“Today we shall have come through a period of loose thinking, descending morals, and an era of selfishness, among individual men and women and among Nations”. FDR
On my 80th birthday, my daughters gave me a word cloud poster that summarized the themes in more than 400 posts I have written over the years. The four words that stood out in the biggest and boldest lettering were: Leadership, Culture, Community and Possibility. When I listened to the Artemis astronauts make their first public speeches, after they returned from their 700,000-mile voyage around the moon, I was struck by how their testaments and behaviors brought those four words alive.
The crew consisted of an American white man, a Canadian white man, an African American man, and a white woman. It was obvious during the interview that they had completely bonded as a team after being in very close and confined quarters 24 hours a day for 10 days. It was a beautiful testimony to inclusiveness among a dedicated team of dutiful scientists. The crew was an ordinary group of very accomplished people who had just pulled off an extraordinary mission that demonstrated what leadership, culture, community, and possibility should look like. Here are some brief profiles of each team member:
Reid Wiseman has a bachelor of science in computer and systems engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a master of science in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University, and a certificate of space systems from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Victor Glover has a bachelor of science in general engineering from California Polytechnic State University, a master of science in flight test engineering from Air University, a master of science in systems engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, a master of military operational art and science from Air University, and a certificate in legislative studies from Georgetown University.
Christina Koch has bachelors of science in both electrical engineering and physics from North Carolina State University. She also has a master of science in electrical engineering from the same school.
Jeremy Hansen has a bachelor of science in space from the Royal Military College of Canada. He has a master of science in physics from the same school.
No matter how you might feel about the allocation of sparse resources to fund space exploration, this mission was a great example of what is possible when scientists and engineers work together to take on huge challenges. I’m wondering about the prospect for future ambitions in all areas of research after 10,000 Ph.D. STEM experts left the government in 2025.
What moved me, however, was not so much their credentials (impressive as they were) but their embodiment of the values that make success and high performance possible. As I listened to their short, heartfelt speeches, several values stood out: integrity, humility, humor, love, joy, vulnerability, connectedness, gratitude, duty, beauty, shared purpose, sacrifice, grace, accountability, courage, commitment, and support. Ahh, if only we saw those values exhibited in the world that this beautiful and dutiful crew just viewed from a distance.
As astronaut Christine said, “What if we all saw ourselves as the crew of spaceship earth?” Hmm, we might all ask ourselves the same question.
In 1543, Copernicus famously discovered and formulated the heliocentric model, proposing that the Sun—not the Earth—is near the center of the universe. His model positioned Earth as a planet rotating daily on its axis and orbiting the Sun annually, directly challenging the prevailing geocentric (Ptolemaic) system. These Artemis astronauts probably were able to see that model play out from the best vantage point in history—at least in our galaxy.
I mention the Copernicus discovery because that was only 500 years ago – a mere fraction of the time that humans have inhabited the earth. It’s stunning to think about the assumptions and beliefs people held until that time that were “flatly” wrong and how resistent the church and others were to the truth. It made me wonder how many assumptions and beliefs we are fiercely clinging to today, and how many of those will turn out to be false as well. And how many people will still refuse to acknowledge the truth in spite of the evidence.
In 1969, Buckminster Fuller wrote An Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth, a book that frames humanity’s relationship with Earth as the crew of a spaceship with finite resources, lacking an instruction manual. Fuller argues for a “design revolution” to solve global problems like poverty and resource depletion, emphasizing education, comprehensive thinking (anti-specialization), and the effective use of technology to ensure humanity’s survival and success. The book synthesizes his worldview, urging humans to recognize their shared fate and potential to steward the planet sustainably. The book serves as a call to action, urging humanity to move beyond localized, competitive thinking and embrace a global, collaborative mindset to manage the planet’s resources effectively for the benefit of all, ensuring the long-term survival of the species.
Oh how far we have drifted from Fuller’s optimistic call. Imagine if the values and behaviors of the captains and crews of Spaceship Earth today emulated the values of the Artemis crew that just returned from space. Perhaps seeing this beautiful rock upon which we live and breathe in the universe inspired our brave astronauts to look at the world from an entirely different perspective.
Leadership, Culture, Community, and Possibility. When I listened to the short speeches of the astronauts after their return to planet Spaceship Earth, I was inspired by the leadership they exhibited, the culture they created, the community they developed, and the possibilities they realized. Their example made me appreciate more deeply the centrality of values in all four of those themes. The earth may not be the center of the universe, but the values they lived by need to be at the center of leadership decisions, cultural change, community cohesion, and possibility thinking.
In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt said, “Today we shall have come through a period of loose thinking, descending morals, and an era of selfishness among individual men and women and among nations.” Almost 100 years later, it feels like that quote bears more truth and relevance than it did even then.
I’m hoping the beautiful and dutiful Artemis crew will spark a new commitment to scientific thinking, ascending morals, and an era of selflessness and service so that we may imagine new visions of leadership, culture, community, and possibility. May it be so.
