Ex-NASA astronaut reveals why his first view of Earth from space left him 'underwhelmed'
- This ex- NASA astronaut revealed why seeing Earth for the first time from space was underwhelming
- He spoke to Joe Rogan about life as an astronaut
- It’s all down to how great NASA is and the ‘overview effect’
Published on Feb 27, 2025 at 12:58 PM (UTC-5)
by Grace Donohoe
Last updated on Feb 27, 2025 at 12:58 PM (UTC-5)
Edited by
Grace Donohoe
This Ex-NASA astronaut has revealed why his first view of Earth from space left him feeling less than impressed.
Yes, despite being launched thousands of feet into space and seeing the world from well above the clouds, he says the view was underwhelming.
The astronaut in question, Garrett Reisman spoke about his time in space
And well, just wait until you see his reaction
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NASA knows their stuff
Now, we can all agree that NASA has produced some pretty epic findings right?
From water ripples on Mars to unveiling a new telescope to better understand how Earth came to be, they’ve accomplished many the milestone.
However, one ex-NASA astronaut says that after being taken to space, his first view of Earth didn’t do anything for him.
In fact, Reisman stayed in Milky way territory for 107 days between 2008 and 2010.
Yet, seeing planet Earth for the first time wasn’t in one of his top 10 moments, apparently.
Why we hear you ask?
Well, he says that the view is simply overhyped and thanks to NASA’s great imagery of our planet, he’s actually seen it all before.
The former astronaut confessed everything recently when he joined Joe Rogen to discuss all things space.
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His honest thoughts will surprise you
Rogan asked the former spaceman what it was like to see Earth.
“If I had to pick one word to describe what I was feeling at that moment, it would be meh,” he said.
Yes, you read that right… meh.
“Just meh, I mean it was all right, it was pretty. It had a lot of like those earth colours, blues and greens.
“But man, we’ve all seen pictures of the Earth from space.
“It was beautiful but I guess my expectations were so high, I felt like there should be like some heavenly choir,” he went on.
Surprised?
We are too, but he’s right.
NASA has produced some epic pictures of our planet, which adds to something called the overview effect, Reisman went on to explain, proving he was far from ungrateful.
Who is Garrett Reisman?
Well, he is a NASA veteran – so he knows his stuff.
In fact, Reisman had quite the career as an astronaut, flying on all three Space Shuttles.
His first ever mission included boarding the Space Shuttle Endeavour to take him to the International Space Station for 95 days.
Which is some seriously cool stuff… no wonder he isn’t easy to impress.
Watch his real time reaction to Joe’s questions below:
Beginning her career as a lifestyle reporter and social-media manager, Grace joined Supercar Blondie in February 2025. Since coming on board, has thrown herself into the busy daily writing schedule. Her editorial sweet spots include writing about luxury properties and the quirky features inside them that the one percent are investing in, as well as groundbreaking advancements in space exploration.
