'Astronauts understand that there is this other aspect to spaceflight, which are the feelings and the emotional response.'
Earth from space: 'Overview effect' could help troubled country, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says Space.com caught up with the space philosopher to chat about the origin, present-day, and future implications of the overview effect, and his view that the"Human Space Program" is a central project that will engage all of us in the process of becoming"citizens of the universe.
" : The epiphany that gave me the term came out of working in Princeton with Gerard O'Neill at the Space Studies Institute. I was thinking about living permanently in an ideal community, and what it would be like to see the Earth in the sky every day.I was flying across country and looking out the window. It just kind of came to me that people in the future would always have an overview of the Earth. They would see it where everything is related and connected. They would experience the overview effect. So that was the origin of the idea. Frank White, author of The Overview Effect, an influential book on the human condition when viewing the Earth from afar.I talked to NASA and asked them if I could interviewthe astronauts. They didn't think that was possible, but they promised two astronauts if I would come to Houston. They also suggested interviewing retired astronauts, something I had never thought of. So I started interviewing astronauts. I confirmed the hypothesis that there would be something unique about seeing the Earth from a distance. But to my surprise, it wasn't common. So the hypothesis changed a bit.The actual first use of the term publicly was in my poster in 1985 at a poster session of a Space Studies Institute meeting. The first real explanation of the term was in the first edition of the Overview Effect that came out in 1987. I was fortunate to get a contract with Houghton Mifflin to write the book. By then I had 16 interviews with astronauts and data for my hypothesis that something is happening out there.Space.com: What were the first reactions to the book?There was one bump in the road. It was my first book and was titled"The Overview Effect." The acquisition editor really understood the book. He said it was the first justification for spaceflight that was convincing to him. But he came back later on and said the marketing people say we can't call it"The Overview Effect," nobody will know what that means. He asked me if I had a backup title. I was so grateful they were publishing the book, I would have done anything. I told him one term that I used a lot is"citizens of the universe" and he moved that forward. He later came back to me, a couple weeks or a month later, advising me that the marketing people had actually read the book. They said, obviously, the title is"The Overview Effect." And I said, wonderful. I just don't believe the book would have had the impact it has had without the title being"The Overview Effect." I had a return trip to Houston in 2019. I interviewed 10 astronauts there, some retired, some active. Three were actually on theat the time of the interview. I have noticed that the active astronauts were perhaps a little bit more effusive in the way they characterize the experience. More emotion you might say than earlier active astronauts. At that time, perhaps they were a little bit more focused on the science and technology side of a mission. Also, possibly because the overview effect has become a well-know concept. Astronauts understand that there is this other aspect to spaceflight, which are the feelings and the emotional response. NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Anne McClain and Nick Hague onboard the International Space Station during an interview with Frank White. Space.com: The overview effect almost sounds like a medical diagnosis. Why do some get it, others don't?
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