- THE LITTLE
RED LIGHT IS ON. - Producer: WE ARE ROLLING.
- Reid Wiseman: ALL RIGHT. - Producer: MARK IT. - Producer: CAMERA ONE. ♪♪ - Anne McClain: YOU KNOW,
MOST KIDS, YOU START THINKING AT AN EARLY AGE, AS SOON AS
YOU LOOK AT THE SKY AT NIGHT AND YOU SEE STARS,
AND YOU THINK, WHAT WOULD IT BE LIKE
TO BE UP THERE. AND NO MATTER WHERE WE GROW UP, EVERYBODY LOOKS UP AT THE SKY AND SAYS,
"WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE?" - Jessica: Meir: I STARTED SAYING I WANTED TO BE AN ASTRONAUT WHEN I WAS FIVE
YEARS OLD, ACCORDING TO MY MOM. - Alvin Drew: IT WAS
THE BEGINNING OF OUR ASTRONAUTS MAKING THEIR WAY
UP TO THE MOON. I REMEMBER COMING BACK,
LIKE, WHAT IS THIS? YOU KNOW, HOW DO I GO DO THIS? THIS LOOKS LIKE FUN. - Tracy Dyson: I LOOKED
AT WHAT NASA WAS DOING. I WAS LIKE, "I WANT
TO BE AN ASTRONAUT," SO, IN A NUTSHELL,
THAT'S KINDA WHAT HAPPENED. - Michael Foreman: I GOT
INTO NAVY TEST PILOT SCHOOL AND THEN STARTED
TO APPLY TO NASA. - Don Pettit: THERE WAS, LIKE, 6,000 PEOPLE THAT APPLIED FOR, YOU KNOW,
15 SLOTS, AND I INTERVIEWED
FOUR TIMES OVER TWELVE YEARS. - Mike Fossum: I APPLIED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER 13 YEARS, AND INTERVIEWED FIVE TIMES BEFORE I WAS SELECTED. - Bill McArthur: I DID
SUBMIT SEVEN APPLICATIONS ALONG THE WAY, BUT... - Michael Foreman: I GOT REJECTED BY NASA SEVEN TIMES, BUT THE EIGHTH TIME... - Mike Fossum:
AND THE FOURTH TIME, I GOT A PHONE CALL THAT SAID,
IF YOU'RE STILL INTERESTED IN BEING AN ASTRONAUT, WE'D LIKE
YOU TO COME TO HOUSTON. - Mike Fossum: FINALLY,
IT'S LAUNCH DAY. - David Saint-Jacques:
LAUNCHING TO SPACE, OF COURSE, WAS A MOMENTOUS
EXPERIENCE. - Drew Morgan: YOU SEE THAT
THIS ROCKET IS A LIVING, BREATHING BEAST.
THE THING IS ALIVE, AND IT WANTS TO GO. - Alvin Drew: IT SUDDENLY
FEELS LIKE IT'S REAL. - Michael Foreman: FIRST THING, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE STRAPPED IN THIS SPACE SHUTTLE
ON THE LAUNCH PAD, AND... - Karen Nyberg: AND I CAN
SAY SITTING IN THE ROCKET GETTING READY FOR LAUNCH,
YOU'RE ANXIOUS AND EXCITED. - Hazza Al Monsouri:
AND WAITING FOR COUNTDOWN, FOCUSING ON DOING
YOUR CHECKLIST, FOCUSING ON
YOUR PROCEDURE. - 10, 9, 8... - Drew Morgan:
AT THE MOMENT OF LAUNCH, YOU'RE QUITE PREPARED. [ INDISTINCT CHATTER ] - AMERICA HAS LAUNCHED. - Jack Fischer: IT LIGHTS OFF AND YOU FEEL THE RUMBLE, AND THEN YOU
START TO MOVE, AND THAT CONSTANT
SMOOTH ACCELERATION PULLING YOU BACK
IN THE SEAT. - Michael Foreman: AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU'RE JUST IN A CAR WRECK, BECAUSE THE SOLID
ROCKET BOOSTERS LIGHT OFF AND THEY GIVE YOU
A KICK IN THE BACKSIDE LIKE YOU WERE JUST REAR ENDED
AT A STOP SIGN, LITERALLY. - Alvin Drew: IT IS,
THERE'S NOTHING SUBTLE OR NICE ABOUT IT. - David Saint-Jacques: IT WAS THE VIBRATION, THE PRESSURE, THE ACCELERATION,
THE PRESSURE IN YOUR SEAT. ♪♪ - Karen Nyberg: I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER THE POINT WHEN I STOPPED
AND THOUGHT, I DID IT, I'M HERE.
MY GOAL WAS TO BE AN ASTRONAUT, AND NOW I'M IN SPACE. ♪♪ - T.J. Creamer: UM, AS A KID
YOU MAYBE FANTASIZE ABOUT SPREADING YOUR ARMS
AND FLYING AMONG THE CLOUDS, AND THAT KINDA STUFF.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING. FLOATING IS VERY COOL.
IT'S FUN TO WATCH NEW-- I MEAN, NEW ASTRONAUTS
SHOW UP IN SPACE, TOO, BECAUSE THEY CREEP AROUND--
WE WOULD JOKE, LIKE, SPACE MICE. VERY TIMID,
VERY CONTROLLED. - Reid Wiseman: BEING WEIGHTLESS THE FIRST FEW DAYS IS HORRIBLE. I MEAN, IT'S REALLY NEAT
TO SEE SOMETHING FLOATING IN FRONT OF YOU. IT'S REALLY HORRIBLE TO FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GONNA THROW UP
ALL THE TIME. AND THEN, AS YOU START
TO GET INTO IT, YOU START TO REALIZE
THAT THE HUMAN IS AN INCREDIBLY
ADAPTABLE MACHINE AND WEIGHTLESSNESS IS REALLY, REALLY WELL SUITED FOR US. - Mike Fossum: YOU KNOW,
PRETTY SOON YOU'RE GOING INTO A HATCHWAY,
AND YOU COME THROUGH AND YOU KIND OF
PUSH OFF ON BOTH SIDES AND YOU GO ZIPPING
DOWN THE MIDDLE AND YOU'RE TURNING RIGHT
AT THE END, SO YOU REACH OUT, GRAB A HANDRAIL. - Alvin Drew: BUT IT ALSO BRINGS OUT YOUR INNER 5-YEAR-OLD, OR I SAY THAT IT IS THE SOURCE OF ALL STUPID ASTRONAUT TRICKS. - Jack Fischer: IT'S AS FUN
AS YOU THINK IT WOULD BE ONLY BETTER. I THINK I TOLD MY WIFE
THAT I THOUGHT IT WAS A BURRITO OF AWESOMENESS SMOTHERED IN AWESOME SAUCE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE
A VERY BIG VOCABULARY, SO I TRIED TO USE THE BIGGEST, MOST IMPACTFUL WORDS I COULD. - Mike Fossum:
EVERYBODY'S A SUPERHERO. YOU'RE NOT FLOATING,
YOU'RE FLYING. ♪♪ - Anne McClain: SO,
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION BEING ONLY 250 MILES
ABOVE EARTH, WE CALL IT KIND OF
THE PROVING GROUND FOR A LOT OF SCIENCE. IT IS
A NATIONAL ORBITING LABORATORY FOR THE UNITED STATES,
AND WE DO HAVE HUNDREDS OF SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
GOING ON AT ANY TIME. - Nicole Stott: WE ARE DOING THIS AMAZING SCIENCE UP THERE. IT IS ALSO ABSOLUTELY
THE MOST WONDERFUL OBSERVATORY. ♪♪ AND, UM, CERTAINLY FOR
AN EARTH-FACING OBSERVATORY THE CUPOLA MODULE,
THIS BIG BAY WINDOW, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE FACING EARTH
IS THE PLACE TO BE. ♪♪ - T.J. Creamer: I GOT VISITED
BY THREE SPACE SHUTTLES. SEVERAL OF THE CREW MEMBERS NEVER LOOKED OUTSIDE THE CUPOLA BEFORE. I WOULD BRING THEM ONE
AT A TIME TO THE CUPOLA, TELL THEM TO CLOSE THEIR EYES, OPEN UP ALL THE WINDOWS, THE SHUTTERS
ON THE WINDOWS, AND THEN TELL THEM
TO OPEN UP THEIR EYES. - Anne McClain: CEREBRALLY,
I KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE A LIFE-CHANGING
EXPERIENCE. I KNEW THAT THE VIEW
WAS GONNA BE AMAZING. - David Saint-Jacques:
AND, I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT-THAT SIGHT. UH, THE THIN BLUE LINE OF THE ATMOSPHERE,
THE CURVE OF THE HORIZON, AND AT-- THAT'S WHEN
IT BECAME REAL, REALLY, AT A GUT LEVEL,
THAT I AM ACTUALLY IN SPACE. WE ARE IN ORBIT.
THIS IS NOT A SIM. - Mike Fossum: THIS IS
MY EYES LOOKING THROUGH GLASS AT EARTH FROM SPACE. IT WAS ALMOST
OVERWHELMING. - Jessica Meir: AND SO I THINK IT'S KIND OF OVERLOAD FOR YOUR BRAIN AND PROCESSING ALL OF THAT AT ONCE, BECAUSE IT JUST
ISN'T USED TO THAT. - Anne McClain: YOU KNOW,
IT'S REALLY HARD TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING LIKE THAT BECAUSE
IT'S NOT JUST CEREBRAL, IT'S EMOTIONAL.
IT'S KIND OF ALL-ENCOMPASSING. IT WAS--
MY HEART WAS RACING, YOU COULDN'T WIPE
THE SMILE OFF OF MY FACE. IT WAS REALLY AMAZING. - Tracy Dyson: I JUST WAS,
YOU KNOW, FEELING SOMETHING AS I WAS STARING AT THIS VIEW
OF THE WHOLE THING. AND, UM, IT MOVED ME
TO TEARS UNKNOWINGLY, SO... ♪♪ - T.J. Creamer: IN THAT INSTANT, WHEN YOU'RE OVERWHELMED WITH THAT VISTA.
WHEN YOUR EYES SEE NOTHING BUT THE BEAUTY
OF THE EARTH, EVERY SINGLE CREW MEMBER
THAT I BROUGHT IN THERE FOR THAT EXPOSURE CRIED. IT IS HEART STOPPING.
IT IS SOUL POUNDING. IT IS BREATHTAKING. - Reid Wiseman:
I MEAN, IT WAS RIDICULOUS. I HAD NEVER IMAGINED
IN MY ENTIRE LIFE GETTING TO SEE SOMETHING
THAT BEAUTIFUL. IT WAS SO FOREIGN FOR
THE HUMAN MIND TO LOOK AT THAT, TO SEE THE EARTH
HIGHLIGHTED THAT WAY. - Nicole Stott: WELL, I DON'T THINK ANYTHING PREPARES YOU FOR HOW CRYSTAL CLEAR IT IS. UH, YOU KNOW, I KNEW
I KNEW THE COLORS, BUT THEY JUST SEEMED
DIFFERENT TO ME. THEY SEEMED MORE VIBRANT,
MORE TRANSLUCENT. - Tracy Dyson: I'VE NEVER
SEEN THOSE COLORS HERE ON EARTH.
THESE PEARLESCENT YELLOWS AND PEACHES
THAT, UM, FORM WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING
AT A BODY OF WATER WITH THE SUN ANGLE,
IT'S JUST AMAZING. - Reid Wiseman: I JUST TOOK
A PENCIL AND I DREW, LIKE, 15 CURVED LINES, AND I JUST WROTE "LIGHT BLUE, DARKER BLUE, PINK, PURPLE, DARK PURPLE,
DARK DARK PURPLE" ALL THE WAY DOWN TO
THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH AT SUNSET,
BECAUSE THE SCALE OF LOOKING AT A SUN REFRACTING THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE, IT BLEW ME AWAY, OKAY?
AND NO PICTURE CAPTURES THAT. THERE'S NO HIGH DEF--
HIGH ENOUGH DYNAMIC RANGE OF A PHOTO TO CAPTURE
WHAT THE HUMAN CAN SEE. - Tracy Dyson: HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GONNA DESCRIBE THIS? THERE'S NO--
THERE'S NO WORDS. THERE'S NO PICTURE
I COULD TAKE TO DO IT JUSTICE.
THERE'S NO WATER COLORS THAT I COULD, UM,
PUT ON PAPER TO COME CLOSE
TO THE... VIVIDNESS, THE EVER-CHANGING
PICTURE THAT I SEE STARING AT
THIS PLANET. - Nick Hague: AND I THINK
THAT'S THE CHALLENGE OF REALLY TRYING
TO EXPRESS JUST WHAT RAN THROUGH MY MIND WHEN I'D LOOK AT THERE, BECAUSE MY MIND
WOULD JUST RACE. - Nicole Stott: IT'S LIKE A WORK OF ART OUT THE WINDOW THERE, AND IT SURPRISES YOU EVERY TIME
YOU LOOK AT IT. ONE OF THE MOST
IMPRESSIVE THINGS WAS WATCHING
THUNDERSTORMS, YOU KNOW, STORM ACTIVITY MOVING,
UH, AROUND THE PLANET. - Jessica Meir: YOU CAN SEE
ITS PATH PROPAGATING AROUND AND YOU HAVE THESE BIG FLASHES ALL OVER THE PLACE. - Nick Hague: YOU KNOW,
THIS ONE STORM COVERING ALL THE U.S.,
AND LIGHTNING FLASHING OFF ALL OVER,
NONSTOP. - Nicole Stott: IT'S LIKE WATCHING NEURONS FIRING IN A BRAIN, I-- YOU KNOW,
THESE TENTACLES OF LIGHT THAT ARE JUST CONNECTING
AND TRAVELING. YEAH, IT MIGHT BE
STARTING OVER FLORIDA, BUT IT'S, LIKE,
MOVING ACROSS THE OCEAN TO AFRICA AS FAR
AS YOU CAN SEE, AND THAT WAS-- I-I MEAN, I REMEMBER
FLOATING THERE, JUST THINKING ABOUT,
OH, MY GOSH. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. - Nick Hague: WE GET TO SEE
SOME INTERESTING THINGS UP THERE, YOU KNOW.
ONE WAS HURRICANE DORIAN, A CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE
WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, SUCH A WELL-FORMED EYE. ♪♪ WHEN YOU LOOK DOWN AT IT,
FLYING OVER IN THE STATION, IT DOESN'T EVEN LOOK
LIKE IT'S MOVING, BUT YOU KNOW THE POWER
THAT'S AT THE CENTER OF THAT STORM,
AND WHAT HAVOC THAT THAT STORM IS WREAKING
ON-ON EVERYBODY ON THE GROUND. - Jack Fischer: YOU LOOK OUT
IN TERROR, REALLY, 'CAUSE YOU KNOW ALL THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN DANGER UNDERNEATH, UM, BUT JUST
THE IMMENSITY OF-OF POWER THAT MOTHER NATURE BRINGS. - Reid Wiseman:
A HURRICANE, A THUNDERSTORM, EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK
THERE IS... THE ENVIRONMENT DOING
SOMETHING CRAZY. SO WE'RE COMING UP
OVER BRAZIL, ABOUT TO GO ACROSS
INTO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, AND LOOKING OUT ON
THE HORIZON, I SAW, LIKE, IT LOOKED KINDA BROWN.
I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT, REALLY, FROM THE SPACE STATION,
AND I-- INSTANTLY, WHAT DID I THINK?
HUMAN INTERACTION POLLUTION, FOR SURE. IT'S JUST
AWFUL-LOOKING, IT'S TERRIBLE. BUT AS WE WENT
OVER THE ATLANTIC, IT KINDA GOT THICKER
AND THICKER AND THICKER. IT WAS A SAND STORM
IN THE SAHARA DESERT BLOWING THIS HUGE PLUME OF SAND UP INTO THE ATMOSPHERE, CROSSING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN
AND COMING DOWN IN BRAZIL. I MEAN, THAT IS CRAZY. IF THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE WAY THAT YOU THINK ABOUT THE PLANET, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WILL. - Anne McClain: WHAT STRUCK ME WAS WHEN WE LOOKED AT NATURAL DISASTERS.
UH, YOU SEE A FLOOD, AND YOU REALLY
CAN'T PICK OUT WHERE THEY ARE ON EARTH, BUT WHEN YOU
SEE IT FROM SPACE, YOU REALIZE THAT THE EFFECTS
OF THESE NATURAL DISASTERS REALLY HIT
EVERYBODY EQUALLY. AND IT REALLY GIVES YOU
THIS PERSPECTIVE THAT, YOU KNOW,
FIRST OF ALL, WE'RE ALL IN THIS
TOGETHER, UH, AND THAT THE WORLD
IS VERY SMALL. - David Saint-Jacques:
WHAT HAS ALWAYS STRUCK ME, EVERY TIME I WENT
THERE, IS... HOW BEAUTIFUL
THE EARTH IS, HOW FRAGILE
IT LOOKS, HOW ALIVE
IT OBVIOUSLY IS. WITH THE CLOUDS, THE WATER,
IT'S LIKE IT'S BREATHING. - Don Pettit: WHEN YOU FIRST LOOK AT EARTH, YOU MAY SAY, "WOW, THAT'S A CONTINENT," AND THEN YOU LOOK AT IT
AGAIN THE NEXT DAY AND YOU SAY, "WOW,
THERE ARE MOUNTAIN RANGES." AND THEN YOU LOOK AT IT AGAIN THE NEXT DAY, AND IT'S LIKE, "OH, I CAN SEE
SYNCLINES AND ANTICLINES "IN THE GEOLOGIC
STRUCTURE." ♪♪ - Mike Fossum: YOU CAN
SEE THE NILE RIVER AND THE NILE DELTA
SO CLEARLY, THE RED SEA,
AND FOR ME, THAT WAS JUST AMAZING
TO LOOK DOWN. YOU COULD SEE THE--
THE JORDAN RIVER, THE SEA OF GALILEE,
THE DEAD SEA, AND I WAS JUST THINKING, THIS IS WHERE ALL THIS TOOK PLACE. ♪♪ - Jessica Meir: THE COLOR PALETTE IS HARD TO COMPARE. I MEAN, ALL THESE
REDS AND ORANGES, AND SO THE DUNES ALL OVER
IN CENTRAL AFRICA AND IN SAUDI ARABIA, YOU HAVE THESE--
SO MANY DIFFERENT TEXTURES. - T.J. Creamer: AND YOU CAN ALMOST PICK OUT WHERE YOU ARE OVER THE EARTH
BECAUSE AUSTRALIA'S TANS ARE DIFFERENT
THAN AFRICAN TANS. - David Saint-Jacques: EVERY PIECE OF THE EARTH HAS ITS, UH, IT'S OWN TONE,
UH, IF YOU WANT, SO YOU BECOME VERY ACQUAINTED WITH THE EARTH AS A-- FROM THE BIG PICTURE
POINT OF VIEW. Nick Hague: AND YOU SAW
THE--THE-- JUST THE BEAUTY OF THE-- OF THE LANDSCAPE,
AND, AND THE-- YOU KNOW, THE MOUNTAINS AND THE DESERTS, AND YOU START TO THINK OF HOW THEY WERE FORMED, YOU REALIZE JUST HOW SPECIAL
THE PLACE WE ARE IS. AND YOU FEEL
THAT CONNECTION. ♪♪ - Tracy Dyson: SO WHEN
YOU LOOK AT THE EARTH FROM THAT VANTAGE POINT, YOU-- AND I'M-- I KNOW
OTHERS HAVE SAID THIS, YOU DON'T SEE
THE BORDERS. YOU DON'T SEE
POLITICAL BORDERS, YOU HARDLY SEE
GEOGRAPHICAL BORDERS. - Bill McArthur: YOU KNOW,
WE'RE SO USED TO LOOKING AT MAPS OR GLOBES. IN LOWER EARTH ORBIT,
YOU DON'T SEE A GLOBE. UM, AND FROM
NO DISTANCE DO YOU SEE
THE DIFFERENT-- DIFFERENT COLORS
FOR COUNTRIES SO IT MAKES THEM
EASY TO DISTINGUISH. - Don Pettit: I WAS LOOKING
FOR ALL THE LITTLE PINK AND GREEN COUNTRIES WHEN
I WAS LOOKING AT WHERE'S-- WHERE'S UGANDA? IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE
PINK ON THE ATLAS. - Jessica Meir: YOU KNOW,
YOU DON'T SEE THOSE GEOPOLITICAL BOUNDARIES.
ALL OF THE MANMADE BOUNDARIES THAT WE HAVE IMPOSED
UPON OURSELVES AS HUMANS. YOU DON'T SEE ANY
OF THAT FROM SPACE. - Jack Fischer: IT'S JUST
YOU AND YOUR TEAM. AND YOU'RE TRYING
TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON US EVOLVING
INTO SOMETHING MORE. YOU FORGET ABOUT THE POLITICS, YOU FORGET ABOUT DAILY LIFE, UH, THAT-THAT,
YOU KNOW, PLAGUES US HERE ON THE GROUND, THAT--
THAT COLORS OUR PERCEPTIONS, UH, BECAUSE YOU'RE
INSULATED FROM IT. - Jessica Meir: AND YOU JUST FEEL THE SENSE OF COMMONALITY MORE IN SOMETHING THAT--
THAT UNITES US ALL AND JUST THAT'S THAT
WE'RE ALL HUMAN. ♪♪ - Mike Fossum: FLYING OVER AFRICA IN THE DAYTIME WITH THE INTENSE SUNLIGHT
SO MUCH OF THE TIME, YOU DON'T REALLY
SEE MUCH DETAIL, IT'S SO BRIGHT. BUT AT NIGHT WHEN
IT'S ILLUMINATED BY STARLIGHT
OR MOONLIGHT, YOU REALLY SEE A LOT AND,
UH, IT'S JUST FASCINATING. - Bill McArthur: AND YOU DON'T QUITE SEE THE SAME TEXTURE, BUT YOU SEE MANKIND'S
INFLUENCE ON THE PLANET. - Nicole Stott: YOU GET
THESE BEAUTIFUL, YOU KNOW, TWINKLY CITY LIGHTS. - Don Pettit: AND THEY
REPRESENT HUMAN SPRAWL, WHICH ISN'T
NECESSARILY BAD, BUT IT IS INCREDIBLY
BEAUTIFUL FROM SPACE. - Jessica Meir: I LOVE LOOKING AT THE ATMOSPHERE AT NIGHT WHEN YOU HAVE
THAT AIR GLOW, AND-AND SOMETIMES
IT WAS A BIT GREEN AND THEN YOU HAVE
THE AURORA DANCING AROUND. - Mike Fossum: AND WE WERE FLYING INTO THIS ASTONISHING AURORA. THIS RIPPLING,
PULSING RIVER OF GREEN THAT'S DOWN BELOW US,
THE RED THAT IS STRETCHING UP TO OUR ALTITUDE.
IT'S LIKE, WHOA. YOU KNOW, IT WAS
JUST BREATHTAKING. - David Saint-Jacques: AURORAS, UH, THE PLACE OF HUMANS AT NIGHT IS OBVIOUS
WITH THE LIGHTS. BUT IT'S THE DEPTH
AROUND THE EARTH THAT'S STARTLING.
HOW THIS BEAUTIFUL, SHOCKING OASIS OF
LIFE IS THERE, NAKED, IN THE MIDDLE OF PITCH BLACK DEPTH, THE VACUUM OF SPACE. - Mike Fossum: DEFINITELY
LOOK UP AND-AND SEE THE STARS LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER
SEEN THEM BEFORE. ♪♪ I MEAN, THE MILKY WAY
IS JUST STUNNING. - Don Pettit: THERE'S
MANY FADES IN THE COSMOS TO GAZE AT IT.
FOR EXAMPLE, THE-THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS. THOSE SHOW UP REALLY
BRIGHT AND VIVID BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ATMOSPHERIC SCATTERING. YOU CAN SEE ANDROMEDA, UH, THE SPIRAL GALAXY
OF ANDROMEDA. ♪♪ - Mike Fossum: OF COURSE,
THE LIGHTS DON'T FLICKER, THEY'RE STEADY, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT
COMING THROUGH THE DUST AND-AND IT'S COMING
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE. THEN YOU--
AS YOU REALLY ADJUST, YOU START TO SENSE
THE VERY SUBTLE COLORS THAT ARE IN THE STARS.
A LITTLE BIT OF REDDISH, A LITTLE BIT OF
BLUEISH, BLUE-WHITE. - Nicole Stott: JUST ALL
THE COLORS IN THE LIGHT COME OUT, YOU KNOW, IN THAT DEPTH OF SPACE AS WELL. - Tracy Dyson: I COULD,
ALL OF A SUDDEN, DETECT DEPTH. NOW, I COULDN'T
TELL YOU HOW MUCH, BUT IT'S LIGHTYEARS, RIGHT?
AND-AND IT'S LIKE, WHOA, I CAN SOMEHOW TELL
THAT THAT STAR IS CLOSER THAN THAT STAR. AND THAT WAS SOMETHING
THAT KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF, AND I THOUGHT,
"NOBODY TOLD ME ABOUT THIS!" - Jessica Meir: I DON'T
THINK I HAD THOUGHT BEFORE GOING UP THERE ABOUT
HOW MANY STARS YOU SEE. YOU KNOW,
THE DENSITY OF STARS. - Reid Wiseman:
YOU SEE SO MANY STARS, IT BECOMES HARD TO
PICK OUT CONSTELLATIONS. PEOPLE ASK IF THERE'S
ALIENS, AND I'M LIKE, "OF COURSE THERE ARE ALIENS, LOOK AT ALL THOSE STARS! "THERE'S GOTTA BE." - Tracy Dyson: IT'S JUST
SO VAST AND INFINITE THAT, UM, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT ELSE TO SAY ABOUT THAT. ♪♪ - Nicole Stott:
I REMEMBER USING, LIKE, THE 800 MILLIMETER LENS AND JUST REALLY ZOOMING INTO PLACES. AND, YOU KNOW,
YOU STILL CAN'T SEE PEOPLE WALKING AROUND OR ANYTHING,
BUT YOU SEE IMPACTS OF THINGS. AND YOU REALIZE THAT, A LOT OF TIMES,
WE HAVE TO PULL WAY BACK. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE
TO PULL WAY BACK AND SEE THE BIG
PICTURE OF IT. - Nick Hague: YOU REALIZE
JUST HOW SMALL YOU ARE, 'CAUSE IT--
YOU, AT TIMES, STRUGGLE TO FIND EVIDENCE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY DOWN THERE. YOU CAN GO OVER MASSIVE
SWATHS OF THE EARTH AND NOT SEE A TRACE
OF ANY HUMAN IMPACT. OR YOU CAN GO
OVER OTHER SWATHS, AND YOU CAN SEE
DRAMATIC IMPACT. - Mike Fossum: FREQUENTLY,
IN THE SUMMERTIME, THERE'S A LOT OF
FIRES IN AFRICA. YOU SEE ALL OF THOSE PLUMES
OF SMOKE HEADING WEST ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. - Nick Hague: YOU FLY OVER
SOUTH AMERICA AND YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, WIDESPREAD DEFORESTATION, AND YOU KNOW
THE IMPACT THAT THAT HAS. YOU CAN ALMOST GET, UH,
A SENSE OF THE BALANCE OF, YOU KNOW, HOW-HOW-HOW NATURE
IS TRYING TO BALANCE ALL THE INPUTS
AND THE OUTPUTS AND-AND HAVE
A STABLE SYSTEM. AND-AND YOU CAN SEE
OUR EFFECT ON IT. - Karen Nyberg: TO ME,
IT STARTED TO MAKE ME UNDERSTAND THAT
EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED. WHAT IS HAPPENING IN
THE OCEAN OVER HERE CAN AFFECT WHAT IS HAPPENING
ON LAND OVER HERE, IT'S JUST ALL ONE BEING-- [laughing]
THING. AND IT'S ALL
INTERCONNECTED. ♪♪ - Reid Wiseman: YOU CAN
SEE COMBAT. I MEAN, WE WERE VERY-- TWO--
TWO COUNTRIES WHO WERE AT WAR AND YOU COULD VERY EASILY
SEE MISSILES BEING SHOT, THEY JUST LOOK LIKE LITTLE
TINY TRACES OF LIGHT. YOU-YOU CAN SEE
ALL THAT STUFF. SO TO ME, I DIDN'T SEE ONE UNIFIED
HUMAN CIVILIZATION, YOU CERTAINLY SEE
ONE UNIFIED PLANET CRUISING AROUND
THE SUN, AND THAT IS A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE. ♪♪ - David Saint-Jacques:
DURING MY, UH, MY TIME ON THE SPACE STATION, I HAD
THE CHANCE TO DO A SPACEWALK. PUT ON A SPACESUIT
AND GO OUTSIDE. AND, UH, THAT'S A VERY
SPECIAL EXPERIENCE FOR-FOR ANY ASTRONAUT. ♪♪ - Bill McArthur: YOU'RE
INSIDE THE SPACE STATION OR THE SHUTTLE, AND NOW YOU
PUT ON A SUIT AND GO OUTSIDE. IT'S LIKE, THERE IS AN ELEVATION IN RISK WHEN YOU DO THAT, BUT IT IS
A BIT THRILLING. ♪♪ - Michael Foreman: SPACEWALKS ALWAYS SEEM TO BE VERY, UH, BUSY AND TASK-FOCUSED EVENTS WHERE I GOTTA DO THIS, AND I GOTTA MOVE OVER HERE
AND DO THIS AND-- - Mike Fossum: --AND THEN,
YOU JUST HAVE TO NOT THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE. JUST CONCENTRATE ON
GETTING THE JOB DONE, WHAT'S THE BIG PICTURE. - Michael Foreman: RARELY
DID YOU HAVE A MINUTE WHERE YOU COULD JUST SAY,
AW, JUST TAKE A MINUTE THERE WERE THOSE MINUTES
EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. AND THE VIEW FROM OUTSIDE
THE SPACECRAFT, YOU KNOW, WITH THAT
FULL PANORAMIC, UH, VISION THROUGH
YOUR HELMET VISOR WAS JUST INCREDIBLE. - Mike Fossum: IT'S A VERY DISTURBING VIEW LOOKING DOWN ABOUT 240 MILES
AT THE EARTH GOING BY AT 17,000 MILES AN HOUR. LIKE, HOO BOY! - Anne McClain: I JUST WATCHED THE EARTH GOING BY BELOW ME, AND I'D ONLY HAD THIS, YOU KNOW, THIN VISOR SEPARATING, UH, ME FROM A VERY
UNSURVIVABLE ATMOSPHERE. AND MY FEET WERE DANGLING,
I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, NOT JUST THROUGH MY VISOR,
BUT LOOKING DOWN AND JUST-- YOU JUST SEE FEET
AND THEN EARTH. YOU KNOW, AND-AND
YOU'RE HOLDING ON TO THE SPACE STATION,
AND I MEAN, IT WAS JUST INCREDIBLE. EVERYTHING LOOKED SO LARGE. ♪♪ - Jessica Meir: THE COLORS
ARE EVEN MORE VIBRANT. AND I THINK, ALSO, JUST
MENTALLY, PSYCHOLOGICALLY REALIZING THAT, YOU KNOW,
THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN THE-THE VACUUM
OF SPACE EXCEPT FOR THIS SPACESUIT AND YOUR VISOR. - Nicole Stott:
I REMEMBER THINKING THAT... COMING OUT, LIKE, THAT THE WORLD WOULD
JUST OPEN UP AROUND ME. AND, UM, AND THE VIEW FOR SOME REASON SEEMS BIGGER THAN WHAT YOU HAVE WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH
THE WINDOWS OF A-A SPACECRAFT. - Anne McClain: I MEAN,
IT WASN'T LIKE EARTH IS OVER THERE. IT WASN'T
SMALL, IT WAS LIKE IT TOOK UP YOUR ENTIRE,
YOU KNOW, VISOR AND ALL-- AS FAR AS YOU COULD SEE,
AND JUST WATCHING IT COME OVER EARTH AND JUST
HOW LARGE EARTH WAS COMPARED TO HOW IT WAS
FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE. ♪♪ - Nicole Stott:
BUT, OH, MY GOSH, YOU-- YOU SEE EARTH
AND YOU SEE THE, UH, GLOWING STATION AROUND YOU. AND YOU REALIZE, OKAY, I GOTTA STOP LOOKING
AT THIS STUFF BECAUSE IT BECOMES
A DISTRACTION TO THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING
OUT THERE. - Michael Foreman: SO I ALWAYS KID THOSE ASTRONAUTS THAT DON'T DO THE SPACEWALKS, YOU KNOW, I SAID, "THE VIEW FROM INSIDE HERE THROUGH THIS FLAT WINDOW "IS PRETTY GOOD,
YOU KNOW. "THE VIEW FROM OUTSIDE
IS JUST AMAZING." ♪♪ - Nick Hague: AND-AND
THE GREAT THING ABOUT LIVING ON SPACE STATION,
I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I-I HAD A COUNTDOWN GOING,
BUT IT WAS, "OH NO, "I ONLY HAVE
TWO MONTHS LEFT." - Jack Fischer: ALL RIGHT. ALL RIGHT, ONE LAST
LOOK AT THE EARTH. THIS IS SOME GOOD NEWS,
THE EARTH IS STILL BEAUTIFUL. AN EARTH IN CRISIS IS STILL
AN EARTH WORTH RETURNING TO. - Nick Hague: LIFE SEEMS EXTREMELY BUSY AND-AND YOU-- YOU KNOW, THE DAYS START FLYING BY AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, IT'S OVER. ♪♪ - Michael Foreman:
AS IT DREW TO A CLOSE, I-I THINK I WAS MORE
FEELING THE-- AS THOUGH, DID YOU DO ENOUGH
TO CAPTURE THIS SO THAT YOU CAN SHARE IT,
UH, WHEN YOU GET HOME? AND SO THAT YOU CAN LIGHT
THOSE FIRES IN PEOPLE AS YOU GO AROUND
AND TALK ABOUT THIS AND-AND TRY TO,
YOU KNOW, IGNITE THE PASSION
IN-IN KIDS JUST LIKE I HAD IGNITED
FOR ME AS A KID. ♪♪ - Nick Hague: AND YOU'RE BACK
ON THE GROUND AND, UH, AND SOMEBODY ELSE IS DOING
THE JOB UP THERE NOW. IT-IT MAKES YOU FEEL
LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A REALLY BIG THING
THAT WE'RE APART OF AND, UH, JUST, YOU KNOW,
I'M FORTUNATE TO PLAY MY PART. - Michael Foreman: IT IS
THE FACT THAT GOING TO SPACE AND SEEING THE EARTH
FROM THAT VANTAGE POINT HAS A LIFE-CHANGING EFFECT
ON-ON MOST OF US. - Tracy Dyson: UH,
IT TAKES A LOT OF ENERGY TO DESCRIBE, UH, WHAT-WHAT IT'S LIKE UP THERE BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH OF YOUR EMOTION
BUILT INTO IT. - Anne McClain: I THINK
THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT IS THAT YOUR VIEWPOINT CHANGES-- YOU CAN LOOK AT
THE SAME THING, BUT IT CHANGES THE LENS
THROUGH WHICH YOU SEE IT. - David Saint-Jacques: AND THAT'S-THAT ACUTE REALIZE-- CONCRETE REALIZATION THAT, UH,
WE BELONG TO EARTH AND NOT VICE VERSA IS-IS KIND OF
A MENTAL SHIFT TO SEE THAT THERE IS
NOWHERE ELSE WE COULD GO. - Michael Foreman: I THINK IF YOU'RE NOT A CONSERVATIONIST BEFORE YOU GO TO SPACE,
YOU'RE AT LEAST PARTLY A CONSERVATIONIST
WHEN YOU COME BACK. BECAUSE WHEN YOU SEE
HOW THIN THAT ATMOSPHERE IS, THAT PROTECTIVE LAYER
THAT WE HAVE HERE, YOU THINK, WOW, WE REALLY
HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THIS BECAUSE IT DOES LOOK
SO FRAGILE FROM SPACE. - Jessica Meir: I THINK I FELT THAT NEED TO PROTECT IT EVEN BEFORE LEAVING IT,
BUT IT DEFINITELY DOES RESONATE EVEN MORE LOUDLY NOW, HAVING SEEN IT MYSELF AND HOW-HOW STUNNING
AND BEAUTIFUL IT IS. ALL OF THOSE
UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS. EVERYTHING'S CONNECTED,
THE LAND MASSES, AND THE OCEAN MASSES
AND THE ATMOSPHERE, AND WE ARE ALL
IN IT TOGETHER. WE ARE ALL
DOWN THERE. AND SO, I THINK THAT'S
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I WOULD
ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO THINK ABOUT
THAT PERSPECTIVE. - Tracy Dyson: I THINK
YOU GET A SENSE OF, UM, UH, PRESERVATION, OF-OF, UM, I DON'T WANT
THIS TO GO AWAY AND I DON'T WANT TO BE
THE ONLY ONE TO SEE THIS. AND THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE
THAT NEED TO SEE IT, BUT ONLY A HANDFUL WILL
IN THIS LIFETIME. - Alvin Drew: YOU KNOW,
I-I REMEMBER COMING BACK FROM ALL MY MISSIONS
WITH THAT SENSE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL CONNECTED, WE'RE ALL PEOPLE. AND I THOUGHT ABOUT, WHY IS IT THAT
WE DO HAVE CONFLICTS? WHAT IS IT THAT SEPARATES US FROM ONE ANOTHER? - Reid Wiseman: IF YOU CAN
GET SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE TO GO UP THERE AND LOOK DOWN
FOR JUST EVEN 30 SECONDS YOU WOULD CHANGE THEM,
ALL OF THEM, FOREVER. THEY WOULDN'T ALL
COME BACK AND BE FRIENDS, THEY WOULDN'T ALL COME BACK
AND TEAR DOWN BORDER WALLS AND THINGS LIKE THAT,
BUT YOU WOULD CHANGE ALL OF THEM AND YOU WOULD CHANGE THEM ALL FOR THE BETTER, AND YOU WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT VIEW OF THE PLANET. - Mike Fossum: UH, I THINK
IF PEOPLE, THEY CAN LIFT THEIR EYES UP AND SEE
THE BIGGER PICTURE, WHETHER IT'S FROM ORBIT OR
EVEN JUST UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT SIDES, MAYBE EVEN JUST SPENDING MORE TIME LISTENING, YOU KNOW, RATHER THAN SHOUTING. - Nicole Stott: AND THAT'S
WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO FIND. I ABSOLUTELY FOUND THAT IN
THE EXPERIENCE I HAD IN SPACE, IN THIS-- THE SIMPLE FACTS
OF US LIVING ON A PLANET AND ALL BEING
EARTHLINGS, AND... THE ONLY BORDER THAT MATTERS
IS THAT THIN, BLUE LINE. ♪♪ ♪♪
