[ MUSIC ]
>> HI, EVERYONE,
AND WELCOME TO OUR ONGOING
CELEBRATION OF 20 CONTINUOUS
YEARS OF HUMAN PRESENCE ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
I'M TARA RUTTLEY,
ASSOCIATE CHIEF SCIENTIST
FOR GRAVITATIONAL RESEARCH
AT NASA HEADQUARTERS
IN WASHINGTON, DC.
OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES,
NASA AND ITS PARTNERS HAVE
SUCCESSFULLY SUPPORTED
HUMANS LIVING IN SPACE ABOARD
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
SINCE THE EXPEDITION ONE CREW
OF COMMANDER WILLIAM SHEPHERD,
SERGEI KRIKALEV,
AND YURI GIDZENKO,
WHO ARRIVED NOVEMBER 2, 2000.
SO, THIS NOVEMBER 2ND,
BEGAN THE 20TH YEAR OF
CONTINUOUS HUMAN PRESENCE
LIVING OFF THE PLANET
ONBOARD THE STATION.
A TRULY GLOBAL ENDEAVOR,
THIS UNIQUE MICROGRAVITY
LABORATORY HAS HOSTED
MORE THAN 240 PEOPLE
FROM 19 COUNTRIES,
CONDUCTED MORE THAN
3,000 EXPERIMENTS FROM
OVER 4,000 RESEARCHERS
WHO ARE FROM MORE THAN
100 COUNTRIES THEMSELVES.
AND THE STATION HAS HOSTED
A VARIETY OF INTERNATIONAL
AND COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT.
CONDUCTING SCIENCE ON
THE STATION PROVIDES
AN UNPARALLELED WAY TO
ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES OF
MOVING HUMANITY TOWARD
THE MOON AND MARS,
WHICH IS WHAT WE WANT TO DO,
WHILE INCREASING
KNOWLEDGE OF ENGINEERING,
PHYSICAL SCIENCES,
BIOLOGY, OUR OWN PLANET,
AND THE UNIVERSE.
IN THE 20 YEARS THAT HUMANS
HAVE LIVED ON THE STATION,
WE'VE BUILT OUR UNDERSTANDING
OF HOW WE CAN SAFELY LIVE
IN MICROGRAVITY AND WORK THERE
AND STAY THERE LONGER AND LONGER
AND WE'VE MADE SOME PRETTY
GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERIES.
BUT TODAY, I GET
THE FUN OPPORTUNITY TO CHAT
WITH MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES,
WHO I'VE WORKED WITH
FOR MANY YEARS IN
THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM DOWN
AT THE JOHNSON SPACE CENTER,
ABOUT THOSE DISCOVERIES
AND THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH
THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ACTIVITIES HAPPENING
ON THE STATION OVER
THE PAST 20 YEARS.
MARYBETH, KIRT, AND JENNIFER,
SINCE I JOINED NASA IN 2001,
THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN
HUMANS IN SPACE.
IT'S FOR MY ENTIRE CAREER.
MANY OF THOSE WATCHING NOW
ARE 20 YEARS AND YOUNGER
AND THEY CAN ALSO SAY
THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF
A TIME WHEN HUMANS
HAVE BEEN LIVING IN SPACE.
WOULD YOU PLEASE
INTRODUCE YOURSELVES,
TELL US WHAT YOU DO FROM
THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM,
AND SHARE WITH US
WHERE YOU WERE
OR WHAT YOU WERE DOING
NOVEMBER 2, 2000?
MARYBETH?
>> HI, TARA.
SURE, I'D BE HAPPY TO.
SO, MY NAME IS MARYBETH EDEEN.
I MANAGE THE RESEARCH OFFICE
AND OUR JOB IS TO GET ALL OF
THAT RESEARCH THAT WE'RE
GOING TO TALK ABOUT UP INTO
THE SPACE STATION SO THAT IT
CAN BE EXECUTED BY THE CREWS.
UM, I'VE BEEN IN NASA
FOR OVER 30 YEARS,
AND ON NOVEMBER 2, 2000
I WAS ACTUALLY WORKING ON
THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS.
I WAS A LIFE SUPPORT
SYSTEM MANAGER.
AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN ON
CONSOLE IN THE MISSION
EVALUATION ROOM IN
THE BACK ROOM SUPPORTING
THE FLIGHT TEAM,
WATCHING FOR THE CREW TO
ENTER THE SPACE STATION,
AND MAKE SURE THE LITTLE BITTY
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
WE HAD AT THAT TIME,
WHICH WERE REALLY KIND OF
JUST CHANCE AND MAYBE
SOME AIRFLOW SYSTEMS
AND SMOKE DETECTORS WERE
WORKING PROPERLY WHEN
THE CREW GOT ONBOARD.
>> GREAT. THANKS, MARYBETH.
AND HOW ABOUT YOU, KIRT?
>> THANKS, TARA.
HI, I'M KIRT COSTELLO.
I'M THE ISS CHIEF SCIENTIST
AND ALSO THE DEPUTY MANAGER
FOR THE RESEARCH OFFICE.
AND WHAT WE DO IS MAKE SURE
THAT ALL OF OUR SPONSORS
HAVE ACCESS TO THE ISS
TO CONDUCT RESEARCH
AND MAKE SURE THAT WE FOLLOW
NASA'S PRIORITIES IN LAYING OUT
HOW THAT RESEARCH GETS DONE.
SO, BACK IN 2000,
I HAD JUST STARTED WITH NASA.
SO, IN FACT,
THAT WAS IN SEPTEMBER.
SO, IN NOVEMBER,
I WAS PROBABLY STILL LEARNING
NASA ACRONYMS AT THE TIME,
ALTHOUGH I'D BEEN DOING
SOME WORK BEFORE THEN
WITH SOME FLIGHT SOFTWARE.
I WAS HIRED ON AS
A TRAINING INSTRUCTOR
FOR THE ELECTRICAL POWER
AND THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEMS.
AND AT THAT TIME,
I REMEMBER WE WERE--
WE WERE DESPERATELY TRYING TO
GET READY FOR THE CREW TRAINING
FOR THE ARRIVAL OF THE U.S. LAB.
SO, WHILE THE NODE
WAS ALREADY THERE
AND I WAS GLAD THAT
THEY HAD ACCESS TO THAT
MODULE AND THE U.S. SOFTWARE
TO MONITOR THAT MODULE,
WE WERE WORKING ON THE NEXT
BIG MODULE FOR THE U.S. LAB.
>> THANKS, KIRT.
YOU KNOW, ONE THING
I REMEMBER ABOUT BEING
A NEW EMPLOYEE, TOO,
WAS LEARNING ALL THE ACRONYMS.
NASA HAS LIKE A LINK TO, LIKE,
A LIST OF ALL THE NASA ACRONYMS
AND THEIR DEFINITIONS FOR
ALL THE NEWBIES LIKE US.
AND I STILL USE IT TO THIS DAY.
ALL RIGHT, JENNIFER,
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF.
>> HI, I'M JENNIFER BUCKLEY.
I AM THE ISS
DEPUTY CHIEF SCIENTIST.
SO, SIMILAR TO WHAT
KIRT MENTIONED, YOU KNOW,
WE SUPPORT SCIENCE FOR
THE ISS PROGRAM.
AND SPECIFICALLY,
I SPEND A LOT OF MY TIME
MANAGING THE RESEARCH
PRIORITIES FOR ISS,
MAKING SURE THAT
WE ARE UTILIZING
THE SPACE STATION EFFICIENTLY
AND ACCOMPLISHING SCIENCE
FOR ALL OF OUR SPONSORS.
IN NOVEMBER 2, 2000
I WAS LIVING IN
AUSTIN, TEXAS ATTENDING
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN.
>> OH BOY, OH BOY.
YEAH...
[ LAUGHING ]
SOME-SOME NEWBIES
AND SOME OF US
A LITTLE BIT MORE VETERAN.
BUT THAT'S GOOD.
THAT'S WHAT MAKES US
A GREAT PANEL.
AND I'M THRILLED I GOT TO
WORK WITH YOU GUYS.
FOR MARYBETH,
I THINK MY WHOLE CAREER
SOMEWHERE ON AND OFF,
AND THEN KIRT AND JENNIFER
OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
SO, THIS WILL BE A FUN HOUR.
OKAY, SO I'VE GOT SOME
QUESTIONS FOR YOU GUYS.
THIS IS WHAT EVERYONE
WANTS TO KNOW, RIGHT?
AND THE FIRST ONE IS FOR KIRT.
WE CONSTANTLY SAY THE ISS
IS AN ORBITING LABORATORY
AND THE POINT IS TO
DO SCIENCE IN SPACE.
BUT WHY?
WHY BOTHER DOING SCIENCE
IN SPACE TO BEGIN WITH?
>> THANKS, TARA.
THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
IT'S REALLY A QUESTION,
THOUGH, FOR ALL SCIENTISTS.
AND WHY DO WE GO OUT INTO
THE FIELD TO DO SCIENCE?
IN THIS CASE,
IT'S THE ENVIRONMENT
OF LOW EARTH ORBIT.
LOW EARTH ORBIT AND SPACE
GIVE US SEVERAL UNIQUE
CAPABILITIES THAT WE CAN'T
GET TO HERE ON EARTH.
FIRST OFF, THERE'S
THE EXPOSURE TO MICROGRAVITY.
WHEN YOU HAVE
A MICROGRAVITY ENVIRONMENT,
THIS ELIMINATES
BUOYANCY-DRIVEN CONVECTION
AND IT ELIMINATES SEDIMENTATION.
SO, THOSE TWO FACTORS
NO LONGER OCCUR
IN PHYSICAL PROCESSES.
WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THAT
SINGLE FORCE OF GRAVITY
ALWAYS PULLING DOWN ON YOU,
YOU'RE ABLE TO LOOK AT
SYSTEMS IN A WAY THAT IS
A LITTLE BIT LESS COMPLEX
AND ALSO WHERE THOSE FORCES
THAT ARE MASKED BY
THE FORCE OF GRAVITY, UH,
AREN'T ABLE TO BE OBSERVED.
SO, MICROGRAVITY GIVES US
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
TO OBSERVE THOSE FORCES.
THE SECOND IS PURELY
THE ACCESS TO
THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT.
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT,
WE'VE GOT TWO THINGS:
THE EXPOSURE TO
SPACE RADIATION AND THE
SPACE RADIATION ENVIRONMENT.
UNDERSTANDING HOW IT
AFFECTS MATERIALS,
HOW IT AFFECTS BIOLOGY
WITHIN THE SPACE STATION EVEN,
THAT'S ONE OF THE GOALS FOR US
TO CONTINUE OUR EXPLORATION
OUT INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM
AND BEYOND.
AND THEN FINALLY,
HAVING ACCESS TO
EXTERNAL SIGHTS ON THE ISS
GIVES US THE OPPORTUNITY TO BOTH
LOOK UP AT THE HEAVENS ABOVE
AND DOWN ON THE SURFACE
OF THE EARTH BELOW.
FROM THE ASTRONOMY STANDPOINT,
WE'RE ABOVE THE ATMOSPHERE OF
THE EARTH AND THAT ALLOWS US
TO DO OBSERVATIONS THAT WOULD
BE OBSCURED BY THE ATMOSPHERE
HERE ON THE EARTH.
FROM THE EARTH
OBSERVATION STANDPOINT,
WE HAVE AN ORBIT THAT COVERS
ABOUT 85% OF THE SURFACE OF
THE EARTH AND WE ALSO HAVE
THIS SPECIAL ORBIT THAT
ALLOWS US TO GO OVER
THE SAME POINT ON THE SURFACE
AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY.
SO, THAT ALLOWS SCIENTISTS
TO LOOK INTO WHAT ARE CALLED
DIURNAL EFFECTS OR
WHAT HAPPENS AT
DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY.
SO, YOU CAN TEASE OUT,
THROUGH THOSE OBSERVATIONS,
DIFFERENT BEHAVIORS THAT
YOU REALLY DON'T GET THROUGH
TRADITIONAL MEANS.
>> YEAH, I'VE BEEN
REALLY FORTUNATE TO WORK IN
SPACE STATION MY WHOLE LIFE,
OR MY WHOLE CAREER.
I FEEL LIKE
IT'S MY WHOLE LIFE!
MY WHOLE CAREER.
AND I'VE BEEN IN LOVE WITH
SPACE MY WHOLE LIFE.
BUT THE REALLY COOL THING IS,
IF YOU'RE A SCIENTIST,
THOSE DISCOVERIES THAT
YOU CAN MAKE THAT NO ONE
HAS EVER MADE BEFORE.
THAT'S WHAT
THE SPACE STATION OFFERS.
LIKE YOU SAID,
WITH GRAVITY GONE,
ANYTHING-ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
THAT YOU MAY NOT HAVE
EVEN SEEN BEFORE.
SO, IT'S AN EXCITING TIME
TO HAVE A RESEARCH PLATFORM
THAT'S LASTED SO LONG
AND HAS GIVEN US SO MUCH.
MY NEXT QUESTION IS FOR
ALL THREE OF YOU.
EACH OF YOU CAN ANSWER.
MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW THAT
THERE ARE ASTRONAUTS
DOING SOMETHING UP THERE
ON THE SPACE STATION,
BUT THEY MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT
THE BENEFITS THAT
HAVE BEEN ROLLING IN
FROM THE PAST 20 YEARS.
A LOT HAS BEEN GOING ON.
THE BENEFITS CAN APPLY TO
THOSE OF US HERE ON EARTH
AND ALSO IN ADVANCING
HUMAN EXPLORATION OF SPACE
SO WE CAN GO FURTHER.
CAN YOU EACH SHARE AN EXAMPLE
OF A BENEFIT THAT HAS
COME FROM THE SPACE STATION
RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TESTING?
AND I'LL START
WITH YOU, MARYBETH.
>> SURE, I'D BE HAPPY TO.
SO, I'M GOING TO BUILD
A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT
KIRT WAS TALKING ABOUT
ABOUT THOSE
EARTH-OBSERVING INSTRUMENTS.
ONE OF THE REAL BENEFITS THAT
COME FROM SPACE STATION IS
THAT PRECESSING ORBIT THAT
HE MENTIONED AND HOW
WE COVER, YOU KNOW,
85% OF THE GLOBE AND 90% OF
THE POPULATED LAND MASS.
AND THE BEAUTY OF
STATION'S ORBIT IS THAT
IT CROSSES THE ORBIT OF
A BUNCH OF OTHER INSTRUMENTS
THAT ARE IN THE SKY.
LOTS OF INSTRUMENTS THAT
POINT AT A SINGLE-SINGLE
POINT ON THE GLOBE.
AND SO, BY CROSSING OUR
ORBIT ACROSS THOSE WITH
THE SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS,
WE CAN CROSS CALIBRATE
THOSE INSTRUMENTS
AND OUR INSTRUMENTS
AND THEN WE CAN REALLY
EXPAND THOSE DATASETS
BECAUSE WE CAN CROSS
EUROPEAN INSTRUMENT ORBIT,
WE CAN CROSS THE UNITED STATES
INSTRUMENT ORBIT,
WE CAN CROSS THE JAPANESE
INSTRUMENT ORBIT, OR RUSSIAN,
OR EVEN OTHER COUNTRIES.
AND THEN WE CAN TAKE
ALL OF THOSE DATASETS
AND WE CAN SAY, OKAY,
WELL, AT THIS POINT,
ALL OF THESE THINGS--
THIS IS-- YOU KNOW,
THIS IS HOW THESE
INSTRUMENTS ARE ALL
RELATED TO EACH OTHER.
AND THEN WE'VE MADE THE VALUE
OF THOSE INDIVIDUAL INSTRUMENT
DATASETS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER
BECAUSE WE'VE NOW BEEN ABLE TO
COMPARE ACROSS THE WHOLE GLOBE.
AS KIRT ALSO MENTIONED,
THE DIURNAL CYCLE,
THE DAY-NIGHT CYCLE.
MOST OF THESE INSTRUMENTS
ARE ON A STATIONARY ORBIT
AND THEY SEE ONLY, YOU KNOW,
DAYTIME OR ONLY NIGHTTIME,
DEPENDING ON WHERE THEY ARE
AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT.
AND SO, BY HAVING INSTRUMENTS
ON ISS THAT GIVE YOU
DAY AND NIGHT DATA,
THEN AS YOU THEN CROSS
THESE OTHER INSTRUMENTS'
ORBITS AND THINGS,
YOU CAN ALSO THEN START TO
TEASE OUT EVEN MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT WHAT-WHAT
YOU'VE BEEN ABLE--
WHAT THE INSTRUMENTS ARE
TELLING YOU OVER TIME.
AND THE OTHER THING THAT
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO
WITH THESE INSTRUMENTS IS
SOME OF THE INSTRUMENTS ARE
GETTING VERY OLD IN ORBIT.
AND THE ONE-- THERE WAS,
A NUMBER OF YEARS AGO,
AN INSTRUMENT THAT HAD
EXPECTED LIFE OF--
I DON'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS,
LIKE, 10 YEARS AND IT HAD BEEN
UP THERE 15 AND THEY WERE VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT IT FAILING,
BUT IT WAS THE "GOLD STANDARD"
FOR CALIBRATION OF
THIS TYPE OF INSTRUMENT.
AND SO, THEY PUT
AN INSTRUMENT ON ISS
AND THEY WERE ABLE TO TRANSFER
THAT CALIBRATION STANDARD
TO THE ISS INSTRUMENT UNTIL
THE NEXT HIGHER-QUALITY
INSTRUMENT GETS INTO ORBIT
IN ITS OWN, YOU KNOW,
UNIQUE ORBIT.
SO, IT'S BEEN A MULTIPLIER
OF THE VALUE OF MANY,
MANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS,
EARTH-OBSERVING
INSTRUMENTS SPECIFICALLY,
THAT OTHERWISE WOULDN'T HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO BE DONE.
>> RIGHT.
AND OBSERVING THE EARTH
FOR DISASTER RESPONSE
OR LOOKING AT CROPS
OR THINGS LIKE THAT
ON OUR OWN PLANET.
YEAH, THAT'S A HUGE, HUGE--
>> CO2 LEVELS--
>> YEP.
>> MOISTURE, WATER VAPOR,
ALL KINDS OF THINGS.
>> ALL CLIMATE THINGS.
>> LIGHTENING IMAGING,
ALL KINDS OF CLIMATE
AND WEATHER-RELATED ACTIVITIES.
>> YEAH, EXCELLENT.
OUR OWN PLANET.
THANK YOU, MARYBETH.
UM, JENNIFER, HOW ABOUT YOU?
>> YEAH, SO ONE AREA
THAT'S REALLY ACTIVE
IN ISS RESEARCH IS BIOTECH
AND BIOLOGICAL, INCLUDING
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH.
SO, SOMETHING THAT
WE KNOW FROM ISS IS THAT
STRUCTURES MORE READILY FORM
3D STRUCTURES IN MICROGRAVITY.
SO, THINGS LIKE CELLS
ADHERE TOGETHER TO
FORM 3D STRUCTURES.
YOU KNOW, TISSUE ENGINEERING
IS A BIG AREA OF RESEARCH.
AND THEN ANOTHER ONE FOR
THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY,
IN PARTICULAR,
IS PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH.
SO, WE HAVE DONE OVER
500 PROTEIN CRYSTAL GROWTH,
OR PCG, AS WE SAY,
EXPERIMENTS ON ISS.
SO, WHAT THIS IS IS
THESE ARE PROTEINS THAT
ARE ASSOCIATED WITH
A DISEASE STATE HERE ON
THE GROUND AND THEY CAN BE
REALLY HARD TO MIMIC
OR FORM AND THEN STUDY
HERE ON THE GROUND.
THEY'RE VERY FRAGILE, AND SO,
WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OUT OF
THE BODY AND YOU TRY TO
CREATE THEM IN A LAB,
GRAVITY TENDS TO PULL DOWN
AND MAKE THESE STRUCTURES
REALLY HARD TO CREATE.
SO, USING ISS AS A PLATFORM,
WE CAN HELP THESE COMPLEX
STRUCTURES FORM IN A WAY
THAT THEY ARE LARGER
AND, YOU KNOW,
HAVE A HIGHER YIELD THAN
THEY WOULD HERE ON THE GROUND.
SO, THIS REALLY AIDS
IN DRUG DESIGN.
WE'VE STUDIED THIS IN
MULTIPLE DISEASE STATES,
ALZHEIMER'S BEING ONE.
ANOTHER ONE THAT HAS BEEN
HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL HAS BEEN
DUCHENNE'S MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY.
SO, THIS IS A DISEASE STATE
WITH PROGRESSIVE
MUSCLE WASTING.
SO, ONE OF THE EXPERIMENTS
WE DID ON ISS,
WE WERE ABLE TO ACTUALLY
GROW THESE CRYSTALS ON
THE SPACE STATION, RETURN THEM,
AND THEN A PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANY DESIGNED A DRUG
BASED ON THOSE CRYSTALS,
WHICH IS NOW IN USE
HERE ON EARTH IN HUMANS.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
I REMEMBER THAT ONE.
THAT WAS OUR
JAXA COLLEAGUES, RIGHT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> YEAH, THAT WAS
THE FIRST BIG ONE
THAT WE WERE REALLY,
REALLY EXCITED ABOUT.
THE HIDDEN WATER MOLECULE.
YEAH, THAT WAS GOOD.
THANK YOU, JENNIFER.
HOW ABOUT YOU, KIRT?
>> UM, YEAH.
FOR-FOR THOSE WHO WERE WONDERING
WHAT I SAID, YOU KNOW,
THE LACK OF
BUOYANCY-DRIVEN CONVECTION,
LET'S PAINT A LITTLE BIT
OF THE PICTURE.
IMAGINE YOU'RE NOW SITTING
AROUND A CAMPFIRE.
THAT CAMPFIRE FLAME IS-IS
DANCING AND-AND BLAZING AWAY.
BUT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS
THE TURBULENCE CAUSED BY
THAT CONVECTIVE AIR FLOW
AND THE HOT GASES LEAVING THAT--
LEAVING THE FLAME ITSELF.
IMAGINE IF YOUR JOB IS,
AS A SCIENTIST, UM,
TO HELP DEVISE A MORE
FUEL-EFFICIENT, UH, CAR.
YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT COMBUSTION.
YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THINGS BURN.
AND NOW, IMAGINE
THAT BEING YOUR JOB,
SOMEBODY SAYS OKAY, WELL,
YOUR JOB IS TO CREATE A MODEL
OF THAT FIRE RIGHT THERE.
ONE MATH MODEL TO EXPLAIN
ALL THE DYNAMICS IN THAT
FIRE IS GOING TO BE REALLY
HARD TO DEVELOP.
AND SO,
PEOPLE GOT THE IDEA THAT
STUDYING COMBUSTION IN SPACE
IS GOING TO BE PARTICULARLY
BENEFICIAL AND MICROGRAVITY,
YOU DON'T HAVE THAT
BUOYANCY-DRIVEN CONVECTION,
SO YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF
THE TURBULENCE INVOLVED IN
THE COMBUSTION EFFECTS.
AND SO, PEOPLE STARTED
OBSERVING THE BURNING OF
FLAMES IN SPACE TO BETTER
UNDERSTAND THE MATHEMATICAL
MODELS BEHIND COMBUSTION.
ONE OF OUR EARLY EXPERIMENTS
IN THIS AREA CALLED FLEX
STUMBLED UPON THE FACT THAT
THEY WERE SEEING EVIDENCE
OF BURNING, COMBUSTION,
AT MUCH LOWER TEMPERATURES THAN
A CONVENTIONAL FIRE BURNS AT.
WHAT THEY HAD STUMBLED ONTO
WAS AN EFFECT CALLED COOL FLAME.
THIS IS A VERY UNSTABLE
EFFECT ON THE EARTH.
YOU MIGHT EXPERIENCE IT WHEN
YOU'VE GOT AN OLD CAR ENGINE
THAT KNOCKS OR SPUTTERS WHEN
YOU TRY AND TURN IT OFF.
BUT IN SPACE, THAT BECOMES
A MORE STABLE THING.
SO, YOU CAN ACTUALLY
STUDY IT OVER TIME.
AND WE'VE DONE
SUBSEQUENT EXPERIMENTS,
BOTH IN THE FLEX SERIES,
THE FLEX TIER,
AND AN INVESTIGATION CALLED
THE COOL FLAMES INVESTIGATION,
AND HAVE GENERATED A TON OF
DATA AS TO HOW THIS
COOL FLAME ACTUALLY BURNS.
AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
THAT MEANS WE'RE GETTING
DATA BACK THAT COULD ONE DAY
HELP US UNDERSTAND
HOW TO DESIGN MORE
FUEL-EFFICIENT ENGINES
AND BURN AT LOWER TEMPERATURES
MORE CONSISTENTLY.
SO, THIS IS A GOOD THING
FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
IT'S A GOOD THING FOR INDUSTRY.
HOPEFULLY, IT WILL DEVELOP
INTO THESE GREAT EXPERIMENTS.
BUT IT WAS ALL ENABLED BY
THE FACT THAT YOU WERE ABLE
TO JUST DO THIS WITHOUT
GRAVITY CAUSING ALL THIS
TURBULENT BACKFLOW.
>> THANKS, KIRT.
I REMEMBER WHEN
THAT CAME OUT, TOO.
I REMEMBER HEARING ABOUT
THE UNEXPECTED FINDING OF
A COOL FLAME WHILE THEY WERE
BURNING LIQUID DROPLETS
IN THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER,
AND THEN EVERYONE WAS
TALKING ABOUT IT.
AND-AND SHARING THE KNOWLEDGE
AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THIS WAS
THEY WERE LOOKING AT.
AND WHEN THEY FIGURED IT OUT,
IT-- LIKE YOU SAID,
IT LED TO A SERIES OF
WHOLE NEW INVESTIGATIONS.
A WHOLE NEW PATH OF DISCOVERIES
THAT HAVE ALL THESE
APPLICATIONS ON EARTH AND SPACE.
SO, THAT WAS A GOOD ONE.
AND I'LL NEVER LOOK AT
MY CAMPFIRE THE SAME WHEN
I'M BURNING MY S'MORES.
I APPRECIATE THAT.
I'LL BE THINKING OF STATION
COMBUSTION FOREVER AND SHARING
THAT WITH THE CHILDREN THAT
I'M MAKING S'MORES FOR.
UM, ALL RIGHT.
SO, LET'S MOVE ONTO
THE NEXT QUESTION.
LET'S GO TO KIRT.
BACK TO KIRT.
NOT EVERY ASTRONAUT IS
A CAREER SCIENTIST.
SOME ARE MEDICAL DOCTORS,
ENGINEERS, AND PILOTS.
SO, HOW ARE THE ASTRONAUTS
ABLE TO DO ALL THIS SCIENCE
ON THE STATION IF IT'S
NOT THEIR BACKGROUND?
>> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
YOU'RE RIGHT,
EVERY ASTRONAUT DOESN'T
COME TO US WITH
A HARD SCIENCE DEGREE.
AND EVEN THOUGH MORE OF THEM
TODAY ARE COMING WITH
THAT SCIENCE BACKGROUND,
EVERY ASTRONAUT THAT COMES
TO US I WOULD SAY
COMES TO US AS AN EXPLORER.
THEY JOIN NASA WITH THE VISION
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HELP US
EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE.
AND WHAT REALLY
DRIVES EXPLORERS,
THEY'RE CURIOUS ABOUT
THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
THEY'RE CURIOUS ABOUT
THE WORLD AND THEY TURN
THAT CURIOSITY INTO AN ACTION
THAT LEADS THEM IN DISCOVERY.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
SCIENTISTS AREN'T REALLY
THAT DIFFERENT.
THEY USE THEIR CURIOSITY TO
POSE QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE UNIVERSE AND THEN THEY
DEVISE EXPERIMENTS THAT HELP
THEM TEST THOSE HYPOTHESES.
IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF
EFFORT TO REALLY TURN
AN EXPLORER INTO A SCIENTIST.
NASA ALSO HAS A GREAT SYSTEM
OF SUPPORT FOR OUR
ASTRONAUT SCIENTISTS,
FROM OUR PAYLOAD DEVELOPERS
AND OUR PAYLOAD
OPERATIONS SPECIALISTS WHO
REALLY HELP CONFIGURE
THE OPERATIONS ONBOARD SO
IT'S EASY FOR OUR ASTRONAUTS
TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SCIENCE.
THE OTHER THING ABOUT
OUR-OUR CREWMEMBERS,
THEY'RE GREAT OBSERVERS.
THEY'RE RIGHT THERE IN
THE ACTION AND THEY'RE
THE EYES AND EARS THAT
OUR SCIENTISTS NEED TO
UNDERSTAND WHEN SOMETHING
ISN'T QUITE GOING AS PLANNED.
THEY HAVE THE BENEFIT OF
BEING ABLE TO JUMP IN THERE
AND TELL THEM, HEY,
WE'RE SEEING THIS
REALLY NEAT EFFECT.
AND THEY'VE DONE THIS BEFORE
IN SOME OF OUR EXPERIMENTS.
AND THEN HELPING THE PI REMAP
HIS OR HER PLANS FOR
HOW TO EXPERIMENT ON THAT
TO CAPTURE THAT.
THEY ALSO COME IN
EXTREMELY HANDY WHEN
SOMETHING DOESN'T GO
AS EXPECTED ON ORBIT.
AND WE'VE HAD THAT
HAPPEN A LOT.
AND A LOT OF PIs OWE THEIR
SCIENCE TO THE INGENUITY
OF OUR ASTRONAUTS IN
HELPING THEM FIGURE OUT A FIX
FOR HARDWARE THAT GOES AWRY.
SO, IT DOESN'T TAKE
ANY SPECIAL BACKGROUND
NECESSARILY TO DO
SCIENCE ON ISS.
IT JUST STARTS WITH
BEING CURIOUS.
SO, IF YOU ASK A QUESTION,
DEVISE AN EXPERIMENT,
WHETHER THAT'S IN YOUR
KITCHEN OR YOUR BACKYARD,
YOU COULD BE THE KEY TO
THE NEXT BIG DISCOVERY ON ISS.
>> THAT'S EXCITING.
EVERYBODY SHOULD WANT TO
BE THE NEXT BIG
KEY DISCOVERY TO ISS.
YOU HEAR THAT, VIEWERS?
IT COULD BE YOU!
YES!
AND EVERYBODY IS
AN EXPLORER AT HEART.
YOU'RE RIGHT.
I THINK THERE'S--
I THINK THE SPECIAL THING
ABOUT SPACE STATION, TOO,
IS HAVING PEOPLE ONBOARD.
LIKE YOU SAID, THE HUMANS
IN THE JUDGEMENT CALLS,
IN THE-- IN THE MAKING
CHANGES ON THE SPOT,
IN COMMUNICATING WITH
THE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATORS
ON THE GROUND IS CRITICAL.
AND THEN TO MENTION--
NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT
NOT ALL OF OUR INVESTIGATIONS
NEED CREW TIME, RIGHT?
WE HAVE SO MANY OF THOSE-
THOSE 3,000 INVESTIGATIONS
THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER
THAT ARE ALSO AUTOMATED
FROM THE GROUND AND THE CREW
DOESN'T NEED TO TOUCH THOSE.
SO, YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING
LIKE THAT OFF THE PLANET
WHERE YOU HAVE HUMAN JUDGEMENT
IN THE MIX OF-OF EVEN
AUTOMATED INSTRUMENTS.
SO, VERY GOOD.
OKAY, THE NEXT QUESTION
IS FOR EVERYONE.
AND I GUESS I'LL START WITH
MARYBETH ON IT.
ARTEMIS, THAT'S NASA'S PLAN
FOR RETURNING HUMANS
TO THE MOON SUSTAINABLY
OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
THE BIG ONE.
EVERYONE'S EXCITED.
THE PLAN IS FOR HUMANS TO
STAY LONGER THAN WE DID
DURING THE APOLLO MISSION.
SO, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT WE DO ALL THE WORK NOW
SO WE CAN PREPARE TO GO.
HOW DOES THE WORK ON ISS
PREPARE US FOR
THAT ARTEMIS MISSION?
MARYBETH?
>> SO, I CAME FROM
THE LIFE SUPPORT WORLD
AND, YOU KNOW,
ON THE APOLLO MISSIONS
AND THE SHUTTLE MISSIONS,
OUR LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
CONSISTED LARGELY OF
CONSUMABLE ITEMS
THAT WE USED UP.
WE HAD LITHIUM HYDROXIDE
TO REMOVE CO2.
BUT ONCE THE LITHIUM HAD
THE CO2 ABSORBED ON IT
AND BECAME LITHIUM CARBONATE,
THEN YOU COULDN'T USE IT
ANYMORE AND YOU HAD TO
PUT IN A NEW CAN OF LIO,
AS THEY CALLED IT.
THE TOILET, YOU-YOU KNOW,
YOU VENTED URINE OVERBOARD
AND-AND THE OXYGEN CAME OUT
OF TANKS AFTER SPLITTING
THE WATER IN THE FUEL CELL--
OR OUT OF TANKS FOR
THE CREW TO BREATHE IN.
ON SPACE STATION,
WE TRIED TO DEVELOP
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT
WERE WHAT WE REFERRED TO
AS REGENERATIVE,
THAT WOULD RECYCLE
THE URINE AND WATER--
WASTE WATER INTO DRINKING WATER
THAT WOULD REMOVE THE CO2
BUT NOT WITH A MATERIAL
THAT WAS CONSUMED,
BUT IT WAS A MATERIAL THAT
WOULD ABSORB IT AND THEN
DESORB IT OVERBOARD.
SO, WE DID
A PRETTY GOOD JOB WITH
SPACE STATION AND WE WERE ABLE
TO CLOSE-- WHAT WE CALL
CLOSE THE LOOP.
IN OTHER WORDS, RECYCLE
A LOT OF THE COMPONENTS.
SO, OUR WATER LOOP IS
ABOUT HIGH 80s TO
LOW 90% CLOSED, RIGHT?
SO, THE WATER THAT
WE PUT UP THERE,
WE USE OVER AND OVER AGAIN
AND WE END UP LOSING 10%
TO 15% OF THE WATER
AS-AS WASTE.
AND THE OTHER 85%
IS RECYCLED BACK INTO
DRINKABLE WATER AND USED
BY THE CREW AGAIN.
INTERESTING FACT,
THE WATER YOU DRINK TODAY
TAKES ABOUT SEVEN DAYS TO GO
THROUGH YOUR BODY AND THEN
THROUGH THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS
TO BE THE WATER YOU DRINK
AGAIN SEVEN DAYS LATER.
SO, SUNDAY'S COFFEE
IS THE SAME AS
SUNDAY'S COFFEE A WEEK AGO
AND AS SUNDAY'S COFFEE
A WEEK FROM NOW WILL BE.
ON THE GROUND THAT TAKES LIKE
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
BUT IN SPACE STATION,
IT TAKES A FEW DAYS.
SO, JUST, YOU KNOW, FOR FUN.
WHAT-- BUT OUR SYSTEM ON
STATION STILL IS NOT CLOSED
ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO GO
DO EXPLORATION OR DO
A PERMANENT MODULE ON THE MOON
OR GO DO EXPLORATION TO MARS.
WE HAVE TO MAKE THEM BETTER.
SO, ONE OF THE THINGS
WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO
ON SPACE STATION IS TO
IMPROVE OUR LIFE SUPPORT
SYSTEMS AND TO TRY OUT
NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT GET US
EVEN CLOSER TO BEING-BEING--
CLOSING OUR LOOPS.
SO, RIGHT NOW ON SPACE STATION,
THE URINE IS PROCESSED,
BUT YOU END UP WITH A VERY
CONCENTRATED BRINE MATERIAL,
VERY SALTY.
THINK ABOUT-- THINK ABOUT
TAKING SALT WATER,
WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH
WHAT URINE IS,
PUTTING IT ON THE STOVE
AND BOILING IT AWAY
AND YOU END UP WITH A REALLY
SALTY SOLUTION AT THE END.
RIGHT NOW,
THAT'S WHAT WE THROW AWAY.
BUT IF YOU WANT TO RECOVER
THE WATER OUT OF THAT BRINE
AND JUST END UP
WITH THE SALT,
THEN THERE'S A WAY TO RECOVER
WHAT WE CALL THE BRINE
RECOVERY SYSTEM TO
RECOVER THE WATER.
IF WE CAN DO THAT,
THEN WE CAN CLOSE THE LOOP
INTO THE HIGH 90%.
THEN MAYBE YOU'RE GETTING
CLOSE TO SOMETHING
YOU CAN TAKE TO MARS.
SO, THE NEXT PIECE GOING
UP ON ISS TO BE TESTED,
BEFORE WE DO EXPLORATION,
IS A BRINE RECOVERY SYSTEM.
SIMILARLY, ON THE--
ON THE AIR SIDE FOR
OXYGEN AND CO2,
PROVING OXYGEN
AND REMOVING CO2,
NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT
LOSE LESS AIR OVERBOARD.
YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW,
WE ABSORB C02 ON
A XYLITE MATERIAL AND THEN
WE EXPOSE IT TO VACUUM
AND THAT CO2 GOES OVERBOARD.
BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT
CARBON DIOXIDE,
IT'S GOT AN OXYGEN MOLECULE
ON IT AND, GOSH,
WOULDN'T IT BE GOOD TO
BE ABLE TO USE THAT
FOR OXYGEN AGAIN?
SO, TECHNOLOGIES TO
RECOVER THAT AND JUST HAVE
CARBON AS YOUR WASTE MATERIAL
ARE OTHER KEY THINGS
WE WANT TO TEST.
AND THOSE ARE BEING DEVELOPED
AND TESTED ON-STATION.
SIMILARLY, FOR PLANT GROWTH.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO GO
LONG PLACE, LONG DURATION,
YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE
A PERMANENT BASE ON THE MOON,
YOU'RE GOING TO GO TO MARS,
YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GROW
SOME FOOD BECAUSE YOU CAN'T
TAKE ALL YOUR FOOD WITH YOU.
SO, WE'RE DOING
A LOT OF EXPERIMENTS
ON THE SPACE STATION FOR
PLANT GROWTH AND HOW TO,
YOU KNOW,
NOT JUST GROW THEM ONCE,
BUT GROW THEM,
TAKE THEM TO SEED,
TAKE THOSE SEEDS
AND REGROW THEM SO THAT YOU
CAN ACTUALLY FARM IN SPACE.
SO, THOSE ARE SOME OF
THE KEY AREAS WHERE
WE'RE USING SPACE STATION
TO REALLY HELP US MOVE FORWARD
AND PREPARE FOR
THE ARTEMIS MISSION
AND FOR FUTURE MARS
EXPLORATION MISSIONS.
>> GREAT.
THAT COVERS THE-THE FORCE
OF LIFE FOR HUMANS.
YOU'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO-
TO SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE
OFF OF THE PLANET,
OFF OF SPACE STATION,
AND ONTO THIS NEW PLACE,
THE MOON,
FOR LONGER AND LONGER--
FOR STAYING THERE LONGER.
JENNIFER, DID YOU HAVE
ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE
TO ADD TO THAT?
>> SURE.
YOU KNOW, ONE AREA THAT
WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT
IS REALLY FROM THE HUMAN
HEALTH PERSPECTIVE, TOO.
SO, AS MARYBETH MENTIONED,
YOU KNOW,
WE NEED TO GROW PLANTS,
WE NEED TO HAVE FOOD CROPS.
WE ALSO NEED TO UNDERSTAND
HOW THOSE THINGS AFFECT
OUR ASTRONAUTS IN SPACE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW,
IN RECENT YEARS,
WE'VE STARTED EXTENDING THEIR
MISSIONS ON SPACE STATION.
SO, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED,
WE WERE REALLY KEEPING TO,
YOU KNOW, SIX-MONTH MISSIONS.
AND RECENTLY, WE'VE DONE
SEVERAL THAT ARE
ALMOST A YEAR LONG.
SO REALLY, YOU KNOW,
HOW DO HUMANS ADAPT AS
THEY SPEND LONGER TIMES IN
SPACE AND OFF THE PLANET?
SO, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT,
UNDER ARTEMIS,
WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE MOON.
WE KNOW WE WANT TO STAY THERE
FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME
AND THEN EVENTUALLY
GO ON TO MARS.
AND SO, WE NEED TO
TAKE A LOOK AT PHYSIOLOGY,
HOW WE CAN SUPPORT OUR
ASTRONAUTS WITH THE BEST
COUNTERMEASURES TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY'RE SUCCESSFUL.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE
THESE REALLY INTERESTING
GRAVITY TRANSITIONS OF
GOING FROM 1G TO 0G
AND THEN EITHER TO
LUNAR OR MARTIAN GRAVITY,
SO WHAT DOES THEIR PERFORMANCE
LOOK LIKE AND HOW DO WE
SUPPORT THEM OPERATIONALLY?
AND THEN ALSO
PHYSIOLOGICALLY, AS WELL,
WITH, YOU KNOW,
FOOD OR NUTRITION
AND THINGS TO HELP THEM
OPTIMIZE THEIR PERFORMANCE
AND THEIR SUCCESS?
>> GREAT.
THANK YOU, JENNIFER.
KIRT, DID YOU HAVE
ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE
TO ADD TO THAT?
>> SURE, SWITCHING GEARS
JUST A LITTLE BIT,
UH, NEW PROGRAMS REQUIRE
TESTING LOTS OF NEW MATERIALS.
AND SPACE STATION
IS A GREAT PLACE TO ALLOW
FOR THE TESTING AND PERFORMANCE
OF NEW MATERIALS
IN A NON CRITICAL SITUATION.
WE WANT TO KNOW HOW
A MATERIAL HOLDS UP,
WHAT ITS PROPERTIES ARE,
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EXPOSE
IT TO ATOMIC OXYGEN,
RADIATION, SOLAR PARTICLES,
X-RAYS, BEFORE YOU HAVE
TO USE IT IN A CRITICAL
SPACE APPLICATION.
SO, THE ISS PROVIDES A GREAT
TEST BED AND IT DOES IT THROUGH
ONE OF OUR COMMERCIAL PARTNERS
UM, IN-IN THE MSIS PLATFORM,
WHICH STANDS FOR MATERIAL
SCIENCE IN SPACE,
THAT-THAT ALLOWS US TO GO OUT
AND TEST THESE COUPONS
OF TEST MATERIALS AND GET THEM
READY FOR THEIR NEXT MISSIONS.
WE ALSO CONSIDER, YOU KNOW,
WHAT KIND OF CONTAMINATION
DO WE HAVE AROUND
SPACE VEHICLES?
WE'VE GOT CONTAMINATION THAT
COMES OFF THE VISITING VEHICLES
AND WE WANT TO KNOW HOW THAT'S
GOING TO IMPACT INSTRUMENTS,
BUT WE ALSO HAVE
THIS POTENTIAL QUESTION OF DOES
HUMANITY CARRY CONTAMINATION
OF ITS OWN BIO WITH IT
ON-ON SPACE VEHICLES.
SO, WE'VE GOT SOME
INVESTIGATIONS COMING UP
TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
HEY, WHAT KIND OF MATERIALS
COLLECT ON THE OUTSIDE
OF THE ISS OVER TIME
AND ARE THERE LIVING MATERIALS
THAT COULD BE A QUESTION
AS WE GO TO THE MOON
AND OTHER PLACES
IN TERMS OF THE STERILITY
OF THAT ATMOSPHERE.
SO, THERE'S A LOT OF
DIFFERENT WAYS THAT ISS
CAN HELP SUPPORT
THESE EXPLORATION GOALS
MOVING FORWARD.
>> RIGHT. RIGHT.
THANK YOU, KIRT.
UM, JENNIFER, I WANT TO GO BACK
TO YOU BECAUSE YOU TALKED
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE HUMAN BODY, UM, AND THERE
WILL BE LUNAR GRAVITY,
THERE WILL BE MARTIAN GRAVITY.
RIGHT NOW, OUR CREW
HAVE BEEN IN MICROGRAVITY.
SO, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES
OR ADAPTATIONS THAT HAPPEN
TO THE HUMAN BODY THAT WE NEED
TO UNDERSTAND AS THEY STAY
LONGER AND LONGER IN SPACE,
AT LEAST IN MICROGRAVITY?
>> YEAH, SO, TARA,
JUST AS-AS YOU SAID,
WHAT WE SEE IS THAT
THE HUMAN BODY ACTUALLY
ADAPTS TO MICROGRAVITY.
UM, SO, THIS IS
REALLY INTERESTING.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES,
UM, KIND OF MEET THE ENVIRONMENT
THAT-THAT PEOPLE ARE PUT IN.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, NASA
HAS DEVELOPED EXTENSIVE
COUNTERMEASURES TO KEEP
ASTRONAUTS HEALTHY,
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT-THAT WE WOULD SEE
WITHOUT THAT IS YOU WOULD SEE,
UM, MUSCLES ATROPHY,
YOU WOULD SEE BONE LOSS.
UM, AND SO, OUR ASTRONAUTS
EXERCISE EVERY DAY
FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME
TO HELP MITIGATE THAT LOSS
OF BONE AND MUSCLE.
AND THEY DON'T NECESSARILY NEED
IT AS MUCH IN MICROGRAVITY,
BUT THAT'S REALLY SUPPORTING
THEIR HEALTH WHEN THEY
COME BACK TO EARTH.
SO, THAT'S--
LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT,
THOSE GRAVITY TRANSITIONS
THAT CAN BE REALLY HARD,
UM, WHEN YOU HAVE TO ADAPT BACK
TO YOUR EXPERIENCING GRAVITY.
WE ALSO SEE ASTRONAUTS
HAVE BLOOD VOLUME CHANGES.
UM, SO, WITHOUT GRAVITY PULLING
YOUR FLUID IN YOUR BODY DOWN,
YOU GET THIS FLUID SHIFT UPWARD.
AND SO, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT
WHEN THEY FIRST GET TO SPACE
OR ON THE SPACE STATION,
THAT THEIR PHOTOS
AND THEIR PICTURES THEIR FACE
WILL LOOK A LITTLE BIT PUFFIER.
UM, AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE FLUID
IN YOUR BODY STARTS TO RISE UP.
UM, AND THEN YOUR BODY STARTS TO
REALIZE IT DOESN'T NEED
AS MUCH FLUID.
IT'S NOT FIGHTING AGAINST
GRAVITY AND HAVING TO PUMP
AGAINST THAT TO GET FLUID
AND BLOOD, IN PARTICULAR,
TO YOUR BRAIN.
UM, SO, YOU START
TO LOSE THE FLUID.
UM, AND THEN MORE RECENTLY,
RESEARCHERS ARE STARTING TO TAKE
A LOOK AT THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.
THIS IS A REALLY ACTIVE AREA
OF RESEARCH, UM, AND SEE
HOW THAT CHANGES
IN AN ISOLATED ENVIRONMENT.
UM, SO, SOME OF THESE
PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES
THAT YOU SEE IN ASTRONAUTS,
UM, YOU CAN ALSO SEE
IN MODEL ORGANISMS.
UM, SO, WITH THINGS LIKE MICE,
THESE ARE A GOOD MODEL
FOR PHYSIOLOGY AND HOW YOU CAN
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT
FOR THINGS LIKE MUSCLE WASTING
IN OSTEOPOROSIS AND DO RESEARCH
IN THOSE AREAS IN MICROGRAVITY.
>> THANK YOU, JENNIFER.
YEAH, THE HUMAN BODY
IS REALLY EFFICIENT,
SO IT'S USE IT OR LOSE IT
IS WHAT IT IS, RIGHT?
OKAY.
SO, THE NEXT QUESTION
IS FOR MARYBETH.
CUBESATS, CUBESATS,
THESE CUTE LITTLE CUBESATS.
WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT THEM,
ESPECIALLY OVER
THE LAST FEW YEARS.
TINY LITTLE THINGS.
WHAT ARE THEY?
THEY'VE BEEN
AN EXCITING DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT'S A CUBESAT
AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
IN SCIENCE AND EVEN
IN DEVELOPING THE LOW EARTH
ORBIT ECONOMY?
>> SO, A CUBESAT IS JUST THAT.
IT'S A CUBE-SHAPED SATELLITE.
IT'S 10 CENTIMETERS
BY 10 CENTIMETERS
BY 10 CENTIMETERS.
THAT'S ONE UNIT.
THEY CALL IT A 1-U.
BUT THEN YOU CAN GANG THEM
TOGETHER AND YOU CAN MAKE
TWO Us OR THREE Us
AND NOW THEY DO SIX Us
AND NINE Us
AND THEY JUST KEEP MAKING
THEM BIGGER AND BIGGER.
AND THEN YOU START GOING
THAT'S NOT A CUBESAT ANYMORE,
THAT'S A SATELLITE, BUT
THAT'S THE DIFFERENCE ISSUE.
SO, THE BEAUTY OF THEM
IS THEY'VE BEEN STANDARDIZED.
THEY WERE DEVELOPED
BY A PROFESSOR OUT
IN CALIFORNIA AND, OF COURSE,
HIS NAME IS ESCAPING ME
FOR JUST A MOMENT,
BUT I'LL REMEMBER IT
IN A MINUTE.
IT'S THE SMALLEST TYPE
OF SATELLITE AND IT ALLOWS YOU
A CHEAPER WAY TO PERFORM
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEMONSTRATIONS IN SPACE.
THE SIZE OF IT, THE 10 BY 10
BY 10 CENTIMETERS WAS ORIGINALLY
SET BECAUSE THAT IS
THE SMALLEST TRACKABLE OBJECT
THAT THE SPACE COMMAND GUYS
COULD FOLLOW, RIGHT?
AND SO, YOU WANTED TO KNOW WHERE
THE THING WAS SO THAT YOU KNEW
IF IT WAS GOING TO RUN INTO
SOMETHING, MOST NOTABLY FOR US
AT SPACE STATION BECAUSE
WE REALLY DON'T WANT CUBESATS
TO RUN INTO US.
UM, AND ANYTHING SMALLER WAS NOT
TRACKABLE BY THE GROUND SYSTEM.
SO, UM, BUT YOU CAN DO
AN AMAZING AMOUNT
OF THINGS WITH THEM.
BECAUSE THEY'VE BECOME
STANDARDIZED, THERE'S NOW
STANDARD COMMUNICATION BOARDS
THAT YOU CAN JUST BUY
FROM A COMPANY AND DROP IN
A COMMUNICATION BOARD
OR YOU CAN DROP IN A, YOU KNOW,
A DIFFERENT KIND OF ELECTRONIC
BOARD TO PROVIDE YOU DIFFERENT
INSTRUMENTATION AND DATA.
OR YOU CAN DROP IN A STANDARD
CAMERA IF YOU WANT TO BE
TAKING PICTURES.
AND SO, IT KIND OF IS LIKE
GOING TO THE MODEL ROCKET SHOP
AND BUYING DIFFERENT BITS
AND PIECES AND PUTTING
THEM IN YOUR CUBESAT.
THEY'VE BEEN USED FOR TECHNOLOGY
DEMONSTRATIONS OF DIFFERENT
NEW TECHNOLOGIES.
THEY'VE BEEN USED FOR PUTTING
FLUIDS IN, WHICH ARE REALLY
MICRO-- SMALL AMOUNTS OF FLUID
AND LIVING MATERIALS
AND TESTING OUT
HOW CELLS AND THINGS REACT
AND HOW THEY GROW
OR NOT IN MICROGRAVITY
AND IN THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT.
THEY, UM, THEY'VE JUMPSTARTED
RESEARCH IN A NUMBER OF AREAS.
THE BIGGEST AREA THEY'VE BEEN
USED IN, THOUGH, IS SATELLITE
COMPANIES USING THEM MOSTLY
TO BE ABLE TO QUICKLY MATURE
THEIR TECHNOLOGY
AND THEIR CAMERAS
AND DATA SYSTEMS AND OPTICS
TO BE ABLE TO GET
A COVERAGE OF THE ENTIRE GLOBE
AND GET DATA ON HOW THE WORLD
IS CHANGING WITH JUST
VISUAL CAMERAS DATA EVERY DAY,
YOU KNOW, OVER TIME.
SO, COMPANIES LIKE PLANET
AND SPIRE HAVE BEEN KIND OF
GROWN UP OUT OF
THIS CUBESAT MARKET.
ON SPACE STATION, THERE HAVE
BEEN A NUMBER OF COMPANIES
WHO HAVE DEPLOYED CUBESATS.
THERE HAVE BEEN NOW MORE THAN
250 DEPLOYED FROM STATION,
INITIALLY WITH NATARAX
AND OUR JAXA COLLEAGUES
AND NOW SEAOPS
AND SOME OTHERS HAVE STARTED.
BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE
STANDARDIZED, BECAUSE THEY'VE
MINIATURIZED A LOT OF THINGS,
THEY'RE PRETTY CHEAP
AND SO THAT'S MADE THEM
VERY POWERFUL
FOR LEARNING EXPERIENCES.
THERE'S A LOT OF SENIOR-LEVEL
DESIGN CLASSES IN UNIVERSITIES
AND THE STUDENTS IN AEROSPACE,
THEY HAVE TO BUILD A CUBESAT.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS
A BIG PROBLEM WITH THERE'S
ALL THESE CUBESATS ON THE GROUND
AND THEY COULDN'T GET LAUNCHED,
SO NASA STARTED THE CUBESAT
LAUNCH INITIATIVE AND WE STARTED
TAKING THOSE IN FROM ACADEMIA
AND FINDING WAYS TO DEPLOY THEM.
A LOT OF THE ONES DEPLOYED
FROM STATION WERE PART OF
THE CUBESAT LAUNCH INITIATIVE
WHERE WE ALLOWED ACADEMICS
WHO OTHERWISE COULDN'T AFFORD
TO LAUNCH THEIR CUBESATS,
BECAUSE LAUNCHES
ARE STILL VERY EXPENSIVE,
A WAY TO GET THOSE STUDENT
EXPERIMENTS INTO SPACE.
UM, IF THEY'RE COMMERCIAL,
THEN WE'VE SAID
YEAH, YOU'VE GOT TO BUY--
YOU'VE GOT TO BUY
YOUR OPPORTUNITY, SO.
UM, BUT ALL OF THIS NEW BUSINESS
WAS REALLY THE FIRST BUSINESS
CASE THAT DEVELOPED
FROM SOME IDEA TO ACTUALLY
GENERATING REVENUE,
MAKING MONEY, UM, FOR
THE LOW EARTH ORBIT ECONOMY.
IT WAS-IT WAS KIND OF
THE UNEXPECTED FIRST...
PRODUCT
OR THING THAT COULD BE SOLD.
AND I'LL TELL YOU,
FOR SOME OF US IT WAS--
IT WAS COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED.
WELL, FOR ALL OF US
IT WAS PRETTY MUCH UNEXPECTED
AND VERY EYE OPENING.
AND FOR SOME OF US,
IT WAS KIND OF FRUSTRATING
BECAUSE I USED TO TELL PEOPLE
LOOK, WE DIDN'T BUILD
THIS AMAZING SCIENCE PLATFORM
TO OPEN UP THE BACK DOOR
AND THROW STUFF OUT.
BUT THAT'S WHAT WE WERE DOING
IS THROWING STUFF OFF
THE BACK PORCH AND, UM--
BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT BECAUSE
IT WAS A DIFFERENT KIND OF
SCIENCE THAN WE ENVISIONED,
BUT IT WAS ALSO COMMERCIAL
AND GENERATING REVENUE
AND REALLY REVOLUTIONIZING-
REVOLUTIONIZING AN INDUSTRY.
SO, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GET
COMFORTABLE WITH USING
THE PLATFORM IN WAYS
THAT YOU REALLY DIDN'T--
DIDN'T THINK OF AND THAT
WHEN THEY HAPPEN,
YOU JUST LOOK AT IT
AND GO SUCH A WASTE
OF SUCH A COOL PLATFORM!
AND REALIZE IT'S NOT A WASTE,
IT'S JUST A VERY DIFFERENT IDEA
THAN YOU HAD WHEN YOU STARTED,
AND THAT'S OKAY.
>> THANKS, MARYBETH.
I REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME
I WAS HEARING ABOUT
THE CUBESAT PROGRAM.
AND THE WAY THEY WORK
IS YOU PUT THEM ON A ROCKET--
YOU PACKAGE THEM UP,
YOU PUT THEM ON A VEHICLE
THAT LAUNCHES TO STATION
AND THEN YOU LOAD THEM
IN THIS LAUNCHER,
WHICH IS LIKE A SOFT CANNON,
AND POOF, THEY JUST GO OUT.
THEY GO AWAY FROM STATION.
AND I REMEMBER THINKING,
LIKE YOU SAID,
THEY WANT TO WHAT?
LIKE SHOOT SOMETHING OUT
OF THE BACK OF SPACE STATION?
LIKE THAT-THAT'S INSANE!
BUT THE REALLY COOL THING
ABOUT WORKING IN STATION
IS WE DO THESE THINGS,
LIKE YOU SAID,
THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT
TO DO UNLESS YOU--
I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF CRAZY.
WE DO THE CRAZY THINGS
UM, AND IT'S REALLY USEFUL.
IT'S BEEN USEFUL FOR SCIENCE;
IT'S BEEN USEFUL
FOR THE ECONOMY.
SO, IT'S A REALLY COOL STORY
ABOUT CUBESATS.
UM, NOW I HAVE A QUESTION
FOR EACH OF YOU,
A LITTLE BIT MORE
ON THE PERSONAL LEVEL.
AND I WONDER, ARE THERE
ANY PARTICULAR STORIES
ABOUT YOUR TIME WORKING IN
THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM
THAT HAVE STOOD OUT TO YOU,
UM, EITHER SOMETHING HAPPENING
ON ORBIT OR IN TRAINING
OR ON THE GROUND?
UM, LET'S SEE,
I'LL START WITH KIRT.
>> OKAY, I WAS THINKING ABOUT
THIS THE OTHER DAY.
AND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO,
ONE OF THE-ONE OF THE BENEFITS
OF BEING INVOLVED IN
THE SCIENCE PROGRAM FOR ISS
IS GETTING TO GO OUT
AND INTERACT WITH ALL
THE PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
THAT ARE OUT THERE.
AND ONE OF THEM THAT SERVES
THE MICROGRAVITY FIELD
SPECIFICALLY IS
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF GRAVITATIONAL
AND SPACE RESEARCH.
SO, ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO,
I WAS INVITED TO TALK DURING
THEIR SCIENTIST CAREER DAY
AND IT TURNED OUT
TO BE JUST AN ABSOLUTELY
AMAZING EVENT.
WE HAD A BALLROOM FULL OF
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
AND NOT ONLY DID I GET TO
TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING COOL
THAT WAS GOING ONBOARD ISS,
BUT I ALSO GOT TO TALK ABOUT
THE PATH THAT GOT ME FROM
A VERY SMALL RURAL HIGH SCHOOL
IN KENTUCKY TO BEING,
AT THE TIME,
A DEPUTY CHIEF SCIENTIST FOR
THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM.
I THINK IT WAS AMAZING KNOWING
THAT THOSE KIDS IN THAT ROOM
WERE THERE NOT BECAUSE
THEY WERE GETTING EXTRA CREDIT,
BUT BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY
HAD AN INTEREST IN DOING
SCIENCE IN SPACE.
AND IT REALLY LEFT ME FEELING,
UM, AFTER TALKING TO THEM
AND HEARING THE QUESTIONS
THAT THEY ASKED,
THAT THE NEXT GENERATION
OF SPACE EXPLORERS
AND RESEARCHERS IS OUT THERE.
SO, I HOPE THAT DAY THEY WERE
A LITTLE BIT INSPIRED
BY WHAT I SAID,
BUT THEY ALSO INSPIRED ME.
THEY INSPIRED ME WITH
THE CONFIDENCE THAT THIS FIELD
IS HERE TO STAY AND WE'VE GOT
A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD OF US.
>> THANK YOU, KIRT.
HOW ABOUT YOU, JENNIFER?
DO YOU HAVE ANY INTERESTING
STORIES OF YOUR TIME
IN SPACE STATION?
>> I DO.
UM, SO, ONE REALLY INTERESTING
EXPERIENCE I GOT TO HAVE,
UM, IN SPACE STATION
WAS ACTUALLY PARTICIPATING
IN AN EXPERIMENT
THAT WE DID ON ISS.
UM, SO, FOR A LITTLE BIT
OF BACKGROUND.
MY BACKGROUND IS SCIENCE
AND WHEN I FIRST CAME TO NASA,
I ACTUALLY WORKED IN THE
FLIGHT OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE.
IT WAS DURING THE ASSEMBLY PHASE
AND SO WE WERE REALLY FOCUSED
ON CONSTRUCTING SPACE STATION.
UM, AND SO, I WORKED
IN FLIGHT OPERATIONS
AND ACTUALLY WAS IN A SYSTEM,
UM, FOR LIFE SUPPORT,
SO I WORKED ON A LOT OF
THE REGENERATIVE STUFF
MARYBETH TALKED ABOUT EARLIER.
UM, SO, AFTER SUPPORTING
OPERATIONS FOR ABOUT A DECADE,
UM, I CAME BACK TO SCIENCE
AND STARTED WORKING IN THE ISS
PROGRAM ON THE SCIENCE SIDE.
AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT
WE WERE TRYING TO ADDRESS
AT THE TIME WAS HOW WERE
CHANGING OPERATIONS
OF HOW WE'RE DOING STUFF
IN THE OPEN CABIN.
UM, AND SO, I WAS--
I WAS LOOKING AT IT FROM
THE BIOLOGY SIDE ON HOW CAN WE
MAKE THIS MORE LIKE
A GROUND CORE LAB,
UM, AND SO I WORKED
WITH SOME FOLKS TO DESIGN
AN EXPERIMENT TO TEST
SOME OF THOSE THINGS.
UM, AND IT WAS A REALLY, UM,
REALLY AMAZING EXPERIENCE
TO-TO KIND OF BE ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF IT.
UM, YOU KNOW, TO SEE THINGS
THROUGH THE EYES OF A SCIENTIST
AND AS A PAYLOAD DEVELOPER,
UM, EXECUTING RESEARCH
ON SPACE STATION
AND TO GET THAT EXPERIENCE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW,
COMING IN THE DOOR,
YOU GET ACCESS TO ALL
OF THE EXPERTISE THAT NASA HAS.
UM, SO, EVEN THOUGH
MY BACKGROUND IS BIOLOGY,
I WAS PARTNERED UP WITH TWO
OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE OUR
SPACE FLUID PHYSICS EXPERTS,
UM, WHICH WAS REALLY GREAT
TO WORK WITH.
UM, I LEARNED A LOT FROM THEM.
UM, BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING
THAT I NEVER IMAGINED
I WOULD BE DOING.
UM, AND THEN GETTING TO
SIT OVER IN MCC
UM, IN-IN ONE OF THE KIND OF
SMALLER FLIGHT CONTROL ROOMS
AND ACTUALLY TALK ON
SPACE TO GROUND
TO ONE OF THE ASTRONAUTS
DOING OUR EXPERIMENT
WAS JUST AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE.
AND ALL THE THINGS KIRT
TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, RIGHT,
OF COLLABORATING WITH THEM
AS YOU'RE GOING BACK AND FORTH
ON SOMETHING MIGHT NOT WORK
EXACTLY RIGHT, UM, BUT,
YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE SUGGESTIONS.
AND SO, YOU'RE REALLY KIND OF
PARTNERING ALSO
WITH THE ASTRONAUT WHO HAPPENED
TO BE A SCIENTIST ON BOARD,
TOO, TO ACCOMPLISH RESEARCH.
UM, SO, THAT-THAT WILL
ALWAYS STAY WITH ME
AS JUST AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE
OF HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO THAT AND GET TO WORK
WITH THOSE GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
>> YEAH, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD--
THAT WAS A FUN ONE, JENNIFER.
I LOVED WATCHING THAT BECAUSE,
LIKE I SAID, I FOLLOWED SPACE
MY WHOLE LIFE AND EVERY
SCIENTIST KNEW YOU COULDN'T
MICROPIPETTE IN SPACE.
IT WASN'T SO EASY TO TRANSFER
TINY LITTLE DROPS OF FLUIDS FROM
ONE TUBE TO THE NEXT
TO THE NEXT.
BUT WHEN KATE RUBINS
GOT UP THERE AND YOU GUYS
DECIDED TO TACKLE IT,
I MEAN YOU'D ALL
TRIED SOMETHING DIFFERENT,
TRIED SOMETHING NEW
AND PROVED THAT IT
COULD BE DONE.
AND IT'S LIKE A BREAKTHROUGH
FOR SCIENCE NOW THAT WE CAN DO
LOTS MORE ON STATION
AND THAT WAS A REALLY FUN TIME
AND YOU GOT TO BE
THE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATOR
FOR SOME OF THAT WORK.
SO, THAT WAS GREAT.
HOW ABOUT YOU, MARYBETH?
>> YEAH. SO, WE'VE GOT
THREE LITTLE SNIPPETS
ALL RELATED TO THE SAME--
SAME PERSON AND SAME--
SAME SORT OF EVENT.
SO, WHEN I FIRST CAME TO
SPACE STATION SCIENCE,
IT WAS-- I HAD BEEN WORKING
ON LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS,
LIKE I SAID, AND I CAME IN
TO HELP DEVELOP THIS CONCEPT
OF ISS AS A NATIONAL LABORATORY
AND BRINGING IN NEW USERS
OUTSIDE OF NASA AND OUTSIDE
OF THE PARTNERSHIP.
AND ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE
THAT I RAN INTO IN THIS WORLD
WAS A GUY NAMED JEFF MANBER.
AND HE HAD PUT IN A PROPOSAL
TO BE ABLE TO FLY
HIS OWN COMMERCIAL FACILITY
TO SPACE STATION
AND TO BRING IN
HIS OWN CUSTOMERS.
AND IT WAS BUILT OFF OF
THE CUBESAT CONCEPT,
BUT HE TOOK THAT SAME THING
AND SAID LET ME PUT IT INSIDE.
AND HE CALLED IT A CUBE LAB.
AND I THOUGHT WELL,
THAT'S NOT TERRIBLY CREATIVE,
BUT OKAY, THAT'S FINE.
AND IN TALKING WITH DISCUSSIONS
WITH MY COUNTERPART
AT HEADQUARTERS,
MARK YURAN, HE THOUGHT,
NO, THIS WILL NEVER WORK,
THIS ISN'T THE KIND OF
THING WE WANT.
BUT IN THE END, HE SAID
SURE, GO AHEAD,
SIGN A SPACE ACT AGREEMENT,
LET'S GIVE HIM A SHOT
TO FAIL, BECAUSE MARK
WAS SURE THAT WE WEREN'T
GOING TO DO THAT.
AND WHAT MARK DIDN'T KNOW
IS THAT - THAT'S KIND OF,
YOU KNOW, THE RED FLAG
IN FRONT OF THE BULL
FOR MARYBETH.
SO, WHEN HE TELLS ME
TO GO AHEAD AND DO SOMETHING
SO WE CAN SEE IF, YOU KNOW,
JUST GIVE HIM A CHANCE TO FAIL,
I'M LIKE, "OH, NO. NO,
WE'RE NOT GOING TO FAIL NOW."
NOW WE'RE GOING TO FIND A WAY
TO MAKE THIS WORK.
AND I REALLY DIDN'T HAVE
ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT.
JEFF, AND AT THE TIME
I THINK HE HAD ONE OR TWO
OTHER PEOPLE, IN LESS THAN
SIX MONTHS WENT
FROM SIGNING A SPACE ACT
AGREEMENT TO FLYING
THEIR LITTLE CUBE LAB PLATFORM
WITH THEIR FIRST CUSTOMERS
WHO WERE EDUCATION CUSTOMERS.
PEOPLE WHO HAD GOTTEN STUDENTS
TO BUILD EXPERIMENTS ONBOARD.
UM, AND THAT WAS REALLY
THE BEGINNING OF THIS NEW
KIND OF-OF WORLD
WHERE COMMERCIAL COMPANIES
WERE BRINGING IN
THEIR OWN USERS.
AND IT WAS REALLY HARD
FOR-FOR US TO ACCEPT
THAT THEY WERE GOING TO PICK
THE SCIENCE AND THAT
IT MAY NOT BE THE SAME KIND
OF THING WE WOULD DO,
THAT IT MIGHT BE
MUCH DIFFERENT.
AND OUR OPERATIONS TEAMS
REALLY STRUGGLED WITH
WHAT IS MISSION SUCCESS,
WHAT DOES IT MEAN, RIGHT?
BECAUSE IT'S THEIR PAYLOAD
AND IT'S THEIR THING,
AND SO, WE REALLY HAD TO
SPEND TIME TALKING ABOUT
WHAT SUCCESS MEANS
AND WHAT'S HIS JOB
AND WHAT'S OUR JOB.
AND, IN FACT, WE ASKED JEFF
TO PLEASE COME TO HUNTSVILLE
AND TALK TO
THE OPERATIONS TEAM.
WE BROUGHT THEM ALL TOGETHER
IN A BIG ROOM AND HE FLEW DOWN.
HE'S BASED IN D.C. HIMSELF
AND HE FLEW DOWN
AND KIND OF EXPLAINED THIS IS
WHAT I'M TRYING TO DO.
THIS IS WHAT MY COMPANY DOES.
AND THIS IS MY JOB
AND THIS IS WHAT I NEED
NASA TO DO.
THIS IS- BUT THIS IS MY JOB
NOW, THIS PART ABOUT
MISSION SUCCESS.
AND THROUGH THE COURSE
OF THE DISCUSSION,
I DON'T REMEMBER
HOW IT CAME UP, BUT HE-
HE MENTIONED HE HAD FLOWN
INTO BIRMINGHAM
OR NASHVILLE ON SOUTHWEST
AND DRIVEN TO HUNTSVILLE
INSTEAD OF FLYING
THE DIRECT CARRIER FROM D.C.
AND SOMEBODY SAID,
WELL, WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
AND HE SAID WELL, BECAUSE
I HAVE TO PAY FOR
MY PLANE FARE
AND IT'S A LOT CHEAPER
TO FLY SOUTHWEST
TO ONE OF THESE PLACES
THAN IT IS TO FLY DIRECT.
AND EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM
JUST KIND OF WENT OH, MY
WORD!
THIS MATTERS, RIGHT?
THAT HE'S- THE DIFFERENCE
IN THE COST OF A PLANE TICKET
MATTERS TO THIS COMMERCIAL
COMPANY AND HOW MUCH
HE'S SPENDING.
AND AT THE END OF THE MEETING,
ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WAS THERE,
BECAUSE JEFF HAD JUST
KIND OF TOLD THE STORY
AND EXPLAINED, YOU KNOW,
HOW THE WORLD WORKS
FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW
AS A BUSINESSMAN,
ONE OF THE WOMEN, PAT, SAID,
YOU KNOW, IF HE'D HAD
HANDED OUT A HAT
AND WE'D HAVE DONE
A COLLECTION AT THE END,
I'D HAVE GIVEN HIM MONEY!
RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY WERE JUST
SO... IT WAS SUCH A DIFFERENT
SHIFT IN THINKING ABOUT
WHAT THIS WAS AND HOW--
HOW THIS WAS GOING TO WORK
IN THIS NEW WORLD ORDER.
AND THEN IT WAS A NUMBER
OF MONTHS LATER
AND WE WERE ALL STILL
LEARNING ABOUT THINGS LIKE,
OKAY, WHAT IS THE BUSINESS
CONSIDERATION?
WHAT MATTERS TO THIS
BUSINESSMAN ABOUT THIS DECISION
WE'RE ABOUT TO MAKE?
WE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT
THE BUSINESS IMPACTS TO NASA
AND THE COST TO NASA,
BUT WE HAD NOT GOTTEN
IN THE HABIT OF ASKING
BUSINESS QUESTIONS
OF OUR- OF OUR PARTNERS,
OF OUR COMMERCIAL PARTNERS.
AND IN, YOU KNOW,
I WAS IN HUNTSVILLE,
AND THERE WAS SOMETHING
GOING ON, ON ORBIT THAT
I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER
WHAT IT WAS, AND THEY WERE
GOING TO MAKE A DECISION
ABOUT SOME REALTIME THINGS,
AND IT WAS REGARDING
A NANORACKS PAYLOAD.
AND I REMEMBER CALLING JEFF
AND SAYING HEY, LOOK,
WE'VE GOT TO DO THIS OR THIS
AND THIS WOULD DELAY
YOUR SCIENCE.
AND WE NEED TO KNOW
DOES THAT IMPACT YOU.
ARE YOU WAITING ON
A PAYMENT FOR WHEN
THIS THING HAPPENS? RIGHT?
I MEAN, DO YOU GET PAID
WHEN YOU DO THIS SCIENCE
OR DOES THAT NOT MATTER?
AND HE SAID HANG ON,
LET ME GO CHECK, RIGHT?
AND HE CALLED ME BACK
A LITTLE WHILE LATER
AND WHATEVER THE ANSWER WAS,
AND I FED THAT ANSWER
UP THE LINE AND SAID,
WELL, THIS IS- THIS IS
WHAT HAPPENS IF WE SLIDE
THIS ONE OR DON'T DO THIS ONE.
AND IN THE END,
THE DECISION CAME BACK.
WE ENDED UP HAVING TO SLIP--
SLIP THAT, YOU KNOW,
THE ANSWER ENDED UP BEING NO.
WE WERE GOING TO PUSH-
SLIP THE NANORACKS WORK
BECAUSE OTHER-
SOME OF THE OTHER SCIENCE
WAS- COULDN'T WAIT.
IT WAS LIVING SCIENCE
AND WE'D HAVE LOST THE SCIENCE.
AND SO, HIS GOT PUSHED.
AND I CALLED HIM BACK
AND GAVE HIM THE NEWS,
YOU KNOW, AND SAID LOOK,
I'M SORRY, BUT WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO PUSH YOUR SCIENCE.
AND HE SAID THANK YOU.
AND I SAID WHAT?
THANK YOU?
AND HE SAID THIS IS
THE FIRST TIME ANYONE
HAS EVEN ASKED THE QUESTION
AND IT'S BEEN CONSIDERED
IN DECISION MAKING.
SO, IT DOESN'T MATTER
THAT THE ANSWER IS
NO, IT MATTERS THAT YOU GUYS
ARE ALL, AS AN AGENCY,
STARTING TO CHANGE
YOUR THINKING AND THINK
NOT JUST ABOUT THE NASA NEEDS
AND THE NASA COST,
BUT THE BUSINESS COST TO THOSE
OF US WHO ARE USING
THE PLATFORM AND THE SCIENCE
ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
RIGHT?
THAT IT WAS A MONUMENTAL
CHANGE IN- SHIFT IN THINKING,
IN HIS MIND, THAT
THE BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS
FOR HIS LITTLE BITTY COMPANY
WERE EVEN DISCUSSED.
IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT
THE ANSWER WAS AT THAT POINT,
IT JUST MATTERED THAT
WE ASKED THE QUESTION.
AND SO, FOR ME,
THESE KINDS OF THINGS WERE-
IT WAS LIKE, OKAY,
THAT WASN'T THE ANSWER
I EXPECTED, BUT THAT MATTERED
MORE THAN I REALIZED
AND STARTED US
REALLY THINKING ABOUT
CHANGING OUR CULTURE
TO REALLY BEING RESPONSIVE
TO THE NEEDS NOT JUST
OF THE PEOPLE PICKING
THE SCIENCE, BUT THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE IMPLEMENTING
THE SCIENCE, THE PAYLOAD
DEVELOPERS AND THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE TRYING TO EXECUTE
THE SCIENCE.
THE PRINCIPLE INVESTIGATORS.
ALL OF THEM ARE PART OF
OUR COMMUNITY AND WE HAVE
TO BE ABLE TO WORK
WITH ALL OF THEM.
SO, IT'S BEEN A LOT OF
LITTLE THINGS THAT REALLY
KIND OF ADD UP, TO ME,
TO THIS.
THIS IS A DIFFERENT WORLD
THAT WE'RE IN THAN WE HAVE
EVER BEEN IN BEFORE.
>> I DID NOT KNOW THAT STORY.
THAT IS REALLY COOL.
AND LOOK HOW FAR WE'VE COME.
THAT MUST HAVE BEEN ABOUT
TEN YEARS AGO BECAUSE
I REMEMBER MEETING WITH HIM,
AS WELL, RIGHT AWAY. SO...
>> YEAH, WE SIGNED A SPACE ACT
AGREEMENT ON 9/09/99.
>> YES!
>> OR 9/09/01.
>> YEAH.
>> 9/09/01.
>> '01, YEAH.
YEAH, THAT'S WHEN ONE I JOINED.
I JOINED IN 2009 IS WHEN
I JOINED THE OFFICE.
SO, YOU MIGHT BE THINKING '09.
'09, YEAH. OKAY.
SO, THAT'S COOL.
AND LIKE YOU SAID,
SMALL BUSINESSES WOULD HAVE
NEVER THOUGHT-- I MEAN,
IT WAS NOT ALL THAT-
IT WAS ALL NASA USING
STATION, ALL NASA.
AND NOW, WE'VE STARTED THERE,
AND NOW WE HAVE
THE WHOLE SPACE STATION
NATIONAL LAB COMPONENT
THAT OFFERS OPPORTUNITIES
FOR RESEARCHERS TO USE
THE STATION THROUGH
ACADEMIA AND BUSINESS
AND GOVERNMENT AND-
AND NANORACKS
WAS THE FIRST ONE, RIGHT?
>> TEN DIFFERENT COMPANIES
WITH 21 DIFFERENT PIECES
OF THEIR OWN HARDWARE,
THEIR OWN SCIENCE CAPABILITIES
ONBOARD AND THEY ARE OUT
FINDING CUSTOMERS,
WHICH INCLUDE NASA
AND INCLUDE OTHER PARTS
OF THE GOVERNMENT.
AND THAT'S- THAT'S A WAY
DIFFERENT WORLD
THAN IT WAS A DECADE AGO.
>> VERY COOL.
AND IT'S GOING TO BE
20 YEARS DIFFERENCE
AS WE LOOK FORWARD, TOO.
IT'S GROWING.
AND ON THAT NOTE,
I'D LIKE TO ASK--
I'LL START WITH KIRT--
I'M GOING TO ASK ALL THREE
OF YOU, BUT I'LL START
WITH KIRT, YOUR FINAL QUESTION,
WHAT DO YOU HOPE IS THE
LEGACY FOR THE SPACE STATION?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
SO, I THINK FROM
A SCIENTIST'S PERSPECTIVE,
WE REALLY UNDERSTAND
WHAT THE BENEFITS OF
DOING RESEARCH IN SPACE ARE.
WE TALKED ABOUT THEM EARLY ON,
BUT THEY CAN LEAD
TO DISCOVERIES.
THERE ARE QUESTIONS
THAT WE CAN'T ASK ON EARTH
BECAUSE THE ENVIRONMENT
ISN'T RIGHT.
YOU HAVE TO DO IT IN SPACE.
SO, I THINK THE LEGACY OF ISS
IS IF WE CAN SUSTAIN
EXPERIMENTATION
IN THAT ENVIRONMENT.
SO, IF ISS HAS SHOWN US
HOW TO DO GOOD SCIENCE
IN SPACE, WE CAN CONTINUE
DOING THAT, WHETHER
IT'S ON AN EXTENSION OF ISS
OR IN FOLLOW-ONS.
BECAUSE OUR RESEARCHERS
NEED ACCESS TO THAT.
AND THAT'S-
OUR NASA RESEARCHERS
AND OUR COMMERCIAL RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT FOLKS.
THEY NEED ACCESS TO SPACE.
SO, I BELIEVE THE LEGACY
OF ISS WILL REALLY BE
IN TERMS OF LOW EARTH ORBIT,
OPENING IT UP.
OPENING IT UP TO CONTINUE
TO HAVE IT AS A RESOURCE
FOR ALL OF OUR-
OUR RESEARCHERS.
>> EXCELLENT.
HOW ABOUT YOU, JENNIFER?
>> I THINK THE LEGACY OF ISS
WILL BE- WILL BE A PROVING
GROUND FOR EXPLORATION.
SO, JUST THE- THE VOLUME
OF SCIENCE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO DO IN THE PAST 20 YEARS
AND WHAT WE WILL ACCOMPLISH
IN THE NEXT DECADE IS GOING
TO INFORM OUR DECISIONS
AS WE GO FORWARD.
THAT'S GOING TO HELP US
PROVE OUT THE TECHNOLOGIES
WE NEED TO GO FORWARD,
BACK TO THE MOON,
AND ESPECIALLY ON TO MARS.
AND SO, I THINK THIS
PROVING GROUND IS TEACHING US
NOT ONLY HOW TO DO
LONG DURATION,
LONG-TERM OPERATIONS IN SPACE,
BUT ALSO HOW DO WE DEVELOP
THE INFRASTRUCTURE,
THE CAPABILITIES,
AND SOME OF THE SYSTEMS
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TODAY?
AND SO, I THINK
IN THE NEXT DECADE THE WORK
WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING
IS GOING TO BE SO IMPORTANT
TO SET THE STAGE FOR WHERE
WE GO IN THE FUTURE.
>> THE LEGACY OF EXPLORATION.
AWESOME.
AND I'LL WRAP IT UP
WITH YOU, MARYBETH.
WHAT'S THE LEGACY OF ISS
FOR YOU?
>> SO, THIS IS--
MAY SOUND CORNY, BUT FOR ME,
THE LEGACY OF ISS IS THAT
WE'VE CHANGED THE WORLD.
AND IN SORT OF
THREE KEY WAYS.
THE INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION,
WHETHER IT WAS THROUGH
ASSEMBLY AND ALL
THE PARTNERSHIPS OR NOW
WITH RESEARCH AND ALL OF
THE RESEARCH WHERE WE ARE
PARTNERING WITH OUR
RESEARCH COUNTERPARTS
ACROSS THE WORLD.
IT'S AMAZING WHAT-
WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
AND CONTINUE TO LEARN
FROM EACH OTHER
IN WORKING TOGETHER IN WAYS
THAT WE NEVER WOULD HAVE DONE,
YOU KNOW, 40, 50 YEARS AGO.
THE OTHER WAY, I MEAN,
THAT I THINK WE'RE CHANGING
THE WORLD IS THAT
WE'RE LEARNING THINGS
WE NEVER KNEW WE DIDN'T KNOW.
AND WE'RE GOING TO USE
THOSE THINGS FOR
THE BETTERMENT OF HUMANITY.
WE WON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE THINGS
ARE FOR MAYBE A DECADE,
IN SOME CASES.
WE JUST STARTED SEEING
THE RESULTS AND THE IMPACT
OF THE RESEARCH THAT WAS DONE
A DECADE AGO AND A DECADE
BEFORE THAT AND THAT WILL
CONTINUE TO MULTIPLY.
AND IN 50 YEARS,
WE WON'T REALIZE HOW MUCH
OF CHANGES IN THE WORLD
CAME FROM WORK THAT WAS DONE
ON SPACE STATION.
AND THEN THE THIRD WAY
THAT I REALLY THINK THAT
WE'RE CHANGING THE WORLD
IS OPENING UP AN ECONOMY
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT.
A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN
LIVE AND WORK IN SPACE.
JUST LIKE JEFF BEZOS
AND OTHERS SAY, WE ARE
USING SPACE STATION AS A-
AN ACCELERATOR, A PLATFORM,
A SPRINGBOARD TO REALLY CREATE
AN ECONOMY IN LOW EARTH ORBIT,
SO THAT WE CAN GET OFF OF
THIS PLANET AND HAVE OPTIONS
BEYOND- BEYOND HERE.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE
THE LEGACY OF ISS.
IT'S NOT GOING TO BE RECOGNIZED
FOR A WHILE,
BUT IT'S CHANGING THE WORLD,
WHETHER PEOPLE SEE IT NOW
OR NOT.
>> BEAUTIFUL. I SEE IT NOW.
I SEE IT NOW.
YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
IT'S GOING TO LIVE ON
FOR GENERATIONS.
AND WITH THAT,
I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD WAY
TO WRAP UP.
THE FACT THAT WE
AND FUTURE GENERATIONS
ARE LOOKING FORWARD
TO SEVERAL MORE YEARS
OF EXCITING DISCOVERIES
ON THE STATION.
YOU, THE VIEWERS,
CAN KEEP AN EYE OUT
FOR MORE INFORMATIVE
AND FUN INTERVIEWS LIKE THESE
IN OUR ISS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION SERIES.
THANK YOU, MARYBETH,
THANK YOU, KIRT,
THANK YOU, JENNIFER.
I MISS YOU ALL.
IT WAS GOOD TO SEE YOUR FACES.
GOOD TO REMINISCE WITH YOU
ON STATION SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY.
BYE FOR NOW, EVERYONE!
>> BYE. THANKS, TARA.
>> THANKS, TARA.