and lift off! a murky, rainy day in california, but that was not going to stop this vital launch from going ahead. rising into orbit, it is the latest in a long line of satellites, giving us an essential view, not of space, but of earth and what we are doing to it. it was american astronauts circling the moon who were the first to be amazed by the sight of our planet as a delicate blue oasis, and their images were so powerful, they helped to kick—start the environmental movement. since then, satellites have spotted forests being cleared in madagascar, huge mines in germany gouging out coal, cities sprawling into deserts, and how this is all making the climate more hostile. being able to see our home from space has transformed our awareness of how fragile it is. it has revealed how human activity is causing damage in ways you just can't pick up from the ground. but the good news is, it creates chances to get things right in future, like spotting this toxic algal