Grab Piece of the Planet with NASA's Earth Day Adoption

Earth Day 2017
This Earth Day (April 22), NASA wants you to "Adopt the Planet." (Image credit: NASA)

This Earth Day (April 22), NASA wants people around the world to "adopt" one of 64,000 sections of the planet seen from space.

Visitors to the agency's "Adopt the Planet" website will receive an adoption certificate for a unique, numbered section of Earth's surface, with each hexagonal plot averaging about 55 miles (89 kilometers) wide. The certificate also shows "data layers" of that patch of Earth, revealing highlight features of the planet that the unaided human eye cannot see, such as air-quality levels. Visitors can also print certificates for chosen locations.

(Of course, the adoption certificates do not grant any actual entitlement to the land; the sections will be randomly assigned, and the certificates won't "confer any legal or ownership rights," according to NASA.)

NASA is also holding special Earth Day events in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

On Thursday (April 20), visit "Earth Day in the Nation's Capital" in the main hall at Union Station in Washington, D.C. This event will include NASA's hyperwall, which consists of several high-definition screens capable of displaying multiple data visualizations and images from NASA. The event will also offer hands-on activities and demonstrations. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT and will include a visit from former astronaut Scott Altman from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

On Friday (April 21), visit "Hayden Planetarium Special Event: Earth Day Celebration in New York" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The event starts at 7 p.m. EDT. It will explore the history of Earth Day (including the famous image of the planet taken during the Apollo 8 mission that sparked the movement) and how scientists today use satellites and computers to monitor global change. 

More information about NASA's Earth science activities is available on NASA's website

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Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace