by NASA

“ Because of the densely leaved canopy, we rarely get clears views of birds. We are particularly on the outlook for Macaws. These birds are very beautiful and endangered. They can be brilliant scarlet, or blue and yellow.
Sometimes as I walk through this incredible forest, I think back in time for a moment, and I remember when I was younger, in high school. That was when I first imagined I might want to become a scientist because I enjoyed biology most among all of my subjects. It is every biologist’s dream to study the Amazon rainforest with its endless variety of life. ”

“ The past 20 years of space observations have led to a quiet but remarkable revolution in concepts of the Sun—Earth system. No longer is Earth visualized as simply a body traveling through a vacuum around the Sun and being warmed to life by its visible emissions. Rather, the data from spacecraft show that Earth on its course is plowing through an energy-laden flood from the Sun — magnetic fields, energetic charged particles, radiations throughout the electromagnetic spectrum, and electrified gases (called plasmas) flowing at speeds up to 1000 kilometers per second (2.2 million mph) . ”

“ There is no sign of retrenchment or withdrawal by the Soviets from the public arena of space activity despite launch vehicle and spacecraft failures and the preemptive effect of Apollo 11.
The landing on the Moon has captured the imagination of the world. It is now abundantly clear to the man in the street, as well as to the political leaders of the world, that mankind now has at his service a new technological capability, an important characteristic of which is that its applicability transcends national boundaries. ”

“ Indeed, by having placed highest national priority on the MERCURY program we have strengthened the popular belief that man in space is the most important aim of our non- military space effort. The manner in which this program has been publicized in our press has further crystallized such belief. It exaggerates the value of that aspect of space activity where we are less likely to achieve success, and discounts those aspects in which we have already achieved great success and will probably reap further successes in the future. ”

“ When rocketed to the moon at about 24,500 miles per hour, Ranger must be centered within a ten-mile-wide imaginary corridor leading to where the moon will be when Ranger reaches the altitude of the moon's orbit. In aiming their craft along its narrow curving flight path, launch personnel must consider not only the effects of the gravitational pulls exerted by the earth and moon but also by the sun, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus. All influence the motion of a spacecraft coasting between the earth and moon. ”

“ An excellent start toward determination of the near-space environment has already been made in connection with the IGY, and pattern of inter-national cooperation that has developed with this program indicates that mutual understanding and respect among the nations of the earth may be generated by concerted attack upon scientific problems. Inasmuch as national scientific excellence is, to a great extent, now evaluated by the people of the earth in terms of success in the exploration of space, it behooves the United States to achieve and maintain an unselfish leadership in this field. ”

“ A robust commercial space sector has the potential to generate new technologies, products, markets, jobs, and other economic benefits for the nation, as well as indirect benefits for national security.
Commercial space sector activities are characterized by the provision of products and services such that:
private capital is at risk; there are existing, or potential, nongovernmental customers for the activity; the commercial market ultimately determines the viability of the activity; and primary responsibility and management initiative for the activity resides with the private sector. ”

“ The air is moist and smells pungent with the slight odor of flowers and undefined scents of rainforest vegetation. Because the sunshine quickly penetrates openings in the natural canopy of leaves above our field station, the light is clear, and the colors are brilliant and saturated. ”

“ CIVIL SPACE POLICY The United States civil space sector activities shall contribute significantly to enhancing the Nation's science, technology, economy, pride, sense of well-being and direction, as well as United States world prestige and leadership. Civil sector activities shall comprise a balanced strategy of research, development, operations, and technology for science, exploration, and appropriate applications. The objectives of the United States civil space activities shall be (1) to expand knowledge of the Earth, its environment, the solar system, and the universe ”

“ The Man-in-Space Program The initial American attempt to launch a manned capsule into orbital flight, Project Mercury, is already well advanced. It is a somewhat marginal effort, limited by the thrust of the Atlas booster. It has as its goal the launching of a one man capsule into orbit around the earth and its successful return to earth. The fact that the thrust of any available American booster is barely sufficient for the purpose means that it is difficult to achieve a high probability of a successful flight while also providing adequate safety for the Astronaut. ”

“ Conclusions and Recommendations The Space Task Group in its study of future directions in space, with recognition of the many achievements culminating in the successful flight of Apollo 11, views these achievements as only a beginning to the long-term exploration and use of space by man. We see a major role for this Nation in proceeding from the initial opening of this frontier to its exploitation for the benefit of mankind, and ultimately to the opening of new regions of space to access by man. ”

“ UAVs offer great promise to meet the needs of both science and industry for airborne sensing and imaging in a cost-effective manner while alleviating the constraints of mission duration, altitude and flight over inhospitable terrain faced by aircraft with on-board crew. Such long-duration, high-altitude UAVs can be flown on upper-atmospheric science missions to collect data and images that could help scientists identify and monitor environmental and climatic changes. ”

“ To understand the anatomy of the human body, students look at the structure of individual parts, one at a time. But to understand the relationships between the parts of the body -— its physiology — students must consider the living system as a whole. The whole is more complex than the simple sum of components because of the highly interactive nature of these parts. So it is with geospace. An understanding of geospace and of the interactions of its components requires a view of the entire system —— a view obtained by planned observations taken simultaneously in the key geospace regions. ”