Environmental damage on Earth seen from shuttle

Reuters ^ | August 4, 2005 | Jeff Franks

[OXENinFLA]

widespread environmental destruction on Earth

On what continents and in what countries?

[Knitting A Conundrum]

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

Oh yeah? The astronaut said: "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.

What part of some parts of the world tells you she was talking about the US? The parts of the earth with widespread deforestation are not in the US, but in the tropics, especially the Amazon basin and Indonesia. It is seeable from space. I have seen pics from some of the satellites and there are times where an amazing number of fires are burning up the forestlands there.

Here's a pic from 2003 that shows the huge numbers of fires, most intentionally set, to clar land (and it's just from a small piece of Brazil:

http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Fires/Brazil/2003/FSMHSbrazil288_N6.jpg

Too big to post here here. Every single red flick is a fire. And the smoke is visible from space. And the burned clearings afterwards are too.

Some parts of the world are deforested. Some parts of the world practice good land management. No where did she say the US was guilty of being eroded and deforested. Draw what conclusions you like, I didn't see where she implied where the US was in that condition.

[ScudBud]

Yeah, they should have a national lottery for interested parties who would like a ride up there. I would enter!

[goarmy]

"Science is about guessing, or at least about making judgements using best evidence."

Guessing is only one aspect of the scientific process. Guessing subjects the scientist to scrutiny, and that's why she's getting slammed here. Like many of our contemporaries have stated so eloquently on this thread, she needs to provide details (corroborated theory = fact) in lieu of brushing broad strokes.

[kennyo]

"The atmosphere almost looks like an eggshell on an egg, it's so very thin..."

Correct me if I'm wrong,but isn't it the "thin eggshell" atmosphere that's threatening the space craft's return(due to insulation tile damage?Isn't that what took down the Columbia?The big lie of the "environmentalists" is that the ecology is "fragile".

[RobRoy]

Maybe they could go out a few thousand miles and she can marvel at how small the earth is.

[Mogollon]

Just great!! Now they're sending environmentalist whacko's up in the shuttle on our dime.

[1Old Pro]

"The atmosphere almost looks like an eggshell on an egg, it's so very thin..." ...and the people that inhabit the Earth look like ants.

and ants can hardly be seen.....oh my gosh, they are endangered!!

[RJL]

"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... Huh?

And just how does this idiot propose that we replace the resources we have supposedly "used"?

It's going to take her a long time on government pay to replace the resources used to send her up in the Shuttle.

[love n hate tattoo]

Didn't anyone ever tell you Ms. Collins; it is excessive hairspray use that is depleting our earths atmosphere.

[smonk]

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Commander Eileen Collin . . . . (snip)

probably all you need to know . . .

[Darkwolf377]

"We know that we don't have much air"

That's very flamin' obvious.

[liberallarry]

Guessing subjects the scientist to scrutiny, and that's why she's getting slammed here

Scientists commenting on contentious issues are always going to get slammed...regardless of their preparations, care, supporting evidence, soundness of theory, etc.

she needs to provide details

I'm sure she will in her report. She may already have done so (on NASA site?) but had the details removed by the media. Sensationalism is their bread and butter, you know.

[XJarhead]

"The atmosphere almost looks like an eggshell on an egg

Isn't that redundant? I mean, where else would you expect to find an eggshell?

[openotherend]

This is exactly why you don't ever want to fart in your space suit.

[Labyrinthos]

"Sometimes you can see how there is erosion..."

Its called the "Grand Canyon."

[Antoninus]

Draw what conclusions you like, I didn't see where she implied where the US was in that condition.

She didn't. And if I had to guess, I'll bet she did single out some areas of the world which were more affected. This was most likely excised by the Reuters editor so that the article could serve their purpose.

And note that I wasn't the only one who drew that conclusion. This article, written as it is by Reuters primarily for an audience of liberal Americans and, coincidentally, featuring the Prime Minister Koizumi is meant to be fodder for the "It's America's fault for not signing Kyoto" crowd. Do you disagree?

I am fully aware that serious environmental degradation is occurring in many places around the world--very few of which are in North America. But I think we can agree that the US signing the Kyoto accord will have little to no impact on what happens in, say, China, India, Brazil, or the Philipines.

[Antoninus]

I've noticed the same, and not just today. It's very distressing. This is a conservative forum. For those who don't know a forum is.

Some comments deserve raspberries. As someone who is occasionally subject to the flames, my rule on FR is: If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

[Publius6961]

Science is about guessing, or at least about making judgements using best evidence.

I respectfully and strongly disagree; and leave it at that.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

And they're going to have to do something about the shuttle exhaust polluting the south pole.

Maybe a new coating on the external fuel tank...