>> SOCIAL DISTANCING MIGHT HAVE YOU FEELING LIKE YOU ARE LIVING
ON ANOTHER PLANET.
CARRIE SALDO ASKED FORMER NASA ASTRONAUT AND SHELBURNE FALLS
RESIDENT, CATHERINE Â CADYÂ COLEMAN, TO SHARE SOME TIPS FOR
HOW SHE STAYED WELL DURING HER TIME IN SPACE.
>> WELL, IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE AND, YOU KNOW, IN
SOME WAYS YOU FEEL SO CLOSE TO EVERYONE ON EARTH WHEN YOU LOOK
DOWN, YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, LITERALLY EVERYBODY ON EARTH,
YOU KNOW, ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE THERE.
YOU JUST CAN'T GET THERE AND AT THE SAME TIME, YOU'RE IN THIS
AMAZING PLACE WHERE YOU FLY EVERYWHERE AND IT'S BEAUTIFUL
AND WONDERFUL AND MAGICAL BUT BASICALLY I WAKE UP IN THE
MORNING GOING TO MY CABIN FLY THROUGH THE LAB, HOOK A RIGHT TO
GO IN THE MODULE WRITE MIGHT BRUSH MY TEETH AND EVERYTHING
ELSE AND BASICALLY AFTER -- I GUESS ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER I'VE
WOKEN UP, I'M AT WORK AND, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO MISSION CONTROL
ON THE RADIO AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO IT'S A VERY SHORT
COMMUTE, BUT KIND OF A FAR-AWAY PLACE TO BE.
>> SHORT TO COMMUTE.
YEAH, YOU FLY RIGHT TO THE OFFICE LIKE YOU SAID BUT ON A
GIVEN DAY HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD YOU INTERACT WITH?
ANY IN-PERSON?
>> THERE ARE 6 OF US WHO ARE UP THERE AND THAT IS USUALLY --
IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL CREW.
IT'S USUALLY 3 RUSSIANS IN OUR CASE 2 AMERICANS AND AN ITALIAN
AND WE'RE NOT -- THERE'S NO SPECIAL RECIPE WHERE THEY GO,
OH, THESE PEOPLE -- THEY'LL DO SO NICELY TOGETHER.
NASA IS PUTTING, YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT SKILLS, THE RIGHT TIME IN
SOMEBODY'S CAREER, ALL THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, THEY HIRE
PROFESSIONALS WHO ARE GOING TO MAKE IT WORK AND THAT'S ACTUALLY
WHAT I WOULD, YOU KNOW, WANT TO COMMUNICATE TO PEOPLE IS THAT
IT'S NOT THAT THEY PICKED US AND IT WAS EASY FOR US, YOU KNOW,
WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT, WE'RE ALL WELL BEHAVED IN MANY CASES AND
NOT SO WELL BEHAVED JUST LIKE -- JUST LIKE YOUR FAMILY AT HOME,
AND SOMETIMES I WISH I COULD BRING MY SPACE LESSONS, YOU
KNOW, BACK INTO MY OWN HOUSE AND HAVE MYSELF BE AT A HIGHER
STANDARD THERE TOO. AND I THINK WHAT REALLY HELPS IS
TO THINK ABOUT THE MISSION, AND UP THERE, IT'S CLEAR THAT THE
MISSION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHETHER WE WISH SOMEBODY UP
THERE WAS DIFFERENT THAN THEY REALLY ARE AND IT'S EASY TO JUST
GO, OKAY, THAT GUY IT'S JUST GOING TO BE LIKE THAT AND YET
HERE, YOU KNOW, IN YOUR FAMILY, IT'S EASIER TO THINK THOSE
THINGS AND I THINK IF YOU CAN JUST THINK OF THE MISSION WHICH
IN THIS CASE, WE'RE ALL ON A MISSION TOGETHER, TO KEEP EACH
OTHER SAFE, AND I THINK WHAT CAN BE FRUSTRATING BUT IS ACTUALLY A
LITTLE PARALLEL FROM THE SPACE PROGRAM IS THAT I KNOW IN MY
HEART THAT EVERY LITTLE STEP, EVERY MINUTE THAT I SPENT DOING
EXPERIMENTS UP THERE, BROUGHT US ONE STEP CLOSER TO GOING BACK TO
THE MOON AND MARS.
YOU DON'T REALLY FEEL IT EVERY DAY.
JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, HERE IN MY HOUSE, WASHING MY HANDS, YOU
KNOW, ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO DO THAT AND NOT GETTING TOGETHER
WITH PEOPLE TOGETHER COULDN'T WE DO IT OUR WAY, OUR MISSION IS
HARD RIGHT NOW BUT I THINK FOCUSING ON THE MISSION WHICH IS
TO KEEP EACH OTHER SAFE IS WHAT'S GOING TO GET US THERE.
>> TO YOUR POINT ABOUT MAYBE NOT REMEMBERING EVERY DAY THAT
BROADER PICTURE BUZZ WHEN YOU DID REMEMBER THAT BROADER
PICTURE, HOW MUCH IT HELPED YOU SOUNDS LIKE TO GROUND YOU AND
JUST KEEP YOU FOCUSED, HOW IS THERE A TIP OR A TRICK THAT YOU
COULD PASS ALONG TO THE PUBLIC THAT THEY COULD APPLY MAYBE TO
THEIR DAILY LIVES NOW HOW THEY COULD STAY FOCUSED ON THAT AS
YOU PUT IT THE LARGER MISSION OF FIGHTING COVID-19?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE'S WAYS THAT EVERYBODY SAYS, OH, YOU SHOULD
DO THIS AND YOU SHOULDN'T AND YET -- AND THINGS, LIKE, KEEPING
A RECORD.
I MEAN, I THINK BEING ACCOUNTABLE TO SOMEBODY IS
SOMETHING THAT AT LEAST HELPS ME, YOU KNOW, DOWN HERE ON THE
GROUND I'M BACK IN THE SAME BOAT AS EVERYBODY ELSE AND THINKING
DURING THIS TIME I WILL EXERCISE MORE, I WILL EAT BETTER.
I'D LIKE TO GET BETTER AT PLAYING THE FLUTE.
I'VE ALWAYS MEANT TO LEARN CHINESE.
I MEAN, THESE THINGS GIVEN THAT EVERYBODY IS BASICALLY HEALTHY
IN MY FAMILY ARE ON MY LIST AND -- BUT HAVING -- I HAVE LIKE
A LITTLE CONTRACT WITH MY TRAINER.
SHE SENDS A WORKOUT AND I TEXT BACK WHEN I'M DONE WITH IT AND I
TOTALLY NEED THAT ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE SAME THING WITH, YOU
KNOW, WITH OTHER THINGS YOU'RE WORKING AT.
I ENCOURAGE YOU TO FIND A PERSON -- MAYBE SOMEBODY IN YOUR
HOUSE AND MAYBE WHEN YOU'RE INTERACTING WITH PEOPLE ON THE
OUTSIDE, IF YOU CAN, YOU KNOW DO SOME FACETIME AND DO SOMETHING,
YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU REALLY GET TO FEEL THAT PERSON BECAUSE IT
CAN BE -- YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY ISOLATING TO BE ALONE AS WE ARE
AND I THINK THE MORE YOU CAN BRING IN FEELINGS IN WHICH I
THINK HAS TO DO WITH SEEING PEOPLE AND PRACTICALLY FEELING
THEM THE BETTER OFF YOU'LL BE.
>> HOW IMPORTANT -- HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT FOR YOU TO HAVE
THAT INTERPERSONAL CONNECTION EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE SO FAR AWAY
FROM HOME JUST TO HAVE THAT FACETIME OR THE SKYPE AS YOU
POINT OUT -- WHAT DID THAT DO FOR YOU?
>> IRONICALLY UP ON THE SPACE STATION WHEN I WAS UP THERE, WE
COULD CALL HOME ACTUALLY EVERY DAY, 40 MINUTES A DAY IF WE
REALLY HAD TIME TO DO THAT.
I COULD CALL ANY PLACE ON EARTH.
THEY COULDN'T ME BUT I COULD CALL THEM.
I SPOKE WITH MY FAMILY EVERY DAY EXCEPT 3 OF THE ALMOST 6 MONTHS
THAT I LIVED UP THERE AND THAT MEANT THE WORLD TO ME AND ALSO
MY GIRLFRIENDS.
YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU GO, OH, HE DID THIS, HE DID IT
AGAIN OR I'M SO FRUSTRATED THAT THIS HAPPENED, I'M SOMEBODY --
ONCE I GET THAT VENTING OUT OF MY SYSTEM, IT REALLY HELPS ME TO
PROCESS AND YET WE ONLY HAD VIDEO ONCE A WEEK WITH OUR
FAMILIES, SO IT WAS KIND OF THIS PLANNED EVENT.
IT HAD TO BE AT A CERTAIN TIME, SO IT'S A LITTLE FASCINATING FOR
ME TO SEE HOW MUCH I'M LUCKY THAT I HAVE A VIDEO AND I HAVE
FRIENDS AND COWORKERS THAT HAS THE SAME.
NOT EVERYONE HAS THAT BUT I'M AMAZED HOW MUCH SORT OF BIGGER
IT MAKES THE WORLD AND HOW MUCH LESS LONELY I AM.
>> YOU TRAINED FOR ISOLATION.
PEOPLE HERE WHO ARE GRAPPLING WITH DEALING WITH THE
CORONAVIRUS RIGHT NOW DIDN'T OF THAT TRAINING.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S WHAT CAUSING SOME OF THE UNEASE THAT PEOPLE
ARE FEELING.
THE FACT IT HAPPENED SO QUICKLY?
>> I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD SORT OF ACKNOWLEDGE AND OWN THE FACT
THAT THIS IS HARD.
JUST THIS PAST WEEKEND, I MEANT TO DO, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN I
ACTUALLY GOT DONE AND, YOU KNOW, I GO MAYBE I JUST NEEDED THAT
BREAK.
REALIZE THAT WE ARE -- WE ALL PROCESS IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND
THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, I DO, YOU DO AND OUR FAMILIES DO, AND IN
SOME THOSE WAYS OF PROCESSING WILL NOT GOING TO BE TOTALLY
LIKEABLE OR, YOU KNOW, EASY TO BE WITH, AND JUST TO REALLY OWN
THE FACT THAT WHAT WE'RE DOING TOGETHER IS HARD AND REALLY GIVE
YOURSELF SOME SPACE TO -- TO REALIZE THAT.
>> TO THE POINT THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU DID TRAIN FOR
ISOLATION, CAN YOU SHARE A FEW TIPS WITH US, THOSE WHO HAVEN'T
TRAINED FOR THE BRAVE NEW WORLD THAT WE'RE OPERATING UNDER RIGHT
NOW, THAT YOU COULD PASS ALONG THAT MAY BE OF HELP TO PEOPLE.
>> I TRAINED IN TWO KIND OF SEPARATE WAYS.
ONE WAS MY WILD NASA ADVENTURES.
I GOT TO LIVE IN UNDER WATER FOR 11 DAYS IN A HABITAT.
I HAD TO GO TO ANTARCTICA FOR 2.5 MONTHS AND 6 WEEKS OF THAT I
WAS LIVING IN A TENT WITH ONE OTHER PERSON OR 4 OF US TOTAL,
200 MILES FROM THE SOUTH POLE AND, OF COURSE, THE SPACE
STATION AND A FEW OTHER TRAINING KIND OF EXERCISES SO THAT'S MY
NASA PART OF DOING THAT.
I ALSO COMMUTED FROM WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS DOWN TO HOUSTON
FOR 24 YEARS AND THOSE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS WHEN I WAS
TRAINING FOR THE SPACE STATION I'D BE IN RUSSIA, I'D BE IN
JAPAN OR EUROPE OR CANADA AND EVEN TRAINING IN HOUSTON WASN'T
HOME FOR ME, AND WHAT I FOUND WAS INTERESTING WAS, YOU KNOW, I
WAS MARRIED.
WE HAD A FAMILY AND WE HAVE A FAMILY AND PEOPLE WOULD SAY,
WELL, YOU KNOW, HOW IS THAT?
BECAUSE IT JUST -- THERE'S SORT OF THIS IMPLICATION IT CAN'T
REALLY BE ENOUGH.
IT'S SO DIFFERENT IT CAN'T BE ENOUGH.
AND I FIND IT INTERESTING THAT BASICALLY ALL OF US ARE HAVING
TO COPE WITH WHAT IS THE NEW NORMAL.
IT DOESN'T MEAN THE NEW FOREVER BUT THE NEW NORMAL FOR RIGHT NOW
AND REALIZE THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET TO PHYSICALLY BE
CLOSE -- I MEAN, WE FOUND SOME CASES DOING HOMEWORK WITH MY KID
OVER SKYPE ACTUALLY, READING BOOKS, MAKING SURE THAT I SAVE
SOME OF THE TELLING OF MY DAY FOR MY HUSBAND -- THESE ARE SOME
TECHNIQUES THAT HELPED US BE CLOSER AND NOT HAVING HAD THAT
LUXURY, I WOULD SAY THINK ABOUT EVERY -- EVERY DAY: HEY, WHAT
DID I LEARN TODAY?
WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT MYSELF AND WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT
SOMEONE ELSE?
AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN.
YOU COULD SPEAK IT INTO YOUR PHONE AND JOT A FEW NOTES BUT
REGARDING THOSE THINGS AND I THINK THEY -- DOING THAT WILL
HELP YOU REALIZE THAT EVERY DAY WE'RE GROWING AND LEARNING AND
GETTING BETTER AT THIS NEW NORMAL.
>> DOES IT GET EASIER WITH PRACTICE?
IS THERE HOPE FOR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, AS WE CONTINUE TO DO THIS,
WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT IT MAY ONLY BE WEEKS OR MONTHS BUT THERE'S A
POSSIBILITY THAT WE MAY FACE SOMETHING SIMILAR EVEN NEXT
YEAR?
DOES THIS GET BETTER WITH PRACTICE?
>> IT CERTAINLY GETS BETTER WITH PRACTICE, BUT I THINK THE OTHER
SUGGESTION THAT I HAVE IS -- IT'S HARD TO DO.
I MEAN, CHANGE IS HARD.
YOU KNOW, YOU WANT THINGS TO BE JUST THE WAY THEY WERE I WOULD
LIKE THEM TO BE, AND IT'S GOING TO BE A WHILE AND WE DON'T KNOW
HOW LONG AND I LIKE TO REALLY SORT OF BE PRESENT WHEN I AM AND
INK THAT THESE -- I THINK THAT THESE UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES
OFTEN OPEN UP SOME WILDLY BIG AND GREAT OPPORTUNITIES.
WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW THAT YOU COULDN'T DO BEFORE?
AND JUST SPEND SOME TINY PORTION OF YOUR DAY BRAINSTORMING ABOUT
WHAT COULD I DO NOW THAT WASN'T POSSIBLE?
I SEE GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NEVER -- GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO
HAVE NEVER EVEN SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER LET ALONE WORKING TOGETHER
ARE CREATING, YOU KNOW, MASKS AND RESPIRATORS AND EVEN
FIGURING OUT HOW TO FINANCE AND DISTRIBUTE FOOD AND ALL THESE
THINGS THAT NEED DONE, PEOPLE ARE WORKING TOGETHER THAT HAVE
NEVER WORKED TOGETHER BEFORE AND THAT -- THAT IS PRETTY WONDERFUL
AND THAT'S ACTUALLY MY VIEW OF THE WORLD HAVING SEEN IT FROM
FAR AWAY IS FOR PEOPLE TO THINK THAT IT'S SO IMPORTANT THEY'RE
FROM DIFFERENT PLACES WHEN TO ME IT WAS SO CLEAR THAT EVERYBODY
WAS CONNECTED AND I KNOW IT'S HARD TO DO BUT THINK OF THE
POSSIBILITIES AND AGGRESSIVELY MOVE FORWARD AND GRAB THOSE.
IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE LEAVING YESTERDAY BEHIND NEVER TO BE
SEEN BUT REACH FOR SOME OF THOSE COOL THINGS THAT ONLY YOU CAN
SEE. ♪