What can life in space teach us about living well on earth?

As an astronaut, Kayla Barron she has lived this very question. As a member of the NASA’s mission to the International Space Station, she and her crew spent 177 days in orbit. In that time, she performed two space walks. Before becoming an astronaut, she earned a degree in nuclear engineering and served as one of the first female Submarine Warfare Officers in the US Navy. Turns out life on a submarine has a lot in common with life in space.

In this conversation, Kayla shares what it was like to look back on earth from space and the emotions it sparked. She remembers how she kept alive her connection with her family on earth, while she also formed essential, and meaningful relationships with her fellow astronauts on the space station. She opens up about the struggle that came after completing her mission, and the difficulty of finding her footing literally and emotionally. For Kayla, lving in space was a contemplation on what really matters in life.

This conversation was recorded in front of a live audience. Thank you to our friends at NASA for making this conversation possible.

(03:33) Did Kayla Barron always dream of becoming an astronaut?

(08:51) Becoming an astronaut — by applying online

(13:13) What was going through Kayla Barron’s mind during launch?

(16:19) What are those first few hours being in space really like?

(19:29) What perspective about life on earth did being in space give Kayla Barron?

(21:33) If Kayla Barron had to pick just one profound realization from space, what is it?

(23:09) Teamwork in space

(28:20) Readjustment to life on earth

(32:39) Grieving the end of a mission in which she felt the least lonely she had ever felt in her life

(37:33) Did Kaya Barron’s experience in space change how she engaged with people on earth?

(41:12) How her experience in space influences how she parents her child

(45:34) How does Kayla Barron keep herself grounded?

(48:00) Audience Q&A: What are some practical steps Kayla Barron took to address her emotions about returning to life on earth?

(51:02) Audience Q&A: What surprised you most about being in space?

(54:09) Audience Q&A: How did you keep yourself emotionally open to receiving daily feedback from your team?

(58:24) Audience Q&A: Did you ever feel afraid in space?

Send us a note at housecalls@hhs.gov with your feedback & ideas. www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls

Kayla Barron, Astronaut

Instagram: @astro_kayla

Facebook: @astrokayla

About Kayla Barron

Kayla Barron was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. She reported for duty in August 2017. The Washington native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering. A Gates Cambridge Scholar, Barron earned a master’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Cambridge. As a Submarine Warfare Officer, Barron was a member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community. She served as member of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission to the International Space Station, which launched on November 10, 2021. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-3 astronauts safely splashed down on Friday, May 6, 2022 completing the agency’s third long-duration commercial crew mission to the International Space Station. The international crew of four spent 177 days in orbit.

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