Overview Institute
In May 2008, twenty-two leaders in the areas of space, cognitive science, space art and visualization science, and technology convened at the National Space Society’s annual ISDC conference and announced their intention to form The Overview Institute. These experts, now known as The Overview Group, research and educate both the space community and the general public on the nature and psycho/social impact of directly experiencing space. Their announcement, drafted and signed by members of the group, led to The Declaration on the Overview Effect.
The Overview Effect
The Overview Effect is the most commonly used term in the space community to refer to the experiences of the astronauts. This term was coined in the book The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution by writer and space philosopher Frank White, one of the founding members of the Institute. White interviewed dozens of astronauts and found many common elements in their experiences. He also compiled many of their own predictions about the possible effects of public space travel on the society and culture of our world.
Throughout the previous five decades of manned spaceflight, astronauts and cosmonauts have reported that their direct perception of space, and the Earth hanging in it, produced unexpected emotional reactions and intellectual, perspective, perceptual and paradigm shifts. These shifts naturally included a greater and more accurate sense of the reality of space and the nature of the Earth as a planet in space. But it often included new or intensified insights into how this re-contextualizing from "life in the world" to "life on a planet" changed their understanding of many other aspects of life, from the environment to politics to resources, energy and humanitarian issues in general.
The Social and Cultural Impact of Space Tourism
The realization of the Earth as a limited, fragile ecosphere hanging in an infinite, largely unknown universe tended to induce a feeling of common cause with all inhabitants of the "Blue Marble". Indeed, many astronauts returned feeling like "Citizens of the Earth" for the first time. Far from thinking of themselves as unique; many felt that this would also be the experience of nearly anyone who went into space and that when a sizable number of citizens and leaders had this experience it would change the world in significant and positive ways.
Role of the Institute
The Institute is intended to create research, education and training resources for the space industry, community and the general public. It will function as an independent Institute within the space community and be an open membership organization overseen by a board elected from its members and those outside experts that the Institute may ask to serve.
The astronaut’s experiences are understood by experts within the space community and industry. The Overview Effect is the most commonly used term to refer to it, and Frank White’s book has been read by many in the field. However, the general public has little knowledge of any of these experiences. Also, there are widely differing levels of understanding of the actual nature of the Effect, and few, even in the space community are acquainted with the wide range of astronaut descriptions of their experiences. Thus, the Institute has an immediate goal of ensuring that the population has access to a more accurate and detailed understanding of the Overview Effect.
The majority of Institute members agree that greater research into astronaut descriptions and the cognitive science surrounding the Overview Effect are vital. They also agree that we should play a role in the development of more sophisticated space simulations and media in order to overcome the limitations that both media experts and the astronauts themselves indicate inhibit its communication.
Formation of the Institute
Since January 2006, White and a growing group of collaborators have produced five national conference events on the Overview Effect, co-sponsored by The Space Frontier Foundation and The National Space Society, two leading citizen space advocacy groups. At these events and others, The Overview Group held meetings with many of the major leaders of the NewSpace industry. In these meetings, group members gained information, reached support agreements and discussed collaborative projects.
Following the 2008 Declaration, conversations between the members developed a range of options concerning the Institutes formal structure, leadership and initial projects. Greg Barr, former Administrator of the L-5 Society and former Deputy Executive Director of the National Space Society, working as a consultant to the Group, helped create and analyze a survey based on these conversations, which have recently been filled out by the members. These results are now being summarized in a proposal which, upon agreement by the Group, will be the operating document for the official establishment of the Institute.
It has been agreed upon that The Overview Group will begin the formation of a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization and will, in the interim, continue to work with the Space Frontier Foundation, which is currently functioning as our Fiscal Agent and allows us to take tax-exempt donations through them to fund our start-up and Overview research operations.