Awestruck Astronauts: Overview Effect & Spiritual Experiences

[RAD4921]

Has anyone ever heard of the "overview effect"? This is where astronauts have claimed to have had "spiritual experiences" or taken aback by the sight of the Earth from a perspective such as from the surface of the moon or spacewalks from the space shuttle.

 

[LURCH]

Never heard it called by that name, but I've experienced it myself just looking at the pictures those astronauts took!

 

[hypatia]

Some one wrote a book about it in the late 80's I recall. I haven't heard much about it sense.

 

[setAI]

pro'lly cosmic rays hitting too many synapses- a little astro-LSD- that is what happened to Edgar Mitchell

 

[Entropy]

pro'lly cosmic rays hitting too many synapses

Do you have any evidence to back that up?

I know it is hard to sleep in space because cosmic rays will travel through your eye lids and hit the back of your eye ball and make you see little flashes of light. I would imagine that as being pretty annoying.

As far as these profound experences in space, it make be due to cosmic rays hitting the brain, but never-the-less, you have to admit that seeing the Earth in space is a just a jaw-dropping experence.

 

[Astronuc]

Has anyone ever heard of the "overview effect"? This is where astronauts have claimed to have had "spiritual experiences" or taken aback by the sight of the Earth from a perspective such as from the surface of the moon or spacewalks from the space shuttle.

Yes, I have heard astronauts describe a profound sense of awe when looking back at the Earth from LEO or lunar orbit, or from the moon's surface.

 

[LURCH]

pro'lly cosmic rays hitting too many synapses- a little astro-LSD- that is what happened to Edgar Mitchell

I have experienced something similar to this, where a "profound experience" caused me to feel that I was orbiting the Earth!