Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth is a world view term usually expressing concern over the use of limited resources available on Earth and the behavior of everyone on it to act as a harmonious crew working toward the greater good. Buckminster Fuller, American architect, inventor and futurist published a short book in 1968 under the title of Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. This quotation, referring to fossil fuels, reflects his approach: “…we can make all of humanity successful through science’s world-engulfing industrial evolution provided that we are not so foolish as to continue to exhaust in a split second of astronomical history the orderly energy savings of billions of years’ energy conservation aboard our Spaceship Earth. These energy savings have been put into our Spaceship’s life-regeneration-guaranteeing bank account for use only in self-starter functions." There are so many ways of looking at the world. Look out the window, take a stroll, go trekking, set sailing, and it’s there. Open Google Maps, drive through Street View, browse through hours of footage from satellites, pause and play on YouTube or Vimeo or wherever, and it serves its breathtaking detail to you in the form of rivers, seas, clouds, mountain ranges, rivers, forests, and the patina of human civilization. The picture above is one of the most widely distributed photographic images in existence. It’s The Blue Marble and was taken of the Earth, on December 7, 1972 by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft, at a distance of about 45,000 kilometres (28,000 mi). On the 40th anniversary last December of this famous ‘Blue Marble’ photograph an organisation by the name of Planetary Collective made an fascinating, visually stunning 19min. short film (VIMEO HD) with rare seen before additional footage from NASA / ESA archives documenting the Overview Effect of Apollo 14 and ISS astronauts. The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment. And even gives you a powerful Savikalpa samadhi experience. A-ONE-NOT-TO-MISS!  SUPPORT the organisation Planetary Collective with their first feature Kickstarter project HERE! (photo copyright by NASA/Apollo 17 crew. Taken by either Harrison Schmitt or Ron Evans)