Last Thursday night, the pilot of Artemis II, Victor Glover, said, “You look amazing, you look beautiful,” in a video call with ABC News.
He meant the Earth, as seen through a window on the Orion capsule. “No matter where you are from or what you look like, we’re all one people,” he exclaimed.
Glover, the first Black astronaut to make it into deep space, is accompanied by Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, and the first Canadian Space Agency astronaut, Jeremy Hansen. A photo circulating last Friday from a NASA video feed showed them literally hanging out, with Ms. Koch’s infectious upside-down grin encouraging all of us to smile back.
These lovely, courageous people offer a sliver of hope for humanity at a time when most of us are holding our breath and waiting for Trump to do whatever Trumpian act of Epic Fury he intends to aim at Iran, complete with F-bombs.
Here’s the thing I wonder, though: If we’re all one people, why the hell is Trump so intent on wiping out an entire civilization?
I know a lot about the politics and history that led to this war. One of our daughters married an Israeli, and they took refuge in our house for months after the Hamas attack on October 7. They are here again now, having made it out of Israel two hours before the airspace closed in Tel Aviv, when they received warnings from the American embassy about the impending conflict with Iran. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law and her family are supporting a nephew from Iran, whose family is still there.
Last night, I was so worried about the state of the world that I lay wide awake after shutting off my light, panic making my breath come in short gasps. I did all the right things to beat back insomnia: powered down my phone early, read a novel, did some yogic breathing, and opened the window to let in fresh air. When none of that worked, I decided to try reading some nonfiction. (I like to alternate reading fiction and nonfiction on the off chance that it’ll make me smarter.)
Unfortunately, the nonfiction book on my nightstand happens to be The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, a book that delves into the reasons why Earth is losing species at many times the usual rate, and why up to 50% of our planet’s species will be extinct by around 2050.
Did it help me sleep? Nope. If anything, I’d suggest not cracking that cover if you’re keen on hanging onto any shreds of optimism right now about our planet’s future.
I put that book down and went back to reading fiction, this time a fantasy novel with enough plot to hold my attention until it was time to take the dogs on their morning walk. As the dogs and I meandered around the block, I focused on trying to feel lucky that I live in a place where, to date, no missiles have taken out our roads, schools, bridges, buildings, and hospitals. The birds were singing. I saw two cardinals and a nuthatch. Then it started to snow, one of those spring showers where the snowflakes fall like lace doilies on the pavement.
Victor Grover was right: You look beautiful, Planet Earth. Thank you for this morning, whatever happens next.
President Trump took enough time off from threatening Iran with the end of its civilization to call the astronauts and congratulate them. During the call, he asked what it was like for the astronauts to have no communication with Earth when their ship slipped behind the moon, and Glover replied, “It was actually quite nice.”
I bet.
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