Main content

Our Planet Earth

Our Planet Earth

Just four decades ago, human life first pierced the sky and stepped out into the unknown of space. Since then, just over three hundred people, out of billions, have made that transcendent journey. They represent not only their countries, but all humankind - indeed all of life.

From the vantagepoint of space, astronauts have given us a powerful new image of our earth; through their eyes we gain a perspective on our world that must be shared with new generations.

OUR PLANET EARTH is a love poem to our home by those who have seen it from space. 17 astronauts and cosmonauts from 10 countries share their experiences and insights in hopes that all humanity will see the wonder and fragility of our planet, as they have, from beyond political and geographical boundaries.

They show us an utterly spectacular display of Earth's color and light. Continents pass in minutes; the sun rises and sets sixteen times a day...there are no dividing lines. Pollution travels freely through the common air that bathes the globe. Only a minute strip of atmosphere separates our delicate Earth from the vacuum of space. Our destructiveness, now a geological force, is as vast as our wondrous technology.

With powerful images and human words we can share the astronauts' perspective on our Earth, a vision that holds all future life in its gaze. It's a vision we must share with students and make a fundamental part of education.