Several companies are racing to become the first to put tourists in space and many people have said they’d love to go despite the high cost.
Captain and former astronaut Dr. Jerry Linenger, who’s survived many life threatening incidents on board an orbiting spacecraft, says space travel is not for novices.
“We had occasions of near misses, we had breakdown of life support systems and we had trained people who were used to flying off air craft carriers or migfighter pilots and without that ability to block out all the distractions and concentrate on the task at hand, and not worry about your own survival and all three of us doing that, you know, I wouldn’t have made it.”
Dr. Linenger is one of eight storyteller astronauts featured in National Geographic’s One Strange Rock. As part of the elite few to have experienced Earth from outer space, Linenger provides a unique perspective of Earth.
“When you come home, even after a great vacation, you have sort of a new-found appreciation for all the things you have in your own home and your own house. So all eight of us I think have that same perspective of ‘Wow, what a place we live in.’”
He says the show tries to reflect on just how remarkable Earth is.
“It goes around the world looking at different cultures, looking at views from space, and it’s phenomenal. it kind of gives you that wonderment that every Astronaut has when you’re out in space looking down on the planet, which is hard to convey to people.”
He went on to say the most wonderful thing he saw while orbiting space was Earth.
One Strange Rock airs Sundays at 7:30 PM on Fox 11 and is available on demand on National Geographic.
Dr. Linenger was a guest on McIntyre in the Morning.
Sharon Reardon, KABC News
