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."
I seriously doubt she's talking about North America. Why does everyone think she is?
Holy crap, your wife be sleeping on the couch to?
I just wish I knew what I did?
Sounds like evidence of a giant world wide flood, that produced canyons and other deep ravines. OOPS not where she wants to go I'm sure.
Is is Friday, and we are just having some fun with this lady's comments.
Afterall, there is an element of truth to her statements, but they are not well thought out.
Her statements are to general and could be actually untrue.
Very similar to looking at the dark side of the earth (from her view up there) and commenting on the overwhelming darkness that has "over taken" half of the earth, IN A MATTER OF MINUTES !
It appeals to the "WAR OF THE WORLDS" mentality. And causes panic. Which in turn makes for bad decisions for our future.
Calmer heads prevail, and a little common sense helps.
Unfortunately, "common sense" isn't "common" anymore.
Because most of us are adults, and are aware that one of the most useful propaganda tools is lies by omission, or carefully induced inferences by the ignorant, the gullible and the uneducated.
By being deliberately not explicit, she satisfied her conscious or unconscious propaganda needs.
phooey.
Dump NASA.
When the Bugs and Bunny crowd has permeated the process so thoroughly as to glorify junk science and propagandize from orbit, I've had it.
Dump NASA.
I can second everything you just said. I've defended NASA before on FR, but if this is the kind of crap we can expect from them, kill it.
Unbelievable statements from an "educated" person.
Nobody said Canada was deforested. I was guessing as to where the astronaut saw large clear-cut areas from space. I mentioned Canada as likely because I had seen or heard of such practices there. Are you prepared to tell me I am wrong?
Canada. Clear Cut Mapping & Deforestation
I'd say your grippers are way too tight. See a doctor.
What's interesting about all of this griping is that NASA, for the last several years, has had as part of its budget and job description the very subject of deforestation. Now, I don't know how involved Collins may be on this matter, but it is obvious that NASA has a personal interest. A quick search on deforestation points this out:
"The actual rate of deforestation is difficult to determine and has been the focus of NASA-funded scientists for many years. NASA projects to study the deforestation of tropical forests are conducted by analyzing Satellite Imagery (pictures taken by satellites in space) to view areas of forest that have been cleared."
Yes. Follow the money.
So maybe she's a soccer mom cleverly disguised as a shuttle commander. Probably tried to have the shuttle painted Robbin's egg blue. You know how sneaky NASA is...
Perhaps the dolphin finger of friendship would convince him otherwise...
Bright as a burned-out light bulb, too.
You're right...they're talking about Mars this, comet that, blah blah blah, blah blah.....meanwhile the closet envirolibbies are infiltrating their ranks. They (NASA) have lost my support (meager as it is, even if it is moral support). Collins wouldn't have said this if JF'ingK were President. She probably would have said, "Wow, everything here looks much better than last time when W was in charge...JF'ingK has really made a difference in this short time!"
It's a week and a half after the life of the thread. Nobody is reading this. Just email it to me on the nextel like everything else.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.