5 Washington astronauts attempt to describe outer space in words: "A greatness beyond anything I can describe"



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There are 7,700,000,000 people on Earth. Only 562 have flown in space and five of them live in this state.

So, yes, it's a very, very select group.

Three men and two women, aged 44 to 85, who accumulated more than 2,440 hours in zero gravity, with these flying shuttles running 16 surveys and 16 sunsets a day at an altitude of 17,500 km / h, their eyes seeing the Earth in deeper colors. that any photo can match.

As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing approaches Saturday, they may try to explain what it looks like, but they recognize that it's not enough.

"I felt very connected to God and greatness that goes beyond anything I can describe," says Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, of Lake Forest Park, who in April 2010 was a flight engineer on a trip 15-day shuttle to replenish the Space Station. It has traveled 6.2 million miles on 238 Earth orbits.

"My brain wanted to rationalize everything, but some things just have to be absorbed and experienced."

She tried to explain to her family – "the beauty of the heavens and the earth; the immensity that can not be shown because the photos have edges. She said, "I'm sure my words have been up to it. "

Metcalf-Lindenburger, Bill Anders, John Creighton, Gregory C. Johnson, and Wendy Lawrence are not philosophy philosophers you would imagine to understand why we are here.

These were individuals with backgrounds in geology, aeronautics, nuclear engineering, ocean engineering, or as a test pilot. For some, however, what they felt in the space was spiritual.

Astronauts Gregory C. Johnson, John Creighton and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger know NASA's space shuttle trainer at the Seattle Museum of Flight. All three used this coach for their shuttle missions. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

Astronauts Gregory C. Johnson, John Creighton and Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger know NASA's space shuttle trainer at the Seattle Museum of Flight. All three used this coach for their shuttle missions. (Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

Johnson of Kent, who flew a shuttle mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, says, "You can not look into the cosmos without thinking that a higher power is causing the all that. "something else. "There must be someone else there."

Anders, 85, who shares his residences between Anacortes and San Diego, was the pilot of the lunar orbit module of Apollo 8 in December 1968 – the first crewed spacecraft to have successfully circled the Moon.

He opened the way to Apollo 11 and made the journey launched by the powerful Saturn V rocket which had experienced flaws and failures of instruments. Apollo 8 was originally supposed to move into a low Earth orbit, but the program was delayed after the CIA's erroneous intelligence that the Soviet Union was preparing its own lunar landing mission. There were no problems during this trip.

Anders is the one who took the historical picture "Earthrise" – the Earth that glances furtively beyond the lunar surface. Time magazine ranked it among the 100 most influential photos of all time.

"In the history of mankind, almost everyone thought we were the center of the solar system. We are almost at the center of nothing except in our own minds, "says Anders.

In fact, planners had not thought that Apollo 8 was an unprecedented opportunity to look back on Earth. The crew took a lot of pictures of the moon's surface.

But, says Anders, "the moon was beaten and ugly, without interest. And here is the Earth.

Anders exclaims on an audio recording of the mission looking at the blue and white of our planet: "Oh, my God! Look at this picture over there! Here is the Earth to come. Wow, is it pretty! "

Using a Hasselblad camera equipped with a 250mm lens, Anders took two color images, varying the exposure, including the history. The camera had been modified to include large special locks for film magazines, levers for diaphragm adjustment and lens distance, for easier use by astronauts dressed in suits and pressurized gloves.

"I'm not a big environmentalist, but I think this image has basically started the environmental movement," said Anders.

For him, the photo means: "We must treat the Earth carefully and not as people who launch bombs and rockets."

On Christmas Eve 1968, Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell sent a message of peace to Earth. They read in turn the book of Genesis. In the Anders portion: "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light."

He says that Borman had the idea.

"At that time, I was more religious. I thought it was a good choice. The story of creation is based on many beliefs, almost all beliefs, "says Anders.

Dreams realized

For these astronauts, a common thread is a fascination for space that began in childhood.

Metcalf-Lindenburger is 44 years old and now works as an environmental geologist on soils and groundwater.

She still wears the ring that she bought at the age of 14 and who wears a crescent moon and a star, which she took with her into the shuttle.

She was about 8 years old when the 1983 film "The Right Stuff" came out. She saw him with his parents in Loveland, Colorado. The same year, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She was hooked.

There is the majesty of space, then there are less than majestic aspects of a space mission.

Metcalf-Lindenburger, as 60% to 70% of astronauts, vomited because of what is called "motion sickness in space".

In the absence of upward or downward sense, the vestibular system of chambers and channels in our ears that gives us balance "receives no signal," she says. "I was sick during the first hours in space and on my return."

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, of Lake Forest Park, flew to Space Shuttle Discovery in April 2010. (NASA)

Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, of Lake Forest Park, flew to Space Shuttle Discovery in April 2010. (NASA)

Some astronauts notice that the space has a somewhat metallic smell. Well, not really space.

"When we bring the walkers back into the airlock and open the door, it smells like metal. It's probably an interaction of our suits and tools that come out and interact with solar radiation, "she says.

Johnson, 64, and a 1972 graduate of West Seattle High, had never flown until the age of 17. "My father was frugal. We took trips by car. "

But he saw airplanes when the family took someone who arrives at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and he wondered how such bulky objects could fly. This is how his interest in space began.

Johnson is now Senior Vice President of the New Shepard Suborbital Rocket Project for Blue Origin by Jeff Bezos.

John Creighton, 76, of Burien, was a shuttle mission pilot in 1985 and commander of the 1990 and 1991 shuttle missions.

The 1961 Ballard graduate recalls three things that sparked his interest in space.

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, the first satellite in the world. It was about the size of a beach ball.

He remembers climbing the roof of his family's house in Ballard about an hour before dusk to try to see Sputnik illuminated by the sun.

And then there was the annual visit of the Blue Angels flying squadron for hydro-power races, and the headlines about Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut who, in April 1961, became the first human to fly in space. He completed an orbit.

Sometimes Creighton talks to school children. "If you want to become an astronaut, do not let anyone tell you more. I am living proof that dreams come true. "

"A whole ride"

All astronauts remember the power of takeoff.

The energy released at full power by the three main shuttle engines is equal to that created by 13 Hoover dams, according to NASA.

Creighton says: "Until you experience it for the first time, you do not appreciate the tremendous brute force that hurts you in the seat, with all the vibrations that reign in it. "

It would last 2 minutes 11 seconds, said Creighton, then the solid propellant would be stopped and shortly thereafter, the bolts holding the thrusters would be dropped and the flares would accelerate the shuttle to go to orbit.

"You hear this boom, boom, boom. It only lasts half a second to a second, but it seems longer. This surprises you, "he says.

In short, the windshield is engulfed by the flames.

"I'm describing it sounds like the Second World War is happening right in front of the windows."

Astronauts can have a dry humor. "It's quite a trick," he added, "was built by the lowest bidder."

Wendy Lawrence, 60, of Ferndale, Whatcom County, was a mission specialist on shuttle flights in March 1995, September-October 1997, June 1998 and July-August 2005. She worked part-time at Space Camp in Alabama and at the Kennedy Space. Center Visitor Complex in Florida and sits on the advisory board of bothell campus of the University of Washington.

She was 10 years old and her family lived north of San Diego. She remembers very well Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong who took their first steps on the moon.

"My brother, my sister and I were lying on the floor in front of the television. I was absolutely fascinated. It absolutely attracted my imagination. I remember thinking, "I want to be an astronaut when I grow up." My mother said that I turned around, looked at the rest of the family and said that.

And then there's the first time you're weightless – not for a few seconds in a simulation, but for real, in space.

"You push and you make a somersault in the crew compartment," says Lawrence

Lawrence also talks about the feeling of wonder that only astronauts can feel the first time they see the Earth from above.

"On my first launch, the mission commander grabbed me and put my face on the window. "Look!", Remembers Lawrence. The pictures she saw are not comparable to reality.

"Our eyes perceive a much more dynamic color gamut and there is a vivid 3D effect," she says. "You can see the clouds above the ocean and then a much higher storm."

The Apollo 8 crew heads out of the departure lounge to catch a van that will take them to the launch pad in December 1968. The Apollo 8 was the mission during which humans have to go to the launch pad. first encircled the Moon. (NASA)

The Apollo 8 crew heads out of the departure lounge to catch a van that will take them to the launch pad in December 1968. The Apollo 8 was the mission during which humans have to go to the launch pad. first encircled the moon. (NASA)

One last question

This question was asked of the five astronauts: if world leaders could experience space, would that change them?

Lawrence: "Yes, without a doubt. You do not see obvious boundaries. You see a place. You see the Earth in an intensely black space. It looks very small and very fragile. It's our home. "

Creighton: "I hope that they will better understand what we are doing for the Earth. I could see the Amazon rainforests in the naked eye and you could see more and more land being destroyed, the roads were getting bigger and bigger. "

Anders: "I hope so. I have been so disappointed with the behavior of the so-called world leaders these days, I do not really know what they would do. "

Johnson: I do it. This would inspire us all to work harder as a human team to care for the Earth. "

Metcalf-Lindenburger: "Maybe. They thought they were teammates and regarded Earth as their precious spaceship. But I'm not sure that's important. They are what they are. I do not see world leaders changed by space. "

It's three good answers full of hope out of five. Given the weather in which we live, not bad.

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