Spaceship Earth Investigating Earth Materials

The Blue Marble The title of this photograph is “The Blue Marble.” What is this blue marble? Who do you think might have taken this photograph? Why do you think they named it as they did?

Spaceship Earth What can you tell about Earth from this photograph? The Earth is like a spaceship on which we travel. It has everything we need to stay alive.

Earth’s Surface The Earth has rocks and soil to help us make and grow the things we need.

Earth’s Surface And, that surface is constantly changing.

Earth’s Surface Over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Think about how many ways we use water.

Earth’s Surface And, that water is constantly moving.

Earth’s Blanket What do we call the blanket of gases that surround the surface of the Earth? The atmosphere rises above us and provides the air we breathe.

Earth’s Atmosphere The Earth’s atmosphere is constantly changing, too.

Earth Changes Man also changes the Earth.

Mission: Spaceship Earth Your mission as an Earth scientist is to learn more about these Earth materials. By studying the Earth and how it works, we can use and protect these natural resources. After all, it’s the only Earth that we have.

Pause PowerPoint

Geologists at Work

Real Scientists There are many more ways that geoscientists study the Earth. You can learn about some of the these interesting jobs from real scientists at: Check out Elizabeth Arrendondo – Mineralogist “Mineralogist Elizabeth Arredondo loves adventure! When she's not skydiving, she's out hunting for colorful gems and minerals.” (PBS KIDS: Dragonfly TV)

Credits USGS (United States Geological Survey) USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); NSSL (National Severe Storms Laboratory) NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)