Astronaut Spends 178 Days in Space - what did they realise?

Astronaut who spent 178 days in space shares his entirely new perspective after what he witnessed in space

Talking about what he witnessed, the astronaut, Ron Garan, explained:

"When I looked out the window of the International Space Station, I saw the paparazzi-like flashes of lightning storms, I saw dancing curtains of auroras that seemed so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them.

"And I saw the unbelievable thinness of our planet's atmosphere. In that moment, I was hit with the sobering realisation that that paper-thin layer keeps every living thing on our planet alive.

"I saw an iridescent biosphere teeming with life. I didn't see the economy. But since our human-made systems treat everything, including the very life-support systems of our planet, as the wholly owned subsidiary of the global economy, it's obvious from the vantage point of space that we're living a lie."

Try and imagine what Garan was thinking while he had an uninterrupted view of the planet. He experienced what's known as the 'overview effect'. This describes the cognitive shift that a lot of astronauts feel when looking at Earth from space - researchers compare it to a state of awe with self-transcendent qualities.

With this unique perspective from his time on the International Space Station (ISS), he drew some very profound conclusions about our way of life.

Talking to the Big Think, Garan said that he realised the things that most humans are worried about aren't a big deal after all - but we should be a lot more concerned about global warming, deforestation and biodiversity loss.

We agree.

That's why here at ICEX GROUP we like to play our part in helping organisations to reduce their adverse impact on the environment by managing their IT Assets better.