Earth Science Picture of the Day Web Site Celebrates its 10 Year Anniversary

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) are pleased to announce the popular Earth Science Picture of the Day (EPOD) web site is turning 10. For a decade since the first entry on September 8, 2000, vibrant imagery from around the globe impresses site visitors with an array of photographs and illustrations highlighting the diverse physical processes and phenomena that shape our planet. Phillip Lachman, who photographed the amazing Driftwood at La Push, Washington, says, 'As a teacher I used EPOD to provide stimulus material for my classes and now use it to provide a way for people to see how exciting Earth Science can be and to appreciate the processes that have and still are forming the scenery around us.'

From Port Orford, Oregon to Athens, Greece, artists and scientists use tools that range from camera phones to satellites- capturing images that serve as an invaluable resource for scientists, educators, students, and the general public. The EPOD web site, epod.usra.edu, enables the collection and archiving of a range of photos, imagery, graphics, and other artwork that illustrate features and physical processes within the Earth system. Posted photos and images are provided with brief explanatory captions and with links giving visitors access to further information. Major contributor behind the project since it's start, Dr. Jim Foster, NASA Physical Scientist, explains the value of EPOD: 'Viewers from around the world are sharing their photos, some impromptu, some planned, permitting us to observe the Earth from near and afar and to perhaps appreciate its complexities a bit more.'

Celebrate EPOD's 10 year anniversary by participating in the below competitions:

Earth Science Picture of the Day invites your 9-12 grade students to participate in the Earth Science in Action contest to celebrate our 10th Anniversary. Encourage your students to participate for a chance to win a Sony-Bloggie High-Definition Digital Camcorder for use in your classroom. Students are asked to photograph or draw an Earth Science image and provide a written summary of the science illustrated in the image. Teachers will then submit the 2 best entries from their classroom. Deadline for submission is October 31, 2010. Five winning entries will be chosen by representatives from NASA and USRA during the first week of November 2010. Please visit http://epod.usra.edu/blog/classroom.html for submission and further details.

Join Earth Science Picture of the Day's social media outlets for a chance to win epic EPOD merchandise throughout the month of October! Fans and photographers, join our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter ( @Earthpic ) in order to find out how to win t-shirts and other EPOD gear!

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, in Greenbelt, Maryland, has been in operation for 50 years -- chartered on May 1, 1959. The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major U.S. laboratory for developing and operating unmanned scientific spacecraft. During the past 50-years, Goddard has been at the forefront in exploration, in technological achievement, in space science, and in studying the Earth as a system.

Founded in 1969, USRA is an independent research corporation with competencies that span space, Earth and life sciences related disciplines, and are closely aligned with the nation's science and national security agencies. As a member based non-profit corporation with 105 major research universities as members in lieu of for-profit shareholders, our members provide our corporate governance, and along with USRA's 300 scientific and technical staff provide a unique platform for conducting ground-breaking research.