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By NASA
Earth Observer Earth Home Earth Observer Home Editor’s Corner Feature Articles Meeting Summaries News Science in the News Calendars In Memoriam More Archives 4 min read
Celebrating the First Earth Day Event at NASA Headquarters
Photo. Young attendees pose in front of the NASA Worm at the Earth Day celebration at NASA HQ. Photo credit: NASA Introduction
Organized by the Science Mission Directorate’s Science Support Office (SSO), NASA hosted its 12th annual Earth Day Celebration event from April 18–19, 2024. For the first time ever, the two-day event was held at NASA Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, DC.
The in-person event, which was free and open to the public, featured the newly installed Earth Information Center (EIC) exhibit – see Photos 1–4. The event featured 17 hands-on activities offered in NASA HQ’s East Lobby as well as two adjacent outdoor tents. Event participants were given an activity passport called the “Passport to Fun” listing all the activities and encouraging attendees to visit the stations and interact with NASA staff – see Figure 1. After completing six or more activities, attendees were able to claim giveaway items, e.g., lenticulars, NASA bags, posters, and calendars.
Photos 1–3. Student attendees at the Earth Information Center (EIC) interactive exhibit. Photo credits: NASA Photos 1–3. Student attendees at the Earth Information Center (EIC) interactive exhibit. Photo credits: NASA Photos 1–3. Student attendees at the Earth Information Center (EIC) interactive exhibit. Photo credits: NASA
Photo 4. Mark Subbarao [GSFC—Scientific Visualization Studio Lead] engages attendees with NASA science in front of the EIC Hyperwall. Photo credit: NASA Figure 1. Earth Day Activity Passport. Figure credit: NASA Prior to the event, Trena Ferrell [GSFC—Earth Science Education and Public Outreach Lead] arranged for groups of students from several local schools to visit the NASA Earth Day event. This included over 300 students from DuVal High School, Morgan State University, Howard University, Prince George’s County Environmental Academy, Prince George’s County Virtual Academy, International Hispanic School, and homeschoolers. On April 19, all of the students who were present at that time gathered for a plenary in the Webb Auditorium. Ferrell welcomed the attendees and provided introductions to prepare them for a virtual presentation by former NASA astronaut Paul Richards, who interacted with attendees and answered questions for roughly 20 minutes.
After Richard’s presentation, the attendees heard from Karen St. Germain [NASA HQ—Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division], whose in-person remarks emphasized to the students the crucial albeit less publicized studies that NASA does of our home planet. Related to this year’s Earth Day theme, “Water Touches Everything,” she discussed the ability of NASA’s Earth observing satellites to track water in all its forms as it circulates throughout the Earth system. St. Germain then answered questions from the audience for 15 minutes – see Photos 5–8.
Photo 5.Trena Ferrell [GSFC—Earth Science Education and Public Outreach Lead] welcomed student attendees to the Earth Day event. Photo credit: NASA Photos 6–7. Former NASA astronaut Paul Richards takes audience questions at the NASA Earth Day event. Photo credit: NASA Photos 6–7. Former NASA astronaut Paul Richards takes audience questions at the NASA Earth Day event. Photo credit: NASA Photo 8. Karen St. Germain [NASA Headquarters—Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division] provided remarks and answered student questions in the Webb Auditorium. Photo credit: NASA
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited the event on April 19, accompanied by Karen St. Germain and several NASA staff members who guided him as he explored the activities offered – see Photos 9–10.
Photo 9. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson [center, rear] spent time circulating among the NASA Earth Day hands-on activities. Here, he visits the “Measuring Light the Landsat Way” activity station, where Mike Taylor [GSFC/Science Systems and Applications, Inc.—Landsat Outreach Team] [left] explains how Landsat utilizes the electromagnetic spectrum and spectral signatures to better understand Earth. Photo credit: NASA Photo 10. [Left to right] Faith McKie [Acting NASA Press Secretary], Bill Nelson, Karen St. Germain, and Tom Wagner [Associate Director for Earth Action in the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate] during the Earth Day media briefing. Photo credit: NASA
Throughout the two-day event, it is estimated that as many as 1500 public participants attended along with the 300 students already discussed. While SSO staff distributed 500 activity passports, many small groups and families shared a single passport. SSO staff estimates that the true number of participants may be close to 1500 – see Photos 11–19.
Photo 11. A young Earth Day participant interacts with Ellen Gray [NASA GSFC—Earth Science News Team]. Photo credit: NASA Photo 12. Jenny Mottar [NASA HQ—Art Director for the Science Mission Directorate] and Kevin Miller [GSFC—SSO Senior Graphic Designer] hand out “Water Touches Everything” NASA Earth Day posters to student attendees. Photo credit: NASA Photos 13. Ross Walter [GSFC—Data Visualizer and Animator, Landsat Outreach Team] engages with students at the “Viewing Earth From Above with Landsat” station. Photo credit: NASA Photos 14. Students explore the Chesapeake Bay as seen by Landsat 8 with a large, vinyl floor mat. Photo credit: NASA Photo 15. Students play a Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Jeopardy game at the “GEDI Knights Measure Forests from Space” table. Photo credit: NASA Photo 16. Student attendees make ultraviolet-bead bracelets and Helio Big Year buttons at the Heliophysics station. Photo credit: NASA Photo 17. Young attendees engage with Valerie Casasanto [GSFC—Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Outreach Lead], who helps them work on a three-dimensional glacier puzzle at the “ICESat-2: Ice, Trees, and Earth Height, If You Please!” station. Photo credit: NASA Photo 18. Young attendees engage with the “Meteorite Map Challenge.” Photo credit: NASA Photo 19. Dorian Janney [GSFC—GPM Outreach Specialist] engages visitors at the “Connect the Drops” station, where visitors learn how and why measuring global precipitation helps us better understand our home planet. Photo credit: NASA
Conclusion
NASA’s first Earth Day Celebration at NASA Headquarters was quite successful. While attendance was lower than previous events held at the more heavily trafficked Union Station or the National Mall, there was a steady stream of people throughout the exhibit on both days. It was also a great opportunity to showcase the new EIC to the public. Earth Day is the largest event organized annually by the SSO. This event requires months of planning, cross-divisional coordination, and intensive design of the hands-on activities – all carried from conceptualization through numerous revisions to implementation by more than 100 individuals from across the agency. This combined effort of SSO staff and assisting organizations results in an event that brings together thousands of visitors from a broad spectrum of ages and backgrounds to enjoy NASA science. This event would not have been possible were it not for the incredible efforts and collaboration put forth by so many of NASA’s outreach professionals. The SSO is grateful for all who helped to make this year’s Earth Day event a success and looks forward to Earth Day 2025.
Dalia Kirshenblat
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Global Science & Technology, Inc. (GSFC/GST)
dalia.p.zelmankirshenblat@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 Related Terms
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By European Space Agency
Swatch has again teamed up with ESA to give space fans a new opportunity to design a custom watch featuring breathtaking images of Earth from space.
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By European Space Agency
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By NASA
NASA and Boeing welcomed Starliner back to Earth following the uncrewed spacecraft’s successful landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6, 2024, at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Credit: NASA NASA and Boeing safely returned the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft following its landing at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station.
“I am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner’s safe return,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Even though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible. NASA looks forward to our continued work with the Boeing team to proceed toward certification of Starliner for crew rotation missions to the space station.”
The flight on June 5 was the first time astronauts launched aboard the Starliner. It was the third orbital flight of the spacecraft, and its second return from the orbiting laboratory. Starliner now will ship to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for inspection and processing.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program requires a spacecraft to fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the orbiting laboratory. Following Starliner’s return, the agency will review all mission-related data.
“We are excited to have Starliner home safely. This was an important test flight for NASA in setting us up for future missions on the Starliner system,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “There was a lot of valuable learning that will enable our long-term success. I want to commend the entire team for their hard work and dedication over the past three months.”
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched on June 5 aboard Starliner for the agency’s Boeing Crewed Flight Test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. On June 6, as Starliner approached the space station, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters. Following weeks of in-space and ground testing, technical interchange meetings, and agency reviews, NASA made the decision to prioritize safety and return Starliner without its crew. Wilmore and Williams will continue their work aboard station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew, returning in February 2025 with the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
The crew flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit. This already is providing additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s microgravity testbed, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
Learn more about NASA’s Commercial Crew program at:
https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew
-end-
Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov
Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov
Steve Siceloff / Danielle Sempsrott / Stephanie Plucinsky
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.siceloff@nasa.gov / danielle.c.sempsrott@nasa.gov / stephanie.n.plucinsky@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 07, 2024 EditorJessica TaveauLocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
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