The Overview Effect: Why Astronauts Return Changed When astronauts first see Earth from space, something profound happens. Many describe it as an instant shift in consciousness — a moment when the mind reorganizes itself. This experience has a name: the Overview Effect. From orbit, borders disappear. Nations, conflicts, and ideologies lose their sharp edges. The planet appears as a single, fragile system suspended in vast darkness. What once felt urgent suddenly feels small. What once felt dista