If you aren't familiar with "The Overview Effect," it is "... the experience of seeing the Earth from a distance, especially from orbit or the Moon, and realizing the inherent unity and oneness of everything on the planet. The Effect represents a shift in perception wherein the viewer moves from identification with parts of the Earth to identification with the whole system."  (Frank White, author of The Overview Effect: Space Exploration and Human Evolution)

We are so inundated with news of conflict and other challenges across our planet that it's difficult to see how the new year can be better than the last.  Well, if we can't see it, then we must create that which we wish to see, and any hopeful and peaceful vision of humanity's future must include our stellar neighborhood.  As former space shuttle astronaut Joe Allen said, "With all the arguments, pro and con, for going to the moon, no own suggested that we should do it to look at the Earth.  But that may in fact be the most important reason."

A wonderful event that occurred in Raleigh, NC on Dec. 1st demonstrated the healing power of bringing space down to Earth and into our neighborhoods.  I imagine you've never read anything quite like this.

Among David Beaver's many talents, he is a visionary with the neverending drive to make his vision a reality, and you can get a glimpse of this at the World Space Center.  He was also the force behind the first Overview Effect Day, co-hosted by the Space Frontier Foundation.  Here is what he and Jason Clark (entrepreneur, graphics and software wizard) accomplished on Dec. 1st, as reported to me by David:

... a multimedia presentation I and my CTO made on December 1st to as unlikely an audience for space travel as you can imagine, The Raleigh North Carolina Human Relations Commission.  Every year, they host the Mayor's Unity Day (for 250 of the Mayor's closest friends) that tackles the hard issues of improving racial and ethnic unity in the diverse population of the Research Triangle (Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill).  This conference deals with everything from gang warfare and police brutality to educational deficits and poverty.

In the midst of this potent mix, a very visionary Commission Chairperson, Abini El-Amin, asked us to kick off the day with a multimedia visualization of the Overview Effect experienced by the astronauts and to relate it to racial and ethnic unity.  We first did a quick retrospective of the NewSpace movement and industry, hitting highpoints like SpaceShip One, Virgin Galactic and the Bigelow space station, etc. and then with a combination of Earth and space visualization systems took the hall on a tour of near Earth space and plunged down through the atmosphere to the very building in which they were sitting, spun around the building, across the city and then flew them back to the vision of the big blue marble all the while quoting from astronauts, world leaders and visionary social leaders about how the vision of Earth from space had changed their lives and informed their work.

We blew the room away.  Heads of City organizations asked us for the materials we had used and our help in presenting similar experiences to their staff and clients.

While none of these people are likely to vote on or fund space projects, I guarantee that they will never think of space in the same distant, abstract way again and the next time they hear of a space-based project they will pay much greater attention.  And they are major opinion leaders in this community.  Even the Mayor said that it was the most unique interpretation of space and the value of space travel he had ever seen.

Imagine presentations like this in every major city, affecting civic and opinion leaders in a wide variety of fields.  This is one major way you change "hearts and minds" about space and prepare the fields for growing every kind of space initiative.  This is one major way to bring space down to Earth.

Yes.