'But there is another side to the psychology of spaceflight. During their stay in space, astronauts have reported what author Frank White called the “overview effect”
– they became filled with a sense of wonder and awe about the universe,
and experienced spiritual epiphanies such as unity with nature,
transcendence, and universal brotherhood. Space affords some incredible
experiences. NASA psychologists have looked into the benefits of taking
photographs from the International Space Station, which may have a
salutary effect on the minds of astronauts (.pdf).
These positive effects seem to last. Psychologists studying
astronauts who return to Earth report that they are less anxious,
hypochondriacal, depressive, or aggressive. It seems that, during their
stay in a tough environment, people are able to develop coping skills to
deal with the challenge and stress, which they get to take with them
back to Earth.'
I was born into unseen catastrophes and unseen discoveries. Perhaps I have space running in my veins. Perhaps I was born 3.7 miles from the S U N.
In 1990:
- The Space Shuttle Discovery places the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit revolutionizing astronomy;
- Tim Berners-Lee publishes a more formal proposal for the World Wide Web and the first web page is written;
- The First Known Case of AIDS is traced back to 1959;
- The Space Probe Voyager launched in 1977 photographed the Solar System at a distance of 3.7 miles from the SUN;
- 18 years after its launch the US Space Probe Pioneer reaches a distance of 46.5 billion miles beyond all planetary orbits;
- Depletion of the Ozone Layer is discovered above the North Pole.
[Client Mansell - Memories (Someone We'll Never Know)]
'Isn't this enough?
Just this world?
Just this beautiful, complex,
wonderfully unfathomable NATURAL world?'
'I am a tiny, insignificant, ignorant lump of carbon.
I have one life, and it is short
and unimportant…,
but thanks to recent scientific advances
I get to live twice as long
as my great great great great uncleses and auntses.
Twice as long to live this life of mine.
Twice as long to love this wife of mine.
Twice as many years of friends and wine.'
[Tim Minchin - Storm]
I want to shout and murder.
'It takes a lot of nerve to destroy this wondrous earth.
We're only human; this at least we've learned.'
We're only human; this at least we've learned.'
[Bowerbirds]
Instead, I want to be filled with a sense of wonder. I want to be filled with all of this s p a c e
We are stardust. I W O U L D N E V E R D R E A D D E A T H I F I B E C A M E O N E W I T H K O S M O S
