Four Corner Perspectives: February 2014

Friday, February 21

The Happiest and Healthiest States Are In the Midwest

A new Gallup survey of nationwide well-being ranks North Dakota at the top and West Virginia at the very bottom.

The annual survey interviews more 178,000 American adults from all 50 states. The well-being index scores states on various factors, including life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physical health, healthy behaviors, and access to basic necessities. Hawaii was formerly the reigning state for the last four years, but it dropped to 8th this year. Based on the 2013 data, the states in the Midwest and West were generally the highest scoring, and the South had some of the lowest scores.

Other states reigned in their own well-being factors. For instance, Nebraska ranked highest for Life Evaluation Index, Alaska had the greatest score for Emotional Health Index, and Vermont held the top spot for Health Behaviors.

These are the top five states in the survey:

1. North Dakota
2. South Dakota
3. Nebraska
4. Minnesota
5. Montana

And these are the lowest-ranking states (starting from the bottom):

1. West Virginia
2. Kentucky
3. Mississippi
4. Alabama
5. Ohio

Ray's Four Corners Of The World

A little about me in the event you are curious. Professionally, my life has evolved; however, I have used my knowledge in applied math and physics to create a career path I am deeply satisfied with: one that has allowed me to use my knowledge to look into and study the mysteries of the universe.

My life working in the space industry has been an extraordinary privilege. Friends became family, dreams became realities, and the unthinkable became aspirations to reach further into our minds and the universe, where all things are connected.

Personally, I have a beautiful wife who is actually smarter, funnier, and a whole lot more interesting than I am. Which means I hit the lottery jackpot when we got married. I never forget this.

And if you're wondering about the picture above, that's my brilliant family who I get to work with each week!

NASA's Earth Observing System

Over the last decade NASA launched a series of satellites that offer an unparalleled view of Earth from space. That series, known collectively as NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS), has provided striking new insights into many aspects of Earth, including its clouds, oceans, vegetation, ice, and atmosphere. However, as the EOS satellites age, a new generation of Earth-observing satellites are poised to take over. The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) represents a critical first step in building this next-generation satellite system. Goddard Space Flight Center is leading NASA's effort to launch a satellite that will carry the first of the new sensors developed for this next-generation system, previously called the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and now the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS).