0 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,640 I'M KAYLA BARRON, A MISSION SPECIALIST FOR NASA'S 1 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:04,048 SPACEX CREW-3 MISSION 2 00:00:04,048 --> 00:00:05,760 TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. 3 00:00:08,560 --> 00:00:09,870 I WAS BORN IN IDAHO, 4 00:00:09,870 --> 00:00:12,053 MY FAMILY MOVED A LOT WHEN WE WERE KIDS 5 00:00:12,053 --> 00:00:13,762 WE LIVED IN MONTANA, COLORADO, 6 00:00:13,762 --> 00:00:16,673 BUT FOR MOST OF MY MIDDLE SCHOOL TIME 7 00:00:16,673 --> 00:00:17,812 AND HIGH SCHOOL, 8 00:00:17,812 --> 00:00:19,811 LIVED IN WASHINGTON STATE 9 00:00:19,811 --> 00:00:21,132 IN A TOWN CALLED RICHLAND. 10 00:00:21,132 --> 00:00:23,379 WHICH IS IN SOUTHEASTERN WASHINGTON. 11 00:00:23,379 --> 00:00:25,570 I'M THE MIDDLE OF THREE GIRLS. 12 00:00:25,570 --> 00:00:27,772 MY DAD'S AN ENGINEER, MY MOM'S A MATH WHIZ 13 00:00:27,772 --> 00:00:28,876 AND A RUNNER. 14 00:00:28,876 --> 00:00:33,280 THEY ALWAYS REALLY RAISED US TO BE OURSELVES. 15 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:35,869 WHICH WAS REALLY COOL FOR ME AND MY SISTERS 16 00:00:35,869 --> 00:00:38,534 TO ALL KIND OF FIND OUR OWN PATHS. 17 00:00:40,105 --> 00:00:44,466 I KNEW THAT I WOULD WANT TO FIND WAYS TO CHALLENGE MYSELF 18 00:00:44,466 --> 00:00:45,751 AND BECOME A LEADER. 19 00:00:45,751 --> 00:00:48,282 THAT'S HOW I FIRST GOT INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MILITARY, 20 00:00:48,282 --> 00:00:51,074 AND ULTIMATELY GOT INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THE NAVAL ACADEMY, 21 00:00:51,074 --> 00:00:54,438 WHERE I STUDIED CONTROL SYSTEMS AND ROBOTICS ENGINEERING. 22 00:00:54,438 --> 00:00:55,751 WHEN I SHOWED UP AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY, 23 00:00:55,751 --> 00:00:57,235 I THOUGHT I WANTED TO BE A FIGHTER PILOT. 24 00:00:57,235 --> 00:00:59,076 WE HAVE THIS REALLY COOL TRAINING BETWEEN OUR 25 00:00:59,076 --> 00:01:00,501 SOPHOMORE AND JUNIOR YEAR, 26 00:01:00,501 --> 00:01:02,437 I KIND OF THINK OF IT AT LIKE THE NAVY'S 27 00:01:02,437 --> 00:01:05,018 JOB FAIR. YOU GO SPEND A WEEK WITH EVERY SINGLE MAJOR 28 00:01:05,018 --> 00:01:06,441 WARFARE COMMUNITY. 29 00:01:06,441 --> 00:01:08,800 SURFACE SHIPS, SUBMARINES, AVIATION. 30 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:11,183 AND WHEN I GOT TO GO UNDERWAY ON A SUBMARINE, 31 00:01:11,183 --> 00:01:13,280 I JUST FELT LIKE THIS IS WHERE I BELONG. 32 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:18,485 IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE, 33 00:01:18,485 --> 00:01:20,168 IT'S KIND OF A FASCINATING WORLD, YOU 34 00:01:20,168 --> 00:01:23,004 DEVELOP YOUR OWN LITTLE MICROCOSM UNDER THE SEA. 35 00:01:23,004 --> 00:01:25,244 BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE 36 00:01:25,244 --> 00:01:27,655 EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO LIVE AND WORK SAFELY 37 00:01:27,655 --> 00:01:29,577 AND ALSO ACCOMPLISH A MISSION, 38 00:01:29,577 --> 00:01:30,890 WITHIN YOUR OWN CREW. 39 00:01:31,813 --> 00:01:32,935 THE TIME OF MY SUBMARINE WAS 40 00:01:32,935 --> 00:01:35,689 THE MOST DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD OF MY LIFE FOR A LOT 41 00:01:35,689 --> 00:01:37,622 OF REASONS BUT ESPECIALLY 42 00:01:37,622 --> 00:01:40,304 BECAUSE OF THE OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE AND 43 00:01:40,304 --> 00:01:42,138 OPERATIONAL TEAMWORK I GOT TO DO WHILE WE 44 00:01:42,138 --> 00:01:43,760 WERE UNDERWAY WHEN WE WERE DEPLOYED. 45 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:49,209 I ACTUALLY NEVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT BECOMING 46 00:01:49,209 --> 00:01:51,650 AN ASTRONAUT UNTIL AFTER SERVING ON A SUBMARINE. 47 00:01:51,650 --> 00:01:53,931 FOR ME IT WAS ALL THOSE PARALLELS THAT REALLY 48 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:58,631 INSPIRED ME TO WANT TO APPLY, AND TO BELIEVE THAT I EVEN COULD. 49 00:01:58,631 --> 00:01:59,976 ALL RIGHT NASA FAMILY AND FRIENDS, 50 00:01:59,976 --> 00:02:01,680 OUR FIRST ASTRONAUT, KAYLA BARRON. 51 00:02:02,541 --> 00:02:04,541 [APPLAUSE] 52 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:09,510 I FOUND OUT THAT I WAS OFFICIALLY ON CREW-3 53 00:02:09,510 --> 00:02:12,000 WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY TO THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB 54 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,540 FOR SPACEWALK TRAINING, 55 00:02:13,540 --> 00:02:16,024 AND I GOT A TEXT FROM THE CHIEF OF THE OFFICE AND HE SAID 56 00:02:16,024 --> 00:02:17,321 "IF YOU'RE AWAKE GIVE ME A CALL." 57 00:02:17,321 --> 00:02:19,254 SO I GAVE HIM A CALL ON MY WAY INTO WORK, 58 00:02:19,254 --> 00:02:22,083 AND HE SAID "KAYLA, YOU'RE ON CREW-3." 59 00:02:22,083 --> 00:02:25,819 AND I WAS JUST SO EXCITED. 60 00:02:25,819 --> 00:02:28,960 CREW-3 IS JUST SUCH AN AMAZING GROUP OF PEOPLE. 61 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,370 IT'S A REALLY SPECIAL CREW, BECAUSE I THINK EVERYBODY 62 00:02:31,370 --> 00:02:33,361 BRINGS A REALLY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE 63 00:02:33,361 --> 00:02:34,718 AND DIFFERENT BACKGROUND. 64 00:02:34,718 --> 00:02:36,773 AND SO THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING TO LEARN, 65 00:02:36,773 --> 00:02:39,062 AND WHENEVER WE'RE FACED WITH A PROBLEM 66 00:02:39,062 --> 00:02:40,635 OR HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE, 67 00:02:40,635 --> 00:02:42,345 IT'S REALLY INTERESTING TO SEE THE DIFFERENT 68 00:02:42,345 --> 00:02:44,429 PERSPECTIVES AND HOW 69 00:02:44,429 --> 00:02:47,059 TOGETHER WE MAKE BETTER DECISIONS AND 70 00:02:47,059 --> 00:02:49,034 COME UP WITH MORE INTERESTING SOLUTIONS. 71 00:02:49,034 --> 00:02:52,280 I JUST FEEL SUPER LUCKY TO BE WITH PEOPLE 72 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,690 WHO ALL HAVE SUCH DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES AND 73 00:02:54,690 --> 00:02:56,814 EXPERIENCES, BUT HAVE REALLY LEARNED 74 00:02:56,814 --> 00:02:58,400 HOW TO MESH AND WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM. 75 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,500 I DEFINITELY WOULD WANT TO THANK MY FAMILY FOR 76 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:06,480 SUPPORTING ME ON THIS JOURNEY. THEY'VE ALWAYS 77 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:07,560 BEEN THERE FOR ME, 78 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:09,140 AND PUSHED ME TO CHASE MY DREAMS, 79 00:03:09,140 --> 00:03:12,026 AND BEEN SUPER SUPPORTIVE EVERY TIME I STUMBLE OR 80 00:03:12,026 --> 00:03:14,385 FALL, HELPING ME GET BACK UP AND TRY AGAIN. 81 00:03:14,385 --> 00:03:17,696 WITHOUT THEM, YOU KNOW TO HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE, TO PUSH ME, 82 00:03:17,696 --> 00:03:21,083 I DEFINITELY WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE TODAY. 83 00:03:22,069 --> 00:03:24,069 [MUSIC]