Robert Capa, PhD

Capasunshine.com caught up recently with Robert Capa, particle physicist and astronaut, to talk about his experience aboard the Icarus II... and himself. Notoriously private, Capa rarely gives interviews, but met with our interviewer on the agreement that his location would be kept secret. The man who saved the world arrived at the coffee shop alone, wearing cargo pants and a t-shirt bearing the logo of a popular alternative rock band, ordered a coffee and sat, glancing at his watch discreetly. Wiry, lithe, and scruffy haired, Capa does not immediately cut an imposing figure... until he looks you in the eye. His icy blue eyes are as piercing as lasers, as if all the secrets to the universe lie behind them... and in fact, they do. Capa is the world's foremost expert on dark matter, without whom the Stellar Bomb could not have been created or implemented. And yet, we found him to be surprisingly humble... and human.

CS (capasunshine.com): When you were seventeen, you developed a theory that contributed greatly to the advancement of releasing controlled energy from dark matter, and submitted it to America's foremost scientific journals. Is it safe to say that your childhood was somewhat unconventional?

RC: (smiles) Yes. I was the stereotypical nerd, I suppose, but I think I took it a step farther. Dark matter was my obsession... (pauses)... let me put it to you this way - my parents worried for me at times because they felt that my focus on it was unhealthy. It's not an issue for them anymore, obviously. (laughs)

CS: Given the history of the first Icarus mission, how did your family feel about your decision to travel into space aboard Icarus II?

RC: Well, my sister said 'good riddance.' (laughs) My mom cried. She said that I had contributed enough by helping to create the Stellar Bomb, and that someone else should go. But I had always wanted to be the one to initiate the device - I had planned my entire life around it, so there was no way I could sit back and allow someone else to take my place. It was my bomb, and I felt extremely personal about it. It's difficult to describe.

CS: It was your baby?

RC: Yeah, probably. It wasn't that I didn't trust anyone else to set the ignition sequence in motion when the time came - it was that I felt an incredibly strong drive to be there myself. I'm not sure if that was gut instinct or arrogance on my part; I just knew I needed to physically be there for it.

CS: Let's talk about the mission itself. You were aboard Icarus II as a payload specialist... did this set you apart in any way from the rest of the crew?

RC: In some ways, yes. I've always been something of a loner to begin with, but there were times I felt that I was a piece of equipment that was being transported. It wasn't any particular behavior on anyone's part... it was more a general sense of things.

CS: Did you feel any extra pressure, as the person responsible for babysitting the bomb meant to save mankind?

RC: No. No, I can't say that I ever did.

CS: Your voyage to the sun was in excess of a year. What was the biggest obstacle for you and the crew during that time span?

RC: Definitely boredom. I think people have this incorrect notion of life aboard Icarus II as being constantly tense and frightening, but the vast majority of the journey was extremely routine. Which of course was a good thing - it meant systems were operating normally. We each had maintenance tasks to keep us busy up to a point, but there were always hours left to fill each day. Cabin fever became a big issue. And you become intensely weary of seeing the same seven people. You're just starved to see new faces after a while, talk to someone different. And I wasn't the most socially inclined crew member aboard, so I'm sure others felt that weariness much more than I did. They were just as sick of me as I was of them. (laughs) I just hung out with my bomb when I needed to get away from them.

CS: There have been rumors that you became intimate with one of your crewmates during the voyage. It's been widely speculated that you and Cassie were involved, though the Icarus Project refused to confirm it. Can you shed some light on this topic?

RC: No. I can't speak to rumors. People will think whatever they want about what happened during the mission. But I will say that we didn't cease being human beings after launch. Is that enough information for you?

CS: It will do.

RC: Fine.

CS: What was the source of your conflict with Mace?

RC: I think far too much has been made of that. I can't deny that I had my disagreements with Mace. And yes, a few of those disagreements turned into physical fights. But it wasn't anything more significant than a personality clash. Probably a little of the classic 'jock versus nerd' played into that. Nothing that was a big deal or hampered our ability to continue with the mission as a whole.

CS: Describe your relationship with Searle.

RC: Searle was a good friend. We laughed at a lot of the same things - sometimes things the other crew members didn't think was necessarily funny. I appreciated his way of looking at life. He was very easy to be around.

CS: And Kaneda?

RC: I had utmost respect for Captain Kaneda. (long pause) His loss was a terrible blow to the mission, and to me personally.

CS: Do you mean that you blamed yourself for his death?

RC: If I didn't, then I wouldn't be taking responsibility. Sometimes accepting blame is the honorable thing to do.

CS: As we are sitting here, we can look outside and see that the sun is shining brightly, refueled by your dedication and sacrifice. It's been an honor and pleasure to speak to you, Robert. Thank you for this beautiful day.

RC: (smiles) Thank you.