In the decades since 1961 when Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, astronauts returning to Earth have reported an unusual phenomenon—a cognitive, emotional, and spiritual shift in their internal worldview that leads to a sense of stewardship and awareness of the unity or oneness of our planet.

In 1987, after interviewing dozens of astronauts, writer Frank White, author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, coined the term “overview effect” to refer to the realization among astronauts of how fragile and small the Earth appears from space, protected from the vast void merely by a thin, blue, eggshell-like atmosphere.

Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, who died on 4 February this year, flew on the 1971 Apollo 14 lunar mission, becoming the sixth person to walk on the Moon. In the short documentary Overview, Mitchell recalls the life-changing moment he experienced as his spacecraft was returning to Earth.

“When we started home, I had a little more time to look out the window than the other guys because most of my responsibilities were completed,” he relates. “Every two minutes, a picture of the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, and a 360-degree panorama of the heavens appeared in the spacecraft window. I’d studied astronomy and I’d studied cosmology and fully understood that the molecules in my body and the molecules in my partners’ bodies and in the spacecraft had been prototyped in some ancient generation of stars—in other words, it was pretty obvious from those descriptions: we’re stardust.” (Overview)

One of the most significant aspects of this state of mental clarity is how clearly the new perspective also affirms that humanity is standing at a crossroads in terms of the many critical issues we now face: environment damage, international conflicts, natural resource shortages, and a host of humanitarian concerns.

NASA astronaut Ronald Garan, who has been on two missions to the International Space Station (ISS), gave voice to the realizations his experience brought: “Seeing the absolute beauty of the planet we have been given was a very moving experience. But as I looked down at this beautiful, fragile oasis—this island that has been given to us, and has protected all life from the harshness of space—I couldn’t help but think of the inequity that exists. I couldn’t help but think of the people who don’t have clean water to drink, enough food to eat, and the social injustice, conflicts, and poverty that exists.

“I believe that the answer to why our world still faces so many critical problems in spite of our ample technology and resources lies primarily in our inability to effectively collaborate on a global scale. Although there are literally millions of organizations around the world working to improve life on Earth, for the most part, these organizations are not engaged in a unified, coordinated effort. There is a great deal of duplication of effort, loss of efficiency, and unfortunately in many cases unhealthy competition.” (Overview)

Of course, the opportunity to travel into space is a privilege afforded to a very small group of people—according to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (which defines spaceflight as any flight above 100 kilometers [62 miles]), 536 people from 38 countries had gone into space as of 6 November 2013. But that shouldn’t be taken to suggest that a more holistic understanding of our world and our existence is out of reach of those of us with more earthbound occupations. Meditative practices and contemplative traditions passed down over hundreds of years have, of course, long been recognized as stepping-stones on the path to similar epiphanies and realizations. Perhaps we can all take inspiration from the perspectives gained by these explorers as encouragement to continue our own journeys of insight and understanding.

See more

The Metaphysical Astronauts (Motherboard)
Overview (Homepage)
The Overview Institute