Here’s a report on the recent panel discussion at the Nat. Air & Space Museum about the Overview Effect (see earlier posting) : An Astronauts’ View of Earth Could Change Us All – The Daily Planet.

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NASA astronaut Mae Carol Jemison participated in the recent Race in Space conference hosted by Duke’s Department of African and African American Studies in Durham, North Carolina.

The Race in Space conference is a first of its kind event that seeks to explore the issues of race, culture and nationality in the colonization of space stations, planets and stars in space.  This two day conference will highlight astronauts, researchers, artists and authors who have studied both the realities and imaginative events involving the dynamics of race and space settlements.

Here are reports on the conference and Jemison’s presentation:

• Space, race and STEM –  NewsObserver.com
• The Legacy of Lt. Uhura: Astronaut Mae Jemison on Race in Space – Duke Today

The Overview Effect will be the topic of a discussion panel at Air & Space next Thursday: The Overview Effect:  Bringing it Down to Earth – National Air and Space Museum

Thursday, November 7
2:30 pm
Moving Beyond Earth
Museum in Washington, DC
Admission: Free

Human spaceflight has changed our world, but can a perspective born in space change the world too?  The Overview Effect, a term that describes a shift in worldview fostered by seeing the Earth from orbit or the Moon, has had a profound impact on the astronauts who have experienced it. Join us for a discussion with Overview Institute co-founders David Beaver and Frank White, and astronauts Michael Lopez-Alegria and Sandy Magnus. The program will be moderated by Roger Launius, associate director of the National Air and Space Museum.

The Overview Effect is a phenomenon that is often intellectually understood, but the experience itself is difficult to communicate because the astronauts and those listening to their message do not have a common framework for understanding.  The founders and supporters of the Institute feel that its message could have a salutary effect on the environmental movement, international relations, and a multitude of humanitarian issues.

The program will begin with a viewing of the short film “Overview.”