William Shatner said in his new book that his trip to space left him with a new perspective on the beauty of Earth.
What did the Star Trek actor see when he became the oldest person to ever go to space at 90 years old?
Shatner, along with three other crew members, rocketed from Blue Origin's West Texas launch site to about 66 miles above Earth, which is beyond what is internationally known as the "Krmn line" that pins the edge of space at 62 miles above mean sea level
The astronauts felt weightlessness and saw the planet's shape.
Shatner described the chance to see space with his own eyes as a miracle. Shatner described seeing a "cold, dark, black emptiness" in his new book.
The overview effect is a result of Shatner's experience. The sensation is caused by the cognitive change in how former astronauts view Earth and life from space.
Shatner's view of space was described as sad and bleak, but he expressed his appreciation of the beauty of Earth.
We can create an idea of what Shatner probably saw from 66 miles above Earth based on interviews, his book, and images from other space flights.
Shatner has described something completely different than what people think of when they think of a trip to space.
Shatner told Time that he saw death in space and later told Newsweek that it wasinous blackness.
"I saw the spaceship coming through the blue, and an instant later it was through the blue, and this bullet exploded into the blackness of space, so in that instant I saw the blue suddenly disappear, and suddenly space is smack up in my face," he said.
The American pilot who flew on Blue Origin at the age of 81 gave a similar account. She said at the post-flight conference that they went right on up.
The "vicious coldness of space" was compared to the "warm nurturing of Earth below" by Shatner.
Images of astronauts on the moon show a black emptiness because they are too faint to be seen in a picture.
There was no daylight on the far side of the moon when Al Worden was in the Apollo 15 mission. The International Space Station had a time-lapse of stars and the Milky Way posted on it's website.
—Jack Fischer (@Astro2fish) August 16, 2017
One of the most awe-inspiring photos from that day being "Earthrise" was taken by lunar module pilot William Anders.
He exclaimed, "Look at that picture over there!" The Earth is up. Is that nice?
While the Apollo 8 mission traveled some 234,000 miles away from our home planet, Shatner and Funk's 66-mile journey was not high enough to see the planet in its entirety.
I thought I was going to see the world, but we weren't high enough.
Commercial astronauts were able to see the Earth at an altitude where they could see its atmosphere and color.
He said that he could see the beginning and end of Earth. The colors were delicate. I could see the colors of the clouds and how small it is.
Shatner said "Oh wow, no description can equal this" in a video released by Blue Origin.
It would take about 20,000 miles away from Earth for astronauts to see it as a blue marble. It's four times higher than Shatner's spaceflight, which is 260 miles above the surface.
At the International Space Station, Ed Lu described Earth as having your face up against a big blue beach ball, which is not enough to see the entire US from coast to coast.
A collection of images posted by Steven Jurvetson showed the view from different altitudes.
The New Shepard rocket system is launched and lands in Texas.
Shatner would have seen shades of brown and blue below, with views of mountains, deserts, valleys, and water. According to National Geographic, cities would be seen from space.
Gagarin was the first man to reach space in 1961.
The views from Gagarin's nearly 200 mile-high module were recreated in a documentary.
Gagarin said in the film that he could see forests, but many areas were covered with clouds.
During its first spaceflight in 2018, Virgin Galactic recorded a view of the Sierra Mountains.
During a May 2021 journey, which flew about 55 miles above Earth's surface, Virgin Galactic astronauts said they saw the Baja California Peninsula and the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.
It was a life-changing experience that Shatner was able to convey in space.
Shatner told Bezos that he hopes to never recover and that he can maintain what he feels now.
He did not want to lose it. It's much bigger than me.
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