Exploration is in our DNA. We have migrated around the globe from the time we were able to walk. It’s an important part of being human. There is even evidence that some of us carry an “exploration gene.”
In April of 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human being to directly experience “the Overview Effect,” the view of the Earth from space and in space. In December of 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 recorded the image that became known as “Earthrise.”
In December of 1972, NASA’s Apollo 17 crew members captured a photo of Earth commonly referred to as “The Blue Marble”. These and other images from orbital and lunar missions fundamentally transformed humanity’s understanding of our relationship with our home planet.
Over the last few decades, space technology has allowed us to look back at Earth and see humanity’s impact in real time. We’ve also seen how society’s divisions and colonial mindsets have further contributed to our inability to rectify ongoing global crises.
These were our first encounters with the Overview Perspective. For the first time, we saw the Earth as a fragile, borderless planet suspended in the vastness of space. The profound reality of our interconnectedness was inescapable. As the astronauts consistently say, “We’re all in this together.”
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