Journey to space in Axe Apollo Space Academy program | Pirada Techavijit | TEDxChiangMai

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Mink won a competition to become Thailand’s first astronaut. This talk covers the first part of her story (preparations). She will be speaking at a future TEDxChiangMai event about her experience after the space flight.

Pirada (Mink) Techavijit will be Thailand’s first astronaut. The satellite control engineer won the free trip after winning a competition organized last year by AXE Apollo and Space Expedition Corporation (SXC) – now XCOR. She will explore space for six minutes and view
earth from a distance of 100km.

Hello everyone.

Today I would like to start off
with this picture here.

This picture was taken
from a very high spot.

It was taken 30 kilometres
away from Earth,

by a Thai who brought a camera up there.

And what you can see
at the bottom is our Thailand.

You can notice
that even it was taken during the day,

the upper part is dark,
but at the bottom part it is blue.

Because the balloon
was nearly hit the space.

When we talk about space,

many people may think that it is scary
and seems mysterious.

Yet on the other side, it is challenging.

It makes some people want
to explore for the truth of space,

and where is its frontier?

But this view, although it is beautiful,

not many people
have seen it through naked eyes.

Most people only see it
through pictures like this one

and those people are astronauts,

who maybe work
in the International Space Station

and look down to see our world.

However, that is
a very small group of people.

Historically, the first man in space
was Yuri Gagarin.

Since then, 53 years have passed,

not more than 600 people have seen
our world from up there.

Now, the astronauts, in our view,
are strong tall males.

And the truth is, in most cases,

the selected astronauts we have seen
are the ones from powerful nations,

such as the United States of America
or the Soviet Union

at the time of the cold war.

But who would have thought

that a small woman from a country

where no one has ever
been to space before

has a chance to go to the space next year.

That is my humble self.

(Applause)

(Cheers)

Thank you.

Now, let me tell you something
about this story.

This project I participated in
was sponsored by Axe.

The Axe Apollo Academy is going
to take the first Thai to the space.

The first time I heard about this project,
I thought that this is my dream.

The dream I want to make it come true.

Something I really want it to happen,
but also something least likely to happen.

They said, first, you have to be
the chosen one of your country.

You have to go to a camp,

where we then select the ones
to go to the space.

So first, I have to make my way
in this camp.

Thailand selected candidates
by three means.

I was a winner of "Fan-Pan-Tae"

which is a Game Show
well-known in Thailand.

We had to answer questions
within three seconds.

If you want to see it,
you can watch a rerun.

After that, we actually went
to a camp in Florida.

It was a base camp
that was very near to the NASA

and we also used some facilities
in the NASA building.

This is to let you see
how we were doing there.

The conditions of the real camp.

As mention earlier, the candidates
from 62 countries worldwide came together.

These are the pictures of the atmosphere.

There are 107 people from 62 countries.

Those were selected from a million,
who were interested in this project.

There were three people representing
Thailand; I was the only woman.

There were four women in the whole camp.

We were split up to form the teams
to do various activities.

Activities that will test
whether you can go to space.

The first one I have done.

That day, I got up at four
and went from Orlando to Kissimmee

and went on the plane like this one.

I was on the plane while filming this.

The plane was like the military plane.

That was something I have already
experienced before when I was in Thailand.

Back then, I had never been
on a military plane before.

I had to sit there,
and then they roll inverted.

That is when you experience
the G-Force, people talking about.

I had heard some said
that the G-Force is really strong,

but then I thought that if the pilot
can bear it, I can bear it, too.

But I had a moment of realization
when I actually experienced it.

When you make a five G inverted roll,
you are five times heavier.

For example, I weight 50 kilograms,

at that moment,
I suddenly weighted 250 kilograms.

The weight is not that hard to bear,

but when a lot of your blood
flows to your feet,

you realize that if you are
not holding tight, you may get fainted.

After the strong G-Force,
it is time to experience Zero-Force,

a state of weightless.

This is a Boeing 737,
of which the seats have been removed.

This is not an ordinary flight, it makes
you feel like the plane is falling down.

Everyone inside was floating around.

It looks like fun,

but some had to thrown up
because they could not bear it.

Apart from activities like these,
which test your capability,

they also want to see
if you are strong enough.

So they took the assault course,

which is actually
a military assault course

used in the military practice.

We had to climb, jump over hurdles,

crawl underneath nets,
did sit-ups, push-ups, and skip rope.

Approximately ten activities in a row.

Women and men had to do
exactly the same activities.

And for me, the sport I do

- I am 30 years old -

is usually yoga.

But I had to do those activities.

I remember that Dennis was next to me.

I could not climb over the climbing wall,
I just did not know how.

Do I have to use both hands or do I have
to push myself up using my feet?

The coordination of your body
must be just right.

Once it starts, every man made the way up,
while I kept falling down.

My legs were about
half the length of theirs.

Everybody was so tall.

At that moment, I was losing my faith.

They told us that from 107
selected candidates in this camp

only 23 will be chosen to go to space.

So if I could not do
any of these activities,

it means that I am likely to loose
the ticket to space.

In this picture, you may see
that I was at the bottom

and Dennis had to come down to pull me up,

"You can still climb, you can do it."

So I managed to climb up: sit-ups,
push-ups, or carrying sacks,

we all had to do the same things,

For me, I feel that this is really hard,

because I am a woman,
and I have never done such things before.

I almost fainted but then I thought,

if I have already made it this far,
I have to do my best.

Finally, I was awarded
with one of the 23 tickets

to fly to space next year.

Next to me

(Applause)

- Thank you -

...next to me is Mister Buzz Aldrin,

who was the second man
on the Moon, after Neil Armstrong.

He was also in the Apollo 11 mission.

It was a big honour
that he gave us award that day.

This is the most miraculous story
that ever happen in my entire life.

After that, many people asked,
"Aren't you afraid of going to space?

How can you be so brave?"

But for me, I see myself

as a normal person, who maybe
puts more effort into things.

Rather than asking if I am afraid, ask me
if there is anything I am not scared of.

From the beginning,
when I had to win the gameshow.

You have to understand

that I am just a nerdy person
who works as an ordinary engineer,

but then I had to be on TV,
participating in a game show.

I really had to try very hard.

That is why I wanted
to tell you something.

We all have a comfort zone.
I am sure you have heard of it before.

It is the space where
we can be comfortable.

Our everyday routine is in this zone.

I also have one.

But one day, you have to step out
of your comfort zone.

A lot of people do not dare to step out.

I was also one who felt that this is scary
and I do not dare to step out.

But when I was forced
to make a big decision;

either try or I let the golden opportunity
I ever dreamed of slip through my hands.

So I slowly expanded
my horizon until I entered

the where-the-magic happens zone,
where my miraculous story happened.

But if I am asked
whether the magic immediately happens,

I have to say it does not.

Before that - I have to share
with you a little experience -

before that I was living in Lampang,
I was a normal child from the countryside.

The first time I left my country,
I was an apprentice at Intel in India.

I had to live in India for a year.

Many parents would not allow
their daughter to go there,

but since they are my parents
they told me, "That's OK, dear. Just go."

So I was part of the team
that got a training in India for a year.

Another time was when I had
the opportunity to study in France.

The hard part was
that everything is in French,

and I could not speak
a single French word.

I had to learn French,
from the beginning, within four months

then started to study
for my master degree, all in French.

All my classmates were French.

Back then, everyone told me,

"You can not succeed.
You are really struggled.

You should learn French again
for a year and come back later."

But I insisted, "Please let me continue.
Let me prove myself."

And in the end, I managed to graduate
with all my other classmates.

So I discovered that sometimes,

the limitations that people told us
or the conditions we impose ourselves,

are not really there.

Do you still remember what you wanted
to be when you was a child?

When I received my space ticket,

I had opportunities
to visit schools and universities

to tell the students my story.

And I realized that those who are
most excited by this story

are the children.

And they felt that these stories
can actually happen.

This is their dream.

They also want to be astronauts.

But as we grow up,

we tend to forget about our dreams,
and what we wanted to become.

Today I would ask you again

- the last slide, please -

What did you want to be
when you were young?

Or also, for now, what is your dream?

Have your dreams already been fulfilled?

If not, I want to tell you to dare,

to get out and follow your dreams.

Because there is nobody who is not afraid.

I was also afraid,
but what I did is I dared to do,

even though I was afraid.

Try expand your comfort zone,
stretch it out.

Because every time
when you do it, you will grow.

There may be mistakes.

I also admit that there are
many mistakes in my life.

And who has never done anything wrong?

I don't think there is.

If there were such people,
I think they are facing a real problem

because errors are always part of success.

I want to encourage all of you
to follow your dream,

no matter what it is,
no matter how far it would be.

Although others said it is impossible,

there is only you
who can say it is possible.

Get up and make your dreams come true.

Thank you.

(Applause)