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'An island in our solar system': Astronaut Mark Kelly reflects on space exploration
Kelly, a former Navy pilot who flew during the First Gulf War and husband of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, spent a total of 54 days in space, mostly aboard the International Space Station. His twin brother, Scott, also a NASA astronaut, spent more than a year conducting research on the station.
Though Kelly recently announced his candidacy for an Arizona U.S. Senate seat in 2020, this week, he reflected on his former career with a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. There, he celebrated 50 years since the Apollo 11 launch with other past and present participants in NASA’s space program, including Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 11 capsule communicator Charlie Duke and Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana.
“I think it’s important to use an anniversary like this to not only reflect upon where we’ve been, but also where we’re going as a country,” Kelly said.
His biggest takeaways from being in space include knowing when to slow down and how to collaborate with people from all over the world. Most notably, though, he developed a deeper appreciation for Earth itself.
“Seeing our planet, floating in the blackness of space, gives you this perspective that we are all in this together. We’ve got seven and a half billion of us on an island in our solar system,” he said.
From space, he said the earth’s atmosphere looks as thin and fragile as a contact lens on an eyeball, an observation that prompted him to make conscious changes to reduce his environmental impact since returning to Earth.
Though Kelly recently announced his candidacy for an Arizona U.S. Senate seat in 2020, this week, he reflected on his former career with a trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. There, he celebrated 50 years since the Apollo 11 launch with other past and present participants in NASA’s space program, including Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, Apollo 11 capsule communicator Charlie Duke and Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana.
“I think it’s important to use an anniversary like this to not only reflect upon where we’ve been, but also where we’re going as a country,” Kelly said.
His biggest takeaways from being in space include knowing when to slow down and how to collaborate with people from all over the world. Most notably, though, he developed a deeper appreciation for Earth itself.
“Seeing our planet, floating in the blackness of space, gives you this perspective that we are all in this together. We’ve got seven and a half billion of us on an island in our solar system,” he said.
From space, he said the earth’s atmosphere looks as thin and fragile as a contact lens on an eyeball, an observation that prompted him to make conscious changes to reduce his environmental impact since returning to Earth.
https://azdailysun.com/news/local/an-island-in-our-solar-system-astronaut-mark-kelly-reflects/article_99a4bf0a-02f7-5483-a21b-3e9765b9b279.html
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