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Earth Day 2021: Restore Our Earth

This long exposure photograph captures a starry sky above the Earths atmospheric glow as the International Space Station orbited above the Indian Ocean about halfway between South Africa and Australia.

This long-exposure photograph captures a starry sky above the Earth's atmospheric glow as the International Space Station orbited above the Indian Ocean about halfway between South Africa and Australia.

Media Credit: NASA

Today on the 51st Earth Day, the world is called to come together to #RestoreOurEarth. By joining together, we can accomplish amazing things. For more than 20 years, humans have lived and worked continuously onboard the International Space Station (ISS). This has been a truly global endeavor: More than 240 people from 19 countries have visited the orbiting laboratory, which has hosted close to 3,000 investigations from more than 4,200 researchers in more than 100 countries! Leveraging this one-of-a-kind laboratory in space, the world comes together to advance science and technology in ways not possible on the ground.

Research on the ISS not only benefits life on Earth and supports our efforts to explore beyond our planet—it also benefits the Earth itself. From experiments aimed at improving agricultural production and commercial products to research on the atmosphere and our oceans, scientists are using the ISS U.S. National Laboratory for important research to benefit our planet.

Below, learn about some of the ways the ISS National Lab is supporting important sustainability-related research and development to help #RestoreOurEarth.

  • Addressing the Sustainability Challenge

    Enabling Solutions to Earth’s Sustainability Challenges from the International Space Station

    Since the earliest days of operation, the ISS has been used to monitor global climate, ecological, and environmental change and natural disasters, and the ISS National Lab continues to support important sustainability research.

    iss blue earth dark sky

  • Spaceflight Studies for A Sustainable Future

    ISS National Lab sustainability-related projects are diverse, and results from these studies provide meaningful insights into materials and processes that drive sustainable development.

    The bright sun greets the International Space Station and the Earth below.

  • Saving the Planet Through Research Off the Planet

    Investigators from innovative companies and academia are leveraging the ISS National Lab for research projects with important applications in sustainability.

    SS022 E 080014 (3 March 2010) A blue and white part of Earth and its horizon, as seen through the windows in the Cupola, are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 22 crew member on the International Space Station.

  • Observing the Earth

    A Blue Marble in Space: Studying Earth from the ISS

    Researchers are using the space station as a powerful platform to view our planet, enabling a wide range of Earth science research.

    One of the most widely known photographs of Earth, this image was taken by the crew of the final Apollo mission as the crew made its way to the Moon. Dubbed the Blue Marble, Earth is revealed as both a vast planet home to billions of creatures and a beautiful orb capable of fitting into the pocket of the universe.

  • Improving Water Sustainability

    Supporting Water Sustainability From Space

    The ISS National Lab enables valuable research to address water sustainability—from remote sensing to plant science research and technology development of consumer products with important sustainability applications.

    In this July 12 photograph, Kelly is seen inside the Cupola, a special module which provides a 360 degree viewing of the Earth and the space station.

  • Monitoring Ecosystem Productivity

    Observing Ecosystems from Orbit

    Scientists can use images taken from the space station to better understand variations in ecosystem productivity, or the ability of an ecosystem to convert carbon dioxide into biomass.

    Map of gross ecosystem production (GEP) derived from HICO imagery from the ISS for the study area around Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Image collected July 2, 2013. The triangle indicates the location of the flux tower. The area is a mixture of grassland and crops, resulting in a complex spatial pattern of productivity.

  • Improving Agriculture

    Going Off the Ground With Agriculture Research

    The ISS National Lab is helping to improve agriculture back on Earth—through research to enhance crops and expand agricultural productivity, studies on environmentally friendly agricultural pest control, and student programs to help spark an interest in agriculture.

    Yum! Lettuce grows in the Veggie plant growth facility on the ISS.

  • Reducing Emissions

    Space-Based Research to Advance Technologies for Reducing Harmful Emissions on Earth

    Carbon dioxide capture from the fossil fuel combustion exhaust of industrial plants remains a key area of Earth-based sustainability research, and the ISS may serve as a valuable platform to advance CO2 capture technology.

    ISS024 E 014263 (11 Sept. 2010) NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Expedition 24 flight engineer, looks through a window in the Cupola of the International Space Station. A blue and white part of Earth and the blackness of space are visible through the windows.

  • Seeking Solutions to the Plastics Problem

    Addressing the Plastics Problem From Space

    New solutions to the problem of plastic pollution on Earth could arise from the unique ability to conduct research and observe our planet from space.

    Buddy and Mother Earth social

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