Baby the stars shine bright...

[Fluffball]

Yeah, exactly. It would be the realisation that you stand there on the moon, watching as the earth passes by. Life just going further through on this blue planet and you, as an outside bystander are
watching this happening...it must be really bizarre perspective (hence eager to know how it would be).

This might be the current inner monologue for ISS crews 62&63. How they are looking onto the Earth, wondering about the current situation, while there are in space, stranded and maybe in one of the "safest" quarantine to be had...

April 17 will be descent for crew 62 (can be seen on Nasa Tv), that has been on board for more then six months now. How utterly unreal that must be to get back here, from the relatively isolated science-fest above into the fear/greed/despair/death of everyday reality.

 

[dragulagu]

This might be the current inner monologue for ISS crews 62&63. How they are looking onto the Earth, wondering about the current situation, while there are in space, stranded and maybe in one of the "safest" quarantine to be had...

April 17 will be descent for crew 62 (can be seen on Nasa Tv), that has been on board for more then six months now. How utterly unreal that must be to get back here, from the relatively isolated science-fest above into the fear/greed/despair/death of everyday reality.

Yep, maybe one day the human race gets far enough to realize how absolutely irrelevant everything going on this earth is in the grand scheme of things, then it would be ready for actual space faring.
If you'd look back on these present times in the future, how much dispute is happening now, it's just ridiculous. If we can't manage to sustain ourselves peacefully as a race on this planet then how would we ever manage it on outer worlds..

Realisticly though; these astronauts are glad to be back down below, having a nice slice of pizza and meeting the family .

 

[Fluffball]

Realisticly though; these astronauts are glad to be back down below, having a nice slice of pizza and meeting the family .

Yeahh, true dat. That would be me riding the feely train too hard, man, not to include that.

 

[dragulagu]

Yeahh, true dat. That would be me riding the feely train too hard, man, not to include that.

Everyone would, it's a different experience from anything up 'here'. You are locked in a secluded space outside the planet with the duty to fulfil experimentation and research.
It takes a lot of someone psychologically.

 

[Fluffball]

It's a social experiment either way. One semi-voluntary one not so much...

I wanted to write more but caught up reading this. Applies right in, 'nuff said.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/valeri...ys-to-cope-with-isolation--social-distancing/

 

[Fluffball]

You are locked in a secluded space outside the planet with the duty to fulfil experimentation and research.

At least they've got to be accountable to Nasa, being preoccupied with tasks to do. Different from the fact, that here you have to be accountable to yourself (pretty hard to do sometimes) if you aren't working outside of your home or being tough badass. It provides more time to spiral into depressive states, when not active enough...

Though I am not implying that iss isolation does not provide the opportunity and environment for just the same. Just the speed factor might differ.

 

[John K]

Everyone would, it's a different experience from anything up 'here'. You are locked in a secluded space outside the planet with the duty to fulfil experimentation and research.
It takes a lot of someone psychologically.

I overwintered on an Antarctic island base when I was 22. There were 23 of us and we were on our own for 6 months. It was a fascinating experience - we were cut off more completely than the astronauts are because we had only short wave radio contact with home, and I didn’t speak to my family or fiancée for 18 months. We kept in touch through letters when the ships were down there and by radio telegram. You become culturally isolated as well as physically, and you start to create your own culture.

These days I expect people have instant internet access back home, so it will feel different.

 

[Fluffball]

I overwintered on an Antarctic island base when I was 22. There were 23 of us and we were on our own for 6 months. It was a fascinating experience - we were cut off more completely than the astronauts are because we had only short wave radio contact with home, and I didn’t speak to my family or fiancée for 18 months. We kept in touch through letters when the ships were down there and by radiotelegram. You become culturally isolated as well as physically, and you start to create your own culture.

These days I expect people have instant internet access back home, so it will feel different.

I apologise to detract the thread in that direction, but this seems like one-of-kind memory and experience and I am beyond curious about it.

John, what was the goal of the stay? Research?

What tension points have arisen from the confinement? Did the group separate into cliques? What mannerism has developed, was there a structured hierarchy before that changed over the course?

What did you do to battle the effects of isolation, what "culture" have you developed?

 

[John K]

I apologise to detract the thread in that direction, but this seems like one-of-kind memory and experience and I am beyond curious about it.

John, what was the goal of the stay? Research?

What tension points have arisen from the confinement? Did the group separate into cliques? What mannerism has developed, was there a structured hierarchy before that changed over the course?

What did you do to battle the effects of isolation, what "culture" have you developed?

Hi Fluffball! I wrote up some details a year ago in my blog, Nightspore, but they are buried in the middle of all the other things. These are the links:

Nightspore

Nightspore

Nightspore

(I must go back to this and talk more about when I left South Georgia and travelled down the Antarctic Peninsular on one of our ships.)

I'm not sure if your questions are answered properly in these links but they give the context. Rather than divert this thread too much, if you want to follow up let's continue in Nightspore

 

[Sandie33]

This is not a picture I took, but rather a borrowed one.
I am facinated by this picture of the moon. It looks sinister, evil, yet after closely inspecting it, I believe it looks like the beast from beauty and the beast. The shot it's self is amazing. If it hasn't been altered...

 

[John K]

This is not a picture I took, but rather a borrowed one.
I am facinated by this picture of the moon. It looks sinister, evil, yet after closely inspecting it, I believe it looks like the beast from beauty and the beast. The shot it's self is amazing. If it hasn't been altered...
View attachment 66576

Gosh Sandie, that looks really eerie !

 

[Sandie33]

Gosh Sandie, that looks really eerie !

It does John. I keep looking at it because I sense it's a photo overlay. It has to be to be that clear of a face

 

[Fluffball]

This is not a picture I took, but rather a borrowed one.
I am fascinated by this picture of the moon. It looks sinister, evil, yet after closely inspecting it, I believe it looks like the beast from beauty and the beast. The shot its self is amazing. If it hasn't been altered...
View attachment 66576

Thank you, Sandie, I have recently seen it somewhere and could not subsequently find it anywhere. Some people might even interpret it as 'bad omen' due to the seemingly evil anthropomorphic features.

Although I am not really sure if that picture has been altered or not, maybe someone knows? Didn't anything pop up on the internet?

 

[Fluffball]

But on the topic of moon and photos of it, there is one lovely thing that I had the chance to see, the Lunaloon. It's a huge moon structured inflatable balloon, that got inflated for some time "just for the heck of it" for astronomy enthusiasts near me. It was incredible, even though I could not personally attend and snap a photo of that humongous beauty.



Maybe @John K this is the ultimate moon among the buildings.

 

[John K]

Maybe @John K this is the ultimate moon among the buildings.

Lol

Maybe it’s come from Minas Morgul?

 

[Fluffball]

Tonight, the Lyrid meteor shower should be observable. The peak is probably midnight towards the wee hours of 22nd.
I'll try to do some observing, but maybe some of you in different areas without that much light pollution might have a better chance of observing something.

 

[dragulagu]

It's a social experiment either way. One semi-voluntary one not so much...

I wanted to write more but caught up reading this. Applies right in, 'nuff said.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/valeri...ys-to-cope-with-isolation--social-distancing/

Good article, thanks Fluffball. And if NASA says it, must be so, social distancing tips:

- Regular exercise (1-2 hours a day), outside if possible, preferably a place with oxygen
- Make your surroundings as comfortable as possible
- Spend some away time when socializing becomes too much
- Do not panic buy
- Not too much snacking
- Keep up contact with family
- Keep up humour through Dank Meme's (NASA tm)

 

[dragulagu]

Hi Fluffball! I wrote up some details a year ago in my blog, Nightspore, but they are buried in the middle of all the other things. These are the links:

Nightspore

Nightspore

Nightspore

(I must go back to this and talk more about when I left South Georgia and travelled down the Antarctic Peninsular on one of our ships.)

I'm not sure if your questions are answered properly in these links but they give the context. Rather than divert this thread too much, if you want to follow up let's continue in Nightspore

@John K Ever thought of creating a biography from this period?

 

[dragulagu]

For the music and the high altitude imagery. Beautiful planet of ours.

 

[John K]

@John K Ever thought of creating a biography from this period?

I haven't really - until I shared these in the forum, I had not considered writing anything. I'd sent lots of letters home to my folks and to my fiancée (my wife of 47 years now lol) - they tell the story well for my family and I have all those. In many ways, my main Antarctic narrative is my photographs (as it has been my diary throughout my life) and I had a large photobook printed from those a few years ago which I'm pleased with. I have a bit more experience doing them now so I may remake it at some point.

I'm not sure what I'd put into a biography actually - it was a long time ago now, and so has a distinctly historical dimension to it which might be of interest. On the other hand, the Antarctic culture I knew is not that of the intrepid explorer, but of the base scientist, and they tried to choose people who were not wanting to push the limits of human endurance and risk killing themselves. It was a curious combination of an extraordinary place, profound isolation in a small community, some risk certainly, and a life of mundane observatory routine set amid dazzling cold splendour. I'm not sure how interesting this would be really.

It may be that a way in would be to put together a photobook wrapped around the letters I sent to my folks. I have a couple of other collections of letters that are equally of interest, including those my Dad sent home from overseas as a soldier in WW2.

For the music and the high altitude imagery. Beautiful planet of ours.

This is a great video and I enjoyed it - thanks for posting it