On December 7, 1972, three men sat atop a Saturn V rocket, hurtling away from home at 20,000 miles per hour. The crew of Apollo 17 glanced back and became the first humans to see the entirety of Earth—the “blue marble.” Their photograph of that moment became one of the most-widely viewed images in history.
“… you can look out the window and you’re looking at the most beautiful star in the heavens—the most beautiful because it’s the one we understand and we know, it’s home, it’s people, family, love, life—and besides that it is beautiful. You can see from pole to pole and across oceans and continents and you can watch it turn and there’s no strings holding it up, and it’s moving in a blackness that is almost beyond conception.”
Cernan was describing “The Overview Effect,” a profound shift in awareness that comes from seeing Earth from above. It triggers the realization that our home is tiny, fragile and suspended in the void—alone. You see that all life is connected, that we’re all components of the same vast system.
It’s been 45 years since Apollo crew members snapped that photograph and opened the door to a new cognitive experience. Today, when we are seemingly more divided than we have been in generations, the need for the overview effect has never been greater. Everyone can’t gaze down at Earth from the International Space Station, but space-based imagery from NASA can help us get close. These images can trigger profound insights about the world we inhabit and allow us access to the overview effect.
This photograph shows the stark patterns of development along the border between the U.S. and Mexico at Tijuana. More than 300,000 people cross the border here each day, making it the busiest land border crossing on the planet. Viewed from space, the interaction between the natural and the built environment is obvious, as is the artificial boundary of the border.
This false-color image collected by the Terra satellite reveals massive burn scars in Northern California. The brown spots show where vegetation burned during the recent devastating wildfires, and how they weave through populated areas. Humans have shaped the world through our unique mastery of fire. Yet, fire is not entirely under our control.
The overview effect is helping us learn more about our history and heritage. Space imagery is aiding archeology, such as this image of Chaco Culture National Historical Park in Northern New Mexico. Researchers use satellite data to reveal hidden sites and features from the landscape NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite is able to pick out city lights from 512 miles above Earth’s surface. Population centers appear as glowing filaments set against vast open expanses.
Ron Garan, NASA astronaut aboard the ISS, said this about his experience with the overview effect: “I was flooded with both emotion and awareness. Seeing Earth from this vantage point gave me a unique perspective… the realization that we are all traveling together on the planet and that if we all looked at the world from that perspective, we would see that nothing is impossible.”
The overview effect is a powerful force. It awakens a sense of wonder and responsibility that should inspire all who care deeply about our home planet.
Images courtesy of NASA.
Sam Ward
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Eight.