Orbital

by Samantha Harvey · 2023

Six astronauts from Italy, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom and Russia spend six months aboard the International Space Station, each tasked with a distinct scientific mission—monitoring microbes, growing protein crystals, studying plant roots, tracking muscle loss in mice, and maintaining the station’s oxygen generator. As they circle Earth sixteen times a day, their routine duties—changing smoke detectors, cleaning, photographing assigned views—give way to moments of awe as they watch continents drift, glaciers melt, and storms gather. News from home reaches them, reminding them of personal loss and the fragile beauty of life below. In this lyrical, award‑winning narrative, the crew’s scientific observations become a meditation on humanity’s connection to the planet, exploring fear, hope, and the profound question: what is life without Earth, and what is Earth without us?