Suspended in a parachute, wind rushing around you, free falling as you look down at the Earth rising up to meet you... Skydiving — thrilling and dangerous — with tens of thousands of onlookers. What better way to prepare for a career as an astronaut? Read this final installment of the 3-part interview with NASA Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren, crew member of the ISS Expedition 44-45.
I notice on your bio that you’re a photographer. Did you take photos while you were on the ISS?
Oh, absolutely! Yes. Whether we call ourselves photographers or not, we try to take as many pictures as possible. Over time you start to develop an understanding of the settings you need to take effective pictures. It’s very interesting — especially the high magnification photos. It requires a little bit of experience and skill to be able to capture those because the Earth is moving surprisingly quick under high magnification. You actually have to move the camera along, so you don’t get blur as a result of that.
The photo NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly took of Australia is amazing! Did you find color to be qualitatively different in space?
It depends on the weather and pollution, which can have a significant effect on what you can see. The lighting too, of course, makes all the difference. The colors are beyond what I’d imagined — especially Australia — it has amazing hues: blues, reds, browns, and oranges. Also, the deep, lush greens of these highly vegetative areas of the equatorial region are pretty incredible.
When you’re looking down you can also see hurricanes, typhoons, and other major weather events. What’s that like?
It’s a little paradoxical because these storms are absolutely massive. Oftentimes we’ll fly right over the eye and get amazing pictures of these storms. Yet, you recognize that the folks who are in its path are experiencing the incredible power of it, even though from space you don’t see any inherent motion. The storms look fairly peaceful. They are not very dynamic when you’re observing them from above. Obviously, you recognize that the experience the folks down there are having is very, very different. That’s hard to wrap your mind around: This massive storm and the devastation it’s causing. Yet from space it just looks like a big formation with an eye that really doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere.
Earlier we talked about “Project Veggie.” Had you grown crops back home before you grew them in space?
Not so much — my wife is definitely more of the gardener. I built a raised bed in our backyard for her and she’s really the one that tends to that. But through the Master Naturalist class, it has definitely taught me about the kind of native plants we have here in Texas. It’s given me a lot more interest in that process.
Yes — that’s how our paths crossed — as classmates currently enrolled to become certified Master Naturalists. In the first class we introduced ourselves and shared what brought us to the program. I recall you said that when you looked at Earth from orbit, it struck you that there’s no backup planet anywhere around. Well said! That hit me right between the eyes. Can you say more about what led you to want to become a certified Master Naturalist?
Sure, the reasons are manyfold. First, my experience on the space station. I think for everybody that has the opportunity to fly and see the earth from an orbit perspective, it is really impactful in understanding how precious the earth is. But also realizing the changes that humanity has made to our planet and understanding that we absolutely have to do a better job of taking care of the Earth.
Many of us liken the Earth to a spaceship. It is a finite, discrete resource. When it gets used up, that’s it — that’s all we’ve got. So, we have to do a better job of being stewards of this amazing resource that we have. We all come back from orbit recognizing just how precious the Earth is and wanting to do a better job of taking care of it. But I think, secondly, for many folks, the “how” of that is still very challenging. How can I, as an individual, do a better job of being a good crew member to others that are on this spaceship Earth with me? And thirdly, how can I be a better steward of this spaceship — of the Earth itself? That has been a challenge — finding my place and discovering where I can do that as an individual.
Another part is that I’m a former Eagle scout. I have three kids — two are boys — and they both are involved in scouting. I’m an assistant scoutmaster for our sons’ troop. I found a little bit of a niche there in the conservation projects that we do. My boys and I are scouts so that we can be better stewards of the Earth. That land ethic and commitment to service and to conservation is very much a part of scouting.
Part of what I do is try to identify opportunities for our scouts to participate in conservation projects. For a little over a year now, I’ve tried to spearhead that for our troop. As I got more and more involved, I volunteered with various parks around our community. It was through Armand Bayou Nature Center that I learned about the Master Naturalist program. That really appealed to me — an opportunity to find a place specifically where I can serve to help practice that land ethic, and to help others learn about it.
As the father of three Earthlings, what do you most hope to accomplish for future generations?
I think many of us understand that we are at a tipping point for our climate right now. There are things that we need to do to arrest this cycle. Personally, I would like to leave this Earth in better shape than this generation found it. That’s a tall order for a single individual. But working with organizations and other like-minded individuals, we can make a difference. We can slowly try to push the needle so that the next generations — my kids, and their kids — have an Earth that is as much a joy to be a part of as it has been for me.
It was announced in February that Dr. Lindgren will serve as commander for the SpaceX Crew-4 mission expected to launch in 2022. In addition to his dedication, passion and pure joy in his life’s work, my biggest takeaway from this interview is that an astronaut’s duty is first and foremost a gift of service performed for the benefit of humanity. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren, as well as those around the world whose tireless efforts to further the space program are helping realize one of humanity’s greatest achievements: Thank you for your service.
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This is the third blog sharing the insights of NASA Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren about his experience on the ISS. The first installment of this interview was posted on Earth Day and is titled "Earth from on High". The second installment is titled "Inside/Out the ISS."
NASA Astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren
(Pronunciation: CHELL LIND-grin)
Dr. Kjell N. Lindgren was selected by NASA in 2009. He spent most of his childhood abroad and returned to the U.S. to complete his education and earn a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Colorado. He is board certified in emergency and aerospace medicine. After serving as the Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-130 and Expedition 24, he was selected as an astronaut in June 2009 as one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. Dr. Lindgren flew on Expedition 44/45 and logged 141 days in space. He participated in two spacewalks and in more than a hundred different scientific experiments.
Photo: “Expedition 44 NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren” courtesy of NASA
Video: "A Moment with Astronaut Kjell Lindgren" courtesy of NASA
Photos courtesy of NASA:
Astronaut Scott Kelly posted this photo of Australia taken from the International Space Station on Twitter with the caption, “#EarthArt A single pass over the #Australian continent. Picture 17 of 17. #YearInSpace”.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 44/45 crew member Kjell Lindgren of NASA explains one of the historic space artifacts housed in the Gagarin Museum to his son during a ceremonial visit July 8. Lindgren, Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch on their Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan July 23 for a five-month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Seth Marcantel
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 44/45 crewmembers Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, left) and NASA’s Kjell Lindgren (center) walk with their families to awaiting busses July 10 following a departure ceremony prior to their flight to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch training. Kononenko, Lindgren and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch on their Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft July 23 from Baikonur for a five-month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
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