#WhySpaceMatters: NASA space photo competition comes to end, winners announced
NASA has announced the final winners of its #WhySpaceMatters photo competition, aimed at showing how space helps improve our understanding of planet Earth.
The competition, which started in June last year, invited the public to submit photos they thought showed why space mattered in their everyday lives.
Astronaut Scott Kelly, who is aboard the International Space Station, chose the winner each month and posted the photos to his Instagram account.
The final winner was announced as Mr Kelly prepares to return to Earth on March 1, with Instagram user x.j.b taking out the prize for his picture of the ISS above Colorado in the US.
"As it orbits our planet, astronauts aboard a station of interconnected pods and modules ... work together to carry out missions and goals common to the global scientific community at large," x.j.b wrote.
"This structure of epic accomplishment can be seen on a starry night by the naked eye: a floating, soaring dot of light."
Other winning photos included a photo of a female firefighter in Nigeria using a NASA-developed breathing apparatus, a pyramid built by the Etruscans, who used the stars to decide when to plant their crops, and a drawing by a nine-year-old Australian girl highlighting the importance of satellites for weather prediction and agriculture.
Mr Kelly said technology developed in space had far-reaching applications.
"Of course, I think space matters in a multitude of ways, but it's been inspiring to see this proof that you don't have to be an astronaut to recognise that," he said.
"Over the past year, I've been able to play a personal role in some of that research, and by speaking up about why it's important, everyone who participated has played a part of their own."
Mr Kelly has become something of a social media star since boarding the ISS last year, often sharing photos from his Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Last month, he took part in a Reddit Q and A, answering users' unusual question about life in space.
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