SPACE PERSPECTIVE PARTNERS WITH EARTHDAY.ORG TO HELP CHANGE HUMANITY’S PERSPECTIVE ON EARTH & OUR PLACE WITHIN IT

Space Perspective, the world’s first and only carbon-neutral space travel experience company, releases campaign featuring late astronomer Carl Sagan’s iconic ‘Pale Blue Dot’ speech timed to Earth Day. Space Perspective’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ spot was created in partnership with Sagan’s widow and long-time collaborator, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer, producer and director Ann Druyan.

Washington DC, (April 12th, 2023)-Space Perspective, the world’s first and only carbon-neutral space travel experience company and EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO), the global organizer of Earth Day and the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, announced their new partnership today to support the launch of Space Perspective’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ campaign and its urgent message for the world.

Carl Sagan’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ speech, as it is commonly known, from his 1994 book, ‘Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space’, reminds us of the power of space travel to transform our perspective on the planet and our place within it. Space Perspective will bring that to the world by providing the quintessential astronaut experience – seeing Earth from the blackness of space – to as many people as possible.

Commonly referred to as the overview effect, astronauts often return from missions with a fire inside them to get involved with social and environmental causes. “You almost can’t put it into words,” said Jeff Hoffman, former NASA astronaut, professor of aerospace engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Space Perspective Senior Technical Advisor. “You gain a deep understanding of how finite our planet is, and the desire to do something about the challenges that face us is unshakable. Having that experience, gaining that space perspective – it changes you forever.”

Space Perspective offers a safe, zero-emissions six-hour journey to space in a pressurized capsule propelled gently by a SpaceBalloonTM. With no heavy g-forces or training required, it is as easy as being in an airplane. Designed to be accessible and a shared experience – the capsule accommodates eight passengers and a captain – Explorers will join the less than 700 people who have seen the Earth from the perspective of space.

“Carl Sagan’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ message rings truer now more than ever,” said Jane Poynter, Founder and Co-CEO of Space Perspective. “Launching our campaign with Carl’s lasting words at the heart of it, with Earth Day as a powerful amplifier of such a critical message, perfectly encapsulates who we are as a company and our belief that the new commercial space age can change our perspective on Earth and inspire positive change for our planet.”

The :60 spot that anchors Space Perspective’s campaign is an urgent call to action to protect and preserve our planet. It is inspired by the famous Pale Blue Dot photograph taken of Earth, at Carl Sagan’s urging, on February 14, 1990, by NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft.

The spot was created in alliance with Ann Druyan, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning writer, producer and director and Sagan’s widow and long-time collaborator, who founded Cosmos Studios and helped found the Carl Sagan Institute of Cornell University. Earth Day will support Space Perspective’s ‘Pale Blue Dot’ on their channels in the lead-up to Earth Day on April 22 and through a dedicated moment at the Annual Climate Leadership Gala on April 27 in Washington DC.

“In this environmental crisis we must try every conceivable creative means to awaken the will, courage and genius

required to meet this challenge,” said Druyan. “It’s my hope that this transcendent, yet wholly realistic vision of our planet, will inspire those who experience it to work tirelessly to preserve our planet’s habitability for us and our fellow Earthling species. That was Carl’s motive in efforts to have NASA command Voyager 1 to take the Pale Blue Dot picture and for him to write his exquisite meditation on its significance. The alliance between EARTHDAY.ORG and Space Perspective is another step in that direction.”

EARTHDAY.ORG’s own connection to space runs deep. Earth Day itself was sparked into existence by the iconic Earthrise photo taken in 1968 by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, a member of the first human crew to witness the planet crest over the moon’s horizon. The image, showing our tiny Earth floating in the vastness of a universe, is credited with sparking the modern environmental movement – a shift in our collective perspective of our planet that spurred millions into action and could only be made possible by space travel.

“Whether it’s powerful imagery from miles above that stirs the soul into action, or the hundreds of satellites that keep watch over us to provide valuable information about the health of our vulnerable planet, space has always been a powerful tool for climate work,” said EDO CEO Kathleen Rogers. “The new space age has the opportunity to create positive change, which is why we’re proud to collaborate with Space Perspective, who are an excellent example of how commercial space travel can be done responsibly, be accessible to the world, and act as a platform for climate science and collective action.”

As part of their collaboration, Poynter will be included as a featured speaker at this year’s Climate Leadership Gala, where she will be joined by Hoffman and a special message from Druyan; Space Perspective will also host an Earth Day Live webinar on April 21 at noon ET (Eastern Time).

About EARTHDAY.ORG:
EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Learn more at: https://www.earthday.org.

About Space Perspective

Space Perspective is the world’s first and only carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company. Our mission is to make space travel accessible to more people than ever. Based on Florida’s Space Coast, Space Perspective was co- founded by space entrepreneurs Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum and is operated by an elite team that has been instrumental in the development of every US human spacecraft for the past 40 years.

Space Perspective offers a gentle journey to space made possible by a pressurized capsule propelled by a SpaceBalloonTM as large as a football stadium. There is no rigorous training needed, no weightlessness, and no heavy g-forces. Space Perspective’s Explorers experience six hours of unprecedented views through the largest windows ever flown to space and enjoy a meal and cocktail service – all from within the comforts of the world’s first Space Lounge. Commercial flights begin at the end of 2024. For more information, visit spaceperspective.com.