Analyze astronauts’ photos of Earth to predict climate change
In pursuit of their mission to improve life, both in space and on Earth, astronauts have been observing and documenting changes to our planet through photographs. With the aid of computational predictive models and artificial intelligence, scientists study and analyze the color values from these images and predict climate change.
This lesson plan introduces students to the seven biomes and their seasons using temperature and precipitation data. Students explore the attributes of their local biome then learn the hexadecimal numbering system to develop an understanding of how computers represent color. Next, they work with photographs taken from the International Space Station and satellites to model seasonal color changes in a biome. Then they engage with machine learning and artificial intelligence modules to detect the season in the image. They compare how humans versus computers see color before they manually predict climate change over time. Finally, they commit to taking social, political, environmental, or economic action in their own communities to protect our planet.
Materials developed in partnership with the NASA STEM on Station team.