Posted on 08/04/2005 8:07:09 AM PDT by 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."
This is what happens when you pump up someone's ego over a menial accomplishment until it is ready to explode.
The men who landed on the moon were heroes. Shuttle astronauts are just civil servants with a god complex. We could fly shuttles for a thousand years, and the only accomplishment worthy of the history books would be the money we spent.
I saw a graph just the other night on the Discovery Channel that said there is more oxygen in the atmosphere now back to age of the Dinosaurs. At the extinction of the dinosaurs O2 levels were at 30% then they dropped down to around 10-11% overnight ( relatively speaking ) and have steadily increased back up to about 24%.
Woman is a nut.
Commander Eileen Collins says:
"The requirement for my last bank deposit stipulates that I need to imply that all nations must sign the Kyoto Protocol."
Had this astronaut been up floating around in the late 18th Century and then again today she'd marvel at the terrible deforestation going on east of the Mississippi. Much of what is now farmland used to be forests. Is that environmental damage, or progress?
Well, you certainly aren't educated. What newsworthy about the article is precisely what you ridicule - that the damage is so widespread that it can be observed with the naked eye from space.
Sorry in advance for this, but I wonder if the Columbia astronauts thought the same thing upon re-entry?
Somehow that makes complete sense! lmao
And people wonder why I think women have better things to do than to play boss.
That is the question, isn't it?
Can she see the areas in North America, where capitalism is practiced, that have more trees today than 100 years ago?
Can she see the huge reservoirs, paid for by capitalism, that hold water for millions of people?
Can she see me in my backyard flipping her commie/tree huggin' ass off?
LMAO!
While she's at it, maybe she can give us some fanciful suggestions for preventing hurricanes?
Methinks she has been on one mission too many. The cosmic rays must be getting to her brain.
I suspect that we are very unlikely ever to see Commander Collins on another shuttle flight, even if she was just mouthing someone else's words...
sometimes I listen to what people like her say and I think to myself, ok all we need to do is kill about 3/4 of all humans alive today and then we can live like they say we should. Uhhhhhhh is one of them your child????
The Shuttle produced more air pollution in that one launch than my cars will in my entire life.
Well, since these people are so fond of metaphors, the egg shell on an egg is only meant to protect a growing chick inside. There's all kinds of erosion on the inside of the egg as the chick absorbs the nutrients in the egg sac. Once the chick matures to a certain point, it breaks the shell from the inside and emerges.
Maybe it's time for humanity to be born. Let's crack this egg!
Sometimes I think today's "scientists" got their degrees from watching Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Which I think is a de-evolution from the ones who got theirs from a box of Cracker Jacks.
Well then, there's only one thing to do...immediately give up capitalism and modern life and return to the Stone Age!!! (Of course we'll bring the astronauts back before that happens;)
"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.
Sounds like the space version of the Kyoto Summit.
Funny how she didn't mention exactly WHERE she had seen the degradation. Most likely a 3rd world country, and not the US. But that isn't what Reuters wants you to think.
As to erosion, I hope she is aware of how the Grand Canyon was formed...
Ya know, I actually never sat all the way Space Balls! But, perri air...now that's kinda funny.
susie
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