[♪♪♪]
>> AND YOU ARE LOOKING LIVE AT A
ROCKET ON THE CAPE CANAVERAL
ROCKET.
GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME,
EVERYONE, TO NASA'S KENNEDY
SPACE CENTER FOR THE COVERAGE OF
THE LAUNCH OF THE 19th RESUPPLY
MISSION FOR SPACEX.
I AM YOUR HOST, JENNIFER
WOLFINGER.
THE MISSION?
TO BRING MUCH NEEDED SUPPLIES UP
TO THE ASTRONAUTS AT THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
AND WE HAVE A TEAM OF EXPERTS
ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO HELP
US COVER THE LAUNCH.
WE'LL HEAD WEST TO SPACEX
HEADQUARTERS IN HAWTHORNE,
CALIFORNIA, AND CHECK IN AT
MISSION CONTROL HOUSTON AT
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.
BUT FIRST, HERE'S SOME QUICK
FACTS ABOUT TODAY'S LAUNCH.
SPACEX TRANSPORTED THE FALCON 9
LAUNCH FOR THE 19th RESUPPLY
MISSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THIS
FALCON BOOSTER HAS BEEN FLOWN.
DRAGON WILL DELIVER MORE THAN
9,000 POUNDS OF SUPPLIES AND PAY
LOUDS ON THE LAUNCH TODAY.
SPACEX MUST LAUNCH AT THE EXACT
SECOND OF THE LIFTOFF OR PLAN
FOR ANOTHER DAY.
THE PLAN IS TO KEEP THE DRAGON
DOCKED AT THE SPACE STATION FOR
ABOUT A MONTH BEFORE BRINGING IT
BACK TO EARTH.
DRAGON WILL CARRY THE CONFINED
COMBUSTION INVESTIGATION WHICH
STUDIES THE FLAME AS IT SPREADS
TO DIFFERENT SPACES IN
MICROGRAVITY.
UNDERSTANDING HOW FIRE BEHAVES
IN SPACE IS CRUCIAL FOR
UNDERSTANDING AND CONTROLLING
FIRE HERE ON EARTH.
ANOTHER EXCITING PAY LOAD IS THE
HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING SUITE,
DEVELOPED BY THE JAPANESE
GOVERNMENT.
THE MIGHTY MICE IN SPACE, OR
RODENT RESEARCH 19 INVESTIGATION
WILL RESEARCH MUSCLE DEGRADATION
TO INVESTIGATE SKELETAL AND BONE
LOSS DURING SPACE FLIGHT AND THE
RETURN TO EARTH.
THIS COULD ALSO SUPPORT THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THERAPIES FOR A
WIDE RANGE OF CONDITION THAT
CAUSE MUSCLE AND BONE LOSS.
LATER IN THE SHOW, WE'LL BE
JOINED BY A STATION'S NATIONAL
LAB EXPERT WHO WILL SHARE MORE
DETAILS ABOUT THE EXPERIMENTS
THAT ARE TAKING PLACE ON THE
STATION.
NOW LET'S BRING IN JOSHUA MOOR
WHO IS JUST A FEW MILES OUT FROM
THE LAUNCH PAD.
>> HEY, THIS IS JOSHUA MOOR FROM
THE SPACE COAST.
WE'RE BACK HERE TODAY.
THE WEATHER'S LOOKING GREAT.
WE HAVE ACTUALLY -- WE JUST GOT
A RECENT UPDATE THAT THE
VIOLATION IS DOWN TO 10%.
THE WEATHER EVEN IMPROVING
TODAY.
WE'VE GOT NICE SKIES OUT THERE.
THERE ARE SOME CLOUDS THAT ARE
COMING THROUGH THE GENERAL AREA,
BUT ULTIMATELY, WE'RE HEARING
THAT THOSE AREN'T GOING TO COME
UNTIL AFTER OUR LAUNCH TODAY.
WE'RE KEEPING AN EYE ON THE
TECHNICAL SIDE, AS WELL, AND IT
HAS BEEN A REALLY QUIET MORNING
FOR THE COUNT DOWN, AS WELL.
THAT'S GOOD NEWS.
THERE HAVE BEEN NO ISSUES.
OUR INSTANTANEOUS WINDOW IS SET
AT 12:29:24.
THAT'S THE WINDOW WE'RE LOOKING
AT LAUNCHING TODAY.
THIS CAR GO DRAGON WAS
ORIGINALLY FLOWN IN 2014.
YOU CAN SEE HERE A BEAUTIFUL
NIGHT LAUNCH LIGHTING UP THE SKY
AND DELIVERING RESEARCH AND
CARGO BACK IN 2014.
AND THEN, ACTUALLY, THE FIRST
CARGO DRAGON TO BE USED IN
ANOTHER MISSION, SO A VERY
EXCITING ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR
THEM, AND THIS, ANOTHER EXCITING
ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR THEM, WITH
THIS CARGO DRAGON FLYING FOR
THEM.
IT'S AMAZING, SO EXCITING TO
HAVE THAT.
ANOTHER GROUND BREAKING
ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE C.R.S.
PROGRAM AND JUST THE LIFE OF THE
SPACE STATION.
SO JENNIFER, WE ARE UNDERWAY
WITH FUELLING, AGAIN, TARGETING
THE INSTANTANEOUS WINDOW, SO FOR
US HERE, NOW WE'RE GOING TO SEND
IT BACK OVER TO YOU AND WE'LL
TOUCH BACK WITH YOU IN A FEW
MINUTES.
>> THANK YOU, JOSHUA.
RIGHT NOW, HERE AT T-29 MINUTES
AND COUNTING.
LET'S GO OUT TO HAWTHORNE,
CALIFORNIA, WHERE THE DRAGON IS
CONTROLLED AND BUILT.
>> THIS MISSION MARKS SPACEX'S
12th LAUNCH OF 2019, AND TODAY,
WE'RE GOING TO BE LAUNCHING THIS
SPACECRAFT.
AS JOSHUA MENTIONED, WE'VE
LAUNCHED THIS VEHICLE TWICE
BEFORE.
WHILE THIS DRAGON HAS FLOWN
BEFORE, THE BOOSTER THAT WE'RE
FLYING TODAY IS ACTUALLY
BRAND-NEW.
WE'LL BE LANDING OUR FIRST PHASE
OUT IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN SO IT
CAN BE FLOWN ON FUTURE MISSIONS.
THE VEHICLE HARDWARE IS BUILT TO
SUPPORT MULTIPLE MISSIONS WITH
MINIMAL REFURBISHMENT IN
BETWEEN.
OUR DRAGON SPACECRAFT HAS BEEN
FLYING FOR ALMOST NINE YEARS
NOW, AND IT'S THE ONLY ONE THAT
CAN DELIVER SPECIFIC CARGO FROM
IT.
SPACEX BECAME THE FIRST PRIVATE
COMPANY TO SEND A SPACE VEHICLE
INTO ORBIT AND RETURN IT TO
EARTH.
JUST TWO YEARS LATER, DRAGON
BECAME THE FIRST VEHICLE TO GO
TO THE SPACEX.
TODAY'S MISSION IS TO SUPPORT
THE 20th TRIP TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND
WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO A
SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH DAY.
WITH THAT, BACK TO YOU,
JENNIFER.
>> THANKS, ANDY.
WE ARE COMMEMORATING THE 20th
YEAR OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
OCTOBER 20, 2020 MARKS 20
CONTINUOUS YEARS IN SPACE.
THE SPACE STATION IS A
CONVERGENCE OF SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY AND HUMAN INNOVATION.
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL
STEPPING STONES FOR NASA'S PLAN
TO LAND HUMANS ON THE MOON IN
2024 THROUGH THE ARTIMUS
PROGRAM.
>> LIFTOFF OF TODAY'S ROCKET
FROM LAUNCH COMPLEX 40 IS TIMED
RIGHT DOWN TO THE VERY SECOND.
SPACEX NEEDS TO GET ITS CARGO
LINED UP WITH THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
WITH MORE, LET'S CHECK IN WITH
DAN AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER AT
MISSION CONTROL IN HOUSTON.
DAN?
>> YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SEE,
CHRISTMAS HAS ARRIVED IN MISSION
CONTROL, LED TODAY BY FLIGHT
DIRECTOR ALLISON BOLLINGER, WHO
JUST ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO PULLED
THE TWO TEAMS AND INFORMED THE
SPACE STATION THAT DRAGON IS GO
FOR TODAY'S LAUNCH.
RIGHT NOW, THE SIX-PERSON CREW
OF EXPEDITION 61 IS GOING
THROUGH A DAY, PREPARING FOR
THIS EVENTUAL ARRIVAL.
THEY'RE LEAD BY LUCA PARMITANO,
GOING FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, NASA
ASTRONAUT, ANDREW MORGAN, AND
JESSICA MEIR AND KRISTINA KOCH.
THEY'RE GOING TO USE THE
CANADARM2 TO REACH OUT AND
GRAPPLE THE DRAGON ONCE IT
ARRIVES RIGHT OUT OF SPACE, THEN
THEY'LL TURNOVER CONTROL DOWN TO
TEAMS ON THE GROUND TO ACTUALLY
INSTALL DRAGON, AND WE'LL BE
BRINGING YOU COVERAGE ON SUNDAY
WHEN THAT ARRIVES RIGHT AROUND
5:00 A.M. CENTRAL TIME,
6:00 A.M. EASTERN.
AS YOU SAW, THERE'S ABOUT 6500
POUNDS OF CARGO COMING UP.
JENNIFER WALKED YOU THROUGH SOME
OF THE RESEARCH, AND WITH THESE
SPACEX MISSIONS, THEY REALLY
KICK OFF A FAST AND FURIOUS
COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR THE CREW
ONCE THEY ARRIVE AS THERE'S A
LOT OF SORTIE SCIENCE THAT HAS
TO COME BACK DOWN WITH DRAGON
ONCE IT LEAVES.
THE CREW JUST WRAPPED UP SOME
SPACEWALKS, GETTING READY TO GET
INTO SOME EXPERIMENTS WITH THE
DRAGON LAUNCH.
WE'RE GETTING READY ON THE
LAUNCH SIDE, I'M GOING TO SEND
IT BACK TO YOU, JENNIFER.
>> THANK YOU.
HERE'S A CLOSER LOOK AT THE
RESEARCH GOING ON IN
LABORATORIES TO EVENTUALLY MAKE
IT -- THAT WILL EVENTUALLY MAKE
IT UP TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
.
>> JOINING ME NOW IS PATRICK
O'NEIL, AN EXPERT ON THE
INTERNATIONAL LAB.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
THAT VIDEO WAS A GREAT
ENCAPSULATION ON EVERYTHING THAT
WAS GOING ON IN THIS MISSION.
BUDWEISER IS SENDING MORE BARLEY
INTO THE SPACE STATION, AND THEN
ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE ALSO
LOOKING AT FIRE IN CONFINED
SPACES, SO I THINK THE VIDEO
KIND OF TOUCHED ON SOME OF THOSE
ELEMENTS, BUT THERE'S ALSO
CUBESATELLITES THAT ARE FLYING
ON THIS MISSION.
WE HAVE AN AWFUL LOT OF
DIVERSITY THAT IS ON THIS
MISSION, AND IT REALLY
ENCAPSULATES WHAT'S GOING ON IN
THIS MISSION.
>> ALL OF THAT SOUNDS REALLY
AMAZING, WHICH MAY MAKE IT HARD
FOR YOU TO ANSWER IF QUESTION.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE SOME
OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS YEAR HAS
JUST BEEN A BANNER YEAR FOR THE
SPACE STATION IN ITS ENTIRETY,
WHETHER THAT BE FROM A NATIONAL
LAB PERSPECTIVE OR NASA.
SPEAKING OF NATIONAL LABORATORY,
THIS HAS BEEN A BANNER YEAR TO
DATE.
WE'VE SENT MORE EXPERIMENTS ON
THE SPACE STATION THAN EVER
BEFORE.
WE'VE HAD ASTRONAUTS WORKING ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
THAN EVER BEFORE, AND I THINK IT
SETS THE STAGE FOR RESEARCHERS
TO ENHANCE THIS UNIQUE ORBITING
LABORATORY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO SEE FOR
2020?
>> WELL, YOU'RE GOING TO BE
SEEING MORE OF IT.
THE IDEA IS WE'RE GOING TO BE
SENDING MORE RECOGNIZABLE
COMPANIES AND BRANDS IN USING
THE SPACE STATION TO ENHANCE
PRODUCTS, THERAPISTS, AND LIFE
ON EARTH.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE A VARIETY OF
PARTNERS, LIKE THE N.I.H. AND
THE I.S.F.s OF THE WORLD,
LOOKING TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE TO
SPACE-BASED ACTIVITY AND
BRINGING IT BACK HERE ON EARTH.
>> I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER WAY
TO START A NEW DECADE.
MEASURING THE WEIGHT OF OBJECTS
IN A MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT
CAN BE DIFFICULT.
HERE'S A VIDEO OF HOW ASTRONAUTS
DO THAT IN A PLACE WHERE SCALES
DON'T WORK.
>> AT HOME, MANY PEOPLE CAN AND
DO WEIGH THE FOOD THEY EAT.
IT'S AS EASY AS PUTTING IT ON A
SCALE, BUT SCALES DON'T WORK
WITHOUT GRAVITY.
SO HOW DO ASTRONAUTS MEASURE
ITEMS WHERE SCALES DON'T WORK IN
THAT ENVIRONMENT?
MASS IS THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE
SIZE OF AN OBJECT.
>> THEY USE THE NEWTON'S SECOND
LAW OF MOTION WHICH HAS FORCE
AND ACCELERATION.
>> UNDER THE LAW OF FORCE, AN
OBJECT WITH MORE MASS WILL
ACCELERATE LESS, SO TO APPLY
THIS IN SPACE, ASTRONAUTS USE A
MASS MEASUREMENT DEVICE, M.M.D.,
WHICH LAUNCHED TO THE SPACE
STATION IN 2017.
>> THEY THEN PUT THESE PLANT
SAMPLES INSIDE LITTLE ZIPLOC
BAG.
>> THE M.M.D. APPLIES A KNOWN
ACCELERATION TO THE SAMPLE AND
MEASURES THE RESULTING FORCE,
ALLOWING THE SYSTEM TO DETERMINE
ITS MASS.
IT CAN MEASURE BETWEEN ONE AND
100 GRAMS AND HAS AN ACCURACY
OF .1 GRAM.
>> IT'S GREAT.
IT'S REALLY, REALLY ACCURATE TO
MEASURE ITEMS THAT WE HAVE.
>> THERE ARE A VARIETY OF
MEASUREMENT DEVICES ON THE SPACE
STATION, MONITORING EVERYTHING
FROM THE ASTRONAUTS HEALTH TO
THE VEGETABLES HARVESTS FROM THE
HARVESTING SPACE CHAMBER.
SKBL WE ARE NOW ABOUT 12 MINUTES
AWAY FROM LAUNCH.
LET'S HEAD BACK OVER TO THE
MISSION DIRECTOR CENTER TO GET
AN UPDATE FROM NASA'S JOSHUA
SANTORA.
HEY JOSHUA, HOW ARE THINGS
LOOKING?
>> THINGS ARE LOOKING GREAT.
AGAIN, THE WEATHER IS LOOKING
REALLY POSITIVE, THINGS ARE
PROGRESSING WELL.
YOU SEE THAT BEAUTIFUL ROCKET ON
THE PAD.
THIS SHOT, A SPECIAL THANKS TO
OUR DRONE TEAM OUT THERE.
THEY'RE FLYING OUT A U.A.V.,
TAKING SHOTS FOR US.
WE'RE TARGETING THE
INSTANTANEOUS WINDOW AT 12:29:24
SECONDS EASTERN TIME, SO WE'RE
ABOUT 11.5 MINUTES AND COUNTING.
YOU SEE THE GASEOUS FOG THERE.
TODAY, THE GOAL IS TO GET THE
DRAGON INTO ORBIT AND ON ITS WAY
TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
YOU SAW SOME OF THOSE GREAT
STATS FROM DAN AS FAR AS THE
AMOUNT OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING
UP, THE WEIGHT THERE, BUT VOLUME
WISE, THE DRAGON CAN CARRY ABOUT
25 CUBIC METERS OF THINGS.
RESEARCH, MATERIALS, SUPPLIES,
RESOURCES, AND SO IT'S ABOUT 11
CUBIC METERS IN THE CAPSULE
ITSELF AND 14 IN THE TRUNK.
THE TRUNK IS THE CYLINDERICAL
THING THAT YOU SEE ON THE
VEHICLE.
IF YOU TAKE SIX MINIVANS
TOGETHER AND THE STORAGE
CAPACITY IN THOSE SIX MINIVANS,
THAT'S ROUGHLY THE SAME CAPACITY
IN THE DRAGON, VERY EFFICIENTLY
USED SPACE IN THERE.
EVEN UP UNTIL A COUPLE DAYS AGO,
LATE INTO TUESDAY, THEY WERE
ACTUALLY DOING THEIR LATE LOADS.
THERE ARE CERTAIN PORTIONS OF
THE SUPPLIES THAT THEY WANT TO
HAVE AWAY FROM THE LABORATORY
FOR AS LITTLE TIME AS POSSIBLE,
SO THERE'S ABOUT 700 POUNDS THAT
THEY LOADED UP ON TUESDAY.
THAT, COMBINED WITH THE OTHER
500 POUNDS THAT WERE ON THERE,
YOU'VE GOT ABOUT 5700 POUNDS OF
CARGO.
THAT DRAGON IS BEING CARRIED BY
THAT FALCON ROCKET THAT YOU SEE
THERE.
IT IS A TWO-STAGE ROCKET, ABOUT
230 FEET LONG AND ABOUT 9 FEET
WIDE.
THAT FIRST STAGE, LIKE WE HEARD
FROM ANDY, THEY'RE GOING TO
ATTEMPT TO LOAD IT ON THEIR
DRONE SHIP ABOUT 985NAUTI CAL
MILES OFF THE COAST OF
JACKSONVILLE.
THAT SECOND STAGE DOES HAVE ITS
OWN MERLIN V ONE VACUUM ENGINE.
WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR THAT
PERFORMANCE, AS WELL.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A MULTISTAGE
ROCKET, SO THERE'S A LOT OF
PERFORMANCE REQUIRED TO GET US
TO THE RIGHT ORBIT.
NOW TO TALK TO THE WEATHER A
LITTLE BIT.
WE ARE LOOKING GREAT.
YOU SEE A LITTLE BIT OF PARTLY
CLOUDY IN THE BACKGROUND, AND
WEATHER HERE FORECAST AGAIN,
WE'VE UPDATED THAT GRAPHIC FOR
YOU.
WE'VE GOT SOME WINDS.
YOU SEE THE GASEOUS OXYGEN.
TEMPERATURES, AGAIN, IT'S A
REALLY NICE MORNING HERE ON THE
SPACE COAST.
THE POTENTIAL FOR CLOUDS TO BE
IN THE WAY IS THE MAIN THING WE
WERE LOOKING AT, BUT AS YOU CAN
SEE, LESS THAN 10% CHANCE OF
THAT HAPPENING THIS MORNING.
WE SHOULD BE SEEING MORE CALLS
COMING UP IN THE NEXT FEW
MINUTES, COMPARED TO THE
PREPAREDNESS OF THE ROCKET AND
THE SPACECRAFT.
ULTIMATELY, THAT'S WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN THESE NEXT FEW
MINUTES.
SPACEX DOES A LATE FUEL.
THEY LIKE THE LATE FUEL TO BE AS
LATE AS POSSIBLE TO ALLOW THE
CRYO GENICS TO BE AS COLD AS
POSSIBLE TO ALLOW THEM TO PACK
AS MUCH FUEL IN THERE AS THEY
CAN.
WE'RE ABOUT 7.5 MINUTES AWAY
FROM LIFTOFF, AND RIGHT NOW, THE
SPACE STATION IS FLYING OVER THE
SOUTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN, HEADED
UP ON A PATH THAT WILL TAKE IT
OVER EASTERN CENTRAL AMERICA AND
OVER THE MIDDLE PART OF THE
UNITED STATES.
IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THE
VOLUME, THINK ABOUT A
SIX-BEDROOM HOUSE.
THAT'S ABOUT THE VOLUME THAT THE
ASTRONAUTS HAVE.
BECAUSE THEY'RE IN ZERO GRAVITY,
THEY CAN USE THE WALLS AND THE
CEILING, SO MAYBE EVEN FEELS
BIGGER THAN A SIX-BEDROOM HOUSE.
IT'S ROUGHLY 33,000 SQUARE FEET,
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THE
NUMBERS.
THIS IS A MASSIVE EFFORT, AS
WE'VE SAID, A VERY EXCITING
TIME, CELEBRATING THE 20
CONTINUOUS YEARS IN SPACE.
WE'RE TREMENDOUSLY PROUD OF
THAT.
LOOKING AHEAD TO SOME OF THE
ACTIVITIES, THINGS WE'RE GOING
TO HEAR, WE'LL START TO HEAR
ABOUT THINGS LIKE ENGINES BEING
CHILLED AND PREPARED TO HANDLE
CRYOGENIC FUELS.
JUST TO RECAP A LITTLE BIT THE
HIGHLIGHTS, SOME OF THE THEM
THAT WE HEARD -- SOME OF THEM
THAT WE HEARD IN THE PRELAUNCH
BRIEFING A FEW DAYS AGO, THEY'LL
BE RETURNING HOME ABOUT 48
RESEARCH PROJECTS, SO IT'S NEVER
JUST ABOUT WHAT'S GOING UP, IT'S
ALSO ABOUT WHAT'S COMING DOWN,
BECAUSE THAT BENEFIT OF
EVALUATING THINGS ON THE GROUND
AFTER THEY'VE BEEN IN SPACE IS A
HUGE BENEFIT.
OVER THE COURSE OF OUR 20 YEARS
IN SPACE WITH SUSTAINED HUMAN
PRESENCE, WE'VE HAD ABOUT 2900
INVESTIGATIONS FROM ABOUT 100
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
SO WHEN WE SAY WE'RE AN
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, WE
MEAN IT AND WE'RE PROUD OF THAT,
AS WELL.
SO IN JUST A FEW SECONDS, YOU'RE
GOING TO SEE THE CLAMP JUST
BENEATH THE CLAMP OF THE DRAGON,
THE TOWER THAT'S NEXT TO THE
FALCON WILL ACTUALLY TILT BACK.
IN JUST A FEW SECONDS, YOU
SHOULD SEE THAT CLAMP BEGIN TO
EXPAND AND THAT TOWER WILL TIP
BACK SLIGHTLY JUST A FEW
DEGREES, AND IT WILL TIP BACK
LATER AT LIFTOFF.
>> THERE YOU SEE THE CLAMP
OPENING.
AND IT WON'T MOVE VERY FAR, BUT
YOU SHOULD SEE THAT TOWER NEXT
TO THE ROCKET TILT BACK A FEW
DEGREES, RESPONSIBLE FOR
DELIVERING FUEL TO THE VEHICLE.
THAT'S A GREAT SHOT OF WATCHING
THAT TOWER TILT BACK.
>> SO AFTER THAT WE DO HAVE
LIFTOFF THIS MORNING, YOU'LL
HEAR AVIONICS AND ENGINEERS ALL
MAKING THEIR CALLS AS WE TRACK
WITH THIS ROCKET UPHILL.
THE FIRST JOB IS TO PRIMARILY
GET US OUT OF THE ATMOSPHERE,
AND THE SECOND STAGE IS TO
DELIVER THE DRAGON TO ORBIT.
THERE'S A LIQUID OXYGEN CLOSEOUT
CALL.
SO WE HEARD THAT CALL.
THAT WAS THE FIRST STAGE
CLOSEOUT, AND THAT WAS THE
SECOND STAGE CLOSEOUT.
LOOKING FOR POTENTIAL COLLISIONS
UPON LAUNCH.
IT'S CLEAR.
NO CONCERNS THERE, SO EVERYTHING
IS LOOKING LIKE WE ARE A GO FOR
LAUNCH.
THERE WE HAVE THE CALL, GO FOR
LAUNCH.
YOU ALSO MAY SEE WATER FLOODING
THE LAUNCH PAD ABOUT 18 SECONDS
TO GO.
THAT'S NORMAL, ALL PART OF THE
ENGINEERING LAUNCH.
TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX,
FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE,
ZERO, LIFTOFF OF THE SIRIUS
DRAGON, COORDINATING LIFTOFF AND
RESEARCH PROJECTS INTO DEEP
SPACE.
>> VEHICLE HAS REACHED MAXIMUM
AERODYNAMIC PRESSURE.
>> COUPLE BIG CALLS THERE.
AGAIN, ALL NORMAL, ALL NOMINAL
AND PROGRESSING AS EXPECTED,
FLYING THROUGH THE DENSEST PART
OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
>> RECOVERY, A.U.S.
>> IT'S A CALL FOR CHILLING THE
SECOND-STAGE ENGINE.
>> SUCCESSFUL SEPARATION OF THE
FIRST STAGE FROM THE SECOND
STAGE.
THE SECOND STAGE YOU SEE THERE
ON SCREEN WITH THE RED HOT
ENGINE.
THAT IS NOW ACTIVE AND TAKING
DRAGON TOWARDS ITS CORRECT
ORBIT, AND WE SAW THE DRAGON
HEADED TOWARD THE COAST, AS
WELL.
>> RIGHT NOW, YOU'RE SEEING THE
CAMERA KIND OF FLIPPING, AND
ESSENTIALLY, YOU'RE SEEING TWO
CAMERA VIEWS.
YOU JUST SAW THE NOSE CONE GO
PAST THERE.
THAT'S A NOMINAL JETTISON OF THE
NOSE CONE.
THAT'S TO HELP HYPERSONICALLY
STEER THE ROCKET TOWARDS
TRAJECTORY.
SO ON THAT CAMERA VIEW, YOU'RE
SEEING TWO ROCKET VIEWS, ONE ON
EITHER SIDE OF THAT ENGINE.
IT'S A GREAT SIDE BY SIDE.
AGAIN, THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVE IS
TO GIVE DRAGON TO ITS PRIMARY
ORBIT, AND THE SECOND IS TO
RECOVER THAT BOOSTER, OF COURSE,
ABOUT 180 NAUTICAL MILES OFF THE
COAST OF JACKSONVILLE.
THE ROCKET VIEW IS THE FIRST OF
THAT, SO YOU'RE GETTING KIND OF
A VIEW OF THAT.
>> WE USE THE TERM "NOMINAL,"
AND IT ESSENTIALLY JUST MEANS
WE'RE WITHIN THE EXPECTED AND
APPROPRIATE RANGE THAT WE SHOULD
BE.
ALL THAT MEANS IS EVERYTHING IS
GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN.
ALL RIGHT.
SO A LOT MORE WORK TO GO, A LOT
MORE TO DO.
WE STILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH A
LOT, BUT THAT IS GOING TO DO IT
FOR US.
IT'S BEEN A PLEASURE BEING WITH
YOU TODAY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SO I'M GOING
TO SEND IT OVER TO ANDY AT
SPACEX HEADQUARTERS IN
HAWTHORNE, CALIFORNIA.
ANDY?
>> THANKS, JOSHUA.
IN ORDER TO LAND OUR DRONE SHIP
IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, DRAGON
NEEDS TO DO A SERIES OF THREE
BURNS.
THE FIRST IS TO SLOW IT DOWN FOR
REENTRY.
NEXT IS ENTRY BURN TO SLOW DOWN
BEFORE DRAGON HITS THE OUTER
ATMOSPHERE.
THE THIRD AND FINAL BURN IS THE
LANDING BURN, AND THERE'S THE
SHOT OF THE ENTRY BURN.
THE THIRD AND FINAL BURN IS THE
LANDING BURN, WHICH HAPPENS JUST
BEFORE TOUCHDOWN.
THIS IS ALSO WHEN THE FOUR
LANDING LIGHTS ARE DEPLOYED.
WE'RE PROBABLY ABOUT A MINUTE
AWAY FROM BEGINNING THAT LANDING
BURN.
LET'S KEEP AN EYE ON THE SCREEN
TO SEE IF WE CAN SEE THOSE
ENGINES RELIGHT.
FOR THIS FINAL BURN, FALCON 9
USES JUST A SINGLE MERLIN
ENGINE, THE CENTER ENGINE,
ENGINE NUMBER 9.
ON THE LEFT-HAND SCREEN, YOU SEE
A SHOT OF THE SECOND STAGE,
CONTINUING ITS JOURNEY INTO
ORBIT, AND ON THE TOP IS A VIEW
FROM THE FIRST STAGE.
THESE ARE HELPING TO GUIDE THE
FIRST STAGE BACK TO A TARGETED
LANDING.
LOOKS LIKE WE MAY HAVE LOST THE
LINK OF THE FOOTAGE.
>> STAGE ONE HAS LANDED.
[Applause]
>> AND TOUCHDOWN OF FALCON 9 ON
OUR DRONE SHIP.
OF COURSE, THEY STILL LOVE YOU.
YOU CAN CERTAINLY HEAR THE
EXCITEMENT HERE AT SPACEX.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SPACEX
TEAM FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL
LANDING.
THIS IS FIRST STAGE RECOVERY
NUMBER 46.
BACK TO OUR PRIMARY MISSION, THE
SECOND STAGE IS STILL CONTINUING
ITS JOURNEY INTO THE DESIRED
ORBIT.
WE SHOULD BE HEARING THE CALLING
FOR SECOND ENGINE SHUT OFF VERY
SHORTLY.
>> NOW WE'RE WAITING FOR A GOOD
CALL OUT FOR ORBIT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE WE DO HAVE INDEED
A GOOD ORBIT.
UP NEXT IS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE
DRAGON FROM THAT SECOND STAGE.
DRAGON CARRIES TWO TYPES OF
PRESSURIZED CARGO, BOTH IN ITS
COMPARTMENT AND ITS TRUNK.
AT THIS POINT, WE ARE ABOUT 20
SECONDS -- TEN OR 20 SECONDS
AWAY FROM DRAGON SEPARATION, SO
LET'S LISTEN IN FOR THE CALLOUT.
[Applause]
>> AND THERE IT IS, SUCCESSFUL
DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRAGON
SPACECRAFT.
THERE IS A VIEW INSIDE THE
UNPRESSURIZED CARGO OF DRAGON'S
FRONT.
NOW LET'S PASS IT OFF TO DAN FOR
COVERAGE OF THE SOLAR ARRAY
DEPLOY.
>> HEY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
ANDY.
GREAT TO SEE DRAGON IN ORBIT AS
ALWAYS, THAT FIRST STAGE TOUCH
BACK DOWN ON THE DRONE SHIP.
YOU'RE ACTUALLY GETTING A REALLY
COOL VIEW INSIDE THE TRUNK OF
DRAGON.
THESE ARE PAY LOADS ALREADY
EXPOSED TO THE OTHER SPACE
STATIONS.
>> STILL STANDING BY FOR SOLAR
ARRAY DEPLOY.
>> WE DID GET SOME AUDIO
CONFIRMATION THAT THE SOLAR
ARRAY DEPLOY HAS BEGUN.
>> AND THERE WE GO, NOW GETTING
A VIEW OF THE ONE SET OF SOLAR
PANELS DEPLOYING.
AGAIN, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF
DRAGON'S TRUNK, GIVEN A WING
SPAN OF ABOUT 54 FEET ONCE FULLY
DEPLOYED, PROVIDING ALL OF THE
ELECTRICAL POWER TO DRAGON
SYSTEMS AS IT MAKES ITS CHASE
DOWN OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
EVERYTHING LOOKING SMOOTH.
WE JUST NOW HEARD IT, THE SOLAR
ARRAYS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED
SUCCESSFULLY.
THE PROPULSION SYSTEM ON DRAGON
GOING TO BE RAISED FOR FIRING'S.
IT'S GOING TO BE RAISING ITS
ORBIT OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS
UNTIL IT ARRIVES AT THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
>> ALL RIGHT.
AGAIN, DRAGON IN ORBIT.
GREAT TO SEE ANOTHER MISSION ON
THE WAY TO THE SPACE STATION.
IT WAS A GREAT LAUNCH TODAY.
HOW IS THE TEAM FEELING WITH
WHAT THEY SAW SO FAR?
>> WELL, WE'RE VERY EXCITED.
LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING --
GETTING THE DRAGON ON BOARD HERE
IN A COUPLE DAYS.
THIS REALLY DOES KIND OF LAY OUR
PATH FORWARD THROUGH THE END OF
DECEMBER ON INTO THE FIRST WEEK
OF JANUARY NOW.
AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF SCIENCE
NOW COMING ON BOARD, OVER 5,000
POUNDS OF NEW HARDWARE COMING ON
BOARD, SO THE CREW OVER THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS, THEY'LL FINISH
OUT THEIR TRAINING FOR BEING
ABLE TO DO THE CAPTURE AND THE
GRAPPLE AND GETTING THE DRAGON
BERTHED, AND THEN AFTER THAT,
WE'LL BE OPENING THE HATCH
SHORTLY THEREAFTER.
WE'VE GOT SOME SCIENCE THAT WE
NEED TO GET ACROSS THE HATCH AND
GET UP AND RUNNING, SO THAT'S
GOING TO BE THE FIRST COUPLE OF
DAYS THAT WE GET UP AND RUNNING.
>> AND IT'S SCHEDULED TO GET
THERE SUNDAY.
>> CORRECT.
WE HAVE A SCHEDULED TIME, ABOUT
5:00 OR SO ON SUNDAY THAT WE DO
THE CAPTURE.
USUALLY BY MID-MORNING, WE'LL
HAVE IT BERTHED, AND DEPENDING
ON HOW THINGS HAVE GONE DURING
THE DAY FOR THE CREW, WE'LL
EITHER GET THE HATCH OPEN OR
WE'LL WAIT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING
DAY WITH A CLEAN, FRESH DAY AND
GET GOING ON THE SCIENCE.
>> OKAY.
THANK YOU.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS TEAM GOING TO BE
VERY INVOLVED WITH SPACEX
HEADQUARTERS OUT IN HAWTHORNE.
BE SURE TO WAKE UP ON SUNDAY
MORNING AND JOIN US AS WE GET
READY TO BRING ONE MORE VEHICLE
TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
WITH THAT, THAT'LL DO IT TO US
FROM HOUSTON.
-- THAT'LL DO IT FOR US FROM
HOUSTON.
LET'S SEND IT BACK DOWN TO
JENNIFER.
[Inaudible]
>> DRAGON IS ON ITS WAY TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR
CAPTURE ON DECEMBER 8 AT
APPROXIMATELY 3:00 A.M. PACIFIC
TIME OR 11:00 A.M. COORDINATED
UNIVERSAL TIME.
AFTER BERTHING, THE ASTRONAUTS
ON BOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION WILL UNLOAD ABOUT 5700
POUNDS OF PAY LOADS.
ALL-AROUND, IT'S BEEN A
SUCCESSFUL MISSION SO FAR.
I WANT TO TAKE THIS TIME TO
THANK OR -- OUR FRIENDS AT NASA,
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
THE AIR FORCE, AND ALL OF OUR
FRIENDS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH.
>> AND THAT'S GOING TO WRAP UP
OUR COVERAGE.
FOR MORE, VISIT
NASA.GOV/STATION, OR
NASA.GOV/SPACEX.
WE LEAVE YOU NOW WITH ANOTHER
LOOK AT TODAY'S LAUNCH.
HAVE A GREAT DAY, EVERYONE.