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station this is houston are you ready

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houston we're ready

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new york daily news this is mission

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control houston please call station for

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a voice check

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station this is new york daily news how

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i hear you loud and clear how about us

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hear you

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perfectly

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all right

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so

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i am it's a tough time for america right

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now ron with the debt ceiling and two

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foreign wars

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you know lots of people down here are

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are beleaguered and losing a little bit

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of hope now i don't mean to start you

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off with a tough question

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but you're in a unique position as an

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american you know up there in space

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you're representing all of us and what's

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best in all of us

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and you have a great perspective you

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know being up there in space

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and i hate to start the interview like

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this but i don't have a lot of time but

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what would you say to your countrymen

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down here to try and keep their hopes up

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and and you know keep them

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keep them pushing ahead with the

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well i mean i would simply say our

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country has been through a lot of tough

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times uh you know with this is no

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exception and you know every single time

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without fail we've pulled through it

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stronger than we were before and we have

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a lot to be proud of uh we have a

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wonderful nation uh we have amazing

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accomplishments uh this is one of them

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this uh amazing facility here this

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research facility this orbital research

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facility is making a big difference on

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earth and uh and the united states of

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america has a big part of that and they

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made a big contribution to that not just

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you know it's not just for the the sake

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of science and research and space

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exploration but international

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cooperation this is you know 15 diverse

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nations working together to accomplish

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this this is a this is a really big deal

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this is a really big accomplishment and

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it's something that we should be really

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proud of ron talk directly to the

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american people

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would you say stay strong would you say

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what would you say you know keep keep

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i would say i would say do what we've

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done throughout the history of our

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nation and that's persevere through the

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tough times and to come out on the other

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side stronger than we were when we

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started and uh that's what we do that's

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what it is to be american

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tough times

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and stay the course

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and that's what we

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ron how do you feel about the end of the

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uh

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well i think it i'd like to look at it

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as a end of a chapter in our nation's

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history uh an end of the chapter in

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space exploration and

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what my hopes are and i think all of our

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hopes are is that by closing this

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chapter we are opening a new chapter and

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opening a new era in space exploration

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an error which will see us leaving low

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earth orbit and exploring our solar

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system

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and opening another one a chapter

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that will see us

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leaving our soul uh leaving our orbit

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and exploring our solar system

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great

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uh

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so i i understand why is it so important

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well i think space exploration is

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important in general and i think it's

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important to have people to have humans

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in space

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because uh for a number of reasons one

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is the from the uh the exploration part

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of it but also because of the research

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part of it i mean we are conducting

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experiments on board the international

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space station that will not only enable

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us to go further in our exploration of

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space but our make the experiments that

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are making a huge difference and will

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make a huge difference

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in improving life on planet earth

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everything from ways to to provide clean

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water more food more efficient

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fuel fuel efficiency and so you know the

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list goes on and on and on of the

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research that is being conducted in this

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very very unique place where you know a

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place where

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the research being conducted here simply

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cannot be conducted anywhere else

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we are conducting cannot be

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conducted

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anywhere else what is it like to be in

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well it's it's interesting uh it's you

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know your body takes a while to get used

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to it and you know the human body is an

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amazingly adaptive thing and right after

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you get here you your body realizes it

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doesn't it it's the heart doesn't have

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to work as hard uh you know the muscles

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don't have to work as hard the you don't

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need a skeleton anymore so you start to

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have changes in your body that

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necessarily aren't so good um start

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losing bone density muscle mass etc so

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there's things that we have to do to

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combat that that you know we have to do

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exercise and whatnot but but living and

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working in space i mean is is just

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absolutely wonderful you know i commute

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to work like i guess like superman would

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you know i just

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get out of my bed and i fly off to to my

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to my job so it's a you know we go from

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and the space station is enormous it's a

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it's a huge complex so to get from one

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place to the other we're just flying

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flying around so it's pretty pretty

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interesting and it's amazing how fast

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you adapt to that it's amazing how fast

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it just becomes second nature and you

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don't even think about it and then you

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wonder hey how did i just get from point

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a to point b and then you trace those

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steps and you see you know all the

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things that your entire body did not

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just your feet you know your hands and

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and your legs and everything else to get

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you from one place the other it's really

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it's it's really a neat adaptation

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ron any words i know you're a big giant

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fan for tom coughlin and eli and the

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bunch i mean we just football season's

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right around the corner

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what would you say to them talk directly

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to the to the game

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i

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and you'll

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come out stronger on the other end did

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you see derek jeter's 3000 hit by the

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i i did not uh see that of course i've

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heard obviously heard about it that's a

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wonderful accomplishment a great

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milestone and i wish i i wish i was able

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to see it but but no i'll get to see it

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what would you uh

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well just uh you know i like i try and

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do all the time tell them how much i

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love them and miss them and and how

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you know any any big accomplishment or a

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big endeavor like this requires a lot of

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support from the home front and uh

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this is

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there's no way that any of us could do

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what we do without tremendous support

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from home so just a lot of gratitude and

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thanks

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what's the thing that you missed the

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most ron

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besides your family and your wife and

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kids

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well you know it's it's interesting when

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i got ready to fly and i realized i was

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going to be up here for a long time i

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started noticing things like oh you know

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i i hear the sounds of the birds or i

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hear your smell smell the you know the

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flowers or whatever and i think you know

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what i'm going to spend six months

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without hearing that sound or smelling

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that smell and and you know we have a

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really really wonderful beautiful planet

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and uh you know i i just miss living on

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earth it's it's definitely my favorite

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planet and uh

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you know

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it's a wonderful wonderful place that we

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list the

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important question here you know ron i

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know you're a man of faith

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how does being on earth i mean how does

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being on the space station and seeing

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having that perspective of god's

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creation

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whatever you whatever you american

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believes in

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how does it influence your faith and and

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well i think it does i mean it does in a

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way that when i don't think it's

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possible to look at our earth from space

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without being moved in some way and when

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you get struck by the just the

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undescribable beauty the indescribable

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beauty of of our planet and you really

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feel this this this overwhelming

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gratitude that we've been given this

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incredible incredible gift and you know

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it fills you with some sadness though

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too when you think about how we've

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treated that gift and and you know all

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the problems that we have and you know i

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think you know the the even the hdtv

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doesn't do it justice to to see the view

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that we have here and to see um you know

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how fragile it is and to see that

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paper-thin atmosphere and to realize

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that's the only thing keeping us

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from the you know from that's the only

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thing keeping every living thing on our

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planet alive and how precarious it is

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and how fragile is and it's it's you

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know it's i i don't think you can help

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but be moved and be be have this feeling

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of gratitude of what we've been given if

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you see this with your own eyes and i

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wish everybody could and i wish

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everybody could see this with their own

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eyes so we're trying to do the best we

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can to help everybody see this through

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our eyes and to be able to describe it

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ron thanks so much pal

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sam here was great talking to you say hi

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to everybody back in new york especially

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station this is houston acr that

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concludes the new york daily news

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portion of the event please stand by for

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a voice check from kbtx tv

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station this is kbtx tv how do you hear

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station hears you loud and clear

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excellent guys uh the the aggie hat

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thank you very much we appreciate that

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no doubt about it

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all right here we go

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colonel mike fossum colonel ron garan we

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thank you very much for joining us this

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afternoon first off you two are in the

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midst of your first expeditions on the

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international space station six months

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each for you guys up there colonel

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fossum can you tell us a little bit

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about some of the research and the work

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we're in a period of transition right

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now on the space station uh with the

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departure of uh space shuttle atlantis a

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couple of weeks ago uh we've we've moved

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out of the assembly phase and into the

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utilization phase first step in that

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though is putting away the thousands of

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pounds of stuff that they brought up

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here and we began uh really turning up

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the heat this week on the on getting a

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lot of the facilities and in some cases

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it was literally turning the heat up

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begin activating a lot of the science uh

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science facilities you know i completed

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the first round in a plant growth

278
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experiment today where one uh a set of

279
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the plants were growing in zero gravity

280
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the other set we're growing in a

281
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centrifuge spinning in exactly the same

282
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temperature and conditions you know at

283
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1g to simulate being on earth funny to

284
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come up to space to simulate being on

285
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earth so that's just an example we're

286
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activating a furnace facility going

287
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through some of its stabilization

288
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checkouts right now and really from one

289
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end to the other we're bringing these

290
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systems up and online at the same time

291
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we're the guinea pigs for a lot of the

292
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studies ourselves where bones muscles

293
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those kind of things

294
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you gentlemen rode up on the

295
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russian ship it was the first time for

296
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that for you all can you talk about the

297
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differences between going up on a

298
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shuttle as compared to going up on a

299
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yeah you know really there is a there is

300
00:12:01,509 --> 00:11:59,360
quite a difference you know the space

301
00:12:03,190 --> 00:12:01,519
shuttle is this massive

302
00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:03,200
you know vehicle that you that you're

303
00:12:06,790 --> 00:12:05,360
riding inside and it's shaking and it's

304
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it's you know there's just just

305
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tremendous amount of force

306
00:12:13,509 --> 00:12:11,600
um the the soyuz on the other hand it's

307
00:12:15,030 --> 00:12:13,519
it's kind of it's it's as much smaller

308
00:12:17,190 --> 00:12:15,040
vehicle you're you're crammed in there

309
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really really tight uh and it's almost

310
00:12:21,110 --> 00:12:19,120
as if you're wearing it so you're

311
00:12:22,710 --> 00:12:21,120
wearing this spacecraft and and you're

312
00:12:24,230 --> 00:12:22,720
launching they're both wonderful

313
00:12:25,350 --> 00:12:24,240
experiences but they're very very

314
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different

315
00:12:29,350 --> 00:12:27,360
but the i guess the common theme between

316
00:12:31,829 --> 00:12:29,360
the two of them is you know it takes a

317
00:12:33,430 --> 00:12:31,839
lot of energy to get something into into

318
00:12:35,509 --> 00:12:33,440
orbit it takes you know you have to

319
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propel it to the velocity of five miles

320
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a second so

321
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you know that takes a lot of energy and

322
00:12:40,870 --> 00:12:39,680
a lot of force and in both cases you

323
00:12:42,710 --> 00:12:40,880
feel that there's a there's a lot of

324
00:12:44,389 --> 00:12:42,720
power behind you

325
00:12:45,750 --> 00:12:44,399
now colonel garren before he put the hat

326
00:12:47,829 --> 00:12:45,760
on i'm not sure if you were aware that

327
00:12:49,350 --> 00:12:47,839
colonel fossum was an aggie uh he may

328
00:12:51,350 --> 00:12:49,360
have made it abundantly clear in the

329
00:12:52,949 --> 00:12:51,360
last mission and the work that you guys

330
00:12:54,230 --> 00:12:52,959
have done on the expedition can you talk

331
00:12:59,350 --> 00:12:54,240
a little bit about how a guy from

332
00:13:04,870 --> 00:13:01,509
well well that's news to me i i had

333
00:13:06,550 --> 00:13:04,880
never known that mike was was an aggie

334
00:13:09,190 --> 00:13:06,560
but you know what we have in common is

335
00:13:11,430 --> 00:13:09,200
we're both aggie dads so uh you know

336
00:13:13,509 --> 00:13:11,440
we've we uh both have a great love of

337
00:13:15,430 --> 00:13:13,519
that uh university uh i didn't i didn't

338
00:13:16,870 --> 00:13:15,440
get to go to that university but uh we

339
00:13:19,190 --> 00:13:16,880
both have a great love

340
00:13:22,069 --> 00:13:19,200
yeah well

341
00:13:23,590 --> 00:13:22,079
i could be an aggie so but uh you know

342
00:13:25,910 --> 00:13:23,600
but to balance you know to balance the

343
00:13:28,069 --> 00:13:25,920
universe out though for in my personal

344
00:13:29,829 --> 00:13:28,079
uh family's point of view you know my

345
00:13:31,670 --> 00:13:29,839
aggies identical twin is also is a

346
00:13:32,829 --> 00:13:31,680
longhorn so we had to balance out the

347
00:13:36,389 --> 00:13:32,839
equation a little

348
00:13:38,069 --> 00:13:36,399
bit so that's a house divided and a

349
00:13:39,670 --> 00:13:38,079
family divided in a spaceship divided

350
00:13:41,189 --> 00:13:39,680
probably with that uh talk a little bit

351
00:13:43,269 --> 00:13:41,199
about colonel what you brought up aggie

352
00:13:48,150 --> 00:13:43,279
related besides the hat if you brought

353
00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:50,550
oh you bet i've got the uh i've got my

354
00:13:55,110 --> 00:13:52,800
12th man towel for uh foot when football

355
00:13:58,150 --> 00:13:55,120
season starts i've got some penance i've

356
00:13:59,430 --> 00:13:58,160
got uh an extra aggie ring with me for a

357
00:14:01,670 --> 00:13:59,440
very dear friend

358
00:14:03,990 --> 00:14:01,680
and uh so there's uh there's it happens

359
00:14:06,069 --> 00:14:04,000
to be a little bit of maroon up here

360
00:14:08,150 --> 00:14:06,079
now texas a m didn't land one of the

361
00:14:09,670 --> 00:14:08,160
retiring shuttles they bid for it but

362
00:14:11,269 --> 00:14:09,680
the engineering school is due to get a

363
00:14:12,949 --> 00:14:11,279
shuttle simulator colonel fossum what

364
00:14:14,790 --> 00:14:12,959
does that mean for the students and the

365
00:14:16,389 --> 00:14:14,800
instructors there and and how quickly

366
00:14:17,910 --> 00:14:16,399
are you going to be up to aggieland to

367
00:14:21,590 --> 00:14:17,920
help out once that simulator gets up and

368
00:14:25,430 --> 00:14:23,030
oh i can't wait to get back up to

369
00:14:27,110 --> 00:14:25,440
aggieland actually a trip to a m was one

370
00:14:28,790 --> 00:14:27,120
of the last things i did before i left

371
00:14:31,030 --> 00:14:28,800
houston to go to

372
00:14:32,710 --> 00:14:31,040
go to russia to complete the final

373
00:14:35,110 --> 00:14:32,720
preparations for launch out of

374
00:14:36,389 --> 00:14:35,120
kazakhstan made a quick run up to a m

375
00:14:38,949 --> 00:14:36,399
and i can't wait to get up there and see

376
00:14:40,470 --> 00:14:38,959
it i'm really excited that a m got the

377
00:14:42,310 --> 00:14:40,480
the shuttle simulator that's that

378
00:14:43,750 --> 00:14:42,320
simulator was a big part of our lives

379
00:14:46,550 --> 00:14:43,760
runs and mine together actually because

380
00:14:48,870 --> 00:14:46,560
we flew together on sts-124 three years

381
00:14:50,470 --> 00:14:48,880
ago so we spent a lot of time in that

382
00:14:52,870 --> 00:14:50,480
space shuttle simulator preparing for

383
00:14:55,030 --> 00:14:52,880
that mission and i think it's really

384
00:14:56,629 --> 00:14:55,040
exciting because the the students and

385
00:14:59,030 --> 00:14:56,639
faculty will have their hands on some

386
00:15:01,509 --> 00:14:59,040
real hardware that was a critical piece

387
00:15:03,110 --> 00:15:01,519
of our nation space program for

388
00:15:06,389 --> 00:15:03,120
for that particular piece of hardware

389
00:15:08,470 --> 00:15:06,399
for about 35 37 years so it's and it's

390
00:15:11,269 --> 00:15:08,480
it's real stuff and they can actually

391
00:15:13,670 --> 00:15:11,279
reprogram it to fly it as other vehicles

392
00:15:15,990 --> 00:15:13,680
and it'll be a great thing to use to

393
00:15:18,069 --> 00:15:16,000
learn with real hands-on

394
00:15:19,990 --> 00:15:18,079
you guys watch the last shuttle come up

395
00:15:22,150 --> 00:15:20,000
to you and then leave for earth one last

396
00:15:23,990 --> 00:15:22,160
time what did that mean to you too and

397
00:15:30,310 --> 00:15:24,000
has it even sunk in yet that the shuttle

398
00:15:33,670 --> 00:15:31,829
yeah i mean that was a that was

399
00:15:36,310 --> 00:15:33,680
bittersweet i mean we realized that we

400
00:15:38,629 --> 00:15:36,320
were witnessing history uh unfold before

401
00:15:40,949 --> 00:15:38,639
us we realized that you know a chapter

402
00:15:43,269 --> 00:15:40,959
of our nation's history a chapter of

403
00:15:44,949 --> 00:15:43,279
space exploration was closing but you

404
00:15:47,269 --> 00:15:44,959
know we are filled with confidence and

405
00:15:49,269 --> 00:15:47,279
optimism that you know that closing of

406
00:15:50,790 --> 00:15:49,279
that chapter uh leads to the opening of

407
00:15:52,870 --> 00:15:50,800
a new chapter and a new era of space

408
00:15:54,389 --> 00:15:52,880
exploration that will see us leaving low

409
00:15:55,910 --> 00:15:54,399
earth orbit and exploring the solar

410
00:15:58,470 --> 00:15:55,920
system

411
00:16:00,389 --> 00:15:58,480
now you two are both on twitter and

412
00:16:02,710 --> 00:16:00,399
you've been sending out messages and

413
00:16:03,910 --> 00:16:02,720
pictures from space uh colonel fossum

414
00:16:05,269 --> 00:16:03,920
you took some amazing shots that

415
00:16:06,710 --> 00:16:05,279
included the one with the northern

416
00:16:08,550 --> 00:16:06,720
lights going off in the sky you watched

417
00:16:09,910 --> 00:16:08,560
the shuttle go back to earth you took

418
00:16:11,670 --> 00:16:09,920
those pictures and you're sending those

419
00:16:13,269 --> 00:16:11,680
messages first off i guess how does

420
00:16:19,430 --> 00:16:13,279
social media change things for you guys

421
00:16:23,110 --> 00:16:21,189
oh it changes things because we're able

422
00:16:25,749 --> 00:16:23,120
to share the experience

423
00:16:27,990 --> 00:16:25,759
in almost real time and and that's just

424
00:16:29,670 --> 00:16:28,000
really really amazing you're not we're

425
00:16:30,470 --> 00:16:29,680
you're not limited and we're not limited

426
00:16:31,829 --> 00:16:30,480
to

427
00:16:33,509 --> 00:16:31,839
you know the short interviews that we're

428
00:16:35,350 --> 00:16:33,519
able to do like this because we don't

429
00:16:37,269 --> 00:16:35,360
have time but sometime in our spare time

430
00:16:38,949 --> 00:16:37,279
we can put together our thoughts send

431
00:16:41,670 --> 00:16:38,959
out pictures and our thoughts associated

432
00:16:43,350 --> 00:16:41,680
with those and and we're really i think

433
00:16:45,509 --> 00:16:43,360
we both feel a deep sense of history

434
00:16:47,509 --> 00:16:45,519
that we're we're in the closing pages of

435
00:16:49,110 --> 00:16:47,519
a 30-year history you know of the

436
00:16:50,629 --> 00:16:49,120
shuttle program and we're very very

437
00:16:52,790 --> 00:16:50,639
fortunate to have lived through this

438
00:16:55,509 --> 00:16:52,800
time but recognizing also that most of

439
00:16:57,670 --> 00:16:55,519
america most of the country only knows

440
00:16:59,590 --> 00:16:57,680
us as a country that flies space

441
00:17:01,110 --> 00:16:59,600
shuttles on a fairly routine basis with

442
00:17:04,630 --> 00:17:01,120
a lot of people coming and going from

443
00:17:06,470 --> 00:17:04,640
space and that chapter is has has ended

444
00:17:09,270 --> 00:17:06,480
and so it's going to be very interesting

445
00:17:11,110 --> 00:17:09,280
to see how things move in the in the you

446
00:17:12,949 --> 00:17:11,120
know years to come

447
00:17:14,630 --> 00:17:12,959
now the last time you two were in space

448
00:17:16,470 --> 00:17:14,640
you were joined on a discovery by

449
00:17:18,309 --> 00:17:16,480
captain mark kelly and obviously the

450
00:17:20,150 --> 00:17:18,319
tucson shooting and his wife's injuries

451
00:17:21,429 --> 00:17:20,160
they had an impact on the entire nation

452
00:17:24,630 --> 00:17:21,439
can you guys give some perspective

453
00:17:26,949 --> 00:17:24,640
though on how that incident and and

454
00:17:31,590 --> 00:17:26,959
mark's going through that impacted the

455
00:17:34,789 --> 00:17:33,110
well i think you hit the nail on the

456
00:17:36,950 --> 00:17:34,799
head it is a nasa family and i've still

457
00:17:39,430 --> 00:17:36,960
got my uh peace love gabby bracelet on

458
00:17:41,350 --> 00:17:39,440
uh in support of her recovery uh and in

459
00:17:43,190 --> 00:17:41,360
support of the the other victims of that

460
00:17:45,909 --> 00:17:43,200
terrible tragedy and

461
00:17:47,590 --> 00:17:45,919
um yeah we we all felt that

462
00:17:50,470 --> 00:17:47,600
gabby is a dear friend of all of ours

463
00:17:52,470 --> 00:17:50,480
and uh and not not just that i mean

464
00:17:54,310 --> 00:17:52,480
she's done a tremendous amount of uh

465
00:17:56,549 --> 00:17:54,320
work for the for her space program she's

466
00:17:58,150 --> 00:17:56,559
been a big uh proponent of our space

467
00:17:59,590 --> 00:17:58,160
program she believes how critically

468
00:18:01,750 --> 00:17:59,600
important space exploration is to the

469
00:18:03,110 --> 00:18:01,760
future of not only our country but the

470
00:18:05,350 --> 00:18:03,120
world

471
00:18:09,750 --> 00:18:05,360
and you know that all affected us all

472
00:18:15,350 --> 00:18:12,710
the next trip for aggieland uh

473
00:18:16,870 --> 00:18:15,360
to aggieland for an aggie dad and an

474
00:18:22,390 --> 00:18:16,880
aggie when are you guys next planning on

475
00:18:25,830 --> 00:18:23,909
well i'm going to be going to a football

476
00:18:27,669 --> 00:18:25,840
game for sure i don't know mike won't be

477
00:18:28,789 --> 00:18:27,679
back we'll be back in time okay he'll be

478
00:18:30,630 --> 00:18:28,799
back in time

479
00:18:31,830 --> 00:18:30,640
yeah i'll be i'll be back by the uh by

480
00:18:33,990 --> 00:18:31,840
the end of football season and look

481
00:18:35,430 --> 00:18:34,000
forward to getting back up there to see

482
00:18:36,710 --> 00:18:35,440
my son and a lot of good friends up

483
00:18:38,230 --> 00:18:36,720
there

484
00:18:39,510 --> 00:18:38,240
well when you guys come back we'd love

485
00:18:41,830 --> 00:18:39,520
to spend some time with you as well but

486
00:18:43,990 --> 00:18:41,840
for now uh have a fantastic rest of the

487
00:18:50,390 --> 00:18:44,000
mission and your message for aggieland

488
00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,990
gigger maggies

489
00:18:56,310 --> 00:18:55,110
thank you gentlemen very much we

490
00:19:00,549 --> 00:18:56,320
appreciate it and we'll see you when

491
00:19:00,559 --> 00:19:04,390
thank you very much

492
00:19:09,270 --> 00:19:06,870
station this is houston acr thank you

493
00:19:11,750 --> 00:19:09,280
that concludes the event

494
00:19:13,830 --> 00:19:11,760
thank you new york daily news and kbtx