 |
On March 22, NASA will observe World Water Day. While our home planet
is about 71 percent water, only 3 percent of that is available as fresh
water. And many people do not have access to safe and clean water
sources. On a water planet like Earth, "following the water" is a
massive undertaking but one that is essential to predicting the future
of our climate and the availability of water resources around the globe.
NASA’s research yields many benefits, including improved
environmental prediction, as well as natural hazard and climate change
preparedness. And NASA technology developed to keep astronauts safe and
healthy in space benefits people on the ground, through new ways to
monitor water resources and purify water for safe use.
Water is a critical piece of life on the International Space Station.
Almost all the water used and produced by the astronauts is recycled –
the Environmental Control Life Support System recycles about 93 percent
of the water it receives. And NASA is continuing to improve the way it
uses and recycles water in order to prepare for future long duration
space exploration missions to an asteroid and Mars.
That same technology is now being used in humanitarian efforts to
provide clean water to people following natural disasters and in other
areas of the world where safe drinking water is not available.
Here on Earth, global change will impact many aspects of society,
including global water resources, food security, human health, natural
hazards, ecodiversity, and international relations. NASA people and
science are working to document and understand changes on our planet,
predict their ramifications, and share that information with decision
makers to better analyze, anticipate, and act to influence events that
will affect us and future generations.
In 2014, for the first time in more than a decade, five NASA Earth
Science missions will be launched into space in one year. Together with
NASA's existing fleet of satellites, airborne missions, and researchers,
these new missions will help answer some of the critical challenges
facing our planet today and in the future: climate change, sea level
rise, freshwater resources, and extreme weather events.
0 comments:
Post a Comment