Space Junk on Google Earth

Google Earth is pretty amazing... I was reading this article just now on space junk, and it turns out, that you can download a data set for viewing space debris surrounding the Earth directly in the program.

Here's the link: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/03/howtojunk.html

Though this dataset is somewhat unknown, more common applications include viewing the Earth's oceans, and our more distant neighbor, Mars. I would bet in the future we'll be able to see all kinds of applications for Google Earth, including the sky, or atmosphere, possibly even weather tracking of sorts....

I would think another big one would be geology based: possibly volcanoes, tectonic activity, maybe even bedrock types, or how certain areas were formed. For instance, Wisconsin was once under a huge sheet of ice, which slowly receded northward leaving large ruts and valleys where it scraped away the land. All that historic data could be compiled and easily uploaded I would think.

Just think of being able to look at the Earth go back in time. We could watch Pangea float together on Google Earth, then rip apart and float back together again, then tear apart to finally form the continents we see today. Want to watch the Himalayan moutnains form? Speed up the program and sit on the triangular land mass that becomes India, and watch it slam northward, driving the two continents together. Want to watch evolution happen? Turn on the evolution layer and you could see colors representing different classes of orgranisms, constantly being replaced as time sped by.

Then you have other applications as well, it could be a springboard for teaching youth, long gone are the days of reading a 3 year old encyclopedia when the data is at your fingertips and updated regularly. Give schools a big-ass screen and pick a topic to study, or have the kids suggest areas to explore on the map... Want to study Europe? Here, lets turn the globe a bit... Imports/Exports, population growth, culture habits, historic data... you name it.

Though I have to admit, the fact that we all carry cell phones, cameras, and drive cars (not to mention all other sorts of gadgets) that are geo-tracking is a bit unsettling. Especially when one were to think of its applications on a personal level.

"Oh Timmy, that's you right there, that little red dot, see!!! Yes we're watching you Timmy, and this is you yesterday skipping school you little bastard..."

Though I'm sure we're all being tracking already anyways.

But anyways back on topic- space junk. I also read this article a while back, a list of the strangest items orbiting our planet. I got a kick out of the spatula.

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/02/spacestuff.html

You'd think there was a need to clean up space junk. Quite obviously there is, as yesterday they had to evacuate the space station because a bolt or some other object less than an inch in diameter nearly hit the station.

I can just imagine having that spatula out the window, which is SEVERAL inches in diameter...

Astronauts: OH GOD ITS COMING!! Our orders ground command??
Ground Command: RUN FOR YOU LIVES! In fact don't run, float! Float damn you! Get the hell out of there!
Astronauts: Sir we won't make it, our top speed is 3 mph....
Ground Command: God speed to you all.

And with that, I'll end my ramble. Haha.