Cosmonaut: I saw Lebanon in flames (but never noticed Chechnya burning)

Israel's Lebanon bombardment visible from space

Oct 02 // 9 am CDT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061002...e_061002140429

Israel's recent bombardment of Lebanon was clearly visible with "the naked
eye" from space, a Russian cosmonaut based at the time on the international
space station has said.

"Of course it was visible. You know, all negative human activities, in
particular military operations, are immediately visible from space," said
cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, during a press conference at the Star City space
facility, just outside of Moscow. Vinogradov was speaking three days after
returning to Earth following a six-month ISS mission.

"Of course we saw the fires, especially when it was a big city, it was very
easily visible even without our instruments. You could see it with the naked
eye," Vinogradov continued.

"We took many photographs of the Lebanese coast and of Israel, especially
during that period," he said referring to the fighting in July and August
that left around 1,200 Lebanese citizens and 162 Israelis dead.

"Petrol fires, oil slicks, perhaps we are used to spotting things, but it is
immediately identifiable in Lebanon among other places," he added.



Aljazeera:

Israel's bombardment of Lebanon "visible from space"

10/2/2006 3:00:00 PM GMT

Israel's destruction of Lebanon is clearly visible with "the naked
eye" from space, said a Russian cosmonaut who was based on the international
space station during the month-long Israeli offensive, AFP reported.

"We photographed the war in Lebanon a lot. Fire was seen from space,
even without camera lens," Pavel Vinogradov told a press conference at the
Star City space facility near Moscow.

JimO observes: note how Aljazeera falsifies the original AFP quote,
"bombardment of Lebanon" becomes "destruction of Lebanon", to enhance the
negative impression, in its continued policy of lying about practically
everything in the world (and now, out of it).

Jim O adds:


Vinogradov
(http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmon...adov_pavel.htm) was
in

space in the second half of 1997, aboard Mir, while Chechnya was in flames -
the capital city reduced to ruins by relentless Russian aerial and artillery
bombardment that didn't care who was getting killed, the flaming oil
pipelines and wells blackening the skies for months - funny, I never recall
him remarking about these scenes. Maybe somebody needs to ask him next
time - or ask him how on this second flight of his, northern Israel looked
under the Russian-designed Katyusha rocket bombardment. To tell half the
truth is often to lie, and the cosmonaut may have done so.