[♪♪♪]
>> WE ARE JUST UNDER 22 MINUTES
FROM LIFTOFF OF THE ROCKET FOR
NASAs AND SPACEX' COMMERCIAL
RESUPPLY SERVICES-24.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE, AND
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR
THIS LIVE LAUNCH COVERAGE OF
CRS-21.
I'M MEGAN CRUZ.
LET'S BRING IN ANDY TRAN IN LIVE
FROM SPACEX' HAWTHORNE
HEADQUARTERS.
>> AS THE YEAR COMES TO AN END,
CRS-24 WILL BE SPACEX' 23 AND
FINAL MISSION OF LAUNCHES FOR
US.
>> WHAT A YEAR.
I SEE YOU HAVE A LIVE LOOK AT
THE PAD.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH THE
DIFFERENT PARTS OF FALCON 9 AND
DRAGON?
>> YEAH.
OUR VEHICLE STANDS ABOUT 79 FEET
TALL.
THE BOTTOM TWO THIRDS OF THE
VEHICLE IS THE FIRST STAGE.
ITS OBJECTIVE IS TO ACCELERATE
THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE EARTH'S
ATMOSPHERE TO SPACE AND SEPARATE
THROUGH THE ROCKET.
THIS IS DESIGNED TO BE REUSABLE
FOR THE RELIABLE, SAFE TRANSFER
OF PEOPLE AND PAYLOADS INTO
EARTH ORBIT AND BEYOND.
AND AS USUAL, WE ARE GOING TO BE
ATTEMPTING TO RECOVER THE FIRST
STAGE ON OUR DRONE SHIP.
ABOVE THE FIRST STAGE IS THE
SECOND STAGE, IT HAS A SINGLE
MERLIN VACUUM THAT IGNITES AFTER
THE THIRD STAGE SEPARATES.
DRAGON IS SITTING AT THE VERY,
VERY TOP OF THE ROCKET.
DRAGON WAS DESIGNED TO BE
REUSED, AND THIS DESIGN IS
DESIGNED TO BE REUSED FOR UP TO
FIVE FLIGHTS.
THAT WAS A QUICK RUNDOWN OF OUR
LAUNCH VEHICLES, AND I'LL SEND
IT BACK TO YOU, MEGAN.
>> LET'S GO TO JOSHUA SANTORA
HERE AT KENNEDY FIRST.
JOSHUA, YOU'RE LISTENING IN AS
THE LAUNCH TEAMS CONSIDER THINGS
LIKE WEATHER AND SAFETY.
>> YEAH.
SANTA CLAUS AND HIS REINDEER CAN
GET ON THE GROUND.
CURRENTLY, WE ARE NO GO ON
WEATHER, BUT THE GREAT NEWS IS
WE'RE TRENDING TOWARD BEING GO
IN A FEW MINUTES.
SO WE'RE HOPING TO HEAR THAT IN
TIME FOR LAUNCH, SCHEDULED FOR
ABOUT 18 MINUTES FROM NOW.
FUELING FOR THE FIRST STAGE
BEGAN AT T-MINUS 35 MINUTES, AND
THE SECOND STAGE FUELING BEGINS
AT T-16 MINUTES.
THE AUTONOMOUS DOCKING THAT ANDY
MENTIONED IS SCHEDULED FOR 4:35
A.M. EASTERN TIME.
FOR MORE, I'M GOING TO SEND YOU
TO MISSION CONTROL HOUSTON, TO
SHANEEQUA VEREEN.
>> GOOD EVENING.
TEAMS HERE IN MISSION CONTROL
WILL REALLY JUMP INTO ACTION
TONIGHT INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY
MORNING AS CARGO DRAGON
APPROACHES THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY SEVEN CREW
MEMBERS LIVING AND WORKING
ABOARD THE STATION.
EXPEDITION 66 CONSISTS OF TOM
MARSHBURN, KAYLA BARRON, RAJA
CHARI, AND MARK VANDE HEI.
CARGO DRAGON WILL REMAIN
ATTACHED TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION FORWARD PORT OF
THE HARMONY MODULE FOR ABOUT ONE
MONTH, BEING ONE OF TWO DRAGONS
JOINING CREW DRAGON ENDURANCE
WILL BE BEING LOADED UP FOR
CRITICAL EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
BEFORE LANDING HERE ON EARTH.
FOR NOW, WE'LL GO BACK OUT TO
KENNEDY.
MEGAN?
>> THANK YOU.
WE ARE ABOUT 24 MINUTES AWAY
FROM LIFTOFF OF CRS-24, LOADED
WITH VARIOUS EXPERIMENTS.
HERE'S ONE THAT COULD SOMEDAY
HELP WOUNDS HEAL FASTER.
[♪♪♪]
>> AND YOU SAW ON THAT VIDEO
THAT COLLEGE STUDENTS ARE
SENDING EXPERIMENTS TO THE
ORBITING LAB, AND I HAVE TWO OF
THEM HERE WITH ME.
SWATI RAVI AS WELL AS KATELYN
HARVEY.
>> WE'RE SENDING UP TWO
DIFFERENT BACTERIA THAT ARE
COMMONLY FOUND IN SPACE FLIGHT
ENVIRONMENTS AND ARE ALSO THE
CAUSE OF PREVIOUS ASTRONAUT
INFECTIONS, AND WE'RE INTERESTED
IN STUDYING HOW THEY INTERACT
WITH EACH OTHER AND HOW
ANTIBIOTICS AFFECT THEM IN
SPACE.
>> HOW INTERESTING.
AND KATELYN, HOW ABOUT YOU?
>> WE ARE STUDYING POLYMERS AND
PLASTICS AND HOW THEY'RE
AFFECTED IN SPACE.
>> WHY IS IT THAT YOU GUYS
WANTED TO HONE IN ON THAT?
>> BACTERIAL RESISTANCE IS A
REAL PROBLEM HERE IN SPACE AND
AT HOME.
FOR FUTURE SPACE FLIGHT, IT'S
IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP
ASTRONAUTS HEALTHY, AND THE
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HAS
CHALLENGED THIS AS SOMETHING TO
SOLVE.
>> THIS IS ALL POSSIBLE THROUGH
NASAs STUDENT PAYLOAD
OPPORTUNITY TRAINING OR SPOT
PROGRAM.
>> I THINK IT'S AN INCREDIBLE
OPPORTUNITY, ONCE IN A LIFETIME.
IT'S SUCH AN INSPIRING WAY TO
GET US INVOLVED AS WELL AS ALL
THE PEOPLE WATCHING US ALONG FOR
THE JOURNEY.
IT'S TRULY AN INSPIRATION AND I
THINK AN EXCELLENT WAY TO GET
OUR GENERATION INVOLVED IN STEM
MOVING FORWARD.
>> WHAT ARE YOU HOPING TO LEARN
FROM EXPERIMENTS?
>> YEAH.
FROM OUR EXPERIMENTS, WE'RE
HOPING TO LEARN WHAT ANTIBIOTICS
ARE BEST TO USE WITH ASTRONAUTS
TO BEST TREAT THEIR INFECTIONS.
>> AND KATELYN?
>> WE ARE LOOKING AT THE
COMPOUND RISK OF EXPOSING
YOURSELF TO BACTERIA, SO
APPLYING THAT TO POLYMER
ENVIRONMENTS AND USE THAT GO TO
REDUCE INFECTION -- USING THAT
TO REDUCE INFECTIONS.
>> THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AND ANDY, LET'S GO BACK TO
YOU.
>> TODAY IS GOING TO BE MARKING
THE 31 LAUNCH OF 2021 FOR SPACEX
AND THE FIFTH VISIT FOR DRAGON.
TO GIVE A BIT OF HISTORY.
DRAGON HAS BEEN FLYING 11 YEARS
NOW AND MADE ITS DEBUT IN 2012
AS THE FIRST PRIVATE SPACECRAFT
IN HISTORY TO VISIT THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
TODAY, IT'S ONE OF THE FEW
VEHICLES THAT CAN DELIVER
SIGNIFICANT CARGO TO THE SPACE
STATION AND THE ONLY VEHICLE
THAT CAN DELIVER CARGO FROM IT.
TO DATE, TEN OF OUR CRS-MISSIONS
HAVE FLOWN ON REUSED DRAGONS,
AND WHILE IT'S THE SECOND FLIGHT
FOR DRAGON TODAY, HAVING
PREVIOUSLY FLOWN ON CRS-22.
IT IS THE FIRST FOR OUR BOOSTER.
TO DATE, WE'VE REFLOWN FIRST
STAGES 78 TIMES, AND THAT
INCLUDES BOTH THE FALCON 9 AND
FALCON HEAVY FLIGHTS, AND WE'RE
PLANNING TO RECOVER THIS ONE
WITH THE DRONESHIP WITH JUST
INSTRUCTIONS.
IF SUCCESSFUL, IT WILL MARK THE
100 SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY OF AN
ORBITAL CLASS ROCKET.
SO WE ARE JUST UNDER T-MINUS TEN
MINUTES AND COUNTING OF THE
LAUNCH OF THE RESUPPLY ROCKETS
TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION.
>> CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO TO SEE
WHICH COMPANIES ARE FLYING
EXPERIMENTS ON THIS MISSION.
[♪♪♪]
>> THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION IS AN INCREDIBLE
RESEARCH FACILITY THAT ALLOWS
INVESTIGATORS TO CONDUCT
RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT IN WAYS NOT
POSSIBLE ON EARTH.
THROUGH THE I.S.S. NATIONAL
LABORATORY, PRIVATE SECTOR
COMPANIES CAN LEVERAGE THE
UNIQUE SPACE ENVIRONMENT TO
DEVELOP OR IMPROVE CONSUMER
PRODUCTS AND FURTHER BUSINESS
MODELS BOTH ON THE GROUND AND
LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
HERE'S A QUICK LOOK.
OVER THE YEARS, PHARMACEUTICAL
LEADER MERCK AND COMPANY HAVE
LAUNCHED EXPERIMENTS TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
USING THE DRUG KEYTRUDA, MERCK
WAS ABLE TO ACHIEVE EXCITING
RESULTS, ALLOWING THE COMPANY TO
IMPROVE THE DRUG FORMULATION AND
DELIVERY OF KEYTRUDA.
IT COULD IMPROVE THE MANUFACTURE
AND STORAGE OF KEYTRUDA, WHICH
COULD IMPROVE STORAGE AND
QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE ON
EARTH.
PROCTER&GAMBLE INTEND TO GAIN
INSIGHT TO IMPROVE THE FUNCTION
OF TIDE ON EARTH AND OTHER
PRODUCTS, AS WELL.
>> THE TIDE EXPERIMENTS IS
PRETTY INTERESTING BECAUSE MONEY
OF US PROBABLY HAVE A BOTTLE AT
HOME RIGHT NOW.
DR. MARK CIVIC IS WITH
PROCTER&GAMBLE, AND JOINS US
RIGHT NOW.
DO ASTRONAUTS -- HOW DO
ASTRONAUTS CLEAN THEIR CLOTHES
RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, ASTRONAUTS DO NOT CLEAN
THEIR CLOTHES RIGHT NOW.
NASA IS WORKING WITH TIDE TO
DEVELOP THE FIRST DETERGENT FOR
SPACE FLIGHT BECAUSE IT COSTS
MONEY TO SEND UP CLOTHES FOR
SPACE FLIGHT.
AS THE CONSUMER EXPECTS
PERFORMANCE AND CLEANING FROM
TIDE, THE ASTRONAUTS WILL, AS
WELL.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE ASTRONAUTS
CAN'T GO TO THE STORE TO GET A
BOTTLE OF TIDE.
IN THIS EXPERIMENT, WE WANT TO
LEARN ABOUT THE INGREDIENT
STABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS IN
THE MICROGRAVITY AND RADIATION
ON THE SPACE STATION.
>> EXPERIMENTS ON THE SPACE
STATION, WOULD THAT MEAN LESS
WATER FOR US ON EARTH?
>> WE'RE USING THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION AS A SURROGATE FOR
OUR MISSIONS, AND WE WANT TO
LEARN ABOUT CONSTRAINED
ENVIRONMENTS TO DEVELOP THE NEXT
BEST PRODUCT FOR CONSUMERS
AROUND THE WORLD.
IF WE CAN GET THE CONSUMER TO
USE TIDE INFINITY IN THE FUTURE
FOR FUTURE CLEANING AT LOWER
WASH TEMPERATURES, THAT'LL HELP
SOCIETY IN GENERAL.
>> MARK, THANK YOU.
CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT YOU GUYS
UNCOVER.
>> WELL, IT'S NOT JUST PRODUCTS
ON THE CREW, BUT THERE'S ALSO
SOME TREATS FOR THE CREW TO SELL
THEM CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS.
THEY'LL ALSO BE GETTING SOME
PRESENTS.
ALL RIGHT.
WE ARE NOW T-MINUS FIVE MINUTES
AND COUNTING.
LET'S BRING IN ANDY AND JOSH.
>> YEAH, MEGAN.
WE'RE CONTINUING TO MONITOR
WEATHER.
ALTHOUGH IT IS TRENDING MORE AND
MORE TOWARDS GREEN AS WE MARCH
TOWARDS T-MINUS ZERO.
LIQUID OXYGEN LOADING IS
CURRENTLY UNDERWAY AND SHOULD
COMPLETE AROUND THE T-MINUS
TWO-MINUTE MARK.
HELIUM LOAD BEGAN BEFORE THE
BROADCAST WENT LIVE, AND WE'LL
CONTINUE TO TOP THAT OFF, AS
WELL, UNTIL ABOUT 1.5 MINUTES
BEFORE LAUNCH.
YOU MENTIONED CHILD OXYGEN.
IT'S SUPER CHILLED, AND THEY
PERFORM ENGINE CHILL.
THIS BEGAN AT T MINUS 11
MINUTES, AND THIS IS FLOWED
THROUGH THE MERLIN
[indiscernible] IT'S CURRENTLY
UNDERGOING VEHICLE HEALTH CHECKS
WITH THE NEXT BIG STEP HAPPENING
JUST A MOMENT AGO WHEN DRAGON
TRANSITIONED TO INTERNAL POWER.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON SCREEN
RIGHT NOW, THE CLAMP ARMS JUST
UNDERNEATH THE DRAGON HAVE BEGAN
TO OPEN UP, AND THEY SHOULD BE
COMPLETING RIGHT NOW, AND THE
STRONG BACK, WHICH IS THE TRUSS
STRUCTURE IS BEGINNING TO
RECLINE AWAY FROM ITS PRELAUNCH
POSITION.
IT WILL CONTINUE TO RECLINE ALL
THE WAY BACK AS WE REACH T-ZERO.
>> STAGE ONE LOCKS LOAD
COMPLETE.
>> IN THESE LAST FEW MINUTES,
FALCON 9 IS PERFORMING HEALTH
CHECKS ON ITS PRIMARY
COMMUNICATIONS, AVIONICS, AND
PROPULSION SYSTEMS FOR FLIGHT.
>> THE CHECK OUTS OF THE SECOND
STAGE THRUST VECTOR CONTROL
ACTUATORS SHOULD OCCUR ABOUT
2:30.
IT'S WHERE SPACEX WILL MOVE THE
THRUSTER NOZZLE.
SPACEX WILL DO THE EXACT SAME
CHECK OUT ON THE FIRST STAGE
ENGINES JUST SECONDS BEFORE
IGNITION.
WEATHER BEING GO NOW FOR
LIFT-OFF BEING 5:07.08 THIS
MORNING.
SPACE STATION TRACKING OVER
CENTRAL EUROPE, AND DRAGON WILL
BE THERE ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION FOR ABOUT A MONTH.
SO [indiscernible] AND THAT IS
THE CALL OUT RIGHT THERE, SO ALL
PROPELLANTS ARE LOADED ONTO THE
VEHICLE.
[indiscernible] WE'RE STARTING
TO HAVE SOME WHITE CLOUDS
BUILDING AROUND THE VEHICLE.
THAT IS CONDENSED LIQUID OXYGEN.
NORMAL AND EXPECTED FOR US
AROUND THIS STAGE OF THE COUNT
DOWN AS WE MARCH TOWARD T ZERO.
>> AT T-MINUS TWO MINUTES, WE'LL
GET THE LAST FEW CHECKS GUIDING
THE ROCKETS THROUGH THE LAST FEW
SECONDS BEFORE -- ROCKET THROUGH
THE LAST FEW SECONDS BEFORE
LIFTOFF.
>> FALCON 9s IN START-UP.
>> DRAGON IS IN COUNT DOWN.
>> SO THERE ARE A COUPLE OF
GREAT CALLOUTS.
BOTH SIDES ARE PRESSURIZING FOR
LAUNCH.
THE WEATHER DID CLEAR EARLIER
AND HAS REMAINED GREEN, SO ALL
THINGS --
>> FALCON 9 CRS-24 GO FOR
LAUNCH.
>> THAT'S THE LAUNCH DIRECTOR
CALLING GO FOR LAUNCH.
WE'LL GET AN ALL SYSTEMS GO HERE
IN JUST A FEW SECONDS.
>> T-MINUS 15 SECONDS.
TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX,
FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE,
ZERO.
IGNITION.
AND LIFTOFF.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
>> STAGE ONE CHAMBER PRESSURE'S
NOMINAL.
>> T-PLUS 40 SECONDS INTO
FLIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THEM PASSING
THROUGH CLOUD LAYERS RIGHT NOW.
NEXT UP IS MAX-Q.
THIS IS WHERE THE VEHICLE WILL
EXPERIENCE THE HIGHEST AMOUNT OF
AERODYNAMIC PRESSURES.
>> FALCON 9 IS SUPERSONIC.
MAX Q.
>> AND THERE'S THE CALL OF MAX Q
THROUGH THE CALL OF MAX PRESSURE
AS WE CONTINUE TO MAKE OUR
JOURNEY TO ORBIT.
COMING UP IN ABOUT A MINUTE ARE
THREE EVENTS IN RAPID
SUCCESSION, AND SECOND ENGINE
START, ALSO KNOWN AS SES-1 THEN,
STAGE SEPARATION.
DURING THEN, THE FIRST AND
SECOND STAGE WILL SEPARATE FROM
ONE ANOTHER.
THE FIRST STAGE WILL MAKE ITS
WAY BACK, AND THE SECOND STAGE
WILL LIGHT ITS FALCON ENGINES,
CONTINUING ITS WAY TO LOW EARTH
ORBIT.
AGAIN, THOSE ARE GOING TO BE
HAPPENING IN RAPID SUCCESSION IN
ABOUT 15 SECONDS HERE.
>> STAGE SEPARATION CONFIRMED.
>> IGNITION.
>> YOU HEARD THE CALLOUTS.
YOU SEE IT ON SCREEN, SEPARATION
AND IGNITION OF OUR MERLIN
VACUUM ENGINE.
ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE OF YOUR
SCREEN, THE FIRST STAGE IS
MAKING ITS WAY TO EARTH BUT IS
BEING ILLUMINATED BY THE SECOND
STAGE MERLIN VACUUM ENGINE.
IF YOU'RE JUST JOINING OUR WEB
CAST, THIS IS SPACEX' 31 MISSION
FOR 2021, THE FIFTH DRAGON
FLIGHT TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION THIS YEAR.
COUPLE OF VIEWS ON YOUR SCREEN.
ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF YOUR
SCREEN, THE MERLIN STAGE, AND
THE OTHER SECTION IS CARRYING
THE TREATS AND SUPPLIES FOR THE
ASTRONAUTS.
TODAY'S MISSION IS GOING TO BE
THE DRONE SHIP JUST READ THE
INSTRUCTION, WHICH WILL PARK IN
THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.
NEXT EVENT FOR OUR MISSION TODAY
IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST STAGE
ENTRY BURN.
IT'S GOING TO BE THE FIRST OF
TWO BURNS.
THE FIRST STAGE HAPPENS.
THE FIRST IS THE ENTRY BURN,
WHERE THREE OF OUR MERLIN
ENGINES WILL IGNITE, HELPING TO
SLOW THE STAGE DOWN AS IT
REENTERS THE UPPER PORTIONS OF
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.
THE SECOND IS A SINGLE-ENGINE
BURN THAT ALLOWS IT TO LAND ON
OUR DRONE SHIP.
AS WE WAIT FOR THAT EVENT, YOU
MIGHT BE INTERESTED TO KNOW THAT
IN ORDER TO GET INTO SPACE, A
ROCKET HAS TO DO MORE THAN GO
STRAIGHT UP REALLY FAST.
IT ACTUALLY HAS TO GO SIDEWAYS,
AND WE'RE HEADING UP FROM THE
LAUNCH PAD IN WHAT WE CALL A
GRAVITY TURN.
THINGS CONTINUE TO GO SMOOTHLY
FOR THE FIRST STAGE ENTRY BURN.
SHOULD START IN ABOUT TEN
SECONDS.
>> THREE MERLIN ENGINES HAVE
REIGNITED THEIR ENGINES AND ARE
CURRENTLY SLOWLY DOWN THIS FIRST
STAGE.
THIS BURN IS EXPECTED TO LAST
ABOUT 30 SECONDS.
YOU CAN SEE THE VELOCITY ON THE
BOTTOM SIDE OF YOUR SCREEN.
WE'RE STARTING TO DECREASE
SIGNIFICANTLY.
THAT IS BURN ONE OF TWO
COMPLETE.
IT'S ABOUT 60 SECONDS AWAY FROM
LANDING THE VEHICLE, AND WE'RE
TRAVELING A SIGNIFICANT VELOCITY
RIGHT NOW.
THIS REALLY PUTS INTO
PERSPECTIVE THE DEACCELERATION
THE FIRST STAGE WILL EXPERIENCE.
IN LESS THAN THE SPAN OF A
MINUTE, IT WILL REDUCE FROM
TWICE THE SPEED OF A JET TO WHEN
THE ROCKET LANDS.
>> FIRST STAGE LANDING BURN IS
EXPECTED TO START HERE IN ABOUT
20 SECONDS AND LAST ABOUT 25
SECONDS, SO DURING THE DURATION
OF THAT BURN, WE ARE GOING TO BE
LISTENING FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT
OF SECO, SECOND ENGINE CUT-OFF
BURN, AND IT WILL COAST FOR A
FEW MINUTES BEFORE SEPARATING
DRAGON.
>> STAGE TWO FTS IS SAFE.
>> WE DON'T HAVE VIEWS RIGHT
NOW -- LOOKS LIKE WE GOT IT
BACK, AND THE BURN IS CURRENTLY
UNDERWAY.
>> STAGE ONE LANDING IS
CONFIRMED.
>> SO HOPEFULLY WE GET SOME
VISUALS.
THERE IT IS.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST LAND WILL
FOR THIS PARTICULAR BOOSTER, BUT
THE 100 SUCCESSFUL LANDING FOR
AN ORBITAL CLASS ROCKET.
WHAT A WAY TO END OFF THE YEAR.
WE ALSO HEARD THAT THE SECOND
ENGINE -- SORRY, THE SECOND
STAGE ENGINE, THE MERLIN ENGINE,
SUCCESSFULLY SHUT OFF ITS
ENGINE, AND WE'RE GOING TO PAUSE
HERE TO SEE IF WE CAN CONFIRM A
GOOD ORBIT OF THE SECOND STAGE.
>> ACQUISITION SIGNAL
NEWFOUNDLAND.
>> AGAIN, THIS IS A FEW OF THE
MERLIN VACUUM ENGINE, THE DRAGON
CAPSULE WITH ALL OF ITS SUPPLIES
IS ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THAT
ENGINE.
AND I AM GETTING CONFIRMATION
THAT WE DO INSTEAD HAVE A GOOD
ORBIT, SO THE SECOND STAGE IS
GOING TO BE COASTING FOR A FEW
MINUTES HERE.
THIS IS A FEW OF THE
UNPRESSURIZED CARGO SECTION OF
THE DRAGON.
THE SECOND STAGE RIGHT NOW
MAKING SOME SMALL ADJUSTMENTS.
WE SHOULD ALSO HAVE DRAGON
SEPARATING FROM THE TOP OF THE
SECOND STAGE ITSELF.
SHOULD GIVE US A NICE VIEW OF
THE UNPRESSURIZED SECTION OF
DRAGON.
DRAGON IS GOING TO BE JOINING
THE CREW THREE VEHICLE ENDURANCE
THAT IS CURRENTLY ATTACHED TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
AND IN ORBIT, AND IT'S ALWAYS
EXCITING TO SEE TWO DRAGONS
DOCKED AT THE SPACE STATION AT
THE SAME TIME.
>> WE'LL BE DELIVERING ABOUT
6500 POUNDS OF SCIENCE
EXPERIMENTS, SUPPLIES, AND
EQUIPMENT AS WELL AS SOME
HOLIDAY TREATS FOR THE CREW, SO
I'M SURE THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD
TO THAT.
AGAIN, THIS IS A CARGO MISSION,
SO THERE IS NO CREW ABOARD THE
DRAGON AS PART OF TODAY'S
MISSION.
IN FACT, WE WILL MODIFY THE
VEHICLES SLIGHTLY FOR THESE
TYPES OF MISSIONS, SO THERE ARE
NO SEATS, THERE ARE NO LIFE
SUPPORT SYSTEMS.
THIS SAVES ON WEIGHT, ALLOWS US
TO PACK MORE CARGO, AND IT SAVES
THE DRAGON ONCE IT SPLASHES BACK
DOWN TO EARTH IN ABOUT A MONTH.
>> STAGE SEPARATION CONFIRMED.
>> AND THERE IT GOES.
THIS CAMERA VIEW IS ON THE
SECOND STAGE, LOOKING AT THE
DRAGON'S UNPRESSURIZED CARGO
SECTION.
THE DRAGON HAS ABOUT A DAY
BEFORE IT MAKES ITS WAY TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND
DOCKS.
COMING UP IS NOSE CONE OPENING
SEQUENCE, BUT THAT IS GOING TO
DO IT FOR ME HERE IN HAWTHORNE.
I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO
SHANEEQUA IN MISSION CONTROL
HOUSTON FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
MILESTONES.
>> RIGHT AFTER DRAGON SEPARATED,
IT BEGAN SEVERAL SMALL CHECK
OUTS, INCLUDING FIRING OF THE
DRACO THRUSTERS.
THE NOSE CONE PROTECTS THE
DOCKING HARDWARE AND RENDEZVOUS
TRACKING EQUIPMENT.
DRAGON WILL USE FOUR MAJOR DRACO
THRUSTERS TO CATCH UP WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
ONCE OPEN, THE NOSE CONE WILL
STAY OPEN UNTIL THE VERY END OF
ITS MISSION, CLOSING RIGHT
BEFORE REENTRY TO PROVIDE SOME
ADDITIONAL PROTECTION TO THE
HARDWARE BEFORE REENTRY.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE WAITING TO HERE
CONFIRMATION THAT -- HEAR
CONFIRMATION THAT THE NOSE CONE
IS FULLY DEPLOYED.
AND AFTER CONFIRMATION, WE'LL
HAVE ONE OF THE PROGRAM MANAGERS
HERE JOIN ME ON CONSOLE -- JOIN
ME VIRTUALLY, SORRY.
>> IN THE FLIGHT CONTROL ROOM,
WE WAIT FOR THE FINAL
CONFIRMATION OF NOSE CONE
DEPLOY.
NOW JOINING ME ON THE PHONE IS
THE CHIEF OF THE INTEGRATION AND
TRANSPORTATION OFFICE, PHIL
GINSEY.
HI, PHIL.
CAN YOU OUTLINE SOME OF THE
MAJOR MILESTONES OF CREW 24?
>> HI, SHANEEQUA.
FIRST, IT'S GREAT TO SEE SOME
SHOTS THROUGH AND GET TO DOCK.
WE'VE GOT THE TRANSFER OF TWO
EXTERNAL PAYLOADS FROM THE
DRAGON TRUNK TO THE LOCATIONS ON
I.S.S., AND THERE'S SEVERAL
MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES WITH
HARDWARE SHOWING UP ON THIS
MISSION, AND THEN, WE HAVE A
SOFTWARE TRANSITION PLAN, SO
OVERALL, A LOT GOING ON DURING
THE 30 DAYS OR SO THIS CRS-24 IS
ONTO ENABLE ALL OF THIS WORK.
>> THAT'S AWESOME.
THANK YOU, PHIL.
AND THESE RESUPPLY MISSIONS
DELIVER HARDWARE, CARGO, AND
OTHER CRITICAL SUPPLIES TO THE
SPACE STATION.
BUT HOW CRITICAL ARE THEY TO THE
ASTRONAUTS?
HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT FOR US TO
DO ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION?
>> YEAH, SO THESE MISSION RIGHT
SIDE ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
IS OPERATING, FOR THE PURPOSE OF
DOING RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
DEMONSTRATION, SO WE'VE GOT OVER
24 DIFFERENT EXPERIMENTS GOING
UP ON THIS, THESE 500, 600
EXPERIMENTS ARE KEY TO WHAT THE
ASTRONAUTS ARE THERE IN THE
FIRST PLACE.
WHAT'S KEY IS WE GET THE RETURN
SCIENCE DOWN IN ABOUT A MONTH,
SO OPERATIONS AROUND THIS FULL
MISSION TIMELINE IS CRITICAL.
YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION, WE'VE GOT
HARDWARE GOING UP THIS YEAR
WHICH IS CRITICAL TO SOME OF THE
MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES.
WE'VE GOT HARDWARE GOING UP FOR
SOME OF OUR EXERCISE DEVICES,
AND SOME ADDITIONAL HARDWARE FOR
OUR E.M.U.s, WHICH ARE USED FOR
THE SPACEWALKS WE'VE GOT, BUT
THERE'S ALSO UPDATES SUPPLIES
FOR THE CREW, CHRISTMAS DINNER
AND SOME CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR THE
CREW, WHICH IS ALWAYS A TREAT
FOR THE MEMBERS.
>> THANKS, PHIL, AND WE DID HAVE
CONFIRMATION THAT THE NOSE CONE
IS DEPLOYING.
IT IS OPENING, AND I WILL
CONFIRM WITH YOU ALL WHEN IT IS
FULLY OPEN.
AS ALWAYS, PHIL, THIS IS A BUSY
TIME FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION, WITH CREWS AND VEHICLES
ALWAYS COMING AND GOING.
HOW COMPLEX WILL IT BE FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND
THE GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP?
>> WE'RE CLOSING OUT WHAT'S BEEN
A REALLY GREAT, REALLY BUSY
NEAR, AND NEXT YEAR LOOKS TO BE
NO DIFFERENT.
IT STARTS TOMORROW WITH OUR
RUSSIAN PARTNERS FOLLOWING THIS
LAUNCH WITH AN UNDOCK OF MODULE
THAT'S REALLY CLEANUP FROM THEM
INSTALLING THEIR NOTE MODULE ON
THE RUSSIAN SEGMENT.
THERE'S THREE RUSSIAN SPACEWALKS
IN LATE JANUARY.
WE'VE GOT SOME U.S. SPACEWALKS
IN FEBRUARY AND MARCH TIME
FRAME, AND THAT'S TO GET IT SET
UP FOR THE NEXT SOLAR ARRAYS
COMING LATER IN THE YEAR.
WE'VE GOT OUR FIRST PRIVATE U.S.
ASTRONAUT MISSION COMING UP, AND
ADDITIONAL RESUPPLY MISSIONS,
AND THEN, WE GET BACK INTO THE
CREW CYCLE LAUNCHES ON THE
RUSSIAN AND U.S. SIDE BOTH.
SO IT'S ACTUALLY VERY BUSY
ACROSS THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM
WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL AND
SPECIAL PROGRAMS BOTH.
I SEE IT AS REALLY FITTING THAT
OUR TEAMS CLOSE OUT WITH A
LAUNCH THEY GET 2022 OFF AND
RUNNING.
>> THAT'S RIGHT, AND THANKS
AGAIN, PHIL, FOR JOINING US, AND
HAPPY HOLIDAYS.
>> HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU.
HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> BACK HERE IN THE FLIGHT
CONTROL ROOM, CREWS ARE
MONITORING DRAGON FOR ITS
ARRIVAL AT THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION TOMORROW MORNING.
NASA ASTRONAUTS RAJA CHARI AND
TOM MARSHBURN WILL BE MONITORING
THE APPROACH AND ARRIVAL OF
DRAGON WITH A PLANNED DOCKING
WEDNESDAY MORNING AT 3:30 A.M.
CENTRAL TIME, 4:30 A.M. EASTERN
TIME.
ONCE DRAGON IS DOCKED WITH THE
STATION, ASTRONAUTS WILL BEGIN
THE HATCH OPENING WITH THE
DRAGON.
AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE FINAL
CONFIRMATION THAT NOSE CONE IS
OPEN.
SO WITH THAT, EVERYTHING IS
STILL ON TRACK ON THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
SIDE, SO THAT'LL DO IT FOR US IN
MISSION CONTROL HOUSTON.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND NOW HEADING
OVER TO KENNEDY.
MEGAN?
>> DRAGON IS ON ITS WAY TO DOCK
WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION ABOUT 4:30 A.M.
TOMORROW.
WE WILL HAVE LIVE COVERAGE
TOMORROW BEGINNING AT ABOUT
3:00 A.M.
IN THE MEANTIME, YOU CAN LEARN
MORE ON NASA.GOV/RESUPPLY.
IN THE MEANTIME, WE LEAVE YOU
WITH A REPLAY OF THE LAUNCH.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS.
>> TEN, NINE, EIGHT, SEVEN, SIX,
FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE,
ZERO.
IGNITION.
>> LIFTOFF.
CARGO DRAGON SOARS WITH THE
FIFTH LAUNCH OF THE YEAR