Dark Side of the Earth
Monday, October 08, 2012 - 07:00 PM
200 miles above Earth's surface, astronaut Dave Wolf -- rocketing through the blackness of Earth's shadow at 5 miles a second -- floated out of the Mir Space Station on his very first spacewalk. In this short, he describes the extremes of light and dark in space, relives a heart-pounding close call, and shares one of the most tranquil moments of his life.
When we were putting together our live show In the Dark, Jad and Robert called up Dave Wolf to ask him if he had any stories about darkness. And boy, did he. Dave told us two stories that became the finale of our show.
Back in late 1997, Dave Wolf was on his first spacewalk, to perform work on the Mir (the photo to the right was taken during that mission, courtesy of NASA.). Dave wasn't alone -- with him was veteran Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev. (That's a picture of Dave giving Anatoly a hug on board the Mir, also courtesy of NASA).
Out in blackness of space, the contrast between light and dark is almost unimaginably extreme -- every 45 minutes, you plunge between absolute darkness on the night-side of Earth, and blazing light as the sun screams into view. Dave and Anatoly were tethered to the spacecraft, traveling 5 miles per second. That's 16 times faster than we travel on Earth's surface as it rotates -- so as they orbited, they experienced 16 nights and 16 days for every Earth day.
Dave's description of his first spacewalk was all we could've asked for, and more. But what happened next ... well, it's just one of those stories that you always hope an astronaut will tell. Dave and Anatoly were ready to call it a job and head back into the Mir when something went wrong with the airlock. They couldn't get it to re-pressurize. In other words, they were locked out. After hours of trying to fix the airlock, they were running out of the resources that kept them alive in their space suits and facing a grisly death. So, they unhooked their tethers, and tried one last desperate move .
In the end, they made it through, and Dave went on to perform dozens more spacewalks in the years to come, but he never again experienced anything like those harrowing minutes trying to improvise his way back into the Mir.
After that terrifying tale, Dave told us about another moment he and Anatoly shared, floating high above Earth, staring out into the universe ... a moment so beautiful, and peaceful, we decided to use the audience recreate it, as best we could, for the final act of our live show.
Pilobolus creates a shadow astronaut during Dave Wolf's story on stage (photo by Lars Topelmann):
The audience turns Portland's Keller auditorium into a view of outer space with thousands of LED lights (photo by Lars Topelmann):
Here's Dave Wolf in the dark darkness of space, performing a spacewalk in 2009 (courtesy of NASA):
To give you an idea of what it looks like during the brightness of day, here's another photo taken in 2009 -- more than a decade after the adventure described in our podcast -- this time of astronaut Tom Marshburn (Dave Wolf is with him, out of frame, photo courtesy of NASA):
We had such an amazing time touring around the country with Radiolab Live: In the Dark. Here's a slideshow of some favorite action shots:
Comments [56]
Dear Mr. David Wolf,
I am Dr János Donát, I started to collect autographs and signed pictures in 1970. My main purpose is to collect and preserve specimens of handwriting of outstanding people, such as prominent cultural figures of the whole world as well as politicians and as well from scientist to actors and from sportmen to actors and musicians. In my collection there are signatures of the religious leaders, politicians, royalities, scientists, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, directors, actors, sportmen, musicians, etc. I do not collect just signatures, my collection consists of photos with signatures (signed pictures), letters, historical manuscripts, namecards, postcards, etc.
Nowadays I have more than cc. 30.000 autographs, historical letters, historical documents, papers, etc. with original signatures. The only criteria in my collection is to be original.
I organised very successfull autograph exhibitions in Hungary. All autographs exhibited were authentic, original and personal. I would be thankful to everybody who helps me in obtaining new autographs.
Up to now, I have compiled signatures from almost all of these mentioned famous people. However, despite my best efforts, some autographs are still missing from my collection. That is why, I kindly ask you, to send some - exceptionally - original signatures of the yours to complete my special collection.
Let me extend my best wishes for all your future professional and personal accomplishments. I am looking forward to receiving your answer with your handwritten autographs. My address is below. It's very important for me !!!
Our website:
http://www.hungarianhmsamuseum.hu
Budapest, 9th of June, 2013.
Yours truly,
thank you in advance for your kind cooperation!
Dr. Janos Donat
1037 Budapest
Remetehegyi út 181/b
Hungary - Europe
Also really loved the song, hope she records it if she hasn't yet!
Song for download pleeease!
Fascinating episode. If Dave's experiences are typical, or even halfway typical, you could make make an entire series by just calling up old astronauts and asking for stories.
Come to think of it, why hasn't anyone done this?
Hello this is kinda of off topic but I was wondering if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to
manually code with HTML. I'm starting a blog soon but have no coding know-how so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I want that song. Give me that song. I will pay for that song. Please.
" ... it's just one of those stories that you always hope an astronaut will tell."
Uh, no. It's one of those stories you NEVER hope an astronaut has to tell.
This was my first podcast. I absolutely loved it! I loved the song at the end!!!!!
I absolutely LOVED the song at the end. Please, please please record it!
JRE
i keep listening to the end over and over...that song is incredible even without listening to the short it gives me goosebumps... I NEED IT!!!! :)
Please provide the song at the end for downloading... please... please
When will that music be available
?
Amazing episode. More Dave!
Amazing song - I'd pay for it on iTunes. Please please record it!
Another request for that song. It's amazing
Another really good one. Someone should do a remix with the music of Rosetta-song:Wake in the background.
I love that song at the end
I nearly cried when I listened to this, I thought it was so beautifully told and so moving! I just got such a vivid mental picture of everything in the story! As always, Radiolab made my day!
Song request number thirty-something.
I love this story. I listened to it in the dark and it's like I was experiencing what it's like in outer space going 5 miles a second and seeing the cycle of light and dark below me. I especially liked the "relax" part at the end and felt like I was just afloat surrounded by distant stars with no worries in the world. Very relaxing. The music that accompanied it was perfect too. I was looking for the title of that song, but I read it's not even recorded yet. It sounds so soothing and very relaxing. Thanks for the experience! I'm a listener of KPCC and I love Radio Lab!
David Wolf once told another story about a glitch on his mission to the Mir space station that might be of interest to Radiolab listeners and people like Jad who are fascinated by sounds. Dark is the absence of light. Silence is the absence of sound. David was talking about a glitch on this mission and said "you haven't experienced true silence until you've been on a space station and the power goes out". Think about that a minute and it will give you chills.
The music towards the end of this short sounds like it was inspired by Pink Floyd's "Breathe" from Dark Side of the Moon.
This was such a terrific show. Thank you so much for the great story!
This story is absolutely incredible, well done!
again again I know but I LOVED that last song in this podcast! so here's just some more positive feedback so hopefully Thao Nguyen may record it, Radiolab, please let us know when this track is made available for sale!
I would love to play the Thao Nguyen song for my music-loving, 19 mo old son. He will cry if I only play him the snippet from the podcast. So I need the whole song! Please record it, so that I may purchase it!
Please record that song at the end of the podcast. Amazing. Really sent chills down my spine by the end of the episode.
I too love the stunningly beautiful song at the end and would be so happy to see it recorded.
Was this short released in coordination with the space jump? Because, if so, I was very slow on the uptake.
I also want that song...
This is a powerful story. He went out of body at the end. This happened to me once. We went to virgin ravine (trees never cut) with a little stream in it. We went there because we were doing a modern dance at Allegheny College. We were dancing the water cycle. We got up before the dawn of our first performance and sat by the little stream. There was no one around me. The sun was coming up. I was so relaxed. I felt like something was there. My mind opened up with a view point of the massive tree canopies and then...of everything. It was so unbelievable but disorienting and it only lasted a few seconds. There were no drugs involved.
nice about the dark in space, but one does not need to go so far to experience total darkness. I did once in Assisi, the Umbrian town in Italy, climbing a stone spiral staircase in the top fortress above the town. As soon as the light from below was blocked from entering and I wasn't yet up enough to have the above light entering the spiral, I was in a total void and empty space. It was a very peaceful state, I was without substance, experiencing without the perception of a body and therefore of danger. I like to think that is what death is like. I spent some time there savoring it and then I gingerly stepped up to light and the awesome view of the valley and town below
Wonderful story! I made a short video from your audio to use as a lecture intro for a talk I'm giving. It seems appropriate to show you what I've done in case you take issue with me using your clips for my project. This video can probably best be described as fan art, please check it out.
https://vimeo.com/51504353
Amazing episode. Thao Nguyen, please record that haunting song from the end! It is amazing.
What a great short! I'm bummed I missed the show in Seattle!
Keep up the good work Radiolab.
The Thao Nguyen song used at the end - as simple as it is - is great. Please record Thao! Would gladly send you my monies to listen to this as I work.
Would love to know the ambient music used during the moment Dave Wolf says "Relax...Relax..", It's really great.
Great show. Just wanted to re-echo earlier comments about the song by Thao Nguyen. I would pay for it.
I saw the live show in Philadelphia. The finale was just amazing! Pilobolus dancing and creating images of the story, then goosebumps followed by beauty and wonder as the Kimmel Theater lit up with LED stars. A few stars followed by more and then more until the entire theater was like looking into deep space. It was so cool that you didn't have to tell the audience to get out the LED's that were handed out as we came in.
"There is no other light, not other shade; this very sun, this moon, these very stars, this very order and disposition of things, is the same your ancestors enjoyed, and that shall also entertain your posterity"
~Motaigne
I love Radio Lab, like I love This American Life - you make me continue to believe in the nth dimension of Art, which is wholeness, incredibility, strength, love, joy fun and all that's worthwhile. I am glad the cosmonauts lived to tell the story
I was at the live taping of this show in Portland....did I say "taping"?
The earth spins around
Surfing the cosmic waves
Searching for answers
Not my Haiku, but from http://www.fictionpress.com/s/1420900/1/Cosmic-Questions-The-Haikus
"Don't look down."
They have us "looking up" each and every time. There is nothing in earthbound experience that turns humanity's gaze upward, together, in unison, in awe.
This show meets the full measure of what space exploration presents. Thanks!
I saw your Miami show !!!!!!
When will you return !!!!!!!
To everyone interested in the song at the end of the podcast -- it's a Thao Nguyen original that she performed just for our show, and it's not yet recorded. She said she'll think about recording it depending on how positive the response is from any fans, so keep those song requests coming!
What a great show. I'm also interested in the closing music. Any info on the artist/song would be greatly appreciated.
I've been working on Alfonso Cuaron's movie 'Gravity' for the past year, which takes place entirely in low-earth orbit. I think it evokes for a viewer the experience that Dave Wolf was describing, and when it comes out (sometime next year) I hope he will see it, I'd be fascinated to know what he thinks of it.
Excellent, excellent show yet again! Thank you for always expanding my mind.
I must know more about the music at the end! I would happily pay and download. Please, must hear more of this...so atmospheric & floaty. Please share.
What an amazingly cool short. Thanks! I've never really considered how miserable a space walk could be until Dave described spitting onto his fogged up visor. Such an extreme of experiences when contrasted with his out of body description of looking out into the stars with Anatoly.
Watched this live for my b-day. The whole show was awesome but this piece took the proverbial cake. Goosebumps all the way. And of course, hardly any sci-fi film has ever quite captured how strange and frightening space truly is.
Get back to Philly soon!
You guys do a killer job telling stories. That was one of your best. I think I will listen to it again!
Is Thao Nguyen playing the music in the end of the production? Does anyone know details on the music?
This was the most wonderful and aweing thing that I have ever heard. It was absolutely breathtaking.
Thank you and I really enjoy your show!
Amazing
What amazing stories - beautiful music - fantastic everything.
Bring Back the Radio <3
What a ridiculously incredible experience. Thank you .
I want more . Let's get Dave a whole slew of Shows !!
Amazing stories! I could listen to these for hours.
Guess I have, listened to this episode three times already and still want to hear it again!
I never could've imagined. You took me right there. And what a stupendous radio production!
I saw you guys perform this piece in Seattle. Truly an amazing story.
I though this was one of the best radio lab shorts I have ever heard. I never considered what it would be like to put your arm into a shadow in space. That was so interesting to learn.
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