ADRIEN: HI, MY NAME
IS ADRIEN PROUTY,
AND I AM STUDYING
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES.
TODAY, I'LL BE SITTING DOWN
WITH ASTRONAUT SUNI WILLIAMS.
I WAS CURIOUS TO KNOW
HOW SEEING THE EARTH FROM SPACE
CHANGED HER PERSPECTIVE
ON THE WORK THAT SHE DID
FROM SPACE
AND THE LIFE THAT SHE LIVES NOW
WHEN SHE'S BACK ON THE PLANET.
THANK YOU FOR WATCHING
THE PREMIERE OF SEASON TWO
OF "DOWN TO EARTH."
FOLLOW ALONG FOR MORE EPISODES.
[ MUSIC ]
SO I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS,
AS YOU MIGHT GUESS.
UM, AND TO START WITH,
I'D LIKE TO KNOW
WHAT IS ONE THING ABOUT
LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE
THAT MOST PEOPLE
WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SPACE
MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT
OR UNDERSTAND?
SUNI: WELL,
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION,
AND I'M NOT JUST SAYING THAT
TO FILL TIME.
[ LAUGHTER ]
IT WAS JUST--
THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH
OF INTERESTING THINGS
TO TALK ABOUT.
I THINK PROBABLY PEOPLE
THINK IT'S PRETTY NICE
THAT YOU CAN GO
AND FLOAT AROUND UP THERE,
UM, BUT THAT HAS
SOME CONSEQUENCES TO IT,
YOU KNOW, OF COURSE.
I THINK OUR BODIES NEED TO ADAPT
TO GOING TO SPACE.
UM, THE INITIAL GETTING
TO SPACE, LIKE-- WHOA!
YOU KNOW, SO IT'S
A BIG ADAPTATION,
BUT YOU FEEL LIKE YOU, LIKE--
"WE'RE THERE. OKAY.
"SO NOW I CAN FLOAT AROUND.
"OKAY, MAYBE I'M
"A LITTLE CLUMSY."
BUT I THINK WHAT PEOPLE
DON'T RECOGNIZE IS YOUR WHOLE
BEING STARTS TO ADAPT,
AND IT DOES TAKE TIME.
FOLKS HAVE SAID IN THE PAST
THAT MAYBE A MONTH.
I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT.
I THINK MOST PEOPLE
DON'T BELIEVE IT,
BUT YOU CAN REALLY SEE
HOW PEOPLE BECOME SO NATURAL
UP IN SPACE
AFTER ABOUT A MONTH
AND HOW SMOOTHLY THEY FLY,
AND, ACTUALLY, HOW THAT
TRANSLATED TO ME AS A REALITY,
IT WAS LIKE--
I WAS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW
WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO WALK.
WHEN I WAS UP THERE, THERE WAS--
THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE STACK,
THERE WAS A MODULE
THAT WENT DOWN,
AND THAT WAS ESSENTIALLY
OUR CLOSET,
BUT IT WAS PRETTY DEEP.
IT WAS PROBABLY, LIKE,
30 FEET DOWN,
AND I'D FLOAT RIGHT OVER IT,
AND I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF,
I DON'T EVEN THINK TWICE
ABOUT THIS.
LIKE, IF I WAS WALKING,
I'D BE LIKE, AAH! YOU KNOW?
LIKE, WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO HERE?
AND I ACTUALLY SORT OF FORGOT
WHAT IT WAS LIKE
TO WALK AROUND.
THAT YOUR BODY--
YOUR BRAIN, YOUR BODY,
CAN ALL JUST SORT OF LIVE
OR CHANGE TO THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT YOU'RE IN.
I THOUGHT THAT
WAS PRETTY FASCINATING.
ADRIEN: THAT DOESN'T--
IT REMINDS ME OF THE VIDEOS
THAT YOU CAN SEE OF ASTRONAUTS
WHEN THEY COME BACK,
AND THEY'RE HOLDING SOMETHING
AND LET GO,
AND THEN IT JUST FALLS.
SUNI: MM-HMM. YEP.
ONE TIME, AND THEN YOU GO,
"OKAY, I GOT IT NOW.
GRA-GRAVITY IS BACK. YEAH."
ADRIEN: YES.
IT ALSO REMINDS ME
OF IF YOU'RE EVER ON A BOAT
FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD,
AND THEN YOU GET BACK ON LAND,
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE SEA LEGS.
SUNI: YEP, EXACTLY.
ADRIEN: UM, WOULD YOU SAY THAT
THAT, OR IS THERE
SOMETHING ELSE WHAT--
THAT WAS THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENT
FOR YOU IN SPACE?
SUNI: I THINK THAT
WAS THE BIGGEST.
I THINK A CLOSE SECOND
IS, UH, LOSING THINGS.
I THINK ONE OF THE MOST
ANNOYING THINGS IS, LIKE,
WHEN YOU THINK,
JUST FOR A SECOND-- YOU LIKE--
YOU LET SOMETHING GO.
IT'S JUST GONNA BE THERE
FOR JUST A SECOND,
AND YOU TURN AROUND
AND SOME AIR CURRENT TAKES IT,
AND THEN YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF
VIDEO OF PEOPLE DOING THIS.
ADRIEN: [ LAUGHING ]
SUNI: AND THAT'S 'CAUSE
THEY'RE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.
AND THAT'S, I THINK, ONE OF
THE MOST ANNOYING THINGS
ABOUT BEING IN SPACE,
AND SO GOOD PANTS--
OH, A GOOD FLIGHT SUIT LIKE THIS
WITH LOTS OF POCKETS
IS REALLY BENEFICIAL.
ADRIEN: WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING--
ONCE YOU'RE IN ORBIT,
SEEING EARTH FROM THE FIRST TIME
FROM SO FAR AWAY?
SUNI: RIDICULOUS.
ADRIEN: [ LAUGHING ]
SUNI: IT'S AWESOME.
I WAS ACTUALLY ON THE MIDDECK
OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY
THAT TOOK ME UP THERE,
AND I WAS WORKING AND, YOU KNOW,
WE GOT TO SPACE AND, YOU KNOW,
THINGS STARTED FLOATIN',
AND THAT WAS FUN,
AND I'M CHUCKLING ABOUT THAT,
AND THE COMMANDER AND THE PILOT
UP IN THE FRONT SEATS
OF THE SHUTTLE--
THE COMMANDER SAYS,
"SUNI, COME ON UP."
AND SO HE-- I FLEW UP THERE,
AND HE GAVE ME MY LITTLE WINGS
AND WHAT WAS MORE IMPRESSIVE--
I WAS LIKE, "OH, THAT'S NICE."
BUT I-- LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW,
I WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOD.
"THERE'S EARTH, AND IT'S ROUND."
IT'S LIKE, "THEY WERE RIGHT."
YOU KNOW, IT'S SUPER COOL,
AND IT'S JUST--
SEEING THAT PLANET, YOU KNOW,
IN THAT VIEW IS JUST AMAZING.
AND YOU JUST CAN'T
GET SICK OF IT.
EVERY OPPORTUNITY, I THINK,
EVERYBODY HAS WHO LIVES ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
WE HAVE THIS AMAZING
CUPOLA WINDOW NOW.
WE HAVE TWO WINDOWS THAT LOOK
OUT BY THE GYM SO YOU CAN SEE
THE CURVATURE OF THE EARTH
FROM THOSE TWO VENUES,
AND IT'S JUST COMPELLING.
I MEAN, YOU CAN SPEND ALL DAY
SITTING THERE
WATCHING OUR PLANET.
ANOTHER TRANSITION, YOU KNOW,
SORT OF LIKE YOUR BODY ADAPTING,
INITIALLY, I WAS ALWAYS TRYING
TO FIND PLACES THAT I KNEW,
LIKE, OF COURSE, LIKE HOUSTON
OR WHERE I GREW UP
IN MASSACHUSETTS,
OR WHERE MY DAD
WAS FROM IN INDIA,
AND HIGHLIGHTING LITTLE
PIECES AND PARTS OF THE EARTH
FOR THE PEOPLE, WHICH IS,
OF COURSE, VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT AFTER TIME, I THINK,
I STARTED GETTING MORE JOY
OUT OF LOOKING AT OUR PLANET
AS A PLANET,
LIKE WATCHING ALGAE BLOOMS,
AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN
IN THE OCEAN SOME PLACE,
THERE'S THIS HUGE,
AMAZING BLUE SPOT,
OR HOW THE ICE FORMS AND FLOWS
UP IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC
WITH SWIRLS,
OR HOW THE CLOUDS ARE MOVING.
THAT WAS ANOTHER TRANSITION.
YOU LOOK AT IT
LIKE IT'S A LIVING SYSTEM.
THE ENVIRONMENT IS
ABSOLUTELY LIVING.
THE OCEANS ARE LIVING.
IT'S ALL CHANGING
RIGHT BELOW YOU.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW,
AS WE SIT HERE ON EARTH,
WE DON'T SEE ALL THAT HAPPENING.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT
FROM THAT, YOU KNOW,
MACRO PERSPECTIVE, FINALLY--
IT TOOK A LITTLE WHILE,
BUT THAT'S HOW I VIEWED EARTH.
IT'S A PRETTY COOL PLANET.
ADRIEN: THAT'S REALLY COOL,
AND I'M SURE IT'S EVEN MORE,
'CAUSE IT'S NOT JUST
THE STILL PICTURE.
YOU'RE WATCHING
IT GROW AND TRANSFORM
RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.
SUNI: YEP, RIGHT IN FRONT
OF YOU, YEAH.
ADRIEN: BEFORE YOU SAW IT
FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, UH,
DID YOU HAVE ANY EXPECTATIONS
ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE GONNA SEE?
SUNI: I-- YEAH, OF-OF COURSE.
I MEAN, I WAS, UH, YOU KNOW,
WHENEVER I WOULD GET
A LITTLE BIT BUMMED OUT HERE
FOR SOME-- WHATEVER REASON,
MISSING HO-- MISSING MY FAMILY
OR WHATEVER,
I WOULD TAKE A LITTLE TREK
OVER TO SPACE CENTER HOUSTON
AND WATCH AN IMAX MOVIE
AND GO, "WOW."
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME
PRETTY COOL VIEWS,
BUT IT DOESN'T EVEN
DO IT JUSTICE.
I MEAN, IT-IT GIVES YOU
A FOUNDATION, A BASELINE,
OF WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE,
BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SEE IT
FOR YOUR OWN TWO EYES--
ONE-ONE OF THE REASONS
I FEEL LIKE EVERYBODY
ON THIS PLANET NEEDS TO TAKE
A LAP AROUND OUR PLANET--
GO TO SPACE, TAKE A LAP,
AND JUST LOOK OUT THE WINDOW,
COME BACK.
IT'LL CHANGE YOUR--
YOUR VIEW OF THINGS,
YOUR PERSPECTIVE.