San Diego from Space

The International Space Station (ISS) circles Earth once every 90 minutes and can frequently be seen in the sky above San Diego during dawn and dusk.

Astronauts onboard the ISS frequently photograph Earth from above. These photographs provide students opportunities to reflect on a region's natural features and human's impact on those same features.

Engage

What is the view like from space? Use one or both of these observation videos from Expedition 38.

• Earth Observation Part 1

• Earth Observation Part 2

Explore

Now that students have a sense of the view from the ISS, what is the view like over the familiar features of Southern California?

• View photographs of San Diego by day.

• View photographs of San Diego by night.

Ask students:

• Are these images oriented the same way? How can you tell?

• What natural features can you see in these photographs?

  • Hint: sometimes, what you can't see is just as telling. The ocean is the large black expanse at the top of the nighttime photograph.

• What human-made features can you see?

• In what ways have humans impacted the environment?

Explain

Ask students to share their findings.

• What did students notice?

• What questions do students have?

Elaborate

Encourage students to search for other locations around the globe using the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.