Astronaut Soichi Noguchi says he pictures the image of the Earth whenever he hears the words global environment, and says he wants to convey to others how truly beautiful the planet is.
Addressing an audience of about 80 people, including children, at the Nippon Club in Manhattan, Noguchi showed a number of pictures he took during his 15-day mission aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Discovery in summer 2005.
"As knowledge from books, we know that the Earth is covered by 70 percent water and 30 percent land. But my first impression of the Earth from space is that it's all water -- the Earth is indeed a planet of water," Noguchi said.