1 00:00:00,550 --> 00:00:15,910 \h Music 2 00:00:15,910 --> 00:00:17,570 \h SLATE: What were your first thoughts when named to the last space shuttle crew? 3 00:00:17,570 --> 00:00:19,930 \h Chris Ferguson, Commander, STS-135: I don't know, very honored, 4 00:00:19,930 --> 00:00:22,040 \h I feel very honored and very lucky. 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:26,650 \h It was something that built over time because it was never supposed to be an actual mission. 6 00:00:26,650 --> 00:00:31,100 \h It was going to be a rescue mission and then the rescue mission kind of built 7 00:00:31,100 --> 00:00:33,290 \h into becoming a regular mission. 8 00:00:33,290 --> 00:00:38,710 \h The first thing I remember is feeling very lucky because no one had clearly targeted me 9 00:00:38,710 --> 00:00:42,860 \h or our crew to fly the last mission, we just kind of backed our way into it. 10 00:00:42,860 --> 00:00:47,910 \h It doesn't make you feel any less honored because you backed your way into it and we're going 11 00:00:47,910 --> 00:00:53,440 \h to do our best to go out and put the absolute best foot forward that the astronaut office to put 12 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,440 \h just a wonderful cap on the program. 13 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,560 \h Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist, STS-135: I was asked originally to potentially be the pilot for 14 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:07,870 \h this flight back in January of last year and as this flight kind of came to being, 15 00:01:07,870 --> 00:01:13,610 \h it was a rescue mission to start with, so I knew in January and the flight wasn't officially 16 00:01:13,610 --> 00:01:20,090 \h assigned until September, so obviously I was excited, thrilled. 17 00:01:20,090 --> 00:01:22,130 \h When the chief of the office, Peggy Whitson, asked me originally, 18 00:01:22,130 --> 00:01:25,190 \h you know it was kind of one of these things, you know, 19 00:01:25,190 --> 00:01:28,040 \h we think maybe it's a 50/50 chance that this thing will even happen. 20 00:01:28,040 --> 00:01:34,780 \h So there was a little bit of, you know, nervousness about that and wondering if it's actually going 21 00:01:34,780 --> 00:01:39,960 \h and spending all this time training and working and then find out that it might not happen, 22 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:43,310 \h but it was just, I was tremendously honored. 23 00:01:43,310 --> 00:01:45,120 \h Rex Walheim, Mission Specialist, STS-135: For a while there I knew I was kind of getting close 24 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,260 \h to the front of the line to being assigned again but I was just wondering whether they'd close the 25 00:01:48,260 --> 00:01:52,220 \h line down before I got there, so I really had gone through the process going, 26 00:01:52,220 --> 00:01:55,090 \h well, when they didn't have a 135 I thought, well, 27 00:01:55,090 --> 00:01:59,670 \h I missed my chance to fly on the shuttle again and then 135 came up and it rekindled my hopes 28 00:01:59,670 --> 00:02:02,670 \h and then when I found out I was on the mission I was really, 29 00:02:02,670 --> 00:02:05,550 \h really excited because I really wanted to be a part of this mission. 30 00:02:05,550 --> 00:02:08,960 \h I wanted to be a part of the last mission whether I'm helping out at the Cape, 31 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,800 \h or doing something at Houston or working at one of the abort sites. 32 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,150 \h I just want to be a part of it and the chance to actually fly on it, to be on board from the last 33 00:02:17,150 --> 00:02:21,910 \h launch to the last wheel stop is a great opportunity and I'm really thrilled about it. 34 00:02:21,910 --> 00:02:25,090 \h Sandra Magnus, Mission Specialist, STS-135: I guess surprise was probably the main one. 35 00:02:25,090 --> 00:02:28,990 \h I was actually working in D.C. at Headquarters at the time and I got the call to come back and 36 00:02:28,990 --> 00:02:34,300 \h start training and I never even thought that I'd be part of the last shuttle crew and I'm working 37 00:02:34,300 --> 00:02:40,410 \h with a great team and it's really a lot of fun, but surprise was definitely the first thought. 38 00:02:40,410 --> 00:02:42,840 \h SLATE: Will you be focused much on this being the last space shuttle flight? 39 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:45,390 \h Rex Walheim, Mission Specialist, STS-135: I think we will. I mean we're going to concentrate on 40 00:02:45,390 --> 00:02:48,350 \h our job, obviously, and so there will be certain segments of the mission where you're just 41 00:02:48,350 --> 00:02:50,540 \h concentrating, doing your job, especially during launch and landing. 42 00:02:50,540 --> 00:02:53,650 \h But every once in a while, especially during quiet phases on orbit 43 00:02:53,650 --> 00:02:55,770 \h and I'm sure we'll look out and go, 44 00:02:55,770 --> 00:02:57,080 \h Well this is the last time one of these vehicles is going to fly, 45 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:02,260 \h and then of course after the mission it's really going to sink in but it's one of those things where 46 00:03:02,260 --> 00:03:04,820 \h you want to enjoy every last drop of it. 47 00:03:04,820 --> 00:03:06,750 \h Doug Hurley, Mission Specialist, STS-135: We are very tightly scheduled and I think we are 48 00:03:06,750 --> 00:03:10,960 \h going to be really busy. I think there might be a few moments to reflect, but I think, frankly, 49 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:18,990 \h it'll be on the runway, ideally on the runway here at KSC, and wheels stop and then I think it's 50 00:03:18,990 --> 00:03:24,680 \h going to all come rushing in, you know, at one moment, I think. 51 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:26,560 \h Chris Ferguson, Commander, STS-135: We're not going to dwell on it too much until after 52 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,220 \h landing and then we'll get a chance, hopefully following a great and successful mission, 53 00:03:30,220 --> 00:03:34,240 \h to kind of bask in the achievements of the program overall and really reflect 54 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,130 \h SLATE: What does the STS-135 crew patch symbolize? 55 00:03:39,130 --> 00:03:41,580 \h Rex Walheim, Mission Specialist, STS-135: We wanted to make it a celebration, 56 00:03:41,580 --> 00:03:45,070 \h we wanted to make it a happy patch that really encompasses the history of the Space Shuttle 57 00:03:45,070 --> 00:03:51,820 \h Program so in some respects it mirrors the STS-1 patch with the full shuttle on there and we 58 00:03:51,820 --> 00:03:56,560 \h also wanted to honor the whole NASA/contractor team, the whole team that has made the 59 00:03:56,560 --> 00:04:01,370 \h space shuttle possible and we did that by putting a portion of the NASA emblem in the middle 60 00:04:01,370 --> 00:04:05,550 \h with the swoosh on there. And then we also wanted to signify that it was the last mission. 61 00:04:05,550 --> 00:04:09,580 \h We did that with the omega. Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet so that was kind of 62 00:04:09,580 --> 00:04:12,630 \h our way of symbolizing the last mission.