Environmental damage on Earth seen from shuttle

Reuters ^ | August 4, 2005 | Jeff Franks

[goarmy]

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Commander Eileen Collins said astronauts on shuttle Discovery had seen widespread environmental destruction on Earth and warned on Thursday that greater care was needed to protect natural resources.

Her comments came as NASA pondered whether to send astronauts out on an extra spacewalk to repair additional heat-protection damage on the first shuttle mission since the 2003 Columbia disaster.

Discovery is linked with the International Space Station and orbiting 220 miles above the Earth.

"Sometimes you can see how there is erosion, and you can see how there is deforestation. It's very widespread in some parts of the world," Collins said in a conversation from space with Japanese officials in Tokyo, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

"We would like to see, from the astronauts' point of view, people take good care of the Earth and replace the resources that have been used," said Collins, who was standing with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi in front of a Japanese flag and holding a colorful fan.

Collins, flying her fourth shuttle mission, said the view from space made clear that Earth's atmosphere must be protected, too.

"The atmosphere almost looks like an eggshell on an egg, it's so very thin," she said. "We know that we don't have much air, we need to protect what we have."

[ghitma]

And exactly how much exhaust did her shuttle out in the air when it took off?

[Publius6961]

Thank you for that concise and clear example.

Forest. Trees. Idiots.

[Antoninus]

Notice they don't say WHERE the environmental damage is occurring. What do you want to be they're not referring to North America.

Also, since when does "erosion" count as environmental damage? If so, then the Grand Canyon might as well be a superfund site.

This article gives new meaning to the term "moonbat."

[liberallarry]

When poor third world people do it you can bet it is environmental damage. How dare they try to make a living...?

That's the problem.

Had the shuttle been orbiting 120 years ago, when the primary source of power was coal and wood, would the view from space be better or worse?

120 years ago the human population was about 1 billion, today it's about 6 billion (off the top of my head but pretty close I think)...but our technology allows us to be much more efficient in the use of resources. Opposing trends but my guess is that environmental damage is much more severe today.

[George Smiley]

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Commander Eileen Collins said astronauts on shuttle Discovery had seen widespread environmental destruction on Earth and warned on Thursday that greater care was needed to protect natural resources.

Gee, doesn't all that fire that comes out the back of the rocket contribute to global warming?

[HairOfTheDog]

Thanks for your post!

[advance_copy]

Eileen Collins is commander of STS-114 because she is the most qualified person NASA could find, not because she is an environmental whack-o and a woman. [/sarc]

[RightWhale]

It seems there are hundreds of posters today who are responding in lockstep the same way one after another on several threads, several Pavlovian issues. No discussion, no comment, just raspberries.

[SunnySide]

"So does this mean we can declare war on third world countries and be happy?" ................................................... No we need to start declaring war on 3rd world planets!

[Publius6961]

Opposing trends but my guess is that environmental damage is much more severe today.

Thank you for illustrating the main objection to this woman so perfectly. There is a time and place for everything, specially opinions.

Science is not about guessing.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"We need to start locking it up somewhere..."

Dang. If ONLY we had listened to Algore! Now, WE'RE DOOOOOOMED!! ;)

[Antoninus]

I think she was talking about the massive deforestation in the Amazon basin and in Indonesia, in the tropics, in other words...replacing forests with range land. It does have an environemental impact. It directly affects the water shed, how much rain an area gets, and what carrying capacity for growing things the land has. And they aren't replanting and practicing the type of land management that is used in the US.

But that's not what the article implied, was it?

[Graycliff]

The US, OTOH, has largely been reforested.




With many thanks to the discovery of oil & gas, no more wood for heating, no more wood for cooking. Those were our dark ages.

[xrp]

Why doesnt she tend to the mission and leave her envirowhacko thoughts to herself.

She's frustrated that this shuttle mission has turned into nothing but a mechanic's job of repairing the space shuttle over and over. That's a MAN's JOB, not a woman's. Last I checked, the space shuttle doesn't have a kitchen nor does it need vacuuming!

[RightWhale]

that's not what the article implied

Yes, it was. They see the whole planet between some latitudes that do not include Fairbanks, Alaska, and the time they see North America is a small fraction of the time they spend seeing land masses.

[SlowBoat407]

"We would like to see, from the astronauts' point of view, people take good care of the Earth and replace the resources that have been used," said Collins, who was standing with Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi in front of a Japanese flag and holding a colorful fan.

Mission accomplished. They have made their point and may now come home.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Maybe you should moon her. I'm sure she could see THAT from space. < ;)

[HereInTheHeartland]

She saw me spreading nitrogen on my lawn and spraying weeds last night?
Man you just don't have any privacy anymore.

[kaboom]

Sometimes you can see how there is erosion, and you can see how there is deforestation. It's very widespread in some parts of the world," Collins said

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi then pointed out that she was looking out the wrong window and what she was describing was the Moon. He directed her to the correct window and pointed out the only seagoing vessel visible from space, a new Japanese whaling ship.

[JeffersonRepublic.com]

"Sometimes you can see how there is erosion,... It's very widespread in some parts of the world,"

Have a look at what erosion created. Holy cow! We can only save ourselves by giving NASA billions of dollars. /sarcasm

NASA has turned into a joke. Anyone who complains about pollution after blowing thousands of pounds of solid
rocket fuel into the upper atmosphere is a lunatic...pun intended:)