PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
Relis says. “Carmel came to visit me when he was on the International
Space Station. During its flyover, Ronnie phoned.
And he never, ever, forgot to call me on my birthday — even
when he was in the middle of Desert Storm, he called — he’s
that caring.”
Garan’s first space flight aboard the space shuttle Discovery
was to the International Space Station. Tethered to a robotic
arm on a space walk, he was filled with awe that shifted his
thinking — the overview effect.
His book, The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big
Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles, is a call to action,
inspiring people to make a difference — make the world a
better planet. In short, Garan says it was the impetus that
spurred him toward global humanitarian projects. He’s
tackled the need for sustainable ways to provide purified
drinking water in Africa through carbon credits and brought
solar panels to Rwanda.
“He is making influential changes for the betterment of
society,” Relis says.
Garan’s second trip to the ISS in 2011 was via the Russian
Soyuz spacecraft Gagarin, named in honor of the 50th anniversary
of historic orbit in 1961 of Maj. Yuri Gagarin — launched
from the same pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
“The story my grandfather would tell was since we were
of Russian descent, his father changed the name at Ellis Island
to Americanize it. Gagarin became Garan,” he says.
Relis was invited to attend the launch and celebration, but
declined. The thought of a trip overseas didn’t interest her when
she could watch it on TV. But she did need reassuring that the
Russians knew what they were doing. Garan’s reply, “Mom,
don’t worry about it. They’ve been doing this for 50 years.”
Garan and fellow
astronaut Mark Kelly
joined World View Enterprises
Inc. this year, a
pioneering, near-space,
balloon-launch company
that tapped Garan as
chief pilot for robotic
flight operations and
passenger flights. By
2018, commercial lifts
will take passengers
on a five-hour ride to
the edge of space for
$75,000. The orbital perspective
each rider gains
is priceless. How they
pay it forward is their
gift to mankind.
When asked if he got
his tenacity from his
mother, he replies, “If tenacity
is genetic, I guess
Garan’s book, The Orbital Perspective,
takes a big picture overview to solve
global problems. He says, “We can do
amazing things here on earth.” His initiative,
Fragile Oasis, inspires others to be
I got it from her.”
Living in multiple areas
world changers.
of the country, family
gatherings are infrequent, but the bonds are strong.
“The brothers encourage one another,” she says. “I told
them growing up: ‘Do your best; mistakes are not bad —
learn from them.’ I can sit back and feel good that I have done
my job, but I know their success didn’t come from me.” E
Port St. Lucie Magazine 57
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