1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Team podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,933 Speaker 1: from Newstalks atb. 3 00:00:12,973 --> 00:00:17,333 Speaker 2: Nine days, twenty two hours and thirty two minutes. That's 4 00:00:17,373 --> 00:00:20,013 Speaker 2: how long the Artemis two crew has been away, and 5 00:00:20,053 --> 00:00:22,773 Speaker 2: as we speak this morning, they are entering the final 6 00:00:22,933 --> 00:00:28,093 Speaker 2: critical hours of their mission, all going well. By the 7 00:00:28,133 --> 00:00:31,933 Speaker 2: time Jason Pine welcomes you to Weekend Sport right after 8 00:00:31,973 --> 00:00:35,573 Speaker 2: the middane news on Newstalks ZB at about twelve o 9 00:00:35,853 --> 00:00:39,653 Speaker 2: seven on the Dot, the capsule will have just splashed 10 00:00:39,653 --> 00:00:43,413 Speaker 2: down in the Pacific Ocean. The four astronauts, who have 11 00:00:43,493 --> 00:00:47,653 Speaker 2: traveled further from Earth than any other human beings ever, 12 00:00:48,493 --> 00:00:51,613 Speaker 2: will be fished out and whisked off home to NASA 13 00:00:51,733 --> 00:00:55,853 Speaker 2: and time for supper. As someone who wasn't here for 14 00:00:55,893 --> 00:00:59,653 Speaker 2: the Apollo missions, Artemis two, I think represents the most 15 00:00:59,893 --> 00:01:05,253 Speaker 2: exciting crude space mission of my life. There have been 16 00:01:05,333 --> 00:01:09,453 Speaker 2: other big moments, rescue missions to the International Space Station, 17 00:01:09,693 --> 00:01:14,493 Speaker 2: perilous repair jobs that have needed specialist high wire space walks, 18 00:01:14,533 --> 00:01:18,973 Speaker 2: but Artemis is the first crude mission to leave low 19 00:01:19,093 --> 00:01:23,053 Speaker 2: Earth orbit since Apollo seventeen, and that was fifty four 20 00:01:23,173 --> 00:01:28,453 Speaker 2: years ago. For me, I think that's what is significant 21 00:01:29,493 --> 00:01:32,893 Speaker 2: when many of us think of the view of Earth 22 00:01:32,933 --> 00:01:36,693 Speaker 2: from space, we think of something from the movies. Ah. 23 00:01:37,013 --> 00:01:40,733 Speaker 2: You know, if I say imagine Earth from outer space, 24 00:01:41,173 --> 00:01:44,413 Speaker 2: you probably think of something like Earth rise, a marble 25 00:01:44,533 --> 00:01:47,013 Speaker 2: hanging in space. I actually have that photograph hanging on 26 00:01:47,013 --> 00:01:50,013 Speaker 2: our wall at home, and you know, it's kind of 27 00:01:50,053 --> 00:01:53,613 Speaker 2: like it's it's nice, it's almost seductive to just pause 28 00:01:53,653 --> 00:01:56,133 Speaker 2: for a moment and think of our planet in the 29 00:01:56,133 --> 00:01:59,733 Speaker 2: context of the big Black But actually that is not 30 00:01:59,933 --> 00:02:05,573 Speaker 2: what most astronauts see. I've done the maths. Well, no, 31 00:02:05,613 --> 00:02:07,293 Speaker 2: I've not done the math but I have looked up 32 00:02:07,333 --> 00:02:12,213 Speaker 2: the math. I've looked up the geometry. So the International 33 00:02:12,293 --> 00:02:16,173 Speaker 2: Space Station orbits the Earth at a distance of about 34 00:02:16,213 --> 00:02:20,693 Speaker 2: four hundred kilometers, so about ten or twelve times the 35 00:02:20,773 --> 00:02:23,653 Speaker 2: cruising altitude of a passenger jet. And obviously that's high. 36 00:02:24,533 --> 00:02:26,653 Speaker 2: But if you look out of the window of the 37 00:02:26,653 --> 00:02:30,813 Speaker 2: International Space Station at that altitude, the Earth is right 38 00:02:30,893 --> 00:02:34,733 Speaker 2: in front of you, and rather than a sphere floating 39 00:02:34,773 --> 00:02:40,893 Speaker 2: in space, it looks like a giant, curved surface. It's 40 00:02:40,893 --> 00:02:44,133 Speaker 2: actually almost like being in an imax or something like that, 41 00:02:44,173 --> 00:02:45,693 Speaker 2: I think. So it takes up a big part of 42 00:02:45,733 --> 00:02:48,813 Speaker 2: your visual field, but not quite all of it, but 43 00:02:48,933 --> 00:02:51,253 Speaker 2: it's kind of the dominant thing in front of you, right, 44 00:02:52,613 --> 00:02:54,533 Speaker 2: You've got to go more than twice as far if 45 00:02:54,533 --> 00:02:56,973 Speaker 2: you want to see the whole earth as a sphere. 46 00:02:57,213 --> 00:03:00,773 Speaker 2: So at one thousand kilometers it still fills a huge 47 00:03:00,813 --> 00:03:03,413 Speaker 2: part of your visual field, but you have to kind 48 00:03:03,453 --> 00:03:05,893 Speaker 2: of scan your eyes from left to right to be 49 00:03:05,933 --> 00:03:07,333 Speaker 2: able to take it all in. You've got to go 50 00:03:07,373 --> 00:03:09,653 Speaker 2: even further. You've got to go a whole lot further, 51 00:03:10,013 --> 00:03:14,213 Speaker 2: ten thousand k's to see the whole earth, to see 52 00:03:14,213 --> 00:03:17,493 Speaker 2: the whole thing, the whole sphere, the whole shebang without 53 00:03:17,533 --> 00:03:21,493 Speaker 2: moving your eyes. And I reckon that this is when 54 00:03:21,573 --> 00:03:28,013 Speaker 2: the most significant shift must take place for astronauts. Soaking 55 00:03:28,053 --> 00:03:31,053 Speaker 2: in that view, it's a view that no one has 56 00:03:31,093 --> 00:03:36,693 Speaker 2: had in more than fifty years. Artemist two didn't just 57 00:03:36,773 --> 00:03:40,133 Speaker 2: travel ten thousand k's where you can see the whole earth, 58 00:03:40,213 --> 00:03:43,173 Speaker 2: the whole sphere without moving your eyes. Artemis two traveled 59 00:03:43,293 --> 00:03:48,053 Speaker 2: four hundred thousand k's. So what are you doing right now? 60 00:03:48,093 --> 00:03:52,013 Speaker 2: Can you just for a moment extend your arm right, 61 00:03:52,453 --> 00:03:55,253 Speaker 2: extend your arm full length out in front of your face, 62 00:03:55,453 --> 00:03:56,693 Speaker 2: hold it up in the air a little bit if 63 00:03:56,693 --> 00:03:59,773 Speaker 2: you like, and put your thumb out. Okay, now look 64 00:03:59,773 --> 00:04:03,813 Speaker 2: at your thumb in the context of your whole visual field. 65 00:04:04,813 --> 00:04:08,533 Speaker 2: Look how small it is. So that is how big 66 00:04:08,613 --> 00:04:12,653 Speaker 2: the Earth would have looked to those astronauts at that distance. 67 00:04:13,053 --> 00:04:15,253 Speaker 2: That's how big the Earth would have been from four 68 00:04:15,333 --> 00:04:19,533 Speaker 2: hundred thousand k's. I said at the dinner table with 69 00:04:19,613 --> 00:04:21,893 Speaker 2: our nine year old this week, as the art of 70 00:04:21,933 --> 00:04:25,573 Speaker 2: his crew prepared for their forty minutes of unbreakable solitude, 71 00:04:25,573 --> 00:04:30,253 Speaker 2: that little window of uncontactableness as they passed by the 72 00:04:30,293 --> 00:04:32,893 Speaker 2: far side of the Moon, and he just had so 73 00:04:32,973 --> 00:04:35,693 Speaker 2: many questions. He was so full of wonder with the 74 00:04:35,693 --> 00:04:39,173 Speaker 2: whole thing, and almost every time he started with but 75 00:04:39,733 --> 00:04:47,133 Speaker 2: how do they my answer was, well, maths, Maths is 76 00:04:47,173 --> 00:04:50,693 Speaker 2: how they do it. I can only imagine what the 77 00:04:50,933 --> 00:04:53,373 Speaker 2: Apollo missions must have been like to follow from Earth. 78 00:04:53,373 --> 00:04:59,013 Speaker 2: It just must have been insane, just extraordinary. And maybe 79 00:04:59,053 --> 00:05:02,813 Speaker 2: the difference this time around is the technology. The photos 80 00:05:02,853 --> 00:05:04,973 Speaker 2: sent from the crew are beamed back to Earth and 81 00:05:05,133 --> 00:05:10,373 Speaker 2: almost immediately shared by NASA. The interactive tools online let 82 00:05:10,413 --> 00:05:13,293 Speaker 2: you plot the capsule's route, and you don't have to 83 00:05:13,293 --> 00:05:16,373 Speaker 2: be a nine year old to feel the wonder. You 84 00:05:16,413 --> 00:05:19,253 Speaker 2: don't have to be four hundred thousand kilometers from home. 85 00:05:19,333 --> 00:05:21,293 Speaker 2: To hold your hand and your thumb up in the 86 00:05:21,333 --> 00:05:24,333 Speaker 2: air and have a little sense of what those crew 87 00:05:24,373 --> 00:05:26,573 Speaker 2: members must feel when they look back at our planet 88 00:05:26,933 --> 00:05:31,293 Speaker 2: as a distant sphere in the epic vastness of space. 89 00:05:31,773 --> 00:05:36,973 Speaker 2: It just must make all of our quibbles, all of 90 00:05:37,013 --> 00:05:43,133 Speaker 2: our disputes, all of our conflicts, seem so petty and trivial, 91 00:05:44,893 --> 00:05:47,813 Speaker 2: simultaneously humbling and profound. 92 00:05:48,493 --> 00:05:51,613 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 93 00:05:51,693 --> 00:05:54,493 Speaker 1: to news talks that'd be from nine am Saturday, or 94 00:05:54,613 --> 00:05:56,493 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.