Karen Nyberg’s launch from UT to space.

“Everything I have ever known and loved is right there on that Earth,” says former astronaut, Karen Nyberg

This may sound like an existential reflection, the kind of thing we all say from time to time when we've stayed up a bit too late contemplating our mortality. However, in Nyberg's case, she's one of the few people who can truly say that she's actually seen Earth from outer space.

I have to admit, I’ve been fascinated with Nyberg ever since I spotted a photo of her in one of the busy hallways at the Cockrell School of Engineering with her blonde hair floating upwards, defying gravity.

The image was taken during Nyberg’s six-month stay at the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. It was the second of two trips she made to outer space.

I mean, who doesn’t think astronauts are cool? They’re quite literally out of this world.

Like most astronauts, Nyberg’s resume is a list of outstanding accomplishments: She's an engineer, environmentalist and most surprisingly, an artist. And I had just 30 minutes to talk to her, and piece it all together – no pressure.

The Engineer

When Nyberg was five, she looked up at the sky and decided that she wanted to know what was beyond it.

By the time she arrived at the University of Texas at Austin in 1994 to get her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, it was clear to almost everyone that she was headed for outer space. In fact, a friend even wrote in Nyberg’s high school yearbook saying, “Have fun on the moon.”

Nyberg has logged more than 75 million miles in space as a NASA astronaut. She earned the Distinguished Alumnus Award–the highest honor Longhorns can earn–in 2014.

“That’s just Karen,” said Kenneth Diller, Professor of Computational Biomedical Engineering and Nyberg’s graduate advisor.

Nyberg spent most of her time at UT, working in the Bioheat Transfer Laboratory alongside Diller. The product of that research was a paper on the control of thermal neutrality in space suits funded by the NASA Johnson Space Center.

So it came as no surprise when Nyberg was selected into the Astronaut Corps on her first try just two years after she graduated.

“For me, I got lucky, I guess. Right place, right time. It just happened,” said Nyberg.

Don’t be fooled by her laid-back demeanor; most astronauts take three to five applications to even be accepted into the Astronaut Office, let alone chosen for a space mission.

The Environmentalist

In 2008, Nyberg made history as the 50th woman in space as she delivered and installed the Japanese Laboratory–Japan's first human space facility that enhanced the research capabilities of the International Space Station. Nyberg operated the robotic arms on the space shuttle to install the new lab.

I was eager to know the question on everyone’s mind: what was space like? Was it like Interstellar? For all Mankind? Wall-E? (obviously the most realistic representation of spaceflight). Surprisingly, she compared it to a sunset.

“It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. And pictures just don’t ever do it justice…but…when you see it with your own eyes, it’s just so different.”

It made me wonder if the fascination with space doesn’t come from the intricacy of science and technology but rather from the human need for connection instead.

“Spaceflight is something that brings people together,” says Nyberg, almost as if she read my mind.

Over the last 30 years, NASA has flown 135 missions. When Apollo 11 launched on their mission to the moon. For a moment, 650 million people were under the same sky watching the same incredible feat.

To many of us, space travel is characterized as this futuristic thing where we continue to explore opportunities like life on other planets. But to Nyberg, it made her focus more on what she already had on Earth.

“You see enough of it [Earth] to recognize that there’s nothing else in the vicinity that we’re going to get to anytime soon that can support life. And so, everything we have and need is right here. And there’s only so many resources and consumables.”

One surprising outcome of Nyberg’s space travels was her focus on sustainability. She has become a vocal advocate for earth conservation, and uses her platform to encourage everyone to find small ways to eliminate waste from their daily lives.

The Artist

Nyberg boarded a rocket and headed into space for the second time in 2013 where she spent six months. She became incredibly popular for sharing more about the human side of space travel. It began with a series of daily videos she would send her 3-year-old son. Her most viral video, with six million views and counting, is one where she shared how she washes her hair in space.

During this trip, she also shared more about her love for arts and crafts. One of her most wide-reaching projects began with a simple 9-inch star themed square she made on the ISS. That square ended up finding its home at the center of a 2,400 block quilt sent in from across the world.

“This block was not made in space, but it was made lovingly with two hands that helped launch many astronauts into space,” said Tammy Bourgeois, a participant, in an article for The Bullock Museum.

“Everything is connected… I started to feel more of an empathy for people that I don’t know on the other side of the world…it definitely made me a more empathetic person. It’s really impactful.”

After that space mission, Nyberg retired from the astronaut office in March 2020 and has since pivoted more into her interest in art.

In April 2022, she released a fabric line titled ‘Earth Views’ inspired by photos she took during her time in space. The fabric illustrates places like the deep valleys of the Grand Canyon in the United States all the way to the dry sands of the Sahara Desert in Egypt.

Eager to know more, I asked Nyberg what was next on the horizon (pun intended). She gave me a sneak peak of a new fabric line she’s creating titled, ‘Orbital Sunrise,’ that is expected to come out in July 2023. Although I only got a grainy Zoom view of her design wall, if it took inspiration from anything she saw in space, I can only assume it was spectacular.

“My whole life I reached for the stars with my goal of being an astronaut one day flying in space. And I'm hoping so many other people are reaching for their stars as they go through life,” said Nyberg.

I remember smiling to myself and agreeing. Reach for the stars, and you might just get to interview someone who saw them.