>> IN FIRST GRADE,
WHEN WE WERE ASKED TO DRAW
A PICTURE OF WHAT WE WANTED
TO BE WHEN WE GREW UP,
AND I REMEMBER DRAWING A PICTURE
OF AN ASTRONAUT STANDING
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.
THE KIND OF ICONIC APOLLO IMAGE
IN THE SPACE SUIT
NEXT TO THE FLAG ON THE MOON.
AND THAT WAS WHAT I DREW THEN
AND SAID I WANTED TO BE
AN ASTRONAUT.
AND THEN ALWAYS SAID IT
ALL THE WAY THROUGH
SINCE THAT TIME.
[INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER]
>> I KNEW THAT I WAS GOING
TO BE ECSTATIC BEING
IN SPACE, YOU KNOW?
IT WAS MY-- MY LIFELONG DREAM
AND I KNEW THAT IT WAS
GONNA MAKE ME HAPPY.
BUT I DIDN'T--
EVEN I DIDN'T EXPECT
HOW INCREDIBLE IT FELT.
AND I SAID THAT A LOT TO PEOPLE,
THAT IT'S EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE
THAN I EVER IMAGINED,
AND I REALLY MEANT IT
BECAUSE I HAD THOUGHT
SO MUCH ABOUT IT
AND I KNEW IT WAS GONNA BE
THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY
EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE
BUT I WASN'T EVEN PREPARED
FOR HOW I FELT.
THE-- THE-- THE LEVEL OF
EXCITEMENT AND JUST PURE JOY
THAT I FELT ALL THE TIME IN--
IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.
I REALLY FELT LIKE I WAS HOME,
I FELT LIKE THAT WAS
WHERE I SHOULD BE.
AND-- AND I DON'T THINK
I STOPPED SMILING
FOR PRETTY MUCH
THE ENTIRE SEVEN MONTHS.
I WOULD FIND MYSELF THINKING,
HOW CAN THIS BE REAL THAT
I'M FLOATING ABOVE THE PLANET
AND LOOKING DOWN ON IT?
YOU KNOW, EVEN AFTER
SEVEN MONTHS AND, YOU KNOW,
KNOWING WHAT WE HAD DONE
TO GET THERE AND THAT
I'D REALLY WORKED FOR THIS
MY ENTIRE LIFE.
IT STILL IS ACTUALLY HARD
TO CONVINCE YOURSELF
IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING,
WHICH MAYBE SOUNDS A BIT FUNNY
BUT EVEN AFTER SEVEN MONTHS
IT JUST FELT THAT WAY,
LOOKING DOWN AT THE EARTH.
"WOW, THIS IS-- THIS IS REAL.
I'M-- I'M UP HERE FLOATING
ABOVE THE EARTH."
WHEN YOU'RE IN THE SPACE STATION
IN THE CUPOLA,
THERE ARE STARS ALL AROUND YOU
AND YOU COULD REALLY
FEEL IT THAT WAY.
I THINK THAT WAS--
THAT'S A GOOD WAY
TO DESCRIBE IT.
YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S MORE
THREE DIMENSIONAL AND DIFFUSE.
AND YOU KNOW,
YOU GAZE OFF INTO IT
AND IT IS REALLY
JUST EXTRAORDINARY
TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
TO THINK ABOUT THAT SCALE
AND THEN LOOK BACK AT THE EARTH
AND REALIZE THAT WE'RE JUST SUCH
A SMALL COMPONENT OF THAT.
THIS WAS REALLY WHAT
HAD DRIVEN ME,
SINCE I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD WAS
WHAT IT REALLY GONNA BE LIKE
TO HAVE THAT FEELING,
TO LOOK BACK ON THE PLANET.
AND YOU'RE NOT THERE.
THAT'S THE PLACE--
THE ONE PLACE WHERE EVERYTHING
HAS HAPPENED IN YOUR LIFE,
EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED
THROUGH THE ENTIRE HISTORY
OF THE HUMAN SPECIES.
EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE,
ALL THE PLACES YOU'VE BEEN,
EVERYTHING IS DOWN THERE
IN ITS ENTIRETY
AND YOU'RE SEPARATE FROM THAT.
IT ACTUALLY DOES FEEL DIFFERENT
LOOKING AT EARTH
THROUGH YOUR VISOR--
JUST THROUGH YOUR HELMET VISOR,
VERSUS LOOKING OUT
OF THE WINDOW.
I THINK 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 SPACE SUIT
AND YOUR VISOR.
THERE'S NOTHING, YOU KNOW,
BETWEEN YOU AND IT.
AND YOU'RE REALLY OUT THERE
IN YOUR OWN LITTLE
MINI SPACECRAFT.
IT HAS THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM,
EVERYTHING THAT YOU NEED
TO BE KEPT ALIVE
AND IT'S JUST YOU!
AND YOU HAVE THIS SENSE OF
JUST BEING BY YOURSELF
IN THIS ENVIRONMENT WITH--
WITH YOUR OWN LITTLE
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM.
AND I LOVE THAT FEELING,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS
EXACTLY ABOUT THAT
BUT I FEEL REALLY KIND OF
PEACEFUL IN RELAXED IN THAT.
AND IN THE SPACESUIT,
YOU'RE-- YOU'RE LOOKING DOWN
AND SEEING THE EARTH FROM ABOVE
FROM THE OUTSIDE
WITH YOUR OWN HUMAN EYES.
IT CHANGES YOU AS A PERSON.
WHEN YOU LOOK BACK
AND YOU'RE IN THIS BLACKNESS
DEVOID OF ANY COLOR,
THE BLACKNESS OF-OF SPACE.
AND SUDDENLY THERE'S
THIS BRILLIANT BLUE,
GLOWING MARBLE DOWN THERE.
IT'S SO EASY TO SEE UP THERE
THAT WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T SEE ALL
THOSE GEOPOLITICAL BOUNDARIES,
ALL OF THE MANMADE BOUNDARIES
THAT WE'VE IMPOSED
UPON OURSELVES AS HUMANS.
YOU DON'T SEE ANY OF THAT
FROM SPACE.
AND YOU JUST FEEL THIS
SENSE OF COMMONALITY MORE
IN SOMETHING THAT-THAT
UNITES US ALL AND JUST THAT'S--
THAT WE'RE ALL HUMAN.