>> HI, MY NAME IS RAJA CHARI.
I'M THE COMMANDER OF THE NASA
SPACEX CREW-3 MISSION.
WATCH ME AND MY CREWMATES
LAUNCH TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION ON NASA TV.
I'M RAJA CHARI,
THE COMMANDER OF THE NASA
SPACEX CREW-3 MISSION TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
UH, MY NAME IS RAJA CHARI.
I WAS BORN IN
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,
BUT MOVED WITHIN A WEEK
TO CEDAR FALLS, IOWA.
MY DAD HAD COME TO
THE UNITED STATES
TO GET HIS MASTER'S DEGREE,
WHERE HE MET MY MOM.
AND AFTER I WAS BORN,
HE GOT A JOB AT JOHN DEERE,
AND THAT'S WHY THEY
MOVED TO IOWA.
SO, I GREW UP IN
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA FOR
THE FIRST 18 YEARS OF MY LIFE.
UH, WHILE THERE, I
WENT TO ST. PATRICK'S SCHOOL
AND THEN WATERLOO
COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL,
AND I GREW UP IN A TOWN
CALLED CEDAR FALLS,
ALTHOUGH CEDAR FALLS
AND WATERLOO ARE ESSENTIALLY,
UH, ONE COMBINED CITY,
UH, THAT YOU JUST DRIVE
FROM ONE TO THE NEXT.
UM, MET MY WIFE, UH,
PRIOR TO MY JUNIOR YEAR
OF HIGH SCHOOL.
WE WERE BOTH IN A COUNTY
LEADERSHIP PROGRAM.
WE WENT TO DIFFERENT
HIGH SCHOOLS.
UM, AND WE STARTED DATING,
UH, RIGHT ABOUT THE TIME I LEFT
FOR THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY,
WHICH, IN RETROSPECT, WAS MAYBE
A CHALLENGING DECISION,
BUT IT'S WORKED OUT
PRETTY WELL IN THE END.
I THINK I FIRST BECAME
INTERESTED IN FLYING
AND, YOU KNOW, THE AIR FORCE
AND THOSE IDEAS
AT A PRETTY YOUNG AGE.
MY MOM HAS PICTURES OF ME
FROM BACK AS A KINDERGARTNER
BEING REALLY INTERESTED
IN SPACE FLIGHT,
AND I THINK, LIKE MOST KIDS,
YOU KNOW, THE IDEA OF BEING
AN ASTRONAUT WAS SOMETHING,
YOU KNOW, EVERY KID SAYS
AT SOME POINT.
"I WANNA BE AN ASTRONAUT,"
"I WANNA BE,
YOU KNOW, A DOCTOR,"
OR PICK-PICK THE PROFESSION.
UH, AND I THINK AS I GOT
INTO JUNIOR HIGH,
UM, THE IDEA OF GOING
TO THE AIR FORCE OR FLYING
BECAME VERY APPEALING
TO ME AS WELL.
AND SO, SOMETIME AROUND,
I THINK LATE JUNIOR HIGH IS WHEN
I BECAME REALLY INTERESTED
IN THE IDEA OF EXPLORING
AND SCIENCE AND, UM,
TRYING TO PUSH KNOWLEDGE
OR UNDERSTAND WHY THINGS
DO WHAT THEY DO.
UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I CAN
DEFINITIVELY REMEMBER IS
GETTING NEW TABLES
IN OUR SCIENCE CLASSROOM
AND, EVEN THOUGH THAT SEEMS
LIKE A REALLY SMALL THING,
JUST THE IDEA OF THIS NEW
EQUIPMENT AND SHINY BEAKERS
AND GLASS TEST TUBES
WAS KIND OF FASCINATING TO ME.
AND SO, THAT, I THINK,
REALLY CAUGHT MY ATTENTION.
UM, IN HIGH SCHOOL,
I THINK I TRANSITIONED
AWAY FROM THE IDEA,
AT LEAST PUBLICLY, YOU KNOW,
AND EXTERNALLY
ABOUT BEING AN ASTRONAUT
AND FOCUSED MORE ON WHAT
I THOUGHT WAS A MUCH MORE
TANGIBLE GOAL OF GOING TO
THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY.
AND SO, I PUT A LOT OF EFFORT
AND ENERGY AND TIME INTO THAT.
I DON'T THINK IT WAS REALLY
UNTIL MUCH LATER IN MY CAREER
THAT I ACTUALLY HAD
THE REALIZATION THAT MUN--
MANY OF MY CAREER DECISIONS
AND WHAT I WAS DOING,
UH, AS A TEST PILOT
WERE ACTUALLY COMPATIBLE
WITH REALISTICALLY
BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT.
SO, IN CEDAR FALLS,
YOU KNOW, MOST PEOPLE,
WHEN THEY THINK OF IOWA,
A LOT OF TIMES THEY ASK
IF I GREW UP IN A FARM,
WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE
IN IOWA DO, UH,
GET RAISED OR GROW UP ON FARMS.
UH, CEDAR FALLS DEFINITELY
HAD A AGRICULTURAL,
UH, ECONOMIC BACKGROUND.
JOHN DEERE, YOU KNOW,
WAS A KEY EMPLOYER THERE.
UM, BUT THE-THE TOWN ITSELF
IS ABOUT 30,000, 40,000 PEOPLE
AND THEN, UH,
WITH WATERLOO COMBINED,
IT'S ABOUT 100,000 PLUS PEOPLE.
SO, IT WAS A GOOD MIX OF,
YOU KNOW, I WOULD SAY BIG CITY,
UH, BUT ALSO STILL VERY GROUNDED
AND, WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER
SORT OF IOWA'S FUNDAMENTAL
STRENGTHS OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE,
THE TOWNS AND THE PEOPLE,
UH, KNOWING ONE ANOTHER,
SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER,
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE
OF THE BIGGEST THINGS I TOOK
FROM MY IOWA UPBRINGING,
IS SORT OF THAT INHERENT,
UH, COMMUNITY STRENGTH
AND THE INTEREST PEOPLE HAD
IN-IN EVERYONE ELSE SUCCEEDING
AND-AND HAVING
A TIGHT KNIT COMMUNITY.
UH, SO AT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY,
THERE, UH, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF
DIFFERENT ENGINEERING PATHS.
UM, WE HAD A--
I WAS PRETTY SET ON THE IDEA
THAT I-I ENJOYED SPACE,
I LIKED THE IDEA OF SPACE,
I KNEW I WANTED TO FLY.
UM, AND SO, ASTRONAUTICAL
ENGINEERING WAS A GREAT WAY,
I THOUGHT AT THE TIME
AND-AND STILL TODAY, UH,
TO BE INVOLVED IN
THE ENGINEERING FOR SPACE,
EVEN IF I DIDN'T ACTUALLY
WIND UP RIDING ON A ROCKET.
I THOUGHT IT'D BE GREAT
TO ACTUALLY BE INVOLVED
IN-IN DEVELOPING THEM, UM,
WHATEVER THE NEXT, YOU KNOW,
VEHICLE WAS OR SATELLITE.
AND SO, THAT'S WHERE I REALLY
POURED MY ENERGY,
UH, INTO AT THE ACADEMY.
YEAH, SO, I-I DON'T KNOW THAT
I CAN PIN IT TO ONE
UNIQUE THING.
UM, I'D BE TEMPTED TO SAY
IT MIGHT'VE BEEN BECAUSE OF
THE MOVIE "TOP GUN," BUT--
EXCEPT THE FACT THAT
ALL THEY'VE LAD--
THE NAVAL AVIATORS WOULD
MAKE FUN OF ME, UM,
SINCE I'M AN AIR FORCE PILOT.
UM, BUT I THINK THERE WAS,
YOU KNOW, SOME KIND
OF COMBINATION.
I THINK OF-OF THAT REALIZATION
THAT THAT'S A CAREER PATH.
UM, AND THEN ALSO,
THE IDEA COMBINED WITH
THE IDEA OF EXPLORATION
AND, YOU KNOW, HONESTLY,
THE IDEA OF JUST BEING
ABOVE THE CLOUDS,
UH, IN FREE SPACE,
UM, AND EXTENDING THAT,
OBVIOUSLY, TO SPACE,
BUT WALKING THAT BACK A BIT
AS A JUNIOR HIGH,
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT THINKING,
LIKE, WELL, SPACE IS PRETTY-
PRETTY EXTREME OF A GOAL.
HOW ABOUT FLYING?
UM, AND THAT SEEMED LIKE
A MUCH MORE ACHIEVABLE
AND REALISTIC THING
THAT I LOVE TO DO.
SO, AT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY,
UH, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY
TO CONTINUE ON
AND DO GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS.
AND SO, AT THE TIME, AND, UH,
IT-IT WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY,
UH, WHERE THE DEPARTMENT
OF ASTRONAUTICS,
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DRAPER LABS
ALLOWED ME TO GO ON AND GET
A GRADUATE DEGREE AT MIT.
AND IT WAS A WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITY TO-TO TAKE IT
TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
AND I THINK I DEFINITELY
REALIZED GOING TO SCHOOL,
UM, THAT I WAS--
I LOVED ENGINEERING.
AND SO, MIT, UH, JUST REINFORCED
THAT I REALLY ENJOYED THE IDEA
OF-OF PUSHING NEW TECHNOLOGY
AND COMING UP WITH NEW IDEAS,
TESTING THEM OUT,
AND AT THE TIME, UH,
THAT'S ACTUALLY THE FIRST TIME
I REALLY HAD STARTED TALKING
WITH SOME PEOPLE ABOUT
THE IDEA OF BEING A TEST PILOT.
AND THERE WAS STILL A WAY IN
THE, UH, WAY IN THE FUTURE,
BUT IT-- PART OF THE DISCUSSION
WAS, HEY, I-- ONE PATH, UH,
IS PILOT TRAINING IN MY LIFE
AND ANOTHER PATH IS TO CONTINUE
THIS ENGINEERING, UH, PATH.
AND THE PILOT TRAINING
WAS VERY UNKNOWN.
SO, ALTHOUGH THAT'S WHY I'D GONE
TO THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY,
I FOUND I REALLY LIKED
ENGINEERING A LOT MORE
THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD,
TO THE POINT WHERE I WAS LIKE,
"WELL, MAYBE I--
MAYBE I SHOULDN'T DO
THIS PILOT TRAINING THING."
AND THEN, UH, A FRIEND OF MINE
HAD STARTED TALKING ABOUT
TEST PILOT SCHOOL,
IN WHICH I REALIZED, LIKE,
OH, THAT'S ACTUALLY
A COMBINATION OF
BOTH OF THESE THINGS.
UM, AND SO, HAVING THAT
REALIZATION AROUND THE TIME
I WAS GRADUATE SCHOOL
AND-AND UNDERSTANDING MORE
WHAT TEST PILOTS DID SEEMED LIKE
A PERFECT COMBINATION.
UM, AND IT WASN'T UNTIL
MUCH LATER THAT I WAS EVEN
ABLE TO APPLY FOR THAT,
BUT THAT WAS KIND OF ALWAYS
IN THE BACK OF MY MIND
AS A-A WAY TO COMBINE
THOSE TWO PASSIONS.
SO, I'D SAY, UH, YOU KNOW,
BEING A TEST PILOT IS REALLY
ABOUT MANAGING RISK
AND REDUCING RISK
FOR FUTURE OPERATORS.
AND SO, REALLY,
OUR GOAL AS TEST
PILOTS IS TO FIND PROBLEMS
BEFORE AN OPERATOR FINDS THEM,
UH, WHEN THEIR LIVES
DEPENDED ON IT
OR SOME PERSON'S LIFE
ON THE GROUND IS DEPENDENT ON
WHATEVER TOOL OR MACHINE
OR SYSTEM THEY'RE IMPLEMENTING.
AND SO, I THINK A NORMAL DAY
IN THE LIFE, WHAT--
ONE WAY I EXPLAIN TEST PILOTS
TO-TO PEOPLE IS, YOU KNOW,
ANYONE COULD DRIVE A CAR
OR FLY A PLANE
IF YOU'RE A PILOT AND SAY, LIKE,
I DON'T-I DON'T LIKE THIS.
THIS DOESN'T WORK.
I THINK WHAT TEST PILOT SCHOOL
AND THEN THE TEST PILOT
EXPERIENCE EXP--
UH, TEACHES YOU TO DO IS TO
TAKE THAT "I DON'T LIKE THIS"
AND THEN COME UP WITH
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS AND DIG DOWN
IN THE ROOT CAUSE OF,
WHAT IS IT, FUNDAMENTALLY,
ABOUT WHAT JUST WENT WRONG
THAT I DON'T LIKE?
IS IT SOME KIND OF
SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION?
IS IT THE [ INDISTINCT ]
FACTORS INTERFACE?
UH, IS IT THE PERFORMANCE
OF THIS MACHINE OR WIDGET?
AND THEN THE NEXT LEVEL IS,
HERE, EN-- MR. ENGINEER
OR MRS. ENGINEER, LIKE,
HOW DO YOU FIX THAT THING?
HERE ARE SOME IDEAS.
AND SO, I THINK THAT'S REALLY
THE-THE UNIQUE BLEND
OF TEST PILOTS,
IS WE'RE STRADDLING
THE-THE OPERATIONAL WORLD
AND THE ENGINEERING
AND DEVELOPMENT WORLD
AND TRYING TO BE A TRANSLATOR
BETWEEN THOSE TWO WORLDS.
SO, ONE OF THE EXPERIENCES
IN TEST PILOT SCHOOL
THAT'S-THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT,
UM, IS TO FLY MULTIPLE
DIFFERENT AIR FRAMES,
UH, AND-- BOTH CURRENT
AND OLDER ONES.
AND THE REASON WE DO THAT
IS IT'S SORT OF A ONE YEAR
CRASH COURSE IN HISTORY
OF AVIATION,
AND FLYING SOME OF
THOSE OLDER AIRCRAFT
TO REALIZE WHY WE DO THINGS NOW
THE WAY WE DID.
AND SO, ONE OF THE BIGGEST
APPRECIATIONS I TOOK AWAY
WAS FROM-- YOU KNOW, FROM FLYING
SOME OF THE WORLD WAR II
AND POST-WORLD WAR II
ERA AIRCRAFT
OF A, HOW HARD IT WAS
FOR THOSE PILOTS BACK THEN,
UM, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW,
THE REASON WE HAD SO MANY
TRAINING ACCIDENTS,
UH, AND-AND-- JUST BECAUSE
WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT
HOW TO CONTROL AIRPLANES.
AND THEN ALSO, YOU KNOW,
WE'VE LEARNED A LOT IN
THE '50s, '60s, '70s, AND '80s.
AND SO, FLYING
THOSE DIFFERENT AIRCRAFT
AND SEEING THAT EVOLUTION
AND ACTUALLY BURNING INTO
YOUR MUSCLE MEMORY,
YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU LEARNED
IN THE CLASS ROOM
AND THEN ACTUALLY SEEING IT
IN THE AIR, UH,
REALLY REINFORCES THOSE LESSONS.
AND THE REASON IT'S IMPORTANT
IS, NOW AS WE DEVELOP
NEW AIRCRAFT, NEW SPACECRAFT,
SOMETIMES THE-THE NEW GENERATION
OF ENGINEERS AND DEVELOPERS
IS TEMPTED TO MAKE THE SAME
MISTAKES WE'VE MADE IN THE PAST,
OR WE SORT OF FORGET
THE LESSONS WE'VE LEARNED.
AND SO, IT'S REALLY THE JOB
OF-OF TEST PILOTS,
UM, TO KIND OF
REMEMBER THOSE LESSONS.
LIKE, YEAH, WE-WE TRIED
SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THAT
30 OR 40 YEARS AGO,
AND THIS IS WHY IT DIDN'T WORK.
AND SORT OF BEING
THE-THE CONTINUITY, IF YOU WILL,
AND-AND HAVING THE-- YOU KNOW,
HAVING FLOWN THE AIRCRAFT,
HAVING SOME ACTUAL
PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE THAT REALLY
MAKES YOU THINK OF IT
AND REALLY INTERNALIZE
SOME OF THOSE LESSONS.
WHEN WE'RE FLYING,
USUALLY WE'RE DOING--
WHAT'S CALLED ON HOT MIC.
AND SO, THERE'S A WHOLE
CONTROL ROOM, VERY SIMILAR
TO A SPACECRAFT CONTROL ROOM
OF PEOPLE WATCHING
THE DIFFERENT PARAMETERS
ON THE AIRCRAFT,
YOU'RE TALKING TO
A TEST CONDUCTOR
AND A TEST DIRECTOR,
AND YOU'RE LITERALLY DOING
A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
NARRATIVE OF THE THINGS
THAT ARE HAPPENING.
AND SO, EVERYTHING IS PRETTY
SCRIPTED OUT IN TERMS OF,
UH, YOU KNOW,
WHAT TEST POINTS ARE GONNA DO,
WHAT THE EXPECTED BEHAVIOR IS,
AND YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY GIVING
THE TALKING NARRATIVE OF,
WHAT'S HAPPENING
AS YOU'RE DOING THE POINT--
THE DIFFICULTY OF
ACHIEVING THAT POINT,
THE REACTION OF THE AIRCRAFT
OR THE WEAPON OR THE SOFTWARE
OR WHATEVER YOU'RE TESTING
AS YOU GO THROUGH
THAT EXECUTION.
UM, AND SO, THE--
WE LIKE TO SAY, LIKE, YOU KNOW,
THE BEST TEST FLIGHT IS
A COMPLETELY BORING FLIGHT.
YOU REALLY DON'T WANT
ANY EXCITEMENT,
WHICH IS, I THINK,
A COMMON MISCONCEPTION.
PEOPLE THINK, LIKE, IT'S,
YOU KNOW, SUPER EXCITING
AND WE'RE SEAT OF OUR PANTS
FLYING, UH, WHICH CAN HAPPEN,
UH, BUT 99% OF THE TIME,
YOU WANT IT TO BE VERY,
UH, BORING 'CAUSE YOU WANT
WHAT YOU EXPECTED TO HAPPEN
TO HAPPEN.
IT'S A BAD DAY WHEN
THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS.
AND, BUT, UH,
JUST LIKE IN SPACE FLIGHT,
A LOT OF OUR TRAINING
CENTERS AROUND THAT 1%.
LIKE, WHAT HAPPENS
WHEN YOU HAVE A BAD DAY
AND HOW DO YOU REACT
OR HOW DO YOU RECOVER,
UM, AND TRYING TO
TRAIN THROUGH THAT?
SO, ALTHOUGH THE VAST MAJORITY
OF OUR TRAINING IS FOR
1% OF THE TIME,
THE OTHER 99% OF THE TIME
IS ACTUALLY PRETTY BORING,
WHICH IS-WHICH IS A GOOD THING
IN-IN TEST FLYING
AND IN SPACE FLIGHT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN--
WE CALL IT RTB IN THE MILITARY,
OR RETURN TO BASE,
AND THAT'S USUALLY
THE FIRST TIME THAT YOU
KIND OF TAKE A BREATH
AND CAN LOOK OUTSIDE THE COCKPIT
AND REALIZE, "OH, MAN,
I'M IN AN AIRPLANE
AND I'M GETTING PAID
TO DO THIS JOB,
AND IT'S PRETTY COOL.
AND I CAN ROLL UPSIDE DOWN
IF I WANT
AND SEE THINGS IN A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE."
I THINK IT'S SIMILAR--
OR, UH, EXPECTED SIMILAR.
I HAVEN'T BEEN TO SPACE,
OBVIOUSLY, BUT MY GUESS IS,
YOU KNOW, ALL THROUGH LAUNCH,
WITH THE ENGINES GOING,
UH, I'M GONNA BE IN
A VERY SIMILAR MINDSET
TO FLYING A TEST PLANE
AND AN AIRPLANE
AND THINKING ABOUT
WHAT COULD HAPPEN WRONG,
WHAT'S THE NEXT WORST FAILURE?
YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE SYSTEM,
LIKE, WHAT IF THAT SYSTEM
MALFUNCTIONS?
WHAT'S MY-- WHAT ARE MY ACTIONS?
AND I THINK IT'S NOT REALLY
PROBABLY UNTIL
THE ENGINES CUT OFF
AND WE GET OUT OF OUR SUITS.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE CHECKED
THE INTEGRITY OF ALL
THE SUBSYSTEMS
THAT'LL SORT OF BE A--
OKAY, NOW I CAN ACTUALLY
LOOK OUT THE WINDOW
AND-AND TAKE THIS IN
AND-AND SEE THE HORIZON
OF THE EARTH AND, YOU KNOW,
SEE THE-THE DARKNESS OF SPACE
THAT'LL PROBABLY FIRST HIT ME.
UM, AND, YEAH, THOSE MOMENTS,
I THINK, ARE-ARE GREAT,
AND THAT'S, YOU KNOW,
FROM A FLYING STANDPOINT,
IT'S ALWAYS BACK THERE
IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND,
BUT YOU DEFINITELY
RELY ON TRAINING.
YOU KNOW, THE--
VAST MAJORITY OF THE TIME,
AND THEN GET THOSE SORT OF,
UH, WONDROUS REPRIEVES WHERE--
YOU KNOW, MOMENTS WHERE YOU CAN
ACTUALLY APPRECIATE
WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND YOU.
SO, I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS,
YOU KNOW, AIR FOR--
THE-THE AIR FORCE,
THE MILITARY, AND NASA,
AND REALLY ALL GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES DO REALLY WELL
IS-IS TRY TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE
TO TRAIN THE PERSON
TO REPLACE THEM.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, UH,
ONE OF THE, YOU KNOW,
THE DIFFERENCES, I THINK,
BETWEEN THE CORPORATE
AND GOVERNMENT WORLD IS,
YOU KNOW, OUR MOTIVATION,
OUR MISSION IS
FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT.
WE'RE NOT TRYING-- THEY'RE NOT
TRYING TO MAKE MONEY.
SO, IN NASA'S CASE,
WE'RE TRYING TO EXPLORE
FOR ALL OF HUMANKIND.
AND, YOU KNOW,
HAVING A MOTIVATION
THAT MAKES YOU COME TO WORK
FOR THE RIGHT REASONS
IS HUGELY IMPORTANT.
AND IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW,
GROWING LEADERSHIP SKILLS,
THE REASON THE AIR FORCE
EXISTS-- LIKE, THE AIR FORCE
DOESN'T BUILD THE PLANES.
UH, NASA DOESN'T BUILD
THE SPACECRAFT,
WE BUILD THE PEOPLE.
AND SO, REALLY IN THE AIR FORCE
AND NASA, YOU'RE DEVELOPING
PEOPLE TO USE THOSE MACHINES.
AND SO, I WAS BLESSED
ALL THROUGH MY AIR FORCE CAREER
TO HAVE LEADERS WHO WERE
FUNDAMENTALLY TRYING
TO MAKE ME THEM.
THEY WERE TRYING TO LET ME
MAKE DECISIONS THAT WERE MAYBE
A LITTLE BIT ABOVE THE ONES
I WAS QUALIFIED TO MAKE
SO I COULD LEARN FROM THAT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING
I TRIED TO DO,
AND I THINK ALL LEADERS,
UM, IN GOVERNMENT
AND-AND THE MILITARY
TRY TO TEACH THE PEOPLE
BELOW THEM HOW TO-
HOW TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS
AND CONTINUE PROGRESSING.
AND SO, MY SUCCESS,
UM, WAS, YOU KNOW,
REALLY TWO THINGS,
GREAT MENTORSHIP AND THEN
THE SUPPORT OF MY SPOUSE.
AND SO, WITH EITHER OF
THOSE TWO THINGS,
I-I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN, UH,
I WOULDN'T BE HERE,
I DEFINITELY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN,
UH, WHERE I WAS
IN THE AIR FORCE, UH,
WHEN I LEFT TO COME TO NASA.
SO, FOR ME, I THINK
THE FIRST TIME I REALLY
STARTED TO DAWN ON ME
THAT BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT
WAS A REASONABLE EXTENSION OF
THE PATH I WAS ON IN MY CAREER
WAS ABOUT THE 2008 TIMEFRAME.
AND I WAS IN AND COMPLETING
NAVAL TEST PILOT SCHOOL,
I HAD DONE AN EXCHANGE THERE,
UH, AS AN AIR FORCE OFFICER,
BUT IT WENT TO NAVAL TEST
PILOT SCHOOL,
AND THE SAME TIME,
THE 2009 ASTRONAUT CLASS
WAS GETTING SELECTED
OR THAT PROCESS WAS HAPPENING.
AND IT-- AS A STUDENT
IN TEST PILOT SCHOOL,
I WASN'T ELIGIBLE TO APPLY,
BUT IT DAWNED ON ME THAT,
HAD I BEEN ESSENTIALLY
A YEAR OLDER OR, YOU KNOW,
A YEAR FURTHER ALONG MY CAREER,
I WOULD ACTUALLY BE ELIGIBLE
TO APPLY FOR THIS PROGRAM.
AND SO, I THINK THAT, FOR ME,
WAS SORT OF A-A MOMENT
OF, OH, MAN.
THIS IS NOT JUST SOME WEIRD,
LIKE, "I WANNA BE AN ASTRONAUT
WHEN I GROW UP."
IT'S ACTUALLY IN THE PATH
OF SOMEWHAT--
YOU KNOW, THERE IS SOME PATH
THAT'S REALISTICALLY ACHIEVABLE.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, HONESTLY,
I REALLY LOVED
BEING A TEST PILOT,
I LOVE STILL BEING THAT,
YOU KNOW, HAVING THAT MINDSET.
AND I REALLY, UH, YOU KNOW,
WHEN I APPLIED IN 2013
THE FIRST TIME,
UH, I REALLY ENJOYED
WHAT I WAS DOING.
AND THEN, WHEN I REAPPLIED
IN 2017,
IT WAS REALLY BECAUSE OF
THE PEOPLE I HAD MET
AND THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.
AND I THINK HAVING
THE REALIZATION THAT, YOU KNOW,
AS I LOOK BACK ON
MY AIR FORCE CAREER,
REALLY WHAT I REMEMBER
IS THE PEOPLE.
AND EVEN-- I MEAN, IF I THINK
ABOUT EVEN HIGH SCHOOL
OR ANY PHASE OF YOUR LIFE
WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON IT,
I CAN'T TELL YOU, YOU KNOW,
"ON TUESDAY OF THIS WEEK, I MADE
THIS COOL POWER POINT SLIDE
AND IT WAS-- YOU KNOW,
HERE'S WHAT WAS ON IT."
BUT I CAN DEFINITELY TELL YOU
WHO I WAS WORKING WITH
ON WHATEVER THAT PROJECT WAS.
AND SO, IT DAWNED ON ME THAT,
YOU KNOW, I WOULD LIKE TO WORK
WITH THOSE KIND OF PEOPLE
FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE
SO THAT, WHEN I LOOK BACK
ON MY WORK TIME,
I COULD-I COULD SAY, LIKE,
"MAN, I REALLY LIKED
THE PEOPLE I-I WORKED WITH."
UM, AND SO THAT, I THINK, WAS,
YOU KNOW, UH, HOW I WOUND UP
ON THE PATH OF APPLYING.
SO, ONCE YOU SUBMIT
THE APPLICATIONS
FROM START TO FINISH,
IT'S ABOUT TWO YEARS OF,
YOU KNOW, APPLY,
UH, VIA USA JOBS,
WAIT FOR THEM TO DO
A DOWN SELECT,
AND THEN TWO ROUNDS
OF INTERVIEWS.
UH, THE FIRST ROUND
IS ESSENTIALLY A HALF WEEK
OF INTERVIEW--
OR AN INTERVIEW AND THEN
SOME MEDICAL, UH, TESTING
AND SOME ONLINE SORT OF
CHARACTER ASSESSMENTS,
THEN THEY DO ANOTHER DOWN SELECT
AND THEN BRING YOU OUT
FOR A WEEK LONG EXPERIENCE,
WHICH AGAIN,
HAS ANOTHER INTERVIEW
AND THEN ALSO A LOT MORE
ACTIVITY WITH OTHER
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES.
UM, AND KIND OF GETTING
THE SENSE OF WHAT WOULD
IT BE LIKE TO-TO BE IN
ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE IN TRAINING
AND LET THEM EVALUATE THAT,
AND ALSO IT'S A CHANCE FOR US
TO EVALUATE, YOU KNOW, IS THIS
SOMETHING WE-- THAT, YOU KNOW,
WE WANT TO CHOOSE TO DO?
UH, REALLY, I THINK
BOTH TIMES I APPLIED,
MY BIGGEST THOUGHT WAS,
I SHOULD NOT BE HERE.
UH, I WAS JUST THINKING
TO MYSELF, I'M REALLY LUCKY
THEY NEED PILOTS,
BECAUSE OTHERWISE, WE-- I-- MY--
I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF,
I WOULDN'T BE QUALIFIED
TO BE IN THE SAME ROOM
WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE.
UH, SO IN ASTRONAUT
CANDIDATE TRAINING,
THERE'S SORT OF FIVE PRONGS,
IF YOU WILL, PARALLEL PATHS
OF TRAINING.
UH, ONE IS T-38 FLYING,
AND WE USE THAT TO BASICALLY
TEACH CREW COORDINATION
AND IT'S THE CLOSEST ANALOG
WE HAVE TO SPACE FLIGHT.
I'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, I KNEW
TOM MARSHBURN BEFORE I WAS
ASSIGNED TO THIS MISSION,
BUT WE'D NEVER REALLY FLOWN
THE T-38 TOGETHER,
AND THEN AS WE STARTED FLYING
THE T-38, IT WAS AMAZING
HOW MUCH BETTER OUR COORDINATION
GOT IN THE CAPSULE,
BECAUSE IT'S VERY SIMILAR
IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW,
COMMUNICATIONS AND, YOU KNOW,
THINGS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
HAPPENING AIRCRAFT VERSUS
THE DISPLAYS IN THE DRAGON,
AND SO I WOULD SAY,
YOU KNOW THAT--
THAT EXPERIENCE ALONE
AND THE VALUE OF THE TRAINING
I HAD UNDERESTIMATED UNTIL I WAS
ACTUALLY ASSIGNED AND GOT TO SEE
FIRSTHAND THE NIGHT AND DAY
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLYING
IN A T-38 WITH SOMEONE
AND THEN TRANSLATING
THAT EXPERIENCE INTO FLYING
IN A CAPSULE, SO, UM,
THAT IS A HUGE PART
OF-OF THE TRAINING WE DO HERE.
UH, ANOTHER PART--
SO THE FOUR OTHER PARTS--
WE HAVE TO LEARN RUSSIAN,
WHICH I STILL STRUGGLE WITH.
I'M VERY BAD AT IT.
UH, I THINK THE COOL EXPERIENCE
I HAD WAS MY DAUGHTER WAS
2 YEARS OLD WHEN WE CAME HERE,
AND SO SHE WAS LEARNING ENGLISH
AT THE SAME TIME I WAS
LEARNING RUSSIAN,
AND SHE HAS FAR OUTPACED ME
IN THE TIME I'VE BEEN HERE.
UH, SO IT'S BEEN REALLY HUMBLING
TO SEE HOW ADEPT A CHILD
IS AT LEARNING A LANGUAGE
COMPARED TO SOMEONE IN THEIR
MID-FORTIES STRUGGLING
TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE.
SO I-I COULD PROBABLY
SURVIVE IN MOSCOW.
I COULD FIND MY WAY AROUND,
BUT, UH, I WOULDN'T HANG OUT
WITH ME IF-IF I WAS RUSSIAN.
UH, THE THIRD PART OF OUR
TRAINING IS THE NBL,
OR THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB,
AND THAT'S WHERE WE PRACTICE
SPACE WALK TRAINING,
SO IT'S A GIANT POOL, UM, WHERE
IT'S THE CLOSEST SIMULATION
WE CAN HAVE TO BEING WEIGHTLESS
IN SPACE AND IN A SUIT
AND DOING THE TASKS
ON A GIANT MOCKUP
OF THE SPACE STATION.
I THINK MOST ASTRONAUTS,
AND, UM, ASTRONAUT CANDIDATES
WOULD TELL YOU THAT'S
PROBABLY THE MOST PHYSICALLY
AND MENTALLY DEMANDING
CHALLENGE, UH, CHALLENGING
PART OF OUR TRAINING, UH,
JUST BECAUSE THERE'S
SO MUCH PREP WORK
THAT GOES INTO IT.
IT'S A PHYSICALLY
EXHAUSTING TASK.
YOU BASICALLY FEEL LIKE
YOU WERE IN A FIGHT WHEN YOU
GET OUT OF THE SUIT.
YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT BRUISES.
YOU CAN'T USE YOUR HANDS,
AND YOU'RE CRAMPED.
UM, YOU KNOW, METABOLICALLY,
IT'S KIND OF LIKE RUNNING
A MARATHON.
SO IT'S JUST-- IT JUST BEATS YOU
DOWN PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY,
UM, BUT THE TRAINING IS-IS,
FOR THE PEOPLE WHO'VE FLOWN
AND DONE ACTUAL SPACE WALKS,
EVERYONE AGREES THAT IS--
THAT IS THE BEST ANALOG
AND THE BEST WAY TO GET US
READY FOR ON-ORBIT SPACE WALKS.
UH, THE FOURTH THING WE DO
IS LEARN INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION SYSTEMS,
AND SO JUST LIKE AN AIRCRAFT
OR JUST LIKE A CAR,
OR JUST LIKE ANY VEHICLE,
LIKE YOUR HOUSE, UH,
THE SPACE STATION HAS
ALL KINDS OF SYSTEMS, WHETHER
THAT'S THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,
THE PLUMBING SYSTEM, UH,
YOU KNOW, THE HEATING
AND COOLING SYSTEM,
AND ALL THAT STUFF
HAS TO BE MAINTAINED,
AND SINCE WE'RE UP THERE,
AND CAN'T CALL SOMEONE
TO COME FIX SOMETHING,
WE HAVE TO KNOW IT--
HOW TO OPERATE IT,
BUT THEN, MORE IMPORTANTLY,
HOW TO FIX IT WHEN IT BREAKS.
AND SO THAT'S OUR, YOU KNOW,
A MAIN PART OF WHAT WE HAVE
TO LEARN, AND, YOU KNOW,
WE HAVE MOCKUPS AND MODELS,
AND THINGS WHERE WE CAN
ACTUALLY GO TURN THE HANDLES,
YOU KNOW, REMOVE SCREWS,
DIG OUR HANDS ON-- YOU KNOW,
FIND THE PIPES THAT'S BROKE, UM,
YOU KNOW, REPLACE THE CONNECTORS
THAT NEED REPLACING,
AND SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME
GETTING HANDS ON TRAINING
SO THAT ON ORBIT,
IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME
WE'RE SEEING SOMETHING
IF IT BREAKS.
AND THE FIFTH TENET OF WHAT
WE DO IS ROBOTICS TRAINING.
SO WE USE THE CANADARM
ON THE SPACE STATION
TO MANIPULATE CARGO,
TO FIX THINGS,
TO MOVE THINGS AROUND,
AND SO WE USE THE ARM
BECAUSE IT'S MUCH LOWER RISK
THAN HAVING TO GO OUT
AND DO A SPACE WALK EVERY TIME,
AND SO HAVING THAT ARM IS--
HELPED US BUILD THE STATION,
HELPED US MAINTAIN THE STATION,
AND WE REALLY WOULDN'T
BE ABLE TO-TO MAINTAIN
A LONG TERM PRESENCE
WITHOUT SOME ROBOTIC ABILITY
TO DO ALL THOSE--
ALL THOSE TASKS,
AND SO PART OF OUR TRAINING
IS-IS ASTRONAUTS NEED TO BE ABLE
TO RUN THAT ARM AND--
AND DO WORK WHERE THE ARM
IS VERY CLOSE TO THE STATION,
SO A LOT OF THE ROBOTIC ARM OPS
CAN BE DONE FROM THE GROUND,
FOR MOVEMENTS THAT AREN'T--
THAT AREN'T VERY CLOSE
TO HITTING SOMETHING
OR THAT ARE VERY SLOW,
BUT FOR THINGS WHERE WE ARE
CLOSE TO THE STATION,
THE ARM'S CLOSE TO THE STATION,
OR SOMETIMES WE PUT AN ASTRONAUT
ON THE END OF THE ARM
AND MOVE THAT ASTRONAUT AROUND,
ALL OF THOSE THINGS REQUIRE
SOMEONE WHO'S THERE,
WHO CAN SEE THINGS IN REAL TIME,
AND CAN BE IN CONTROL
TO-TO RUN THE ARM.
SO WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME
DOING THAT, AND ALSO
CAPTURING THE VEHICLES
THAT HAVE CARGO ON THEM.
SO THE, UH, THE ISS
IS NOT A CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM.
WE NEED TO GET SUPPLIES TO US
TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN
A PRESENCE UP THERE,
AND SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US
TO BE ABLE TO-- WHEN THOSE
VEHICLES COME WITH SUPPLIES,
TO BE ABLE TO
GRAB THOSE VEHICLES
AND ATTACH THEM TO THE STATION.
AND SO SOME VEHICLES CAN DOCK
ON THEIR OWN, BUT-- THE CAPSULE
WE'RE FLYING UP THERE
WILL DO THAT, WILL DOCK,
UH, BUT OTHER VEHICLES
DON'T HAVE THAT ABILITY,
SO YOU NEED TO GRAB THEM
WITH THE ARM AND THEN ATTACH IT
TO THE STATION.
IT WAS GREAT, UH, I--
IF I COULD HAVE PICKED A JO--
A PERFECT JOB FOR MYSELF AND
THAT I WOULD HAVE LOVED DOING,
IT WAS THE JOB I WAS
LUCKY ENOUGH TO DO.
SO LITERALLY THE DAY AFTER
MY NINTH NBL RUN, UM,
IN OCTOBER OF '19--
AND SO AS PART OF ASTRONAUT
CANDIDATE TRAINING,
YOU DO NINE
NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB RUNS,
AND THE DAY AFTER THAT RUN,
I WAS ASSIGNED TO THE, UH,
COMMERCIAL CREW PROGRAM
AS THE JOINT TEST TEAM DIRECTOR,
AND IT WAS DREAM JOB.
IT WAS KIND OF LIKE WHAT I WAS
DOING IN THE AIR FORCE,
EXCEPT NOW AT NASA,
AND NOW ON SPACE VEHICLES,
SO AGAIN, IF I HAD--
IF I COULD HAVE PICKED A JOB,
THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE JOB
I-I PICKED.
AND SO I WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH
TO GET TO WORK WITH
A TEAM THAT WE WERE BASICALLY
DOING THE-THE TESTING
THAT INVOLVED PEOPLE OR CREW,
FOR BOTH BOEING AND SPACEX
WHO ARE THE TWO
COMMERCIAL CREW PROVIDERS,
AND SO I GOT TO JUMP RIGHT IN,
START GOING OUT TO HAWTHORNE
AND OUT TO THE CAPE FOR SPACEX
AND BOEING TESTING,
RESPECTIVELY-- STARTING
TO GET TO WORK WITH THE, UH,
DEVELOPMENT, TEAMS,
AND VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT I DID
IN THE MILITARY.
YOU KNOW, WE'D LOOK
AT UPCOMING EVENTS, AND WHAT ARE
THE TEST OBJECTIVES?
HOW DO WE MITIGATE THE RISKS?
YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE--
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT?
AND THEN, MORE IMPORTANTLY,
REALLY, MY JOB
AT THE PROGRAM OFFICE WAS,
AFTER THE TEST IS DONE,
HERE'S THE FEEDBACK, AND WHAT
THINGS NEED TO BE FIXED?
OR WHAT THINGS ARE WE OKAY WITH?
UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THINGS
CAN BE IN FUTURE VEHICLES?
AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW,
WE CALL IT "PROGRAM MANAGEMENT,"
BUT YOU'RE ALWAYS BALANCING
COSTS, SCHEDULE AND PERFORMANCE,
SO IT'S LIKE THREE LEGS
OF A STOOL.
AND THAT'S ONE THING
TEST PILOTS ARE ALWAYS DOING.
LIKE, OF COURSE I WANT
THE PERFECT VEHICLE,
BUT THAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY
AND TAKES A LOT OF TIME,
SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE
ALL THESE TRADES, UH,
AND SO THAT WAS SORT OF OUR JOB
IN THE PROGRAM OFFICE
IS HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT STOOL
TO GET, UH, YOU KNOW,
A SAFE PERFORMING VEHICLE,
UH, UNDER THE COST
OF WHAT WE CAN AFFORD
AND ON THE TIMELINE
THAT WE NEED?
SO MAKING THOSE TRADES
AND GETTING TO WORK
WITH THE CONTRACTORS,
UH, PROVED VERY USEFUL FOR ME
IN THE LONG TERM.
I DIDN'T KNOW IT AT THE TIME,
OBVIOUSLY, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW,
ONCE I WAS ASSIGNED TO WORK,
UH, AND FLY WITH SPACEX,
HAVING BEEN VERY FAMILIAR
WITH THE VEHICLE
AS THEY DEVELOPED IT--
THE PEOPLE, THE TEAM, UM,
THE SIMULATORS--
IT WAS A, YOU KNOW, HUGE BENEFIT
TO ME TO BE ABLE
TO JUMP RIGHT IN
AND-AND BE VERY FAMILIAR
WITH HOW THE SYSTEMS WORKED,
UH, VERY FAMILIAR
WITH THE VEHICLE,
AND HAVE SOME CONTEXT OF,
"WHY DOES IT DO THIS
WHEN I PUSH THIS BUTTON?"
I'M LIKE, "OH, YEAH, I REMEMBER.
"WE-WE, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAD
"A WHOLE DISCUSSION
"ABOUT WHY IT DOES THAT
"WHEN I PUSH THIS BUTTON,"
AND UNDERSTANDING
THE-THE HISTORY OF IT.
SO I THINK THE--
ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S REALLY DIFFERENT
BETWEEN, UH, THE MILITARY
AND NASA CULTURE,
UM, IS THE FLATNESS
OF THE ORGANIZATION IN-IN NASA,
WHICH CAN SOMETIMES
BE FRUSTRATING OR CONFUSING
AS A MILITARY PERSON,
UH, BUT SOMETIMES YOU LOOK
AROUND THE ROOM LIKE,
"WHO'S-WHO'S ACTUALLY IN CHARGE
"OF THIS MEETING?
"I DON'T UNDERSTAND
"THE STRUCTURE."
IT'S REALLY EASY TO WALK
INTO A MILITARY MEETING
AND BE LIKE, "ALL RIGHT,
"THAT PERSON'S IN CHARGE,"
BECAUSE I CAN LOOK
AT THEIR RANK.
LIKE, THAT'S WHO'S RUNNING
THE MEETING.
UH, AT NASA, IT'S A LITTLE
MORE NEBULOUS SOMETIMES,
WHICH IS-IS GOOD AND BAD.
THERE'S DEFINITELY TIMES
OF FRUSTRATION, WHERE, LIKE,
I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE
STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS.
SOMEONE-- WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE
HAS TO MAKE A DECISION.
BUT I WILL SAY THE-THE BENEFIT
AND I-I THINK THE STRENGTH
OF NASA'S APPROACH
AND THE WAY WE DO IT--
THE REASON WE DO IT THAT WAY
IS BECAUSE EVERY OPINION
IS VALUED, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN
YOU'RE DEALING WITH SAFETY
AND HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT
AND RISK MITIGATION,
THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT THING.
UH, SO IT WAS A REALLY NATURAL,
I THINK, UH, ADJUSTMENT FOR ME.
I WILL ALSO SAY
IN THE FLIGHT TEST WORLD,
WE HAVE, UH, SO SPECIFICALLY
WITHIN THE AIR FORCE,
THE COMMUNITY THAT DOES
FLIGHT TESTS HAS A VERY MIXED
MILITARY AND CIVILIAN, UM,
CADRE OF PEOPLE DOING IT,
SO FOR ME, IT WAS A MUCH MORE
NATURAL TRANSITION, LIKE, OH--
I WAS USED TO A MIXED,
YOU KNOW, MIX OF RANK,
MIX OF BACKGROUNDS,
UH, AND SO IT WAS MORE NATURAL.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW,
IT'S, UM, HERE AT NASA,
SPECIFICALLY FOR
COMMERCIAL CREW,
WE HAVE, YOU KNOW,
SPACEX, BOEING--
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CULTURES,
DIFFERENT COMPANIES.
YOU KNOW, PRIVATELY HELD,
SHAREHOLDERS, SO ALL THESE
DIFFERENT DYNAMICS, AND SO YOU
HAD TO REALLY BE ABLE TO SHIFT,
LIKE, OKAY, WHO AM I TALKING TO?
WHAT'S THIS MEETING?
AND, YOU KNOW, BLEND INTO
DIFFERENT CULTURES, UM,
DIFFERENT WAYS, AND IT'S ALL
FROM NASA'S STANDPOINT,
YOU KNOW, THE HUGE BENEFITS--
WE GET THE BENEFIT OF ALL
THESE DIFFERENT APPROACHES
AND BACKGROUNDS AND KIND OF GET
TO CAGE THEM ALL TOGETHER.
SO I MEAN, IT'S KIND OF,
YOU KNOW, CHEESY, BUT I THINK
IT REMINDS ME OF LIKE, YOU KNOW,
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY
KIND OF THING, LIKE,
YOU KNOW, BRING ME ALL--
ALL THIS MELTING POT OF PEOPLE
AND WE'LL TAKE KIND OF THE BEST
OF OUT OF, UM, OUT OF ALL THOSE
THINGS AND COME UP
WITH THE BEST PRODUCT WE CAN.
SO IT'S BEEN REALLY EXCITING
TO SEE BOTH THESE COMPANIES,
YOU KNOW, TAKING ON
THE CHALLENGE OF-OF PRIVATIZING
LOW EARTH ORBIT.
I THINK WE ARE AT THIS
REALLY COOL INFLECTION POINT
IN SOCIETY WHERE,
YOU KNOW, NASA IS--
OFTENTIMES, I GET ASKED, UH,
WHAT DOES NASA THINK
ABOUT SPACEX?
OR WHAT DOES NASA THINK
ABOUT BOEING, YOU KNOW,
COMPETING WITH THEM?
AND I-- I HAVE TO REPEAT--
IT'S LIKE,
IT'S NOT A COMPETITION.
LIKE, OUR CHARTER AS AN AGENCY
IS TO ENABLE U.S. INDUSTRY
TO DO THESE THINGS.
LIKE, WE WANT THEM TO SUCCEED.
WE WANT THEM TO TAKE OVER
LOW EARTH ORBIT OPERATIONS
SO THAT WE AT NASA CAN FOCUS
ON EXPLORATION AND-AND PUSHING
THE BOUNDARIES OUT FARTHER,
AND SO BEING ABLE TO GO TO THESE
COMPANIES AND SEEING, YOU KNOW,
WHETHER IT'S EXPERIENCED
ENGINEERS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW,
HAVE SEEN THE PROJECT--
HAVE SEEN THE PROJECT FROM WHEN
THEY STARTED ON IT TO NOW
AT THE POINT WHERE WE'RE PUTTING
PEOPLE ON THESE VEHICLES,
TO, YOU KNOW,
RIGHT-OUT-OF-COLLEGE GRADUATES
WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, SHOWING UP
AND JUST HAVE THIS ENERGY
OF LIKE, "WE ARE PART OF THIS,"
AND, YOU KNOW, WITH ARTEMIS NOW,
YOU KNOW, IT IS A REALLY
EXCITING TIME IN THE INDUSTRY,
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE ENERGY
AT BOTH THESE CONTRACTORS,
IT IS JUST-- IT'S SO REFRESHING
TO SEE PEOPLE EXCITED
ABOUT SPACE,
PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT,
UH, YOU KNOW, HUMAN EXPLORATION
AND WHERE WE CAN GO
AND-AND, SORT OF, UH,
I WASN'T OBVIOUSLY ALIVE
IN THE APOLLO ERA,
BUT IT SEEMS VERY REMINISCENT,
YOU KNOW, FROM DOCUMENTARIES
OR BOOKS I'VE READ, VERY MUCH
THE SAME ATTITUDE OF,
THERE IS NO PROBLEM TOO BIG.
WE JUST NEED TO PUT
THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON IT,
AND THE RIGHT RESOURCES,
AND WE CAN TACKLE IT.
SO IT'S JUST LIKE THIS HUGE,
YOU KNOW, BALL OF ENERGY
THAT WE'RE JUST TRYING
TO VECTOR, UH,
IN THE RIGHT DIRECTIONS,
AND IT'S REALLY COOL
TO-TO BE A PART OF THAT.
SO, UM, SO ON
THE SPACEX VEHICLE, MY JOB
AS A COMMANDER IS-IS A FEW FOLD.
FIRST OFF,
FROM THE CREW STANDPOINT,
I REALLY THINK OF IT MORE LIKE
A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS COACH,
SO, YOU KNOW,
AN NBA BASKETBALL COACH ISN'T
REALLY TEACHING THE PLAYERS
HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL.
THAT-- THEY ALL KNOW
HOW TO PLAY BASKETBALL.
IT'S REALLY MORE A JOB OF, LIKE,
MANAGING, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS
THE BEST INTERACTIONS
BETWEEN THOSE PLAYERS
TO GET THE BEST RESULT?
AND SO I THINK THAT'S SORT OF
MY JOB FROM THE CREW'S
STANDPOINT AT LEAST.
I DON'T NEED TO TELL KAYLA,
TOM OR MATTHIAS
HOW TO DO THEIR JOBS.
THEY ALREADY KNOW
HOW TO DO THEIR JOBS.
IT'S REALLY MORE A MATTER
FOR THAT 1% OFF THE TIME WHERE
SOMETHING OFF-NOMINAL HAPPENED,
WHAT IS THE BEST SPLIT
OF RESOURCES?
IF, YOU KNOW, KAYLA'S WORKING
FROM LOCATION ONE FOR VALVES.
TOM'S LOOKING AT SUBSYSTEMS.
MATTHIAS IS RUNNING A TIMER
TO KEEP US--
TRACK OF OUR CONSUMABLES.
AND SO MANAGING THOSE DIFFERENT,
UH, PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
IS REALLY, I THINK,
WHAT THE CREW PART
OF THE COMMANDER JOB IS.
FROM A SPACE VEHICLE PART,
REALLY, MY JOB IS, YOU KNOW,
INTERFACING WITH SPACEX
AND MCCX, UH, WHAT THEY
CALL MISSION CONTROL HAWTHORNE,
AND KEEPING THEM APPRISED
OF THE VEHICLE, UH, STATUS,
YOU KNOW, WATCHING THE SYSTEMS
AS THEY GO, YOU KNOW.
IF THERE IS SOME KIND
OF OFF-NOMINAL EVENT,
BEING IN CHARGE OF MANUALLY
CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE, UM,
ESSENTIALLY PILOTING IT,
VIA, UH, YOU KNOW, UM,
VIA THE DISPLAYS, UM,
SOMETIMES SENDING COMMANDS THAT
WILL EITHER TURN OFF OR INHIBIT
OR RE-ENABLE THINGS, DEPENDING
ON WHAT THE MALFUNCTION IS,
AND SO ALL THOSE THINGS ARE DONE
IN CONCERT WITH SPACEX
AND WITH TOM, MY PILOT,
SO VERY SIMILAR TO, YOU KNOW,
OTHER SPACE VEHICLES,
OTHER, UH, FLIGHT VEHICLES.
WE HAVE, UH, A CHECK
AND VERIFY TYPE CONCEPT, UM,
AND SO THAT'S HOW WE TRAIN
AND REALLY, ULTIMATELY,
AT THE END OF THE DAY, MY-MY JOB
IS TO GET THE CREW SAFELY
TO THE ISS AND SAFELY BACK
AND-AND TO MANAGE THE VEHICLE
IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT PROTECTS
FOR THEIR SAFETY AND OUR SAFETY
AND PROTECTS THE ISS
AND ITS CREW.
SO I THINK, UH, IN MY MIND,
THERE'S KIND OF THREE BIG PIECES
OF OUR MISSION
ON THE SPACE STATION.
ONE IS-IS RESEARCH ON US,
UH, ON PEOPLE.
UM, AND WE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT
HAVE THE RESEARCH DONE TO THEM.
AND SO WHETHER THAT'S,
YOU KNOW, BLOOD DRAWS,
OR, YOU KNOW, OTHER SAMPLES
OF THINGS THAT COME OUT OF US,
UH, THERE IS A WHOLE BODY
OF RESEARCH OF TRYING
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS
TO PEOPLE IN SPACE,
NOT JUST FOR THE SAKE OF
WHAT HAPPENS IN SPACE,
BUT THERE'S A LOT OF ANALOGS
TO THE PROCESS OF AGING, UH,
TO RADIATION IMPACTS--
ALL THESE THINGS THAT HAVE
VERY DIRECT TERRESTRIAL IMPACTS
THAT WE CAN STUDY
IN AN ACCELERATED ENVIRONMENT
IN SPACE.
SO THAT'S KIND OF ONE FACET.
UH, THE SECOND BIG PIECE,
AND REALLY THE REASON
I SIGNED UP AND GOT INTERESTED
IN NASA TO BEGIN WITH WAS,
YOU KNOW, FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
OR FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE.
AND SO THE ISS IS ESSENTIALLY
AN ORBITING NATIONAL LABORATORY,
SO WHETHER IT'S PHYSICS,
MATERIALS, UH, YOU KNOW,
PARTICLES, THERE'S ALL KIND
OF RESEARCH GOING ON
ON A DAILY BASIS THAT LEAD
TO JUST FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES
IN THE WAY WE UNDERSTAND
HOW OUR WORLD WORKS AROUND US.
UM, SO WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW,
LOOKING AT LOWER EMISSION--
LOWER EMISSION
CARBON, UH, FLAMES,
WHETHER IT'S LOOKING AT
DIFFERENT WAYS TO ASSEMBLE
MOLECULES, UH, YOU KNOW,
OBVIOUSLY THE-THE BENEFITS
WE'VE HAD IN VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
WERE HUGELY IMPORTANT OVER THIS
LAST YEAR AND A HALF, UM,
AND ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW,
SPACE STATION RESEARCH
DIDN'T NECESSARILY CREATE
THE COVID VACCINE,
IT DEFINITELY HELPED ENABLE
TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE LOOK AT.
YOU KNOW, ASSEMBLING
PROTEIN CHAINS
THAT WE CAN'T DO ON EARTH,
AND REALLY RAPIDLY PROTOTYPING
NEW PROTEINS AND NEW TREATMENTS
FOR DISEASES
ON THE SPACE STATION THAT CAN
HAVE TERRESTRIAL IMPACTS,
OR, YOU KNOW, CLOSED LOOP
ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEMS,
SO WHETHER IT'S RECYCLING WATER,
GENERATING OXYGEN,
ALL THESE THINGS HAVE
DIRECT IMPACTS TO THE WAY
WE LIVE OUR LIVES ON EARTH
AND TO SOLVING PROBLEMS
THAT WE NEED TO SOLVE, UH,
HERE ON THE EARTH AS WELL.
SO I THINK, FOR ME,
THAT SECOND BUCKET, IF YOU WILL,
IS REALLY THE WHOLE REASON
I GOT INTERESTED IN NASA
AND-AND WHAT I WANT TO BE
A PART OF IS, YOU KNOW,
I-I'M NOT GONNA PERSONALLY
PROBABLY DISCOVER ANYTHING NEW,
BECAUSE I'M NOT THE SCIENTIST,
BUT I WILL DEFINITELY BE
THE EYES, EARS, HANDS
AND THE ACTUATOR
FOR THE EXPERIMENTS
THAT HELP LEAD TO
THE SCIENCE, THE DISCOVERIES,
THAT CAN PUSH OUR-OUR SPECIES
FURTHER BOTH BEYOND THE PLANET
AND JUST UNDERSTAND
AND-AND OPERATE ON OUR EARTH
EVEN BETTER.
AND THEN THE THIRD PIECE THAT
I THINK IS UNIQUE TO CREW-3,
IS WE'LL BE THE FIRST, UH,
THE FIRST CREW
ON THE SPACE STATION THAT ARE
GONNA HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW,
THE FIRST CIVILIAN OR PRIVATE
ASTRONAUTS SHOWING UP,
AND I THINK THAT'S
A REALLY GREAT PART
OF OUR HISTORY.
YOU KNOW, THE ANALOGY I USE
IS, YOU KNOW, IN THE AIRSPACE
ON A DAILY BASIS
WHEN PEOPLE FLY
IN A COMMERCIAL PLANE,
IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,
IN THE SAME AIRSPACE
THERE'S MILITARY PILOTS FLYING,
THERE'S, YOU KNOW,
CIVILIAN PILOTS
FLYING PRIVATE PLANES,
THERE'S PEOPLE
ON COMMERCIAL PLANES,
AND EVERYONE GETS ALONG FINE
IN THAT AIRSPACE
AND UNDERSTANDS THAT EVERYONE
HAS THEIR DIFFERENT MISSIONS.
AND WE'RE SORT OF
IN THE VERY NASCENT STAGES
OF ATMOSPACE FLIGHT,
SO THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT HOW DOES THAT ALL WORK?
BUT MY ANSWER WOULD BE
IT WORKS JUST FINE IN THE AIR.
IT'LL EVENTUALLY WORK
JUST FINE IN SPACE.
SO WE MAY HAVE PROFESSIONAL
NASA ASTRONAUTS
DOING A JOB, DOING SCIENCE,
YOU MAY HAVE, YOU KNOW,
MAYBE SOME IN
THE NOT-TOO-DISTANT FUTURE,
A PRIVATE PERSON THAT BUILDS
THEIR OWN ROCKET GOING TO SPACE,
FLYING AROUND.
YOU'LL HAVE COMPANIES
THAT ARE PROVIDING, YOU KNOW,
RIDES TO AND FROM, VERY SIMILAR
TO COMMERCIAL AIRLINES.
SO ALL THOSE THINGS CAN BE
IN THE SAME SPACE,
LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY,
BUT I THINK WHAT'S UNIQUE
TO OUR FLIGHT AND OUR MISSION
IS WE'LL ACTUALLY BE STARTING
TO DEAL WITH THAT
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
AND SORT OF SETTING, YOU KNOW,
THE BOUNDARIES AND EXPECTATIONS
FOR HOW DOES THAT WORK.
HOW DO WE SHARE THE SPACE
AND BOTH GET OUR MISSIONS DONE,
BOTH GET OUR OBJECTIVES DONE,
NOT INTERFERE WITH EACH OTHER,
BUT ALSO WORK TOGETHER?
BECAUSE ON A PERSONAL LEVEL,
MAYBE THERE'S GONNA BE
FOUR PEOPLE ON THE SPACE STATION
LIVING WITH US,
AND THEY'RE GREAT PEOPLE.
WE WANT TO INTERACT WITH THEM
WHETHER IT'S EATING WITH THEM,
HANGING OUT WITH THEM.
ALL THOSE THINGS WILL HAPPEN.
AND THEN ALSO FIGURING OUT
HOW TO ALSO GET OUR JOBS DONE
AND LET THEM, YOU KNOW,
COME UP AND ENJOY SPACE,
SINCE THAT'S THEIR GOAL AS WELL.
TOM WASHBURN, YOU KNOW,
IS AN EXPERIENCED SPACE FLYER.
SO HE'S ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE
THAT'S FLOWN ON A SHUTTLE,
ON A SOYUZ,
AND NOW ON A CREW DRAGON.
SO IT'S A REALLY
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE
AND A REALLY UNIQUE BACKGROUND.
HE WAS A FLIGHT DOC.
HE WAS A PHYSICIST,
SO HE'S-HE'S-- I CALL HIM
POTPOURRI OF CAREERS.
HE'S DONE A WHOLE BUNCH
OF THINGS,
AND IF YOU ASK HIM
WHAT HIS FAVORITE BOOK IS,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE GAVE YOU
FOR HIS ANSWER,
BUT IT WAS PROBABLY A LONG LIST.
I DON'T KNOW IF HE COULD
GIVE YOU ONE BOOK.
SO HE-- HIS INTERESTS
ARE WIDE RANGING.
AND HE LOVES TO JUST
GO DOWN RABBIT HOLES
TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
RANDOM TOPICS THAT
HE KNOWS A LOT ABOUT.
IT NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE ME,
SOME RANDOM CONVERSATION, LIKE,
HOW DID YOU--
HOW DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?
LIKE, "OH, I READ THIS BOOK
ABOUT THAT."
LIKE, OF COURSE.
SO TOM IS-- BETWEEN
HIS SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE
AND HIS POTPOURRI OF KNOWLEDGE
HAS BEEN A GREAT, UH--
GREAT FOR OUR CREW
AS ALL OF US ARE BEING
ROOKIE SPACE FLYERS.
I THINK, YOU KNOW,
TOM CAN CHIME IN WITH, LIKE,
"OH, YEAH,
YOU'LL PROBABLY THINK THAT,"
OR "THIS IS WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN
WHEN YOU SEE THIS ON ORBIT."
SO HE'S BEEN, YOU KNOW,
BECAUSE OF HIS BROAD BACKGROUND,
I THINK IT'S MADE IT MUCH EASIER
FOR THE THREE OF US TO
NOT HAVE AS MANY UNCERTAINTIES
ABOUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN
OR WHAT IS SPACEFLIGHT
GONNA FEEL LIKE?
AND ESPECIALLY HIM
BEING A DOCTOR, YOU KNOW, JUST
THE VERY PHYSIOLOGICAL THINGS
THAT CHANGE IN SPACE
AND HAVING HIM THERE, AGAIN,
TO PROVIDE THE GUIDANCE
AND INSIGHT.
I THINK THAT'S-- YOU KNOW,
TOM BRINGS A VERY, I'D SAY,
MENTOR-LIKE/INSTRUCTIONAL ROLE
TO THE CREW IN TERMS
OF BEING ABLE TO ADD IN,
"HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED,
HERE'S HOW THIS CREW DID IT,
HERE'S HOW THEY DID IT
ON THIS VEHICLE."
AND SO REALLY, YOU KNOW--
REALLY CREDIBLE
AND WELL-BALANCED SENSE
OF HOW THINGS WORK
THAT CAN DIRECTLY IMPACT US
AS A CREW.
MATTHIAS, UH-- MATTHIAS MAURER,
OUR ESA ASTRONAUT
FROM GERMANY.
I DIDN'T REALLY KNOW
MATTHIAS AT ALL.
I THINK I'D SEEN HIM
ONCE IN THE GYM
BEFORE WE WERE ASSIGNED.
BUT I'VE HAD THE BENEFIT NOW
OF DOING A WHOLE BUNCH
OF TRAINING WITH MATTHIAS.
SO WE'VE GONE ON
MOST OF OUR NBL RUNS TOGETHER.
WE'VE BEEN IN RUSSIA TOGETHER
MANY TIMES DOING TRAINING THERE.
HIS RUSSIAN IS
MUCH BETTER THAN MINE.
SO HE WOULD OFTEN
HELP ME TRANSLATE.
BUT MATTHIAS IS-- HE--
A MATERIAL SCIENCE BACKGROUND.
HE ALSO WAS A PARAMEDIC
FOR A WHILE, SO HE'S GOT
SOME MEDICAL TRAINING
BESIDES THAT.
AND I THINK WHAT'S UNIQUE
ABOUT-- YOU KNOW,
WHAT THAT MATERIAL SCIENCE
BACKGROUND GAVE HIM
IS HE'S ALWAYS THINKING
ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS
TO RECOMBINE THINGS.
AND SO MATTHIAS, I'VE LEARNED
THAT WHEN HE ASKS A QUESTION,
I SHOULD LISTEN
REALLY CAREFULLY.
BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT'S
SOMEWHAT LOST IN TRANSLATION
WHEN HE'S TALKING
TO A LARGER GROUP
OR YOU KNOW,
HE'S AN ESA ASTRONAUT AT NASA
DOING NASA TRAINING,
AND A LOT OF TIMES, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S A PRESCRIBED WAY
NASA DOES THINGS,
BUT I'VE LEARNED
IF HE SPEAKS UP,
I SHOULD REALLY PAY ATTENTION,
BECAUSE HE'S PROBABLY PULLING
ON SOME SUBTLE STRING
OR THREAD THAT, YOU KNOW,
IF I CAN HELP DO THE TRANSLATION
OR THE EXPLANATION
OR PUT IT IN CONTEXT,
IT USUALLY LEADS TO
SOME REALLY GOOD IMPROVEMENTS.
FROM A CREW STANDPOINT,
MATTHIAS IS--
LIKES TO JUST, UH--
HE IS A REALLY GOOD
JUST LISTENER
AND-AND TALKER.
SO HE IS ABOUT AS CALM
AS A CUSTOMER AS YOU COULD FIND.
IT'S KINDA FUNNY,
WHEN WE DO EMERGENCY RESPONSES,
HE DOESN'T REALLY--
HIS MANNERISMS
DON'T REALLY CHANGE.
HE JUST KINDA GOES ABOUT
DOING HIS BUSINESS.
AND AGAIN, WHEN HE TALKS,
I'M LIKE, OH, YEAH, WE SHOULD--
WE SHOULD LISTEN TO THAT.
SO IT'S DEFINITELY
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
THAT DOESN'T JUST TALK
FOR THE SAKE OF TALKING
AND ALWAYS HAS REALLY
INSIGHTFUL THINGS TO SAY.
SO I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT
ABOUT MATTHIAS.
AND I'VE REALLY ENJOYED
GETTING-- TRAINING WITH HIM
AND WORKING WITH HIM
AND NOW GET TO FLY WITH HIM.
KAYLA BARRON IS ALSO, UH,
A MEMBER OF MY CLASS,
THE TURTLES CLASS,
SO WE BOTH STARTED ASTRONAUT
CANDIDATE TRAINING IN 2017.
AND THEN KAYLA AND I
WERE ACTUALLY ASSIGNED
IN THE SAME SUBGROUP,
SO WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME
IN DOING ISS SYSTEMS
TRAINING TOGETHER,
DOING NBL TRAINING TOGETHER
DURING AS-CAN, SO KAYLA AND I
HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER
FOR A LONG TIME,
AND I'VE CONTINUED
TO RESPECT HER IN THIS ROLE
FOR BEING THE ONE PERSON
THAT WILL ALWAYS--
I CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON TO BE--
TO CALL A SPADE A SPADE.
IT DOESN'T MATTER
HOW UNCOMFORTABLE IT IS
OR WHAT-- YOU KNOW,
MAYBE THE, YOU KNOW,
THE ASSUMPTIONS THAT PEOPLE
HAVE IN THEIR MIND
THAT WE DON'T EVEN
REALIZE WE HAVE,
BUT SHE WILL ALWAYS BRING IT
TO THE FOREFRONT
AND ALWAYS MAKE
OUR NEXT EVENT BETTER.
AND SO SHE DID THAT WITH
ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE TRAINING.
SHE CONTINUES TO DO THAT
FOR THE CREW.
I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW,
FOR A WHILE THERE WAS
JUST THREE OF US ASSIGNED
FOR CREW THREE,
AND WE WERE WAITING ON
OUR FOURTH CREW MEMBER.
AND IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE
KAYLA ON BOARD.
AND I'D SAY WITHIN TWO DAYS
YOU KNOW, OF OUR TRAINING EVENTS
WE WERE ALREADY STARTING TO MAKE
BETTER CREW DECISIONS.
AND SHE WAS PICKING UP ON
JUST LITTLE SUBTLETIES,
YOU KNOW, EVEN BETWEEN TOM AND I
THAT WE HADN'T REALIZED
WE'D BEEN DOING
BECAUSE IT HAD JUST BEEN
THE TWO OF US
FOR SO LONG TRAINING.
AND SHE WAS LIKE, "HEY,
DID YOU REALIZE WHEN, YOU KNOW,
YOU CHANGED YOUR, YOU KNOW,
YOUR HABIT PATTERN
WHEN THIS HAPPENED?"
I'M LIKE, NO, I DIDN'T--
HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT,
DIDN'T REALIZE IT.
AND SO JUST REALLY SUBTLE THINGS
THAT SHE IS REALLY GOOD
AT PICKING UP ON,
AND JUST AS A PERSON,
YOU KNOW, SHE'S A--
SHE'S A SUBMARINE OFFICER,
WENT TO THE NAVAL ACADEMY,
SO SHE'S DONE SOME
AMAZING THINGS ALREADY
IN HER LIFE
AND JUST, YOU KNOW,
LUCKY TO HAVE HER
AS PART OF OUR CREW.
IT'S PRETTY HUMBLING
TO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT
WE'RE REALLY JUST THE TIP
OF THE ICEBERG.
YOU KNOW, THE MILITARY
USES THE PHRASE,
THE TIP OF THE SPEAR.
BUT YOU KNOW,
WHATEVER PHRASE YOU'RE AT,
THE VAST MAJORITY
OF THE WORK THAT GOES ON
TO GET HUMANS IN SPACE
IS NOT THE ASTRONAUT.
IT'S SOMETHING I TALKED ABOUT
DURING OUR ASTRONAUT
CANDIDATE GRADUATION
THAT A LOT OF TIMES
PEOPLE I THINK MISCONSTRUE THAT,
YOU KNOW, WE ARE GREAT PEOPLE,
AND WE'RE DOING
THESE GREAT THINGS,
BUT IT'S REALLY NOT THAT.
WE'RE JUST RANDOM PEOPLE
THAT GOT PICKED.
AND WE HAVE THIS HUGE
SUPPORT FORCE BEHIND US
THAT HAS TAUGHT US
THE THINGS WE NEED TO SUCCEED.
BUT IT'S REALLY NOT
A REFLECTION OF US.
IT'S REALLY A REFLECTION
OF THE PEOPLE AT JOHNSON
OR OUR FAMILIES
THAT MADE US WHO WE ARE.
SO YOU KNOW, FOR ME PERSONALLY,
THERE'S NO WAY I WOULD BE
STANDING HERE WITHOUT MY WIFE,
SO I MENTIONED EARLIER
I MET HER IN HIGH SCHOOL,
SO WHETHER IT WAS, YOU KNOW,
THROUGH THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY,
THROUGH GRADUATE SCHOOL,
THROUGH PILOT TRAINING,
YOU KNOW, THROUGH
OPERATIONAL ASSIGNMENTS,
THROUGH DEPLOYMENTS,
YOU KNOW, THROUGH--
WHEN I WAS A COMMANDER,
HER THEN SUPPORTING
THE SPOUSES AND FAMILIES
OF THE OVER 1,000 PEOPLE,
YOU KNOW, IN THE TEST FORCE,
THAT IS A FULL-TIME JOB.
AND, OH, BY THE WAY,
SHE ALSO HAS A FULL-TIME JOB
AS AN ATTORNEY.
AND SO SHE'S BEEN
HELPING WITH, YOU KNOW,
ASSIGNING GUARDIANS TO PEOPLE
WHO COULDN'T TAKE CARE
OF THEMSELVES, YOU KNOW,
HELPING WITH CHILDREN
WHO ARE BEING ABUSED
AND, YOU KNOW-- AND--
AND HAVING TO DEAL WITH
SOME REALLY TOUGH SITUATIONS
WHERE, YOU KNOW, I WOULDN'T
ASK ANYONE TO DO THAT,
BUT SHE'S DONE THAT
AND SUPPORTED ME
AND SUPPORTED THE OTHER
MILITARY SPOUSES AND FAMILIES
ALL AT THE SAME TIME.
AND THEN, OH, BY THE WAY,
THEN WE HAD KIDS.
AND THEN SHE'S BEEN
RUNNING THE FAMILY.
SO I WOULD SAY MY JOB
IS AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE
LESS WORK THAN HER JOB
EVERY DAY, GUARANTEED.
AND VERY MUCH LIKE
MANY MILITARY SPOUSES,
SHE'S GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH
ALL THE STUFF THAT GOES WRONG.
SO WE JOKE ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW,
ALL THE THINGS WILL BREAK,
BUT INEVITABLY, LIKE,
EVERY TIME I GET ON A PLANE
TO GO TO RUSSIA OR TO GERMANY
OR TO SPACEX, YOU KNOW,
24 HOURS LATER SOMETHING BREAKS.
SOMETHING IN THE HOUSE,
YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S
THE AIR CONDITIONING
STOPPED WORKING
OR A FLAT TIRE,
IT ALWAYS HAPPENS
AS SOON AS YOU GET
ON THE PLANE AND LEAVE.
AND I THINK THAT
MOST MILITARY MEMBERS
HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES
WHERE YOU KNOW,
THEY GET IN THEATER
AND THEN THEY GET THE PHONE CALL
THAT THERE'S A HOLE IN THE ROOF.
SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT
YOU KNOW, OUR MILITARY SPOUSES,
OUR NASA SPOUSES AND FAMILIES
BEAR THE BRUNT OF THE BURDEN
AND ENABLE US TO DO OUR JOB.
AND SO THEY'RE REALLY
THE BIGGEST PART OF THE TEAM,
BOTH FROM A, YOU KNOW--
CAREER SACRIFICES THEY MAKE
ALONG THE WAY
AS WELL AS THE DAILY
SACRIFICES THEY MAKE
JUST TO ALLOW US TO TRAIN
AND TO GET THINGS DONE IN SPACE.
YOU KNOW, HERE IN
JOHNSON SPACE CENTER,
YOU KNOW, I TALKED ABOUT
THERE'S, LIKE, THE 5-YEAR
PART OF THE TRAINING,
WHETHER IT'S T-38s, NBL,
ROBOTICS, ISS, YOU KNOW,
ALL THESE DIFFERENT PARTS
HAVE WHOLE TEAMS OF PEOPLE
THAT DO THAT TRAINING.
SO WHETHER IT'S THE PEOPLE
THAT RUN THE MOCK-UP,
SO WHEN WE GO TRAIN
IN BUILDING NINE AND DO
THESE EMERGENCY SIMULATIONS,
EACH TIME WE'RE DONE
WITH THE SIMULATION,
WHILE IT'S-- WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED,
THERE'S A WHOLE ARMY OF PEOPLE
THAT GO INTO THE MOCK-UP
AND RESET IT.
SO THEY HAVE TO PUT
ALL THE MASKS BACK.
THEY HAVE TO CLEAN OUT
THE SMOKE.
THEY HAVE TO PUT THE--
YOU KNOW, THE CABLES
WE WERE USING TO COMMUNICATE
BACK IN THE SPOTS, UM,
RESET THE COMPUTERS.
SO IT'S--
IT IS A HUGE UNDERTAKING TO
SUPPORT THE TRAINING THAT WE--
YOU KNOW, WE SHOW UP
AND WE DO FOR AN HOUR,
WE LEAVE FOR A BIT,
AND THE NEXT CREW COMES IN,
AND IT LOOKS LIKE--
IT LOOKS ALL BRAND NEW.
AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS ALL
HAPPENING EVERY DAY,
YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME.
AND REALLY 24/7
AS WE SUPPORT ONGOING ISS OPS.
SO IT'S REALLY MIND-BOGGLING
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
HOW MUCH EFFORT IT TAKES
TO PUT PEOPLE IN SPACE
AND THEN TO SUSTAIN THEM
IN SPACE.
AND SO IT IS, YOU KNOW,
REALLY HUMBLING TO BE A PART
OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT'S
SO PASSIONATE ABOUT THAT.
BECAUSE I THINK WHAT'S COOL
AND WHY I LIKE NASA
IS NONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
ARE DOING IT FOR THE MONEY.
GRANTED, EVERYONE'S GOTTA
FEED THEIR FAMILY OR THEMSELVES,
BUT THEY'RE DOING IT
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE
IN THE MISSION.
THEY'RE DOING IT BECAUSE
THEY BELIEVE IN SOLVING
HUMANITY'S PROBLEMS
AND PUSHING EXPLORATION.
THAT'S THE REASON
PEOPLE ARE DOING IT.
IF IT WAS FOR THE MONEY,
AS A GOVERNMENT AGENCY
WE WOULD NOT HAVE
NEARLY AS MANY PEOPLE.
AND SO THAT IS, I THINK,
WHAT IS SO AMAZING ABOUT
THE TIME PEOPLE INVEST
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IN IT.
THEY BELIEVE IN THE MISSION.
AND SO I'M JUST, YOU KNOW--
ME AND CREW THREE
AND ALL THE ASTRONAUTS
REALLY ARE JUST ALWAYS LUCKY
TO THINK BACK-- YOU KNOW,
AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
I THINK ABOUT, MAN,
THIS IS MY JOB.
MY JOB IS TO COME HERE
AND TO LEARN AND TO DO THINGS,
AND ALL THESE PEOPLE
ARE HERE TO HELP US DO THAT
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE
THAT WHAT WE'RE TRAINING TO DO
WILL HELP PEOPLE.
SO IT'S-- IT IS PRETTY AMAZING
TO THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH
HAS GONE INTO DEVELOPING
THIS ONE VEHICLE,
THIS ONE ROCKET,
THIS ONE MISSION CONTROL
STRUCTURE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
AND LAUNCHPAD, ALL THOSE THINGS
JUST TO PUT
FOUR PEOPLE IN SPACE.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE MAGNITUDE
OF WHAT IT TAKES TO DO THAT,
IT'S PRETTY HUMBLING.
REALLY WHAT'S STRIKING TO ME
IS HOW MUCH THAT NOTHING
HAS CHANGED AT NASA IN TERMS
OF THE MISSION WAS STILL
BEING DONE THAT WHOLE TIME.
AND EVEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE
WENT INTO FULL LOCKDOWN
EARLY IN 2020 AND, YOU KNOW,
IN THE FALL,
MISSIONS WERE STILL HAPPENING.
PEOPLE WERE STILL
LAUNCHING INTO SPACE.
WE WERE STILL RECOVERING
PEOPLE FROM SPACE.
WE WERE STILL RUNNING
THE SPACE STATION EVERY DAY.
WE WERE STILL DEVELOPING
ARTEMIS HARDWARE.
ALL THIS STUFF WAS HAPPENING,
AND NASA JUST SORTA
ROLLED WITH IT
AND FIGURED OUT, OKAY, WELL,
WE'RE GONNA PUT PEOPLE IN PPE,
WE'RE GONNA FIGURE OUT HOW TO
SOCIALLY DISTANCE AT WORK.
WE'RE GONNA SET UP REMOTE,
YOU KNOW, OPTIONS WHEN WE CAN
AND STILL BUILDING HARDWARE.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THAT,
IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY HARD
TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND.
LIKE, HOW ARE YOU ACTUALLY
BUILDING THINGS, TESTING THEM,
AND YOU'RE IN A PANDEMIC?
AND YET WE PULLED IT OFF.
NOW I'M NOT SAYING
IT WAS WITHOUT
SOME LOSSES OF EFFICIENCY
AND THERE WASN'T SOME DELAYS,
BUT WE GOT IT DONE,
AND WE GOT IT DONE SAFELY.
I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT,
IT WAS REALLY HEARTBREAKING
FOR ME TO SEE
WHEN WE LOST DEMO TWO,
THERE'S NO ONE AT THE--
THERE'S NO ONE WATCHING.
YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY AT SPACEX
THE WAY THEY HAVE IT SET UP,
THE CONTROL ROOM IS
THIS GLASS ENCLOSURE,
AND THEN ALL-- THE ENTIRE PLANT
CAN COME WATCH.
AND IT WAS JUST
THIS BIZARRO WORLD OF
EVERYTHING THAT THEY WORKED FOR
FOR, YOU KNOW, ALMOST A DECADE,
AND THEN JUST AN EMPTY--
YOU KNOW, AN EMPTY VIEWING AREA.
BUT AMAZINGLY, WE GOT IT DONE.
AND NOW, YOU KNOW,
IN THE TIME WE'VE BEEN AT COVID,
WE'VE LAUNCHED AND RECOVERED
THE FIRST COMMERCIALLY CREW--
COMMERCIALLY BUILT
LOW EARTH ORBITING US VEHICLE.
I MEAN, IT'S-- WHEN YOU THINK
ABOUT ALL THAT'S HAPPENED
IN COVID, IT'S LIKE, WOW,
WE DID A GREEN RUN
ON AN SLS ROCKET
THAT'S GONNA GO TO THE MOON.
YOU KNOW, ALL THESE THINGS
HAVE HAPPENED IN THE MIDST
OF A PANDEMIC.
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S--
YEAH, IT'S MIND-BOGGLING,
YOU KNOW, WE'VE SPENT AS MUCH
ON COVID AS WE DID
IN WORLD WAR II,
AND IT WAS THAT LEVEL OF EFFORT.
LIKE, IT WAS A NATIONAL EFFORT
TO KEEP DOING ALL THESE THINGS.
AND I THINK-- I DON'T KNOW
THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA
REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT.
I STILL DON'T QUITE GRASP IT
UNTIL WE LOOK BACK ON IT
AND THINK ABOUT, OH, MY GOSH,
LOOK AT ALL THE STUFF
THAT HAPPENED IN THE PANDEMIC.
AND YOU KNOW, LIKE-- ALMOST
LIKE WE DIDN'T MISS A BEAT.
LIKE, YEAH, THERE'S A PANDEMIC.
WE'RE STILL COMING TO WORK,
STILL GETTING THE JOB DONE,
AND SO WHAT A HUGE TESTAMENT
TO THE PEOPLE THAT SUPPORTED US
THAT MADE ALL THAT
TRAINING HAPPEN,
THAT KEPT BUILDING THE VEHICLES,
THAT KEPT THE TESTING ON TRACK,
EVEN WHILE THEY WERE
STRUGGLING PERSONALLY,
FINANCIALLY, YOU KNOW,
ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT HAPPENED DURING COVID.
AND THEY POWERED THROUGH THAT
AND GOT US A SAFE VEHICLE
AND KEPT THE SPACE STATION
OCCUPIED AND RUNNING
AND DOING GREAT SCIENCE.
SO I'D SAY THANKS TO EVERYONE
WHO PERSEVERED THROUGH COVID.
I THINK IF ANYTHING,
IT'S TAUGHT US THAT
WE AS HUMANS HAVE
THIS GREAT ABILITY TO ENDURE
THROUGH JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.
YOU JUST HAVE TO PUT
YOUR MIND TO IT.