Earthrise
Page 13
In ancient times it was thought that the world was a flat disc and not a round orb. People came to this conclusion when they looked out at the horizon. They observed that the distant land looked flat and would seem to drop off at the horizon. At the time this seemed to be a logical conclusion—the Earth looked flat, so it must be flat.
Many people also believed, long ago, that the Earth was the center of the universe and the other celestial bodies orbited around it. As people looked up at the sky, it logically appeared that the Sun, the Moon, the planets, and the stars revolved around the Earth on a daily basis. In astronomy this theory is called the “geocentric model,” and it was a predominant theory in ancient Greece.
For centuries, people continued to believe that the Earth was flat and was the center of the universe. But with the exploration and discoveries of well-known astronomers such as Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Galileo Galilei, these concepts began to change.
Copernicus was the first person to say that the Sun is at the center of the universe and the Earth and the other celestial bodies orbit around it. This theory, called the “heliocentric model,” was a revolutionary idea at the time. Many years later, Galileo and Kepler also studied the heavens and agreed that the Sun, and not the Earth, was the center of the universe. But people didn’t believe them or Copernicus at first.
New and different ideas often challenge our core beliefs and can take a long time to accept. Many people who lived during the times of Copernicus, or Galileo and Kepler, refused to believe what these astronomers said about our world and called their ideas “patently absurd,” “far-fetched,” “blasphemous,” or even “crazy.”
Are We Alone?
Over time, our understanding of Earth and its place in the universe has changed. We no longer believe that the Earth is flat or that Earth is the center of the universe. But we still face challenging unknowns such as, “Are we alone in the universe?” and “Does life exist beyond Earth?”
Many people today, including scientists, astronomers, astronauts, and educators, believe that we are not the only conscious and intelligent beings in the universe. I also hold this point of view and believe that our vast cosmos is teeming with life. As we continue to look up and explore space, large telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Kepler Telescope are helping us see the universe in a whole new way. These telescopes show us a more vast, varied, and expansive cosmos than ever imagined. And it’s very exciting.
The scientists who study images from the Hubble and Kepler telescopes are continually finding new planets with Earth-like environments. These newly discovered planets may be harbingers of life as we know it. And, these amazing new discoveries are helping us rethink who we are as humans.
Many people also wonder if we are, or have ever been, visited by intelligent beings who live beyond Earth. People question how a spaceship could travel vast distances and light years to get to, or land on, our planet. These ideas challenge how we think about reality, and they’re not easy to comprehend or to explain scientifically.
I’ve been curious about extraterrestrials since I was a teen when I read in the local paper about the so-called flying saucer that crashed on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947. Although I didn’t give the event a lot of thought at the time, I’m sure the Roswell incident ignited my curiosity about ETs and was part of the reason I became a space explorer. Over time I have come to accept the idea that there is life beyond Earth, and I feel very comfortable with this belief.
But whether you believe in life beyond Earth or not, there’s no escaping the many images and stories about UFOs, spaceships, and ETs in our everyday world. Our world is flooded with these images in books, magazines, newspapers, movies, TV shows, the Internet, and even everyday items such as breakfast cereal packaging. They’re part of modern cultures and they can affect one’s personal views and how one feels.
Although there have been a number of benevolent ETs featured in movies such as ET the Extra-Terrestrial, Starman, or Avatar, it certainly seems like many of the ETs depicted in movies are negative and frightening. It’s natural to wonder if intelligent life forms outside of Earth could be either threatening or kind to us.
How we regard life is always a matter of our own individual perspective, but I believe we have no reason to be afraid. Staying positive and loving in our lives is the key.
The Future of Space Exploration
Throughout my life I’ve had an ongoing desire to uncover the great unknowns and to shed light on some of the most basic questions we all face, such as Who am I? Why am I here? and What’s the purpose of my life?
A great deal of my work as an explorer, scientist, astronaut, researcher, and educator has been to help unravel the many mysteries about our planet, the universe, and what it means to be human.
We learn through exploration, and exploration of any kind can challenge belief systems. It requires an open mind and a willingness to ask questions. I view the frontier of space as an ongoing, expansive vista for future exploration. Change is inevitable, and it’s exciting to think about all the new discoveries awaiting us on this vast horizon.
Even in the last 100 years, our world has changed so much. My father was born about the time Orville and Wilbur Wright flew the world’s very first airplane in 1903. And just 68 years later, I flew 240,000 miles to the Moon and walked on it. Now that’s remarkable.
My great-grandparents would have found it impossible to believe that their great-grandson would one day walk on the Moon. They might have said, “Oh—that’s a crazy idea!” They would have also found it nearly impossible to imagine inventions such as the television, microwave, computer, or smartphone.
And although we’ve seen big changes in the US space program, like the retirement of the NASA shuttle fleet, there will always be the continued exploration of our universe. There will be new and innovative space exploration in ways we can’t even imagine, and I believe we must continue to be a space-faring civilization and always reach for the stars.
NASA continues to be a pioneer in space exploration and discovery. In 2011 NASA announced information about the design and development of a space launch system that could send astronauts even farther into space. Right now work is being done to design new spacecraft for long voyages that could send astronauts to an asteroid by 2025, and even to Mars by the mid-2030s, and return them safely to Earth. These are challenging long-range goals in the making, and some of our best thinkers are hard at work on these new expeditions into deep space.
As we begin this new era in space exploration, we will continue to find innovative avenues to head out into space. New changes in astronautics include moving toward space flight that is conducted through commercial and private companies versus the government. This will enable a wider spectrum of individuals who could potentially fly in low Earth orbit.
Going to the Moon was an extraordinary event in my life. It helped me appreciate this beautiful planet we live on and care about its future. From space I had a rare glimpse of Earth as a small globe in its galactic setting, and I realized that was my home. I feel so fortunate I became a space explorer, and I know our future depends on young people who also wish to head out into the unknown and discover new information about our world and universe.
Sometimes when I think back on my life and the many incredible experiences I’ve had, I feel very happy with what I’ve accomplished and very appreciative of the people who helped me along the way. It’s hard to imagine that a farm boy from a small town in New Mexico could grow up and fly a quarter of a million miles to the Moon and actually get to walk on it. But it really happened.
And what an incredible adventure it was.
Key Life Events
1930 Edgar Dean Mitchell is born in Hereford, Texas, on September 17
1934 First ride in an airplane at the age of four aboard a Curtiss JN-4 “Jenny” biplane
1935 Mitchell family moves to New Mexico to farm and raise cattle
1944 Flying lessons at
the Artesia, New Mexico, municipal airport and flying solo at 14 in a Piper J-3 Cub prop plane
1946 Earns pilot license at 16
1948 Heads to Carnegie Institute of Technology (Carnegie Mellon) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to study industrial management
1951 Marries Louise Randall, an art student at Carnegie Tech, on December 21
1952 Graduates from Carnegie Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science degree in industrial management
1952 Enlists in the US Navy
1954 Completes US Navy flight training and is a pilot during the Korean War
1957 After learning about Sputnik 1, the world’s first satellite launched into space, decides to become a space explorer
1959 Is accepted into the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, to study aeronautics
1961 Earns a bachelor of science in aeronautics from the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California
1961 Heads to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to study aeronautics and astronautics
1964 Graduates from MIT with a doctor of science in aeronautics and astronautics
1964 Assigned as technical director/navy liaison at the Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program in Los Angeles, California
1965 Trains to become a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base with legendary pilot Charles Yeager
1966 Selected for NASA Astronaut Corps at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas
1969 Member of the Astronaut Support Crew for Apollo 9
1969 Backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 10
1970 Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his help in the rescue of the Apollo 13 crew
1971 Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 14, which launched January 31
1971 Sixth man to walk on the Moon. Walked on the Moon February 5 and 6, 1971, with Alan Shepard
1971 Received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for the Apollo 14 mission from President Nixon at a White House ceremony
1971 Received three NASA Group Achievement Awards for exemplary service in the Apollo program
1972 Backup Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 16
1972 Retired from NASA
1972 Retired from the US Navy as a captain
1973 Founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences
1974 Author of Psychic Exploration: A Challenge for Science
1979 Inducted into the Space Hall of Fame
1984 Cofounded the Association of Space Explorers
1996 Author of The Way of the Explorer: An Apollo Astronaut’s Journey Through the Material and Mystical Worlds
1997 Inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame
2005 Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
2011 Inducted into the Leonardo da Vinci Society for the Study of Thinking
2012 Author of The Space Less Traveled: Straight Talk from Apollo 14 Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, compiled by Carol Mersch
Resources to Explore
Websites About Space
Apollo 14 Lunar Surface Journal
www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a14/
Discovery News—Space
www.news.discovery.com/space
Edgar Mitchell—Apollo 14
www.edmitchellapollo14.com
Exploring Space—The Quest for Life/PBS
www.pbs.org/exploringspace
Hubblesite—Out of the Ordinary … Out of this World
www.hubblesite.org
Kepler—A Search for Habitable Planets
www.kepler.nasa.gov
NASA—Apollo Missions
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo
NASA—Apollo 14
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/missions/apollo14.html
NASA Kids’ Club
www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/index.html
NASA—Mars Exploration Program
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/programmissions
NASA—National Aeronautics and Space Administration
www.nasa.gov
National Geographic—Solar System
http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system
Museums and Organizations
Association of Space Explorers
600 Gemini Avenue
Houston, TX 77058
(281) 280-8172
www.space-explorers.org
Astronaut Scholarship Foundation
State Road 405
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
(321) 449-4876
www.astronautscholarship.org
Goddard Space Flight Center
8800 Greenbelt Road
Greenbelt, MD 20771
(301) 286-2000
www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/visitor/home
Infinity Science Center
One Discovery Circle
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529
(228) 533-9025
www.visitinfinity.com
Institute of Noetic Sciences
625 2nd Street, Suite 200
Petaluma, CA 94952-5120
(707) 775-3500
www.noetic.org
International UFO Museum and Research Center
114 North Main Street
Roswell, NM 88203
(800) 822-3545
www.roswellufomuseum.com
Kennedy Space Center
State Road 405
Kennedy Space Center, FL 32899
(866) 737-5235
www.kennedyspacecenter.com
New Mexico Museum of Space History
3198 State Route 2001
Alamogordo, NM 88310
(575) 437-2840
www.nmspacemuseum.org
San Diego Air & Space Museum
2001 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 234-8291
www.sandiegoairandspace.org
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Independence Avenue at 6th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20560
(202) 633-2214
www.airandspace.si.edu
Space Center Houston
1601 NASA Parkway
Houston, TX 77058
(281) 244-2100
www.spacecenter.org
Space Walk of Fame Museum
4 Main Street
Titusville, FL 32796
(321) 264-0434
www.spacewalkoffame.com
US Space & Rocket Center
One Tranquility Base
Huntsville, AL 35805
(800) 637-7223
www.rocketcenter.com
Walker Aviation Museum
1 Jerry Smith Circle
Roswell, NM 88203
(575) 347-2464
www.wafbmuseum.org
Films and Videos
Apollo 13
This motion picture dramatizes the true story of the 1970 Apollo 13 mission that had a severe spacecraft malfunction. The Apollo crew used their Lunar Module as a lifeboat to safely return to Earth. Release date: 1995
From the Earth to the Moon
Based on author Andrew Chaikin’s book, A Man on the Moon, this informative 12-part HBO television series highlights the Apollo Moon missions. Release date: 1998
In the Shadow of the Moon
A documentary about the Apollo manned lunar missions in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Apollo astronauts, including Edgar Mitchell, tell their stories in their own words. Release date: 2007
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D
An IMAX 3D documentary about the 12 men who walked on the Moon. The film title comes from Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s description of the lunar surface. Release date: 2005
October Sky
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner’s son who started to build rockets after he was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in October 1957. Release date: 1999
The Right Stuff
Adapted from author Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, The Right Stuff, this film of the same name fe
atures the test pilots, such as Edgar Mitchell, who flew high-speed, experimental jets at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Release date: 1983
The Wright Brothers
A feature-length film about Orville and Wilbur Wright, two American brothers/inventors who flew the first “heavier than air” vehicle. Their flight was made at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. Release date: 1997
Wonders of the Solar System
An award-winning television series with five episodes that focus on different aspects of the solar system. The series was produced by the BBC and the Science Channel and hosted by physicist Dr. Brian Cox. Release date: 2010
Wonders of the Universe
A television series with four episodes focusing on different aspects of the universe, produced by the BBC, Discovery Channel, and Science Channel. Also hosted by physicist Dr. Brian Cox. Release date: 2011
Books for Further Reading
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
By Tanya Lee Stone (Candlewick Press, 2009)
This book tells the story of 13 women in the early years of NASA who were courageous pioneers of the Space Age.
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart
By Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade Books, 2011) This book tells the interesting life story of early aviator Amelia Earhart.
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century:
The Complete Newspaper Dailies: Volume One 1929–1930
The Dille Family Trust (Hermes Press, 2008)
Buck Rogers’ fans will find this comprehensive book fascinating and informative.
First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong
By James R. Hansen (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
A book for older readers about Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to walk on the Moon.
Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut’s Story
By Michael Collins (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1994)
Written by Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins, who was Command Module Pilot and orbited the Moon as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon.
Life on Earth and Beyond: An Astrobiologist’s Quest