Project Description
The psychology of space exploration — and why it matters on Earth
When Astronaut Chris Hadfield gazed at Earth from Space Shuttle Endeavour, tears formed in his left eye as he experienced the Overview Effect. He didn’t expect these tears would make him go blind.
Within minutes the tears used the bridge of his nose like a waterfall, spilling into his right eye, until he couldn’t see. Fear should have paralyzed Hadfield since he was now blind in space. Instead, Hadfield assessed his surroundings, evaluated the risk, trusted his training, and continued his spacewalk. Back in the shuttle, he realized that an anti-fog solution had irritated his eyes, which were fine after a good cleaning. Hadfield returned to Earth with first-hand experience of space psychology in action.
