I was just browsing through some old photos and saw this one from last year.
The Overview Effect
The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts and cosmonauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit or from the lunar surface.
It refers to the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, the astronauts tell us, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative.
Check out the trailer for our feature film CONTINUUM: https://vimeo.com/60234866 If you'd like more information about CONTINUUM and how you can support & even pre-order the film, check out: http://www.continuumthemovie.com. On the 40th anniversary of the famous ‘Blue Marble’ photograph taken of Earth from space, Planetary Collective presents a short film documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside – a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect. The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. ‘Overview’ is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment. CAST • EDGAR MITCHELL – Apollo 14 astronaut and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences • RON GARAN – ISS astronaut and founder of humanitarian organization Fragile Oasis • NICOLE STOTT – Shuttle and ISS astronaut and member of Fragile Oasis • JEFF HOFFMAN – Shuttle astronaut and senior lecturer at MIT • SHANE KIMBROUGH – Shuttle/ISS astronaut and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army • FRANK WHITE – space theorist and author of the book ‘The Overview Effect’ • DAVID LOY- philosopher and author • DAVID BEAVER – philosopher and co-founder of The Overview Institute ———- CREW Producer: STEVE KENNEDY Director: GUY REID Editor: STEVE KENNEDY Director of Photography: CHRISTOPHER FERSTAD Original Score: HUMAN SUITS Dubbing Mixer: PATCH MORRISON ———- TECHNICAL INFORMATION Filmed with Canon 5D Mk ii. Additional footage from NASA / ESA archives Duration: 19 minutes ———- Planetary Collective: http://www.planetarycollective.com/ Overview Microsite: http://www.overviewthemovie.com/ Human Suits (original score): http://www.humansuits.com/ For more information: The Overview Institute: http://www.overviewinstitute.org/ Fragile Oasis: http://www.fragileoasis.org/
Exploring Space: Cosmic Revolutionaries
Here's another great video from Jason Silva's series "Shots of Awe."
"What the space age was seeking all along was not so much an expansion of physical space as an expansion of mind." -Marina Benjamin Read more about this video on HuffPost Good News: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/11/jason-silva-cosmic-revolutionaries_n_4428047.html Upworthy: http://www.upworthy.com/a-drastically-awesome-way-to-escape-whats-all-around-us-4 Join Jason Silva every week as he freestyles his way into the complex systems of society, technology and human existence and discusses the truth and beauty of science in a form of existential jazz.