It's a massive, marvelous planet we live on, and part of what makes it so wonderful is the fascinating array of wildlife.
That wildlife may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of NASA, but researchers and conservationists around the world are using data and images from NASA satellite instruments to manage and track living creatures of all kinds.
Conservationists in Kenya are finding new habitats for endangered black rhinos by using a tool that helps them track changes to landscapes in NASA satellite images. A scientist at Stony Brook University in New York is using a program that analyzes NASA satellite imagery to help track the movement of penguins in Antarctica. And at Yale University a professor is integrating NASA satellite data into a critter-tracking program called the Map of Life.
You can read about those and other projects that incorporate NASA satellite data below.
In addition, you can take a look at some of the creatures right in NASA's own back yard — Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to be exact. KSC shares land and wildlife with Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. Learn more about some of the efforts to protect and manage the island's animals at the end of this feature.
Continue reading at NASA Langley Rseearch Center
Image via NASA Langley Rseearch Center
