Jessica Meir had dreamed for decades about what it would be like to sail among the stars. And when she got her chance in 2019, the experience surpassed all of her expectations. This weekend, the UC San Diego alumna will return to the university to share the wonders of her journey to space as a NASA astronaut and offer words of wisdom to the Class of 2022 at All Campus Commencement on June 11.
Portrait of NASA Astronaut Jessica Meir in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (spacesuit). Photo by Josh Valcarcel/NASA, September 2018.
In advance of her visit, we spoke with Meir about the potential for scientific breakthroughs without the influence of gravity; how her love for our planet exponentially grew after seeing the magnificent landscapes from above; her belief in the power of getting out of your comfort zone to achieve great heightsliterally; and how even astronaut training could not prepare her for the pandemic when she returned home in 2020.
Q. You believe in taking risks to achieve great things, even if it means facing failure along the way. Have there been moments of disappointment on your journey to becoming an astronaut?
A.I absolutely believe that it is necessary to take risks and push yourself slightly outside your comfort zonethat's when the great things happen. Perhaps my biggest failure was in trying to become an astronaut. I had first applied in 2009 when I was completing my doctoral studies at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. I made it all the way to the final round of about 40-50 people, but when I arrived for the interview, I saw I was surrounded by incredible people with remarkable resumes and extraordinary accomplishments. I thought, okay, I'm never going to get selected. When the calls went out that year, I was not among them. Knowing that I had come that close and it hadnt worked out really hurt.
It would have been quite easy at that point to just give up because I had my other career as a scientist that I loved. When the chance came four years later to apply again, I thought, maybe I shouldnt take that risk and put myself through the mental anguish. But if I hadn't put myself out there again and applied, I wouldn't be here today. I hope that I can show that you have to take risks and fail on the way to making your dreams come true.
Q. You embrace challenges with zeal. Is there anything that you fear?
A.As astronauts, we train for years in advance of space missions, so we are incredibly prepared for everything that comes our way. Even though I haven't had to respond to a real emergency scenario in the space environment, I have been through simulations so many times that it's almost like I have muscle memory. We also have thousands of people working in mission control who have designed all of these systems and help maintain them to keep us safe. That's the top priority of everything that we do here at NASA:safety.
The only thing that I've ever feared as an astronautand I've heard this from many other astronauts as wellis the fear of making a mistake. You are so fortunate to be the one in space, and there are so many people that are depending on you and have been involved in this whole process. You feel this huge responsibility because you don't want to let anyone down.
Meir observes a floating sphere of water formed by microgravity inside the International Space Station's Kibo laboratory module. Photo by NASA, February 9, 2020.
Q. What is something you learned about yourself while working at the International Space Station that you didnt expect?
A.Ive wanted to go to space since I was 5 years old. I thought I was prepared for what that might be like because I had contemplated it so much. What surprised me was that it was even more incredible than I ever imagined. When you're anticipating something, you often build it up and sometimes it becomes a disappointment later. Yet being in space surpassed all of my expectations. Just being up there, weightless and floating 24 hours a day, having the privilege of looking down at the earth below, it changes you as a person.
Q. Youve conducted thousands of experiments throughout your career. What is the most exciting part about conducting science in space?
A.If you think about it, we have one variable here on Earth that is always with us in any scientific system: gravity. It affects us all and everything around us. You can only imagine what might happen to those systems if you remove this omnipresent variable. That's what makes the science we do on the space station so exciting. From physiology and medical experiments to combustion experiments and cell biologyyou name it and we're doing it up there. With this variable removed, who knows what's going to happen? There are so many areas of potential for extraordinary findings that we can unravel when we're doing experiments in space.
Q. We are experiencing an echo pandemic right now with many impacted by mental health struggles. How do you maintain wellness when you face challenges?
A.Psychological wellbeing is a very important part of our job as astronauts and plays a big role in our selection as well. We have a number of teams working to support our mental health, especially when were on long-duration missions in an isolated environment that contains a lot of stressors. During space missions we receive care packages and have the chance to do regular video chats with family members once a week.
There are many parallels to what we go through as astronauts and what the whole world has experienced with the COVID-19 pandemic. I launched to the International Space Station in September2019 before the pandemic began, and I landed April2020. Coming back to a completely different planet was much more difficult for me to deal with than the isolation and confinement on the space station. We tried to share some of the lessons we learned while living in space, such as maintaining a consistent schedule, exercising regularly and making time to communicate with family members.
Meir conducts an experiment inside the Life Science Glovebox that compares the microgravity-exposed samples to magnetically levitated samples on Earth for insights into bone ailments such as osteoporosis. Photo by NASA, March 3, 2020.
Q. Youve explored the deep ocean and the edges of the universe. What are the connections, and what draws you to these environments?
A.There are absolutely connections between ocean sciences and space sciences. A key similarity is the need for a life support system. In the ocean, this may mean scuba diving or using a robotic submersible to carry us into the water. In space, we may do a space walk or use a robotic spacecraft to complete our explorations.
What draws me toward both pursuits is the spirit of explorationgoing a little bit further, taking a look around the corner to see what places we haven't gone before. I've always been drawn toward extreme physiology; my expertise is the physiology of animals living in extreme environments. That's easily connected to what we're doing here in space, except now I am the animal in the most extreme of environments.
Q. Did your worldview change after returning to Earth?
A.Ive always been an environmentalist, but I can say it now resonates even more loudly. Seeing Earth from above, you realize how special it is and how we need to protect it. I remember watching the gradient blues of the thin, tenuous band of the atmosphere. You can see it change from a darker blue at the surface, then it gets thinner and thinner with altitude. In no time at all, it has disappeared into the void and blackness of space. When you see that with your own eyes, this extraordinary palette of beauty and how connected all the landforms are, it is so utterly gorgeous and breathtaking.
Being in space also made me realize just how interconnected everything is. Looking down at the earth from the space station, you see contiguous land masses with no borders. And you realize that we're all in this together, from addressing the COVID-19 pandemic to taking care of our planet. Its a view that I really hope I can share with more people.
I also noticed it's really an innate characteristic of humans to focus on small, trivial matters right in front of us. Sometimes, we need to be reminded to take a step back and not focus so much attention on those little things. Space does that for you. I feel so incredibly fortunate to have gained that kind of perspective.
Originally posted here:
Take the leap: A conversation with UC alumna and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir - University of California
- Soyuz Spacecraft Undocks to Return Three Crewmates to Earth - NASA Blogs - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Multinational team safely returns to Earth from the International Space Station - UPI News - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- US, Russian and Belarusian ISS crew members safely return to Earth - FRANCE 24 English - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Soyuz capsule with crew of 3, including 1st female astronaut from Belarus, lands safely to end ISS mission - Space.com - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- A Soyuz capsule carrying 3 crew from the International Space Station lands safely in Kazakhstan - Bozeman Daily Chronicle - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- NASA investigates possible space junk that crashed through Florida home - Fox Weather - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Trio Finalizes Packing, Science Activities Before Friday Departure - NASA Blogs - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Will the 2024 total solar eclipse be visible from space? - Space.com - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- A Soyuz capsule carrying 3 crew from the International Space Station lands safely in Kazakhstan - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Kazakhstan Russia Space Station | Nation % World AP news of the day | chronicleonline.com - Citrus County Chronicle - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Brain Research Tops Science Schedule Ahead of Crew Departure - NASA Blogs - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Mysterious object that crashed through Florida home was likely space junk from the International Space Station - Livescience.com - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Falling Object That Crashed Into Florida Home May Be Debris From the International Space Station - Smithsonian Magazine - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Mitsubishi takes stake in Starlab Space - SpaceNews - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Mysterious Object That Tore Through Florida Home May Be From the ISS - Newsweek - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Florida man nearly hit by possible space junk that tore through roof of his home: 'Almost hit my son' - New York Post - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Suspected space object crashes through roof of home in Naples, Florida - ABC News - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Former flight attendant for Belavia Airlines is back on earth from the ISS - AIRLIVE - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- Space trash from the International Space Station tears through Florida mans home - WDBO - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- NASA probing where chunk of metal that hit a Florida house came from - Business Insider - April 6th, 2024 [April 6th, 2024]
- SpaceX launches its 30th Dragon cargo mission to the ISS (video) - Space.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- SpaceX rocket launch: Coffee, cherry tomatoes heading to space station - Florida Today - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- SpaceX Resupply Mission Docks With Space Station - Aviation Week - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Space Station Welcomes Cargo, Awaits Crew Arrival - AmericaSpace - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- This Week @NASA: A Commercial Mission Carries Science to the Space Station - SciTechDaily - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Soyuz MS-25 flight to Space Station launches successfully after Thursday's scrub - UPI News - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Launch aborted of Russian Soyuz spacecraft seconds before blast-off - Reuters - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Soyuz rocket carrying first Belorussian woman in space en route to ISS - The Spokesman Review - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- NASA Selects New Round of Candidates for CubeSat Missions to Station - NASA - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Immunology Studies and Robotics for Orbital Residents as Crew and Cargo Craft Count Down to Launch - NASA Blogs - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Russian Soyuz rocket suffers rare last-minute abort during launch of 3 astronauts to ISS (video) - Space.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Watch Russian Soyuz rocket launch 3 spaceflyers to the ISS on March 23 - Space.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Soyuz launches to station after scrub - SpaceNews - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- SpaceX Dragon soars under sunny skies Thursday to dock with International Space Station - Florida Today - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- SpaceX to launch 30th cargo mission to the ISS for NASA this week - Space.com - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- The Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft blasts off to the International Space Station (ISS) from the launchpad at the Baikonur ... - Colorado Springs Gazette - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Astronaut and UC Davis alum Tracy C. Dyson headed to the International Space Station for 3rd mission - KCRA Sacramento - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- SpaceX launches mission to International Space Station from Florida - WFLA - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Notre Dame professor sends cancer research to space station - South Bend Tribune - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Soyuz launches 3 new crew members to ISS on its 71st flight - Interesting Engineering - March 24th, 2024 [March 24th, 2024]
- Astronauts Aboard ISS Find Lost Tomato Missing for 8 Months - PEOPLE - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- NASA astronaut will celebrate Hanukkah in space with felt menorah - Space.com - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Four-time Space Veteran Jeff Williams to Retire from NASA - El Paso Inc. - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- NASA astronauts finally find tomato that was lost in space for months - New York Post - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- A tomato lost for 8 months on space station has finally been found, and it is a big deal - WION - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- ISS astronauts find tomato that was lost in space for 8 months - FreshPlaza.com - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Watch ISS astronaut speak with Nobel Prize winners on Dec. 11 - Yahoo News - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Mysterious "red sprite" captured by space station astronaut - Earth.com - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Astronauts find tomato lost 8 months earlier aboard ISS - Supercar Blondie - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- NASA pushes back timing of ISS deorbit vehicle contract - The Register - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Health, Manufacturing Science Day Before Station's 25th Anniversary - NASA Blogs - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Space Station Turns 25, Just in Time to Die - Futurism - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Tomato lost in space by astronaut has finally been found - Boing Boing - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Astronauts Just Found a Tomato That Was Missing for 8 Months in Space - Yahoo Lifestyle UK - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Space Station Astronauts Find Desiccated Tomato After Blaming Colleague for Its Theft - Futurism - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Public can tune in as NASA live streams space station's 25th anniversary call to crew - UPI News - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Happy Zero-Gravity Hanukkah! Jewish Holiday Celebrated Aboard International Space Station - The Weekly Journal - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Space Station Crew Proves Missing Tomato Wasn't Eaten By Astronaut - Tasting Table - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Astronauts from these countries have been the most frequent visitors to the International Space Station - Times of India - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- Missing tomato recovered after being lost on the ISS for 8 months - Digital Trends - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- NASA Terrified of Space Station Careening Out of Control and Crashing Into People - Futurism - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Cosmonauts on ISS spacewalk encounter toxic coolant 'blob' while inspecting leaky radiator - Space.com - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Unbelievable video demonstrating speed of the ISS is blowing people's minds - UNILAD - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Putin Approves Development Of Russian Space Station - Aviation Week - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- NASA's SpaceX CRS-29 Mission Flies Research to the Space Station - NASA - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Progress Continues Toward NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test to Station - NASA - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Mind-blowing animation shows the speed of the International Space ... - UNILAD - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- China sends 29 biological samples to its space station onboard ... - CGTN - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- How To Solve All Herta Space Station Puzzles In Aetherium Wars Of ... - TheGamer - October 29th, 2023 [October 29th, 2023]
- Honkai Star Rail: The Complete Story of Herta Space Station ... - TheGamer - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- Sun breaks out with highest number of sunspots since in more than ... - Space.com - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- Is there an 'up' and a 'down' in space? - Livescience.com - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- The top 10 Ariane 5 rocket launches of all time - Space.com - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- SpaceX rocket launches Euclid space telescope to map the 'dark ... - Space.com - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- NASAs ChatGPT-like AI will let spaceships talk to astronauts - Freethink - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- Space Force is redefining outer space as a theater of war - The Washington Post - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- FEATURE: How the Satellite Applications Catapult replicates space ... - Professional Engineering - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- Artemis 2 astronaut Jeremy Hansen says a Canadian will walk on ... - Space.com - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- EU should take lead on cleaning up environment in space - EUobserver - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]
- Blue Origin looks to expand beyond US with international launch site - Financial Times - July 4th, 2023 [July 4th, 2023]