>> STATION, THIS IS HOUSTON.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE EVENT?
>> HOUSTON, THIS IS STATION.
WE ARE READY FOR THE EVENT.
>> CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL,
THIS IS MISSION CONTROL HOUSTON.
PLEASE CALL STATION FOR A VOICE
CHECK.
>> STATION, THIS IS DR. INGER
DAMON.
CAN YOU HEAR ME?
>> INGER, THIS IS KATE.
WE CAN HEAR YOU.
>> GREAT.
I GUESS TO OPEN THIS
CONVERSATION, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE THREE OF US.
SHANNON, THIS IS MY FIRST TIME
MEETING YOU.
DR. SHANNON WALKER IS A
PHYSICIST WHO NEVER LOST SIGHT
OF HER GOAL.
KATE RUBINS IS AN ASTRONAUT IN
SPACE, WAS A GUEST RESEARCHER
HERE AT C.D.C. EARLY IN THE 21
CENTURY, AND I AM INGER DAMON,
PHYSICIAN CURRENTLY AT THE
C.D.C., AND IT IS SO GREAT TO BE
CHATTING YOU WITH ON THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
WELCOME.
SO I GUESS THE FIRST QUESTION IS
FOR YOU, KATE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY NOT SEE THE
PARALLELS BETWEEN THE WORK THAT
HAPPENS AT C.D.C. AND BECOMING
AN ASTRONAUT, BUT YOU MADE THAT
TRANSITION FROM THE LAB BENCH TO
THE SPACE STATION, AND CAN YOU
TELL US ABOUT THE ROUTE THAT YOU
TOOK, WHICH HAS CERTAINLY BEEN A
COMPLEX ONE, WORKING IN
MICROBIOLOGY AT C.D.C., STARTING
YOUR OWN LAB, JOINING NASA, AND
NOW HERE AT THE SPACE STATION?
>> HEY, INGER, THANKS.
FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO SAY,
WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
YOU'RE UP HERE WITH THE C.D.C.,
AND IT'S WONDERFUL TO HAVE YOU
JOIN US.
SO FIRST, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE
THERE'S A LOT OF PARALLELS
BETWEEN BEING AT THE C.D.C. AND
BEING IN SPACE, BUT WE COULD
PROBABLY GRAB YOU AND FLY YOU
TOMORROW.
WE CALL THEM SPACE SUITS WHEN
WE'RE WORKING IN THE BIOLEVEL
FOUR LABORATORY, AND WE CALL
THEM SPACE SUITS UP HERE, TOO.
THERE'S A LOT OF PARALLELS.
WORKING ON THINGS THAT ARE HIGH
CONSEQUENCE, WORKING IN
SITUATIONS WHERE YOU HAVE TO
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR
TEAMMATES, THERE'S CONSEQUENCES
TO YOUR ACTION, AND ALSO WORKING
IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE LIVES
DEPEND ON YOU.
I THINK EVERYBODY AT C.D.C. IS
REALLY, REALLY, REALLY FAMILIAR
WITH THAT, FEELING THAT THEIR
WORK HAS LIVED DEPENDENT ON
THEM.
>> WELL, THAT'S, I THINK, A
GREAT LEAD IN TO I THINK WHAT
WE'RE IN NOW, AND I THINK
EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE LAST
YEAR HAS BEEN UNPRECEDENTED IN
TERMS OF THE PANDEMIC.
SHANNON, CAN YOU TELL US THE
PROTOCOLS THAT YOU HAD TO DO TO
PREPARE FOR YOUR FLIGHT?
>> WE ALL TOOK A STEP BACK.
WE FIGURED OUT WHAT TRAINING WE
COULD DO REMOTELY AND WHAT
TRAINING ABSOLUTELY HAD TO BE
DONE IN PERSON.
WHEN HE WITH DID TRAINING IN
ERIN APPROXIMATE, EVERYBODY, OF
COURSE, WAS WEARING MASKS.
WE KEPT OUR DISTANCE TO THE
EXTENT POSSIBLE, BUT WHEN YOU'RE
TRAINING FOR A SPACE FLIGHT, YOU
AND YOUR CREW HAVE TO BE INSIDE
TRAINING.
WE ALWAYS MORE MASKS WHEN WE
WERE IN TRAINING.
WE WENT INTO QUARTER TEEN, AND
OUR FAMILIES WENT INTO QUARTER
TEEN WITH US, SO WE SPENT ABOUT
THREE WEEKS IN QUARANTINE BEFORE
WE HEADED OFF TO FLORIDA, SO WE
MADE SURE THAT EVERYBODY WAS
HEALTHY BEFORE WE LAUNCHED
BECAUSE WE DID NOT WANT TO BRING
ANYTHING UP TO THE SPACE STATION
WITH US.
>> MOST OF YOUR TIME ON THE
SPACE STATION INVOLVES
CONDUCTING RESEARCH.
SOME OF THE WORK THAT YOU'VE
DONE IN YOUR MISSION ON BOARD
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
INVOLVES SEQUENCING D.N.A. AND
EXPLORING THE MECHANISMS AND
BONE DENSITY AND MUSCLE MASS
LOSS.
CAN YOU TELL US THE KINDS OF
RESEARCH THAT YOU'RE WORKING ON
NOW?
>> YEAH.
WE'RE CONTINUING A LOT OF THE
BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH.
SO I HAPPENED TO BE LUCKY THIS
MISSION TO GET THE NEXT FLIGHT
OF THE CARDIOVASCULAR
EXPERIMENT.
THIS IS A MORE COMPLEX TISSUE
MIX, SO WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING
AT THREE DIMENSIONAL TISSUE
ENGINEERING UP HERE, AND IN
ADDITION TO THE CARDIO MYOCYTES,
WE ADDED IN OTHER CELLS, AS
WELL.
WE'VE TAKEN ABOUT EIGHT
DIFFERENT SWABS AROUND THE SPACE
STATION, AND I'VE ALREADY TOLD
THEM WE NEED TO GET THESE INTO
96-L PLATES.
IT IS MORE COMPLEX TO DO THINGS
UP HERE LIKE MOLECULAR BIOLOGY.
WE RECENTLY FOUND YOU CAN USE A
SHARPS CONTAINER AS A DISPOSAL
FOR PIPETTES.
UP HERE, WE HAVE STATIC CLING
THAT WILL KEEP THE SHARPS IN AND
EVERYTHING ELSE OUT.
WE'RE STUDYING ADVANCED PHYSICS
WITH THE COLD PARTICLE LAB.
THERE'S OTHER TYPES OF
EXPERIMENTS, THINGS LIKE
COMBUSTION RESEARCH, FLUID
BEHAVIOR UP HERE HAS COMPLETELY
CHANGED, SO THERE'S ABOUT 200
EXPERIMENTS ON ANY GIVEN
MISSION, AND IT'S PRETTY FUN TO
BE ABLE TO DO THEM ALL.
>> I IMAGINE THAT FLUID BEHAVIOR
MUST MAKE SEQUENCING A REAL
CHALLENGE, ESPECIALLY WHEN
YOU'RE GETTING TO 96-L PLATES,
SO...
SO ARE THERE NEW ASPECTS OF
RESEARCH THAT YOU'RE EMBARKING
ON BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC?
I KNOW YOU MENTIONED SOME OF THE
HIGHER THROUGHPUT SEQUENCING
THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING ABOUT
DOING?
>> YEAH, SO WE'RE NOT
SPECIFICALLY STUDYING ANY
PATHOGENS OF CONSEQUENCE UP HERE
ABOVE B.S.L. TWO.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE RATED FOR, BUT
WE HAVE HAD SOME EXAMPLES OF
COVID IN OUR RESEARCH TEAMS ON
THE GROUND.
LIKE MOST EVERYBODY ELSE,
THEY'VE HAD TO MOVE TO REMOTE
WORK AND MASKING AND DISTANCING
WHEN THEY'RE PRESENT.
IT WAS AMAZING TO WATCH THE
TEAMS AT NASA STILL BE ON A
LAUNCH SCHEDULE.
IT WASN'T JUST THE SOYUZ, THEY
ACTUALLY LAUNCHED CREW ONE WAS
THE FIRST EXPLORATIONAL FLIGHT
OF THE VEHICLE.
THERE'S BEEN SOME IMPACTS TO
RESEARCH IN TERMS OF OPERATIONS,
BUT OVERALL, EVERYBODY'S REALLY
DONE AN INCREDIBLE JOB OF
KEEPING THE SPACE STATION
SUPPLIED AND RUNNING.
>> SO HOW LONG WILL YOU BOTH BE
ON THE SPACE STATION THIS TIME?
>> BOTH OF US ARE UP HERE FOR
ABOUT A SIX-MONTH STINT.
WE ACTUALLY -- I GUESS KATE
KNOWS HER LANDING DATE.
I'M NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT MINE.
SHE HAS BEEN UP HERE ABOUT A
MONTH LONGER THAN MY CREW FROM
THE SPACEX DRAGON VEHICLE, SO I
VEHICLE OUT ABOUT SIX
MONTHS-ISH.
>> SO I THINK HERE ON TERRA
FIRMA, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE NEW
THINGS ABOUT THE SARS
CORONAVIRUS 2 PATHOGEN, AND
WE'VE BEEN LEARNING ABOUT HOW
THEY BEHAVE IN A TYPICAL WAY.
WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN LEARNING
ABOUT HOW MICROBES REACT IN
SPACE?
IS THERE ANY INFORMATION THAT
YOU'RE GETTING FROM SEQUENCING?
>> WE'RE WORKING ON A
SEQUENCE-BASED MAP OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
WE'RE TAKING ABOUT 1,000 SAMPLES
TOTAL, SO I'M VERY CAREFULLY
SWABBING ALL THE MODULES.
EVERYBODY FLOATS BY, AND SAYS
KATE, ARE YOU STILL SWABBING?
YEP.
1,000 SAMPLES IS A LOT.
WE'VE DONE SOME SMALLER
MICROBIOME STUDIES, BUT WE DO
KNOW SOME THINGS ABOUT THE WAY
THAT MICROBES CHANGE IN SPACE.
IF YOU THINK OF THE MICROBIAL
COMMUNITY AS A CENSUS, WE'RE
TRYING TO TAKE A CENSUS OF WHICH
MICROBES ARE ON THE SPACE
STATION, WHICH WE BRING UP HERE
AND IT MIGHT BE A FAVORABLE
ENVIRONMENT.
WE WANT TO KNOW WHO'S UP HERE
AND HOW THEY'RE CHANGING.
IN TERMS OF VIRUSES, WE ACTUALLY
HAVE DONE VERY FEW STUDIES.
WE KNOW THAT ASTRONAUTS ARE A
LITTLE BIT IMMUNOSUPPRESSED.
WE CAN GET THE VIRUS THAT CAUSES
CHICKEN POX AND SHINGLES BECAUSE
OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS DEPRESSED,
BUT WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF
EXPERIMENTS ABOUT VIROLOGY, AND
I'D LIKE TO SEE MORE OF THAT.
>> I GUESS TO GO BACK TO
BACTERIA, SO MY DIVISION AT
C.D.C. WORKS AT A NUMBER OF RARE
BACTERIA, ONE OF WHICH IS CALLED
ELIZABETH KINGIA, NAMED AFTER
THE SCIENTIST WHO FIRST
DISCOVERED IT, ELIZABETH KING.
DOES IT SURPRISE YOU -- I MEAN,
AGAIN, YOU SORT OF ALLUDED TO IT
IN THE MICROBIOME AND WHO'S ON
THE SPACE STATION, BUT DOES IT
SURPRISE YOU THAT WE MIGHT FIND
THE SAME OR DIFFERENT BACTERIA
IN SPACE?
>> YEAH, I THINK IT'S
INCREINCREDIBLY
INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT IT'S
LIKE IN A COMPLETE ARTIFICIAL
ENVIRONMENT.
YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME HERE,
WE'RE SURROUNDED BY FOUR WALLS
OF PRETTY TECHNOLOGICAL THINGS.
WE HAVE NO DIRT THAT WE'RE
INTERACTING WITH, WE DON'T HAVE
ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD SEE IN
THE NATURAL WORLD, AND SO THIS
IS A COMPLETELY MAN MADE
ARTIFICIAL ENVIRONMENT, SO IT'S
PRETTY INTERESTING TO TRY TO
UNDERSTAND WHICH PATHOGENS WOULD
SURVIVE UP HERE, WHICH SURFACES
THEY WOULD COLONIZE, WHO WOULD
GROW WELL.
FOR THE MOST PART, WE DON'T HAVE
A LOT OF PATHOGENIC BACTERIA UP
HERE.
WE'RE REALLY STARTING TO GET
INTO THE SEQUENCING NOW, BUT IT
IS INTERESTING TO FIND OUT HOW
MICROBES MIGHT ADAPT TO THIS
ENVIRONMENT IN SPACE.
WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR 20 YEARS ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
BUT CULTURE-BASED METHODS MAY
NOT BE PICKING UP KINDS OF
INTERESTING THINGS THAT WE SEE
UP HERE, SO DOING THESE
COMPREHENSIVE SURVEYS IS
PROBABLY GOING TO DISCOVER A LOT
OF NEW THINGS.
IF YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT NEED TO
ISOLATE AND GROW UP CULTURES, WE
SURE COULD USE THE HELP.
>> SO THERE'S BEEN SOME
PROMISING RESEARCH
COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN THE
C.D.C. AND NASA, AND THE
TECHNOLOGIES THAT YOU GUYS ARE
WORKING ON AND HELPING TO
ENHANCE DATA ON BIOHAZARDS THAT
WE'RE STUDYING, AND THE SWABBING
OF THE INTERIOR SPACE FOR
MICRORESISTANT ORGANISMS.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU THINK THAT THE
C.D.C. AND NASA CAN BENEFIT FROM
OTHER THAN CULTURING MICROBES IN
SPACE?
>> YEAH, A HUGE THING THAT MIGHT
INTEREST YOU IS THE EPIDEMIO
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL HEALTH.
I THINK THAT THE EXPERTISE AT
THE C.D.C., THE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND
THIS BENEFIT COHORT COULD
DEFINITELY BENEFIT FROM A
COLLABORATION.
AND ALSO, THE WETLAB WORK IN
TERMS OF UNDERSTANDING HOW TO
PROCESS SAMPLES, HOW TO IDENTIFY
SAMPLES, HOW WE COULD INCREASE
THE EFFICIENCY AND THE ALLOW
THERE IS PUT ON THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, I
KNOW AT C.D.C., YOU GUYS PROCESS
THOUSANDS OF HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS, MILLIONS OF SAMPLES,
AND SO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND HOW
TO DO THAT TYPE OF WORK, AND WE
UNDERSTAND HOW TO ADAPT THAT TO
THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT, AND ALSO
COMPUTATIONALLY.
SO WE'RE INTERESTED HERE IN
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT EVENTUALLY
WHEN WE GO TO MARS AND FOR THE
LUNAR SURFACE, HOW ARE WE GOING
TO BE STUDYING ORGANISMS,
UNDERSTANDING THE FLOW OF THINGS
AND HOW WE CAN LOOK AT THIS
COMPUTATION
COMPUTATIONALLY, AND THAT'S
SOMETHING AT THE C.D.C. THAT'S
DONE VERY WELL.
>> AND A BIG AREA OF FOCUS, AS
WELL, JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT
COMPUTATIONAL WORK.
SO SHANNON, YOU LOOK LIKE YOU
HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD.
SOMETHING.
SO
-- SOMETHING TO ADD.
OKAY.
SO I'M GOING TO MOVE TO
QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE ACROSS THE
AGENCY, SO RAPID-FIRE QUESTIONS.
THE FIRST QUESTION IS CAN YOU
SEE THE MILKY WAY FROM SPACE?
>> ABSOLUTELY, YOU CAN, AND IT
IS EVEN MORE SPECTACULAR IN
SPACE SINCE YOU DON'T HAVE THE
ATMOSPHERE TO GET IN THE WAY.
THE NUMBER OF STARS THAT YOU CAN
SEE IS STUNNING.
>> SO AMAZING.
SO QUESTION TO BOTH OF YOU.
WHO INSPIRED EACH OF YOU TO GO
TO SPACE?
>> WELL, I THINK YOU ALREADY
TOLD MY STORY.
IT WAS THE EARLY MOON LANDING
THAT INSPIRED ME.
>> I'M NOT SURE WHERE I GOT THE
INSPIRATION TO GO TO SPACE.
I JUST ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN
ASTRONAUT.
MY PARENTS DEFINITELY ENCOURAGED
THAT, AND THEY LET ME GO TO
SPACE CAMP, BUT I DID HAVE TO
WORK FOR IT, SO I HAD TO MOW THE
LAWN, AND I EARNED $3 AN HOUR,
SO I'M GOING TO CREDIT THEM WITH
A LOT OF INSPIRATION FOR HARD
WORK, AND IT'S SOMETIMES GOOD
WHEN YOU HAVE TO PUT SOME SKIN
IN THE GAME FOR YOUR DREAMS.
>> WELL, WHEN GROWING UP, I HAD
TO CLEAN THE BATHROOMS, AND I
THINK I GOT ABOUT $3 AN HOUR.
SO THE NEXT QUESTION, WHAT WAS
THE FIRST THING THAT YOU ATE IN
SPACE, AND SHANNON, I UNDERSTAND
THAT YOU LIKE TO COOK, SO HAVE
YOU EXPERIMENTED WITH COOKING IN
SPACE?
ANY SUCCESS STORIES TO SHARE?
>> YEAH, WE -- WE DO HAVE SOME
EXPERIMENTING THAT GOES ON UP
HERE.
I THINK, AT THANKSGIVING, WE
DIDN'T GET OUR EXPECTED FOOD
SUPPLIES FOR THANKSGIVING, SO WE
HAD TO IMPROVISE, SO WE HAD
SOME -- WHAT WAS IT?
SOME CORN BREAD DRESSING.
WE HAD A CAN OF CRAB MEAT, AND
SOME SAUCE THAT WE HAD.
SO I PUT TOGETHER SOME
DECONSTRUCTED CRAB CAKES FOR OUR
THANKSGIVING DINNER, SO THAT WAS
FUN.
AND THE OTHER DAY, WE GOT TO
HARVEST SOME OF THINGS THAT
WE'RE GROWING, SO WE HAD AN
IMPROVISED SALAD, AND IT WAS
PRETTY GOOD.
>> SO HOW LOUD IS THE WORKING
ENVIRONMENT ON BOARD THE SPACE
STATION?
>> YEAH, ACOUSTICALLY, IT'S
ACTUALLY -- IT'S AN INCREDIBLY
LOUD ENVIRONMENT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS THAT
EVALUATION OUR HEARING
PROTECTION, AND I THINK IT'S
ABOUT 50 DECIBELS IN OUR CREW
QUARTERS, WHICH IS THE QUIETEST
PLACE IN THE SPACE STATION.
IT CAN GET UP TO 85 WHEN WE'RE
RUNNING ON THE TREADMILL.
I THINK ACTUALLY THAT'S A REALLY
INTERESTING AREA OF RESEARCH
BECAUSE WE'RE SURROUNDED BY
PUMPS AND FANS.
WE LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR
LIFE SUPPORT EQUIPMENT, SO THE
MAINTENANCE PART OF ALL OF YOUR
BUILDINGS, THAT'S WHERE WE EAT
AND SLEEP AND DO OUR WORK HERE,
AND SO MONITORING THAT ACOUSTIC
LEVEL, UNDERSTANDING IF IT'S A
HAZARD TO HUMAN HEALTH, IT'S A
REALLY BIG DEAL IN SPACE BECAUSE
WE'RE IN THIS ENVIRONMENT FOR SO
LONG.
>> SO DO YOU WEAR, LIKE, THE BIG
EAR PLUGS LIKE WHAT WE WORE IN
THE B.S.L. FOUR LAB?
>> WE DO WHEN WE SLEEP, BUT
ALSO, WE HAVE TO HEAR ANY
AREMAIN LAS IF WE GET A
CAUTION -- ALARMS IF WE GET A
CAUTION OR WARNING ON THE
STATION.
YOU WANT TO BLOCK THE NOISE BUT
ALSO HEAR THE STATION ALARMS.
SO IF C.D.C. HAS ANY IDEAS FOR
ACOUSTIC MONITORING AND NOISE
PREVENTION IN THE BACKGROUND,
WE'LL TAKE THAT.
>> SO I THINK WE ARE BEING ASKED
TO WRAP THE QUESTIONS, SO I'M
GOING TO ASK YOU ONE MORE
QUESTION, WHICH IS FROM -- ALSO
FROM FOLKS IN THE AGENCY.
THE WORLD HAS BEEN DEALING WITH
SOCIAL DISTANCING MEASURES OVER
THE PAST YEAR DUE TO COVID-19,
AND CERTAINLY, YOU HAVE AN
INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE ON THAT,
BEING ON THE SPACE STATION, AND
WHAT HAS THE EXPERIENCE BEEN
LIVING ON THE SPACE STATION
TAUGHT YOU ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
LIVING UNDER ISOLATING
ENVIRONMENTS?
>> YEAH, WE ACTUALLY GET THAT
QUESTION A LOT, AND I KNOW SOME
OF OUR CREW MATES HAVE GIVEN
TALKS TO ADDRESS THIS.
THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO TRY TO
STAY CONNECTED SOMEHOW TO YOUR
FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND WE DO
THAT SIMILAR TO THE WAY THAT
PEOPLE ARE DOING IT ON THE
GROUND.
WE HAVE PHONE CALLS THAT WE CAN
MAKE FROM THE STATION DOWN TO
OUR FAMILY, AND WE ARE ABLE TO
DO VIDEO CONFERENCES EVERY ONCE
IN A WHILE, SO THAT'S HOW WE
CONTACT THE PEOPLE ON THE
GROUND, AND THEN, WE REALIZE
THAT THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE WITH,
OF COURSE, ARE OUR SPACE FAMILY,
SO WE GET TO SPEND TIME
TOGETHER, WHICH IS REALLY NICE.
>> SO HOPEFULLY, YOU DON'T HAVE
TOO MANY ARGUMENTS WITH YOUR
SPACE FAMILY.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU
SPENDING THE TIME TO TALK TO US.
IT'S BEEN SUCH A GREAT PLEASURE
TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK
WITH YOU GUYS ON THE SPACE
STATION, SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR
THE OPPORTUNITY.
GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING THAT
YOU'RE DOING, AND WE REALLY
APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU SPENT
WITH US.
>> THANK YOU, INGER, AND THANK
YOU TO ALL AT THE CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL.
YOU GUYS ARE DOING A GREAT JOB
AT KEEPING OUR COUNTRY SAFE, AND
FROM ALL OF US AT THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, WE
REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
THANK YOU.
>> STATION, THIS IS HOUSTON
A.Z.R.
THAT CONCLUDES THE EVENT.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU TO ALL PARTICIPANTS
FROM THE C.D.C.
STATION, WE ARE NOW RESUMING
OPERATIONAL AUDIO