The Overview Effect

During our trip to NASA I was intrigued by Randii’s story about a man’s shift in understanding once he was able to go into space and look back at our own planet.  At first the man is aware of his own country, then his continent, then as he moves back completely he sees the one earth.  This shift in awareness and profound understanding for the interconnection of all life was termed ‘The overview effect’ in 1973 by Frank White. The effect refers to seeing the Earth firsthand in space where country lines, wars and conflicts vanish and the importance of planetary solidarity becomes evident, creating a shift in worldview. The overview effect is a feeling of universal connection and ultimate enlightening reported by astronauts as they view their place in the universe. Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders remembers, "We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth." Apollo 14's Edgar Mitchell put it another way: "We went to the moon as technicians; we returned as humanitarians."

Here is a fascinating trailer for a documentary on the overview effect called Continuum: