How Distance Reveals What Proximity Conceals

Last week, I interviewed Tuva Atasever, a Turkish astronaut, as part of my PhD research at Oxford. While Atasever detailed the rigorous selection and training, his tone shifted when he recalled crossing the Kármán line. He spoke with fond nostalgia about floating in microgravity, describing it as a meditative and spiritually exhilarating experience.

- Utkarsh Amitabh

In moments like that, astronauts often experience what space philosopher Frank White called the "overview effect." White describes it as a sudden realisation of interconnectedness, fragility, and unity of seeing our planet as a small, borderless sphere suspended in the void. From that vantage point, national borders vanish, politics dissolve, and our all-consuming problems seem trivial.