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The overview effect\xa0is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing\xa0the\xa0Earth from outer space (Wikipedia reference) The term and concept were coined in 1987 by\xa0Frank White, who explored the theme in his book\xa0The Overview Effect\xa0\u2014 Space Exploration and Human Evolution.\xa0

Since 1987, there\u2019s been a recently series of interviews done at the Johnson Space Center with a new group of Astronauts in a series that\u2019s been produced called, \u201cDown to Earth\u201d (you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L6eqgnmlPo)

It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative.[5]

The thing that really surprised me was that it [Earth] projected an air of fragility. And why, I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know to this day. I had a feeling it\u2019s tiny, it\u2019s shiny, it\u2019s beautiful, it\u2019s home, and it\u2019s fragile. \u2014\u2009Michael Collins,\xa0Apollo 11[7]

Astronauts\xa0Michael Collins,\xa0Ron Garan,[8]\xa0Rusty Schweikart,[5]\xa0Edgar Mitchell,[5]\xa0Tom Jones,[5]\xa0Scott Kelly,[9]\xa0James Irwin,[10]\xa0Mike Massimino,[11]\xa0\xa0Chris Hadfield,[13]\xa0Sally Ride, and\xa0Anne McClain[14]\xa0are all reported to have experienced the effect.[5]

Frank White has authored or coauthored numerous books on topics ranging from space exploration to climate change to artificial intelligence. His best-known work,\xa0The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field of space exploration. A film called "Overview," based largely on his work, has had nearly 8 million plays on Vimeo.

Since the first edition of his book on the subject was published in 1987, "the Overview Effect" has become a standard term for describing the spaceflight experience. The fourth edition of\xa0The Overview Effect, including original interviews with 31 astronauts, is scheduled for publication in 2019.

White considers himself to be a "space philosopher," and has long advocated developing a new philosophy of space exploration. His book on this topic, The\xa0Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect, has just been published. In it, he asks the fundamental question, "What is the purpose of human space exploration? Why has the evolutionary process brought humanity to the brink of becoming a spacefaring species?"

In the book, he shares the idea of "the Human Space Program" as a "central project" that will engage all of us in the process of becoming "Citizens of the Universe."

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Once you are done enjoying this episode, the hope is that you find yourself asking, \u201cHow can we bring the overview effect down to Earth? How can I use the Overview Effect to address inequality? Conflict resolution? How can we apply it to Psychotherapy? Basically, I hope this conversation inspires you to look at how we can be better humans, and look at things with a different perspective.\xa0

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What the Overview Effect is from Frank\u2019s own words: \u201cIt\u2019s a message from the universe via the astronauts and then through me. And it\u2019s not a one-time message, it\u2019s a continuing message.\u201d\xa0\xa0\xa0

What is the Overview Effect? \u201cI was searching for a way into space exploration without a technical bio. The moment the Overview Effect came to me was when I was flying across the country and looking out the window. I was obsessing about living off the planet, and I was looking down and I just had this idea that, gosh- if I lived in a place like this, I would see the Earth as a whole system and the connectedness and the unity of our planet and of ourselves would not be a discussion, it would just be obvious. When we landed, I was thinking, how can we pursue this? It didn\u2019t start out with astronauts, it was about space settlements and space communities, and there were not any people I could interview [to speak about these things] so I interviewed astronauts as a proxy. I was thinking about it as something ordinary- there\u2019s the Earth, from the sky. When I started talking to astronauts, they saw the Earth from a distance was extraordinary. So that shifted the dialogue for a bit and it\u2019s been shifted for a while where people are far more focused on \u2018how do we apply this to create a better life on Earth. How do we bring the overview effect down to Earth. And I\u2019m glad. The overview effect is a theory yet to be proven in it\u2019s original form.\u201d -Frank White

Where to get your copy of the book, Overview Effect and more books by Frank White: https://www.amazon.com/Overview-Effect-Exploration-Evolution-Library/dp/162410262X

The Overview Effect Movie: https://www.google.com/search?q=the+overview+effect+vinmo&rlz=1C1DVJR_enUS852US863&oq=the+overview+effect+vinmo&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.7670j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Where to find Frank White: www.FrankWhiteAuthor.com

\u201cWhat I really want to do is to create a movement or support a movement that has the overview effect as it\u2019s core philosophy\u2026as it\u2019s basic understanding of who we are, where we are in the universe, and that means supporting other people.\u201d -Frank White on the Casual Space Podcast\xa0

Other podcasts with more Frank White and the Overview Effect:\xa0

NASA\u2019s Houston, We Have a Podcast: Episode 107 https://www.nasa.gov/johnson/HWHAP/the-overview-effect

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