It is almost Halloween. Halloween, a time when we express admiration for our heroes by wearing costumes that look like them. Children in my neighborhood often dress as space characters, robots, and (my personal favorite) astronauts. Of course, the littlest astronauts get extra candy.
But our support for space is not just expressed only by wearing space costumes. Support for space is real. A recent survey shows that about 7-of-10 Americans say space exploration is essential and that NASA is vital to lead the way. Furthermore, about 6-of-10 say that astronauts should do the exploring, not robots.
As we prepare to return humans to the Moon then from that stepping stone to Mars, astronauts who go will become some of our greatest space heroes. As heroes they will excel in the knowledge and courage needed to discover the unknown for all humankind. But there is more to them than that. What is just as important is what lies behind their helmet–the invisible part of who they are. Invisible but essential is their humanity. Without the utmost care for their humanity, we could put the well-being of the hero at risk.
The risk to astronauts or anyone who is deemed a hero is that they have so much to live up to. On the outside they may look okay, but in fact may be denying themselves who they really are and what they really need, on the inside: They need to connect with who they love on Earth. Said William Shatner after he viewed Earth when flying aboard New Shepard: “We need to reach out for love as well as fear if we want to stay vibrant.”
As much as we admire our hero astronaut, we must heed Shatner’s caution or we may unintentionally add to their risks when they are living and working in space, and allow them to believe that they must be the invincible hero to us. If they believe that they must live up to our expectations or their own, as being invincible, they may see love and reaching out as weakness that will only further increase risks to their health and survival.
“We need to reach out for love as well as fear
if we want to stay vibrant.”
William Shatner
Our reverence for our astronaut heroes must not deny them their humanity. They must not be denied the most vital thing they need, especially at the most crucial time when off-Earth, where feeling isolated and confined are known health risks. We must ensure that our astronauts, as intelligent and autonomous as they are, do not think that reaching out is a weakness–but that reaching out is encouraged. We must prevent a circle of denial in space, where loneliness prevails and relationships could diminish.Their survival in space depends on it.
To reach out is to connect those on Earth who we love with those in space, who long to share their lives and the events both large and small that define living: first days, milestones, learning, fun, just some time together. When the explorers eventually return, though they have been gone, we must ensure that they have not missed out on life while away.
Supporting the hero’s humanity is one of my most important projects: to reduce astronauts’ risks due to isolation on the Moon and Mars.
My team I work with has created a solution using a Social Agent and ‘Time-Shifting’ to connect astronauts and help them feel present and close with people on Earth they love most, even though separated by space and time. We look forward to an analog opportunity to test it soon.
Behind the helmet is what is essential. The astronauts’ humanity must not be disguised, concealed, or denied. It is their greatest strength, to love and be loved in return.