Abstract
In the late 1990s, the author Frank White visted Huntsville, Alabama, and lectured at the local university on what he called the “overview effect.” White had just authored a book by that title and was touring the country speaking on the subject and promoting his book. According to White, most of the world’s astronauts experience an epiphany when they first gaze back from space upon this wonderful cradle of life we call Earth. With its magnificent blue oceans, swirling cloud formations, and obvious land formations, these space explorers experience a sense of belonging to the globe, not necessarily as citizens of the United States, Russia, or whatever country was responsible for their making the journey, but as human citizens of planet Earth. From
The people know the salt of the sea And the strength of the winds Lashing the corners of the earth. The people take the earth As a tomb of rest and a cradle of hope. Who else speaks for the Family of Man? They are in tune and step With constellations of universal law.
Carl Sandburg, from “The People Will Live On”
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Further Reading
Frank White’s book, The Overview Effect, is a mind-expanding experience that is highly recommended reading. For more information about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s interest in monitoring the growth and spread of transgenic crops, see an excellent summary article in the September 11, 2003, issue of Nature titled, “US Reflects on Flying Eye for Transgenic Crops.” A sad but educational “must read” is the United Nations publication, One Planet Many People: Atlas of Our Changing Environment (New York: United Nations Environment Program, 2005).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Johnson, L., Matloff, G.L., Bangs, C. (2010). Environmental Monitoring from Space. In: Paradise Regained. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79986-5_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79986-5_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-0-387-79985-8
Online ISBN: 978-0-387-79986-5
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)