Nature Podcast ’Rapture and beauty’: a writer's portrait of the International Space Station
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Nov 8, 2024 Samantha Harvey, author of the Booker Prize shortlisted novel Orbital, sets her narrative aboard an International Space Station-like vessel. She delves into the contrasts astronauts face, balancing the awe of space with daily life’s mundanity. Harvey discusses how distance offers new insights on climate change and humanity's vulnerability against nature. She emphasizes the emotional depth of astronauts, urging a deeper connection to their journeys and the importance of environmental stewardship.
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Space As Domestic Perspective
- Samantha Harvey frames the ISS as a domestic, near-at-hand space rather than a distant wilderness.
- Low Earth orbit offers a close but altered perspective that reveals contrasts between ordinary life and extraordinary views.
Writer’s Hesitation And Return
- Harvey started the book, abandoned it because she felt she had no permission to write as a non-astronaut, then returned to finish it.
- Her nervousness came from feeling constitutionally unlike an astronaut and fearing trespass into their world.
Research Fuels Fictional Realism
- Samantha Harvey conducted extensive public-domain research using NASA and ESA archives and astronaut journals.
- She kept researching throughout writing to balance factual detail with fictional invention.