Inspired. That’s how I felt leaving the Higher Orbits 10 Year Anniversary Alumni Rendezvous. I felt the same way when I first attended Higher Orbits in 2017. This amazing gathering of amazing people served as an important reminder that inspiration is not a thought, but a feeling. I felt this feeling stronger than ever before, and it gave me a renewed ambition, a renewed hunger, and a renewed love for space, reminding me why I joined Higher Orbits to begin with.
Because feelings are hard to describe with words, I can only say that inspiration feels like the opening of Johann Strauss’s The Blue Danube waltz. La La Laa Laaaa LA, Dum Dum, Dum Dum! This song has been associated with space ever since Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, and it was playing during Spacewoman, the Eileen Collins documentary that we watched during the rendezvous. Hearing Eileen’s story, and getting to talk with astronaut Wendy Lawrence, who shared a mission with Eileen, and with whom I talked about fearlessness, led me on an emotional journey that culminated in this riveting, full-body manifestation of inspiration.
I don’t necessarily feel inspired to become an astronaut—I don’t think about this much anymore. I feel inspired to become a fearless leader who listens actively and cares for his team members. I feel inspired to do good work and work on hard things. I feel inspired to stay in touch with all Higher Orbits alumni, and I feel inspired to continue giving back to Higher Orbits more than I have in the past.
Michelle, her astronaut friends, and the success of my fellow alumni are all inspirations to me, and I’m walking away from this weekend with excitement for the space industry that I had admittedly lost during the craziness of college p-sets and exams. I will be starting my first full-time job in three days, and when I remember The Blue Danube waltz, or my deep conversations with astronauts Wendy Lawrence, Don Thomas, Dottie Metcalf-Lindenberger, and Kate Rubins, or when I remember how Michelle Lucas makes all of us feel, I have on-demand inspiration, which I can use as a well of energy and excitement.
This is the power that Higher Orbits gives to students, and I am so honored to share how Higher Orbits makes me feel, especially after this once-in-a-lifetime alumni rendezvous.
Written by Graham Shunk
