I Am Astronaut Ron Garan and This Is How I Work
Perhaps the problems facing the Earth will become more evident from a distance. Such is the experience of Colonel Ron Garant, an astronaut, veteran fighter pilot and social entrepreneur who advocates international cooperation and empathy to help us solve the problems of the world.
Colonel Ron Garan spent over 178 days in space, making his time aboard the International Space Station a watershed experience. (I suppose space travel happens a lot.) In his new book , Orbital Perspective, Colonel Garan describes how nations that were at war just a few decades ago are now collaborating on one of the most challenging and impressive engineering breakthroughs of our time – the International Space Station – and why we must embrace it. the same sensitive view of the world is back on earth.
He is also the founder of Fragile Oasis , a community-based advocacy initiative to help humanitarian needs. We contacted Colonel Garan to learn a little about how he works when not in low gravity conditions.
Location: Spaceship Earth. Current job: Signer. One word that best describes how you work: Hard. Current mobile device: iPhone 5. Current computer: MacBook Air.
What apps, software or tools can’t you live without?
Refrigeration, plumbing and Evernote (in that order).
What are you using Evernote for?
Organize and link notes with my mobile device so I can access them while running.
How is your workplace arranged?
Today he is on the couch with his legs raised. In the past, it hovered 240 miles above the Earth and typed on a floating laptop with a great view.
Let’s talk a little about the book – the central tenet is that the “orbital perspective” makes it obvious that nations must collaborate and work together to solve the great problems facing humanity. Did you expect this new perspective, or was it an unexpected side effect of your time in space?
The need for deeper cooperation in all sectors, not just between countries, was a “slow motion epiphany” that emerged after months of observing our world from space.
How can ordinary people apply this idea of an “orbital perspective” to their lives?
You don’t need to be in orbit to have an orbital perspective. This is one of the highlights of the book, and that is why I give so many examples of people operating from an orbital point of view who have never been in space. We apply an orbital perspective by recognizing the structure we have created for looking at the word, considering the long-term / overall consequences of our words and actions, and most of all by practicing what I like to call heightened empathy.
What’s your best time-saver or life hack?
I travel a lot, so I fly spaceships when I can. Traveling at five miles per second, you quickly get to the right place, but only for now.
What’s your favorite to-do list manager?
If I had a to-do list manager, I wouldn’t be running around with my hair on fire.
What device, besides a phone and a computer, can you not live without and why?
My GoPro – to capture the action.
What are some of your best everyday activities?
Telling Bad Jokes – The secret to bad jokes is to tell as many anecdotes as possible, and it is statistically guaranteed that you will have really bad jokes (I think I had a few here).
What do you listen to while you work?
Interestingly, on Earth, I prefer silence while working; in space, I prefer music in the background. Because in space we are cut off from the Earth, and listening to music while working was very reassuring for me. It reminded me of a house (Earth).
What kind of music was played on the ISS?
Before I flew on my six month mission to the ISS, I asked people around the world to suggest songs for my playlist. Here’s what they came up with .
Ron serenades the ISS crew:
What are you reading now?
Bad Economy : A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Tackle Global Poverty by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo .
Are you more of an introvert or an extrovert?
Both are possible.
What is your sleep pattern?
Stay up late, get up early.
Fill in the blank: I would like _________ to answer these same questions.
Sir Isaac Newton.
Why Sir Isaac Newton?
Because very few people in human history have had a greater ability to think outside the box.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Do it with joy.
What else would you like to add that might be of interest to readers and fans?
You don’t need to be in orbit to have an orbital perspective.
Watch for subscription Colonel Ron Guarantor in Twitter and Facebook , and check out with a new book .