GOING TO BE AMPLIFIED.
IT WILL BE CHALLENGING WHEN THEY
COME BACK HOME.
>> PEGGY, TALK ABOUT THIS
MISSION BEING OPEN-ENDED.
I AM NOT AS A BIG GEEK AS BRIAN,
I’VE READ EVERYTHING THAT’S
AVAILABLE TO LAYPERSON.
IT’S ONLY IN THE SCI-FI THAT
THINGS HAVE AN OPEN-ENDED FEEL.
>> IDEALLY, WITH CHRIS CASSIDY
THE ONLY CREW MEMBER ONBOARD THE
STATION, WE’RE GETTING A LOT
LESS SCIENCE DONE AS A SOLO GUY,
BUT HAVING ADDITIONAL PEOPLE
ONBOARD WILL BENEFIT THAT.
BUT THE PRIMARY MISSION IS TO
TEST FLIGHT.
WE GOT TO GET THEM UP AND BACK
DOWN AND WE SEE HOW THE VEHICLE
HANDLES WHILE IT’S ON ORBIT,
THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE
PRETTY FLEXIBLE ABOUT HOW LONG
THE MISSION IS GOING TO BE, AND
THESE GUYS ARE.
THEY’RE BOTH, YOU KNOW, PRETTY
LAIDBACK GUYS AND THEY CAN
HANDLE THIS FLEXIBILITY NOT
KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT WHEN THE
MISSION WILL END, SO IT WON’T BE
A PROBLEM TO THEM, I DON’T
THINK.
>> PEGGY, THERE’S NO POLITE WAY
TO PUT MY QUESTION, TO THOSE OF
US WHO ARE OLD ENOUGH TO BE
AROUND AND ALIVE AND ENDURE WHAT
WILL ALWAYS BE KNOWN AS THE
SPACE RACE, WITH THEN THE
SOVIETS, HAVE FOUND IT A LITTLE
TOUGH TO TAKE FOR ALMOST A
DECADE THEY’VE BEEN OUR RIDE,
THERE’S BEEN NO OTHER WAY TO GET
AMERICANS UP TO THE MAGNIFICENT
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND
I’LL TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO
REMIND ESPECIALLY PARENTS OF
LITTLE KIDS, SIGN UP FOR SPOT
THE STATION ON YOUR PHONE WHEN
IT FLIES OVER YOUR ZIP CODE
YOU’LL GET AN ALERT AND IT’S ONE
OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS TO
DO ON A CLEAR NIGHT.
BUT, PEGGY, IT MUST FEEL GOOD TO
FINALLY HAVE A HOMEGROWN RIDE TO
SPACE?
>> WELL, IT IS AN EXTREMELY
IMPORTANT FACTOR.
NASA IS ALL ABOUT HAVING REDONE
DID DANSYS.
RIGHT NOW WE DON’T HAVE ONE.
IT PUT US AT A HUGE
DISADVANTAGE.
HAVING THAT REDUNDANCY OF HAVING
THE SOYUZ THERE TO LAUNCH OUR
CREWS ENABLED US TO CONTINUE THE
SPACE STATION, THE CONSTRUCTION
DROPPED OFF DRAMATICALLY
OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE WE DIDN’T HAVE
THE SHUTTLE CARRYING UP THE
PIECES AND PARTS TO BUILD IT.
BUT SPACE STATION AND OUR CREWS
GOING TO ORBIT DID THAT.
AND REDUNDANCY WAS IMPORTANT.
AND THE REDUNDANCY NEEDS TO
INCLUDE MORE THAN JUST SPACEX,
WE NEED MORE CAPABILITY HERE
FROM THE UNITED STATES.
WE ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE THAT
REDUNDANCY AND I THINK, YOU KNOW
FOR FUTURE COMMERCIALIZATION OF
SPACE IT’S GOING TO BE NECESSARY
TO HAVE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE
TAKING FOLKS TO ORBIT IN ORDER
TO KEEP THAT INTEREST AND KEEP
EXPLORATION MOVING FORWARD.
>> WE’RE ALSO JOINED BY ANOTHER
VETERAN OF THE SPACE PROGRAM,
ASTRONAUT CLAYTON ANDERSON A
VETERAN OF 167 DAYS IN SPACE,
INCLUDING A GOOD CHUNK OF TIME
ONBOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION AND A GOOD CHUNK OF TIME
OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,
THOUGH TETHERED WALKING IN SPACE
AND DOING EXTERNAL MISSIONS.
CLAYTON, SAME QUESTION I HAD FOR
PEGGY, WERE YOU EVER PART OF A
LAUNCH THAT WAS SCRUBBED, HURRY
UP TO ONLY BE DELAYED?
>> AMAZINGLY ENOUGH, BRIAN, IT’S
GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, NOTHING
WAS SCRUBBED, EVERY SINGLE
LAUNCH THAT WAS ASSOCIATED WITH
MY TIME IN 2007 WENT OFF EXACTLY
ON TIME.
EVERY SINGLE ONE.
>> WOW.
I WONDER IF YOU COULD WORK FOR
AMTRAK?
>> CLAYTON, AGAIN, THIS IS A
TERRIBLY COMPLEX ISSUE FOR YOU,
BUT JUST FOR US LAY PEOPLE, TALK
ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT THIS IS AS A
SIGHT TO BE HOLD THERE AT THE
CAPE, COMPARED TO THE GIRTH OF
THE SOLID ROCKET BOOSTERS THAT
WE CAME TO KNOW AS ICONICALLY
REPRESENTING THE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM, THIS COULD NOT BE MORE
DIFFERENT, IT LOOKS LIKE IF
TESLA DESIGNED A SPACESUIT THIS
WOULD BE IT AND INDEED THEY’VE
BEEN CALLED STORMTROOPERS.
IT’S A LOT TO GET USED TO?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN I
CLIMBED ON THE SHUTTLE IT’S LIKE
ME CLIMBING INTO A 1972 PICKUP
TRUCK AND THEY CLIMBED TODAY
INTO A TESLA 2020 ROADSTER.
THE UPGRADES IF TECHNOLOGY I
CERTAINLY HOPE MADE THEIR
TRAINING EASIER AND MAKES IT
EASIER FOR THEM TO DEAL WITH
ISSUES SHOULD ANY ARISE.
I’M VERY EXCITED FOR THEM AND
GOING AGAIN SATURDAY I HOPE THEY
GET A CHANCE TO PLAY WITH THE
TOYS.
>> ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HEADING INTO SPACE ON AN ELON
MUSK-ASSOCIATED MISSION AND THE
KINDS OF MISSIONS THAT YOU WERE
INVOLVED IN, IS THERE ANY SORT
OF -- DOES ONE REPRESENT THE
FUTURE, HIS PERSONALITY CHANGE
ANYTHING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE DO
YOU THINK?
>> I THINK SO.
I THINK ELON MUSK IS A GUY THAT
I WOULD NEVER BET AGAINST AND I
THINK HE BRINGS A NICE,
AGGRESSIVENESS TO THE SITUATION
TO THE DEVELOPMENT -- HE PUSHES
TO BE AGGRESSIVE AND DO NEW
THINGS.
AND, YOU KNOW, A GOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATION LIKE TAMAS SASHGS
WE WERE MORE SLOW AND PLODDED
ALONG OCCASIONALLY.
I THINK A GUY LIKE ELON AS A
COMMERCIAL COMPANY HE DOESN’T
HAVE TO JUMP THROUGH AS MANY
HOOPS AND HE CAN MAKE THINGS
HAPPEN FASTER.
OF COURSE, SAFETY’S ALWAYS A
CONCERN, BUT I THINK HE
UNDERSTANDS THAT VERY WELL AND
