China and India are struggling with high levels of pollution. Celebrated astronaut Scott Kelly said the pollution levels in two of the world's most populous countries are "quite shocking."

Speaking at a press meet in the White House, Kelly, who has spent a year in the space, said, "Seeing places like China and India, and the pollution that exists there almost all the time is quite shocking.''

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He also narrated that in 2015, he was able to see the eastern side of China for the first time.

While this situation before was not good, in term of pollution level, things have changed when the Chinese government implemented the national holiday.

As a result, the Chinese government shut down a large number of coal-producing power plants, while car traffic was halted due to the national holiday. All these steps reportedly cleared the sky.

Kelly pointed out that even if it is interesting to see its negative impact, it is also important to recognize the fact that carrying out an intervention can also create a positive change.

Meanwhile, he claimed that the atmosphere is "very, very thin and scary looking" when witnessed from space.

Scott Kelly was at the Oval Office in White House to meet President Barack Obama, who hailed Kelly as an American hero.

The President said the astronaut has spent longer time in the space than any other astronaut. This provides valuable information about the impact of space stay on the body of astronauts.

Obama further stressed that the next challenge for the United States is to reach Mars, while undersoring that the goal has certain requirements - from technological knowledge to the things needed to ensure that astronauts would still be able to be back on Earth..

Tagsscott kelly, Barack Obama, White House