1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,200 We looked down on Earth, not as citizens of any one 2 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:05,600 country, but citizens of Planet Earth. 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:06,600 [ Eagle screeches ] 4 00:00:06,600 --> 00:00:09,190 EGS Program Chief Engineer, verify no constraints to launch. 5 00:00:09,190 --> 00:00:13,230 EGS Chief Engineer team has no constraints. 6 00:00:13,230 --> 00:00:15,619 I copy that. 7 00:00:15,619 --> 00:00:19,620 You are clear to launch. 8 00:00:19,620 --> 00:00:25,210 Five, four, three, two, one, and lift-off. 9 00:00:25,210 --> 00:00:26,800 All clear. 10 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,500 Now passing through max q, maximum dynamic pressure. 11 00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:32,820 Welcome to space. 12 00:00:34,780 --> 00:00:41,120 Since the year 2000, there have been humans in space non-stop, every day. 13 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,320 The International Space Station has been an engineering marvel, research laboratory, and 14 00:00:45,329 --> 00:00:48,010 platform for unparalleled exploration. 15 00:00:48,010 --> 00:00:51,769 This month, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the launch of the first element of the 16 00:00:51,769 --> 00:00:53,730 International Space Station to lower earth orbit. 17 00:00:53,730 --> 00:00:58,030 In this episode, we sit down with the Space Shuttle commander who officially began construction 18 00:00:58,030 --> 00:00:59,679 of the ISS in space. 19 00:00:59,679 --> 00:01:04,500 Former astronaut Bob Cabana recounts his experiences in being the first American on station and 20 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:06,020 turning on the lights. 21 00:01:06,020 --> 00:01:10,520 All right, so I am in the booth this morning with Bob Cabana. 22 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,190 Bob, thanks for being here this morning. 23 00:01:12,190 --> 00:01:13,190 Absolutely, Josh. 24 00:01:13,190 --> 00:01:14,190 My pleasure. 25 00:01:14,190 --> 00:01:19,330 So, that's the most simple introduction possible for you, but the longer introduction is -- let 26 00:01:19,330 --> 00:01:25,330 me see if I can get this right -- Naval Academy graduate, Colonel in the Marine Corps... 27 00:01:25,330 --> 00:01:26,330 Yep. 28 00:01:26,330 --> 00:01:31,890 astronaut, test pilot, Kennedy Space Center center director, and four-time Space Shuttle 29 00:01:31,890 --> 00:01:32,890 astronaut. 30 00:01:32,890 --> 00:01:33,890 Yeah, that sums it up. 31 00:01:33,890 --> 00:01:40,970 We also have a biking enthusiast, as well as a recreational pilot, mud-runner, and I 32 00:01:40,970 --> 00:01:44,680 think the only things we're missing are juggler and ballet in there. 33 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:46,490 I'm a lousy juggler. 34 00:01:46,490 --> 00:01:50,570 But I'm doing a 100-mile bike ride on Sunday. 35 00:01:50,570 --> 00:01:52,270 I'm gonna do the Space Coast Century. 36 00:01:52,270 --> 00:01:53,460 Oh, very good, very good. 37 00:01:53,460 --> 00:01:54,460 That's awesome. 38 00:01:54,460 --> 00:01:58,410 But we have you here today to talk about the International Space Station. 39 00:01:58,410 --> 00:02:04,710 It is very arguably the greatest engineering accomplishment of humanity's history, and 40 00:02:04,710 --> 00:02:08,300 you had the privilege of being there when we started the space station. 41 00:02:08,300 --> 00:02:13,260 What a phenomenal accomplishment the space station is. 42 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:19,310 Superb engineering test bed to prove the systems that we need or long-duration space flight 43 00:02:19,310 --> 00:02:23,880 and establishing a presence beyond our home planet and our solar system. 44 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:29,760 Just a model of international and commercial partnership, you know, as we move forward. 45 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:36,760 But, I mean, when you consider that we've got the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, 46 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:42,010 the European Space Agency and all its partners, and we've been working together as one up 47 00:02:42,010 --> 00:02:46,010 there for now 20 years, I mean, that is amazing. 48 00:02:46,010 --> 00:02:52,390 In spite of all our political differences, the crews on the space station and the crews 49 00:02:52,390 --> 00:02:56,180 on the ground in Mission Control, we work together as one. 50 00:02:56,180 --> 00:03:04,299 And I think it's a model for how we move forward as we return to the moon and we go on to Mars. 51 00:03:04,299 --> 00:03:06,570 [ music ] 52 00:03:06,570 --> 00:03:10,770 I want to kind of take people back to, like you mentioned, 20 years ago. 53 00:03:10,770 --> 00:03:15,100 Can you give us a picture of what's happening in the world and in the NASA world? 54 00:03:15,100 --> 00:03:18,600 Because obviously, like, this is a huge moment. 55 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:20,210 It's a pivotal moment in our history. 56 00:03:20,210 --> 00:03:22,020 So, set a scene for me here. 57 00:03:22,020 --> 00:03:24,800 I'll go back a little bit further. 58 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:33,090 As we were doing the International Space Station, at the time, I'd gotten back off my third 59 00:03:33,090 --> 00:03:39,260 flight, my first command, and I was asked to be the chief of NASA's Astronaut Office, 60 00:03:39,260 --> 00:03:43,380 and that was August 1994. 61 00:03:43,380 --> 00:03:48,800 And this is the time that we had just agreed to do the Shuttle-Mir Program with our Russian 62 00:03:48,800 --> 00:03:49,800 partners. 63 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,520 And we would not have been successful on the International Space Station had we not first 64 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:55,270 done Shuttle-Mir with the Russians. 65 00:03:55,270 --> 00:04:02,900 So, my first trip to Russia was in January of 1995, not long after the wall had come 66 00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:03,900 down. 67 00:04:03,900 --> 00:04:08,100 And I went over to see how Norm Thagard and Bonnie Dunbar were doing. 68 00:04:08,100 --> 00:04:13,520 They were the two astronauts priming back-up training to fly that first Shuttle-Mir mission. 69 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:21,220 And also to see what kind of accommodations were in Star City for Shannon Lucid, who was 70 00:04:21,220 --> 00:04:24,400 also going up on Mir. 71 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:27,680 And to me, it was really kind of surreal. 72 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:36,300 I remember it was 11:00, 12:00 at night, and I went cross-country skiing with Swedish astronaut 73 00:04:36,300 --> 00:04:41,480 Christer Fuglesang, who was over there training, and here I am, an active-duty Colonel in the 74 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:46,180 United States Marine Corps, cross-country skiing with this Swede in the middle of the 75 00:04:46,180 --> 00:04:49,560 night on what was a secret base, going through holes in fences. 76 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,530 It was just really unique. 77 00:04:52,530 --> 00:04:53,530 Wow. 78 00:04:53,530 --> 00:04:59,500 But anyway, so, the Shuttle-Mir Program allowed us to work with the Russians to do the International 79 00:04:59,500 --> 00:05:01,530 Space Station. 80 00:05:01,530 --> 00:05:09,000 The docking adaptor that we put -- STS-71 Atlantis was the first mission to dock with 81 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:10,430 the Mir Space Station. 82 00:05:10,430 --> 00:05:13,410 After 20 years, our spacecraft are docked in orbit again. 83 00:05:13,410 --> 00:05:16,699 Our new era of space exploration has begun. 84 00:05:16,699 --> 00:05:21,320 And we had moved the airlock out of the middeck into the payload bay, and then we put the 85 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:24,000 Russian docking adaptor on it. 86 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,430 The systems that we actually docked with Mir, and it's the same system that we docked with 87 00:05:28,430 --> 00:05:34,729 the International Space Station, was a Russian design, and it was based on essentially the 88 00:05:34,729 --> 00:05:38,830 same docking mechanism that was on the Apollo-Soyuz spacecraft. 89 00:05:38,830 --> 00:05:46,990 So, you know, it was really interesting building that relationship, working with the Russians, 90 00:05:46,990 --> 00:05:50,800 and setting the stage for that first space station assembly mission. 91 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:57,110 So, I'd been chief of the Astronaut Office for three years, and I really wanted to go 92 00:05:57,110 --> 00:06:00,139 fly in space again. 93 00:06:00,139 --> 00:06:04,980 And I got assigned to fly that first space station assembly mission. 94 00:06:04,980 --> 00:06:09,479 From the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, this is Space Shuttle Endeavour launch control. 95 00:06:09,479 --> 00:06:13,450 This mission will mark the beginning of a five-year orbital assembly of the space station 96 00:06:13,450 --> 00:06:18,699 and kick off a new era of international space exploration using the resources and expertise 97 00:06:18,699 --> 00:06:21,070 of 16 nations. 98 00:06:21,070 --> 00:06:22,070 What's that moment like? 99 00:06:22,070 --> 00:06:24,680 I mean, that's got to feel, like, really special. 100 00:06:24,680 --> 00:06:25,970 Well, it was just cool. 101 00:06:25,970 --> 00:06:30,990 I mean, it's always cool to fly at first, but it was great to be back in the training 102 00:06:30,990 --> 00:06:32,759 flow for another mission. 103 00:06:32,759 --> 00:06:38,850 So, if I look back on, you know, that time while I was chief of the Astronaut Office, 104 00:06:38,850 --> 00:06:41,110 we established our relationship with the Russians. 105 00:06:41,110 --> 00:06:46,220 I developed a relationship with the Russians that I worked with in Star City. 106 00:06:46,220 --> 00:06:49,070 We had crews flying on the Mir Space Station. 107 00:06:49,070 --> 00:06:56,370 And I started assigning the crews for the future International Space Station missions 108 00:06:56,370 --> 00:07:01,740 and had assigned crews to the first three missions, essentially. 109 00:07:01,740 --> 00:07:08,389 And folks didn't necessarily want to be assigned to space station missions at that time because 110 00:07:08,389 --> 00:07:10,610 the program had been delayed. 111 00:07:10,610 --> 00:07:15,440 We were flying eight to nine shuttle missions a year, and you could fly a lot more frequently 112 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,930 or fly a shuttle mission, you know. 113 00:07:17,930 --> 00:07:23,030 Committing to fly on a space station mission meant training in Russia. 114 00:07:23,030 --> 00:07:24,630 It meant learning Russian. 115 00:07:24,630 --> 00:07:31,191 It meant being assigned at least two years ahead of time to train to go fly on a space 116 00:07:31,191 --> 00:07:32,191 station. 117 00:07:32,191 --> 00:07:33,191 Wow. 118 00:07:33,191 --> 00:07:34,191 It was very challenging. 119 00:07:34,191 --> 00:07:39,830 It was not something that was easy, and our method of training astronauts to fly in a 120 00:07:39,830 --> 00:07:43,940 space station and working with our international partners has changed over time. 121 00:07:43,940 --> 00:07:49,460 It's still a two-year training flow for a specific flight, but I think we have a better 122 00:07:49,460 --> 00:07:52,300 understanding of what's required and we have a better understanding how to work with our 123 00:07:52,300 --> 00:07:56,770 Russian partners in learning the Soyuz systems and the Russian systems on the space station 124 00:07:56,770 --> 00:07:57,850 and so on. 125 00:07:57,850 --> 00:08:03,290 So, bottom line, it was a challenge for those folks on those first missions. 126 00:08:03,290 --> 00:08:10,699 Now, the assembly mission, that was run just like a standard NASA Space Shuttle mission. 127 00:08:10,699 --> 00:08:14,240 And we were assigned as a crew a year ahead of time. 128 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:20,210 We ended up flying about a year late from when we were supposed to because of delays 129 00:08:20,210 --> 00:08:21,229 that were encountered. 130 00:08:21,229 --> 00:08:26,819 But I remember it was November of 1998. 131 00:08:26,819 --> 00:08:33,409 I had the entire crew over to my house, and we watched the FGB launch on a Proton rocket 132 00:08:33,409 --> 00:08:39,539 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and that was a successful launch, and we knew 133 00:08:39,539 --> 00:08:40,930 we had a mission. 134 00:08:40,930 --> 00:08:43,660 And the FGB was the Russian portion, the first piece? 135 00:08:43,660 --> 00:08:44,660 The first segment. 136 00:08:44,660 --> 00:08:54,220 And that was actually -- if you look at the designation of that, that was Assembly Mission 137 00:08:54,220 --> 00:08:56,680 1 A/R -- American/Russian. 138 00:08:56,680 --> 00:09:04,070 And that's because the FGB was built in Russia, but we paid for it through Boeing -- on a 139 00:09:04,070 --> 00:09:08,560 contract with Boeing -- and it was a US-paid-for module built by the Russians. 140 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:09,560 Hm. 141 00:09:09,560 --> 00:09:10,560 Wow. 142 00:09:10,560 --> 00:09:15,100 So, and the FGB -- Functional Cargo Block -- was named "Zarya", which means "sunrise" 143 00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:16,680 in Russian. 144 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:19,630 And once that launched, we knew we had a mission. 145 00:09:19,630 --> 00:09:20,630 Yeah. 146 00:09:20,630 --> 00:09:26,330 And two weeks later, we were definitely going to space with Node 1, the Unity node. 147 00:09:26,330 --> 00:09:27,330 So, we were STS-88. 148 00:09:27,330 --> 00:09:30,600 That was a Space Shuttle designation. 149 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:36,790 But from an ISS point of view, we were flight 2A -- the second American assembly flight 150 00:09:36,790 --> 00:09:38,070 to ISS. 151 00:09:38,070 --> 00:09:39,990 But it was the first assembly mission. 152 00:09:39,990 --> 00:09:43,920 So, I had an awesome crew, you know. 153 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:49,410 My pilot, Rick Sturckow, a Marine, that was his first flight. 154 00:09:49,410 --> 00:09:56,210 Rick is now one of the test pilots for Virgin Galactic, flying his rocket plane, you know. 155 00:09:56,210 --> 00:09:57,210 Oh, very cool. 156 00:09:57,210 --> 00:09:58,210 Oh, man. 157 00:09:58,210 --> 00:10:03,050 And he went on to fly four Space Shuttle missions, commanding two of them. 158 00:10:03,050 --> 00:10:10,200 Jerry Ross was doing -- he was lead for the EVAs, an EVA expert. 159 00:10:10,200 --> 00:10:16,230 Nancy Currie was my flight engineer and prime arm operator. 160 00:10:16,230 --> 00:10:22,690 Nancy has a PhD in industrial engineering and had been a helicopter pilot before coming 161 00:10:22,690 --> 00:10:23,690 to NASA. 162 00:10:23,690 --> 00:10:25,410 Jim Newman. 163 00:10:25,410 --> 00:10:31,110 Jim is an expert in rendezvous and proximity operations. 164 00:10:31,110 --> 00:10:35,040 He was on the crew and also one of my EVA members. 165 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,480 And then we had Sergei Krikalev added to our crew. 166 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:47,300 Sergei had flown on the Space Shuttle back when Vladimir Titov also flew on a Space Shuttle 167 00:10:47,300 --> 00:10:51,750 mission and had trained in the United States as part of our exchanges. 168 00:10:51,750 --> 00:10:57,250 And he got added on to have Russian experience as we went up. 169 00:10:57,250 --> 00:11:01,880 Sergei has just been a real asset on this flight. 170 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:07,060 I don't think we'd have hardly any pictures or any time to do anything if we didn't have 171 00:11:07,060 --> 00:11:09,160 him helping out. 172 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:12,816 He's super at helping us with EVA, and he's super with just about everything. 173 00:11:12,816 --> 00:11:14,880 And so that was the crew. 174 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:22,709 And on December 4th, we launched on the Space Shuttle Endeavour off with the Node 1 tucked 175 00:11:22,709 --> 00:11:27,310 away in the payload bay to begin assembly of the International Space Station. 176 00:11:27,310 --> 00:11:34,190 And we tried to launch on December 3rd, but we were unable to. 177 00:11:34,190 --> 00:11:35,760 Things didn't go right in the launch count. 178 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:37,250 It just wasn't real smooth. 179 00:11:37,250 --> 00:11:38,250 Sure. 180 00:11:38,250 --> 00:11:40,310 And the weather wasn't all that great. 181 00:11:40,310 --> 00:11:47,750 But we had an issue starting one of the auxiliary power units, and by the time figured out that 182 00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:53,180 everything was okay, we counted down to 18 seconds and didn't go. 183 00:11:53,180 --> 00:11:54,180 Oh, man. 184 00:11:54,180 --> 00:11:55,180 This is ST. 185 00:11:55,180 --> 00:11:56,180 I copy. 186 00:11:56,180 --> 00:11:57,180 [ Radio chatter ] 187 00:11:57,180 --> 00:11:58,180 Is that an LCC hold for you Ray? 188 00:11:58,180 --> 00:11:59,180 Hold on. 189 00:11:59,180 --> 00:12:00,180 I don't know if we can explain it. 190 00:12:00,180 --> 00:12:04,040 We have an LCC violation. 191 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:09,920 All right, last time, the pick up is 858:0101. 192 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:10,920 Copy. 193 00:12:10,920 --> 00:12:11,920 And we concur. 194 00:12:11,920 --> 00:12:13,780 Heat com, everything looking okay on your side? 195 00:12:13,780 --> 00:12:15,220 They're sitting right at 14-7. 196 00:12:15,220 --> 00:12:16,120 That's correct. 197 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,320 Everything looks great. 198 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,200 Anybody else? 199 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:23,000 …Look closer, folks. 200 00:12:23,060 --> 00:12:23,920 You still a go? 201 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:24,820 No, sir. 202 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:25,940 On your mark. 203 00:12:25,940 --> 00:12:27,200 NTD flight. 204 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:28,220 We are no-go for launch. 205 00:12:28,220 --> 00:12:30,240 Copy that. 206 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:30,960 Yes, sir, we've picked up the count. 207 00:12:30,960 --> 00:12:32,520 We're at 24 seconds. 208 00:12:32,540 --> 00:12:34,240 Request to cut off. 209 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:35,180 Please cut off. 210 00:12:35,190 --> 00:12:36,860 Yes, sir. 211 00:12:36,860 --> 00:12:42,399 And it was because of the time that it took to determine whether or not, you know, everything 212 00:12:42,399 --> 00:12:47,360 was okay to launch, and then they realized we didn't have -- we delayed enough that we 213 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:50,300 didn't have enough propellant in order to do the rendezvous. 214 00:12:50,300 --> 00:12:52,560 So, we scrubbed 18 seconds from launch. 215 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:53,560 Oh. 216 00:12:53,560 --> 00:12:54,560 Close call there, Ed. 217 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:55,560 Good job. 218 00:12:55,560 --> 00:12:58,080 Yeah, it was a close call. 219 00:12:58,080 --> 00:12:59,440 And it was okay, you know, 220 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:00,440 Sure. 221 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,790 We went back, and then the next night, we went out, and it was absolutely perfect. 222 00:13:04,790 --> 00:13:08,510 It was one of the smoothest launch counts I've seen. 223 00:13:08,510 --> 00:13:11,019 Everything continues to look good, and we are cleared for launch today. 224 00:13:11,019 --> 00:13:13,450 No problems are being reported from the vehicle or the crew. 225 00:13:13,450 --> 00:13:14,779 Hello Bruce, let's go do this tonight. 226 00:13:14,779 --> 00:13:15,779 Amen. 227 00:13:15,779 --> 00:13:16,779 We're gonna do it tonight. 228 00:13:16,779 --> 00:13:23,550 You have a very exciting mission ahead of you, and we wish you maximum success. 229 00:13:23,550 --> 00:13:26,820 Endeavour Roger, thanks a lot. 230 00:13:26,820 --> 00:13:28,779 Ten, nine, eight. 231 00:13:28,779 --> 00:13:33,310 We have a go for main engine start. 232 00:13:33,310 --> 00:13:34,550 We have main engine start. 233 00:13:34,550 --> 00:13:35,760 Four, three, two, one. 234 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:40,600 We have booster ignition and liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour with the first American 235 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:44,860 element of the International Space Station uniting our efforts in space to achieve our 236 00:13:44,860 --> 00:13:45,860 common goals. 237 00:13:45,860 --> 00:13:49,649 My daughter and I are real "Wizard of Oz" aficionados. 238 00:13:49,649 --> 00:13:50,649 Okay. 239 00:13:50,649 --> 00:13:56,540 And they had re-released the "Wizard of Oz" all color-corrected and up to date and everything 240 00:13:56,540 --> 00:13:57,950 right before my launch. 241 00:13:57,950 --> 00:13:58,950 Right. 242 00:13:58,950 --> 00:14:03,540 And so my daughter and I went to see it, and it was awesome. 243 00:14:03,540 --> 00:14:08,950 So, the night we didn't launch, the next day, there was a picture on the front page of the 244 00:14:08,950 --> 00:14:11,600 Orlando Sentinel. 245 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:16,240 And it had Endeavour on the launch pad with this huge rainbow, and Red Huber took the 246 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:17,240 picture. 247 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,149 I have it framed in my office, and Red signed it for me. 248 00:14:20,149 --> 00:14:26,820 And like I said, everything went perfect, and the first wake-up music that we had on 249 00:14:26,820 --> 00:14:31,730 orbit the day after launch was Judy Garland singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” 250 00:14:31,730 --> 00:14:33,149 Awesome. 251 00:14:33,149 --> 00:14:43,130 Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. 252 00:14:43,130 --> 00:14:44,700 I mean, I had tears coming down. 253 00:14:44,700 --> 00:14:45,700 It was emotional. 254 00:14:45,700 --> 00:14:46,700 Yeah. 255 00:14:46,700 --> 00:14:50,610 And, you know, it just -- it all came together. 256 00:14:50,610 --> 00:14:56,040 And so what I tell folks is that somewhere over the rainbow, dreams really do come true 257 00:14:56,040 --> 00:15:01,060 because we launched over that rainbow, and we had an absolutely dream flight from start 258 00:15:01,060 --> 00:15:05,400 to finish, Josh. 259 00:15:06,980 --> 00:15:12,000 There’s a dream that you dare to dream. 260 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,540 Dreams really do come true. 261 00:15:15,540 --> 00:15:20,540 Endeavour Houston, good morning, and that long distance dedication was to Bob from Sarah. 262 00:15:20,540 --> 00:15:21,540 Great. 263 00:15:21,540 --> 00:15:25,820 So, getting into kind of this mission, obviously, like, there was a design for the space station, 264 00:15:25,820 --> 00:15:30,820 there was a plan for the space station, but did you really kind of grasp the magnitude 265 00:15:30,820 --> 00:15:32,399 of what you all were beginning? 266 00:15:32,399 --> 00:15:33,399 Oh, absolutely. 267 00:15:33,399 --> 00:15:35,199 'Cause the implications have been tremendous. 268 00:15:35,199 --> 00:15:40,380 I think so, and we knew the criticality of being successful on that very first flight. 269 00:15:40,380 --> 00:15:42,980 I mean, we trained really hard. 270 00:15:42,980 --> 00:15:46,470 It was -- You know, one of the things that we talked about in building the International 271 00:15:46,470 --> 00:15:52,089 Space Station -- it was called the wall of EVA, all the space walks that we had to do 272 00:15:52,089 --> 00:15:55,339 in order to be successful building this space station. 273 00:15:55,339 --> 00:15:57,610 We had three of them on my flight. 274 00:15:57,610 --> 00:16:06,760 And, you know, what we showed was we know how to do this, and we were extremely successful. 275 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:13,220 I can't think of how it could've gone better from start to finish. 276 00:16:13,220 --> 00:16:17,279 When you talk about the impact, did we know what we were doing, I wish I'd have brought 277 00:16:17,279 --> 00:16:18,279 it with me. 278 00:16:18,279 --> 00:16:20,199 I can't remember it verbatim. 279 00:16:20,199 --> 00:16:24,330 But when we were inside the space station for the first time -- and I'll come back to 280 00:16:24,330 --> 00:16:27,900 more of that -- but we made the first log entry in the log book of the International 281 00:16:27,900 --> 00:16:32,829 Space Station, and I wrote -- I was sitting there thinking about what I wanted to say, 282 00:16:32,829 --> 00:16:35,459 and I wrote it all down, and then the entire crew signed it. 283 00:16:35,459 --> 00:16:36,459 Cool. 284 00:16:36,459 --> 00:16:40,750 But the bottom line was that we recognized the importance of what we were doing. 285 00:16:40,750 --> 00:16:47,240 And the one line that I remember distinctly was "From small beginnings, great things come.” 286 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:48,240 Awesome. 287 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:52,140 And when I look back on that small beginning on the International Space Station, just those 288 00:16:52,140 --> 00:16:57,420 two modules, a Unity mode -- and what an appropriate name, Unity binding us all together as one 289 00:16:57,420 --> 00:17:03,899 -- and Zarya, sunrise, a new beginning, the size of the International Space Station then 290 00:17:03,899 --> 00:17:08,759 and what it is today and all that we have accomplished and learned on it and have yet 291 00:17:08,759 --> 00:17:11,659 to learn on it and what it is still capable of doing. 292 00:17:11,659 --> 00:17:15,240 You know, it truly is just a phenomenal facility. 293 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:17,630 So, you mentioned this log book. 294 00:17:17,630 --> 00:17:21,051 So, is this a document that every commander that goes up writes in? 295 00:17:21,051 --> 00:17:22,949 Yeah, and the crew -- absolutely. 296 00:17:22,949 --> 00:17:24,059 It's up on orbit right now. 297 00:17:24,059 --> 00:17:26,449 It's the International Space Station log book. 298 00:17:26,449 --> 00:17:29,779 And hopefully on the last flight of the space station, somebody's gonna bring it home. 299 00:17:29,779 --> 00:17:30,779 Yeah. 300 00:17:30,779 --> 00:17:33,330 So, is it just, like – 301 00:17:33,330 --> 00:17:35,320 It's like the ship's log, you know. 302 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:36,700 "Captain Kirk, stardate.” 303 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:40,769 So, is it light-hearted? 304 00:17:40,769 --> 00:17:42,159 Is it very professional? 305 00:17:42,159 --> 00:17:45,919 Obviously yours was a very, like, important milestone of, like, "We're doing this for 306 00:17:45,919 --> 00:17:47,720 the future". 307 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:49,240 It's a takeoff on ship's logs. 308 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:50,240 Okay. 309 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:51,799 And there are special entries that get made. 310 00:17:51,799 --> 00:17:56,629 I mean, on New Year's Eve, there's always a special entry that the officer of the deck 311 00:17:56,629 --> 00:18:00,289 has to put in the ship's log -- on special occasions and stuff like that. 312 00:18:00,289 --> 00:18:05,519 So, it's a document that crews have signed, that crews have made special entries in. 313 00:18:05,519 --> 00:18:11,109 It's not so much an exact "This is everything that's gone on on the space station," but 314 00:18:11,109 --> 00:18:16,100 it kind of takes after, you know, the history of log books on ships. 315 00:18:16,100 --> 00:18:19,979 So, kind of take us through this moment. 316 00:18:19,979 --> 00:18:22,649 Obviously, like, you have a mission on orbit. 317 00:18:22,649 --> 00:18:27,609 You're preparing your -- You've captured the Russian portion. 318 00:18:27,609 --> 00:18:28,830 You're getting ready. 319 00:18:28,830 --> 00:18:33,049 Kind of talk us through -- like, what's this like to finally, like, join these two and 320 00:18:33,049 --> 00:18:35,820 then allow it to become one, essentially? 321 00:18:35,820 --> 00:18:40,790 Well, you know, first off, watching Nancy lift the node out of the payload bay, she 322 00:18:40,790 --> 00:18:46,510 had an inch or less of clearance on each side, and she just -- I didn't know you could move 323 00:18:46,510 --> 00:18:47,510 the arm that slow. 324 00:18:47,510 --> 00:18:49,389 But, I mean, she did it so precisely. 325 00:18:49,389 --> 00:18:52,580 Had him take a shot where the camera was moving because Nancy was moving it so slow that it 326 00:18:52,580 --> 00:19:00,039 looked like a still photo every time I tried to take something. 327 00:19:00,039 --> 00:19:05,629 And then we lifted it up -- She lifted it up and positioned it over the docking station, 328 00:19:05,629 --> 00:19:08,919 and I fired the thrusters to bring the two pieces together. 329 00:19:08,919 --> 00:19:15,649 And then we used the docking system to drive them close and close the latches, and that 330 00:19:15,649 --> 00:19:18,000 mated Unity to the Orbiter. 331 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,549 Then, we did the rendezvous with the FGB. 332 00:19:21,549 --> 00:19:23,840 And it was a flawless rendezvous. 333 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:29,299 And we have all kinds of tools during the rendezvous -- the Ku band antenna on the Orbiter 334 00:19:29,299 --> 00:19:31,580 provides range and range rate. 335 00:19:31,580 --> 00:19:36,989 We had handheld lasers when we got in closer, shooting it to get range and range rate. 336 00:19:36,989 --> 00:19:43,840 The Orbiter, the computers on it, even after we upgraded, only had 256k of memory in each 337 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:51,809 one, so you're limited as to the -- They're very radiation-hardened computers, very reliable, 338 00:19:51,809 --> 00:19:56,239 and run extremely well, but we had to load software depending on which phase of the mission 339 00:19:56,239 --> 00:19:59,149 we were in because it wasn't all in the computer's capability. 340 00:19:59,149 --> 00:20:08,059 So, what we used to do to get more information available to us is we'd bring IBM 760 laptop 341 00:20:08,059 --> 00:20:14,159 -- 760XD computers onboard -- and we set up our own local area network pulling data off 342 00:20:14,159 --> 00:20:16,470 the PCMMU from the Orbiter. 343 00:20:16,470 --> 00:20:22,479 And one of the programs that we ran was called RPOP -- Rendezvous Proximity Operations Program. 344 00:20:22,479 --> 00:20:27,099 And Jim Newman, prior to being selected as an astronaut, used to train Rendezvous Proximity 345 00:20:27,099 --> 00:20:28,099 Operations. 346 00:20:28,099 --> 00:20:29,750 He was one of our trainers. 347 00:20:29,750 --> 00:20:32,259 And he actually wrote the programs for RPOP. 348 00:20:32,259 --> 00:20:36,499 So, I had that running, and that, it shows your rendezvous profile. 349 00:20:36,499 --> 00:20:40,909 It predicts where you're gonna go so you kind of know based on the jet firings, you know, 350 00:20:40,909 --> 00:20:41,909 how you're falling. 351 00:20:41,909 --> 00:20:45,899 And, of course, you've got guidance from the Orbiter itself. 352 00:20:45,899 --> 00:20:51,309 And then I got Jim Newman, who has trained people on all of this, you know, in my ear, 353 00:20:51,309 --> 00:20:52,659 "What do you think about a couple of ops? 354 00:20:52,659 --> 00:20:53,659 How about an in?” 355 00:20:53,659 --> 00:20:54,999 You know, so... 356 00:20:54,999 --> 00:20:58,340 Just suggestions, 'cause obviously you're in charge at this point. 357 00:20:58,340 --> 00:20:59,340 I'm in charge. 358 00:20:59,340 --> 00:21:04,889 So, I'm using my onboard internal Coleman filter to filter all this data that I have 359 00:21:04,889 --> 00:21:06,450 to do what I think is right for the rendezvous. 360 00:21:06,450 --> 00:21:08,070 And it went perfect. 361 00:21:08,070 --> 00:21:14,720 So, I flew the FGB right down into the payload bay, and I couldn't see out the windows because 362 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:15,929 the Node was in the way. 363 00:21:15,929 --> 00:21:19,940 After a certain point, I'm bringing it into the payload bay just relying on cameras. 364 00:21:19,940 --> 00:21:24,019 I had a center-line camera looking up at it and one on the end of the arm looking across 365 00:21:24,019 --> 00:21:25,359 at it. 366 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:29,580 And flew it down so it was stopped perfectly stable. 367 00:21:29,580 --> 00:21:32,889 The grapple fixture was three feet from the end of the arm. 368 00:21:32,889 --> 00:21:36,519 All Nancy Currie had to do was move that arm three feet and grab it, right? 369 00:21:36,519 --> 00:21:42,130 But we had to wait until we were over a Russian ground site to confirm that the FGB was in 370 00:21:42,130 --> 00:21:43,991 free drift before we grabbed it. 371 00:21:43,991 --> 00:21:48,330 'Cause you wouldn't want to grab ahold of it and have its flight control system still 372 00:21:48,330 --> 00:21:49,599 on, fighting the arm, right? 373 00:21:49,599 --> 00:21:50,599 Sure. 374 00:21:50,599 --> 00:21:58,119 And breaking the arm. 375 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:02,159 Got drift? 376 00:22:02,159 --> 00:22:12,769 We were wondering -- we seem to be moving pretty good here -- what the first ground 377 00:22:12,769 --> 00:22:13,769 site was over Russia where we could verify...and make sure everything's good. 378 00:22:13,769 --> 00:22:14,769 Bob, good question. 379 00:22:14,769 --> 00:22:15,769 Sally says we're verifying it as we speak. 380 00:22:15,769 --> 00:22:17,389 So, it's all stable, it's right there, and we're waiting to grab it. 381 00:22:17,389 --> 00:22:22,099 The orbiter -- It's hard to fly six degrees of Frenet at once. 382 00:22:22,099 --> 00:22:27,390 Pitch, roll, and yaw as well as the translations, you know, X, Y, and Z. 383 00:22:27,390 --> 00:22:32,409 So, we programmed the auto-pilot to maintain the attitude, pitch, roll, and yaw, and then 384 00:22:32,409 --> 00:22:37,549 all you have to worry about are the translations. 385 00:22:37,549 --> 00:22:38,549 Sure. 386 00:22:38,549 --> 00:22:42,149 So, it drifts slightly, and there's a deadband that it operates within, and when it reaches 387 00:22:42,149 --> 00:22:46,349 the edge of that deadband, the jets fire to center it back up again. 388 00:22:46,349 --> 00:22:52,450 When the jets fire, you don't always get a pure pitch, roll, and yaw. 389 00:22:52,450 --> 00:22:54,389 You get a roll-yaw coupling. 390 00:22:54,389 --> 00:22:55,389 Sure. 391 00:22:55,389 --> 00:22:56,389 Inertial coupling. 392 00:22:56,389 --> 00:22:59,820 Obviously, like, it's not like you're flying through the air. 393 00:22:59,820 --> 00:23:01,440 It's a very different game. 394 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,179 Yeah, but -- similar but different. 395 00:23:04,179 --> 00:23:10,289 So, what happens when you get this inertial coupling is instead of getting a pure pitch, 396 00:23:10,289 --> 00:23:13,960 roll, or yaw, you get a translation, also. 397 00:23:13,960 --> 00:23:15,609 And we hit a deadband, and this happened. 398 00:23:15,609 --> 00:23:19,479 All right, well, everything was stable, and we were just waiting to grab it. 399 00:23:19,479 --> 00:23:26,229 And so all of a sudden, this 45,000-pound mass FGB is moving into the payload bay and 400 00:23:26,229 --> 00:23:27,229 toward the arm. 401 00:23:27,229 --> 00:23:28,470 It's gonna hit us. 402 00:23:28,470 --> 00:23:31,929 And so I fired the jets to back away from it, and nothing happened. 403 00:23:31,929 --> 00:23:33,909 It's still coming to hit us. 404 00:23:33,909 --> 00:23:39,960 And you program the digital auto-pilot depending on the phase of the mission, and we were in 405 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:41,369 a very fine control. 406 00:23:41,369 --> 00:23:45,629 There's an A digital auto-pilot and a B that you've programmed, and I was in the B DAP 407 00:23:45,629 --> 00:23:47,309 for very fine control. 408 00:23:47,309 --> 00:23:52,049 Fortunately, I had enough sense to select the A DAP, get some more control power. 409 00:23:52,049 --> 00:23:54,379 And we were able to back away from it. 410 00:23:54,379 --> 00:24:01,919 And, you know, then that saved us there, and move back in, got all stable again, and we're 411 00:24:01,919 --> 00:24:04,360 ready to grab it once it was in free drift. 412 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:08,929 So, while all this was happening, you know, Jim, who had been very vocal throughout the 413 00:24:08,929 --> 00:24:13,460 entire rendezvous offering advice -- it was just dead silence in the cockpit, right? 414 00:24:13,460 --> 00:24:14,460 Nobody said anything. 415 00:24:14,460 --> 00:24:16,570 So, I'm assuming everybody's seeing this happen in real time. 416 00:24:16,570 --> 00:24:17,570 Oh, yeah, yeah. 417 00:24:17,570 --> 00:24:18,570 So everyone knows what's going on. 418 00:24:18,570 --> 00:24:24,080 When it was all over, I said, "Jim," I said, "...how come you didn't offer me any advice 419 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:25,080 when that happened?” 420 00:24:25,080 --> 00:24:26,700 He said, "Ohh, I know when to keep my mouth shut.” 421 00:24:26,700 --> 00:24:33,969 But that, you know, that was probably -- For me, that was the most challenging part of 422 00:24:33,969 --> 00:24:39,149 the whole mission, you know, being able to react to that and do the right thing. 423 00:24:39,149 --> 00:24:44,059 But once it was all stable again, we got over a Russian ground site, they said, "You're 424 00:24:44,059 --> 00:24:45,549 clear to grapple.” 425 00:24:45,549 --> 00:24:54,629 Nancy grabbed it, we lifted it up, positioned it over the top of the Node on the other pressurized 426 00:24:54,629 --> 00:24:57,460 mating adaptor -- PMA2. 427 00:24:57,460 --> 00:25:02,929 And this was a blind -- We didn't have anything where we could see precisely how we were aligned. 428 00:25:02,929 --> 00:25:08,269 We had a visual system that had dots that was supposed to help us, and we had camera 429 00:25:08,269 --> 00:25:15,809 views and stuff that we'd practiced a lot in the simulator, which is not always as exact 430 00:25:15,809 --> 00:25:17,620 as actually being in real life. 431 00:25:17,620 --> 00:25:18,620 Sure. 432 00:25:18,620 --> 00:25:22,719 We were able to position it, make sure it was in the right spot, fired the thrusters 433 00:25:22,719 --> 00:25:26,869 again, brought those two pieces together, and drove it tight. 434 00:25:26,869 --> 00:25:31,799 And at that point, we had the beginnings of the International Space Station. 435 00:25:31,799 --> 00:25:33,419 [ music ] 436 00:25:33,419 --> 00:25:40,419 Jim and Jerry went out subsequently on a couple of space walks connecting power and data connectors 437 00:25:40,419 --> 00:25:45,779 on the ISS, and then it came time for ingress. 438 00:25:45,779 --> 00:25:49,750 Prior to ingressing, Sergei and I activated the space station. 439 00:25:49,750 --> 00:25:58,759 We had another set of 760XD computers back on the aft flight deck where we sent the commands 440 00:25:58,759 --> 00:26:04,590 to power up and activate the International Space Station and get its systems working. 441 00:26:04,590 --> 00:26:14,130 And we'd spent hours in the software development facility in Houston -- Boeing, out at Sonny 442 00:26:14,130 --> 00:26:17,679 Carter -- testing the software. 443 00:26:17,679 --> 00:26:20,240 We found errors that were corrected. 444 00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:22,940 We did mission-essential integration tests at KSC. 445 00:26:22,940 --> 00:26:30,309 We spent hours down here at the Cape testing the Node software, hooked up to an emulator 446 00:26:30,309 --> 00:26:34,729 FGB, where we found more problems and corrected them. 447 00:26:34,729 --> 00:26:40,450 And when we got on orbit and sent those commands, I'm telling you, nobody was more surprised 448 00:26:40,450 --> 00:26:43,039 than me that everything worked perfect. 449 00:26:43,039 --> 00:26:44,109 Not one anomaly. 450 00:26:44,109 --> 00:26:49,309 I mean, it just -- every procedure that we went through -- We powered it up, and everything 451 00:26:49,309 --> 00:26:50,309 worked perfectly. 452 00:26:50,309 --> 00:26:59,600 But this is our goal -- it's building a space station and setting the pace for the future. 453 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:02,840 We're sure enjoying it up here. 454 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:07,159 It's extremely challenging, but it's also extremely rewarding. 455 00:27:07,159 --> 00:27:12,669 And when you get to look out the window and Zarya and Unity joined together and knowing 456 00:27:12,669 --> 00:27:13,669 that you get to go inside tomorrow, it's pretty awesome. 457 00:27:13,669 --> 00:27:20,480 And that set the stage for ingress into the FGB, which was on December 10, 1998. 458 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:29,409 And when it came time to enter the space station for the first time, I'd gotten a lot of questions 459 00:27:29,409 --> 00:27:31,230 from the media -- who's gonna be the first one inside? 460 00:27:31,230 --> 00:27:32,230 And I didn't tell anybody. 461 00:27:32,230 --> 00:27:33,899 I didn't even tell the crew. 462 00:27:33,899 --> 00:27:37,899 And when it came time to open the hatch, I said, "Sergei, get up here.” 463 00:27:37,899 --> 00:27:43,009 Cabana and Sergei Krikalev enter the module. 464 00:27:43,009 --> 00:27:45,320 Yeah, and there's video of this out there. 465 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:50,289 So, I mean, you can see literally, like, you're there at the passageway between these two 466 00:27:50,289 --> 00:27:51,289 modules... 467 00:27:51,289 --> 00:27:56,940 Commander Bob Cabana and Sergei Krikalev entering the module together. 468 00:27:56,940 --> 00:28:01,309 The first astronauts aboard the International Space Station in orbit. 469 00:28:01,309 --> 00:28:05,590 ...and you grab Sergei, and walk us through what happens. 470 00:28:05,590 --> 00:28:08,950 So, I believe that this is an international space station. 471 00:28:08,950 --> 00:28:12,320 We need to enter as an international crew. 472 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:19,289 So, every hatch we opened as we went from the airlock through the docking station into 473 00:28:19,289 --> 00:28:26,339 the pressurized mating adaptor into the Node, into PMA2, into the FGB, Sergei and I enter 474 00:28:26,339 --> 00:28:27,499 each one side-by-side. 475 00:28:27,499 --> 00:28:31,830 So, there was no first person in the International Space Station. 476 00:28:31,830 --> 00:28:34,499 I got to be the first American, and Sergei was the first Russian. 477 00:28:34,499 --> 00:28:39,229 But I thought that really important that we make that statement, that we enter as a international 478 00:28:39,229 --> 00:28:40,229 crew. 479 00:28:40,229 --> 00:28:45,279 And then when we'd finally ingressed through all the modules and we were into the FGB, 480 00:28:45,279 --> 00:28:51,099 we set up and we did a press conference from inside the FGB -- the first press conference 481 00:28:51,099 --> 00:28:52,989 from the International Space Station with the entire crew. 482 00:28:52,989 --> 00:28:53,989 It's unbelievable. 483 00:28:53,989 --> 00:28:54,989 If you've got live coverage, look at the volume Sergei is floating around in. 484 00:28:54,989 --> 00:29:05,789 We are so pleased and excited and proud to be a part of the team that made this happen. 485 00:29:05,789 --> 00:29:17,149 And our special thanks to all the hours, all the hard work. 486 00:29:17,149 --> 00:29:25,749 We remember when Unity was just an aluminum shell, and it is a truly fine piece of hardware. 487 00:29:25,749 --> 00:29:26,749 And just thanks to everybody in the Space Station program for all their hard work. 488 00:29:26,749 --> 00:29:30,109 And, man, we had a lot of work to do to get it ready. 489 00:29:30,109 --> 00:29:37,119 And Sergei, in addition to being on that flight, was also on the first crew to actually live 490 00:29:37,119 --> 00:29:39,879 on the International Space Station. 491 00:29:39,879 --> 00:29:45,529 The first crew that launched the space station -- that was in October of 2000. 492 00:29:45,529 --> 00:29:52,019 And Commander of the Soyuz was Yuri Gidzenko, and the commander of the space station was 493 00:29:52,019 --> 00:29:53,539 Bill Shepherd. 494 00:29:53,539 --> 00:29:58,249 And Sergei was the engineer on that flight. 495 00:29:58,249 --> 00:30:03,390 And we wanted to make sure that we got as much done to have it ready for when the crew 496 00:30:03,390 --> 00:30:06,200 arrived so that they wouldn't have as much work to do. 497 00:30:06,200 --> 00:30:13,339 So, we did everything that we had to do -- and most of what we were doing was removing launch 498 00:30:13,339 --> 00:30:14,340 constraint bolts. 499 00:30:14,340 --> 00:30:19,950 There were extra bolts and panels put in to make it strong enough to survive the launch, 500 00:30:19,950 --> 00:30:23,309 but were not required once it was on orbit, and they had to come out. 501 00:30:23,309 --> 00:30:28,330 So, we were moving all the launch restraint bolts and panels. 502 00:30:28,330 --> 00:30:30,969 We went into the FGB, and we cleaned all the filters. 503 00:30:30,969 --> 00:30:31,969 We opened up. 504 00:30:31,969 --> 00:30:34,660 You know, once the system started running and the fans were running to scrub the air 505 00:30:34,660 --> 00:30:40,849 and everything, any debris that didn't get caught on the ground was now on all the filters, 506 00:30:40,849 --> 00:30:45,989 so we cleaned all the filters in the modules and just continued to get stuff set up and 507 00:30:45,989 --> 00:30:48,789 ready for the crew. 508 00:30:48,789 --> 00:30:53,799 That night -- I had a rule that -- I had a couple crew members that really needed eight 509 00:30:53,799 --> 00:30:55,479 hours of sleep. 510 00:30:55,479 --> 00:31:01,529 So, on the middeck of the Orbiter, my rule was we're gonna darken ship on the middeck 511 00:31:01,529 --> 00:31:03,909 when it's sleep time, and you can stay up. 512 00:31:03,909 --> 00:31:05,269 You don't have to go to bed if you don't want to. 513 00:31:05,269 --> 00:31:12,029 You can sit up on the flight deck, look out the window, you know, send e-mails home, whatever, 514 00:31:12,029 --> 00:31:14,970 but you got to be quiet. 515 00:31:14,970 --> 00:31:17,759 And Jim Newman stayed up late. 516 00:31:17,759 --> 00:31:19,119 He was up on the flight deck. 517 00:31:19,119 --> 00:31:23,840 And this was when, you know, the crew had gone to bed. 518 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:25,200 We're docked to the space station. 519 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:27,619 The hatch is open and everything. 520 00:31:27,619 --> 00:31:29,719 And we slept on the Orbiter. 521 00:31:29,719 --> 00:31:34,830 And he wants to go look in the space station one more time before he goes to sleep. 522 00:31:34,830 --> 00:31:40,259 So, he goes down on the middeck, and he's being really quiet, you know, and where I 523 00:31:40,259 --> 00:31:44,309 was sleeping and Nancy Currie was sleeping, it was where the airlock used to be, and we 524 00:31:44,309 --> 00:31:45,599 had these big bags in there. 525 00:31:45,599 --> 00:31:49,039 We called them refrigerator bags, but it had all the stuff that we were taking up to space 526 00:31:49,039 --> 00:31:52,549 for the space station, leaving stuff on it and everything. 527 00:31:52,549 --> 00:31:56,659 And I was snuggled between two of them and she between two others, and he went between 528 00:31:56,659 --> 00:32:00,029 them in the middle, and he doesn't want to wake me, you know. 529 00:32:00,029 --> 00:32:04,380 And he goes into the airlock, turns the corner, and goes up into the space station, and who 530 00:32:04,380 --> 00:32:10,179 does he find but me and Sergei Krikalev in the space station. 531 00:32:10,179 --> 00:32:11,539 Hard to leave? 532 00:32:11,539 --> 00:32:12,539 It was. 533 00:32:12,539 --> 00:32:13,629 So, we were just doing work. 534 00:32:13,629 --> 00:32:17,469 We were just doing more -- and we were just talking about "What does this mean? 535 00:32:17,469 --> 00:32:21,210 What is the future of what we have done here?” 536 00:32:21,210 --> 00:32:22,289 And he joined us. 537 00:32:22,289 --> 00:32:28,749 And if you were on a -- We set up sleep shifts on the Orbiter, so it was like eight hours 538 00:32:28,749 --> 00:32:29,749 of sleep. 539 00:32:29,749 --> 00:32:34,339 So, think of it as I'm going to bed at 11:00 at night, and I'm getting up at 7:00 in the 540 00:32:34,339 --> 00:32:36,350 morning, all right? 541 00:32:36,350 --> 00:32:38,669 That's my eight hours of sleep. 542 00:32:38,669 --> 00:32:47,129 And I think it was finally about 4:00 in the morning, and I turned to Jim and Sergei and 543 00:32:47,129 --> 00:32:49,929 I said, "That's it, you know. 544 00:32:49,929 --> 00:32:50,929 We're done. 545 00:32:50,929 --> 00:32:51,929 We got to get some sleep. 546 00:32:51,929 --> 00:32:53,309 We got a really busy day tomorrow. 547 00:32:53,309 --> 00:32:57,960 We're gonna close things up, you know, and get ready for another EVA". 548 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,980 And so I made the three of us go to sleep. 549 00:33:00,980 --> 00:33:03,529 But that was a special night. 550 00:33:03,529 --> 00:33:10,269 I mean, it was just -- Just to be in the space station, spending all that time in there, 551 00:33:10,269 --> 00:33:15,869 making the log book entry, talking about what the future of this was, what it meant to be 552 00:33:15,869 --> 00:33:19,940 working together to lay the groundwork to establish a presence. 553 00:33:19,940 --> 00:33:27,769 And, you know, I look back now, and anybody that is 18 years old or younger in the world 554 00:33:27,769 --> 00:33:30,659 has never known a time that there weren't humans in space. 555 00:33:30,659 --> 00:33:35,429 Since October 2000, we've had a permanent crew on the International Space Station, and 556 00:33:35,429 --> 00:33:40,459 that's our destiny, is to establish that presence, to learn, to explore, to go beyond our home 557 00:33:40,459 --> 00:33:41,459 planet. 558 00:33:41,459 --> 00:33:42,459 Now, I just, you know -- It was pretty special. 559 00:33:42,459 --> 00:33:43,459 Words can't express it. 560 00:33:43,459 --> 00:33:47,629 It's unbelievable to be part of such a great program bringing all these counties together, 561 00:33:47,629 --> 00:34:05,999 working together in space for everybody's betterment, and just, you know, it's really 562 00:34:05,999 --> 00:34:09,579 outstanding hardware. 563 00:34:09,579 --> 00:34:14,619 It's just so nice inside. 564 00:34:14,619 --> 00:34:19,889 It's really nice to be in a new home. 565 00:34:19,889 --> 00:34:20,889 [ music ] 566 00:34:20,889 --> 00:34:23,460 We're celebrating 20 years of the International Space Station. 567 00:34:23,460 --> 00:34:29,740 So, looking ahead, more years of the space station, more years of NASA, what do the next 568 00:34:29,740 --> 00:34:31,450 20 to 60 years look like for us? 569 00:34:31,450 --> 00:34:32,450 What's the future? 570 00:34:32,450 --> 00:34:35,899 I look back on -- Our first 60 years were pretty darn amazing. 571 00:34:35,899 --> 00:34:36,899 Yeah. 572 00:34:36,899 --> 00:34:37,899 Right? 573 00:34:37,899 --> 00:34:38,980 And we have accomplished so much. 574 00:34:38,980 --> 00:34:41,210 But our next 60 years are gonna be better. 575 00:34:41,210 --> 00:34:46,879 You know, as amazing as the first 60 were, the next 60 are gonna be phenomenal. 576 00:34:46,879 --> 00:34:53,659 I mean, look at the changes just here at the Kennedy Space Center, how our multi-years 577 00:34:53,659 --> 00:34:55,919 of space board has grown and come to be. 578 00:34:55,919 --> 00:35:00,350 You know, and it's only gonna continue to grow. 579 00:35:00,350 --> 00:35:05,119 The gateway, the platform we're gonna put in orbit around the moon, it allows access 580 00:35:05,119 --> 00:35:07,230 to anywhere on the lunar surface. 581 00:35:07,230 --> 00:35:09,180 It'll be an international partnership. 582 00:35:09,180 --> 00:35:11,299 It's gonna be a commercial partnership. 583 00:35:11,299 --> 00:35:17,349 You know, people talk about commercial space and government space and new space and old 584 00:35:17,349 --> 00:35:20,550 space, and there's only one space, you know? 585 00:35:20,550 --> 00:35:26,740 And if we as a nation are gonna be successful, we need them all integrated together as one. 586 00:35:26,740 --> 00:35:33,700 And I just look forward to how we are working together and what we are accomplishing. 587 00:35:33,700 --> 00:35:35,410 And it's gonna be phenomenal. 588 00:35:35,410 --> 00:35:39,099 And then going on to Mars. 589 00:35:39,099 --> 00:35:42,650 I think we have an absolutely outstanding future in front of us, and we just need to 590 00:35:42,650 --> 00:35:47,339 continue to apply ourselves, and great things are gonna come. 591 00:35:47,339 --> 00:35:48,450 It's gonna be better. 592 00:35:48,450 --> 00:35:51,359 The next 60 are gonna be far better than the first. 593 00:35:51,359 --> 00:35:54,280 You often wonder, "Was I born too soon or too late? 594 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:57,380 Man, if I'd have been born sooner, maybe I could've gone to the moon" or "Man, if I were 595 00:35:57,380 --> 00:35:58,910 born later, maybe I could go to Mars.” 596 00:35:58,910 --> 00:36:04,039 But the bottom line is, we were all born for the right time for us in this life that we 597 00:36:04,039 --> 00:36:10,670 live, and I can't imagine not being here at the Kennedy Space Center right now, being 598 00:36:10,670 --> 00:36:14,500 part of this amazing team that is making history. 599 00:36:14,500 --> 00:36:20,069 And we're gonna look back years from now and say, "Wow, wasn't that an amazing time? 600 00:36:20,069 --> 00:36:21,650 Look what we put in place. 601 00:36:21,650 --> 00:36:23,859 Look what we made happen and where we are now". 602 00:36:23,859 --> 00:36:28,380 And that, to me, it's one of the most rewarding things ever. 603 00:36:28,380 --> 00:36:33,269 I don't want to overlook the fact that you are the Kennedy Space Center director. 604 00:36:33,269 --> 00:36:38,170 You are now actually the second longest-serving center director. 605 00:36:38,170 --> 00:36:44,240 I got a couple more years to go, and I'll be up there with Dr. Debus, but yeah, it's 606 00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:45,460 been a while. 607 00:36:45,460 --> 00:36:47,410 It's rewarding to me to see what we've accomplished. 608 00:36:47,410 --> 00:36:50,330 I got asked the other day, "Hey, what motivates you, Bob?” 609 00:36:50,330 --> 00:36:54,780 I challenged somebody that was in first, I said, "Well, what motivates you?” 610 00:36:54,780 --> 00:37:00,299 They were working on a project, and I was trying to get them to use what motivates them 611 00:37:00,299 --> 00:37:03,760 to be able to use for part of this project and build on it. 612 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:08,750 And they asked me the next day out of curiosity, "Well, what motivates you?” 613 00:37:08,750 --> 00:37:16,310 And I said, "What motivates me is being privileged to lead this awesome KSC team, to be able 614 00:37:16,310 --> 00:37:23,670 to walk into a space and see the smile on someone's face when you ask them what they're 615 00:37:23,670 --> 00:37:29,480 doing and they explain it to you and they share the joy and the work that they have.” 616 00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:31,190 That motivates me, you know. 617 00:37:31,190 --> 00:37:37,549 It's the success that we have had in our transition from shuttle to establish ourselves as this 618 00:37:37,549 --> 00:37:39,510 multi-user space port today. 619 00:37:39,510 --> 00:37:43,609 That success motivates me to want to do better and to even do more. 620 00:37:43,609 --> 00:37:49,900 You know, I'm motivated just driving over the Indian River Lagoon in the morning, seeing 621 00:37:49,900 --> 00:37:56,880 the sun come up over the Atlantic Ocean and being part of this amazing team at this beautiful 622 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:02,700 wildlife preserve that's the Kennedy Space Center. 623 00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:04,029 Very good. 624 00:38:04,029 --> 00:38:08,109 Thinking about the coming year, if you had to pick the one thing you're looking forward 625 00:38:08,109 --> 00:38:09,109 to the most – 626 00:38:09,109 --> 00:38:10,109 Commercial crew. 627 00:38:10,109 --> 00:38:11,109 No doubt. 628 00:38:11,109 --> 00:38:12,109 This is number-one priority. 629 00:38:12,109 --> 00:38:15,609 You know, everybody gets disappointed when they're not the number-one priority. 630 00:38:15,609 --> 00:38:17,779 'Cause everybody feels they're number-one. 631 00:38:17,779 --> 00:38:22,531 And programs feel slighted when you don't mention them, but the bottom line is, it's 632 00:38:22,531 --> 00:38:27,529 crucial to us to get a crew flying to the International Space Station on a US rocket 633 00:38:27,529 --> 00:38:28,720 from US soil. 634 00:38:28,720 --> 00:38:30,079 And I want to see that happen. 635 00:38:30,079 --> 00:38:34,630 And we've got -- right now, we're on track, you know. 636 00:38:34,630 --> 00:38:35,790 It can change. 637 00:38:35,790 --> 00:38:40,539 We're not gonna fly till we're ready to fly, but SpaceX is looking at an un-crewed demo 638 00:38:40,539 --> 00:38:45,829 flight in January with a crewed flight in June of next year, and Boeing is looking at 639 00:38:45,829 --> 00:38:49,730 an un-crewed flight in April with a crewed flight in August. 640 00:38:49,730 --> 00:38:55,789 I got asked, "Well, is there more pressure now that the Soyuz had the anomaly and the 641 00:38:55,789 --> 00:38:57,240 crew had to abort?” 642 00:38:57,240 --> 00:38:58,490 And the answer is no. 643 00:38:58,490 --> 00:39:01,270 The pressure was always on the commercial crew team. 644 00:39:01,270 --> 00:39:06,970 We can't work any harder or faster than we're already working, and we are not gonna do anything 645 00:39:06,970 --> 00:39:08,170 that is unsafe. 646 00:39:08,170 --> 00:39:11,130 We have procedures that we need to follow. 647 00:39:11,130 --> 00:39:17,849 We have criteria that need to be met, and we're are gonna ensure that as we work through 648 00:39:17,849 --> 00:39:21,869 the processes, that we meet those criteria, that we can certify this vehicle, and that 649 00:39:21,869 --> 00:39:26,130 when we fly, it's gonna be safe to fly and we understand the risk that we're taking. 650 00:39:26,130 --> 00:39:27,490 It will never be without risk. 651 00:39:27,490 --> 00:39:28,830 We are in a risky business. 652 00:39:28,830 --> 00:39:33,241 But we need to understand what the risk is, mitigate is as best as possible, and make 653 00:39:33,241 --> 00:39:36,660 sure that we're not taking undue risk. 654 00:39:36,660 --> 00:39:41,450 And I will feel a lot more comfortable on both of these vehicles when we have shown 655 00:39:41,450 --> 00:39:44,000 that we have a proven abort capability. 656 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:52,560 And as the Soyuz has shown, you know, capsules are very robust in an abort situation, much 657 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:54,350 more so than a winged vehicle. 658 00:39:54,350 --> 00:39:59,869 And I just want to make sure that, you know, if we don't always have mission success, we 659 00:39:59,869 --> 00:40:01,549 ensure that we take care of the crew. 660 00:40:01,549 --> 00:40:04,960 I don't want ever want to have to have another Challenger or Columbia. 661 00:40:04,960 --> 00:40:10,369 Yeah, and you mentioned that Soyuz mission, seeing the two crew members back on Earth, 662 00:40:10,369 --> 00:40:11,710 hugging family. 663 00:40:11,710 --> 00:40:15,099 That's a priceless moment, when you're like, "Man, this didn't go like we planned, but 664 00:40:15,099 --> 00:40:16,099 everybody's home". 665 00:40:16,099 --> 00:40:17,099 Amen. 666 00:40:17,099 --> 00:40:21,190 So, thinking about just the nature of this international partnership, I think something 667 00:40:21,190 --> 00:40:28,290 that people -- if they're aware of -- have no clue the full magnitude of how much we 668 00:40:28,290 --> 00:40:31,150 cooperate, especially when we're in space like that. 669 00:40:31,150 --> 00:40:34,529 And I think that especially now with kind of the way things are politically in the world, 670 00:40:34,529 --> 00:40:36,750 there's lots of tumultuous things, obviously. 671 00:40:36,750 --> 00:40:41,509 Just recently, we had an issue with the Soyuz launch where we had an American and a Russian 672 00:40:41,509 --> 00:40:42,509 on board. 673 00:40:42,509 --> 00:40:50,390 Both safe, but certainly, like, this very amazing bond that holds us together that really, 674 00:40:50,390 --> 00:40:54,150 from my perspective, there is no division when we're in space. 675 00:40:54,150 --> 00:40:56,099 Can you speak to -- Is that the reality? 676 00:40:56,099 --> 00:40:57,520 How does that happen? 677 00:40:57,520 --> 00:41:01,470 Like, how do you leave Earth and, like, everything becomes better? 678 00:41:01,470 --> 00:41:06,190 Because we have a common goal, and we depend on one another for our health and welfare. 679 00:41:06,190 --> 00:41:11,520 We're in a very harsh environment where everybody has to work together as a team to be successful. 680 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:14,090 And you can't have division. 681 00:41:14,090 --> 00:41:15,280 You have to have a common purpose. 682 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:17,550 You have to perform as a team. 683 00:41:17,550 --> 00:41:23,599 And, you know, more astronauts than I have said it -- when you look down on the Earth 684 00:41:23,599 --> 00:41:28,930 from 200 miles high, there are very few boundaries that you see. 685 00:41:28,930 --> 00:41:33,599 What you see is this beautiful blue jewel of a planet with its amazing continents and 686 00:41:33,599 --> 00:41:40,319 colors and thin little hazy line that's our atmosphere over the top of it. 687 00:41:40,319 --> 00:41:45,720 That's all that's protecting us from that harsh void of space with its ultraviolet radiation 688 00:41:45,720 --> 00:41:50,420 and extreme temperatures and hostility, if you will. 689 00:41:50,420 --> 00:41:54,610 And space is the darkest, blackest void you can possibly imagine. 690 00:41:54,610 --> 00:41:59,250 No black on Earth does it justice when you're on the sunlit side of the Earth. 691 00:41:59,250 --> 00:42:04,500 And so I think, you know, we look down on Earth and we see ourselves as humanity, not 692 00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:09,400 as citizens of any one country, but citizens of Planet Earth. 693 00:42:09,400 --> 00:42:10,579 And so we work together. 694 00:42:10,579 --> 00:42:17,369 We have a common goal, a common purpose, and it's larger than anything on Earth. 695 00:42:17,369 --> 00:42:22,769 As a pilot in the Marine Corps and as an astronaut, I've had the privilege of traveling all over 696 00:42:22,769 --> 00:42:28,240 the world and seeing a lot of different cultures and places and talking to a lot of different 697 00:42:28,240 --> 00:42:31,890 people, and we all want the same things, Josh. 698 00:42:31,890 --> 00:42:37,589 We want good things for our children, we want to provide for our families, we want health 699 00:42:37,589 --> 00:42:45,569 and happiness, and you know, I think in many ways, many, many ways, we are more alike than 700 00:42:45,569 --> 00:42:46,569 we are different. 701 00:42:46,569 --> 00:42:52,500 And what we need to focus on more is our alikeness and not our differences. 702 00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:59,500 Well, Bob, from your military service to then your service here with NASA for a very long 703 00:42:59,500 --> 00:43:02,380 time -- Bob, thanks for being here today. 704 00:43:02,380 --> 00:43:04,119 Absolutely my pleasure, Josh. 705 00:43:04,119 --> 00:43:07,530 Thanks for having me on the show. 706 00:43:07,530 --> 00:43:11,820 As Bob mentioned at the top of the show, from small beginnings, great things come. 707 00:43:11,820 --> 00:43:15,140 I'm Joshua Santora, and that's our show. 708 00:43:15,140 --> 00:43:16,890 Thanks for stopping by the Rocket Ranch. 709 00:43:16,890 --> 00:43:21,230 And special thanks to our guest -- Marine, pilot, astronaut, and center director Bob 710 00:43:21,230 --> 00:43:22,230 Cabana. 711 00:43:22,230 --> 00:43:28,049 To learn more about the International Space Station, go to nasa.gov/ISS. 712 00:43:28,049 --> 00:43:31,630 And please check out our other NASA podcast to learn more about what's happening at all 713 00:43:31,630 --> 00:43:35,880 of our NASA centers at nasa.gov/podcasts. 714 00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:41,309 A special shout-out to my colleagues -- our producer, John Sackman, sound man, Lorne Mathre, 715 00:43:41,309 --> 00:43:45,670 editor, Michelle Stone, and our production manager, Amanda Griffin.