AND LIFT OFF.
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I THINK WHAT YOU GET A SENSE OF
IS JUST HOW AWESOME
THE UNIVERSE IS AND HOW TINY EACH OF US
ARE IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF OF THE WONDER
THAT EXISTS OUT THERE.
REALIZING THAT, AND REALIZING JUST HOW
OVERWHELMINGLY HUGE THE EARTH IS, HOW
OVERWHELMINGLY THE PHYSICS DOMINATES
WHAT WE'RE DOING,
AND THAT WE'RE LIVING IN IN THIS SOLAR
SYSTEM GALAXY UNIVERSE,
LETS YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS SOMEPLACE.
KIND OF SPECIAL
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TO BE A PART OF THE MISSION THAT SERVES
ON STATION,
TO BE PART OF THE MISSION THAT GOES
EXPLORING SPACE INTO THIS VASTNESS
IS SIMPLY: ONE, AN HONOR BUT TWO,
ALMOST MIND-CHANGING, MIND-CHANGING
BECAUSE WE HAVE
BUSINESSES WE HAVE MISSIONS HERE, WE'RE
FOCUSED ON ACCOMPLISHING THE NEAR-TERM
GOAL.
YOU GET UP THERE AND YOU SEE THE
OVERWHELMING PORTION OF THE EARTH
THE VASTNESS THAT YOU'RE EXPLORING INTO
AND YOU GO, "WOW THERE IS JUST
SO MANY QUESTIONS, SO MUCH FOR US TO DO,
SO MUCH FOR US TO BE ABLE TO HELP
OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WITH,
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WE HAD A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY ON SPACE
STATION BECAUSE OF THE THE WINDOW
ARRANGEMENTS
TO BE ABLE TO SERIOUSLY GET IMMERSED IN
THE IMAGERY.
GOING TO THE WINDOWS TO WATCH AREAS THAT
WERE OF GREAT INTEREST
PATAGONIA FOR INSTANCE IS JUST A
BEAUTIFUL, RICH
ENVIRONMENT OF EARTH TONES, AS WELL AS
THE GLACIERS, THE WATER.
IT IS JUST PICTURESQUE TO THE POINT
WHERE YOU GO, "I NEED TO GO VISIT THAT
PLACE."
YOU WANT TO FIND THINGS ON THE EARTH
BECAUSE
IT IS, UM, MEMORABLE BUT ALSO
INSIGHTFUL. FOR INSTANCE, YOU'RE GOING
OVER A TAN AND YOU GO, "OH YOU KNOW WHAT, I
BET YOU I'M CLOSE TO THE PYRAMIDS."
AND SO YOU GO TO THE WINDOW TO TAKE A
LOOK AT IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO PYRAMIDS AND
THEN
TAKE SOME SHOTS THAT YOU CAN TAKE HOME.
THERE ARE AREAS OF THE WORLD THAT HAVE
VOLCANOES AND YOU JUST HAPPEN TO CATCH
IN ONE PHOTOGRAPH, TWO OR THREE ACTIVE
VOLCANOES.
IT'S A NICE EXPERIENCE TO BE ABLE TO
LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AND GO, "WOW WE
REALLY ARE SEEING THE LIVING EARTH,
LIVING."
AND BEING ABLE TO BE A PART OF IT FROM
SUCH A VANTAGE POINT.
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WE SAW HAITI'S TROUBLES WHILE WE WERE UP
THERE. THE
GULF OIL SPILL FROM THE HORIZON OCCURRED
WHILE WE WERE UP THERE.
A NUMBER OF HURRICANES, OR TROPICAL
CYCLONES
OCCURRED WHILE WE WERE UP THERE. YOU KNOW
THERE'S A TON OF ENERGY IN THERE
YOU KNOW IT'S HEADING TOWARDS POPULATED
AREAS, IT'S NOT BEAUTIFUL
AT THAT POINT, IT'S UTTER RESPECT,
IS WHAT I WOULD CATEGORIZE IT
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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 CLOSE THEIR EYES, OPEN UP ALL
THE WINDOWS, THE SHUTTERS ON THE WINDOWS,
AND THEN TELL THEM TO OPEN UP THEIR EYES.
AND THAT INSTANT WHEN YOU'RE OVERWHELMED
WITH THAT VISTA, WHEN YOUR EYES SEE
NOTHING BUT THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH,
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM,
EVERY SINGLE CREW MEMBER THAT I BROUGHT
IN THERE FOR THAT EXPOSURE, CRIED.
IT IS HEART-STOPPING, IT IS SOUL-POUNDING
IT IS BREATHTAKING.
[MUSIC]