Astronauts Recall View Before Earth Day

This Dec.1972 photo released by NASA shows a view of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew while traveling toward the Moon. Only two dozen men, those who traveled to the Moon, have had the full Earth view. Most U.S. spaceflights have been in low orbit, where only a piece of the Earth can be seen, a lesser but still impressive glimpse.The photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area, top, to the Antarctica South polar ice cap, made visible for the first time by the Apollo trajectory. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center) (AP)

_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.

"You can see what a small little atmosphere is protecting us.

"You realize there's not much protecting this planet particularly when you see the view from the side. That's something I'd like to share with everybody so people would realize we need to protect it."

_Sunita Williams, who has been living on the international space station since Dec. 11, 2006.

"I left Earth three times. I found no place else to go. Please take care of Spaceship Earth."

_Wally Schirra, who flew around Earth on Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions in the 1960s.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: AP writers Rasha Madkour in Houston, Mike Schneider in Cape Canaveral, Fla., and Alicia Chang in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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