  At the time I was just jealous because we could only urlLink afford to send John to the urlLink Columbia meetings and not both of us. In retrospect, he was the right one to send. I just now found this great article on his presentation. I'm so proud! urlLink The Earth Institute at Columbia University : "While a dramatic night view of Earth flickered on the wall, NASA engineer John Feighery told a group of sustainable development experts from the Earth Institute, Columbia University, and the United Nations Development Programme that astronaunts are privy to a unique view of the disparities between the rich and poor.
From space, the prosperous areas of the world glow at night with electric lights, while the poorest areas — most notably the countries of Africa — remain in darknesss. So began Feighery's presentation on sustaining human life in space, part of a one-day workshop exploring the common research areas both NASA and Earth Institute scientists share, especially in areas of water and sanitation. As presented at the workshop, NASA's technologies, such as strict systems of water purification, system testing, and waste disposal used to sustain human life during long space missions, could prove life-saving to populations living in areas with no access to potable water, proper drainage or sewage systems..." 
