Space for Humanity’s Founder, Dylan Taylor, shares more about his transformative trip to space aboard NS-19
“… the earth sparkles like a jewel. Colors aren’t really colors from space. They are more like waves of perception. Your brain is constantly trying to find a file folder to compare it to, and there is no analog. Earth from Space simply “sparkles,” and you have to see it to believe it. Photos do not capture this.”
Many of you will recall we shared some incredibly exciting news in December, 2021 that Space for Humanity’s founder, Dylan Taylor, would be going to Space on Blue Origin’s NS-19 flight. We all watched as Dylan, along with five other crew members including Alan Shepard’s daughter Laura Shepard Churcley and GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan, rose high above the Earth and then experienced the power of the Overview Effect for themselves.
Now that there has been some time for Dylan to process his spaceflight, he has been kind enough to share some of his thoughts and impressions having now gone to Space himself and a bit more about the “Buy One, Give One” pledge he has made, and encourages other commercial astronauts to make, to provide more opportunities for others to experience the power of Space as well.
The crew of NS-19 bathe in the afterglow of the overview effect.
Journey to the Dream – Part IV
First, as Michael Strahan has said so well, a mission like this clarifies what is important to you. Who you love, and who loves you. It makes you understand the preciousness of life and how each day is a gift. Anyone strapping themselves to a controlled explosion has had to have experienced that clarifying prism. Secondly, the “crew glue” as Blue Origin refers to it, really is an authentic phenomena. You are brothers and sisters for life because you have trained together, flown together and experienced something truly extraordinary together.
Now for the experience itself.
The first word that came to mind as I looked down at the Earth from space was “portal.” I am not sure that is the right word, but after reflecting on it for a day or so, I haven’t come up with a better description. By portal I mean that when you are above the Karman Line, you realize none of what we call “reality” should exist. You realize that 99.999999% of the Universe is not “this.” I was struck by the notion that people live their whole lives thinking Earth, the air we breathe and the life we enjoy is natural and space is abstract. It is actually the exact opposite. What is natural is dark, cold and hostile space. We live just across the other side of a portal, in a magical place that is a miracle to exist at all. Earth is an oasis and that notion penetrates you very, very deeply from space.
The second thought that came to my mind is the extraordinary vulnerability of Earth. In an interview with ABC News right after the flight, I said that it was a feeling like you have for a small child or puppy. You have unconditional love for them, you see how precious they are, how beautiful they are, and their potentiality to be something even greater, but you also feel this deep sense that if you were to turn away and leave them there, that they would not survive on their own. It is an extraordinary feeling of stewardship. I was doused with this in such a profound way, I really don’t think it is possible to see Earth from space and not feel that sense of Earth’s vulnerability. It was an extraordinarily powerful feeling.
The third thought is just how thin the atmosphere is. Other friends of mine who have been to space have universally commented on this but it is even more striking than I was expecting. It is just a “hint” of something covering the Earth. Think of a thin film of dew on a leaf in the morning. It is shockingly thin and that further leads to this feeling of Earth’s vulnerability.
The final impression I had was how the earth sparkles like a jewel. Colors aren’t really colors from space. They are more like waves of perception. Your brain is constantly trying to find a file folder to compare it to, and there is no analog. Earth from Space simply “sparkles,” and you have to see it to believe it. Photos do not capture this.
All together, this was the most profound experience of my life. I had always believed Space was a tool for transformation. Now I know viscerally that this is true and I am even more committed to getting as many people as possible to experience its life changing effect.
Buy One, Give One
When I started Space For Humanity, it was under the deep belief that the Overview Effect and giving people the opportunity to experience Space for themselves, would provide a powerful conduit for creating global change. It is clearer to me now, more than ever, that this is true, which is why I announced a set of gifts that I also call all other commercial astronauts to consider: donate to worthy causes here on Earth the equivalent of the ticket price for the spaceflight. The impact that cohort could have here on Earth if they all supported this initiative could be very substantial.
I strongly believe that our current focus on reaching space doesn’t mitigate our focus on important causes and issues that impact life here on Earth. On the contrary, I believe our collective future in space is fully dependent on us addressing seemingly intractable problems here on Earth. Those problems require perspective and they require resources. Commercial astronauts are predicted to spend several hundred million dollars in the next five years and if they were to all help support an initiative on Earth, their impact could create significant accessible and diversified space exploration opportunities and advancement for humanity here on Earth.
Here are the four organizations I have chosen to support (in addition to Space for Humanity which I will continue to support annually).
–Astro Access, founded by George Whitesides and Anna Voelker, is dedicated to advancing disability inclusion in space exploration,
—Edesia Nutrition, founded by Navyn Salem to eradicate global malnutrition and hunger, learn more here,
–The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship supporting African Americans access to the Space industry founded by B. Alvin Drew, Jr., Khristian Jones, Tiffany Russell Lockett, and Will Pomerantz
–The Brooke Owens Fellowship, which supports women and non-binary individuals for internships within the leading aerospace companies in the industry, founded by Lori Garver, Will Pomerantz, Cassie Lee, and now joined by Diana Trujillo, Caroline Juang, Kayla Watson and the incomparable Emily Calandrelli.
We are so grateful for Dylan’s support of Space for Humanity’s mission, and the other important non-profits. We thank him for leading the way in defining what this new age of commercial space can be, and what it truly means to be an astronaut.