TED Salon: Radical Craft
Leland Melvin: An astronaut's story of curiosity, perspective and change
Leland Melvin: La historia de un astronauta: curiosidad, perspectiva y cambio
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¿Cuál es el trabajo ideal para un joven que ha sido un as del tenis, aspirante a químico, recluta de la NFL y ha viajado por todo el país? ¿Qué tal... astronauta? Leland Melvin cuenta la historia de los desafíos que ha aceptado y las oportunidades que ha aprovechado, y sobre nos cuenta cómo todo eso lo condujo a la Estación Espacial Internacional y una nueva perspectiva de la vida en la Tierra.
Leland Melvin - Engineer, educator
Leland Melvin is an engineer, educator, former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver. He shares his stories of perseverance and excellence to inspire communities for lasting positive change. Full bio
Leland Melvin is an engineer, educator, former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver. He shares his stories of perseverance and excellence to inspire communities for lasting positive change. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
[This talk contains mature content]
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[Esta charla tiene contenido adulto]
00:16
In 1969, I was standing behind
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En 1969, me encontraba detrás
00:21
a Sylvania black-and-white television set.
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de un televisor Sylvania en blanco y negro
00:24
Hearing about these things happening
on the set in the front,
on the set in the front,
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escuchando lo que pasaba
al otro lado del aparato.
al otro lado del aparato.
00:27
I was the guy, you know,
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Ya saben cómo era:
00:28
moving the rabbit ears
for my dad, and my sister and my mom.
for my dad, and my sister and my mom.
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me tocaba mover la antena
para mi papá, mi hermana y mi mamá.
para mi papá, mi hermana y mi mamá.
00:32
"Move over here, turn over here,
move this way, we can't see the screen."
move this way, we can't see the screen."
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"¡Muévela un poco para allá, para acá,
un poco más. No se ve nada!".
un poco más. No se ve nada!".
00:36
And what they were watching
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Y lo que miraban en ese momento era:
00:38
was: "One small step for a man,
one giant leap for mankind."
one giant leap for mankind."
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"Un pequeño paso para el hombre,
pero un gran salto para la humanidad".
pero un gran salto para la humanidad".
00:43
Neil [Armstrong] and Buzz Aldrin
were walking on the Moon.
were walking on the Moon.
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Neil [Armstrong] y Buzz Aldrin
habían llegado a la luna.
habían llegado a la luna.
00:47
And I was five years old
in Lynchburg, Virginia,
in Lynchburg, Virginia,
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Y yo era un niño de cinco años,
en Lynchburg, Virginia,
en Lynchburg, Virginia,
00:51
a skinny black kid
in a kind of somewhat racist town.
in a kind of somewhat racist town.
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delgadito, negro,
en una ciudad algo racista,
en una ciudad algo racista,
00:55
And I was trying to figure out
what I was going to do with my life.
what I was going to do with my life.
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que intentaba averiguar
qué iba a hacer con mi vida.
qué iba a hacer con mi vida.
01:00
And my parents, you know,
they were educators,
they were educators,
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Mis padres, que eran educadores,
me decían que todo era posible.
me decían que todo era posible.
01:02
they'd said that you can do anything.
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01:05
But after that moon landing,
all the kids in the neighborhood
all the kids in the neighborhood
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Pero, después de aquel aterrizaje
lunar, los chicos del barrio
lunar, los chicos del barrio
01:08
were like, "You're going to be
an astronaut?"
an astronaut?"
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andaban diciendo:
"¿Vas a ser astronauta?".
"¿Vas a ser astronauta?".
01:10
I'm like, "No."
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Y yo decía: "No".
01:11
I don't want a buzz cut,
and I don't see someone who looks like me.
and I don't see someone who looks like me.
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No quiero raparme el pelo
y ningún astronauta se parece a mí.
y ningún astronauta se parece a mí.
01:14
Because representation does matter.
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Porque la representación importa.
01:16
And I knew that there was a guy
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Y yo sabía que había un muchacho
01:20
five blocks down the street
on Pierce Street
on Pierce Street
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a cinco cuadras de casa,
en la calle Pierce,
en la calle Pierce,
01:23
who was training to play tennis.
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que entrenaba para jugar al tenis.
01:25
And it was Arthur Ashe.
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Era Arthur Ashe.
01:27
And my dad talked
about his character, his discipline,
about his character, his discipline,
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Mi padre hablaba del carácter
y la disciplina que tenía,
y la disciplina que tenía,
01:30
his intelligence, his athleticism.
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de lo inteligente y atlético que era.
01:33
I wanted to be Arthur Ashe,
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Yo quería ser Arthur Ashe.
01:34
I didn't want to be
one of those moon guys.
one of those moon guys.
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No quería ser uno de esos
que iban a la luna.
que iban a la luna.
01:37
And as I went on through this journey,
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Y a medida que recorría ese camino,
01:41
my dad, who was a school teacher,
he played in a band,
he played in a band,
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mi padre, que era maestro
de escuela, tocaba en una banda...
de escuela, tocaba en una banda...
Todo para conseguir dinero
para que mi hermana y yo
para que mi hermana y yo
01:45
he did all these things to make money
for my sister and I
for my sister and I
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fuésemos a clase de piano
e hiciéramos actividades educativas.
e hiciéramos actividades educativas.
01:48
to take piano lessons
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01:49
and do these different things
with education.
with education.
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01:51
And he one day decides to drive up
into the driveway with this bread truck.
into the driveway with this bread truck.
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Y un día llega a casa
en una camioneta de reparto de pan.
en una camioneta de reparto de pan.
01:58
And I'm thinking, "OK, bread truck,
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Y yo pienso: "Bien, reparto de pan...
02:02
me delivering bread
while my dad's driving the truck."
while my dad's driving the truck."
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Yo reparto el pan mientras
papá conduce la camioneta".
papá conduce la camioneta".
02:05
I'm like, "OK, I'm going to be
a bread guy now."
a bread guy now."
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Me digo: "Bueno, parece
que ahora seré panadero".
que ahora seré panadero".
02:07
But he says, "This is our camper."
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Pero él dice: "Esta es nuestra caravana".
Y respondo: "Vamos, que dice
'Pan y Bollería Merita'
'Pan y Bollería Merita'
02:11
I'm like, "Dude, come one, I can read:
'Merita Bread and Rolls'
'Merita Bread and Rolls'
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al costado de la camioneta".
02:14
on the side of this truck.
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(Risas)
02:16
And he says, "No, we're going
to build this into our camper."
to build this into our camper."
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Y me dice: "No, vamos a convertir
la camioneta en una caravana".
la camioneta en una caravana".
02:21
And over that summer, we rewired
the entire electrical system.
the entire electrical system.
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Durante ese verano, cambiamos
todos los cables del sistema eléctrico.
todos los cables del sistema eléctrico.
02:25
We plumbed a propane tank
to a Coleman stove,
to a Coleman stove,
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Conectamos un tanque
de propano a un hornillo Coleman,
de propano a un hornillo Coleman,
02:28
we built bunk beds that flip down.
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construimos unas literas plegables.
02:30
We were turning this into our summer
vacation launch pad, escape pod,
vacation launch pad, escape pod,
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Estábamos haciendo una plataforma
de lanzamiento para nuestras vacaciones,
de lanzamiento para nuestras vacaciones,
02:35
this thing that could
take us out of Lynchburg.
take us out of Lynchburg.
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un vehículo que podía
llevarnos fuera de Lynchburg.
llevarnos fuera de Lynchburg.
02:39
And before that,
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Antes de aquello,
02:43
I was actually raped at five
by some neighbors.
by some neighbors.
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cuando tenía cinco años,
unos vecinos me violaron.
unos vecinos me violaron.
02:48
And I didn't tell anyone,
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Y no se lo dije a nadie,
02:51
because I had friends
that didn't have fathers.
that didn't have fathers.
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porque algunos de mis amigos
no tenían a su padre.
no tenían a su padre.
02:54
And I knew that my father
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Y yo sabía que mi padre
02:56
would have killed the people
that did that to his son.
that did that to his son.
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habría matado a la gente
que le hizo eso a su hijo.
que le hizo eso a su hijo.
02:59
And I didn't want my father to be gone.
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Y yo no quería quedarme sin padre.
03:02
So as we got in this bread truck
and escaped from Lynchburg,
and escaped from Lynchburg,
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Entonces, cuando subimos
a esa camioneta y salimos de Lynchburg,
a esa camioneta y salimos de Lynchburg,
fue la oportunidad de estar
solas con mi padre.
solas con mi padre.
03:07
it was my time with my dad.
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03:09
And we went to the Smoky Mountains
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Fuimos a las Grandes Montañas Humeantes
y vimos las majestuosas montañas violetas.
y vimos las majestuosas montañas violetas.
03:11
and looked at the purple
mountains' majesty.
mountains' majesty.
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03:14
And we walked along the beach
in Myrtle Beach,
in Myrtle Beach,
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Caminamos por la playa en Myrtle Beach,
03:16
and this thing was transformative.
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y fue una experiencia transformadora.
03:20
It showed me what it meant
to be an explorer, at a very early age.
to be an explorer, at a very early age.
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Me enseñó a ser explorador
a una edad muy temprana.
a una edad muy temprana.
03:24
And I suppressed all that negativity,
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Y reprimí toda esa negatividad,
esa experiencia traumática,
esa experiencia traumática,
03:27
all that trauma,
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porque estaba aprendiendo
a ser explorador.
a ser explorador.
03:29
because I was learning to be an explorer.
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03:31
And a little bit later, my mother gave me
an age-inappropriate,
an age-inappropriate,
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Poco después, mi madre
me dio un juego de química
me dio un juego de química
inadecuado para mi edad,
sin certificación OSHA,
sin certificación OSHA,
03:34
non-OSHA-certified chemistry set,
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03:36
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
03:37
where I created the most incredible
explosion in her living room.
explosion in her living room.
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con el que produje una impresionante
explosión en el salón de casa.
explosión en el salón de casa.
03:41
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
03:43
And so I knew I could be a chemist.
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Así supe que podía ser químico.
03:44
So as I went on this journey
through a high school,
through a high school,
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Y seguí adelante. Pasé por la secundaria,
y luego fui a la universidad,
y luego fui a la universidad,
03:47
and I went to college,
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03:49
and I got a football scholarship
to play football in college.
to play football in college.
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donde conseguí una beca
deportiva para jugar al fútbol.
deportiva para jugar al fútbol.
03:52
And I knew that I could be a chemist,
because I'd already blown stuff up.
because I'd already blown stuff up.
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Y sabía que podía llegar a ser químico
porque ya había hecho explotar cosas.
porque ya había hecho explotar cosas.
03:55
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
03:57
And when I graduated,
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Y cuando me gradué, me seleccionaron
para integrar los Detroit Lions.
para integrar los Detroit Lions.
04:00
I got drafted to the Detroit Lions.
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04:03
But I pulled a hamstring in training camp,
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Pero me desgarré un tendón
en el entrenamiento.
en el entrenamiento.
04:05
and so what every former NFL player does,
they go work for NASA, right?
they go work for NASA, right?
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Y ¿qué hacen los exjugadores
de la NFL? Se van a la NASA, ¿no?
de la NFL? Se van a la NASA, ¿no?
Fui a trabajar para la NASA.
04:09
So I went to work for NASA.
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04:10
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
04:11
And this friend of mine said,
"Leland, you'd be great astronaut."
"Leland, you'd be great astronaut."
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Y un amigo me dijo: "Leland,
vas a ser un gran astronauta".
vas a ser un gran astronauta".
Tan solo me eché a reír y dije:
"Claro, yo, ¿un astronauta?".
"Claro, yo, ¿un astronauta?".
04:14
I just laughed at him,
I was like, "Yeah, me, an astronaut?"
I was like, "Yeah, me, an astronaut?"
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¿Recuerdan a Neil y Buzz,
allá por el año 69?
allá por el año 69?
04:17
You know that Neil and Buzz
thing from back in '69?
thing from back in '69?
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Me dio una hoja de inscripción,
la miré, y no la rellené.
la miré, y no la rellené.
04:19
And he handed me an application,
and I looked at it,
and I looked at it,
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04:22
and I didn't fill it out.
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04:23
And that same year, another friend of mine
filled out the application
filled out the application
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Y ese mismo año, otro amigo
rellenó la inscripción
rellenó la inscripción
04:28
and he got in.
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y entró en el programa.
04:30
And I said to myself,
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Y me dije:
04:32
"If NASA's letting knuckleheads
like that be astronauts,"
like that be astronauts,"
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"Si la NASA permite
que zopencos así sean astronautas,
que zopencos así sean astronautas,
04:35
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
04:37
"maybe I can be one, too."
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yo también podría serlo".
04:38
So the next selection, I filled out
the application, and I got in.
the application, and I got in.
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Así que en la siguiente selección,
rellené la inscripción y entré.
rellené la inscripción y entré.
04:42
And I didn't know
what it meant to be an astronaut:
what it meant to be an astronaut:
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No tenía ni idea de lo que
significaba ser astronauta,
significaba ser astronauta,
04:46
the training, the simulations,
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del entrenamiento, las simulaciones,
04:48
all these things to get you ready
for this countdown:
for this countdown:
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todas esas cosas que te preparan
para la cuenta regresiva:
para la cuenta regresiva:
04:51
three, two, one, liftoff.
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tres, dos, uno, despegue.
04:54
And in 2007, I was in Space Shuttle
"Atlantis," careening off the planet,
"Atlantis," careening off the planet,
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Y en 2007, despegaba del planeta
en el transbordador espacial "Atlantis",
en el transbordador espacial "Atlantis",
04:59
traveling at 17,500 miles per hour.
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viajando a 28 000 km por hora.
05:03
And eight and a half minutes later,
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Y ocho minutos y medio después,
05:05
the main engines cut off,
and we're now floating in space.
and we're now floating in space.
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los motores principales se apagan
y quedamos flotando en el espacio.
y quedamos flotando en el espacio.
05:09
And I push off
and float over to the window,
and float over to the window,
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Doy un salto y voy
flotando hasta la ventana
flotando hasta la ventana
05:12
and I can see the Caribbean.
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y veo el Caribe.
05:14
And I need new definitions of blue
to describe the colors that I see.
to describe the colors that I see.
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Y necesito nuevas definiciones de azul
para describir los colores que veo.
para describir los colores que veo.
05:18
Azure, indigo, navy blue,
medium navy blue, turquoise
medium navy blue, turquoise
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Celeste, añil, azul marino,
azul medio, turquesa...
azul medio, turquesa...
05:22
don't do any justice
to what I see with my eyes.
to what I see with my eyes.
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Ninguno es suficiente
para describir lo que veía.
para describir lo que veía.
05:26
And my job on this mission was to install
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Mi trabajo en esta misión era instalar
05:29
this two-billion dollar
Columbus laboratory.
Columbus laboratory.
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un laboratorio Columbus
de 2000 millones de dólares.
de 2000 millones de dólares.
05:33
It was a research laboratory
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Era un laboratorio de investigación
05:34
for materials research,
for human research.
for human research.
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para estudiar materiales,
para estudios humanos.
para estudios humanos.
05:37
And I reached into the payload bay
of the space shuttle,
of the space shuttle,
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Llego a la bodega de carga
del transbordador,
del transbordador,
05:41
grabbed out this big module,
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tomo un módulo enorme,
05:43
and I used the robotic arm
and I attached it to the space station.
and I attached it to the space station.
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y uso un brazo robótico
para acoplarlo a la estación espacial.
para acoplarlo a la estación espacial.
05:47
And the European team have been waiting
10 years for this thing to get installed,
10 years for this thing to get installed,
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El equipo europeo llevaba diez años
esperando a que lo instalaran,
esperando a que lo instalaran,
05:51
so I'm sure everyone in Europe was like,
"Leland! Leland! Leland!"
"Leland! Leland! Leland!"
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así que seguro que toda Europa
gritaba: "¡Leland! ¡Leland! ¡Leland!".
gritaba: "¡Leland! ¡Leland! ¡Leland!".
05:56
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
05:57
And so this moment happened,
this was our primary mission objective,
this was our primary mission objective,
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Entonces, ese momento sucedió:
el principal objetivo de nuestra
misión estaba cumplido.
misión estaba cumplido.
06:01
it was done.
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06:03
And I had this big sigh of relief.
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Y dejé escapar un gran suspiro de alivio.
06:07
But then, Peggy Whitson,
the first female commander,
the first female commander,
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Pero entonces, Peggy Whitson,
la primera mujer comandante,
la primera mujer comandante,
06:10
she invited us over
to the Russian segment.
to the Russian segment.
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nos invitó al sector ruso.
06:12
And the space station's
about the size of a football field,
about the size of a football field,
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La estación espacial tiene
el tamaño de un campo de fútbol,
el tamaño de un campo de fútbol,
06:15
with solar panel and trusses
and all of these modules.
and all of these modules.
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con paneles solares, soportes
y todos estos módulos.
y todos estos módulos.
06:19
And she says, "Leland, you go get
the rehydrated vegetables,
the rehydrated vegetables,
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Y me dice: "Leland, ve a traer
las verduras rehidratadas;
las verduras rehidratadas;
06:22
we have the meat."
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ya tenemos la carne".
06:23
So we float over with the bag
of vegetables, all rehydrated,
of vegetables, all rehydrated,
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Así que flotamos con la bolsa
de verduras rehidratadas
de verduras rehidratadas
06:27
and we get there.
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y llegamos allí.
06:29
And there's this moment
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Y vivo ese instante
06:30
where I get [transported]
back to my mother's kitchen.
back to my mother's kitchen.
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en que me veo transportado
a la cocina de mi madre.
a la cocina de mi madre.
06:35
You can smell the beef
and barley heating up,
and barley heating up,
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Se siente el olor de la carne
y la cebada calentándose,
y la cebada calentándose,
06:37
you can smell the food, the colors,
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la comida, los colores,
06:41
and there are people there
from all around the world.
from all around the world.
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y allí hay personas
de todos los rincones del mundo.
de todos los rincones del mundo.
06:44
It's like a Benetton commercial,
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Es como un anuncio de Benetton:
06:46
you know, you have African American,
Asian American, French, German, Russian,
Asian American, French, German, Russian,
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estadounidenses de origen africano
y asiático, franceses, alemanes, rusos,
y asiático, franceses, alemanes, rusos,
la primera mujer comandante,
06:50
the first female commander,
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06:51
breaking bread at 17,500 miles per hour,
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compartiendo la mesa a 28 000 km por hora,
06:55
going around the planet every 90 minutes,
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dando la vuelta
al planeta cada 90 minutos,
al planeta cada 90 minutos,
06:57
seeing a sunrise and a sunset every 45.
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viendo el amanecer y el atardecer cada 45.
07:01
And Peggy would say,
"Hey, Leland, try some of this,"
"Hey, Leland, try some of this,"
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Y entonces Peggy dice:
"Leland, prueba esto".
"Leland, prueba esto".
Y lo hace flotar hasta mi boca,
07:03
and she'd float it over to my mouth,
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y yo lo atrapo, y lo hacemos varias veces.
07:05
and I'd catch it
and we'd go back and forth.
and we'd go back and forth.
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07:07
And we're doing all of this while
listening to Sade's "Smooth Operator."
listening to Sade's "Smooth Operator."
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Y todo esto, con la música de fondo
de "Smooth Operator" de Sade.
de "Smooth Operator" de Sade.
07:13
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:14
I mean, this is like
blowing my mind, you know.
blowing my mind, you know.
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Es decir, es alucinante.
07:16
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:17
And I float over to the window,
and I look down at the planet,
and I look down at the planet,
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Y voy flotando a la ventana,
contemplo el planeta desde arriba,
contemplo el planeta desde arriba,
07:21
and I see all of humanity.
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y veo toda la humanidad.
07:24
And my perspective changes at that moment,
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Y, en ese momento, mi perspectiva cambia
07:27
because, I'm flying over Lynchburg,
Virginia, my home town,
Virginia, my home town,
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porque estoy flotando sobre
Lynchburg, Virginia, mi ciudad,
Lynchburg, Virginia, mi ciudad,
07:30
and my family's probably breaking bread.
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y mi familia estará sentada a la mesa.
07:32
And five minutes later,
we're flying over Paris,
we're flying over Paris,
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Y cinco minutos después,
estamos estamos sobre París,
estamos estamos sobre París,
07:34
where Leo Eyharts
is looking down at his parents,
is looking down at his parents,
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y Leo Eyharts mira hacia abajo,
donde están sus padres,
donde están sus padres,
07:37
probably having some wine and cheese,
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quizá tomando vino y comiendo queso.
07:39
and Yuri's looking off to Moscow,
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Y Yuri mira hacia Moscú,
07:41
and they're probably eating
borscht or something else.
borscht or something else.
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donde seguramente estén
comiendo borscht o algo así.
comiendo borscht o algo así.
07:43
But we're all having this moment
where we see our respective families
where we see our respective families
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Pero todos compartimos ese momento,
en que vemos a nuestras familias
en que vemos a nuestras familias
07:48
working together as one civilization,
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funcionando juntas
como una sola civilización,
como una sola civilización,
07:52
at 17,500 miles per hour.
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a 28 000 km por hora.
07:56
My perspective shifted cognitively,
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Mi perspectiva cambió a nivel cognitivo.
07:59
it changed me.
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Aquello me cambió.
08:00
And when I think about being
that little skinny boy,
that little skinny boy,
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Y cuando pienso en aquel niño
delgado que una vez fui,
delgado que una vez fui,
08:02
from sometimes racist Lynchburg, Virginia,
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en esa Lynchburg, por momentos racista,
08:06
I would never have had that perspective
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nunca habría tenido esa perspectiva
de verme como astronauta
de verme como astronauta
08:10
to think about myself
of being an astronaut,
of being an astronaut,
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08:13
if my father hadn't taken us on a journey
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si mi padre no nos hubiera llevado de viaje
08:16
in this radical craft that we built
with our own two hands.
with our own two hands.
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en aquel original vehículo que
construimos con nuestras propias manos.
construimos con nuestras propias manos.
08:22
When I came home,
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Cuando regresé a casa,
08:24
I realized that perspective is something
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me di cuenta de que la perspectiva es algo
08:28
that we all get and we all have.
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que todos todos recibimos
y que todos tenemos.
y que todos tenemos.
08:32
It's just how far
do we open up our blinders
do we open up our blinders
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Es cuestión de expandir
nuestro campo de visión
nuestro campo de visión
08:34
to see that shift and that change.
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para experimentar ese cambio.
08:37
And going back to the space station,
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Con respecto a la estación espacial,
08:39
I think of, you know, Germans
and Russians fighting Americans.
and Russians fighting Americans.
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pienso en los alemanes y los rusos
luchando contra los estadounidenses,
luchando contra los estadounidenses,
08:45
We have these people
living and working together.
living and working together.
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cuando tenemos a toda esta gente
viviendo y trabajando juntos.
viviendo y trabajando juntos.
08:48
White folks, black folks, Russian folks,
French folks, you know.
French folks, you know.
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Blancos, negros, rusos, franceses...
08:52
All these different people coexisting
in harmony as one race.
in harmony as one race.
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Todas estas personas diferentes,
conviviendo en armonía como una raza.
conviviendo en armonía como una raza.
08:58
And I think about the colors that I saw,
the design of the modules,
the design of the modules,
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Y pienso en los colores que vi,
el diseño de los módulos,
el diseño de los módulos,
09:02
the way that things fit together,
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el modo en que todo encaja,
09:04
the way that it made us
a community, our home.
a community, our home.
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el modo en que aquello nos convirtió
en una comunidad, nuestro hogar.
en una comunidad, nuestro hogar.
09:09
And so when I look up to space now,
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Así que, ahora, cuando miro al espacio,
09:13
and I have this newfound perspective
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con esta nueva perspectiva
09:17
on the space station going overhead
and looking there,
and looking there,
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de la estación espacial pasándonos
por encima y miro hacia allí,
por encima y miro hacia allí,
09:20
and then looking back at my community
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y miro a mi comunidad,
09:22
and seeing the people
that I'm living and working with,
that I'm living and working with,
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veo toda esta gente
con la que vivo y trabajo,
con la que vivo y trabajo,
09:25
and coexisting with,
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con la que convivo.
09:27
I think it's something that we all
can do now, especially in these times,
can do now, especially in these times,
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Creo que es algo que todos podemos hacer,
especialmente en los tiempos que corren,
especialmente en los tiempos que corren,
09:33
to make sure that we have
the right perspective.
the right perspective.
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para asegurarnos de tener
la perspectiva adecuada.
la perspectiva adecuada.
09:38
Thank you.
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Gracias.
09:39
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
09:44
Chee Pearlman: If you don't mind,
could I just chat with you for a minute,
could I just chat with you for a minute,
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Chee Pearlman: Si no te importa,
¿podría hablar contigo un minuto?
¿podría hablar contigo un minuto?
Porque van a colocar
algunas cosas por aquí.
algunas cosas por aquí.
09:47
because they're going to set up
some things here.
some things here.
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09:50
And I get to have you all to myself, OK.
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Y así me quedo a solas contigo.
09:52
Leland Melvin: Alright.
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Leland Melvin: Claro.
09:54
CP: You guys don't get to hear this.
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CP: Ustedes no escuchen esto.
09:56
So I have to tell you
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Bueno, debo decirte
09:58
that in my family,
we watch a lot of space movies
we watch a lot of space movies
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que en mi familia vemos
muchas películas sobre el espacio,
muchas películas sobre el espacio,
10:03
about astronauts and stuff like that.
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sobre astronautas y cosas así.
10:05
I can't tell you why, but we do.
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No puedo decir por qué, pero lo hacemos.
10:07
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
10:09
The thing that I wanted
to ask you, though,
to ask you, though,
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Aunque lo que quería preguntarte
10:11
is that we were seeing
this movie the other day,
this movie the other day,
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es que estábamos viendo
una película el otro día
una película el otro día
10:15
and it was about one of the astronauts,
one of your colleagues,
one of your colleagues,
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sobre un astronauta,
uno de tus compañeros,
uno de tus compañeros,
10:19
and before he went up into space,
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y antes de que fuese al espacio,
se escribió un obituario.
se escribió un obituario.
10:22
they actually wrote an obituary,
NASA wrote an obituary for him.
NASA wrote an obituary for him.
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La NASA le escribió un obituario.
10:26
And I was like, is that normal?
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Y me pregunté: ¿Eso es normal?
10:28
And is that part of the job?
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¿Forma parte del trabajo?
10:30
Do you think about that peril
that you're putting yourself in
that you're putting yourself in
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¿Piensas en la situación
de peligro en la que te encuentras
de peligro en la que te encuentras
10:36
as you go into space?
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al ir al espacio?
10:37
LM: Yeah.
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LM: Sí.
10:38
So, I don't remember anyone
writing my obituary,
writing my obituary,
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No recuerdo que nadie
escribiese mi obituario;
escribiese mi obituario;
10:41
maybe that was an Apollo-day thing.
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puede que fuese algo propio del Apollo.
10:43
But I do know that in the 135
shuttle flights that we've had,
shuttle flights that we've had,
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Pero sé que de los 135 vuelos
en transbordador que se han realizado,
en transbordador que se han realizado,
10:48
the shuttle that I flew on,
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en el transbordador que yo tripulé,
10:50
we had two accidents
that killed everyone on that mission.
that killed everyone on that mission.
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hubo dos accidentes en los que murieron
todos los tripulantes de la misión.
todos los tripulantes de la misión.
10:55
And we all know the perils
and the risks that go along with this,
and the risks that go along with this,
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Y todos conocemos los riesgos
y el peligro que esto conlleva,
y el peligro que esto conlleva,
10:58
but we're doing something
that's much bigger than ourselves,
that's much bigger than ourselves,
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pero estamos haciendo algo
que nos trasciende como personas,
que nos trasciende como personas,
11:01
and helping advance civilization,
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en pos del avance de la civilización,
así que el riesgo merece la pena.
así que el riesgo merece la pena.
11:03
so the risk is worth the reward.
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11:06
And we all feel that way
when we get into that vehicle
when we get into that vehicle
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Y todos nos sentimos así
cuando abordamos la nave,
cuando abordamos la nave,
11:09
ans strap into those million pounds
of rocket fuel and go up to space.
of rocket fuel and go up to space.
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y nos atamos a un cohete
con millones de kilos de combustible
con millones de kilos de combustible
para ir al espacio.
11:13
CP: Yeah, I've only seen
the Hollywood version --
the Hollywood version --
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CP: Sí, solo he visto
la versión de Hollywood,
la versión de Hollywood,
11:16
it looks pretty terrifying,
I have to tell you.
I have to tell you.
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pero, a decir verdad, da miedo.
11:18
LM: You should go.
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LM: Deberías ir.
(Risas)
11:19
(Laughter)
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11:21
CP: Yeah, my husband's
told me that a few times.
told me that a few times.
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CP: Sí, mi marido me lo ha dicho
unas cuantas veces.
unas cuantas veces.
11:23
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
11:25
LM: One-way trip or two-way?
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LM: ¿Viaje solo de ida, o ida y vuelta?
11:27
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
11:29
CP: That’s a bit of a debate in our house.
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CP: Es un tema de debate en mi casa.
11:31
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
11:33
I wanted to, if I may ...
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Si es posible, quisiera...
11:37
You did touch on something
that was very powerful and difficult,
that was very powerful and difficult,
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Has tocado un tema que es
muy fuerte y muy difícil,
muy fuerte y muy difícil,
11:42
which is, you spoke about this incident
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cuando has hablado de este incidente
11:46
that had happened to you
when you were five years old,
when you were five years old,
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que te ocurrió a los cinco años,
cuando fuiste víctima de una violación.
cuando fuiste víctima de una violación.
11:49
and that you were raped.
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11:50
And I just think that
for you to be able to say those things,
for you to be able to say those things,
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Y pienso que decir algo
así, como has hecho tú,
así, como has hecho tú,
11:53
you know, on the TED stage,
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en el escenario de TED,
11:55
to be able to talk about that at all,
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ser capaz de hablar de ello, sin rodeos,
11:58
is pretty fearless.
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1936
es muy valiente.
12:00
And I wanted to get a sense from you,
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Y quisiera conocer tu opinión.
12:03
is that something that you think
is important for you to share that now,
is important for you to share that now,
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¿Crees que es algo importante
que debas compartir ahora,
que debas compartir ahora,
12:07
to speak about it?
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y hablar de ello?
12:08
LM: It's so important, especially for men,
to talk about things that have happened,
to talk about things that have happened,
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LM: Es importante, sobre todo para
los hombres, hablar de estos incidentes,
los hombres, hablar de estos incidentes,
12:13
because we've been trained
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porque la sociedad nos ha enseñado
que debemos ser fuertes, duros,
que debemos ser fuertes, duros,
12:14
and told by our society
that we have to be so tough and so hard
that we have to be so tough and so hard
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12:18
and we can't tell of things
that are happening to us.
that are happening to us.
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y que no podemos hablar
de ciertas cosas que nos suceden.
de ciertas cosas que nos suceden.
12:21
But I've had so many men
contact me and tell me that,
contact me and tell me that,
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Pero han sido tantos los hombres que
han contactado conmigo y me han dicho:
han contactado conmigo y me han dicho:
12:25
"You came through that, you got over that,
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"Tú pasaste por eso y lo superaste.
12:27
I'm going to get over my alcoholism,"
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Voy a superar mi alcoholismo".
12:29
and these things
that are going on in them,
that are going on in them,
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Sufren por culpa de lo que
les ocurrió en el pasado.
les ocurrió en el pasado.
12:31
because of what happened to them.
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12:32
And so we must share these stories,
this is part of storytelling,
this is part of storytelling,
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Así que debemos compartir estas historias
y contarlas para curarnos
y completarnos como comunidad.
y completarnos como comunidad.
12:36
to heal us and to make us
whole as a community.
whole as a community.
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12:39
CP: That's wonderful.
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CP: Es maravilloso.
12:41
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
12:46
And you know, quite honestly,
you spoke about perspective shift,
you spoke about perspective shift,
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Sinceramente, has hablado
de un cambio de perspectiva
de un cambio de perspectiva
12:50
and that is a shift that I think
we've been very slow to accept
we've been very slow to accept
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y pienso que es un cambio
que hemos aceptado muy lentamente
que hemos aceptado muy lentamente
12:55
and to be able to speak about that,
so we thank you for that.
so we thank you for that.
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y del que nos hemos animado
a hablar, así que te lo agradecemos.
a hablar, así que te lo agradecemos.
12:59
We thank you for being
the amazing astronaut that you are,
the amazing astronaut that you are,
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Gracias por ser
un astronauta tan increíble
un astronauta tan increíble
13:02
and thank you for coming
to the TED stage, Leland.
to the TED stage, Leland.
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y por haber venido
al escenario de TED, Leland.
al escenario de TED, Leland.
13:04
LM: Thank you so much, Chee.
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LM: Muchas gracias, Chee.
13:06
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Leland Melvin - Engineer, educatorLeland Melvin is an engineer, educator, former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver. He shares his stories of perseverance and excellence to inspire communities for lasting positive change.
Why you should listen
Leland Melvin served on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on mission STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009), helping to construct the International Space Station. He also served as co-chair of the White House's Federal Coordination in STEM Education Task Force and as NASA Associate Administrator for Education. He can currently be seen as a judge on ABC's robot competition series "BattleBots."
"Houston, we have a problem." Melvin was 25 feet under water in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a six million gallon pool, training to perform spacewalks as a NASA astronaut when he called the test director and asked him to turn the volume up in his headset. He never heard a reply and was immediately hoisted out of the pool to learn that he was deaf. Emergency surgery resulting in only partial recovery to his hearing and led him to being medically disqualified to fly in space by NASA flight surgeons.
This is just one of the many career-ending challenges Melvin has overcome in his life. Before becoming an astronaut, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions to play professional football in 1986, but a hamstring injury thwarted his NFL career with Detroit and then later with the Dallas Cowboys. Through determination and perseverance, he ultimately traveled off-planet twice on Space Shuttle Atlantis to help construct the International Space Station, logging more than 565 hours in space. He's the only person drafted into the National Football League to have flown in space. The Pro Football Hall of Fame honored his athletic and academic accomplishments by placing his Detroit Lions jersey under glass in Canton, Ohio.
Melvin has a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master's degree in materials science engineering. He worked at NASA Langley Research Center in the area of nondestructive testing creating optical fiber sensors for measuring damage in aerospace vehicles resulting in publications in numerous scientific journals. After hanging up his space boots, he was appointed head of NASA Education and served as the co-chair on the White House's Federal Coordination in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Task Force developing the nation's five-year STEM education plan. He was the United States representative and chair of the International Space Education Board (ISEB), a global collaboration in space. He holds five honorary doctorates for his service in education, the sciences and philanthropy.
Melvin's memoir, Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars and examines the intersecting roles of community, perseverance and grace that align to create the opportunities for success. A young reader's version of the book is available here.
Leland Melvin | Speaker | TED.com