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I would have thought that you'd have to be a lot higher up than Felix to experience the overview effect. Its one thing being able to see the curvature of the earth... its another matter altogether to be be in orbit and see the whole planet in 90 minutes (or being able to blot out the entire planet with your thumb held at arm's distance, as was the case for the guys that made it to the moon).

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> or being able to blot out the entire planet with your thumb held at arm's distance, as was the case for the guys that made it to the moon

At first I didn't believe you, but some quick math confirms this. The angular size of the Earth from the moon is 1.9 degrees, and the angular width of your thumb at arm's distance is about 2 degrees.

"It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small." - Neil Armstrong

Maybe a bit more with the spacesuit glove on!

Ha. Good point. But even without, the math checks out.

Oh, I'm sure. He most likely wrote that the night before the first launch attempt. :)

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