Damage in Space

While the Space Shuttle crew has dealt with some important and unprecedented repairs, they have also taken a lot of time to assess the damage:

Discovery is currently linked with the International Space Station, orbiting 352km (220 miles) above the Earth.

Commander Eileen Collins described on Thursday how widespread environmental destruction on Earth could be seen from the shuttle.

"Sometimes you can see how there is erosion, and you can see how there is deforestation," Commander Collins said.

"It's very widespread in some parts of the world. 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."

In her conversation from space with with Japanese officials in Tokyo, including Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, she said her view from space emphasised how 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."

The Footprint that man has left on the earth used to be visible from space in only a number of forms. In some legends, the Great Wall of China; the lights of Las Vegas; etc.

But the most visible footprint left by Man that he can see from beyond the Earth's boundaries is his destruction- his most literal footprint: that stamped-down matted part of earth where he has stepped upon it and moved on.