TED Salon: Radical Craft
Leland Melvin: An astronaut's story of curiosity, perspective and change
Leland Melvin: A história da curiosidade, da perspetiva e da transformação de um astronauta
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Qual é a melhor profissão para um jovem que foi um ás do ténis, um viajante por todo o país, um químico fanático e um selecionado pela NFL? Que tal... astronauta? Leland Melvin conta-nos a história dos desafios que aceitou e das oportunidades que agarrou — e como chegou à Estação Espacial Internacional e a toda uma nova perspetiva da vida na Terra.
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 palestra contém
conteúdo para adultos]
conteúdo para adultos]
00:16
In 1969, I was standing behind
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Em 1969, eu estava atrás
00:21
a Sylvania black-and-white television set.
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de um aparelho de televisão,
a preto e branco,
a preto e branco,
00:24
Hearing about these things happening
on the set in the front,
on the set in the front,
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a ouvir as coisas que se passavam
do outro lado do aparelho,
do outro lado do aparelho,
Eu era o rapaz, que movia a antena,
00:27
I was the guy, you know,
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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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e ouvia o meu pai,
a minha irmã e a minha mãe:
a minha irmã e a minha mãe:
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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"Vira-a para aqui, para ali,
não conseguimos ver nada".
não conseguimos ver nada".
00:36
And what they were watching
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O que é que eles estavam a ver?
00:38
was: "One small step for a man,
one giant leap for mankind."
one giant leap for mankind."
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"Um pequeno passo para um homem,
um salto gigantesco para a humanidade".
um salto gigantesco para a humanidade".
00:43
Neil [Armstrong] and Buzz Aldrin
were walking on the Moon.
were walking on the Moon.
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Neil Armstrong e Buzz Aldrin
estavam a andar na Lua.
estavam a andar na Lua.
00:47
And I was five years old
in Lynchburg, Virginia,
in Lynchburg, Virginia,
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Eu tinha cinco anos,
em Lynchburg, na Virgínia.
em Lynchburg, na Virgínia.
00:51
a skinny black kid
in a kind of somewhat racist town.
in a kind of somewhat racist town.
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Era uma criança negra e magrizela
numa cidade um tanto racista.
numa cidade um tanto 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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Estava a tentar imaginar
o que iria fazer na vida.
o que iria fazer na vida.
01:00
And my parents, you know,
they were educators,
they were educators,
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Os meus pais, que eram educadores,
01:02
they'd said that you can do anything.
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diziam que tudo era possível.
01:05
But after that moon landing,
all the kids in the neighborhood
all the kids in the neighborhood
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Mas, depois da aterragem na Lua,
todas as crianças do bairro diziam:
todas as crianças do bairro diziam:
01:08
were like, "You're going to be
an astronaut?"
an astronaut?"
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"Vais ser astronauta?"
01:10
I'm like, "No."
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E eu: "Não".
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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Não quero o cabelo rapado,
e não vejo ninguém parecido comigo.
e não vejo ninguém parecido comigo.
Porque a imagem é importante.
01:14
Because representation does matter.
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01:16
And I knew that there was a guy
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Eu sabia que havia um rapaz
01:20
five blocks down the street
on Pierce Street
on Pierce Street
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a cinco quarteirões
da minha casa, na Pierce Street,
da minha casa, na Pierce Street,
01:23
who was training to play tennis.
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que estava a treinar para jogar ténis.
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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O meu pai falava do carácter
e da disciplina que ele tinha,
e da disciplina que ele tinha,
01:30
his intelligence, his athleticism.
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de como era inteligente e atlético.
01:33
I wanted to be Arthur Ashe,
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Eu queria ser o Arthur Ashe,
01:34
I didn't want to be
one of those moon guys.
one of those moon guys.
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Não queria ser um daqueles tipos da Lua.
01:37
And as I went on through this journey,
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Enquanto eu prosseguia nesse percurso,
01:41
my dad, who was a school teacher,
he played in a band,
he played in a band,
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o meu pai, que era mestre-escola,
tocava numa banda,
tocava numa banda,
01:45
he did all these things to make money
for my sister and I
for my sister and I
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tudo para ganhar dinheiro
para a minha irmã e para mim,
para a minha irmã e para mim,
01:48
to take piano lessons
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para termos aulas de piano
e atividades educativas.
e atividades educativas.
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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Um dia, chega a casa
com um camião do pão e eu penso:
com um camião do pão e eu penso:
01:58
And I'm thinking, "OK, bread truck,
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"Ok, um camião do pão,
02:02
me delivering bread
while my dad's driving the truck."
while my dad's driving the truck."
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vou entregar pão
enquanto o meu pai conduz o camião"
enquanto o meu pai conduz o camião"
02:05
I'm like, "OK, I'm going to be
a bread guy now."
a bread guy now."
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"Ok, agora vou ser o rapaz do pão".
02:07
But he says, "This is our camper."
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Mas ele diz: "Esta é a nossa caravana".
02:11
I'm like, "Dude, come one, I can read:
'Merita Bread and Rolls'
'Merita Bread and Rolls'
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E eu: "Pai, vá lá, eu estou a ler:
Merita Bread and Rolls
Merita Bread and Rolls
"no lado do camião".
02:14
on the side of this truck.
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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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E ele: "Não. Nós vamos
transformar isto na nossa caravana".
transformar isto na nossa caravana".
02:21
And over that summer, we rewired
the entire electrical system.
the entire electrical system.
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Durante o verão, substituímos
todo o sistema elétrico.
todo o sistema elétrico.
02:25
We plumbed a propane tank
to a Coleman stove,
to a Coleman stove,
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Ligámos um depósito
de propano a um fogão,
de propano a um fogão,
02:28
we built bunk beds that flip down.
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construímos beliches dobráveis.
02:30
We were turning this into our summer
vacation launch pad, escape pod,
vacation launch pad, escape pod,
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Transformámos aquilo numa base
de lançamento para as nossas férias,
de lançamento para as nossas férias,
uma cápsula de fuga que nos podia
afastar de Lynchburg.
afastar de Lynchburg.
02:35
this thing that could
take us out of Lynchburg.
take us out of Lynchburg.
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02:39
And before that,
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Antes disso,
02:43
I was actually raped at five
by some neighbors.
by some neighbors.
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eu tinha sido violado,
aos cinco anos, por uns vizinhos,
aos cinco anos, por uns vizinhos,
02:48
And I didn't tell anyone,
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mas não disse nada a ninguém
02:51
because I had friends
that didn't have fathers.
that didn't have fathers.
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porque eu tinha amigos
que não tinham pai.
que não tinham pai.
02:54
And I knew that my father
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Eu sabia que o meu pai
02:56
would have killed the people
that did that to his son.
that did that to his son.
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mataria quem tivesse
feito aquilo ao filho.
feito aquilo ao filho.
02:59
And I didn't want my father to be gone.
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E eu não queria ficar sem pai.
03:02
So as we got in this bread truck
and escaped from Lynchburg,
and escaped from Lynchburg,
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Por isso, quando nos metemos no camião
e saímos de Lynchburg,
e saímos de Lynchburg,
03:07
it was my time with my dad.
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foi a oportunidade
de estar com o meu pai.
de estar com o meu pai.
03:09
And we went to the Smoky Mountains
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Fomos para os Montes Smoky
03:11
and looked at the purple
mountains' majesty.
mountains' majesty.
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e vimos as majestosas montanhas lilases.
03:14
And we walked along the beach
in Myrtle Beach,
in Myrtle Beach,
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Passeámos pela praia de Myrtle Beach.
03:16
and this thing was transformative.
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Foi uma experiência 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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Mostrou-me o que significava
ser explorador, com tão pouca idade.
ser explorador, com tão pouca idade.
03:24
And I suppressed all that negativity,
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E eu suprimi todo o negativismo,
03:27
all that trauma,
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todos os traumas,
03:29
because I was learning to be an explorer.
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porque estava a aprender
a ser explorador.
a ser explorador.
Pouco depois, a minha mãe
deu-me um conjunto de química,
deu-me um conjunto de química,
03:31
And a little bit later, my mother gave me
an age-inappropriate,
an age-inappropriate,
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sem certificação, impróprio
para a minha idade
para a minha idade
03:34
non-OSHA-certified chemistry set,
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03:36
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:37
where I created the most incredible
explosion in her living room.
explosion in her living room.
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e eu criei uma explosão incrível
na sala de estar.
na sala de estar.
03:41
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:43
And so I knew I could be a chemist.
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Fiquei a saber que podia ser químico.
03:44
So as I went on this journey
through a high school,
through a high school,
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Continuei no meu percurso,
fiz o secundário e fui para a faculdade.
fiz o secundário e fui para a faculdade.
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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Consegui uma bolsa de desporto
para jogar futebol na faculdade.
para jogar futebol na faculdade.
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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Sabia que podia ser químico
porque já tinha feito explodir coisas.
porque já tinha feito explodir coisas.
03:55
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:57
And when I graduated,
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Quando me formei,
04:00
I got drafted to the Detroit Lions.
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fui selecionado para os Detroit Lions.
04:03
But I pulled a hamstring in training camp,
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Mas dei cabo dum tendão no treino
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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O que fazem os ex-jogadores da NFL?
Vão trabalhar para a NASA, não é?
Vão trabalhar para a NASA, não é?
04:09
So I went to work for NASA.
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Então, fui trabalhar para a NASA.
04:10
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:11
And this friend of mine said,
"Leland, you'd be great astronaut."
"Leland, you'd be great astronaut."
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Um amigo meu disse-me:
"Leland, vais seu um ótimo astronauta".
"Leland, vais seu um ótimo 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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Eu ri-me: "Pois, eu, astronauta?"
Lembram-se do que eu contei
sobre Neil e Buzz, em 1969?
sobre Neil e Buzz, em 1969?
04:17
You know that Neil and Buzz
thing from back in '69?
thing from back in '69?
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Ele deu-me um impresso
para candidatura, mas não preenchi.
para candidatura, mas não preenchi.
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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Nesse mesmo ano, outro amigo meu
preencheu o impresso de candidatura
preencheu o impresso de candidatura
04:28
and he got in.
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e foi aceite.
04:30
And I said to myself,
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Eu pensei:
04:32
"If NASA's letting knuckleheads
like that be astronauts,"
like that be astronauts,"
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"Se a NASA está a deixar que idiotas
como este sejam astronautas...
como este sejam astronautas...
04:35
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
04:37
"maybe I can be one, too."
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"talvez eu também possa ser".
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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Na seleção seguinte, preenchi
o impresso de candidatura e entrei.
o impresso de candidatura e entrei.
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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Eu não sabia o que era ser astronauta:
04:46
the training, the simulations,
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o treino, as simulações,
04:48
all these things to get you ready
for this countdown:
for this countdown:
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todas essas coisas para nos preparar
para a contagem decrescente:
para a contagem decrescente:
04:51
three, two, one, liftoff.
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três... dois... um... descolagem!
04:54
And in 2007, I was in Space Shuttle
"Atlantis," careening off the planet,
"Atlantis," careening off the planet,
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Em 2007, eu estava a afastar-me do planeta
no vaivém espacial Atlantis,
no vaivém espacial Atlantis,
04:59
traveling at 17,500 miles per hour.
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a viajar a 30 000 km/hora.
05:03
And eight and a half minutes later,
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Oito minutos e meio depois,
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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os motores principais desligaram-se
e ficámos a flutuar no espaço.
e ficámos a flutuar no espaço.
05:09
And I push off
and float over to the window,
and float over to the window,
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Tirei o cinto e flutuei até à janela.
05:12
and I can see the Caribbean.
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Vi as Caraíbas.
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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Precisava de novas definições de azul
para descrever as cores que via.
para descrever as cores que via.
05:18
Azure, indigo, navy blue,
medium navy blue, turquoise
medium navy blue, turquoise
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Azul-celeste, índigo, azul-marinho,
azulão, turquesa
azulão, 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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nada disso fazia justiça
ao que os meus olhos estavam a ver.
ao que os meus olhos estavam a ver.
05:26
And my job on this mission was to install
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A minha tarefa naquela missão
era instalar um laboratório Columbus
era instalar um laboratório Columbus
05:29
this two-billion dollar
Columbus laboratory.
Columbus laboratory.
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de dois mil milhões de dólares.
05:33
It was a research laboratory
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Era um laboratório de investigação
05:34
for materials research,
for human research.
for human research.
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para pesquisa de materiais,
para pesquisa humana.
para pesquisa humana.
05:37
And I reached into the payload bay
of the space shuttle,
of the space shuttle,
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Fui ao compartimento de carga
do vaivém espacial,
do vaivém espacial,
05:41
grabbed out this big module,
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agarrei num grande módulo,
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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usei o braço robótico
e acoplei-o à estação espacial.
e acoplei-o à estação 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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A equipa europeia tinha esperado
10 anos para aquilo ser instalado
10 anos para aquilo ser instalado
05:51
so I'm sure everyone in Europe was like,
"Leland! Leland! Leland!"
"Leland! Leland! Leland!"
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por isso, certamente, estavam todos
na Europa a dizer:
na Europa a dizer:
"Leland! Leland! Leland!"
05:56
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:57
And so this moment happened,
this was our primary mission objective,
this was our primary mission objective,
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Aquele momento aconteceu:
o principal objetivo
da nossa missão estava cumprido.
da nossa missão estava cumprido.
06:01
it was done.
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06:03
And I had this big sigh of relief.
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Soltei um grande suspiro de alívio.
06:07
But then, Peggy Whitson,
the first female commander,
the first female commander,
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Mas, depois, Peggy Whitson,
a primeira mulher comandante,
a primeira mulher comandante,
06:10
she invited us over
to the Russian segment.
to the Russian segment.
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convidou-nos a ir ao setor russo.
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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A estação espacial tem o tamanho
de um campo de futebol,
de um campo de futebol,
06:15
with solar panel and trusses
and all of these modules.
and all of these modules.
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com painéis solares e suportes
e todos estes módulos.
e todos estes módulos.
06:19
And she says, "Leland, you go get
the rehydrated vegetables,
the rehydrated vegetables,
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Peggy disse: "Leland,
vai buscar os vegetais reidratados,
vai buscar os vegetais reidratados,
06:22
we have the meat."
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"Já temos a carne".
06:23
So we float over with the bag
of vegetables, all rehydrated,
of vegetables, all rehydrated,
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Flutuámos com o saco
dos vegetais, já hidratados
dos vegetais, já hidratados
06:27
and we get there.
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e fomos lá ter.
06:29
And there's this moment
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Vivi aquele momento
06:30
where I get [transported]
back to my mother's kitchen.
back to my mother's kitchen.
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em que me senti transportado
à cozinha da minha mãe.
à cozinha da minha mãe.
06:35
You can smell the beef
and barley heating up,
and barley heating up,
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Sentia o cheiro da carne
e da cevada a aquecer,
e da cevada a aquecer,
06:37
you can smell the food, the colors,
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o cheiro da comida, as cores.
06:41
and there are people there
from all around the world.
from all around the world.
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Havia ali pessoas de todo o mundo.
06:44
It's like a Benetton commercial,
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Era como um anúncio da Benetton.
06:46
you know, you have African American,
Asian American, French, German, Russian,
Asian American, French, German, Russian,
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Havia americanos africanos e asiáticos,
franceses, alemães, russos,
franceses, alemães, russos,
06:50
the first female commander,
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a primeira mulher comandante,
06:51
breaking bread at 17,500 miles per hour,
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à mesma mesa, a 30 000 km/hora,
06:55
going around the planet every 90 minutes,
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a dar a volta ao planeta,
de 90 em 90 minutos,
de 90 em 90 minutos,
06:57
seeing a sunrise and a sunset every 45.
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a ver o nascer e o pôr-do-sol
de 45 em 45 minutos.
de 45 em 45 minutos.
07:01
And Peggy would say,
"Hey, Leland, try some of this,"
"Hey, Leland, try some of this,"
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Peggy disse-me: "Leland, prova isto"
e aquilo flutuou até à minha boca.
07:03
and she'd float it over to my mouth,
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Eu apanhei-o e assim continuámos,
várias vezes.
várias vezes.
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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Tudo aquilo enquanto
ouvíamos Smooth Operator, dos Sade.
ouvíamos Smooth Operator, dos Sade.
(Risos)
07:13
(Laughter)
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07:14
I mean, this is like
blowing my mind, you know.
blowing my mind, you know.
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Ou seja, era alucinante.
07:16
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
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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Vou a flutuar até à janela
e olho para o planeta.
e olho para o planeta.
07:21
and I see all of humanity.
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Vejo toda a humanidade.
07:24
And my perspective changes at that moment,
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Nesse momento, a minha perspetiva muda,
07:27
because, I'm flying over Lynchburg,
Virginia, my home town,
Virginia, my home town,
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porque estou a voar sobre Lynchburg,
na Virgínia, a minha terra
na Virgínia, a minha terra
07:30
and my family's probably breaking bread.
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e a minha família talvez
esteja sentada à mesa.
esteja sentada à mesa.
07:32
And five minutes later,
we're flying over Paris,
we're flying over Paris,
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Cinco minutos depois,
estamos a voar sobre Paris,
estamos a voar sobre Paris,
07:34
where Leo Eyharts
is looking down at his parents,
is looking down at his parents,
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onde Leo Eyharts está a olhar
para os pais dele,
para os pais dele,
talvez a beber vinho e a comer queijo
07:37
probably having some wine and cheese,
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07:39
and Yuri's looking off to Moscow,
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e Yuri está a olhar para Moscovo,
07:41
and they're probably eating
borscht or something else.
borscht or something else.
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onde estarão a comer "borshtch "
ou qualquer outra coisa.
ou qualquer outra coisa.
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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Mas todos nós partilhamos este momento
em que vemos as nossas famílias
em que vemos as nossas famílias
07:48
working together as one civilization,
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a trabalhar em conjunto,
como uma única civilização
como uma única civilização
07:52
at 17,500 miles per hour.
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a 30 000 km/hora.
07:56
My perspective shifted cognitively,
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A minha perspetiva mudou cognitivamente,
07:59
it changed me.
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transformou-me.
08:00
And when I think about being
that little skinny boy,
that little skinny boy,
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Quando penso
que aquele rapazinho magricela,
que aquele rapazinho magricela,
08:02
from sometimes racist Lynchburg, Virginia,
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duma Lynchburg, na Virgínia,
um tanto racista,
um tanto racista,
08:06
I would never have had that perspective
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nunca teria tido aquela perspetiva
08:10
to think about myself
of being an astronaut,
of being an astronaut,
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de pensar em ser astronauta,
08:13
if my father hadn't taken us on a journey
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se o meu pai não nos tivesse
levado a viajar
levado a viajar
08:16
in this radical craft that we built
with our own two hands.
with our own two hands.
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naquele carro original
que criámos com as nossas mãos.
que criámos com as nossas mãos.
08:22
When I came home,
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Quando voltei a casa,
08:24
I realized that perspective is something
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percebi que a perspetiva é uma coisa
08:28
that we all get and we all have.
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que todos recebemos e todos temos.
08:32
It's just how far
do we open up our blinders
do we open up our blinders
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É uma questão de alargar
o nosso campo de visão
o nosso campo de visão
08:34
to see that shift and that change.
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para ver essa transformação.
08:37
And going back to the space station,
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Voltando à estação espacial,
08:39
I think of, you know, Germans
and Russians fighting Americans.
and Russians fighting Americans.
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penso nos alemães e nos russos
a combater os americanos.
a combater os americanos.
08:45
We have these people
living and working together.
living and working together.
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Temos essas pessoas
a viver e a trabalhar em conjunto.
a viver e a trabalhar em conjunto.
08:48
White folks, black folks, Russian folks,
French folks, you know.
French folks, you know.
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Brancos, negros, russos, franceses,
08:52
All these different people coexisting
in harmony as one race.
in harmony as one race.
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todas essas pessoas diferentes
coexistindo em harmonia, como uma só raça.
coexistindo em harmonia, como uma só raça.
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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Penso nas cores que vi,
no "design" dos módulos,
no "design" dos módulos,
09:02
the way that things fit together,
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na forma como as coisas se ajustam,
09:04
the way that it made us
a community, our home.
a community, our home.
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na forma como nos tornam
uma comunidade, o nosso lar.
uma comunidade, o nosso lar.
09:09
And so when I look up to space now,
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Quando agora olho para o espaço,
09:13
and I have this newfound perspective
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com esta nova perspetiva,
09:17
on the space station going overhead
and looking there,
and looking there,
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para a estação espacial
que passa por cima da minha cabeça,
que passa por cima da minha cabeça,
09:20
and then looking back at my community
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e volto a olhar para a minha comunidade,
09:22
and seeing the people
that I'm living and working with,
that I'm living and working with,
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e vejo as pessoas com quem vivo
e com quem trabalho,
e com quem trabalho,
09:25
and coexisting with,
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com quem coexisto,
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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penso que é uma coisa
que todos podemos fazer agora,
que todos podemos fazer agora,
especialmente nesta época,
09:33
to make sure that we have
the right perspective.
the right perspective.
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para garantir que temos
a perspetiva correta.
a perspetiva correta.
09:38
Thank you.
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Obrigado.
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: Se não te importas,
posso falar contigo um minuto?
posso falar contigo um minuto?
09:47
because they're going to set up
some things here.
some things here.
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Porque vão querer
perguntar algumas coisas
perguntar algumas coisas
09:50
And I get to have you all to myself, OK.
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e assim, fico aqui contigo.
09:52
Leland Melvin: Alright.
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Leland Melvin: Ok.
09:54
CP: You guys don't get to hear this.
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CP: Vocês não oiçam isto.
09:56
So I have to tell you
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Bom, tenho de te dizer
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, na minha família,
vemos muitos filmes no espaço
vemos muitos filmes no espaço
10:03
about astronauts and stuff like that.
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sobre astronautas e coisas como essas.
10:05
I can't tell you why, but we do.
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2016
Não sei dizer porquê, mas fazemos.
10:07
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
10:09
The thing that I wanted
to ask you, though,
to ask you, though,
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Mas o que eu queria perguntar
10:11
is that we were seeing
this movie the other day,
this movie the other day,
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é que estávamos a ver
um filme, outro dia,
um filme, outro dia,
10:15
and it was about one of the astronauts,
one of your colleagues,
one of your colleagues,
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que era sobre um dos astronautas,
um dos teus colegas.
um dos teus colegas.
10:19
and before he went up into space,
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Antes de ele ir para o espaço,
10:22
they actually wrote an obituary,
NASA wrote an obituary for him.
NASA wrote an obituary for him.
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escreveram um obituário,
a NASA escreveu um obituário para ele.
a NASA escreveu um obituário para ele.
10:26
And I was like, is that normal?
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Fiquei a pensar, seria normal?
10:28
And is that part of the job?
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Faz parte do trabalho?
10:30
Do you think about that peril
that you're putting yourself in
that you're putting yourself in
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Pensas no perigo que corres
quando vais para o espaço?
10:36
as you go into space?
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10:37
LM: Yeah.
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LM: Penso.
10:38
So, I don't remember anyone
writing my obituary,
writing my obituary,
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Mas não me lembro de ninguém
a escrever o meu obituário,
a escrever o meu obituário,
10:41
maybe that was an Apollo-day thing.
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talvez isso fosse no tempo do 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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Mas sei que, nos 135 voos
do vaivém que já fizemos,
do vaivém que já fizemos,
10:48
the shuttle that I flew on,
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o vaivém em que voei,
10:50
we had two accidents
that killed everyone on that mission.
that killed everyone on that mission.
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tivemos dois acidentes em que morreu
toda a gente nessa missão.
toda a gente nessa missão.
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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Todos sabemos os perigos
e os riscos que apresentam
e os riscos que apresentam
10:58
but we're doing something
that's much bigger than ourselves,
that's much bigger than ourselves,
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mas estamos a fazer uma coisa
muito maior do que nós mesmos,
muito maior do que nós mesmos,
11:01
and helping advance civilization,
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e ajudamos ao progresso da civilização,
11:03
so the risk is worth the reward.
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por isso, o risco é recompensado.
11:06
And we all feel that way
when we get into that vehicle
when we get into that vehicle
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Todos sentimos isso
quando nos metemos numa nave
quando nos metemos numa 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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e nos amarramos a um foguetão
com milhões de quilos de combustível
com milhões de quilos de combustível
e vamos para o espaço.
11:13
CP: Yeah, I've only seen
the Hollywood version --
the Hollywood version --
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CP: Ok, só vi a versão de Hollywood
11:16
it looks pretty terrifying,
I have to tell you.
I have to tell you.
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mas digo-te que é bastante assustadora.
11:18
LM: You should go.
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LM; Deves lá ir.
11:19
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
11:21
CP: Yeah, my husband's
told me that a few times.
told me that a few times.
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CP: Ok, o meu marido
já me disse o mesmo, várias vezes,
já me disse o mesmo, várias vezes,
11:23
(Laughter)
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1992
(Risos)
11:25
LM: One-way trip or two-way?
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1960
LM: Só ida ou ida e volta?
(Risos)
11:27
(Laughter)
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1151
11:29
CP: That’s a bit of a debate in our house.
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CP: Temos discutido isso, lá em casa.
11:31
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
11:33
I wanted to, if I may ...
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Se puder ser, eu gostava...
11:37
You did touch on something
that was very powerful and difficult,
that was very powerful and difficult,
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Tu tocaste num tema
muito forte e muito difícil.
muito forte e muito difícil.
11:42
which is, you spoke about this incident
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Falaste desse incidente que te aconteceu,
11:46
that had happened to you
when you were five years old,
when you were five years old,
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quando tinhas cinco anos,
quando foste violado.
quando foste violado.
11:49
and that you were raped.
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1181
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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Penso que teres dito essa coisa
11:53
you know, on the TED stage,
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num palco TED
11:55
to be able to talk about that at all,
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poderes falar de tudo isso
11:58
is pretty fearless.
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1936
é muito corajoso.
12:00
And I wanted to get a sense from you,
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Queria que me explicasses,
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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4247
é uma coisa que pensas
ser importante partilhar agora,
ser importante partilhar agora,
12:07
to speak about it?
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falar sobre isso?
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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4128
LM: É muito importante,
especialmente para os homens,
especialmente para os homens,
falar sobre coisas que aconteceram
12:13
because we've been trained
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porque fomos educados
e a nossa sociedade diz-nos
e a nossa sociedade diz-nos
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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que temos de ser duros,
não podemos falar do que nos acontece.
não podemos falar do que nos acontece.
12:18
and we can't tell of things
that are happening to us.
that are happening to us.
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2825
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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Mas eu tenho encontrado
muitos homens que me dizem:
muitos homens que me dizem:
12:25
"You came through that, you got over that,
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2049
"Ultrapassaste isso,
"eu vou superar o meu alcoolismo"
12:27
I'm going to get over my alcoholism,"
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1823
e outras coisas que se passam com eles,
12:29
and these things
that are going on in them,
that are going on in them,
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2018
12:31
because of what happened to them.
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por causa do que lhes aconteceu.
12:32
And so we must share these stories,
this is part of storytelling,
this is part of storytelling,
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Temos de partilhar estas histórias,
para nos curarmos e fazermos
parte integrante da comunidade.
parte integrante da comunidade.
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: É uma maravilha.
(Aplausos)
12:41
(Applause)
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5423
12:46
And you know, quite honestly,
you spoke about perspective shift,
you spoke about perspective shift,
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Muito honestamente, falaste
de mudança de perspetiva.
de mudança de perspetiva.
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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É uma mudança que penso temos sido
muito lentos a aceitar
muito lentos a aceitar
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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e a poder falar sobre isso,
portanto, obrigada por isso.
portanto, obrigada por isso.
12:59
We thank you for being
the amazing astronaut that you are,
the amazing astronaut that you are,
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Obrigada por seres
o espantoso astronauta que és
o espantoso astronauta que és
13:02
and thank you for coming
to the TED stage, Leland.
to the TED stage, Leland.
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e obrigada por teres vindo
ao palco TED.
ao palco TED.
13:04
LM: Thank you so much, Chee.
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LM: Muito obrigado, 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