Astronauts and and sailors have much in common. Not just their freeze-dried meals! Their missions in extreme conditions lead them to the frontiers, the limits of human endeavour. And when they succeed, they offer great inspiration. Ellen MacArthur’s return to dry land after establishing a new solo non-stop round-the-world record is such an occasion.
Watching the thousands of spectators come to greet her reminded me of the return to Earth of France’s first woman astronaut in 1996. Only a priviliged few were present in the Kazakstan desert to see Claudie Andr?©-Deshays being pulled out from her scortched capsule. Nothing like the reception that welcomed Ellen today.
Both the Syouz astronaut and the B&Q skipper circumnavigated our globe. The first, admittedly, much faster : 90 minutes compared to the 71 days of the second. But in their very different vessels, both Ellen and Claudie required more than technology, more than muscles to drive them forward to successfully complete their missions.
Human endeavour needs, above all, the right mental approach. And that soundness of mind was all too obvious at Ellen’s arrival. Never once did the bonny 28-year old lady loose track of the imperatives: overseeing her team guide the vessel to the final pontoon, whilst answering the same repeated questions from the accompanying journalists.
Never flustered, always cool, switching from the youthful boystrous trampoline-like shaking of a reluctant champagne bottle, or brandishing her flares, to the quick switch to another requirement. Not a trace of artifice, of pretence… sheer unbridled naturally joyous attitude.
But beneath that calm, no doubt all the accumulated tension resulting from the harsh conditions of the journey and the underlying intense emotion of such a home-coming. A built-up fatigue from this exceptional endurance. Alone with one doubts in the middle of no-where, with just your expertise and your will-power to succeed.
The arrival was well orchestrated, providing a great show for all those in Falmouth and watching around the world on television. Ellen did everthing, quite naturally to satisfy the crowds and her sponsor. “A record means nothing if you cannot share it,” said Ellen MacArthur as she came off her boat.
Such feats are in no way lessened by the cohort of specialists who provide support and assistance for the key-players. Neither are they by the numerous technological systems that are used. What ever help such navigators get, it is still and above all, a human endeavour.
It took seven years for Europe’s Huygens probe land safely on Titan. No one was on board to see it touch the surface of Saturn’s moon. When it did, the emotion was as intense as today in Falmouth. Because behind such feats – astronaut trips into space, solo journeys around our planet, or probe’s visiting new worlds – is the success of individuals. People who in their lives have got their priorities right.
Updated/maj. 08-02-2005
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