Haze and fog add a bluishness. The dark
blue edge of the spectrogram rises.
All these distortions taken into consideration,
the surface type is still recognizable,...
... but the analysis of spectrograms should be done by computers.
They will do it accurately and fast.
The data obtained is used for making
geological maps more precise.
Not only geological surveys
can be done in such a way,...
... the slightest changes in the color of
vegetation are noticeable from the orbit. ...
Different kinds of forests can be recognized by their spectrums.
A mixed forest, for instance, gives a spectrogram
different from that of a coniferous forest.
Various trees are especially easy to
recognize in autumn as they yellow
By the color of seeded areas, it is
possible to check how cultures mature,
... and forecast harvest on a continental scale.
The planet lives and Man is its zealous master.
He must not only know the Planet's resources but
also monitor all the processes taking place upon it.
Every year glaciers thawin the mountains. From
space it is possible to monitor the scope and rate ...
...of this process. It determines flow of mountain rivers ...
... and moistness of soils in the valleys.
In spring, snow melts on the plains.
But every year is different.
One should knowbeforehand when ice on rivers
will break up and how much runoff they will carry;
... whether lowlands are going to be flooded.
All of this can be forecast from satellites.
Water may also cause harm to people.
In some places it is a powerful cause of soil erosion.
Ravines are cut reducing arable land.
In other places salt marshes are formed.
Only now has it become possible to take into
account all these calamities on a global scale..
In the future, orbiting space station personnel
will inform us of the state of mountain pastures,...
...and recommend better pastures to move on to.
... They will also point out lands suffering from draughts,...
... and warn us about impending sand storms.
Cosmonauts Nilolayev and sevastianov said ...
...how conspicuous economically disastrous
forest fires are when seen from space.
Unfortunately, besides these natural
calamities, others may too be seen from space.
...And it is people, masters of
the Planet, who are to blame.
Very often, man's presence on the Planet reveals itself unfavorably.
This photo demonstrates the only sign of civilization on Earth ...
... a trail of smoke spreading for tens of
kilometers and polluting the atmosphere.
These oil slicks have been left by ships in the
ocean. They extend for hundreds of kilometers.
From the outer space you can see a catastrophic
reduction of the earth's overall vegetation.
The precious verdure is squeezed out
by industrial and residential buildings.
In the picture you can see tens of
thousands of square kilometers of African
... savannah burnt by men.
It was men; hunters driving wild animals to bay with fire.
Destruction of forests not only steals oxygen from
the atmosphere but upsets nature's delicate balance.
One such manifestation is the encroachment of deserts.
Ordinary sand is mercilessly advancing
... and threatens to bury everything in it's path.
A new science, cosmic geography, is emerging .
With its help, people will register all
natural resources of the planet,...
... and will use them rationally.
...They will be able to render natural calamities
harmless and even use them to their own advantage.
... They will stop barbaric polluting of the environment.
This will require the realization of
projects across national boundaries.
By common efforts, people will protect...
...and beautify our dear Earth. In this we should trust!