OCO-3 measures atmospheric CO 2 with high accuracy, helping researchers better understand CO 2 increases and decreases and the impacts of those changes. Forests and other plant life respond to a variety of environmental stresses, and the ECOSTRESS instrument allows researchers to study plant temperature and provides insights into how life on Earth responds to changes in water availability. Each is an amazing resource for scientists and researchers, but together they paint a picture of Earth richer and more detailed than any one instrument could provide.įrom the vantage point of the orbiting laboratory, GEDI measures Earth's surface vegetation, producing 3-D views of forest height and structure, and the surface topography beneath.

The International Space Station is home to many instruments that help with the study of our planet in a variety of ways.

International space station from earth