February, 2009: Way, Way Out
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- 2/4/2009 |
- 10:00 am
Just hours ago, as I was getting ready to jot down a completely different writing exercise for this month, I took some time to go outside and look up into a crystal clear sky. I knew that the International Space Station was going to be passing overhead, and I wanted to watch that amazing sight. Well, I did, and it made me think of a completely different writing exercise. Here's what it's all about...
First, I want to recommend that you really should make an effort to watch this scientific marvel when it passes over your house. Here's a web site that will help you.
Just click on the box that says "Sighting Opportunities," enter your country, state, city, etc., and it will tell you the date and time and duration for the ISS (International Space Station). It will look like a bright light moving swiftly across the sky.
Watching this made me think about what's really going on up there. We're comfortable here on the skin of our planet, living our daily lives, going to school, going to work, talking with friends, playing video games, going out to eat, playing in the park.... while a couple of hundred miles above us, three human beings are living and working in an artificial world.
They normally spend six months aboard the station before coming home. Imagine that for a moment: Six months in space, orbiting the Earth about fifteen times a day. What would that be like? How much would you miss your family and friends? What other things, that we take for granted, would you really begin to miss as the weeks went by?
Your assignment this month is to imagine yourself aboard the ISS. You have to obviously keep very precise records of the work you do each day, but let's also imagine that you have a journal for your personal thoughts. Let's assume that you have been there for more than five months, and you'll be returning home in a matter of weeks. What thoughts go through your head? What are you most looking forward to when you get home? What have you personally learned about yourself during your long stay in space? Has it changed your outlook on life to be isolated for so long? What is the first thing you want to do when you get home?
There are so many things you could write about. Remember, a journal is a chance to really explore emotions, so take your time and concentrate on what you would be feeling. Have fun with this!
