>>> WELCOME BACK.
>>> WELCOME BACK.
AS WE MENTIONED EARLIER, TODAY
IS AN HISTORIC DAY FOR SPACE
TRAVEL.
THIS AFTERNOON AT EXACTLY 4:33
EASTERN STANDARD TIME, TWO
NASSAU ASTRONAUTS WILL HITCH A
RIDE ON A SPACEX ROCKET EN ROUTE
TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
IT IS THE FIRST MANNED MISSION
FROM U.S. SOIL SINCE 2011.
>> THAT’S RIGHT, DYLAN.
FINGERS CROSSED, WEATHER
PERMITTING.
FORMER NASSAU ASTRONAUT MIKE
MASSIMINO PART OF TWO SPACE
FLIGHTS, PART OF SPECIAL
COVERAGE CALLED "SPACE LAUNCH
LIVE, AMERICA RETURNS TO SPACE"
STARTING AT 2:00 P.M. EASTERN.
GOOD MORNING, MIKE.
THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> AL, GREAT TO BE HERE.
DYLAN, THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
GOOD TO SEE BOTH OF YOU.
>> WE’RE SO GLAD YOU ARE HERE
JOINING US.
NOW, THE MISSION, OF COURSE,
NOTHING SHORT OF HISTORIC.
NOT ONLY IS IT THE FIRST U.S.
LAUNCH OF ASTRONAUTS SINCE THE
END OF THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM
IN 2011 BUT MARKS THE FIRST TIME
A PRIVATE COMPANY, ELON MUSK’S
SPACEX GOING TO LAUNCH THEM INTO
ORBIT.
STAKES HAVE TO BE REALLY HIGH
FOR THIS LAUNCH?
>> YEAH, THEY ARE, AL.
EVERY LAUNCH IS HIGH STAKES.
THIS PARTICULARLY BECAUSE WE
HAVEN’T LAUNCHED A SPACECRAFT
SINCE 1981 WHEN WE LAUNCHED
SPACE SHUTTLE, ’81 TO 2011.
THE LAST TIME WE DID SOMETHING
LIKE THIS WAS QUITE A LONG TIME
AGO, 1981.
I THINK IT’S GOING TO MARK KIND
OF A LINE IN THE SAND AND THE
TIME LINE.
EVERYTHING BEFORE THIS DAY HAS
BEEN ONLY GOVERNMENTS LAUNCHING
PEOPLE INTO SPACE.
NOW FROM NOW ON IT’S STILL GOING
TO BE GOVERNMENTS BUT ALSO GOING
TO BE PRIVATE COMPANIES THAT
HAVE DONE IT.
I THINK WE LOOK BACK ON THIS
EVENT, AN THAT’S WHAT’S GOING TO
BE THE IMPORTANCE OF TODAY.
>> MIKE, WHAT’S THE GOAL OF THIS
MISSION DESPITE THE HISTORIC
NATURE OF IT?
>> THE MAIN THING, AL, IS TO
CHECK OUT THIS NEW SPACESHIP,
THAT’S WITH TWO FRIENDS ON
BOARD.
THEY ARE THERE TO CHECK OUT THE
SPACESHIP.
THAT’S THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE.
THEN ON THE SPACE STATION FOR A
WHILE.
THEY AREN’T SURE HOW LONG,
ANYWHERE FROM A MONTH TO FOUR
MONTHS.
NOT SURE HOW LONG THEY WILL BE
UP THERE.
THERE’S ALSO A SCIENCE COMPONENT
TO THEIR MISSION.
IF THEIR MISSION IS SUCCESSFUL
CHECKING OUT THE SPACESHIP, IT’S
GOING TO GIVE US MORE ACCESS TO
SPACE FOR ASTRONAUTS AND ALSO
PRIVATE COMPANIES.
>> AND MIKE, I’M KIND OF GIDDY
WITH EXCITEMENT ABOUT ALL THIS
THAT’S HAPPENING LATER TODAY.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE
ASTRONAUTS ARE KIND OF
EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW BEFORE
THEY GO UP?
SO MANY PEOPLE ARE IN
QUARANTINE, AND I’M ASSUMING
ASTRONAUTS GO INTO QUARANTINE
FOR QUITE SOMETIME BEFORE THEY
GO UP IN SPACE.
>> I LOVE YOUR QUESTION, DYLAN.
THE PERSONAL PART OF THIS IS
REALLY IMPORTANT, MEGHAN
McARTHUR, AN ASTRONAUT I FLEW
INTO SPACE WITH IS MARRIED TO
BOB BEHNKEN.
THEY ARE AN ASTRONAUT COUPLE,
ASTRONAUT FAMILY.
I TEXTED HER LAST NIGHT AND TOLD
HER I WAS GOING TO BE COMING ON
THE "TODAY" SHOW.
SHE SAID PLEASE TELL EVERYONE
THE CREWS IS IN HIGH SPIRITS.
I SPOKE TO THE FAMILY ANOTHER
GUY I FLEW INTO SPACE WITH LAST
NIGHT AND THE CREW IS DOING
REALLY WELL.
THEY HAVE BEEN RELAXED.
THEY ARE ABLE TO SPEND TIME WITH
THEIR FAMILIES.
BECAUSE OF QUARANTINE THEY CAN
BE WITH SMALLER CHILDREN.
NOT WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE BUT AT
LEAST THEIR SPOUSES AND THEIR
KIDS AND THEY ARE ABLE TO ENJOY
THAT FAMILY TIME.
THAT’S WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO
DO WHEN YOU GET READY TO FLY
INTO SPACE.
YOU’RE PREPARED AND YOU WANT TO
HAVE SOME NICE TIME WITH YOUR
FAMILY, AND I’M REALLY GLAD THEY
WERE ABLE TO DO THAT.
THEY ARE READY TO GO.
>> MIKE, WE’RE IN THE MIDDLE OF
A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, EVERYBODY
LOOKING FOR A LITTLE INSPIRATION
TO HELP THEM.
REALLY QUICKLY, WHAT DOES THIS
MEAN TODAY?
>> I THINK IT’S A GREAT THING
FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM.
IT’S A GREAT THING FOR
PRIVATIZATION OF SPACE AS WELL.
CAN’T JUST RELY ON THE
GOVERNMENT TO DO THINGS, IF WE
REALLY WANT TO DO WHAT WE WANT
TO DO IN SPACE.
NOW WE HAVE PRIVATE COMPANIES
INVOLVED, TOO.
AL, I THINK YOU SAID IT VERY
WELL.
THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN TOUGH FOR
EVERYBODY, SO DIFFICULT FOR
