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Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will make history
when they break the bond from Earth in a SpaceX

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Crew Dragon capsule that's never been flown
by humans before.

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But find out how the strong bond of friendship
they share gives them the edge in space.

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Next on the Rocket Ranch.

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EGS Program Chief Engineer, verify no constraints
to launch…

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3, 2, 1, and lift off.

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Welcome to space.

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Along with launch crews from NASA and SpaceX,
astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have

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been very busy preparing for space flight.

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They will be the first humans to fly to the
International Space Station from right here

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at the Kennedy Space Center since the Space
Shuttle retired in 2011.

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We caught up to them on a very windy day out
at historic pad 39A to talk about the historic

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mission, their friendship, and how their families
are coping with the risk of their space flight.

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Guys, we're standing in the shadow of a Falcon-9
rocket and a capsule that will be just like

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this when you guys fly.

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What are you feeling right now as you stand
here and gaze upon this rocket and spacecraft?

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It's really exciting for us to get down here
and actually see each of these tests as we

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go forward, and to see the progress.

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When we came down for Demo-1, we walked
out in the pad, but we did it in our flight

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suits like we're dressed right now.

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Today when we went out to the pad, we actually
wore the SpaceX suit and went through that

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entire exercise, all suited up, just like
we will for Demo-2.

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And so pretty high fidelity simulation, but
when we do it next time, there won't be two

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mannequins in our seats when we get there.

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The space will be empty and we'll get a chance
to do it.

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So it definitely makes it a little bit more
routine, which is how you really want launch

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day to be; you want to know what you're getting
yourself into, and then to go execute it.

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And so this just was one more of those steps
along the way to get to that point.

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It's certainly exciting.

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I mean, we were here for DM1; that was exciting,
kind of going through the whole process there,

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watching it launch and go to station.

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We got out to Hawthorne for the recovery of
that vehicle.

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Being here, doing another dress rehearsal
for our launch day, in conjunction with IFA,

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has been great.

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A unique aspect of this test flight is the
two of you guys were best friends; known each

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other for a long time.

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You both graduated in the same astronaut class
in 2000, and you both married astronauts and

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were in each other's wedding.

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What's that like, having a best friend that's
flying with you on this test flight?

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Yeah, a good question.

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I think for me, I remember John Young saying
this a lot more than once, "It's not what

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you do in space; it's who you do it with."

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And this is really neat, to be able to fly
with your best friend into space.

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You never think it's going to happen; obviously
we've had it happen over the years, I think

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folks that were close friends have flown together
before, but it's a neat experience.

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And then to add on top of it, the fact that
it's the first flight of a vehicle, is pretty neat.

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We consider ourselves pretty lucky.

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I think, in addition to the perks of being
with a close friend, of course, and being

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with your best friend, there's the other piece
that we know what each other thinks about

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just about everything. And so we can...

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Too much.

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...think ahead in terms of what
the other person is going to need, or what

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the other person is going to want, anticipate
the next input, all those sorts of things,

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which really, in a test flight like this,
goes a long way.

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You can really anticipate the other person's
reactions versus to have a, "Well, I don't

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know, Doug.

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How do you feel about the next series of events?"

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I already know the answers to those questions,
and it makes a big difference when you're

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doing something as critical as space flight.

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So one of you is for redundancy, then?

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Yeah, mostly.

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When both of you flew Space Shuttle, it had
already had a hundred flights under the belt

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of the program.

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It was a well-oiled machine.

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This is the first time that this will be flown
by humans.

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So what's the difference, in terms of mindset?

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You know, one of the things that...

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Folks often will look at the shuttle and talk
about the history, and how much practice we

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had before we launched those vehicles when
our opportunities came.

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It's really good, with this vehicle, that
the Falcon-9 has such a long heritage, and

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has so many flights under its belt.

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Even with the block five configuration that
will be the crew configuration, multiple flights

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flying in that configuration before we get
on board.

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And so that team is using the same people,
and it's a very well-oiled machine on that end.

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And then on the cargo side, several cargo
missions, of course, way into the double digits

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for heading to space station at this point,
it really gives you confidence that those

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teams are actually pretty well-oiled and pretty
experienced as they come together to try to

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do this with humans on board.

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So the step is not quite as big as it might
necessarily appear, because the team has worked

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so hard to make that operation for Falcon-9,
for everybody, be so similar, and then the

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cargo mission history leading into the crew
missions.

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Yeah, it's almost like the vehicle is now
talking back sometimes.

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And I think that's one of the biggest things
for SpaceX, as a company, needing to get used

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to, is just kind of what we would say and
what we're seeing in the vehicle and experiencing,

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and what they need to say back to us.

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Because obviously, with Cargo Dragons, they've
never had crew on board.

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But it's been an interesting process, kind
of developing not only the training, but the

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simulations, and then obviously the final
exam will be DM2.

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Both of you guys helped develop this spacecraft;
is there anything that has your signature

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on it, like Bob designed that little knob,
or Doug helped make that screen that way?

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We've tried very hard to not make it a vehicle
that just Bob likes, or just Doug likes.

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This is a vehicle for everybody after us that's
going to fly it.

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And so you have to provide those inputs in
that vein, I think is the best way to put it.

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And you're trying to make a vehicle that is
easy to operate in space, easy to interpret

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what it's telling you, easy to get in and
get out of it, all those things that you need

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to do that need to be well-oiled for a space
vehicle.

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We're trying to add our inputs that helps
everybody who flies this vehicle.

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Both of you married astronauts.

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I'm wondering if, when you get ready to help
your family understand the risk that you're

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taking here with this test flight, if it's
any easier knowing that both of your spouses

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were astronauts, and they understand very
well the risk that goes with this?

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One of the things I think that we're really
lucky to have is spouses that really understand

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the situations that we're going to be in.

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They understand what our role has been as
we've worked with the folks out in Hawthorne,

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as we traveled down here to go through an
exercise.

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They understand what it's like to be at the
other end of this camera and answer questions

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with you.

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And so that goes a long way to kind of shortening
how much you have to communicate where the

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other person, how their day went, and things
along those lines.

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I think if the spouses don't have as similar
of a career background, it seems like it could

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be difficult.

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I only have the one experience, and I think
it would be difficult for me, as a person,

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to really convey the challenges that I have
on a given day, or why I'm confident on a

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given day, or celebrate the successes the
same way if my spouse didn't understand them

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as deeply as having an astronaut spouse does.

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And so it's kind of like...

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And our son only knows it one way, as well.

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He's got two parents that fly in space, and
so that's probably better than, I have one

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that does and one that doesn't.

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It works out really well for us.

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And I think, just like any other family, you
share the ups and downs.

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We've been doing this for coming up on five
years as commercial crew astronauts, so they

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haven't all been great days, but some have
been really great days.

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And I think that's just part of it.

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You just try to keep them in the loop as much
as possible, just like you would in any other

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career path.

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So I think they appreciate that, but, by the
same token, they certainly understand it to

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a greater detail because of what they do,
as well.

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Doug and Bob, we wish you great success on
your first test flight, and thank you for

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taking the time to talk with us.

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You bet.

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Thank you.

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I'm Derrol Nail, and that's our show.

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And thanks for stopping by the Rocket Ranch.

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A special thanks to our guests, Doug Hurley
and Bob Behnken.

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To learn more about NASA's Commercial Crew
Program, visit nasa.gov, and to learn more

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about everything going on at Kennedy, go to
nasa.gov/Kennedy.

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And check out NASA's other podcasts to find
out what's happening there at the Centers

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at nasa.gov/podcasts.

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A special shout-out to our producer, John
Sackman, photographer Glenn Benson, soundman,

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Kim Shiflett, and our editor, Michelle Stone.