Welcome back ISS crew!
The astronauts of the International Space Station (ISS) – NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and crewmates Jack Fischer of NASA and Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos, returned safely to planet Earth on Saturday, September 3, 2017. The International Space Station and ISS scientists are pushing the boundaries of space exploration as humanity transitions from space travelers to space inhabitants.
Gender boundaries are also being redefined. Peggy Whitson’s return marks the completion of a 288-day mission, her third on the station, that began last November and spanned 122.2 million miles and 4,623 orbits of the Earth. During her latest mission, Whitson performed four spacewalks, bringing her career total to 10. With a total of 665 days in space, Whitson holds the U.S. record and places eighth on the all-time space endurance list.
These international and cooperative missions and milestones signal a sharp departure from the early competitive push to explore space. The Soviet Union led the charge in the race for space. They put the first man (and woman) into orbit and were the first to launch a satellite. The U.S., not to be outdone, followed with similar missions and “surpassed” the Soviets by landing the first man on the Moon.
Being a Capricorn, it never occurred to me to say, “space woman” when inquiries were made as to my adult career destination although astronaut was an oft-cited response by many of my peers. How could it not be? There was so much excitement when Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module Eagle on our moon, July 20, 1969, and Armstrong took that first step. Americans everywhere tuned in as Armstrong’s words, “one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind,” echoed around the world, and down the hallways of our elementary school as imaginations took flight.
The race for space was not the only technological arena that left on us a lasting impression. The U.S. and S.U. were in the midst of a peacetime arms race. As so well illustrated in The Butter Battle Book (Random House, 1984) written by political cartoonist (and beloved children’s story writer and illustrator) Theodor Geisel, arsenals grew, exhausting massive resources and energy. There had been earlier arms races, but the presence of nuclear capabilities heightened the stakes and increased the potential for planetary annihilation.
In our days at school, this threat and the accompanying fears existed alongside the excitement of space travel. Films showed us the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bomb shelter signs became a common sight. In addition to routine fire drills, our safety preparedness practices included learning how to take cover should one side, or the other, upset the delicate and precarious balance. When the alarm sounded, we would crawl under our desks and curl ourselves, face down, into the smallest ball we could muster. During other drills, we would be ushered into the hallways and would kneel down side by side, the breath of the students next to us warm on our necks as we faced the walls and covered our heads with our hands.
Of course none of us believed that we could survive a nuclear blast. We had seen the images of the mushroom clouds and the human remains. We had seen images of radiation sickness and large areas of cities reduced to piles of ashes. Nonetheless, we followed instructions and covered our heads, then raced happily out the doors for recess.
The space race and the arms race both served (or should have served) to remind us all of the fragility of this planet we call home. Images of earth from space and the inevitability of total destruction revealed like never before the vulnerabilities of living on a tethered ball. So much of how we impact and damage our world is now evident from our view from above. From deforestation to mining, industrialization, glacial retreat and climate change, all we need do is look down, from up there, to see what damage we have done. There are also signs of global healing, such as the effects of forest preservation efforts. With satellites, this global view is now available to all, 24/7.
Despite these tools for greater knowledge, and the lessons of the past, starvation is a daily reality for millions of children, ecological devastation continues and military build up and increasing hostilities is a real and escalating threat as diplomacy fails. Even in the aftermath of WWII, with the Cold War sending us under our desks. Even with the violence of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War, broadcast for all to see on national television, the fear and anxiety inspiring images we saw as children in the 1960’s and 70s are a fraction of what children today see.
Likewise, the technological potential for war and destruction far surpasses anything we could have dreamed of half a century or more ago. Our children, our grandchildren, are living in a different world, and despite our potential to solve global problems, to end war, end starvation, increase infant survival rates and extend lifespans around the world, we continue to circle in a frightening downward spiral.
The return of the International Space Station astronauts reminded me of those elementary days, days of amazement, admiration, wonder and fear. We have at our fingertips the potential to work collectively toward human survival; both on and beyond this one fragile planet we call home. Technology has always been a double-edged sword. With recent increased nuclear testing and missile launches by North Korea, and the threat of retaliation against them by other countries, including the US, one wonders what future lies ahead for the next generation of children.
D.E. Bentley
Editor, Owl Light New