'PLANETARY' Exclusive Clip: Astronaut Ron Garan Describes Our Home Planet

In the documentary, "PLANETARY," former NASA astronaut Ron Garan gives an eloquent look at the fragility of the planet humanity calls home, and we have an exclusive clip of the film that captures his view. You can see the link on Vimeo here: Saying Goodnight To Earth v2: https://player.vimeo.com/video/124976231

"PLANETARY" launches on Earth Day today (April 22) on Vimeo and in 90 theaters across the United States and abroad. The full-length documentary by filmmaker Guy Reid was made by the same team behind "OVERVIEW," a short space documentary released in 2012 and also featured on Vimeo.

"One of the really interesting things about a long-duration spaceflight is you get to watch the Earth transform over the weeks and the months that you're up there," Ron Garan says in the clip. "From that perspective, the perspective over time, you really get the sense that we have this living, breathing organism hanging in the blackness of space just riding through the universe."

Garan is a veteran of two spaceflights, including a long mission to the International Space Station that ran for 164 days in space in 2011 during Expeditions 27 and 28. He retired from NASA in 2013. Before his final mission, Garan founded the website "Fragile Oasis" to chronicle the Earth's beauty and fragility, and is the author of "The Orbital Perspective" (Berrett-Koehler, 2015), a book that recalls his space missions and serves as a call to action for the betterment of humanity.

"PLANETARY"aims to inspire viewers to move away from the breathless pace of technology and embrace more of the simpler ways of nature — in essence, to get humanity more in tune with how to keep the planet healthy.

Previously, "PLANETARY" raised $86,519 on Kickstarter (at the time it was called "CONTINUUM") to record more interviews and complete post-production. The filmmakers plan several more documentaries over the next five years, including one with Garan acting as executive producer.

Theaters showing "PLANETARY": http://weareplanetary.com/planetary-screenings/

"PLANETARY" is available on Vimeo for $12.99. For more information about the documentary, visit: weareplanetary.com.

Follow Elizabeth Howell @howellspace, or Space.com @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com.

Elizabeth Howell
Staff Writer, Spaceflight

Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace