From its origins, NASA has studied our planet in novel ways, using ingenious tools to study physical processes at work-from beneath the crust to the edge of the atmosphere. We look at it in macrocosm and microcosm, from the flow of one mountain stream to the flow of jet streams. Most of all, we look at Earth as a system, examining the cycles and processes-the water cycle, the carbon cycle, ocean circulation, the movement of heat-that interact and influence each other in a complex, dynamic dance across seasons and decades.For all of the dynamism and detail we can observe from orbit, sometimes it is worth stepping back and simply admiring Earth. It is a beautiful, awe-inspiring place, and it is the only world most of us will ever know