"It was the only color we could see in the universe. We're living on a tiny little dust mote in left field on a rather insignificant galaxy. And basically this is it for humans. It strikes me that it's a shame that we're squabbling over oil and borders." --Bill Anders, Apollo 8, whose photos of Earth became famous.

"The sheer beauty of it just brought tears to my eyes. If people can see Earth from up here, see it without those borders, see it without any differences in race or religion, they would have a completely different perspective. Because when you see it from that angle, you cannot think of your home or your country. All you can see is one Earth . . ." --Anousheh Ansari, Iranian-American space tourist, took this photo, right, from the space station.

"Earth has gone through great transitions and volcanic impacts and all sorts of traumatic things. But it has survived . . . I'm not referring to human conflicts. I'm referring to the physical appearance of the Earth at a great distance. That it generally is mostly very peaceful [when] looked at from a distance." --Buzz Aldrin, second man to walk on the Moon.

"It's hard to appreciate the Earth when you're down right upon itbecause it's so huge. It gives you in an instant, just at a position240,000 miles away from it, [an idea of] how insignificant we are, how fragile we are, and how fortunate we are to have a body that will allow us to enjoy the sky and the trees and the water . . . It's something that many people take for granted when they're born and they grow up within the environment. But they don't realize what they have. And I didn't till I left it." --Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 and 13.

"From up there, it looks finite and it looks fragile and it really looks like just a tiny little place on which we live in a vast expanse of space. It gave me the feeling of really wanting us all to take care of the Earth. I got more of a sense of Earth as home, a place where we live. And of course you want to take care of your home. You want it clean. You want it safe." --Winston Scott, two-time shuttle astronaut who wrote a book, *Reflections From Earth Orbit*.

"You change because you see your life differently than when you live on the surface everyday. We are so involved in our own little lives and our own little concerns and problems. I don't think the average person realizes the global environment that we really live in. I certainly am more aware of how fragile our Earth is, and, frankly, I think that I care more about our Earth because of the experiences I've had traveling in space." --Eileen Collins, first female space shuttle commander.

"I think you can't go to space and not be changed, in many ways . . .All of the teachings of the Bible that talk about the creator and his creation take on new meaning when you can view the details of the Earth from that perspective. So it didn't change my faith per se, the content of it, but it just enhanced it, it made it even more real." --Jeff Williams, spent six months on the space station and set a record for most Earth photos taken.

 1  |  2