1 00:00:38,732 --> 00:00:40,654 TIMOTHY PEAKE: The Overview Effect is something that 2 00:00:40,693 --> 00:00:44,021 astronauts have been reporting back from the very early days of 3 00:00:44,037 --> 00:00:46,716 human spaceflight, and it's described as a cognitive shift 4 00:00:46,748 --> 00:00:50,966 in perspective of seeing your home planet from space. I think 5 00:00:50,998 --> 00:00:53,685 at some level it's certainly spiritual for everybody. 6 00:01:00,788 --> 00:01:04,891 AJAY TEGALA: Imagine floating 250 miles above the Earth. 7 00:01:06,512 --> 00:01:11,535 No gravity, no noise, and gazing down at a fragile, beautiful 8 00:01:11,660 --> 00:01:15,887 blue sphere hanging against the backdrop of infinite darkness. 9 00:01:18,090 --> 00:01:22,074 Now imagine returning to Earth and never seeing the world the 10 00:01:22,168 --> 00:01:23,074 same way again. 11 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,103 I'm Ajay Tagala. Ranger with the National Trust on Wicken Fen in 12 00:01:33,142 --> 00:01:33,763 Cambridgeshire. 13 00:01:35,326 --> 00:01:38,826 Welcome to Wild Tales, the Overview Effect. 14 00:01:47,271 --> 00:01:51,756 Today, let's explore space, perspective, and how seeing the 15 00:01:51,834 --> 00:01:55,099 Earth from a different point of view changes everything about 16 00:01:55,100 --> 00:01:57,912 the way we interact with the world and each other. 17 00:02:00,672 --> 00:02:03,814 We're examining something called the Overview Effect, a 18 00:02:03,916 --> 00:02:07,939 mind-bending shift experienced by astronauts when they see the 19 00:02:07,998 --> 00:02:12,541 Earth from space. We'll hear from astronaut Tim Peake, artist 20 00:02:12,627 --> 00:02:16,564 Luke Jerram, and reaction to Luke's recent artwork, Helios, 21 00:02:16,963 --> 00:02:20,478 which enables the general public to experience some of the awe 22 00:02:20,572 --> 00:02:24,041 and wonder of our solar system without needing to fly in a 23 00:02:24,072 --> 00:02:24,463 rocket. 24 00:02:30,904 --> 00:02:33,948 The first step on the mission to understand the Overview Effect 25 00:02:34,448 --> 00:02:36,930 leads us to Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff. 26 00:02:38,832 --> 00:02:43,633 It's a 55-acre Edwardian estate featuring beautiful gardens, an 27 00:02:43,774 --> 00:02:47,953 arboretum, and was originally designed and built in the 1890s. 28 00:02:49,485 --> 00:02:52,266 EARL SMITH: My name is Luke Jerram and I'm the artist behind 29 00:02:52,281 --> 00:02:55,375 this sun artwork, Helios, which is here in Cardiff. 30 00:02:58,752 --> 00:03:02,595 This is a seven meter sculpture of the sun and it's composed of 31 00:03:02,918 --> 00:03:06,480 400,000 photographs of the surface of the sun. So it allows 32 00:03:06,481 --> 00:03:09,863 the public to see all the details, all the sunspots, 33 00:03:10,207 --> 00:03:12,808 filaments, spicules in perfect detail. 34 00:03:13,269 --> 00:03:16,793 And it's suspended from a truss over the gardens and then in the 35 00:03:16,794 --> 00:03:19,355 background we've got the beautiful house for everyone to 36 00:03:19,371 --> 00:03:22,543 see as well. So yeah it looks really nice and in fact further 37 00:03:22,574 --> 00:03:25,011 down the garden there's this beautiful long, almost like a 38 00:03:25,043 --> 00:03:28,334 long pond I suppose. That creates beautiful reflections of 39 00:03:28,354 --> 00:03:30,295 this sun artwork in that pond. 40 00:03:30,815 --> 00:03:33,881 AJAY TEGALA: A crew are busily checking every aspect of the 41 00:03:33,979 --> 00:03:34,459 artwork. 42 00:03:34,897 --> 00:03:37,186 EARL SMITH: We've suspended artworks like this from trees 43 00:03:37,319 --> 00:03:41,827 over lakes. We've suspended them from buildings, cranes, all 44 00:03:41,850 --> 00:03:46,194 around the world, from Hong Kong to Dubai, from Sydney to Los 45 00:03:46,225 --> 00:03:48,788 Angeles. I have a lot of experience of presenting it in 46 00:03:48,834 --> 00:03:49,647 different contexts. 47 00:03:50,272 --> 00:03:52,241 AJAY TEGALA: Are there any common reactions from the 48 00:03:52,303 --> 00:03:53,819 audiences around the world? 49 00:03:54,700 --> 00:03:56,560 EARL SMITH: There's a sense of awe and wonder when people 50 00:03:56,860 --> 00:03:59,780 experience these artworks. And this artwork of the sun is 51 00:03:59,819 --> 00:04:02,100 internally illuminated, so in the evening it should be very 52 00:04:02,143 --> 00:04:05,362 beautiful. And it's got this rippling light that sort of 53 00:04:05,386 --> 00:04:07,183 animates the surface of the sun as well. 54 00:04:11,401 --> 00:04:14,167 AJAY TEGALA: So, what originally started Luke's journey to 55 00:04:14,198 --> 00:04:16,323 becoming an artist when he was a child? 56 00:04:17,433 --> 00:04:19,370 EARL SMITH: I was really interested in drawing and making 57 00:04:19,433 --> 00:04:22,900 things. I was the sort of kid who would take stuff apart. So 58 00:04:22,920 --> 00:04:25,780 I'd be taking radios or TVs apart to see what was going on 59 00:04:25,801 --> 00:04:28,221 inside. And then, of course, you tried to put them back together 60 00:04:28,241 --> 00:04:30,721 and they'd never quite go back together and work properly ever 61 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:32,999 again. But I think, yeah, artists and scientists and 62 00:04:33,022 --> 00:04:34,585 engineers have got that curiosity. 63 00:04:35,061 --> 00:04:37,624 And in fact, I had a place at university to do engineering, 64 00:04:38,186 --> 00:04:41,108 but decided to do an art degree instead. But actually that 65 00:04:41,171 --> 00:04:45,702 interest in thinking about the practicalities and forces and 66 00:04:45,999 --> 00:04:49,467 structures and materials and inventing things, you know, I'm 67 00:04:49,483 --> 00:04:52,589 still using all those ideas from engineering in my artwork. 68 00:04:53,711 --> 00:04:56,498 AJAY TEGALA: But learning the language of science was only the 69 00:04:56,576 --> 00:05:00,328 first step towards creating artwork that has been acclaimed 70 00:05:00,408 --> 00:05:01,969 and displayed worldwide. 71 00:05:03,712 --> 00:05:06,833 What other steps were key to Luke's journey in creating 72 00:05:06,934 --> 00:05:07,434 Helios? 73 00:05:08,216 --> 00:05:10,622 EARL SMITH: I'm from Bristol. Bristol's got the second highest 74 00:05:10,661 --> 00:05:14,098 tidal range in the world there, so about 20 years ago, I 75 00:05:14,099 --> 00:05:17,528 remember cycling over the river and noticing someone had stolen 76 00:05:17,544 --> 00:05:20,403 all the water! And of course, it's the Moon that makes that 77 00:05:20,450 --> 00:05:23,294 happen. And that gave me an idea to make an artwork controlled by 78 00:05:23,295 --> 00:05:26,372 the Moon. And that was a project called Tide, and it took about 79 00:05:26,434 --> 00:05:28,778 two years. I made this installation controlled by the 80 00:05:28,779 --> 00:05:28,919 Moon. 81 00:05:29,132 --> 00:05:32,115 But back then I also had this idea to make a replica Moon that 82 00:05:32,134 --> 00:05:35,318 would be sort of emerging out of the sea, but back then the data 83 00:05:35,357 --> 00:05:37,779 wasn't available from NASA, that they hadn't sent up the 84 00:05:37,802 --> 00:05:40,982 satellites, and printing technology hadn't been invented, 85 00:05:41,005 --> 00:05:43,325 so I literally had to sort of sit on the idea for 10 years, 86 00:05:44,130 --> 00:05:47,771 waiting for the opportunity to then make a beautiful Moon 87 00:05:47,865 --> 00:05:49,599 sculpture. That was the first project we made. 88 00:05:51,255 --> 00:05:54,802 In fact, the first Moon we made was helium-filled, and it 89 00:05:54,865 --> 00:05:59,256 popped! There's a film of me on CBBC of the... I'm like This 90 00:05:59,296 --> 00:06:03,278 thing popping outdoors in very high winds, it's filming me with 91 00:06:03,321 --> 00:06:06,044 my mouth open as all this helium, three and a half grams 92 00:06:06,102 --> 00:06:07,645 worth of helium just going up like this! 93 00:06:07,864 --> 00:06:10,309 But anyway, you know, that's the nature of doing new things 94 00:06:10,349 --> 00:06:12,989 sometimes is you have to be willing to step into the 95 00:06:13,013 --> 00:06:15,645 unknown. You've got to be able to recover and learn from 96 00:06:15,677 --> 00:06:17,989 mistakes and where things go wrong. So anyway, the Moon was 97 00:06:18,036 --> 00:06:21,942 very successful. I toured it all around the world, maybe 300 98 00:06:21,974 --> 00:06:25,239 presentations of the Moon. And we created an Earth and then 99 00:06:25,255 --> 00:06:26,317 we've created the Mars. 100 00:06:26,956 --> 00:06:29,376 And then the opportunity came up to make the sun and I thought 101 00:06:29,417 --> 00:06:33,017 actually there's that universal appeal isn't there with the sun. 102 00:06:33,438 --> 00:06:36,696 It has significance in every culture and religion, inspired 103 00:06:36,774 --> 00:06:42,079 music and poetry and the sun is a sort of life source for all 104 00:06:42,118 --> 00:06:45,423 life on our planet so that's one of the reasons I made this sun. 105 00:06:46,579 --> 00:06:48,954 AJAY TEGALA: Creating artwork that connects people from 106 00:06:49,048 --> 00:06:52,548 different countries and young and old is a huge challenge. 107 00:06:53,907 --> 00:06:56,204 EARL SMITH: I try to make artworks that have multiple 108 00:06:56,324 --> 00:06:59,988 doors of entry so yeah a four-year-old child will enjoy 109 00:07:00,048 --> 00:07:02,892 running around on the grass and hiding in the shadows and 110 00:07:03,091 --> 00:07:05,791 they'll have a very memorable time but scientists get very 111 00:07:05,830 --> 00:07:09,361 excited and astronomers get very excited by seeing these 112 00:07:09,376 --> 00:07:13,283 sculptures of the Moon or the Earth or the sun as we've got 113 00:07:13,345 --> 00:07:16,751 here up close and seeing all the details for the first time but 114 00:07:16,752 --> 00:07:19,173 suppose the thing about the sun is we're not ordinarily allowed 115 00:07:19,174 --> 00:07:21,705 to look at it you know so we're not used to looking at the 116 00:07:21,736 --> 00:07:25,017 surface of the sun so it's quite unusual to have an artwork that 117 00:07:25,144 --> 00:07:26,345 provides that opportunity. 118 00:07:27,567 --> 00:07:30,889 AJAY TEGALA: It wasn't that long ago that some people saw art and 119 00:07:30,928 --> 00:07:35,174 science as opposing disciplines. What helped Luke view them as 120 00:07:35,237 --> 00:07:35,956 complementary? 121 00:07:36,815 --> 00:07:39,401 EARL SMITH: I think both artists and scientists are interested in 122 00:07:39,456 --> 00:07:43,526 phenomena. I'm interested in interrogating the world. What's 123 00:07:43,527 --> 00:07:45,979 a rainbow made of? How does that work? You know, what's the 124 00:07:46,010 --> 00:07:50,604 surface of the sun actually look like? And that interest is, 125 00:07:50,776 --> 00:07:53,338 yeah, universal for both engineers and scientists and 126 00:07:53,370 --> 00:07:53,713 artists. 127 00:07:54,152 --> 00:07:57,455 With art, I suppose, I've realised that I can create an 128 00:07:57,475 --> 00:08:00,578 artwork that can reach very large audiences and actually 129 00:08:00,579 --> 00:08:02,864 that seems to be quite valuable for scientists to be able to 130 00:08:02,879 --> 00:08:05,723 communicate their research. So I'm often collaborating with 131 00:08:05,746 --> 00:08:09,285 scientists and my job is to communicate some difficult 132 00:08:09,309 --> 00:08:12,262 scientific ideas and I can do that through art and bring in 133 00:08:12,263 --> 00:08:13,543 new audiences for them as well. 134 00:08:14,371 --> 00:08:17,418 AJAY TEGALA: So, what does it really feel like to see Earth 135 00:08:17,481 --> 00:08:21,184 from space? Well, to truly understand the Overview 136 00:08:21,231 --> 00:08:24,319 Effect... You need to speak to someone who's actually lived it. 137 00:08:24,319 --> 00:08:30,247 Five, Four, three, two, one, zero. 138 00:08:32,028 --> 00:08:35,090 Tim Peake was the first British astronaut aboard the 139 00:08:35,168 --> 00:08:39,106 International Space Station. He spent six months orbiting the 140 00:08:39,168 --> 00:08:44,715 Earth at 17,500 miles per hour, circling the planet more than 141 00:08:44,825 --> 00:08:49,840 2,500 times. We catch up with him to find out about the 142 00:08:49,887 --> 00:08:53,068 life-changing experience on a walk at the National Trust's 143 00:08:53,169 --> 00:08:55,388 Petworth Park near the South Downs. 144 00:08:56,990 --> 00:09:00,189 TIMOTHY PEAKE: As a young boy, I had that fascination of kind of 145 00:09:00,190 --> 00:09:03,353 looking up to the stars in all wonder and had a Lego set, I 146 00:09:03,392 --> 00:09:06,330 remember, with a big rocket on the back and I loved building 147 00:09:06,408 --> 00:09:10,455 that. And so I guess there was always a spark of space right 148 00:09:10,456 --> 00:09:11,408 from the beginning. 149 00:09:13,549 --> 00:09:16,752 AJAY TEGALA: Tim's career path didn't lead directly to becoming 150 00:09:16,767 --> 00:09:21,176 an astronaut. He joined the Army Air Corps and eventually became 151 00:09:21,197 --> 00:09:25,979 a helicopter pilot. Over 18 years, he served in and tested 152 00:09:26,139 --> 00:09:29,119 many different types of helicopters around the world, 153 00:09:29,635 --> 00:09:32,315 including the iconic Apache in the USA. 154 00:09:34,119 --> 00:09:38,002 As his experiences grew, he faced a tricky choice, whether 155 00:09:38,003 --> 00:09:41,893 or not to stay in the army and be promoted out of flying, or 156 00:09:41,940 --> 00:09:44,784 choose a riskier path that enabled him to stay in the 157 00:09:44,799 --> 00:09:49,143 cockpit as a test pilot. He chose the latter, and it was 158 00:09:49,221 --> 00:09:52,709 this choice that meant he was ready for the opportunity of a 159 00:09:52,769 --> 00:09:53,410 lifetime. 160 00:09:54,992 --> 00:09:56,855 TIMOTHY PEAKE: And that led me to being right place, right 161 00:09:56,894 --> 00:10:00,000 time, right qualifications when ESA had their selection process. 162 00:10:01,261 --> 00:10:04,685 AJAY TEGALA: ESA, or the European Space Agency, was 163 00:10:04,744 --> 00:10:08,544 recruiting for astronauts, and Tim applied and was given a 164 00:10:08,591 --> 00:10:13,154 chance, along with over 8,000 high-calibre applicants from all 165 00:10:13,294 --> 00:10:17,591 over Europe. He took part in the year of tests, gradually getting 166 00:10:17,654 --> 00:10:18,997 down to the last group. 167 00:10:20,201 --> 00:10:22,685 TIMOTHY PEAKE: On the internet, the European Space Agency said, 168 00:10:22,747 --> 00:10:26,763 we're going to announce the new astronauts on Wednesday. On the 169 00:10:26,826 --> 00:10:30,921 Monday night beforehand, the phone rang. And it was a number 170 00:10:30,981 --> 00:10:33,744 from Paris. And I thought, well, this is the rejection call 171 00:10:33,783 --> 00:10:36,705 because whoever is being selected, they would have been 172 00:10:36,748 --> 00:10:39,326 told at least a week in advance. They would have probably already 173 00:10:39,389 --> 00:10:40,170 been out to Paris. 174 00:10:40,171 --> 00:10:42,709 They would be prepped. They would have had some PR training, 175 00:10:43,412 --> 00:10:46,279 all the rest of it. This is Monday night, can't possibly be 176 00:10:46,342 --> 00:10:49,404 me. So I was fully expecting to have a pleasant conversation to 177 00:10:49,405 --> 00:10:51,920 be told, I'm sorry you didn't make it. And the conversation 178 00:10:51,998 --> 00:10:54,639 went the other way. They said, can you be in Paris on 179 00:10:54,670 --> 00:10:58,326 Wednesday? We'd like you to join the European Astronaut Corps. 180 00:10:59,724 --> 00:11:02,085 AJAY TEGALA: Despite the huge upheaval it had been for his 181 00:11:02,167 --> 00:11:05,628 family, Tim felt it was an opportunity he couldn't miss. 182 00:11:06,472 --> 00:11:08,074 TIMOTHY PEAKE: We didn't know where we would be living, what 183 00:11:08,128 --> 00:11:10,753 life would be like, but it was one of those things you just 184 00:11:10,792 --> 00:11:13,378 have to grasp the opportunity with both hands and how could 185 00:11:13,379 --> 00:11:15,339 you possibly say no to being an astronaut? 186 00:11:17,003 --> 00:11:20,066 AJAY TEGALA: Tim moved his family to Cologne in Germany and 187 00:11:20,097 --> 00:11:23,644 began the extensive training required to blast off into 188 00:11:23,722 --> 00:11:24,222 space. 189 00:11:25,347 --> 00:11:27,535 TIMOTHY PEAKE: There's a huge amount of training to become an 190 00:11:27,550 --> 00:11:30,283 astronaut. For a mission to the International Space Station. 191 00:11:32,183 --> 00:11:35,209 AJAY TEGALA: Tim's life became a whirlwind of Russian language 192 00:11:35,248 --> 00:11:40,474 lessons, survival training in Siberian forests, underwater 193 00:11:40,568 --> 00:11:44,756 spacewalk simulations, and even deep cave exploration in 194 00:11:44,818 --> 00:11:48,615 Sardinia to test how he operated in extreme isolated 195 00:11:48,693 --> 00:11:49,443 environments. 196 00:11:50,959 --> 00:11:53,990 TIMOTHY PEAKE: If you want to be a space station astronaut, you 197 00:11:54,021 --> 00:11:57,693 need to be able to fly the spacecraft, dock the spacecraf, 198 00:11:58,008 --> 00:12:01,272 do all the cargo operations, do all the maintenance, use the 199 00:12:01,292 --> 00:12:04,917 robotic arm, conduct a spacewalk, be the doctor, be the 200 00:12:04,956 --> 00:12:08,401 dentist, be the electrician, be the plumber, be the IT guy who 201 00:12:08,402 --> 00:12:11,081 strips down the computer and we haven't even spoken about the 202 00:12:11,082 --> 00:12:16,401 science yet. So you're talking about two and a half years of 203 00:12:16,573 --> 00:12:20,073 basic training, which all space station crew members do and 204 00:12:20,089 --> 00:12:22,635 that's great because it means that whether you're from Japan 205 00:12:22,932 --> 00:12:26,861 or from Russia or from Canada or from Europe you're all doing 206 00:12:26,901 --> 00:12:28,523 that same basic training package. 207 00:12:29,463 --> 00:12:32,305 AJAY TEGALA: And finally, after years of preparation and 208 00:12:32,367 --> 00:12:36,008 sacrifice, the moment arrives, sitting on top of a rocket 209 00:12:36,352 --> 00:12:40,273 waiting to blast off to space on a mission to the ISS. 210 00:12:45,453 --> 00:12:47,000 TIMOTHY PEAKE: Sitting on top of the rocket is quite an 211 00:12:47,001 --> 00:12:51,332 interesting time because you've had so much happen before in 212 00:12:51,372 --> 00:12:54,695 your career as an astronaut to date in terms of whoever becomes 213 00:12:54,696 --> 00:12:58,257 an astronaut you have given up a previous career at which you 214 00:12:58,277 --> 00:13:00,543 were very good. If you weren't very good at it you wouldn't 215 00:13:00,544 --> 00:13:03,207 have been chosen to be an astronaut so everybody has 216 00:13:03,261 --> 00:13:06,324 sacrificed a very good career doing something they loved and 217 00:13:06,347 --> 00:13:08,902 something they were passionate about and you've gambled all of 218 00:13:08,933 --> 00:13:13,652 that on "will i get a mission to space?" You've gone through many 219 00:13:13,715 --> 00:13:17,574 many years of training which has had huge family upheaval. 220 00:13:18,168 --> 00:13:21,571 Probably seeing your family less than 50% of the time for all of 221 00:13:21,572 --> 00:13:24,495 those years. And you've kind of had this whirlwind of 222 00:13:24,553 --> 00:13:27,194 preparation in getting you to the point where you're going to 223 00:13:27,233 --> 00:13:30,624 sit on top of a rocket. And then finally, you're on top of the 224 00:13:30,678 --> 00:13:34,905 rocket. And it's the culmination of all of that. And the hatch 225 00:13:34,967 --> 00:13:38,592 closes and you have this kind of change of mindset, really, where 226 00:13:39,030 --> 00:13:41,483 you're just focused on the mission ahead. And the only 227 00:13:41,545 --> 00:13:43,780 thing you're nervous about is not going. People think "you're 228 00:13:43,781 --> 00:13:46,233 not scared taking a trip on a rocket to space?" It's like, no! 229 00:13:46,832 --> 00:13:49,814 I'm nervous about the launch being scrubbed and for some 230 00:13:49,895 --> 00:13:51,615 reason not getting to space. 231 00:13:57,705 --> 00:14:00,486 AJAY TEGALA: Tim bursts a misconception about the moments 232 00:14:00,525 --> 00:14:01,283 before takeoff. 233 00:14:02,346 --> 00:14:05,330 TIMOTHY PEAKE: We don't actually have a countdown. That's one of 234 00:14:05,331 --> 00:14:08,596 the most surprising things for people is outside they have a 235 00:14:08,611 --> 00:14:11,377 countdown. If you're watching the launch, you've got a nice 236 00:14:11,464 --> 00:14:14,647 board there which has got your countdown ticking away for the 237 00:14:14,666 --> 00:14:17,209 press and for the family and friends watching the launch but 238 00:14:17,268 --> 00:14:21,096 inside the spacecraft what we're doing is we're going through the 239 00:14:21,111 --> 00:14:24,338 checklist and then we're also watching the systems come online 240 00:14:24,776 --> 00:14:29,080 so for us 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 that's not important at all. What's 241 00:14:29,143 --> 00:14:33,330 important for us are things like the fuel systems pressurized, 242 00:14:33,330 --> 00:14:36,971 the turbo pumps are up and running the engines are at 50 243 00:14:36,972 --> 00:14:41,040 the engines are at 75 the engines are at 100 percent, two 244 00:14:41,140 --> 00:14:42,682 second hold and now we go. 245 00:14:45,345 --> 00:14:49,567 It's very hard to feel that moment because there's so much 246 00:14:49,606 --> 00:14:53,575 vibration, there's so much noise that you don't actually feel the 247 00:14:53,614 --> 00:14:57,763 rocket lifting off the launch pad. It's only after probably 248 00:14:57,841 --> 00:15:02,591 about three or four seconds. The g-force starts to kick in as the 249 00:15:02,630 --> 00:15:05,872 rocket builds speed and then you start getting pressed into your 250 00:15:05,915 --> 00:15:08,216 seat you realize yeah we're definitely on our way now. 251 00:15:08,934 --> 00:15:11,301 AJAY TEGALA: Tim described the experience of being inside a 252 00:15:11,341 --> 00:15:14,466 rocket like being inside a giant power tool. 253 00:15:15,020 --> 00:15:17,872 TIMOTHY PEAKE: In terms of the g-force it kind of builds 254 00:15:17,919 --> 00:15:22,075 gradually but rapidly up to about 4 G's and then the first 255 00:15:22,076 --> 00:15:25,887 stage boosters get jettisoned and then the g-force completely 256 00:15:26,231 --> 00:15:30,703 washes off at that point. As the second stage picks up, so for a 257 00:15:30,763 --> 00:15:34,045 moment there you feel almost a little bit weightless in the 258 00:15:34,064 --> 00:15:36,650 rocket as those first stage boosters fall away. It feels 259 00:15:36,651 --> 00:15:38,447 like you're kind of pitching forward, if you didn't know 260 00:15:38,533 --> 00:15:40,892 better, you might think, oh, we're falling back to Earth 261 00:15:40,931 --> 00:15:43,853 again. It's quite disconcerting. But then the second stage picks 262 00:15:43,877 --> 00:15:46,806 up and it's a much gentler ride on the second stage, so about 263 00:15:46,884 --> 00:15:50,103 two Gs. And then the second stage drops off and the third 264 00:15:50,166 --> 00:15:53,645 stage picks up and the third stage. By now you're up in space 265 00:15:53,786 --> 00:15:56,227 and the rocket is horizontal, it's not vertical anymore. 266 00:15:56,389 --> 00:15:59,311 It's pretty much got most the altitude it needs. It now needs 267 00:15:59,370 --> 00:16:03,878 speed. So the third stage is absolute acceleration. It's 268 00:16:03,995 --> 00:16:08,800 mind-blowing. It's back up to 4g's. That's getting you from 269 00:16:08,925 --> 00:16:13,221 probably about 10 times the speed of sound up to 25 times 270 00:16:13,222 --> 00:16:16,050 the speed of sound. So that's 17 and a half thousand miles an 271 00:16:16,065 --> 00:16:18,675 hour. You can't really comprehend what that's like. 272 00:16:20,932 --> 00:16:23,972 AJAY TEGALA: The journey from Earth to space only takes nine 273 00:16:24,033 --> 00:16:28,154 minutes and as you can hear it is hard to put into words the 274 00:16:28,173 --> 00:16:31,337 feeling of leaving the planet on which you have thus far spent 275 00:16:31,353 --> 00:16:33,634 your whole life and getting to space. 276 00:16:36,908 --> 00:16:39,548 TIMOTHY PEAKE: It's an absolutely crazy nine minutes. 277 00:16:40,142 --> 00:16:43,361 There's a huge amount of fun as well, a huge adrenaline rush and 278 00:16:43,362 --> 00:16:46,314 at the same time you've got this childish excitement of what's 279 00:16:46,361 --> 00:16:49,142 going on mixed with the professional astronaut who's 280 00:16:49,173 --> 00:16:51,982 kind of keeping an eye on on the rocket on the way up but when 281 00:16:51,983 --> 00:17:00,287 the main engines cut out, everything goes really quiet and 282 00:17:01,209 --> 00:17:03,834 everything floats up into the cockpit so you instantly you can 283 00:17:03,873 --> 00:17:06,381 let go of your checklist and it's floating in front of you 284 00:17:06,382 --> 00:17:09,443 for the first time you're kind of experiencing proper 285 00:17:09,646 --> 00:17:13,678 weightlessness in orbit and then you can unstrap you can take 286 00:17:13,709 --> 00:17:16,318 your gloves off you can lift up the visor on your space suit you 287 00:17:16,319 --> 00:17:19,677 can look out of the window and have a I glanced down at Earth 288 00:17:19,678 --> 00:17:20,437 for the first time. 289 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,703 AJAY TEGALA: Tim describes the moment he first saw the Earth 290 00:17:24,922 --> 00:17:25,562 from space. 291 00:17:26,445 --> 00:17:28,468 TIMOTHY PEAKE: The first moment I saw the Earth was from the 292 00:17:28,508 --> 00:17:32,531 Soyuz. First time I kind of floated up out the seat. And we 293 00:17:32,570 --> 00:17:35,375 were going into the night because it had been a late 294 00:17:35,453 --> 00:17:39,093 evening launch in December. So we were going over the Sea Of 295 00:17:39,109 --> 00:17:42,078 Japan and darkness was all in front. We were just about to 296 00:17:42,281 --> 00:17:45,187 coast out over the Pacific. And the first thing I saw was this 297 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:49,197 beautiful moonrise over the water. And that was just 298 00:17:49,217 --> 00:17:53,480 stunning to see that from space. And then all the stars came out 299 00:17:53,499 --> 00:17:55,664 with no light pollution and you're kind of looking up at the 300 00:17:55,683 --> 00:17:56,222 Milky Way. 301 00:17:57,507 --> 00:18:00,765 And it was a nice way of seeing Earth because it actually gave 302 00:18:00,766 --> 00:18:04,632 me more appreciation for when I saw Earth in the daytime. We had 303 00:18:04,648 --> 00:18:08,679 this stunning sunrise and then you see the beautiful blue 304 00:18:08,710 --> 00:18:10,023 marble of our planet. 305 00:18:12,696 --> 00:18:16,257 So I really loved the fact that it was revealed to me more 306 00:18:16,357 --> 00:18:19,136 slowly, rather than just kind of into space and bang, there it 307 00:18:19,156 --> 00:18:20,519 is, full daylight. 308 00:18:27,597 --> 00:18:30,745 AJAY TEGALA: So, as Tim began to take in this beautiful scene, 309 00:18:31,245 --> 00:18:32,745 what details drew his eye? 310 00:18:33,542 --> 00:18:35,620 TIMOTHY PEAKE: The way the Earth reveals itself is incredible 311 00:18:35,667 --> 00:18:39,120 because it's geology that stands out, and the weather systems. We 312 00:18:39,167 --> 00:18:41,261 talk about it being a blue marble and it, of course, 313 00:18:41,308 --> 00:18:41,839 two-thirds... 314 00:18:42,204 --> 00:18:45,365 Of the planets covered in ocean so you would expect to see those 315 00:18:45,404 --> 00:18:48,767 beautiful blues of the ocean and the white clouds but when you're 316 00:18:48,768 --> 00:18:52,150 looking at the continents it's the the rock strata that stands 317 00:18:52,205 --> 00:18:55,830 out or it's the color that stands out so the Sahara desert 318 00:18:55,845 --> 00:18:59,595 for example is the beautiful orange color that you get it's 319 00:18:59,642 --> 00:19:02,595 like looking at a martian landscape sand dunes that are 320 00:19:02,814 --> 00:19:06,611 hundreds of meters tall making these incredible patterns the 321 00:19:06,673 --> 00:19:11,058 bright orange ripple effect Or down in Eritrea and Ethiopia and 322 00:19:11,059 --> 00:19:12,800 you get this amazing rock strata. 323 00:19:13,441 --> 00:19:16,784 Or the rainforests where you get the lush green coming out. Or 324 00:19:17,284 --> 00:19:19,589 when we launched it was winter so the continent of North 325 00:19:19,628 --> 00:19:23,269 America was just covered in snow and ice. So it's big picture 326 00:19:23,308 --> 00:19:27,714 stuff. And then once you've been wowed by the big picture stuff, 327 00:19:27,808 --> 00:19:31,636 your eye starts to kind of hone in and pick out the details. 328 00:19:32,277 --> 00:19:36,696 And that might be volcanoes that you'll see. It might be... Big 329 00:19:36,856 --> 00:19:39,820 ice shelves that are carving off from Antarctica and then kind of 330 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:44,426 floating up and kind of enjoy then as time goes on picking out 331 00:19:44,445 --> 00:19:47,363 those smaller details almost like precious moments just for 332 00:19:47,364 --> 00:19:50,051 yourself where you might be the first person to notice a volcano 333 00:19:50,129 --> 00:19:51,309 erupting in Kamchatka. 334 00:19:52,254 --> 00:19:55,059 AJAY TEGALA: Observing from space the way Tim thought about 335 00:19:55,060 --> 00:19:56,809 the world began to change. 336 00:19:57,402 --> 00:19:59,996 TIMOTHY PEAKE: You just see the continents there are no borders 337 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,041 You don't see any lines on the map, so if you see something 338 00:20:03,061 --> 00:20:06,902 amazing, like, oh, look at that asteroid impact crater, get a 339 00:20:06,941 --> 00:20:11,000 photograph of it, and now I want to know where is it, and I've 340 00:20:11,001 --> 00:20:11,719 got no idea. 341 00:20:12,641 --> 00:20:15,742 I might know that it's in North Africa, but there are no lines 342 00:20:15,743 --> 00:20:18,578 on the map exactly, so I couldn't tell exactly which 343 00:20:18,625 --> 00:20:21,938 country in North Africa it was in. And that's true for the 344 00:20:21,969 --> 00:20:25,312 whole globe, so you're seeing things on a planetary scale. 345 00:20:26,164 --> 00:20:29,368 You're looking at the amazing geology of Earth rather than 346 00:20:29,407 --> 00:20:31,649 actually the individual countries of Earth. 347 00:20:32,009 --> 00:20:35,114 AJAY TEGALA: And so focusing on the Overview Effect, what did 348 00:20:35,130 --> 00:20:38,239 this experience of seeing Earth add up to for Tim? 349 00:20:38,958 --> 00:20:40,880 TIMOTHY PEAKE: The Overview Effect is something that 350 00:20:40,919 --> 00:20:44,263 astronauts have been reporting back from the very early days of 351 00:20:44,278 --> 00:20:47,185 human spaceflight. And I think it's described as a cognitive 352 00:20:47,247 --> 00:20:51,216 shift in perspective of seeing your home planet from space. And 353 00:20:51,232 --> 00:20:53,957 it's different for different people. I think at some level 354 00:20:54,016 --> 00:20:56,736 it's certainly spiritual for everybody to see it. 355 00:20:57,138 --> 00:21:01,794 And what strikes me really about seeing Earth from space is the 356 00:21:01,935 --> 00:21:05,857 isolation, I think. It is very remote, very isolated. It's this 357 00:21:05,935 --> 00:21:09,974 tiny, rocky jewel of a planet. And it's very special when you 358 00:21:10,037 --> 00:21:13,302 see it from space. There's no doubting that there is a 359 00:21:13,662 --> 00:21:17,177 vibrant, lively planet down there. Against the vast black 360 00:21:17,365 --> 00:21:20,177 drop of space, you kind of think, wow, you know, that's it, 361 00:21:20,208 --> 00:21:20,662 that's home. 362 00:21:21,208 --> 00:21:23,729 AJAY TEGALA: Returning to Earth, Sounds more of a scary 363 00:21:23,809 --> 00:21:27,272 experience than taking off in some ways, as the physics are 364 00:21:27,273 --> 00:21:30,819 reversed and the rocket descends at terrifying speeds of 365 00:21:31,139 --> 00:21:32,576 thousands of miles an hour. 366 00:21:38,772 --> 00:21:42,584 Tim arrived back safely and his life continued at a fast pace, 367 00:21:42,944 --> 00:21:46,053 as he continued to work in the space industry and used his 368 00:21:46,115 --> 00:21:49,569 profile to fundraise for charities, communicating with 369 00:21:49,631 --> 00:21:53,621 young and old how important it is to treasure and look after 370 00:21:53,662 --> 00:21:54,703 the world we live in. 371 00:21:56,184 --> 00:21:59,949 Back at Luke Jerram's artwork, The Helios, what does Tim feel 372 00:21:59,988 --> 00:22:03,328 the role of art can play in helping the public experience 373 00:22:03,375 --> 00:22:06,852 something akin to the Overview Effect? And how will that then 374 00:22:06,953 --> 00:22:09,391 change the way that we look after our planet? 375 00:22:10,031 --> 00:22:12,703 TIMOTHY PEAKE: I think that kind of work is incredibly important 376 00:22:12,906 --> 00:22:17,578 with artists who are trying to help people to visualise what 377 00:22:18,062 --> 00:22:20,703 space is like, what our solar system is like, our sun and our 378 00:22:20,766 --> 00:22:24,902 home planet. When we go into space, we're so lucky we see 379 00:22:24,984 --> 00:22:28,007 that with our own eyes and there's no hiding from it. 380 00:22:28,367 --> 00:22:32,574 There's no hiding from the level of isolation and remoteness that 381 00:22:32,589 --> 00:22:35,214 you feel, not just as an individual in space, but you 382 00:22:35,253 --> 00:22:37,878 feel that for the whole planet. You think, oh God, that's it, 383 00:22:38,074 --> 00:22:39,043 that tiny little rock. 384 00:22:39,230 --> 00:22:43,027 And the sun is magnificent. The Moon is beautiful. But here on 385 00:22:43,058 --> 00:22:47,261 Earth, it's very easy to not appreciate that. We've got a 386 00:22:47,293 --> 00:22:50,672 lovely blue sky above us today and you don't really... think 387 00:22:50,712 --> 00:22:53,395 about the fact that that's not nice and comforting and blue up 388 00:22:53,436 --> 00:22:57,819 there that's really scary black and it goes on for infinity and 389 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:00,721 16 kilometers up there you know you're going to be in an 390 00:23:00,745 --> 00:23:04,307 incredibly hostile environment and the sun is not this warm 391 00:23:04,604 --> 00:23:08,416 yellow glow that we all draw as kids the sun is this bright 392 00:23:08,526 --> 00:23:12,370 white nuclear fusion reaction it's this amazing star that's 393 00:23:12,479 --> 00:23:14,135 powering the whole solar system. 394 00:23:14,557 --> 00:23:19,557 And I think art plays a really valuable part in helping people 395 00:23:19,617 --> 00:23:22,539 to visualise that and helping people to appreciate the 396 00:23:22,580 --> 00:23:25,062 realities of what it's like out in space. 397 00:23:26,324 --> 00:23:29,203 AJAY TEGALA: So with that in mind, returning to Luke Jerram's 398 00:23:29,304 --> 00:23:33,492 artwork, how did members of the public respond to seeing Helios? 399 00:23:34,687 --> 00:23:38,297 CARRIE: I'm Carrie. My first response was just awe. I spent 400 00:23:38,515 --> 00:23:41,484 quite a long time just sort of sitting under it, around it, 401 00:23:41,765 --> 00:23:44,484 seeing the different perspectives, seeing the detail 402 00:23:44,485 --> 00:23:48,361 of it it's more than maybe you'd expect You just think, oh, big 403 00:23:48,421 --> 00:23:50,703 sun, that'll be really cool, and then actually it kind of draws 404 00:23:50,723 --> 00:23:52,924 you in and you just kind of want to hang out around it, really. 405 00:23:53,267 --> 00:23:55,346 EARL SMITH: I'm Earl Smith. Yeah, it certainly is 406 00:23:55,588 --> 00:23:59,572 significant. The colours and just the shape of it all is 407 00:23:59,791 --> 00:24:00,635 truly amazing. 408 00:24:00,877 --> 00:24:03,057 SUE FROST: I'm Sue Frost. Quite impressive, I think, isn't it? 409 00:24:03,799 --> 00:24:07,658 But I never knew that hotspots were specifically in those 410 00:24:07,705 --> 00:24:09,939 spaces. I thought they might kind of move all over the place. 411 00:24:10,517 --> 00:24:13,017 I find it quite immersive and quite mesmerising, if I'm 412 00:24:13,018 --> 00:24:13,267 honest. 413 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,443 CARRIE: It is that awe-inspiring, oh wow, that's 414 00:24:16,463 --> 00:24:20,328 what keeps us alive, that's what brings life. And I think it is 415 00:24:20,367 --> 00:24:23,789 that sheer scale and the awesomeness of our solar system 416 00:24:23,906 --> 00:24:27,070 and of our Earth. It brings a bit of hope as well. Actually, 417 00:24:27,375 --> 00:24:29,891 we are like stewards of this planet, we have a lot to care 418 00:24:29,953 --> 00:24:30,141 for. 419 00:24:31,141 --> 00:24:33,562 AJAY TEGALA: And now, a final reflection from Tim. 420 00:24:34,094 --> 00:24:37,109 TIMOTHY PEAKE: It makes you appreciate that we are all 421 00:24:37,156 --> 00:24:39,844 sharing the atmosphere, because you see with every one of those 422 00:24:39,859 --> 00:24:43,984 sunrises and sunsets, you see how thin the atmosphere is. 16 423 00:24:44,025 --> 00:24:47,546 kilometers, that's nothing. And when the sunlight goes through 424 00:24:47,547 --> 00:24:50,929 it, it's this tiny, tiny strip of gas. You kind of think, wow, 425 00:24:50,953 --> 00:24:54,734 you know, how lucky are we that Earth has trapped that layer of 426 00:24:54,773 --> 00:24:55,078 gas. 427 00:24:55,093 --> 00:24:57,859 And that layer of gas is just the right composition at the 428 00:24:57,875 --> 00:25:01,221 moment to sustain all life as we live. We know it. And so as far 429 00:25:01,241 --> 00:25:04,426 as we know, you know, we're the only planet in the solar system 430 00:25:04,504 --> 00:25:07,949 where there is life. Could be on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn 431 00:25:08,008 --> 00:25:10,508 where there are liquid oceans, who knows. But it makes you 432 00:25:10,531 --> 00:25:14,273 appreciate what we have down here. And you also see how 433 00:25:14,336 --> 00:25:15,516 interconnected everything is. 434 00:25:17,781 --> 00:25:20,016 You see the vast weather systems. You can see them 435 00:25:20,094 --> 00:25:22,750 building in the Atlantic in hurricane season. You can see 436 00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,020 the dust storms in the Sahara and the impact it has. We had 437 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,746 the wildfires in Alberta when I was on board in 2016, spread 438 00:25:29,765 --> 00:25:32,785 across the whole continent of North America, and you see the 439 00:25:32,906 --> 00:25:36,293 smoke just trapped in our tiny atmosphere spreading. 440 00:25:37,254 --> 00:25:40,254 And it makes you realise that everything's connected, and that 441 00:25:40,418 --> 00:25:43,723 thin atmosphere, there's only so much that you can put into it 442 00:25:43,816 --> 00:25:46,144 before it starts to affect everybody on the planet. 443 00:25:49,176 --> 00:25:53,852 AJAY TEGALA: Tim Peake's time in space lasted 186 days. But its 444 00:25:53,952 --> 00:25:56,856 impact has reached far beyond the confines of the 445 00:25:56,876 --> 00:26:00,540 International Space Station and inspired people from all around 446 00:26:00,559 --> 00:26:04,524 the world. Perhaps that's one of the lasting legacies of his 447 00:26:04,563 --> 00:26:08,227 space travel. Not just the scientific or technological 448 00:26:08,266 --> 00:26:11,766 achievements, but the valuable perspective it offers each one 449 00:26:11,767 --> 00:26:12,094 of us. 450 00:26:22,736 --> 00:26:26,560 Thanks for listening to this episode of Wild Tales. If you 451 00:26:26,599 --> 00:26:29,923 liked it, why not give us a like or a follow? We will be back 452 00:26:30,025 --> 00:26:32,849 soon with another episode in a couple of weeks. But if you 453 00:26:32,864 --> 00:26:35,685 can't wait that long, why not check out our other nature 454 00:26:35,708 --> 00:26:39,919 podcast, Nature Fix? Or if you like your history too, there's 455 00:26:40,013 --> 00:26:42,169 Back When. I'll see you next time.