Never-before-seen NASA photographs of Earth, taken by astronauts with hand-held cameras, showing the dramatic evidence of man-made and natural forces that are changing our planet. Orbit is a front-row seat to the vast forces that shape our planet-swirling typhoons, erupting volcanoesand to its fragile beauty.
Jay Apt was an astronaut for 21 years and spent more than 600 hours in space. Michael Helfert, a senior scientist at NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center from 1985 through 1994, is now director of the Southeast Regional Climate Center. Justin Wilkinson, a geographer, is a senior scientist with the Space Shuttle Earth Observations Project.