Ron Garan
Former NASA astronaut and highly decorated combat fighter Ron Garan racked up 178 days in space and more than 71 million miles in 2,842 orbits between between tours on the International Space Station, flying on both the US Space Shuttle and a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. During his time in space Ron conducted four spacewalks in support of ISS construction and maintenance. Prior to those space journeys, he lived and conducted research on the bottom of the ocean in the world’s only undersea research lab, Aquarius. Before reaching the summit of his career, Ron, a former test pilot and graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School, taught hundreds of elite pilots how to fly at the prestigious USAF Fighter Weapons School, the Air Force version of Top Gun. He is the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Orbital Perspective and the upcoming books, Floating in Darkness – A Journey of Evolution and Railroad to the Moon. Today, Ron is celebrated for his research in space and for his humanitarian contribution to life on Earth.
3 words to describe Nature?
Implicit. Natural. Wholeness
3 things Nature taught you?
To be still
To be quiet
To be grateful
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Boulder Flatirons
Zion National Park
Rain forests of Costa Rica
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Interdependent
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
One with the biosphere
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
The certainty that I am part of a much bigger picture.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
As if I am watching life's expression that it's grateful to be alive
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Connected to the primordial
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Energized
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I am a person who strives to keep the focus on the continuum that links all those ecosystems and more
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10.5
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I have fond memories of trading a day-to-day life in the city to camping with the Boy Scouts in the NY Adirondacks.
Frank White
Frank White’s best-known book, The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution, is considered by many to be a seminal work in the field of space exploration.
A film called “Overview,” based largely on his work has had more than 8 million plays on Vimeo. Ron Garan appears in the film and he also participated in a panel at its premiere at Harvard University in 2012.
Frank conducted a series of interviews with astronauts at Johnson Space Center in June of 2019, which have now become the basis for NASA’s series called “Down to Earth,” available on YouTube and other NASA social media platforms.
In his latest book, The Cosma Hypothesis: Implications of the Overview Effect, (Multiverse Publishing 2019) Frank asks the fundamental question, “What is the purpose of human space exploration? Why has the evolutionary process brought humanity to the brink of becoming a spacefaring species?”
In Cosma, he also shares the idea of “the Human Space Program” as a central project that will engage all of us in the process of becoming “Citizens of the Universe.” The Human Space Program, Inc. is incorporated as a nonprofit in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and work has begun on the project.
Frank teaches at Harvard Extension School, Harvard Summer School, Boston University’s Metropolitan College, and Kepler Space Institute.
Frank and his wife Donna have an extended, blended family of five children and 10 grandchildren.
3 words to describe Nature?
Nurturing. Beautiful. Awe-inspiring
3 things Nature taught you?
Be prepared
Enjoy, respect, and protect the environment
Explore and evolve
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Black Forest, Germany
Cape Cod
Sanibel Island
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm, yet happy to be onshore!
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Inspired by the majesty of the trees and the community they create.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Amazed
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Grateful to live on such a beautiful planet in such an amazing universe.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Strong
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Glad to be inside
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Space!
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Growing up in the South of the United States, nature was always close and available to me. I enjoyed exploring the fields and woods near my home with my dog, fishing in a nearby lake or river, or just enjoying being outdoors. At night, I could clearly see the stars and I was inspired by the immensity of the universe.