1 00:00:02,910 --> 00:00:06,680 \h NARRATOR: NASA will help Europe make its mark on the International Space Station 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:12,640 \h this week when space shuttle Atlantis carries the Columbus laboratory into orbit. 3 00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:17,880 \h The Columbus lab was named after a great explorer and is designed to sail through the 4 00:00:17,880 --> 00:00:27,250 \h ocean of space as a crucial part of the space station. It will host teams of astronauts hoping to unlock new discoveries. 5 00:00:27,250 --> 00:00:31,630 \h The module from the European Space Agency will ride into orbit aboard space shuttle 6 00:00:31,630 --> 00:00:36,730 \h Atlantis to take its place on the cutting edge of space science. 7 00:00:36,730 --> 00:00:41,830 \h Atlantis is also carrying a crew of veteran astronauts and first-time flyers 8 00:00:41,830 --> 00:00:47,680 \h who will attach Columbus and then activate the laboratory in orbit. 9 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:52,700 \h STEPHEN FRICK: Well, to this point, we've spent a lot of time building the infrastructure of the space station. 10 00:00:52,700 --> 00:00:58,170 \h So we're really looking forward to getting some of the laboratory modules and other 11 00:00:58,170 --> 00:01:03,510 \h facilities that will actually be able to use the space station for research, and Columbus is a big part of that. 12 00:01:03,510 --> 00:01:07,680 \h NARRATOR: It is another critical mission for NASA and its international partners 13 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,760 \h as they set the stage for years of intense research in microgravity. 14 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:19,530 \h STAN LOVE: So, yeah, no pressure. A lot of folks are going to be watching us and it's very important that we do it right. 15 00:01:19,530 --> 00:01:28,740 \h NARRATOR: Live from Kennedy Space Center, this is the STS-122 Astronaut Webcast. 16 00:01:28,740 --> 00:01:31,730 \h ALLARD BEUTEL: Welcome, and thanks for joining us today as we take a backstage tour of the 17 00:01:31,730 --> 00:01:36,860 \h 24th space shuttle mission to the International Space Station, STS-122. I'm your host, 18 00:01:36,860 --> 00:01:41,650 \h Allard Beutel, news chief here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where space shuttle Atlantis is going 19 00:01:41,650 --> 00:01:44,990 \h through some final preparations before liftoff. On today's webcast, 20 00:01:44,990 --> 00:01:50,390 \h we're going to take an in-depth look at the mission and the work that awaits the Atlantis seven crew members. 21 00:01:50,390 --> 00:01:54,950 \h We'll also be joined by a special guest, Dr. Robert Satcher, who will be sharing 22 00:01:54,950 --> 00:01:57,510 \h some of his perspectivse on preparing for a mission to the station. 23 00:01:57,510 --> 00:02:01,880 \h He will also take some of your questions that you e-mailed through the NASA.gov Web site. 24 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:06,600 \h That's all coming up, but first, let's focus on the main purpose of the STS-122 mission. 25 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:11,470 \h The addition of the Columbus research laboratory sets the stage for a major boost in science on the station. 26 00:02:11,470 --> 00:02:17,490 \h Here's a closer look at the European Space Agency's largest contribution to the space station. 27 00:02:17,490 --> 00:02:22,110 \h NARRATOR: The Columbus laboratory is Europe's first crewed spacecraft and it will be the 28 00:02:22,110 --> 00:02:27,900 \h second module designed for research duties to reach the International Space Station. 29 00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:36,340 \h NASA's own science segment, called Destiny, has been in orbit since 2001. A third, from the Japanese space agency, 30 00:02:36,340 --> 00:02:43,700 \h is due to reach space early in 2008. Columbus began its life in Turin, Italy, as a 23-foot-long, 31 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:51,510 \h 15-foot-wide cylinder enhanced with micrometeoroid shields and other structures so it could survive in space. 32 00:02:51,510 --> 00:02:58,030 \h It was taken to Bremen, Germany, to extensively outfit its interior to host 10 33 00:02:58,030 --> 00:03:03,360 \h phone-booth-size racks that will make up the module's research ability. 34 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:08,380 \h Four of the racks are designed for specific experiments into microgravity fields, 35 00:03:08,380 --> 00:03:15,900 \h including human reactions to space, and studies into how fluids and crystals grow and behave. 36 00:03:15,900 --> 00:03:23,160 \h A fifth rack designed to store specialized equipment is also packed onboard Columbus for launch. 37 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:29,860 \h The racks and experiments will be activated shortly after Columbus is attached to the space station. 38 00:03:29,860 --> 00:03:38,640 \h Spacewalkers will also connect a pair of experiments to the outside of the module that will take advantage of the vacuum of space. 39 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:46,540 \h The experiment racks and other gear were loaded into the Columbus module at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 40 00:03:46,540 --> 00:03:52,850 \h The module itself was flown aboard a modified transport plane to Kennedy in 2006 41 00:03:52,850 --> 00:03:57,650 \h to go through an intense schedule of preparations before launch into space. 42 00:03:57,650 --> 00:04:03,530 \h Since arriving, Columbus has been put through extensive testing, including being lowered into a 43 00:04:03,530 --> 00:04:07,440 \h vacuum chamber to make sure its air will not leak into space. 44 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:12,400 \h A team of European Space Agency officials and European contractors were joined by 45 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:19,070 \h NASA and contractors to prepare the module for launch. It was moved to the launch pad in early 46 00:04:19,070 --> 00:04:24,340 \h November and is now carefully cocooned inside Atlantis for its launch. 47 00:04:24,340 --> 00:04:27,340 \h BEUTEL: And now we're pleased to welcome our guest, astronaut Dr. Bobby Satcher, 48 00:04:27,340 --> 00:04:29,330 \h to the show. Bobby, thanks for joining us. 49 00:04:29,330 --> 00:04:29,960 \h SATCHER: Thanks for having me. 50 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:31,470 \h BEUTEL: Appreciate you coming down here for the launch. It's a good show tomorrow. 51 00:04:31,470 --> 00:04:38,120 \h You've obviously led a very accomplished career. You're a medical doctor, a researcher, a surgeon. 52 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:44,830 \h Why astronaut? Again, were you thinking that you needed to pad your resume? 53 00:04:44,830 --> 00:04:47,070 \h Are you an overachiever? Why astronaut? 54 00:04:47,070 --> 00:04:52,250 \h SATCHER: It's just something that I wanted to do ever since I was a little kid. 55 00:04:52,250 --> 00:04:58,050 \h I looked up like every other little kid at the night sky and said wow, it would be great to actually 56 00:04:58,050 --> 00:05:05,010 \h go there and be able to participate in exploring space. So back in 2004, they were looking for another class. 57 00:05:05,010 --> 00:05:11,940 \h I applied back then and was lucky enough to be selected and it's been a great adventure ever since. 58 00:05:11,940 --> 00:05:18,890 \h BEUTEL: Well, we're lucky to have you onboard the astronaut corps. Medical school and now astronaut training. 59 00:05:18,890 --> 00:05:22,670 \h I'm not going to ask you to compare the two because it's certainly not fair to say which 60 00:05:22,670 --> 00:05:25,650 \h one's harder, but how do they compare, the training that you've had for both? 61 00:05:25,650 --> 00:05:32,960 \h SATCHER: They have some similarities but there are differences which does make it a little bit like comparing apples and oranges. 62 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:40,920 \h But I think the similarities are enlightening. I mean, it takes, really, almost two years to get 63 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:48,690 \h through the basic curriculum to become an astronaut. Medical school, of course, is four years. 64 00:05:48,690 --> 00:05:54,930 \h But it really, medical school is two years of studying and then, you know, two years of practical stuff. 65 00:05:54,930 --> 00:06:02,770 \h And I think it really helped a lot in terms of allowing me to prepare to be able to assimilate a 66 00:06:02,770 --> 00:06:11,880 \h large amount of material in an intense environment, and that's really what the astronaut training program is. 67 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:17,540 \h You've got a very diverse and large volume of material that you have to learn. 68 00:06:17,540 --> 00:06:22,150 \h You have to learn about all the different systems, the space station, the space shuttle. 69 00:06:22,150 --> 00:06:28,310 \h We also fly jet trainers called the T-38s and you have to be proficient with that. 70 00:06:28,310 --> 00:06:32,930 \h You have to learn about scuba diving so that you can do all the EVA training and you've 71 00:06:32,930 --> 00:06:37,350 \h got to do all of that, and you do a lot of classroom learning too. 72 00:06:37,350 --> 00:06:42,940 \h So it's physically demanding, mentally demanding and, you know, very challenging. 73 00:06:42,940 --> 00:06:51,130 \h But it prepares you very well for when you're going to actually go and fly in outer space so that you feel comfortable doing that. 74 00:06:51,130 --> 00:06:54,440 \h BEUTEL: Well, you've done research on the skeletal system. It's one of your research areas. 75 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:58,620 \h That's obviously one of the areas that NASA looks at for long-duration spaceflights. 76 00:06:58,620 --> 00:07:03,940 \h You have to overcome these – space is hard on people. It's not a friendly environment for us to be there. 77 00:07:03,940 --> 00:07:07,750 \h But if we're going to go back to the moon and on to Mars for long periods of time, 78 00:07:07,750 --> 00:07:11,180 \h we need to have that kind of research. How does your background 79 00:07:11,180 --> 00:07:13,680 \h help us prepare for that and help NASA get ready for that? 80 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:19,320 \h SATCHER: You know, in my former career, I did do a lot of research on the musculoskeletal system. 81 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:26,780 \h NASA, of course, has a very specific interest in knowing what happens to the body when you go into outer space. 82 00:07:26,780 --> 00:07:32,840 \h The funny thing is that we do adapt. So there is some programming within us or whatever that 83 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:38,130 \h makes it possible for us to adapt to being in a low-gravity environment. 84 00:07:38,130 --> 00:07:44,810 \h So that's interesting in itself just to think about. And you know, specifically, 85 00:07:44,810 --> 00:07:48,820 \h what you have to do when you're in outer space is you have to do resistant 86 00:07:48,820 --> 00:07:54,650 \h exercises so that you preserve the mass of your skeleton and your muscular mass. 87 00:07:54,650 --> 00:08:02,640 \h And you know, on a long-duration mission like going to Mars, we also right now are trying to prepare for 88 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:10,540 \h the contingency that a crew member may get sick or something like that and might not be able to work out as vigorously. 89 00:08:10,540 --> 00:08:18,650 \h So, you know, of course there are other measures that are possible to preserve the skeleton – pharmacological interventions – 90 00:08:18,650 --> 00:08:26,350 \h and this is really the main area, I think, of the physiology research going on right now. 91 00:08:26,350 --> 00:08:31,270 \h BEUTEL: Well, one of the things that we often talked about is being a surgeon, you have good hands. 92 00:08:31,270 --> 00:08:34,640 \h We've heard the same thing on the NASA side, that spacewalkers, you have to have good hands 93 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:41,010 \h to be able to do all the construction that we're doing up there and any kind of work to do up on the moon and on Mars. 94 00:08:41,010 --> 00:08:43,290 \h How do the two compare? 95 00:08:43,290 --> 00:08:51,700 \h SATCHER: Well, I think we have the example of some previous doctors who have, you know, 96 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:57,380 \h flown and gone aboard the space station that we can reference, like Dr. Parazynski. 97 00:08:57,380 --> 00:09:03,510 \h He's not a surgeon, he's an emergency room doctor, but nonetheless, you know, his remarks were that, 98 00:09:03,510 --> 00:09:12,110 \h you know, the space station was a very special patient. And of course, he did a wonderful job repairing the solar array. 99 00:09:12,110 --> 00:09:18,300 \h So I think there is a precedent that says that doctors can make pretty decent astronauts too. 100 00:09:18,300 --> 00:09:22,830 \h BEUTEL: Well, not that you're making a pitch for your next flight, but that's good experience. 101 00:09:22,830 --> 00:09:25,960 \h And actually, most of the space station missions do require multiple 102 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:31,170 \h spacewalks and they also include hard work to make maintenance. 103 00:09:31,170 --> 00:09:36,490 \h In this particular case with the STS-122 mission, three spacewalks are planned and possibly a fourth, 104 00:09:36,490 --> 00:09:41,800 \h along with a lot of robotics work, which you've got experience in. Let's listen to what some of the 105 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:47,200 \h STS-122 crew members had to say as they prepared for their mission aboard the International Space Station. 106 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:53,040 \h NARRATOR: The crew of STS-122 is led by a veteran astronaut, Commander Stephen Frick. 107 00:09:53,040 --> 00:10:00,630 \h He flew aboard Atlantis as a pilot during the STS-110 mission, which attached the central section of the power truss to the 108 00:10:00,630 --> 00:10:06,890 \h outside of the International Space Station. With Atlantis taking another key component into orbit, 109 00:10:06,890 --> 00:10:12,200 \h Frick said the commanding role means he must have broad knowledge of every crew member's work. 110 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:15,390 \h FRICK: I wouldn't say it was learning anything specific. It was more kind of 111 00:10:15,390 --> 00:10:18,690 \h expanding the scope from the first mission when I was the pilot. 112 00:10:18,690 --> 00:10:24,910 \h I had very defined duties and so you can really dig your teeth into learning all the systems on the orbiter. 113 00:10:24,910 --> 00:10:30,480 \h So being the commander, having to learn a lot more about spacewalks and the details of the Columbus module 114 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:35,150 \h itself and what the goals are with that laboratory module were the challenges, I think. 115 00:10:35,150 --> 00:10:42,260 \h NARRATOR: Astronauts will make several spacewalks during STS-122 to connect Columbus and outfit it for work. 116 00:10:42,260 --> 00:10:45,110 \h Stan Love will be one of the spacewalkers. 117 00:10:45,110 --> 00:10:51,820 \h LOVE: My job on the spacewalk will be to ride on a special toeclip on the end of the station's robotic arm and, 118 00:10:51,820 --> 00:10:58,530 \h from that position, I will be carrying two large science instruments out of the shuttle's cargo bay 119 00:10:58,530 --> 00:11:06,810 \h and mounting them on the outside of Columbus module, which we will have just added to the space station. 120 00:11:06,810 --> 00:11:11,750 \h NARRATOR: Love will also operate the space station's robot arm during other spacewalks. 121 00:11:11,750 --> 00:11:16,150 \h It's a different perspective for tasks that are already difficult to master. 122 00:11:16,150 --> 00:11:20,540 \h LOVE: There's no similarity. They're totally different things and in fact, that is one of the 123 00:11:20,540 --> 00:11:26,390 \h difficult parts of it since I have both roles on the flight and often the two are at odds with each other. 124 00:11:26,390 --> 00:11:31,360 \h It's often a challenge remembering which hat I'm supposed to be wearing each time. 125 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,920 \h NARRATOR: Astronaut Leland Melvin, also making his first space shuttle flight, 126 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:40,560 \h will drive the shuttle's 50-foot-long robot arm to maneuver spacewalkers around the 127 00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:45,310 \h outside of the station and Columbus. By the time he does it in space, he will have 128 00:11:45,310 --> 00:11:49,510 \h practiced the precise work for hours on end in simulators. 129 00:11:49,510 --> 00:11:55,310 \h MELVIN: When we get up to space to do the installation, it should be second nature and it should just go smoothly. 130 00:11:55,310 --> 00:12:00,140 \h NARRATOR: Melvin also talked about the excitement of getting assigned to his first mission. 131 00:12:00,140 --> 00:12:04,340 \h MELVIN: When I first got the call, the call was on my cell phone and I was at home at the time. 132 00:12:04,340 --> 00:12:12,210 \h I just got out of the shower and I hung the phone up and started jumping up around celebrating. 133 00:12:12,210 --> 00:12:19,930 \h I have a dog, Jake is my dog, and he was looking at me like I was crazy. It was a very good day, a very exciting day. 134 00:12:19,930 --> 00:12:24,300 \h NARRATOR: Love, who worked in astronomy before joining NASA's astronaut corps, 135 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:29,630 \h said he does not expect to have much time to look at the sky during the shuttle mission. 136 00:12:29,630 --> 00:12:33,960 \h LOVE: And honestly, I'm not going to do much astronomy from the shuttle. 137 00:12:33,960 --> 00:12:37,860 \h Our opportunities to look out the window are very limited. 138 00:12:37,860 --> 00:12:43,110 \h Back in the day, when the shuttle would launch up and pop out a satellite and hang out for a couple days and then come home, 139 00:12:43,110 --> 00:12:47,490 \h they had time to look out the window and photograph the Earth and things. 140 00:12:47,490 --> 00:12:52,880 \h I am hoping I can find enough time to look out and I suppose the thing I'll be 141 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:57,810 \h most interested in seeing is the planet Earth, because it's big and close and you can see stuff. 142 00:12:57,810 --> 00:13:01,010 \h NARRATOR: The astronauts know that they could return to the space station 143 00:13:01,010 --> 00:13:04,850 \h in the future for a much longer stay as an expedition crew member. 144 00:13:04,850 --> 00:13:12,190 \h MELVIN: I think, you know, getting exposure to space on an 11-, 12-day mission is great. 145 00:13:12,190 --> 00:13:16,880 \h I would jump at the chance to go for a six-month stay. 146 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:22,350 \h BEUTEL: They sound like they're ready to fly. Bobby, several people have submitted questions through NASA.gov. 147 00:13:22,350 --> 00:13:26,580 \h And before you answer a few, I do have one of my own. I want to indulge myself. 148 00:13:26,580 --> 00:13:31,540 \h It's been known that astronauts since the beginning of the Mercury Program, for decades, 149 00:13:31,540 --> 00:13:37,900 \h have been taking personal items up with them – mementoes, things that will help them make the transition from Earth to space. 150 00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:42,330 \h When you take your flight, not to put you on the spot and not to make it too personal, 151 00:13:42,330 --> 00:13:45,880 \h but what are some of the things you're thinking about taking up with you? 152 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,560 \h SATCHER: That's the first time anybody's asked me that. 153 00:13:48,560 --> 00:13:50,210 \h BEUTEL: Won't be the last. 154 00:13:50,210 --> 00:13:55,720 \h SATCHER: Won't be the last, you're right. I think I'll probably take some pictures of 155 00:13:55,720 --> 00:14:03,430 \h family members and take some sort of device that'll allow me tobring music up that I want to hear. 156 00:14:03,430 --> 00:14:09,270 \h And then probably, there'll be some other suggestions from people in terms of memorabilia. 157 00:14:09,270 --> 00:14:11,670 \h I'm sure there'll be no shortage of that. 158 00:14:11,670 --> 00:14:13,300 \h BEUTEL: Your friends and family will help you with that. 159 00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:14,610 \h SATCHER: I think so. 160 00:14:14,610 --> 00:14:17,770 \h BEUTEL: Alright, we'll get to the questions that people submitted. Bill from Buffalo, 161 00:14:17,770 --> 00:14:21,370 \h New York, asks, well, it's a good question: What type of science will be done on 162 00:14:21,370 --> 00:14:25,280 \h Columbus that makes it different from what's currently being done on the space station? 163 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:31,590 \h SATCHER: That's a good question. You know, our ability to do scientific experiments is 164 00:14:31,590 --> 00:14:40,050 \h actually limited right now because the only platform we have for it is the U.S. lab. And you know, 165 00:14:40,050 --> 00:14:43,950 \h the U.S. lab is actually smaller than it was originally planned to be. 166 00:14:43,950 --> 00:14:49,150 \h So the Columbus module greatly expands our ability to do experimentation. 167 00:14:49,150 --> 00:14:55,910 \h There's a whole host of experiments that are sort of backlogged that we want to do, and 168 00:14:55,910 --> 00:14:59,960 \h and so this is going to be a wonderful addition to the space station and allow us to 169 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:02,460 \h get to some of these additional experiments. 170 00:15:02,460 --> 00:15:10,840 \h There are sort of four main categories that the Columbus has the capacity for. The first category is, you know, 171 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:18,660 \h biomedical experiments on human physiology. Then we also have the capacity to do microscopic experiments, 172 00:15:18,660 --> 00:15:32,360 \h bacteria and viruses and microorganisms. There's another palate which primarily is for experimenting on fluids, 173 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:37,140 \h so looking at the behavior of fluids in microgravity. And finally, there are 174 00:15:37,140 --> 00:15:40,510 \h some palates that will go outside of the Columbus module that are attached 175 00:15:40,510 --> 00:15:48,780 \h to it which allow us to evaluate the behavior of materials in outer space. 176 00:15:48,780 --> 00:15:53,800 \h BEUTEL: The Columbus module is the European Space Agency's largest contribution to the space station. 177 00:15:53,800 --> 00:16:05,800 \h 2008 really is a year for NASA for its international partners, really dedicated to various laboratories and our other partners, 178 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:08,100 \h which leads to the next question from Nate from Grand Rapids. 179 00:16:08,100 --> 00:16:11,180 \h He asks what kind of language training do the astronauts go through that perform 180 00:16:11,180 --> 00:16:16,200 \h their missions to the space station considering Russia and Japan play pivotal roles? 181 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:22,230 \h Do all NASA astronauts know how to speak Russian or Japanese or do they have a translator on board at all times? 182 00:16:22,230 --> 00:16:27,490 \h SATCHER: Well, the main language that most other astronauts know how to speak is Russian. 183 00:16:27,490 --> 00:16:35,570 \h We actually have a language center and there's a dedicated faculty of people that teach us different languages. 184 00:16:35,570 --> 00:16:41,330 \h So you can learn any language that you actually want to. I think Russian has been the 185 00:16:41,330 --> 00:16:47,410 \h most important language because of the relationship between, you know, NASA and the 186 00:16:47,410 --> 00:16:51,590 \h Russian space agency in building the International Space Station. 187 00:16:51,590 --> 00:16:58,570 \h But there are astronauts who also know how to speak Japanese, French, German, etc. 188 00:16:58,570 --> 00:17:08,310 \h I've just started my training in Russian and I hope one day to be fluent in it. I'm not there. Got a ways to go, so… 189 00:17:08,310 --> 00:17:14,370 \h BEUTEL: You're a lot better than I'm doing. Tatiana, age 10 from Los Angeles, asks us (it's a historical question for us): 190 00:17:14,370 --> 00:17:19,080 \h Who developed the first space shuttle and what has the been the space shuttle's effect on history? 191 00:17:19,080 --> 00:17:24,420 \h SATCHER: That's a good question. You know, NASA has developed and flown the space shuttle. 192 00:17:24,420 --> 00:17:34,080 \h It started flying back in the early '80s and we expect that it's going to fly through 2010, when we complete the space station. 193 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:40,360 \h Maybe they'll even fly beyond that, but you know, we certainly don't have a mandate for that yet. 194 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:47,240 \h But the space shuttle has made it possible to build the space station and, of course, 195 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:53,660 \h these are all sort of baby steps that we have to take to be able to explore the solar system 196 00:17:53,660 --> 00:18:00,130 \h first and then go beyond it. I think, you know, the next thing that we'll be doing is actually 197 00:18:00,130 --> 00:18:08,440 \h building a colony on the moon and we'll use what we learn from building the space station to facilitate that. 198 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:14,730 \h And of course, this all goes back again to the space shuttle, which was really the beginning of it all. 199 00:18:14,730 --> 00:18:19,570 \h So a very important program that's existed for us. 200 00:18:19,570 --> 00:18:23,090 \h BEUTEL: Well, that actually leads me to our final question. Eddie from Belfast, Ireland, talks about – 201 00:18:23,090 --> 00:18:29,380 \h we just went from the beginning of the shuttle program and he asks a question about the end of the shuttle program. 202 00:18:29,380 --> 00:18:34,120 \h When is the current fleet of space shuttles being retired (we kind of alluded to that) and what is taking its place? 203 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:41,210 \h SATCHER: Well, the next space vehicle is Orion and that's what we're going to use to 204 00:18:41,210 --> 00:18:50,310 \h continue our trips to the space station and to go on to the moon. So that should be in service sometime in the next, 205 00:18:50,310 --> 00:18:57,450 \h you know, seven to eight years. Right now, I think the projections are for around 2013 or so. 206 00:18:57,450 --> 00:19:03,250 \h So, you know, we're all looking forward to that. I certainly hope to be able to fly on that vehicle also, 207 00:19:03,250 --> 00:19:07,030 \h and we're definitely looking forward to going back to the moon. 208 00:19:07,030 --> 00:19:09,770 \h BEUTEL: The last part of his question was is it being tested now in secret and Eddie, 209 00:19:09,770 --> 00:19:14,130 \h I'll take the hit on that. Obviously, I'm not doing my job promoting it enough, so 210 00:19:14,130 --> 00:19:17,670 \h I'll let you know if you want to find out more information about the Orion spacecraft, 211 00:19:17,670 --> 00:19:23,690 \h go to www.nasa.gov/exploration. Well, again, that was our last question. Thank you for joining us. 212 00:19:23,690 --> 00:19:30,040 \h We appreciate you coming here and answering our viewers' questions and, of course, 213 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:33,230 \h we want to thank all of our Web viewers for submitting those questions in the first place.