1 00:00:06,309 --> 00:00:04,390 hey everybody uh welcome inside of 2 00:00:08,150 --> 00:00:06,319 mission control houston i'm dan hewitt 3 00:00:10,549 --> 00:00:08,160 one of our nasa public affairs officers 4 00:00:11,990 --> 00:00:10,559 i'm joined by senator chulan and real 5 00:00:13,509 --> 00:00:12,000 excited to take a bunch of questions for 6 00:00:15,350 --> 00:00:13,519 you real quick about the room that we're 7 00:00:17,510 --> 00:00:15,360 in you can see great big ground map 8 00:00:19,590 --> 00:00:17,520 behind us a bunch of screens things like 9 00:00:20,870 --> 00:00:19,600 that this is the nerve center this is 10 00:00:22,470 --> 00:00:20,880 where the international space station 11 00:00:24,950 --> 00:00:22,480 flight control room is actually flown 12 00:00:26,870 --> 00:00:24,960 from we have flight controllers a bunch 13 00:00:29,750 --> 00:00:26,880 of different consoles monitoring things 14 00:00:31,429 --> 00:00:29,760 like life support systems the cruise day 15 00:00:33,030 --> 00:00:31,439 you name it they're watching it from 16 00:00:34,870 --> 00:00:33,040 right here in this room 17 00:00:36,229 --> 00:00:34,880 uh but with that you know we're really 18 00:00:39,190 --> 00:00:36,239 excited to get to your questions so why 19 00:00:41,670 --> 00:00:39,200 don't we go ahead and get started 20 00:00:44,229 --> 00:00:41,680 okay um what language is spoken at the 21 00:00:46,310 --> 00:00:44,239 international space station well there's 22 00:00:48,950 --> 00:00:46,320 various languages spoke 23 00:00:50,709 --> 00:00:48,960 and in the space station because it's a 24 00:00:52,950 --> 00:00:50,719 multi-cultural 25 00:00:55,189 --> 00:00:52,960 environment we have 26 00:00:55,990 --> 00:00:55,199 multiple different astronauts that go 27 00:00:56,709 --> 00:00:56,000 there 28 00:01:00,630 --> 00:00:56,719 and 29 00:01:02,229 --> 00:01:00,640 times depending upon the astronauts 30 00:01:04,229 --> 00:01:02,239 that's there we could actually be 31 00:01:06,469 --> 00:01:04,239 speaking the language that they have 32 00:01:08,950 --> 00:01:06,479 yeah i mean we have right now we have 33 00:01:10,550 --> 00:01:08,960 three russians on board so a lot of 34 00:01:12,789 --> 00:01:10,560 russian and pretty much half the 35 00:01:14,230 --> 00:01:12,799 international space station is russian 36 00:01:15,910 --> 00:01:14,240 and all of our american astronauts 37 00:01:17,749 --> 00:01:15,920 launch on russian vehicles so they all 38 00:01:19,190 --> 00:01:17,759 get pretty proficient in speaking 39 00:01:20,710 --> 00:01:19,200 russian but i mean you also have 40 00:01:22,789 --> 00:01:20,720 japanese astronauts up there all the 41 00:01:25,109 --> 00:01:22,799 time we'll have an italian launching 42 00:01:27,670 --> 00:01:25,119 later this month so you know quite a few 43 00:01:29,910 --> 00:01:27,680 languages going on great question 44 00:01:31,830 --> 00:01:29,920 yes 45 00:01:33,190 --> 00:01:31,840 um how extreme is the weight training 46 00:01:35,270 --> 00:01:33,200 that prepares an astronaut to go into 47 00:01:36,789 --> 00:01:35,280 space and i know the other guy was 48 00:01:38,069 --> 00:01:36,799 talking about how you lose muscle mass 49 00:01:40,789 --> 00:01:38,079 in space 50 00:01:43,429 --> 00:01:40,799 well um the astronauts have a training 51 00:01:45,109 --> 00:01:43,439 facility that they actually train in um 52 00:01:47,350 --> 00:01:45,119 it's kind of like a gym that you would 53 00:01:50,550 --> 00:01:47,360 go to but it's we've set it aside just 54 00:01:52,550 --> 00:01:50,560 for the astronauts um i teach 55 00:01:54,630 --> 00:01:52,560 exercise myself 56 00:01:57,109 --> 00:01:54,640 i'm actually in the process of learning 57 00:01:59,990 --> 00:01:57,119 taekwondo from dr stan love which is an 58 00:02:02,630 --> 00:02:00,000 astronaut so he uses taekwondo to keep 59 00:02:05,190 --> 00:02:02,640 himself in shape and they also do 60 00:02:08,070 --> 00:02:05,200 different techniques to hone certain 61 00:02:09,910 --> 00:02:08,080 skills that they may need for example 62 00:02:11,589 --> 00:02:09,920 there was just an announcement that was 63 00:02:13,750 --> 00:02:11,599 made that 64 00:02:16,070 --> 00:02:13,760 all of our astronauts are need to be 65 00:02:18,309 --> 00:02:16,080 trained to do an extra vehicular 66 00:02:20,470 --> 00:02:18,319 activity so if that's the case they have 67 00:02:22,390 --> 00:02:20,480 to be super fit to do that that's a very 68 00:02:24,070 --> 00:02:22,400 difficult task to do to be in the suit 69 00:02:27,110 --> 00:02:24,080 and to work and operate 70 00:02:28,710 --> 00:02:27,120 and so there's they do weight training a 71 00:02:31,190 --> 00:02:28,720 lot of them jog 72 00:02:34,070 --> 00:02:31,200 they do very specific training with them 73 00:02:35,589 --> 00:02:34,080 at this gym facility and then they can 74 00:02:37,030 --> 00:02:35,599 pick their own things to do like 75 00:02:39,350 --> 00:02:37,040 taekwondo 76 00:02:40,949 --> 00:02:39,360 yeah and like you had mentioned losing 77 00:02:42,309 --> 00:02:40,959 muscle mass on orbit is actually a 78 00:02:44,550 --> 00:02:42,319 pretty serious problem for the 79 00:02:45,910 --> 00:02:44,560 astronauts when they're up there 80 00:02:47,509 --> 00:02:45,920 i mean when you're up there for six 81 00:02:49,990 --> 00:02:47,519 months at a time you're floating around 82 00:02:52,070 --> 00:02:50,000 you don't use your legs you lose muscle 83 00:02:54,070 --> 00:02:52,080 bone mass these astronauts actually work 84 00:02:56,949 --> 00:02:54,080 out for about two and a half hours every 85 00:02:58,869 --> 00:02:56,959 single day so we have a number of 86 00:03:00,470 --> 00:02:58,879 weight lifting simulation devices on 87 00:03:02,070 --> 00:03:00,480 board you can't really pick something up 88 00:03:03,110 --> 00:03:02,080 and lift it because it'll just float 89 00:03:05,670 --> 00:03:03,120 away 90 00:03:07,509 --> 00:03:05,680 so they will actually 91 00:03:09,910 --> 00:03:07,519 get strapped into harnesses to run on 92 00:03:11,110 --> 00:03:09,920 treadmills we have a device called a red 93 00:03:13,190 --> 00:03:11,120 which 94 00:03:14,470 --> 00:03:13,200 kind of simulates like a squat rack and 95 00:03:16,790 --> 00:03:14,480 a number of different devices it 96 00:03:18,630 --> 00:03:16,800 actually uses pneumatic tubes to 97 00:03:20,390 --> 00:03:18,640 simulate weight so 98 00:03:21,350 --> 00:03:20,400 they have a lot of options to them but 99 00:03:23,190 --> 00:03:21,360 they 100 00:03:24,630 --> 00:03:23,200 literally work out every single day just 101 00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:24,640 to combat 102 00:03:27,990 --> 00:03:26,080 what happens when you float around in 103 00:03:30,550 --> 00:03:28,000 microgravity right 104 00:03:31,350 --> 00:03:30,560 next question 105 00:03:32,789 --> 00:03:31,360 uh 106 00:03:36,229 --> 00:03:32,799 what is the coolest thing you've ever 107 00:03:40,149 --> 00:03:38,149 coolest thing well unfortunately neither 108 00:03:42,710 --> 00:03:40,159 of us have been responsible 109 00:03:44,789 --> 00:03:42,720 we have not but to me i'm a spacesuit 110 00:03:47,589 --> 00:03:44,799 engineer so to me the coolest thing i've 111 00:03:50,149 --> 00:03:47,599 ever seen in space is an astronaut going 112 00:03:53,110 --> 00:03:50,159 on eva that's what we call it a 113 00:03:56,229 --> 00:03:53,120 spacewalk so whenever they go out and do 114 00:03:59,190 --> 00:03:56,239 a spacewalk in their spacesuit it's cool 115 00:04:01,750 --> 00:03:59,200 to me because i know that it's hardware 116 00:04:03,589 --> 00:04:01,760 that i've worked on and when i see them 117 00:04:04,789 --> 00:04:03,599 doing the ebas and they're successful 118 00:04:06,949 --> 00:04:04,799 then that knows 119 00:04:08,470 --> 00:04:06,959 that makes me feel successful as well as 120 00:04:09,990 --> 00:04:08,480 an engineer 121 00:04:13,350 --> 00:04:10,000 and i know a lot of the astronauts will 122 00:04:15,270 --> 00:04:13,360 talk about it and you can actually see 123 00:04:17,509 --> 00:04:15,280 over the past couple of over the past 124 00:04:19,189 --> 00:04:17,519 year or so we've gotten some spectacular 125 00:04:21,270 --> 00:04:19,199 videos of the northern lights and the 126 00:04:23,110 --> 00:04:21,280 southern lights from the international 127 00:04:24,550 --> 00:04:23,120 space station and i mean they look 128 00:04:26,550 --> 00:04:24,560 spectacular from the ground they look 129 00:04:27,990 --> 00:04:26,560 even better from space if you actually 130 00:04:30,310 --> 00:04:28,000 if you search for those online you can 131 00:04:32,550 --> 00:04:30,320 find them they're fantastic videos you 132 00:04:34,150 --> 00:04:32,560 can even see hurricanes 133 00:04:36,629 --> 00:04:34,160 so the biggest hurricane we had in 134 00:04:39,189 --> 00:04:36,639 houston was uh hurricane ike 135 00:04:41,350 --> 00:04:39,199 and you they said that they could see it 136 00:04:43,030 --> 00:04:41,360 in space so basically everything that 137 00:04:45,030 --> 00:04:43,040 looks cool down here looks even cooler 138 00:04:47,430 --> 00:04:45,040 from space yes 139 00:04:49,030 --> 00:04:47,440 next question guys 140 00:04:52,790 --> 00:04:49,040 um what is the hardest part about 141 00:04:56,629 --> 00:04:53,990 hardest part about working in mission 142 00:04:58,710 --> 00:04:56,639 control yes i don't actually work in 143 00:05:01,029 --> 00:04:58,720 mission control but i've actually 144 00:05:03,350 --> 00:05:01,039 supported mission control in 145 00:05:05,909 --> 00:05:03,360 what we call a mission evaluation room 146 00:05:08,070 --> 00:05:05,919 and that's where we sit on console as a 147 00:05:10,550 --> 00:05:08,080 technical expert so that if there's 148 00:05:13,189 --> 00:05:10,560 problems occurring with the hardware 149 00:05:15,830 --> 00:05:13,199 then we can be retrieved to 150 00:05:17,510 --> 00:05:15,840 be observant and try to understand 151 00:05:18,469 --> 00:05:17,520 what's going on and help solve the 152 00:05:20,310 --> 00:05:18,479 problem 153 00:05:23,189 --> 00:05:20,320 in addition to that of sitting on 154 00:05:26,629 --> 00:05:23,199 console when we do a space walk for 155 00:05:29,029 --> 00:05:26,639 example we have a whole team of people 156 00:05:31,110 --> 00:05:29,039 who support 157 00:05:31,909 --> 00:05:31,120 the person on in the mission evaluation 158 00:05:34,070 --> 00:05:31,919 room 159 00:05:36,230 --> 00:05:34,080 in case there's anomalies we have 160 00:05:38,870 --> 00:05:36,240 experts all the way from 161 00:05:41,749 --> 00:05:38,880 we have glove experts we have life 162 00:05:43,670 --> 00:05:41,759 support experts and those people 163 00:05:46,150 --> 00:05:43,680 have to be on call 164 00:05:48,629 --> 00:05:46,160 when we do a spacewalk so 165 00:05:51,029 --> 00:05:48,639 mission control is not just the people 166 00:05:52,469 --> 00:05:51,039 who sit in the mission control room but 167 00:05:54,230 --> 00:05:52,479 it's a whole 168 00:05:56,629 --> 00:05:54,240 cadre of people 169 00:05:58,629 --> 00:05:56,639 that support them with the technical 170 00:06:00,710 --> 00:05:58,639 expertise to help solve problems if 171 00:06:02,629 --> 00:06:00,720 there's if there are any 172 00:06:04,390 --> 00:06:02,639 and i know one other thing just to throw 173 00:06:05,590 --> 00:06:04,400 in probably the 174 00:06:07,270 --> 00:06:05,600 most difficult thing when you're first 175 00:06:09,430 --> 00:06:07,280 getting used to it is if you can look 176 00:06:11,189 --> 00:06:09,440 just behind me here we have these and 177 00:06:14,070 --> 00:06:11,199 these are our communication devices that 178 00:06:16,309 --> 00:06:14,080 kind of get everybody uh locked in and 179 00:06:18,230 --> 00:06:16,319 we call them loops and at any one time 180 00:06:19,749 --> 00:06:18,240 you could have four or five six loops 181 00:06:21,350 --> 00:06:19,759 punched up and have four or five 182 00:06:23,430 --> 00:06:21,360 conversations going on in your head at 183 00:06:25,110 --> 00:06:23,440 the same time so just being able to kind 184 00:06:26,550 --> 00:06:25,120 of keep track of that and think through 185 00:06:28,870 --> 00:06:26,560 everything can be really tough right off 186 00:06:31,110 --> 00:06:28,880 the bat but i mean once you're at it for 187 00:06:32,629 --> 00:06:31,120 a little while it gets a lot easier 188 00:06:35,670 --> 00:06:32,639 right you have to wear headsets like 189 00:06:36,550 --> 00:06:35,680 we're wearing today to listen to those 190 00:06:39,029 --> 00:06:36,560 um 191 00:06:41,510 --> 00:06:39,039 those uh lectures or the information 192 00:06:44,309 --> 00:06:41,520 that's coming across the console 193 00:06:46,390 --> 00:06:44,319 all right next question 194 00:06:49,029 --> 00:06:46,400 can you describe what a day in your life 195 00:06:51,270 --> 00:06:49,039 is like with the careers that you had 196 00:06:52,230 --> 00:06:51,280 a day in life of the career yeah that i 197 00:06:53,909 --> 00:06:52,240 have 198 00:06:57,270 --> 00:06:53,919 well like i said i'm a spacesuit 199 00:06:59,749 --> 00:06:57,280 engineer and as a matter of fact i am 200 00:07:02,629 --> 00:06:59,759 i specialize in life support and my 201 00:07:04,950 --> 00:07:02,639 specific responsibility is i'm in charge 202 00:07:06,230 --> 00:07:04,960 of the hardware to remove the carbon 203 00:07:07,350 --> 00:07:06,240 dioxide 204 00:07:09,909 --> 00:07:07,360 from 205 00:07:12,390 --> 00:07:09,919 the spacesuit so when you're breathing 206 00:07:13,909 --> 00:07:12,400 you're expiring carbon dioxide and that 207 00:07:15,749 --> 00:07:13,919 chemical is 208 00:07:18,309 --> 00:07:15,759 hazardous to your health you cannot 209 00:07:20,390 --> 00:07:18,319 sustain life with it in your suit and 210 00:07:22,230 --> 00:07:20,400 you probably learn that in chemistry 211 00:07:25,110 --> 00:07:22,240 so what we have to do is supply the 212 00:07:28,390 --> 00:07:25,120 oxygen and remove the carbon dioxide and 213 00:07:31,189 --> 00:07:28,400 so the coolest thing is that 214 00:07:33,270 --> 00:07:31,199 for me as an engineer working on a life 215 00:07:37,189 --> 00:07:33,280 support system is that for the first 216 00:07:39,430 --> 00:07:37,199 time in over nearly 40 years 217 00:07:42,870 --> 00:07:39,440 we are building a portable life support 218 00:07:44,469 --> 00:07:42,880 system in our laboratory and i i 219 00:07:46,869 --> 00:07:44,479 work in that laboratory 220 00:07:48,869 --> 00:07:46,879 to help assemble the hardware and we're 221 00:07:50,469 --> 00:07:48,879 doing it all in house 222 00:07:51,589 --> 00:07:50,479 in the past we've 223 00:07:53,189 --> 00:07:51,599 the nasa 224 00:07:55,110 --> 00:07:53,199 experts have written the requirements 225 00:07:57,189 --> 00:07:55,120 and we've hired a contractor to actually 226 00:08:00,150 --> 00:07:57,199 build and assemble the hardware 227 00:08:02,629 --> 00:08:00,160 this go around our advanced spacesuit we 228 00:08:06,230 --> 00:08:02,639 are assembling the prototype hardware in 229 00:08:09,189 --> 00:08:06,240 our laboratories and just this past week 230 00:08:11,990 --> 00:08:09,199 we did the final assembly of our very 231 00:08:14,150 --> 00:08:12,000 first prototype packaged portable life 232 00:08:17,909 --> 00:08:14,160 support system we call it a plist and so 233 00:08:19,110 --> 00:08:17,919 the whole team was extremely excited but 234 00:08:23,189 --> 00:08:19,120 my job 235 00:08:25,029 --> 00:08:23,199 i do all kinds of things i help 236 00:08:27,189 --> 00:08:25,039 we can't do everything so we do have 237 00:08:29,430 --> 00:08:27,199 contractors that support us 238 00:08:31,350 --> 00:08:29,440 those are skills that maybe we don't 239 00:08:34,070 --> 00:08:31,360 have and we help we buy some hardware 240 00:08:36,550 --> 00:08:34,080 from them we bring it in we build some 241 00:08:39,190 --> 00:08:36,560 and design some hardware ourselves and 242 00:08:42,230 --> 00:08:39,200 then we integrate it so we do systems 243 00:08:45,030 --> 00:08:42,240 engineering we do design engineering and 244 00:08:47,269 --> 00:08:45,040 so we have a whole cadre so i i have a 245 00:08:48,870 --> 00:08:47,279 really cool job 246 00:08:51,110 --> 00:08:48,880 my job is to hear about cool jobs and 247 00:08:52,550 --> 00:08:51,120 then talk about space so really cool 248 00:08:54,150 --> 00:08:52,560 stuff if you guys are ever going to be 249 00:08:55,750 --> 00:08:54,160 interested in you know building space 250 00:08:58,310 --> 00:08:55,760 equipment building the space and stuff 251 00:09:01,110 --> 00:08:58,320 like that think about coming to nasa yes 252 00:09:03,430 --> 00:09:01,120 it's great all right next question 253 00:09:05,670 --> 00:09:03,440 uh what were there any missions that you 254 00:09:11,110 --> 00:09:05,680 failed 255 00:09:12,949 --> 00:09:11,120 um yes there have been um one of the 256 00:09:14,550 --> 00:09:12,959 things with space flight is it's 257 00:09:16,470 --> 00:09:14,560 inherently dangerous 258 00:09:18,150 --> 00:09:16,480 i mean when you talk about just a space 259 00:09:20,150 --> 00:09:18,160 launcher talking about strapping human 260 00:09:22,150 --> 00:09:20,160 beings to a controlled explosion sending 261 00:09:24,550 --> 00:09:22,160 the miles up into the air into an 262 00:09:26,230 --> 00:09:24,560 environment that if you were to expose 263 00:09:28,470 --> 00:09:26,240 to it for even a short period of time 264 00:09:29,990 --> 00:09:28,480 you would die so it's inherently one of 265 00:09:31,030 --> 00:09:30,000 the most dangerous things humanity has 266 00:09:32,870 --> 00:09:31,040 ever done 267 00:09:35,509 --> 00:09:32,880 and with that you have to take certain 268 00:09:37,110 --> 00:09:35,519 risks and sometimes things have failed 269 00:09:39,590 --> 00:09:37,120 there were two space shuttle missions 270 00:09:41,110 --> 00:09:39,600 which resulted in a loss of the crew 271 00:09:43,750 --> 00:09:41,120 and then there was a fire back in the 272 00:09:46,150 --> 00:09:43,760 apollo days where a crew was lost during 273 00:09:48,070 --> 00:09:46,160 a testing of the apollo 1 capsule 274 00:09:49,750 --> 00:09:48,080 so it does occur but again that's just 275 00:09:52,070 --> 00:09:49,760 kind of part of what space flight is 276 00:09:54,790 --> 00:09:52,080 it's always going to be dangerous but 277 00:09:56,630 --> 00:09:54,800 the risks always are worth it you know 278 00:09:58,389 --> 00:09:56,640 we're moving humanity out we're 279 00:09:59,829 --> 00:09:58,399 developing amazing technologies we're 280 00:10:02,310 --> 00:09:59,839 doing things that have never been done 281 00:10:03,990 --> 00:10:02,320 before so you have to be willing to kind 282 00:10:05,910 --> 00:10:04,000 of take that 283 00:10:07,430 --> 00:10:05,920 precarious step in that direction if 284 00:10:10,069 --> 00:10:07,440 you're going to be able to accomplish 285 00:10:11,910 --> 00:10:10,079 everything that we've accomplished 286 00:10:13,509 --> 00:10:11,920 yes and i would say 287 00:10:15,590 --> 00:10:13,519 failure for us is 288 00:10:18,870 --> 00:10:15,600 you know we have to always be cognizant 289 00:10:20,150 --> 00:10:18,880 of the spacewalks and monitoring every 290 00:10:23,269 --> 00:10:20,160 detail 291 00:10:24,949 --> 00:10:23,279 we've had failures in components on our 292 00:10:26,790 --> 00:10:24,959 portable life support system and in the 293 00:10:29,430 --> 00:10:26,800 suit and we have 294 00:10:31,190 --> 00:10:29,440 like i said a cadre of people that help 295 00:10:33,430 --> 00:10:31,200 try to resolve that on orbit we have 296 00:10:35,750 --> 00:10:33,440 resolved failures on orbit 297 00:10:38,550 --> 00:10:35,760 we have resolved failures while we're 298 00:10:40,870 --> 00:10:38,560 doing spacewalks and so that's why it's 299 00:10:43,030 --> 00:10:40,880 very good to have these experts there to 300 00:10:44,870 --> 00:10:43,040 to help solve the problems we've had 301 00:10:46,790 --> 00:10:44,880 failures where we've had to 302 00:10:48,870 --> 00:10:46,800 terminate the spacewalk and bring the 303 00:10:51,190 --> 00:10:48,880 hardware inside 304 00:10:54,310 --> 00:10:51,200 and then bring it home to 305 00:10:55,509 --> 00:10:54,320 repair it so that we can use it again 306 00:10:57,990 --> 00:10:55,519 yeah 307 00:10:59,509 --> 00:10:58,000 so failures just bring opportunities to 308 00:11:00,389 --> 00:10:59,519 work through it and learn something new 309 00:11:06,870 --> 00:11:00,399 right 310 00:11:10,230 --> 00:11:06,880 what was the hardest part about the 311 00:11:13,030 --> 00:11:11,910 hardest part about marketing sure i can 312 00:11:14,870 --> 00:11:13,040 answer that 313 00:11:17,670 --> 00:11:14,880 well i think one of the things is we 314 00:11:20,310 --> 00:11:17,680 were really just getting started in the 315 00:11:22,470 --> 00:11:20,320 space program um especially for the 316 00:11:24,310 --> 00:11:22,480 suits for the spacesuits it was the 317 00:11:26,949 --> 00:11:24,320 early phases of the spacesuits and we 318 00:11:29,509 --> 00:11:26,959 were transitioning from the the 319 00:11:31,990 --> 00:11:29,519 development of the spacesuits originated 320 00:11:34,630 --> 00:11:32,000 from high altitude aircraft from the air 321 00:11:37,829 --> 00:11:34,640 force and so we took those and in the 322 00:11:39,110 --> 00:11:37,839 mercury program we did some 323 00:11:40,949 --> 00:11:39,120 some 324 00:11:43,269 --> 00:11:40,959 development that 325 00:11:46,389 --> 00:11:43,279 integrated the work that was done in the 326 00:11:49,509 --> 00:11:46,399 high altitude suits and so i think that 327 00:11:52,150 --> 00:11:49,519 um that was for us that was a monumental 328 00:11:54,629 --> 00:11:52,160 of phase for space flight because we 329 00:11:57,030 --> 00:11:54,639 started looking at what we could do 330 00:11:59,190 --> 00:11:57,040 with high altitude suits to integrate it 331 00:12:00,790 --> 00:11:59,200 into spacesuits and i mean really that 332 00:12:02,150 --> 00:12:00,800 kind of applied to the whole program in 333 00:12:04,790 --> 00:12:02,160 general as you said we were just kind of 334 00:12:06,710 --> 00:12:04,800 getting started so i mean at first you 335 00:12:08,629 --> 00:12:06,720 were launching humans on rockets which 336 00:12:11,030 --> 00:12:08,639 up until that point had only launched 337 00:12:13,269 --> 00:12:11,040 missiles and i mean it was really the 338 00:12:15,509 --> 00:12:13,279 first steps that we had ever taken 339 00:12:17,350 --> 00:12:15,519 towards putting human beings in space so 340 00:12:18,870 --> 00:12:17,360 you really want to talk about starting 341 00:12:21,110 --> 00:12:18,880 from scratch you had to figure out how 342 00:12:23,430 --> 00:12:21,120 to do everything so it was really a 343 00:12:26,550 --> 00:12:23,440 great learning learning step for nasa 344 00:12:31,829 --> 00:12:26,560 and just human space flight as a whole 345 00:12:31,839 --> 00:12:36,310 oh are there any plans to explain to iss 346 00:12:41,910 --> 00:12:38,710 i'm sorry we didn't quite catch that 347 00:12:43,829 --> 00:12:41,920 are there any plans to expand the iss 348 00:12:44,790 --> 00:12:43,839 international space station 349 00:12:47,350 --> 00:12:44,800 uh 350 00:12:50,069 --> 00:12:47,360 on the u.s side of everything we're 351 00:12:56,310 --> 00:12:50,079 done uh constructing it uh it's in its 352 00:12:59,350 --> 00:12:57,670 and then but the russians though were 353 00:13:00,389 --> 00:12:59,360 planning on launching a new laboratory 354 00:13:02,069 --> 00:13:00,399 module 355 00:13:03,829 --> 00:13:02,079 later this year i think in december 356 00:13:05,910 --> 00:13:03,839 right now they're targeting it 357 00:13:08,230 --> 00:13:05,920 but as of right now it's pretty much 358 00:13:10,790 --> 00:13:08,240 construction complete the station right 359 00:13:12,949 --> 00:13:10,800 now weighs almost a million pounds uh 360 00:13:15,670 --> 00:13:12,959 has enough room inside to equate to 361 00:13:17,430 --> 00:13:15,680 basically being a three-bedroom house so 362 00:13:19,190 --> 00:13:17,440 it's very large if you laid it down on a 363 00:13:20,870 --> 00:13:19,200 football field end zone to end zone it 364 00:13:22,550 --> 00:13:20,880 would fill up the whole thing 365 00:13:24,550 --> 00:13:22,560 so it's it's a pretty big spaceship 366 00:13:27,670 --> 00:13:24,560 right now one of the things i would add 367 00:13:30,470 --> 00:13:27,680 is that they have come to us to evaluate 368 00:13:33,829 --> 00:13:30,480 how long the spacesuit would last on to 369 00:13:35,990 --> 00:13:33,839 support this space station and we have 370 00:13:39,030 --> 00:13:36,000 you know good faith that the that the 371 00:13:40,949 --> 00:13:39,040 suit will support it to 2020. but 372 00:13:43,629 --> 00:13:40,959 they've also asked us to look at what 373 00:13:46,069 --> 00:13:43,639 would it be to support it all the way to 374 00:13:48,389 --> 00:13:46,079 2028. and so 375 00:13:50,870 --> 00:13:48,399 we have done those calculations and 376 00:13:52,710 --> 00:13:50,880 looked at the hardware and so 377 00:13:55,269 --> 00:13:52,720 i think space station is looking at 378 00:13:58,310 --> 00:13:55,279 really trying to build a brand new 379 00:14:00,790 --> 00:13:58,320 spacesuit and we're funded by advanced 380 00:14:02,790 --> 00:14:00,800 development to do exploration and so we 381 00:14:05,269 --> 00:14:02,800 are just now really collaborating with 382 00:14:07,430 --> 00:14:05,279 station on an advanced suit that they 383 00:14:09,430 --> 00:14:07,440 may be able to synergize some of the 384 00:14:11,269 --> 00:14:09,440 learning that we've had on the advanced 385 00:14:13,990 --> 00:14:11,279 development suit that might be able to 386 00:14:18,150 --> 00:14:14,000 carry over into a space station suit in 387 00:14:21,189 --> 00:14:18,160 case we do extend the station longer 388 00:14:23,350 --> 00:14:21,199 all right great question 389 00:14:27,350 --> 00:14:23,360 uh what has been the most failed mission 390 00:14:32,710 --> 00:14:29,269 most failed mission mission control is 391 00:14:37,030 --> 00:14:34,389 um i mean 392 00:14:38,710 --> 00:14:37,040 you could almost say 393 00:14:40,069 --> 00:14:38,720 i'm sorry was it the most failed mission 394 00:14:42,949 --> 00:14:40,079 that mission control has experienced 395 00:14:45,910 --> 00:14:42,959 just want to clarify 396 00:14:49,030 --> 00:14:45,920 okay um well you could probably talk 397 00:14:50,389 --> 00:14:49,040 about apollo 13 which i mean that was 398 00:14:52,310 --> 00:14:50,399 not only of 399 00:14:53,750 --> 00:14:52,320 what started off as a failure but 400 00:14:56,230 --> 00:14:53,760 eventually turned into one of nasa's 401 00:14:57,990 --> 00:14:56,240 finest moments i mean you had astronauts 402 00:15:00,150 --> 00:14:58,000 being sent on their way to the moon a 403 00:15:01,990 --> 00:15:00,160 quarter of a million miles away an 404 00:15:03,910 --> 00:15:02,000 explosion happened in one of the oxygen 405 00:15:06,069 --> 00:15:03,920 tanks you literally had a huge chunk of 406 00:15:07,990 --> 00:15:06,079 the spacecraft blow off into space while 407 00:15:10,389 --> 00:15:08,000 they're traveling almost 20 000 miles 408 00:15:12,389 --> 00:15:10,399 away from earth and then mission control 409 00:15:14,470 --> 00:15:12,399 worked through to come up with 410 00:15:16,790 --> 00:15:14,480 a number of um 411 00:15:18,230 --> 00:15:16,800 workarounds to do things like removing 412 00:15:20,389 --> 00:15:18,240 carbon dioxide from the breathing 413 00:15:22,230 --> 00:15:20,399 atmosphere which is so important i mean 414 00:15:24,230 --> 00:15:22,240 they really had to work to basically 415 00:15:25,350 --> 00:15:24,240 bring these astronauts home 416 00:15:27,829 --> 00:15:25,360 on 417 00:15:28,790 --> 00:15:27,839 no power no breathing air no resupply no 418 00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:28,800 anything 419 00:15:32,870 --> 00:15:31,040 and so that was a very very difficult 420 00:15:34,790 --> 00:15:32,880 mission but it ended up being again one 421 00:15:35,670 --> 00:15:34,800 of nasa's finest hours 422 00:15:41,110 --> 00:15:35,680 yes 423 00:15:44,790 --> 00:15:43,110 what has been the most important mission 424 00:15:46,710 --> 00:15:44,800 over the years on the international 425 00:15:49,189 --> 00:15:46,720 space station 426 00:15:51,829 --> 00:15:49,199 poor most important mission on board the 427 00:15:53,430 --> 00:15:51,839 international space station 428 00:15:55,430 --> 00:15:53,440 i mean that stuff 429 00:15:56,790 --> 00:15:55,440 basically the the whole assembly of the 430 00:15:58,069 --> 00:15:56,800 international space station yeah like 431 00:16:00,629 --> 00:15:58,079 you uh just 432 00:16:02,389 --> 00:16:00,639 mentioned was probably up there uh this 433 00:16:04,230 --> 00:16:02,399 is something that again has never been 434 00:16:06,069 --> 00:16:04,240 accomplished in the history of mankind 435 00:16:08,629 --> 00:16:06,079 we built the space station piece by 436 00:16:10,870 --> 00:16:08,639 piece uh over a decade 437 00:16:12,470 --> 00:16:10,880 i mean you're launching parts that are 438 00:16:14,870 --> 00:16:12,480 that were constructed 439 00:16:16,310 --> 00:16:14,880 all across the globe by different space 440 00:16:17,829 --> 00:16:16,320 agencies from different companies and 441 00:16:19,990 --> 00:16:17,839 you managed to work 442 00:16:22,150 --> 00:16:20,000 with all of those various national 443 00:16:24,629 --> 00:16:22,160 governments and contractors and 444 00:16:27,829 --> 00:16:24,639 companies things like that to build this 445 00:16:31,350 --> 00:16:27,839 massive space complex which is manned 446 00:16:32,870 --> 00:16:31,360 24 7 365 by astronauts a crew from all 447 00:16:35,110 --> 00:16:32,880 over the world 448 00:16:37,590 --> 00:16:35,120 so i would basically say assembly 449 00:16:39,590 --> 00:16:37,600 and that was kind of an amalgamation of 450 00:16:41,670 --> 00:16:39,600 a bunch of different missions 451 00:16:42,629 --> 00:16:41,680 but that the assembly as a mission as a 452 00:16:44,389 --> 00:16:42,639 whole 453 00:16:46,150 --> 00:16:44,399 was probably the most difficult and it 454 00:16:48,310 --> 00:16:46,160 was very complicated at the beginning 455 00:16:51,269 --> 00:16:48,320 because the configurations 456 00:16:52,949 --> 00:16:51,279 changed over the years in the planning 457 00:16:54,790 --> 00:16:52,959 and so to get it going was very 458 00:16:56,550 --> 00:16:54,800 difficult too 459 00:16:58,629 --> 00:16:56,560 and then once we got it assembled 460 00:17:00,870 --> 00:16:58,639 everyone's very proud of that what we 461 00:17:05,590 --> 00:17:00,880 have in space right now 462 00:17:08,949 --> 00:17:06,789 um 463 00:17:11,110 --> 00:17:08,959 what is the future of the international 464 00:17:13,029 --> 00:17:11,120 space station and how long will it be 465 00:17:15,510 --> 00:17:13,039 functioning 466 00:17:17,510 --> 00:17:15,520 i think i mentioned that a little bit 467 00:17:20,069 --> 00:17:17,520 i don't think that they 468 00:17:21,990 --> 00:17:20,079 they are assessing it right now how long 469 00:17:24,069 --> 00:17:22,000 that it could potentially last and 470 00:17:25,990 --> 00:17:24,079 they're evaluating all the different 471 00:17:29,510 --> 00:17:26,000 components that help make it operate 472 00:17:31,909 --> 00:17:29,520 properly like for example the spacesuits 473 00:17:33,350 --> 00:17:31,919 like i said we were we're evaluating how 474 00:17:36,230 --> 00:17:33,360 long the spacesuit could last because 475 00:17:38,549 --> 00:17:36,240 it's a it's a critical component in 476 00:17:40,070 --> 00:17:38,559 keeping the space station alive in case 477 00:17:41,350 --> 00:17:40,080 they have problems that they have to go 478 00:17:44,549 --> 00:17:41,360 out and fix 479 00:17:46,310 --> 00:17:44,559 so they have to evaluate every 480 00:17:47,190 --> 00:17:46,320 and they're really an evaluation of that 481 00:17:50,070 --> 00:17:47,200 now 482 00:17:52,549 --> 00:17:50,080 so trying to make a decision on how long 483 00:17:54,630 --> 00:17:52,559 it really can go yeah right now we know 484 00:17:56,310 --> 00:17:54,640 at least until 2020 but like you were 485 00:17:58,950 --> 00:17:56,320 saying a lot of the systems on board are 486 00:18:01,110 --> 00:17:58,960 certified to last until 2028 and even 487 00:18:03,190 --> 00:18:01,120 some even longer so it could be up there 488 00:18:06,150 --> 00:18:03,200 for quite some time 489 00:18:08,950 --> 00:18:07,190 uh 490 00:18:10,789 --> 00:18:08,960 will the new spacesuits be easier to put 491 00:18:13,190 --> 00:18:10,799 on and take off 492 00:18:16,549 --> 00:18:13,200 well new spacesuits be easier to take on 493 00:18:19,190 --> 00:18:16,559 and or put on and take off i think so 494 00:18:22,230 --> 00:18:19,200 the new spacesuits we have them designed 495 00:18:25,270 --> 00:18:22,240 so they can open up in the back 496 00:18:26,950 --> 00:18:25,280 versus opening up in the 497 00:18:29,750 --> 00:18:26,960 where you climb in 498 00:18:32,230 --> 00:18:29,760 like put a shirt on you climb in you you 499 00:18:33,909 --> 00:18:32,240 get into it you put a shirt on and then 500 00:18:36,630 --> 00:18:33,919 you pull up your 501 00:18:38,470 --> 00:18:36,640 your we call them the upper torso for 502 00:18:40,710 --> 00:18:38,480 the top and the lower torso for the 503 00:18:43,990 --> 00:18:40,720 bottom and the hard part about that is 504 00:18:46,710 --> 00:18:44,000 you actually have to have another 505 00:18:49,190 --> 00:18:46,720 astronaut to actually help you assemble 506 00:18:50,630 --> 00:18:49,200 the hardware when you're in space so you 507 00:18:52,710 --> 00:18:50,640 always have to have the person getting 508 00:18:54,870 --> 00:18:52,720 in it and the person helping the new 509 00:18:58,150 --> 00:18:54,880 spacesuit will work a lot different than 510 00:19:00,789 --> 00:18:58,160 that it will be a contiguous suit 511 00:19:02,390 --> 00:19:00,799 on the on the soft side of the suit and 512 00:19:04,230 --> 00:19:02,400 then the portable life support system 513 00:19:06,870 --> 00:19:04,240 will still be on the back 514 00:19:10,230 --> 00:19:06,880 like the system like the spacesuit we 515 00:19:11,270 --> 00:19:10,240 have today but the hatch will open from 516 00:19:13,990 --> 00:19:11,280 you know 517 00:19:15,990 --> 00:19:14,000 it'll be on your back and it will open 518 00:19:17,510 --> 00:19:16,000 up just like a door 519 00:19:19,510 --> 00:19:17,520 and the portable life support system 520 00:19:22,150 --> 00:19:19,520 will be in that door 521 00:19:24,950 --> 00:19:22,160 and you can actually crawl into the 522 00:19:27,510 --> 00:19:24,960 spacesuit yourself now there will be 523 00:19:29,990 --> 00:19:27,520 some manipulation that someone will have 524 00:19:32,549 --> 00:19:30,000 to do on an astronaut will have to do on 525 00:19:34,950 --> 00:19:32,559 the inside but it won't be as as 526 00:19:36,549 --> 00:19:34,960 rigorous as it is today so it should be 527 00:19:38,470 --> 00:19:36,559 a lot easier 528 00:19:40,630 --> 00:19:38,480 great question yeah and i have some i 529 00:19:42,549 --> 00:19:40,640 have examples of some spacesuits if you 530 00:19:45,029 --> 00:19:42,559 want to if you'd like to take a look at 531 00:19:47,029 --> 00:19:45,039 them um since we're on the topic of 532 00:19:49,669 --> 00:19:47,039 spacesuits i brought some things with me 533 00:19:52,470 --> 00:19:49,679 today this is my the coolest piece of 534 00:19:54,950 --> 00:19:52,480 hardware that we use in space 535 00:19:56,710 --> 00:19:54,960 and i like it because i can say it's the 536 00:19:59,750 --> 00:19:56,720 astronauts underwear 537 00:20:02,710 --> 00:19:59,760 so it is a if you can take if you can 538 00:20:07,350 --> 00:20:04,789 and then you if you 539 00:20:09,750 --> 00:20:07,360 you can't see it probably from your 540 00:20:11,510 --> 00:20:09,760 you see there's a crisscross in the back 541 00:20:13,990 --> 00:20:11,520 that's a ventilation 542 00:20:15,990 --> 00:20:14,000 tree and that ventilation tree allows 543 00:20:18,630 --> 00:20:16,000 ventilation to go through the suit to 544 00:20:21,270 --> 00:20:18,640 help keep the astronaut cool but also we 545 00:20:24,470 --> 00:20:21,280 have tubes if you see these tubes right 546 00:20:26,710 --> 00:20:24,480 here they run in little lines that are 547 00:20:29,029 --> 00:20:26,720 threaded throughout the entire 548 00:20:31,669 --> 00:20:29,039 structure of the undergarment we call it 549 00:20:34,230 --> 00:20:31,679 the lcvg the liquid cooling and 550 00:20:36,149 --> 00:20:34,240 ventilation garment and water actually 551 00:20:38,310 --> 00:20:36,159 goes through these tubes to help keep 552 00:20:40,149 --> 00:20:38,320 the astronaut cool because it's very can 553 00:20:41,510 --> 00:20:40,159 get very warm in the suit when you're 554 00:20:44,390 --> 00:20:41,520 doing work 555 00:20:47,029 --> 00:20:44,400 say out on space station and that water 556 00:20:49,510 --> 00:20:47,039 circulates in these tubes and it helps 557 00:20:50,630 --> 00:20:49,520 keep the skin of the astronaut 558 00:20:54,390 --> 00:20:50,640 cool 559 00:20:56,470 --> 00:20:54,400 and i have some let me see i have a 560 00:21:02,950 --> 00:20:56,480 glove 561 00:21:05,029 --> 00:21:02,960 it actually 562 00:21:07,750 --> 00:21:05,039 is woven 563 00:21:10,630 --> 00:21:07,760 to help size it for each of the 564 00:21:11,990 --> 00:21:10,640 astronauts so you can see that 565 00:21:14,390 --> 00:21:12,000 and there's also 566 00:21:16,549 --> 00:21:14,400 there's also some configurations in it 567 00:21:18,710 --> 00:21:16,559 that help keep the strength of it up as 568 00:21:21,190 --> 00:21:18,720 the astronaut works 569 00:21:24,870 --> 00:21:21,200 so it's very very uniquely it the the 570 00:21:28,390 --> 00:21:24,880 glove is the only piece of the suit that 571 00:21:31,110 --> 00:21:28,400 is specifically sized for the astronaut 572 00:21:33,669 --> 00:21:31,120 and and if you ask a lot of our 573 00:21:36,149 --> 00:21:33,679 engineers they might say the glove is 574 00:21:38,870 --> 00:21:36,159 the most important part because they're 575 00:21:41,909 --> 00:21:38,880 always using their hands and the gloved 576 00:21:43,590 --> 00:21:41,919 hand to do work in space 577 00:21:45,190 --> 00:21:43,600 very cool stuff and i mean that's all 578 00:21:47,110 --> 00:21:45,200 the inside you never really get to see 579 00:21:50,149 --> 00:21:47,120 the inside of these spaces right 580 00:21:52,310 --> 00:21:50,159 all right next question 581 00:21:54,870 --> 00:21:52,320 okay what rockets are presently being 582 00:21:57,029 --> 00:21:54,880 developed by nasa 583 00:21:59,190 --> 00:21:57,039 well nasa is currently developing what's 584 00:22:00,870 --> 00:21:59,200 known as the space launch system it's 585 00:22:03,830 --> 00:22:00,880 going to be the largest most powerful 586 00:22:06,070 --> 00:22:03,840 rocket ever built by humanity 587 00:22:08,950 --> 00:22:06,080 that's being built so and it's good it's 588 00:22:10,789 --> 00:22:08,960 what's categorized as a heavy lift so 589 00:22:13,270 --> 00:22:10,799 when you want to send 590 00:22:15,270 --> 00:22:13,280 people large payloads 591 00:22:18,310 --> 00:22:15,280 things like a habitat to a place like 592 00:22:19,510 --> 00:22:18,320 mars you need a lot more power to escape 593 00:22:21,110 --> 00:22:19,520 what's known as the gravity well 594 00:22:23,029 --> 00:22:21,120 basically gravity pulling you back into 595 00:22:24,710 --> 00:22:23,039 earth and so the more weight you want to 596 00:22:27,110 --> 00:22:24,720 send the more powerful your rocket has 597 00:22:29,190 --> 00:22:27,120 to be so nasa's developing the space 598 00:22:31,029 --> 00:22:29,200 launch system we call it sls because we 599 00:22:33,029 --> 00:22:31,039 love acronyms 600 00:22:35,029 --> 00:22:33,039 we're developing that to be able to 601 00:22:36,789 --> 00:22:35,039 basically send anything we want we can 602 00:22:38,070 --> 00:22:36,799 send it to mars and i mean that's going 603 00:22:39,350 --> 00:22:38,080 to be the rocket that's going to send 604 00:22:41,510 --> 00:22:39,360 astronauts 605 00:22:42,950 --> 00:22:41,520 once we start moving out beyond low 606 00:22:44,470 --> 00:22:42,960 earth orbit again it's going to be 607 00:22:47,270 --> 00:22:44,480 sending astronauts farther than we've 608 00:22:48,310 --> 00:22:47,280 ever gone before 609 00:22:50,470 --> 00:22:48,320 great question all right looks like 610 00:22:55,350 --> 00:22:50,480 we've got time for one final question 611 00:22:57,510 --> 00:22:56,630 all right 612 00:23:02,070 --> 00:22:57,520 uh 613 00:23:03,190 --> 00:23:02,080 the apollo missions 614 00:23:05,110 --> 00:23:03,200 it's actually changed pretty 615 00:23:07,270 --> 00:23:05,120 significantly i mean if you look behind 616 00:23:08,950 --> 00:23:07,280 me you'll notice the computer screen is 617 00:23:10,630 --> 00:23:08,960 just kind of like a regular 618 00:23:12,950 --> 00:23:10,640 lcd monitor 619 00:23:15,430 --> 00:23:12,960 back in the apollo days you had these 620 00:23:18,710 --> 00:23:15,440 massive massive console systems that 621 00:23:21,990 --> 00:23:18,720 used cathode ray tubes and mccanna and 622 00:23:24,149 --> 00:23:22,000 they actually had their email system uh 623 00:23:25,510 --> 00:23:24,159 was literally just a tube that you stuck 624 00:23:27,590 --> 00:23:25,520 through went down to a mailroom and they 625 00:23:29,590 --> 00:23:27,600 would send that to each other so it's 626 00:23:32,630 --> 00:23:29,600 changed drastically as we get better 627 00:23:35,110 --> 00:23:32,640 computers you know we get better systems 628 00:23:36,630 --> 00:23:35,120 but it's it's changed quite a bit and 629 00:23:39,029 --> 00:23:36,640 actually we're building a new mission 630 00:23:40,390 --> 00:23:39,039 control center which will look even 631 00:23:42,470 --> 00:23:40,400 more different than this one they're 632 00:23:43,669 --> 00:23:42,480 doing away with the great big consoles 633 00:23:45,190 --> 00:23:43,679 and it's basically just going to be a 634 00:23:47,669 --> 00:23:45,200 bunch of computer screens that are going 635 00:23:48,870 --> 00:23:47,679 to be running all of our vehicles 636 00:23:50,470 --> 00:23:48,880 all right well 637 00:23:52,070 --> 00:23:50,480 i think that's all the time that we have 638 00:23:53,590 --> 00:23:52,080 you guys had some great questions i hope 639 00:23:54,390 --> 00:23:53,600 we uh we're able to teach you a little 640 00:23:55,990 --> 00:23:54,400 bit 641 00:23:58,149 --> 00:23:56,000 uh but thanks for stopping by mission 642 00:24:00,789 --> 00:23:58,159 control and um hope to see some of you 643 00:24:02,789 --> 00:24:00,799 as astronauts in the future absolutely 644 00:24:05,830 --> 00:24:02,799 so good to hear from you guys from 645 00:24:09,350 --> 00:24:05,840 naperville i'm a illinoisian myself i 646 00:24:11,990 --> 00:24:09,360 went to siu and so i volunteer for this 647 00:24:14,390 --> 00:24:12,000 effort today because you guys from were 648 00:24:17,430 --> 00:24:14,400 from illinois and hope to see you guys 649 00:24:20,149 --> 00:24:17,440 pursue engineering or scientific degrees