The return trip of the Artemis II astronauts will end today, around 8:07 p.m. EDT (2:07 a.m. CET). The four members of his crew will finally return home. It’s been a little over a week since they were separated from their families. to make history. However, the people who return today are far from those who left that day.
That little blue marble. Three of the four Artemis II astronauts had previously traveled to space. Only Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian astronaut, has made his debut as a space traveler with this mission. This means that most of them had already seen the Earth from outside, but not from as great a distance as they have now. They have seen in all its splendor that little blue marble that our planet becomes when the observer moves away from it.
Overview effect. Although many of them had already seen the Earth from outside, with each new observation the overview effect intensifies, a concept that refers to the change in perspective on life that many astronauts claim to have experienced after this peculiar experience.
The term was first coined in 1987 by space philosopher Frank White and since then many space travelers have claimed to have experienced it. When we see our planet from the outside, borders suddenly disappear. We understand that deep down we are a tiny point in the immensity of the universe and we relativize many problems, while we give more importance to others.
A shared atmosphere. One of the Artemis II crew members, Christina Koch, spoke before the trip about this effect. She is the woman who has spent the most days in space, so she knows very well what it’s like to observe the Earth from outside. “What you realize is that every person you meet is held within that green line (the atmosphere) and everything else outside of it is completely inhospitable. You don’t see borders, you don’t see religious lines, you don’t see political boundaries. All you see is the Earth and you see that we are much more alike than different.”
Seeing the Earth from space helps put many issues in life into perspective.
Does not have a medical description. Although this effect has a certain psychological origin and has attracted the attention of psychologists for decadesit cannot be considered a disorder or anything like that. It is not included in the DSM-V, the manual that includes the diagnostic criteria and descriptions of all mental disorders. In this case there is simply a change of perspective and, in turn, great relaxation.
Changes in the brain. There are studies in which the brain waves of people have been analyzed while they undertake a space trip in virtual reality. Using electroencephalography, a decrease in beta and gamma bands has been observed. This effect on brain waves occurs when there is very intense relaxation. In fact, A similar effect has been observed through activities such as meditation. In a way, observing the Earth from outside is a form of meditation.
See life differently. After returning to Earth, many astronauts have made drastic changes in their lives because of the Overview Effect. For example, It was the case of Edgar Mitchellone of the astronauts of the Apollo missions. When he returned to Earth, he claimed to have felt the need to embrace a more spiritual lifestyle.
Not only in space. The Overview Effect occurs when we see something magnificently amazing that makes us put everything else into perspective. Above all, astronauts experience it when they see the small Earth in the immensity of space. However, similar cases have also been described in front of a majestic landscape in nature.
The 10 most intense days of their lives. During the 10 days that the mission lasted of Artemis II, its four crew members have been exposed to the normal inclemencies of a space trip. However, it has been much more extreme than other missions. They have broken the record for distance from Earth that a human being has traveled. If all goes well, they will also break the speed record for a manned spacecraft.
On that return home there will be critical points such as trajectory correction, impact with the atmosphere or parachute deployment prior to landing. Very intense experiences, concentrated in one of their shortest missions.
For Hansen, this is all new and he may be the one who has experienced the Overview Effect the most. But none of them will be the same person as a few days ago. They have seen what no human has ever seen.
Images | POT
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