Fascinating Failures

A lifelong obsession with space crystallised into something new, after I applied to become an astronaut. 

In the summer of 2008, the European Space Agency opened up their recruitment process for the first time in over 40 years. I knew my chance of success was tiny but nevertheless I appeared to fulfil the criteria and my family were supportive (despite recently having had our second child), so along with 40,000 other people I decided to give it a go.  

The process was reassuringly difficult. I first had to sheepishly ask my busy doctor to conduct a thorough medical examination. She kindly obliged and methodically worked her way down the seven page checklist over two separate appointments. 

I was pleased to be invited to the second round of online tests. Then I was very excited to learn that I would be one of only 800 people from all over Europe to be flown out to Hamburg to participate in a wide array of complex exercises, as part of the third round. 

A few weeks later, I learned that I had not made it through to the next round. I was not particularly disappointed; rather merely glad and proud to have had the courage to try.

A few years later, I discovered that the successful candidate was Tim Peake as he flew to the International Space Station for the very first time in 2015, which was a poignant moment.

What I had not anticipated was that this experience would help me to reframe my attitude to both ambition and failure over time.

"If we are being surpassed by our technology it’s because we are not being ambitious enough in our goals and our dreams.” Garry Kasparov

Most of my work since then has focussed upon place-based innovation with a particular emphasis on both climate technologies and artificial intelligence. In doing so I have observed two very different types of failure: the first is based on inaction and ignorance, and the second is based on action and learning.

The best example of the first type of failure is that, despite record breaking global temperatures year after year, not enough of us believe that it is possible to change course and reduce emissions quickly enough, and we risk becoming resigned to a bleak and uncertain fate.

The second type of failure is much more specific and embodied by Garry Kasparov who is most famous for having been beaten at chess by IBM's Deep Blue computer in 1997; a milestone moment in the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Whilst my own failure to become an astronaut is clearly insignificant by comparison, however it did give me a glimpse of the overview effect, namely that cognitive shift that affects many astronauts when they see the earth from space. Many say they no longer identify with a specific nationality or culture afterwards and instead they see themselves, as one people, living on one world.

Whilst I hope that one day I may still somehow get a chance to see this planet from afar, I am now much more interested in enabling learning-based experiments at scale: many of which, but crucially not all, will inevitably fail.

In addition I see great potential in actively combining this approach with the power of collective (and not merely artificial) intelligence to address the climate crisis, as a unifying mission of all citizens on earth.

Since adding Failed Astronaut to my profile, I have noticed that it is often the first thing many people ask me about. Perhaps it's because our failures are simply more insightful and interesting, as they provide a deeper opportunity for learning and innovation.

So how might we fail forwards and learn to build and use technology more responsibly for the benefit of all?

I believe it starts with acknowledging that both the planet and artificial intelligence are scarce and precious resources and to act accordingly. Then we must learn to be much more open to failing better and learning faster.

What are you most proud of having failed at? What did you learn and what might you do next? Why not tell somebody else about it and see what happens next.

After all, all we've got is this pale blue dot.

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Photographs:

• The first photograph is of an artwork by Angry Dan taken by me in the Lee Valley in 2021.
• The second photograph Earthrise is said to be the most influential photograph ever taken.