The Overview Effect

Awareness cannot be planned, it just happens.

To fully enjoy reading this post, listen to The Overview Effect by Hellhaven

I had planned to include this topic in my previous entry (Observing Earth From Space) but, as I was drafting it, I realized that it deserved to be dealt with separately.
So here it is.

Actually the term Overview Effect refers to the profound change occurring in astronauts upon seeing the Earth from space. This is a side effect, not something that was considered in the planning of scientific and technological space missions, something experienced by every astronaut as a human being, regardless of their cultural or religious background. It is a feeling common to all those lucky enough to look back at our planet from outer space with their own eyes.
Its name has been coined by Prof. Frank White, who interviewed a huge number of astronauts and published his findings in his book “The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution” in 1987. He found with great consistency that directly experiencing viewing the Earth suspended in the deep dark of space changed their perceptions of themselves and of the planet. Seeing first hand the reality of Earth in space made them realize that it is just a tiny, fragile ball of life, hanging in the void, shielded by a paper-thin atmosphere and that we all are on board of a natural spaceship, flying through the Universe at a very high speed. We are like a unique crew, the crew of Spaceship Earth, as the futurist Buckminster Fuller called it.

I know, it sounds weird but in the very end even you, earthling who never left the planet, can feel that they are right. Yes, I know, you feel it now as I did the first time I realized it. I was suddenly mesmerized by this idea while looking at this video, The Overview Effect. I invite you to invest 20 minutes to enjoy it full screen with headphones on and then come back to read this post.

Through the years this concept gained worldwide recognition and exposure. I found many websites and organizations based on it, like The Overview Institute, which was founded to research and educate both the space community and the general public on the nature and psychosocial impact of the space experience, or 2211.World, an outlet for the best of philosophical thought regarding the future of humanity in space, or again SpaceBuzz, foundation that inspires children worldwide with the view of astronauts to give them a new perspective on our beautiful planet.

The no-profit organization called Space For Humanity deserves a special mention. It launched the Citizen Astronaut Program, with the aim to grant the opportunity to people from all over the world to travel into space regardless of their financial resources. Now the applications are closed but, guessed what? I applied! If you are curious, this is my application, be gentle with me…

There is another very important cornerstone in this new level of awareness, a shot of the Earth not taken directly by a human but by spacecraft Voyager 1 while leaving the Solar System. This picture was directly requested to NASA by Carl Sagan, competent astronomer and incomparable space communicator and it was named by Sagan itself as Pale Blue Dot. Its vision led him to write a dedicated book, “Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space”, and the following illuminating words: “Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives“.

Have you been impressed by the Overview Effect? I hope so! I found it mighty and inspirational, like prophesied by Fred Hoyle, an eclectic astronomer, back in 1948: “Once a photography of the Earth taken from outside is available… a new idea as powerful as any in history will be let to loose”. So strong, so true!

Curious to know what’s coming up next? Just wait a few days and I will show you the next step in becoming Spacepolitans!