>> YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXCITED
TO SEE WHAT KIND OF DATA
THAT WE COLLECT FROM
THIS FIRST PROJECT.
ANY SORT OF DATA THAT WE GET
IS GOING TO BE BRAND NEW
INFORMATION FOR US.
AND FOR--
[ LAUGHTER ]
[ MUSIC ]
>> THREE, TWO, ONE, AND ZERO.
AND LIFTOFF OF
THE FALCON 9 ROCKET
AND THE DRAGON SPACECRAFT,
PACKED WITH SCIENCE AND SUPPLIES
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
HUMANITY'S HOME IN
LOW EARTH ORBIT.
>> SO WE WERE ORIGINALLY
SCHEDULED TO BE ON SPACE-X 14.
BUT ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE LAUNCH,
UM, OUR PROJECT GOT CANCELED
FROM THAT LAUNCH
BECAUSE OF SOME ISSUES WITH
THE CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT.
>> SCIENCE AND SPACE
CAN BE COMPLEX.
AND NO MATTER HOW METICULOUSLY
THINGS ARE PLANNED AND EXECUTED,
SOMETIMES THOSE COMPLEXITIES
GET IN THE WAY OF
LAUNCHING ON TIME.
WHEN EQUIPMENT USED TO
HOUSE THE EXPERIMENT
DIDN'T LOOK PERFECT FOR
A FINAL PRE-FLIGHT TEST,
THERE WAS NO CHOICE BUT TO
PUSH IT TO A LATER FLIGHT,
TO ENSURE MISSION SUCCESS.
AS A FIRST-TIME INVESTIGATOR,
THAT WAS, UM--
IT WASN'T DEVASTATING.
IT WAS JUST SAD THAT WE WEREN'T
GONNA BE ABLE TO LAUNCH
'CAUSE IT-- UP TO THAT POINT,
IT HAD TAKEN US ABOUT
TWO YEARS TO GET THERE.
ULTIMATELY, IT GAVE US
ABOUT SIX MONTHS MORE TIME
TO REEVALUATE THAT
CONTROLLED SYSTEM
AND DO SOME MORE GROUNDWORK
TO PREPARE FOR THE LAUNCH
IN DECEMBER OF 2018
ON SPACE-X 16.
>> AFTER THE SETBACK OF BEING
MOVED TO A LATER LAUNCH,
OUR TEAM OF SCIENTISTS
NOW HAS ONLY DAYS LEFT
BEFORE THEIR EXPERIMENT
WILL BE LOADED INTO
A SPACE-X DRAGON CAPSULE
THAT WILL CARRY IT TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
ELAINE AND PARASTOO,
THE COFOUNDERS OF
A BIOMEDICAL START-UP, ARE AT
NASA'S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER,
READYING THEIR RESEARCH
FOR MICROGRAVITY.
>> SINCE THIS IS
OUR FIRST PROJECT THAT'S
LAUNCHING TO STATION,
THIS IS ALSO OUR FIRST TIME
WORKING AT THE
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER.
SO IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING
MOMENT TO, YOU KNOW,
NOT JUST SEE THE VISITOR CENTER
AND GO LOOK AT
THE TOURISTY THINGS,
BUT ALSO GET TO GET PAST
THE SECURITY GATE AND INTO
THE ACTUAL LABORATORIES.
>> WHILE SOME EXPERIMENTS ARE
LOADED INTO DRAGON IN THE WEEKS
LEADING UP TO LAUNCH,
OTHERS HAVE MORE
TIME-SENSITIVE COMPONENTS.
THESE REQUIRE PRECISE
PREPARATION AND LOADING
IN THE DAYS BEFORE LIFTOFF.
FOR THOSE SCIENTISTS,
LABORATORIES AT THE KENNEDY
SPACE CENTER THAT ARE
A PART OF THE SPACE STATION
PROCESSING FACILITY, OR SSPF,
BECOME A HOME AWAY FROM HOME.
HERE, THEY CAN CARRY OUT
THE CRITICAL LAST STEPS OF
PREPARING THEIR EXPERIMENTS
FOR DELIVERY TO
THE SPACE STATION.
>> SO WE GOT HERE ON A THURSDAY,
AND IT'S CURRENTLY SUNDAY.
PUT IN A BIG DAY YESTERDAY,
FILLING UP THESE WELLS
WITH GEL SOLUTION,
AND GETTING READY FOR HAND-OVER
AT 7:30 A.M. ON MONDAY,
AHEAD OF LAUNCH
ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
>> ONCE YOU ARRIVE HERE,
YOU KIND OF GET INTO
THIS OTHER TIME.
IT'S THIS WEIRD, LIKE,
LITTLE TIME BUBBLE WHERE
EVERYTHING IS NOW L-BASED,
AND 'L' BEING LAUNCH.
AND IT'S L MINUS 72.
L MINUS 48.
L MINUS 24.
AND IT'S JUST BUILDING UP
TO THE ACTUAL LAUNCH TIME.
>> WITH THOSE PRECIOUS
REMAINING HOURS,
THE TEAM IS PREPPING THEIR
MICROPLATES FOR MICROGRAVITY.
MICROPLATES ARE ALSO
USED IN LABS ON EARTH,
BUT THESE WERE SPECIALLY
DESIGNED TO BE SELF-CONTAINED.
>> MY ROLE ON THE PROJECT
WAS TO DESIGN THE ACTUAL
MICROPLATE THEMSELVES.
THE CHALLENGE ON ORBIT, THOUGH,
IS THAT, UH, GENERALLY,
FLUID EXPERIMENTS HAVE TO BE
CONDUCTED IN THE GLOVEBOX,
AND THE GLOVEBOX IS-IS
VERY TIME-LIMITED.
UH, IT'S VERY CREW INTENSIVE.
SO WE'VE DESIGNED THIS
SELF-CONTAINED MICROPLATE
THAT, UH, CAN BE OPERATED
OUTSIDE OF THE GLOVEBOX.
IT HAS ALL OF THE CONTAINMENT
TO KEEP THE FLUIDS INSIDE.
>> SO WE HAVE LOADED THESE WELLS
WITH [ INDISTINCT ].
AND WE WANTED--
WE WANT TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT
THE EFFECT OF MICROGRAVITY
AND HOW THE RELEASE OF THE DRUG
IS AFFECTED WHEN WE SEND IT
TO THE SPACE STATION.
SO THE CONCERN THAT WE HAVE
IS THAT IF WE HAVE BUBBLES
THAT ARE IN THE WELLS,
IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR
THE PLATE READER TO BE ABLE TO
READ THE AMOUNT CORRECTLY.
SO WE ARE BEING VERY CAREFUL
WITH HOW WE ARE
LOADING THE WATERS.
>> SO WHAT'S LEFT TO DO TODAY,
ONCE PARASTOO HERE FINISHES
FILLING THE MICROPLATES,
I'M GONNA TAKE OVER
AND SEAL THEM UP COMPLETELY.
ONCE THAT'S DONE,
WE'LL ADD ALL OF THE LABELS
ON TO THE MICROPLATES
AND PUT THEM IN
A SELF-CONTAINED BOX THAT IS
WHAT THEY'LL ACTUALLY TRAVEL
TO THE SPACE STATION ON.
>> THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING
JUST TO GET IT RIGHT.
ONCE WE DO THAT, WE'LL TURN IT
OVER TO COLD STO.
COLD STO WILL
TAKE IT FROM THERE.
AND, UH, THE NEXT TIME
WE'LL SEE 'EM WILL BE ON ORBIT
AND THE CREWS OPENING THEM UP.
>> COLD STO,
SHORT FOR COLD STOWAGE,
IS THE TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR
MAKING SURE THAT THE RESEARCH
STAYS AT THE RIGHT TEMPERATURE
ON ITS JOURNEY FROM THE LAB
ON EARTH TO THE LAB IN SPACE.
THIS HAND-OFF IS ONE OF
THE LAST STEPS BEFORE
BEING LOADED ONTO THE ROCKET.
THE COLD STOWAGE TEAM WILL TAKE
ELAINE AND PARASTOO'S EXPERIMENT
AND KEEP IT SAFE AND SOUND
BEFORE IT'S LOADED FOR LAUNCH.
>> WELL, IT'LL FEEL LIKE
A RELIEF WHEN WE ACTUALLY
SEE IT TAKE OFF.
AND THEN IT WILL BE FINALLY--
>> IT'S A HUGE STEP, THOUGH.
>> YEAH.
>> IT'S DONE.
IT'S OUT OF OUR HANDS
AT THIS POINT.
>> YEAH.
IT WILL BE OFFICIALLY
OUT OF OUR HANDS WHEN
IT LEAVES THE EARTH'S SURFACE.
SO, THAT-THAT'LL BE
THE MOMENT THAT...
WE ARE FINALLY, FINALLY DONE.
UNTIL WE GET DATA.
AND THEN WE GET TO PROCESS IT.
>> I KNOW.
THAT'S JUST THE BEGINNING,
ACTUALLY.
>> SO, WHAT'LL HAPPEN NOW IS,
NOW THAT WE'VE HANDED 'EM OVER
TO NASA, NASA WILL DELIVER.
THEY'RE ON THEIR WAY RIGHT NOW,
OUT TO DRAGON, TO BE LOADED.
AND THE LAUNCH HOPEFULLY
WILL HAPPEN TOMORROW AT 13:38.
I'VE BEEN INVOLVED
SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING,
WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY
ABOUT THREE YEARS AGO.
IT'S BEEN A LONG ROAD.
BUT, UH, LIKE EVERYTHING
THAT'S A LOT OF WORK,
IT'S WORTH IT.
AND, UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO HELP
[ INDISTINCT ] GET SOME DATA
FOR THIS PROJECT.
>> OVERALL, WE'RE GONNA
GET A LOT OF DATA FROM
JUST THIS ONE PROJECT,
AND THOSE TWO EXPERIMENTS
ARE GONNA FORM A LOT OF
DIFFERENT THINGS FOR US.
[ LAUGHING ]
ALL RIGHT.
>> IT'S A LITTLE WINDY
OUT HERE TODAY.
IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY.
IT'S A LITTLE WINDY.
IT'S GOT ME CONCERNED.
MY-MY LAUNCH INTUITION
IS TINGLING A BIT.
IT'S ALWAYS AN AWESOME
AND AMAZING AND SPECIAL
THING TO SEE.