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

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.