PASADENA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 10/07/08 -- Half a century ago, 60,000 scientists from 67 countries participated in a pioneering effort to better understand Earth, our home planet. For 18 months, they labored together on a space science project that had a major impact on our knowledge of science and environment. The chief organizer of the American efforts reportedly called the International Geophysical Year "the single most significant peaceful activity of mankind since the Renaissance and the Copernican Revolution." In a science and environment article titled "Home, Sweet Earth," Vision.org examines the International Geophysical Year and how it shaped an understanding for many space scientists today.

This large-scale effort paved the way for the space age with the establishment of the United States' National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Russian Sputnik and the American Explorer and Vanguard launches.

According to Vision.org writer Dan Cloer, the International Geophysical Year enabled the physical scientists to learn about space science and also to make "great strides in understanding the Earth's structure holistically. Their findings provided the first intimations of the great geochemical cycles beneath our feet and the fine details of the seemingly vacuous void above our heads. It was as if the doctor was discovering the heart that drives the pulse."

Cloer writes, "During this time oceanographers focused on the sea floor and its great trenches and rifts, while geologists tapped out a seismic analysis of mountain ranges. Today those preliminary sketches have become a full-color picture of plate tectonics."

Yet 50 years later, despite the growth in knowledge of space science and environmental issues related to our planet, many of us still take Earth for granted. We still search space science for other worlds out there that can sustain life, but so far, Earth is the only planet in this category.

What are the factors that separate Earth from the other planets in this area? We know Earth orbits within a "habitable zone," far enough from the Sun to keep it from incinerating yet close enough for warmth and light. Yet NASA and others search space science for the elusive answer to the question: What keeps neighbors Mars and Venus from being habitable today? As Cloer quips, "There must be more to the Earth's success story than simply, as a cosmic realtor might say, 'location, location, location.'"

Cloer continues by exploring the uniqueness of the planet, from the science and environment to the existence of humans and human consciousness. Humans have a responsibility to care for this exceptional planet, and Cloer examines the relationship between our habitation and our stewardship of the Earth.

Great leaps in knowledge of space science and environmental issues have been gained in the 50 years since the International Geophysical Year and the formation of NASA, but we need to use that knowledge to fulfill our responsibility of stewardship. Cloer implores, "We must harness it for the good of Spaceship Earth."

About Vision:

Vision.org is an online magazine with quarterly print issues that feature in-depth coverage of current social issues, religion and the Bible, history, family relationship topics and insights into philosophical, moral and ethical issues in society today. For a free subscription to the Vision quarterly magazine, visit their web site at http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/default.aspx.

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