>> Sreenivasan: JUST BEFORE 3:00
A.M. TODAY, A SPACEX ROCKET
CARRYING A CAPSULE KNOWN AS
"CREW DRAGON" LIFTED OFF FROM
THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER IN
FLORIDA.
THE CAPSULE IS DESIGNED FOR
ASTRONAUTS, BUT, ON THIS
MISSION, IT'S CARRYING ONLY A
SO-CALLED "SMART DUMMY" NAMED
RIPLEY, DESIGNED TO GATHER DATA
ABOUT HOW THE FLIGHT MIGHT
AFFECT HUMAN OCCUPANTS.
THE "CREW DRAGON" IS NOW IN
ORBIT AND WILL ATTEMPT TO DOCK
WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION TOMORROW.
IF SUCCESSFUL, IT COULD MEAN
NASA WILL USE PRIVATELY BUILT
SPACECRAFT FOR FUTURE MISSIONS
AS SOON AS THIS SUMMER.
JOINING US NOW FROM NEW ORLEANS,
WHERE SHE'S BEEN MONITORING
"CREW DRAGON," IS LOREN GRUSH,
SENIOR SCIENCE REPORTER FOR "THE
VERGE."
WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG DEAL?
>> YOU KNOW, SINCE THE SPACE
SHUTTLE PROGRAM ENDED IN 2011,
NASA HAS ONLY REALLY HAD ONE
OPTION FOR GETTING ITS
ASTRONAUTS TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION, AND THAT HAS BEEN
THE RUSSIAN SOYUZ ROCKET.
AND IT'S NOT BEEN A GREAT
ARRANGEMENT BECAUSE IT'S
EXPENSIVE.
IT COSTS NASA $81 MILLION PER
SEAT TO GET JUST ONE ASTRONAUT
TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
AND IT'S LIMITING.
WE ONLY HAVE THAT ONE OPTION, SO
IF THE SOYUZ WERE TO GO OUT OF
COMMISSION, THEN WE WOULDN'T
HAVE A WAY TO GET OUR ASTRONAUTS
INTO SPACE.
BUT WITH THE THE COMMERCIAL CREW
PROGRAM, IT'S ABOUT BRINGING THE
HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT PROGRAM BACK
TO AMERICA.
THESE CAPSULES ARE BUILT BY U.S.
COMPANIES, AND WHEN THEY LAUNCH
PEOPLE, IT WILL BE THE FIRST
TIME SINCE THE SPACE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM THAT NASA ASTRONAUTS
HAVE LAUNCHED FROM AMERICAN SOIL
ON AMERICAN-MADE VEHICLES ONCE
AGAIN.
>> Sreenivasan: WHEN WE SAW
THIS ROCKET LIFT OFF, IT WAS
KIND OF A THROWBACK.
I MEAN, THESE CAPSULES LOOK LIKE
THE CAPSULES THAT WE SAW IN THE
EARLY PARTS OF THE SPACE
PROGRAM.
THEY WERE KIND OF DESIGNED TO DO
ONE THING VERSUS A SPACE
SHUTTLE, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO
DO LOTS OF THINGS.
>> WHEN IT COMES TO HOW TO BUILD
A CAPSULE, THERE'S REALLY A GOOD
DESIGN FOR HOW TO LAUNCH INTO
SPACE AND THEN HOW TO BRING IT
BACK AGAIN.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE CAPSULE DESIGN
IS KIND OF DICTATED BY, YOU
KNOW, THE BEST WAY TO GET TO AND
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
BUT, YES, IT IS QUITE
REMINISCENT OF THE EARLY
CAPSULES THAT WE USED TO BUILD.
>> Sreenivasan: IS THERE A
LONGER TERM VISION HERE?
IF THIS GOES WELL-- AND, AGAIN,
THIS IS A BIG "IF."
I MEAN, THIS IS JUST PART ONE.
SO, I GUESS, LET ME JUST TALK
ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT.
GETTING INTO SPACE WASN'T THE
HARD PART.
THERE ARE A COUPLE OF KIND OF
INTRICATE MANEUVERS THAT HAVE TO
HAPPEN.
USUALLY, THE SPACE STATION
REACHES OUT AND GRABS WHATEVER
IS COMING TO IT, BUT THIS IS
SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN
AUTOMATICALLY?
>> RIGHT.
SO, A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
THIS CAPSULE AND THE "DRAGON"
CARGO CAPSULES THAT SPACEX HAS
BEEN SENDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
SINCE 2010, THOSE ARE BURSTS TO
THE I.S.S., WHICH MEANS THAT,
YES, A ROBOTIC ARM OPERATED BY A
CREW MEMBER GRABS THE CAPSULE
AND THEN BRINGS IT ON TO THE
SPACE STATION WHERE IT IS THEN
ATTACHED.
BUT THESE CAPSULES AUTOMATICALLY
DOCK, SO THEY USE A SERIES OF
LASERS AND SENSORS TO FIND A
DOCKING PORT ON THE OUTSIDE OF
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
AND THEN IT JUST AUTOMATICALLY
MOVES TOWARD IT, AND THEN
ATTACHES ON ITS OWN.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT SPACEX
HAS NEVER DEMONSTRATED BEFORE,
SO IF THEY CAN PULL OFF THAT
MANEUVER, WHICH IS SLATED FOR
TOMORROW, THEN THAT'S GOING TO
BE A VERY BIG DEAL BECAUSE
THAT'S GOING TO BE HOW THEY
BRING ASTRONAUTS TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IN
THE FUTURE.
>> Sreenivasan: AND THEN,
FINALLY, IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO
HANG OUT THERE FOR ABOUT A WEEK
AND THEN SPLASHDOWN THE
OLD-FASHIONED WAY IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE OCEAN ON FRIDAY, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT.
IT'S NOT GOING TO STAY FOR VERY
LONG, JUST A FEW DAYS.
BUT THE THREE CREW MEMBERS ON
BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION RIGHT NOW, THEY'LL GO
INSIDE THE CAPSULE.
THEY'LL BRING OUT SOME CARGO
THAT IT BROUGHT UP WITH IT.
THEY'LL ALSO PACK IT WITH CARGO.
THEY'RE GOING TO RUN SOME TESTS
TO SEE HOW IT'S FARING IN THE
SPACE ENVIRONMENT.
YOU KNOW, IS IT STURDY?
IS IT DOING WHAT IT'S DESIGNED
TO DO?
AND THEN, ON FRIDAY MORNING,
AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, IT
WILL UNDOCK SLOWLY, AND THEN IT
WILL RE-ENTER EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERE, AND THEN A SERIES OF
PARACHUTES WILL DEPLOY TO SLOW
THE CAPSULE'S DESCENT TO THE
EARTH, AND IT WILL SPLASHDOWN IN
THE ATLANTIC OFF THE COAST OF
FLORIDA.
THAT IS, IF ALL GOES WELL.
>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT,
LOREN GRUSH OF "THE VERGE,"
JOINING US VIA SKYPE.
THANKS SO MUCH.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
