Astronaut Mike Massimino once described his view of the earth.

He had been tasked to repair a failed power supply on an external panel of the Hubble Space Telescope. The instrument had been ‘buttoned up’ behind a heat-proof latch, secured by 117 metal screws. The power supply was integral to scientists capability to study life on other planets. As such, he took great care to ensure the task was managed successfully.

He tethered himself to the outside of the craft, taking perhaps his greatest leap of faith towards the external panel. He thought initially it to be a relatively straightforward task, though – when he tried that first screw he realized it wouldn’t budge. In looking closer, he realized the screw had been stripped and that there would be no way for him to make the repair.

As he looked down to the clean arc of the earth, he thought of the billions of people literally looking up to him. Because of this one screw, because of him – they’d never know if there was life on other planets. He described a deep loneliness in having failed, one that threatened to completely overwhelm.

As he watched the earth silently spinning, he was quickly taken by her beauty. “Is that the earth?” he asked. “Is this heaven?”

But then he remembered that he was born of that earth … that he was invariably connected to all of those billions of people. And then, pointing back to the earth he realized,

“No. That’s heaven.”

Such an important reminder, wouldn’t you agree? Perspective really does change everything.