>> WELL, MARYLAND ALREADY HAS
A PRETTY BIG NAME IN SPACE
SCIENCE, BETWEEN THE GODDARD
SPACE FLIGHT CENTER AND THE
SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCE
INSTITUTE WHO'S OPERATED THE
HUBBLE, AND, YOU KNOW, CONGRESS
WILLING, WILL OPERATE THE
JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE AND
OF COURSE, THE APL.
BUT I THINK IF THERE WERE ONE
THING THAT MARYLAND SHOULD DO,
AS A STATE, AS A REGION, IT'S TO
START TO COUPLE REMOTE SENSING
OF THE EARTH INTO SORT OF PUBLIC
HEALTH AND PUBLIC WELL-BEING
APPLICATIONS IN A MUCH DEEPER
WAY THAN HAS BEEN POSSIBLE
BEFORE.
NASA SPENDS ONLY ABOUT 5% OF ITS
EARTH SCIENCE BUDGET ON THOSE
KINDS OF APPLICATIONS, BUT WITH
OTHER ASSETS IN THE STATE, LIKE
THE BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH, OR THE USDA AGRICULTURAL
RESEARCH CENTER THAT CAN HELP
ANSWER QUESTIONS LIKE, AS THE
CLIMATE CHANGES, YOU KNOW, WILL
YELLOW FEVER COME BACK TO THE
UNITED STATES?
WILL WE HAVE FURTHER OUTBREAKS
OF PFIESTERIA IN THE CHESAPEAKE
BAY?
WE'VE ALREADY HAD A RESEARCHER
AT BLOOMBERG HELP ADDRESS THE
INCIDENCE OF MALARIA IN THE
REGION OF ZAMBIA USING EARTH
REMOTE SENSING.
SIMILARLY, WHAT AREAS OF EARTH
AS THE CLIMATE CHANGES WILL
BECOME FERTILE FOR CROPS, AND
WHICH AREAS WILL BECOME LESS
FERTILE?
THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT
QUESTIONS THAT ARE VERY
PRACTICAL, AND AFFECT THE
WELLBEING OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
ON EARTH, AND CERTAINLY MILLIONS
OF PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY.
AND IT KIND OF ADDRESSES THE
QUESTION OF, WHAT IS SPACE GOOD
FOR OTHER THAN SORT OF THE SPACE
SCIENTISTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN
IT?
I THINK THAT'S WHERE MARYLAND
REALLY NEEDS TO PUSH AS
A REGION, GOING FORWARD.
