Here's why:
* Perspective: From space, the Earth appears as a single, interconnected planet. The vastness and interconnectedness of geological features become apparent. You can see how mountain ranges are formed by tectonic plate movements, how rivers carve their paths through landscapes, and how deserts are shaped by wind erosion.
* Scale: The Earth's scale is difficult to grasp from the ground. Seeing it from space gives you a sense of the immense forces at play. You can see how large-scale processes, like plate tectonics, shape the Earth's surface.
* Time: The Earth's geological processes happen over vast stretches of time, making it hard to visualize them from a human perspective. From space, you can see how these processes have shaped the Earth over millions of years.
By seeing the Earth as a whole, Sally Ride gained a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of geological processes. This allowed her to imagine how these processes work in a way that was difficult from Earth's surface.
It's important to note that Sally Ride was a physicist, not a geologist. However, her experience in space allowed her to see the Earth in a new way, which helped her understand the workings of geological forces.
