Currently Unavailable Earth Observation and Atmospheric Sciences NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program involves the study of the Earth's climate changes and the causes of those changes, whether they are natural or human-induced. Satellite instruments are used to track environmental and atmospheric trends, like global warming. Scientists are currently evaluating the effects of ozone depletion, volcanic activity, air pollution and the burning of the rainforests to determine and predict their environmental impact. This exhibit looks at the tools used to explore the universe, some of the latest discoveries and a brief history of the exploration of space. The foods carried aboard a Space Shuttle mission are different from those used in the early days of spaceflight.
Many foods are commercially available items that are specially packaged for space use.
The display shows the Shuttle menu, Shuttle food samples, Shuttle kitchen and typical menu scenes. In the microgravity environment of Earth's orbit, large structures can be built that are extremely lightweight. Using this advantage, large antennas can be built for advanced communications systems. The technology can also be applied to other large spacecraft. This exhibit describes these large antennas and the technology used to build them.