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View from the top

Afsana Tazreen
This is not a review of the 2003 romantic comedy where Gwyneth Paltrow played the role of an aspiring flight attendant. This is an account of Ron Garan, an astronaut who lived in space for almost six months. He is one of the lucky few who got to see the world from a distance none of us have ever imagined. He witnessed 16 amazing sunrises and sunsets each day, a feat unattainable by lesser fortunate Earthlings like us.
At a height of several hundred kilometers, the eyes of the astronomer captured the breathtaking beauty of the planet but none of its ugliness.
Rotating the earth's orbit at a speed 17,500 miles per hour, Garan gained an “orbital perspective” on life.
"It was very moving to see the beauty of the planet we've been given. But as I looked down at its indescribable beauty, this island that has been given to us and has protected all life from the harshness of space, I couldn't help thinking of the iniquity, conflict and poverty that exist,” said the altruistic astronaut.
I had an opportunity in the recent past to meet Ron Garan in person. Garan came to attend the third Social Business Day event held at Savar on June 28 and delivered a special lecture the following afternoon at The Daily Star office. Meeting an astronaut and gaining a second-hand experience of living in space was something I would not have missed for the world.
Born on October 30, 1961, in Yonkers, New York, Garan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics from the SUNY College at Oneonta in 1982.
Having the hugged the dream of becoming an astronaut since the age of seven, Garan realised that he needed more than a degree in business. He got a Master's degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1994 and added another Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering to his portfolio in 1996.
As I stared at the 50-year-old man in a royal blue jumpsuit standing on the dais, emitting an aura of positive energy to the audience, I wondered at the things he had seen. I did not need to wonder for too long. Garan had brought along with him a rare collection of photographs he shot during his stay in space to share with the audience.
I heard myself gasp audibly as Garan exhibited snapshots of the cornucopia of amazement which he froze with his camera. I saw Northern lights glistening in the distance, Paris dazzling in the city lights. Did I catch a glimpse of perhaps a little fog over London? Over the Atlantic, the spiral of Hurricane Irene appeared dangerously beautiful.
I felt like Lois Lane with Superman as we flew over the snow-capped peaks of the Caucasus, the rising sun reflected on the Caspian Sea and across the Greek Islands with Athens shining like a gem along the Mediterranean Sea. We flew over the windswept Sahara Desert approaching the
thousand-year-old civilization with the Nile twisting like a serpent through Egypt by the pyramids of Giza. I was humbled at the sight of the half-eaten moon hanging majestically over Afghanistan and was awestruck at the brilliance of the Aurora Australis.
Mesmerised by the slideshow I found my mind wandering to Jim Irwin of Apollo 15 who became an inspirational speaker following his return from the Moon. In his autobiography “Destination Moon”, Irwin wrote:
"Before the fligh t, I was really not a religious man. I believed in God, but I really had nothing to share. But when I came back from the moon, I felt so strongly that I had something that I wanted to tell all men everywhere that God is alive, not only on earth but also on the moon The earth was very small, the size of a marble. I thought it the earth is that small, how small am I? Just a speck in the universe, but yet significant enough that God would love me and create me and love me enough to touch my life....I felt privileged to get God's view of the earth.”
Did Garan have an epiphany like Irwin, perhaps? Garan, a believer, however said, “I never had an epiphany but a reaffirmation of my faith. I became very emotional and had an overwhelming sense of gratitude.”
The stark contrast between the beauty of our planet and the unfortunate realities of life for many of its inhabitants pained him. I Ie reaffirmed his belief that each and every one of us on this planet has the responsibility to leave it a
little better than we found it.
“You don't have to be on the orbit to have an orbital perspective”, he said.
Garan founded “Fragile Oasis”, a charitable organisation with the motto: Connecting Space and Earth. Learn. Act. Make a Difference.
Garan carried two books with him to space one of which was “Creating a World without Poverty”, by Nobel laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus. Garan was so deeply moved by it that he felt that he must meet its author.
“I met him for the first time in November, last year”, Garan said.
During his discourse, Garan said that the only man-made structure on Earth that can be seen from space is the illuminated border between Pakistan and India. I was a little taken aback as I always thought it was the Great Wall of China. The picture appeared as brightly-lit Christmas trees planted in a winding row. This made me realise how thoughtlessly we plunder and waste resources we cannot afford. How can the governments of the aforesaid countries stall their nation's development and let their population immerse in darkness while they highlight their vanity in the name of “strengthening border security”?
Garan's orbital perspective truly touched us and brought about a paradigm shift in at least half of the audience present that day. Sometimes a view from the top is all we need to see the bigger picture and sort out our priorities.
AFSANA TAZREEN IS WITH THE DAILY STAR.