European astronaut on intl space station to track Earth Hour from orbit

From the International Space Station (ISS) in orbit 400 kilometers up in the sky, European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers will be monitoring how Earth Hour will darken large swathes of the planet’s surface from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.   Kuipers is an ‘ambassador’ of the World Wide Fund for Nature, lead organizer of Earth Hour, the annual lights switch off meant to demonstrate how concerted individual actions on a cumulative massive scale can reduce energy consumption, cut carbon emissions, slow down global warming and curb climate change.   Through Twitter, Kuipers will be transmitting updates and pictures from his ISS view. — ELR, GMA News