National Geographic Live - View from Above with NASA Astronaut, Terry Virts

He made an appearance on the last Star Trek Enterprise episode in 2005, which is fitting, as the original series is what sent him soaring into space. NASA astronaut Terry Virts has served as a pilot of the space shuttle Endeavour, a crew member on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft and most recently as commander of the International Space Station during 200 consecutive days in space, one of the longest continuous space missions of any NASA astronaut. He helped install the outpost’s 360-degree observation module and made good use of it, taking hours of video and hundreds of thousands of still images, including some featured in the National Geographic book, View from Above. He’s a star of the breathtaking IMAX film, A Beautiful Planet, featuring his footage from space and Virts has taken more photos from space than any other astronaut. He recently directed his first film, One More Orbit, a full-length documentary chronicling the 2019 mission in which he broke the world record for any aircraft circumnavigating the planet over the North and South poles.

Now you have the opportunity to step back, some 220 miles from earth, and experience our planet from a new perspective. With Terry Virts as your guide, you will gain a deeper understanding of our planet’s beauty, climate and place in the universe. You have the opportunity to hear Terry Virts talk about his time in space and the new perspectives he gained about our world and then have the opportunity to ask questions about everything you’ve always wanted to know about space travel. Virts is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Harvard Business School.

Terry Virts always wanted to be an astronaut, but it turns out that his favorite planet is Earth. It wasn’t until he was farthest from home that he came to really appreciate the beauty of our world, and he shares that perspective through his stunning photos and videos. He is one of only four astronauts to have piloted a Space Shuttle, flown a Russian Soyuz aircraft, performed space walks and commanded the International Space Shuttle and he has a unique perspective to share.

National Geographic has been making explorers of all of us for more than a century through groundbreaking storytelling from the world’s best and brightest scientists, explorers, photographers and filmmakers. National Geographic Live brings their stories to the stage and enables audiences to interact with the men and women who have gone where few have gone before.

Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a thrilling ride.