"I had
studied astronomy and I had studied cosmology, and I fully understood that the
molecules in my body, and the molecules in my partners’ bodies and in the spacecraft,
had been prototyped in some ancient generation of stars. In other words, it was
pretty obvious from those descriptions, we’re star dust. Well, that was pretty
awesome. And powerful." - Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D., lunar module pilot of Apollo 14.
The word "awesome" gets used overmuch, often in mundane, trivial, and banal contexts. Not so in The Overview Effect. In inarguably some of the more worthwhile minutes you'll spend today, listen to astronauts, accompanied by profoundly beautiful visuals, describe the experience of viewing and contemplating Earth from space. The experience produced in them overwhelming feelings of reverence, admiration, wonder, and awe ... Which they expressed, properly, as awesome.
