By Marcia Dunn
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Earthlings are seeing their planet in a whole new light, thanks to NASA and its astronauts aboard the Internet-wired space station.
They're beaming down dazzling images and guess-this-mystery-location photos via Twitter and have even launched a game. Earthlings across the globe are eating it up. From schoolchildren to grown-up business entrepreneurs and artists, the public is captivated and can't seem to get enough.
It's clear from the photos why orbiting astronauts rate Earth-gazing as their favorite pastime.
"The Earth never disappoints," the commander of the International Space Station, Douglas Wheelock, said recently.
Known to his nearly 68,000 Twitter followers as Astro_Wheels, Wheelock has been posting photos of the Earth and some of his thoughts since he moved into the space station in June, five months after it got Internet access.
"It's been a real thrill to be able to do that," Wheelock said.
Wheelock's photos this month included Mount Fuji in Japan as well as the aurora borealis, or northern lights.
"Aurora Borealis as I will forever paint it in my dreams. Almost time to return home," wrote Wheelock, whose mission ends this week.
Jason Major, a Dallas-based graphic designer for a sunglass company, responded with a "beautiful" via Twitter.
"Just to get a perspective like that from 225 miles up is really incredible," Major told The Associated Press. "As I sit here at my desk and go about my day, to see what they're doing and their perspective of the world is really amazing."
Major has a website, www.lightsinthedark.com , to showcase snapshots of "our cosmic backyard." He provides links to some of the astronauts' photos.
The space station's newest American resident, Scott Kelly, has gotten into the act and has nearly 10,000 followers on Twitter. Last week, he kicked off a geography game, posting an image of twinkling lights at night and what looks to be the outline of a boot.
"This country's contributions to science include the barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin and wireless telegraphy to boot. Name it!" Kelly wrote in his Twitter account last week.
Most guessed Italy, including MrsQclasstweets.
Mrs. Q is actually Heather Quasny, a third-grade math and science teacher at Ralph Parr Elementary School in League City. She said her students enjoy identifying a place on Earth from an actual photo rather than a map.
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