Geology from space

The fifty years since Sputnik first flew have brought a bonanza of scientific progress to . . . Earth science. At the time, in late 1957, the United States was planning a satellite launch as part of the upcoming International Geophysical Year. The focus was on the Sun and outer atmosphere—the Van Allen belts, the ionosphere, the Earth's magnetic field and rarefied science like that. The USSR pulled a coup with Sputnik, but the mission's focus was actually on the rocket. In both countries, the military was deeply interested. Ever since, scientists have been lucky passengers in a vehicle drawn by warhorses. I don't think anyone foresaw remote Internet service, a precision GPS system or Google Earth at that time. But I've written a whole set of short articles on some of the things geologists have been using space for since Sputnik.

_{IGY stamp — Geology Guide image}