Science and Exploration

Webchat between Miles O’Brien and Keith Cowing as Scott Parazynski Summits Mt. Everest

By Keith Cowing
May 24, 2013
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On 19 May 2009 Scott Parazynski became the first human to travel into space and stand atop the highest point on our planet – the summit of Mt. Everest – at over 29,000 feet.
While Scott was standing in the jetstream, this is how I relayed the news via satellite phone at 4:35 am local time from a comparatively mild location at 0 degrees F at Everest Base Camp at only 17,600 feet . Meanwhile, Miles O’Brien was our lifeline back to the real world and was sitting in his laundry room in New York. It does not take a lot of money to convey exploration from remote places – just determination and a compelling, personalized story to make it work.

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.