“Riding the Blue Marble” is an illustrated meditation about Planet Earth. The 22 full-color illustrations come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Science on a Sphere (SOS) resource. The poetic text offers a religious overlay to Earth's story.  Creation, Fall, and Hope frame a call to responsible stewardship. This book is for people who are concerned about the changes happening in our environment, who welcome a spiritual perspective on life's purposes, and who are awed by the incredible beauty of our traveling planetary home.  The purpose of this book is to expand the dialogue between an author and a reader into personal conversations with others as we become better caretakers of our planet.  

You are invited to pause and reflect as we ride the Blue Marble together!

First Reviews:

As a planetary astronomer for over 50 years, I grew up with the space program.  The opportunities it gave me to view our Earth and the other planets up close has been a lifelong thrill.  That excitement has been renewed as I’ve worked with Science on a Sphere ®, where it has been a privilege to work with Dave Wasserman.  With Riding the Blue Marble, he offers us poetic words that describe my belief in the Creation of the Universe and the fragile nature of our Earth.

Dr. Edwin S. Barker, Retired
Research Scientist & Assistant Director of McDonald Observatory (Texas)
Optical Lead for NASA's Orbital Debris Program at Johnson Space Center
Santa Fe, New Mexico

When I ponder how precarious life is and consider our innate and sustained ability to ignore the perils facing us and all creation, I can grow weary and discouraged.  Riding the Blue Marble gently shakes me back to hope and offers the spiritual practice of seeing ourselves intertwined with the vastness, beauty, and harmony of the Earth and its systems.  May it be a guide to remind us of our common humanity and our responsibility to preserve and heal this wondrous world we share. 

The Rev. Dr. Harry Eberts, Pastor
First Presbyterian Church
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Riffing off Folliott Pierpoint’s beloved hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth,” the Rev. Dr. Dave Wasserman’s evocative word-journey draws us into a 21st Century experience of the biblical creation narrative.  As a Presbyterian theologian, Wasserman explores the “why” of faith and the incomprehensible gift of freedom bestowed by the Divine upon humanity.  As an accomplished sailor, adventurer, and product of modern discovery, he deftly weaves in the “how” of science and the necessity for authentic stewardship.  Worth reading again and again, this holy poem issues a clarion call for us to reclaim our sacred trust as the caretakers of the singular blue jewel we call home.

​The Rev. Vicki Fogel Mykles, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Fort Collins, Colorado

David Wasserman’s Riding the Blue Marble shows his heart for creation, stewarding the planet and encouraging others to be stewards as well. Mixing science with the spiritual, Wasserman skillfully illustrates how these complement and build off of one another in a way that so many miss. The state of our planet is not something to be ignored. Riding the Blue Marble sounds the alarm and calls for action in a way that is hopeful and inspiring.

Beth Russell

Science on a Sphere Operations Manager
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado

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