>> MY NAME IS JACK HATHAWAY
AND I'M A NAVY F/A-18 PILOT
JUST SELECTED TO BE
AN ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED
IN SOUTH WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT.
UH, IT'S, UH, KIND OF
A SUBURBAN TOWN
ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF HARTFORD.
UH, PRETTY QUIET PLACE
TO GROW UP.
UH, NOT, UH, ANYTHING CRAZY
GOING ON THERE,
IT WAS JUST KIND OF
A NORMAL SUBURBAN LIFESTYLE.
BEFORE BEING SELECTED
AS AN ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE,
I WAS, UH, A NAVY F/A-18 PILOT.
I WAS, UH, IN THE PROCESS
OF TRANSFERRING TO VFA-81,
WHICH IS A F/A-18 SQUADRON
ON THE EAST COAST.
UH, I WAS THE PROSPECTIVE
EXECUTIVE OFFICER.
SO, UH, JUST BEFORE
I GOT SELECTED--
OR INSTEAD OF GOING TO VFA-81
AS THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
I CAME HERE TO BE
AN ASTRONAUT CANDIDATE.
A NASA ASTRONAUT IS SOMEONE
WHO IS LOOKING FOR ADVENTURE
AND CHALLENGE, UH,
AND WANTS TO PUSH THE LIMITS
OF TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY
AND THEMSELVES
TO TRY TO FIND SOMETHING OUT,
TO TRY TO EXPLORE THE UNIVERSE,
TO KIND OF ADVANCE
HUMAN KNOWLEDGE OF--
OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE UNIVERSE,
HOW IT ALL WORKS, UH,
AND JUST, UH, EXPLORE,
UH, HOW THE UNIVERSE CAN WORK
AND HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
TO FIGURE ALL THESE THINGS OUT.
I WANTED TO BE AN ASTRONAUT, UH,
SINCE I WAS A LITTLE KID.
I GREW UP WANTING
TO LEARN HOW TO FLY,
LEARN HOW TO BE AN ASTRONAUT,
AND GO TO SPACE.
SO SOME OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES
ARE-ARE OF WANTING
TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT.
THAT'S PART OF-- YOU KNOW,
I GREW UP, I WANTED TO GO
TO THE NAVAL ACADEMY,
BECOME A NAVY PILOT
BECAUSE LOTS OF NAVY PILOTS
BECOME ASTRONAUTS.
UH, AND THAT'S KIND OF BEEN
A SOURCE OF MY CAREER PATH
ALL THE WAY FROM THE BEGINNING.
I THINK THAT ANSWER
KINDA DEPENDS ON WHAT AGE
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
LIKE, WHEN YOU'RE A LITTLE KID
YOU'RE KIND OF EXCITED
ABOUT THE-THE THRILL OF IT
AND IT'S KIND OF NEAT AND VERY,
LIKE, EXCITING AND COOL.
AND, UH, AND AS YOU GET OLDER,
YOU KINDA RECOGNIZE
THERE'S MORE COMPLEXITY TO IT,
THAT, UH-UH THERE'S A LOT
OF CHALLENGE INVOLVED,
THERE'S A LOT
OF SACRIFICE INVOLVED.
YOU, UH, HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
REALLY WHERE YOU WANT
TO TAKE YOUR LIFE.
AND AS I'VE GONE
THROUGH MY NAVAL CAREER,
I LOVE WORKING WITH PEOPLE
THAT ARE REALLY PASSIONATE
ABOUT WHAT THEY DO.
UH, AND EVERYONE I'VE MET
AT NASA, UH,
ASTRONAUTS, ENGINEERS,
UH, PR PEOPLE,
EVERYONE HAS BEEN SO EXCITED
ABOUT THEIR JOB, UH,
THAT IT JUST MAKES YOU
REALLY WANNA BE
PART OF THAT TEAM.
UH, SO AS I'VE GROWN UP
AND SEEN MORE ABOUT IT,
UH, THE CHALLENGE IS EXCITING,
THE ADVENTURE IS EXCITING,
BUT THE PEOPLE THAT I'VE MET
AND I'M GONNA GET TO WORK WITH
ARE REALLY KINDA THE CREAM.
LIKE, IT'S REALLY EXCITING
TO BE PART OF THAT.
THE ASTRONAUT SELECTION PROCESS,
UH, WAS A LITTLE BIT LONG
THIS TIME, I GUESS.
PARTIALLY BECAUSE OF COVID,
SOME DELAYS WERE HAPPENING
BECAUSE OF THAT.
I WAS ACTUALLY STATIONED
AT THE PENTAGON, UH,
WHEN I FIRST APPLIED, UH,
BACK IN EARLY 2020,
I BELIEVE IT WAS,
I COMPLETED THAT TOUR.
I'D ACTUALLY THOUGHT
THAT IT WAS ALL OVER,
THAT I'D MISSED MY OPPORTUNITY,
'CAUSE IT HAD BEEN SO LONG
SINCE I'D HEARD ANYTHING.
AND I TRANSFERRED DOWN, UH,
TO VIRGINIA BEACH, UH, TO GET
RE-QUALIFIED ON THE F/A-18
TO JOIN MY SQUADRON VFA-81.
AND THEN I GOT THE CALL
THAT SUMMER TO COME DOWN
FOR THE FIRST INTERVIEW.
AND I WAS KIND OF LIKE,
JUST DRIVING HOME ONE DAY
AND I GOT A PHONE CALL.
AND I WAS LIKE, "WOW,
I GUESS THIS IS STILL REAL,
THIS IS STILL A POSSIBILITY.
I HAVEN'T MISSED MY CHANCE."
UH, SO THEN I CAME DOWN,
UH, FOR THE FIRST INTERVIEW.
IT WAS JUST SUCH
A GREAT EXPERIENCE.
I JUST MET
SO MANY INTERESTING PEOPLE
FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT
WALKS OF LIFE, UH,
TO HAVE SO MUCH INTERESTING
AND COMPELLING BACKGROUNDS.
UH, IT'S JUST SUCH
A GREAT, GREAT GROUP
OF PEOPLE TO WORK WITH, UH,
THAT I WAS SUPER EXCITED,
UH, TO SPEND THE WEEK WITH THEM,
UH, DOING ALL THE STUFF FOR
THE FIRST ROUND OF INTERVIEWS.
UH, THE SECOND ROUND
OF INTERVIEW, UH,
WHEN I GOT INVITED
BACK FROM THAT,
I WAS LITTLE BLOWN AWAY.
I THOUGHT I WASN'T
GONNA HAVE A CHANCE
BASED ON ALL
THE INCREDIBLE PEOPLE
THAT I HAD MET.
UH, BUT I GOT THE OPPORTUNITY
TO COME DOWN FOR
THE SECOND ROUND OF INTERVIEWS.
IT WAS A LITTLE BIT LONGER,
A FULL WEEK THIS TIME,
SOME MORE MEDICAL EXAMS,
SOME MORE PSYCHOLOGY
AND PSYCHIATRIC EXAMS, UH,
SOME MORE TEAMBUILDING
TESTS AND EXERCISES.
UH, AND AGAIN,
JUST A REALLY GREAT GROUP
OF PEOPLE TO WORK WITH.
WE GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET
A FEW MORE ASTRONAUTS,
ASK SOME MORE QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHAT LIFE,
UH, IS LIKE LIKE THIS.
UH, SO THAT WAS ANOTHER
REALLY GREAT EXPERIENCE.
UH, AND THEN AFTER THAT
THEY KINDA TOLD US
TO SIT ON OUR HANDS
AND WAIT FOR A PHONE CALL.
UH, I WAS ACTUALLY OUT TO SEA
ON AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER,
THE USS TRUMAN,
UH, WHEN I GOT THE CALL.
I WAS KINDA--
I'D GIVEN THEM THE PHONE NUMBER
TO THE READY ROOM
THERE ON THE SHIP.
IT DOESN'T GET GREAT RECEPTION
AND OFTEN, UH,
THERE'S NOT ENOUGH BANDWIDTH,
UH, TO BE ABLE TO GET
THOSE PHONE CALLS,
SO I ALSO GAVE THEM
MY EMAIL ADDRESS OUT THERE.
I WAS JUST WAITING
ALL DAY TO SEE
IF THAT READY ROOM PHONE RANG
AND THEN THE DUTY OFFICER
HANDED IT TO ME AND SAID,
"HEY, IT'S NASA CALLING."
UH, AND IT WAS ACTUALLY,
I BELIEVE IT WAS A FRIDAY
AND IT WAS, UH,
LATER IN THE EVENING
LIKE 7 OR 8, UH,
MAYBE EVEN 9 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT.
I SAT DOWN IN THE READY ROOM
AFTER FINISHING A FLIGHT
AND I WAS LIKE,
"HEY, IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT,
NO ONE'S CALLED ME,
I CAN JUST TAKE THE PACK OFF
FOR THE WEEKEND, UH,
BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA
CALL ON A WEEKEND.
IT WOULD HAVE TO BE
DURING THE WEEK."
AND I WAS LIKE, "OH, GOD,
NICE RELAXING WEEKEND."
I LOGGED ONTO MY EMAIL,
SEE IF MY WIFE
HAD SENT ME A NOTE.
UH, AND I HAD A NOTE
FROM REID WISEMAN,
WHO'S THE CHIEF ASTRONAUT HERE,
UH, AND HE SAID,
"JACK, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN
ANSWERING YOUR PHONE.
GIVE ME A CALL. DON'T WORRY,
IT'S NOT BAD NEWS."
UH, SO I-I FURIOUSLY
RAN UP TO THE PHONE,
TIRED TO GET AN OUTSIDE LINE,
WHICH TOOK ME
A LITTLE BIT OF TIME, UH,
TO CALL HIM.
UH, AND HE WAS AT
A FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME
HERE IN HOUSTON, UH,
SO I HAD TO WAIT FOR HIM
TO GET OUT OF THE STADIUM
'CAUSE THE STADIUM WAS SO LOUD,
BEFORE HE COULD TELL ME,
UH, "HEY, WE'D LIKE YOU
TO COME HERE AND BE AN ASTRONAUT
IN THIS NEXT CLASS.
AND I WAS JUST--
I WAS JUST OVER THE MOON,
I WAS SO EXCITED, UH,
WHEN IT HAPPENED, UH,
THAT I-I WAS JUST, "YEAH,
I'M EXCITED, I'M ON BOARD--
WHEN CAN I SHOW UP?"
IS PRETTY MUCH HOW I TOOK IT.
UH, SO YEAH, IT WAS
A REALLY, REALLY EXCITING NIGHT.
REALLY GREAT NIGHT FOR ME.
SO I FOUND OUT THAT
I WAS GONNA BECOME AN ASTRONAUT
WHILE I WAS ON THE BOAT.
UH, MY WIFE AND I HAD
TALKED ABOUT IT QUITE A BIT,
WE KIND OF EXPECTED
THE PHONE CALL TO HAPPEN,
UH, WHILE I WAS OUT TO SEA.
UH, SO OUR GAME PLAN WAS
THAT I WOULD TRADE EMAILS
WITH HER LIKE NORMAL
WHEN I WAS ON THE SHIP,
BUT I WOULDN'T CALL HOME.
WE DON'T OFTEN CALL HOME,
IT'S KIND OF TOUGH TO GET
A LINE OFF THE SHIP, UH,
SO I DON'T OFTEN CALL HOME.
AND THE AGREEMENT WAS
I WOULDN'T ACTUALLY CALL HOME
UNTIL I HAD GOTTEN THE CALL,
WHETHER IT WAS GOOD NEWS
OR BAD NEWS, UH,
AND THEN I WOULD CALL HER
AND SHE'D KNOW THAT
THIS WAS THE ACTUAL PHONE CALL.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I HAD TO CALL
AT THE RIGHT TIME OF NIGHT
SO IT'S NOT LIKE,
YOU KNOW, SHE WAS TRYING
TO PUT THE KIDS TO BED
OR SHE WAS, UH, BUSY
DURING THE DAY OR WHATEVER.
UH, BUT SHE WAS EXCITED.
I THINK THE FIRST QUESTION
SHE ASKED ME WAS,
"DID YOU SAY YES OR NO?"
AND I WAS LIKE,
"WELL, I SAID YES!
OF COURSE I SAID YES.
I'M SO EXCITED
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY."
UH, SO SHE'S SUPER THRILLED,
SUPER EXCITED FOR ME AS WELL.
I CALLED MY FOLKS AS WELL,
THEY'RE ALSO, UH, SUPER EXCITED,
UH, FOR ME AS WELL.
SO, UH, IT'S PRETTY--
PRETTY GREAT EVENING
FOR ME OVERALL.
I GUESS I'M MOST INSPIRED
BY PEOPLE WHO ARE EXCITED
AND PASSIONATE
ABOUT THE TYPE OF WORK
THAT THEY WANNA DO,
THAT THEY KIND OF FEEL
THEIR PURPOSE IN SOME WAY,
THAT THEY WANNA USE THEIR LIFE
TO KINDA MAKE A DENT
IN THE UNIVERSE,
TO MAKE THINGS BETTER.
AND SO WHEN I'M AROUND PEOPLE
THAT ARE ON A TEAM LIKE THAT,
THAT ARE WORKING TOGETHER
TOWARDS A-A SHARED END GOAL,
UH, THAT'S REALLY
INSPIRATIONAL TO ME,
THAT KIND OF ENTHUSIASM
THAT PEOPLE HAVE IS INFECTIOUS,
AND I JUST--
I LOVE TO BE AROUND, UH,
PEOPLE THAT LOVE WHAT THEY DO
AND WANNA BE THERE
AND HAVE CHOSEN TO-TO DO
ALL THE HARD WORK TO GET THERE.
UH, SO THAT-THAT TYPE OF STUFF
IS SUPER INSPIRATIONAL TO ME.
A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME,
WHEN I WAS GROWING UP
IN SCHOOL, I THINK,
WAS, UH, IN THE THIRD GRADE,
UH, I'D FIDGET A LOT,
I WAS, LIKE, UH,
I WAS MOVING AROUND A LOT,
I WAS A GUY THAT JUST, YOU KNOW,
IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SIT STILL.
AND THEN MY 3RD GRADE TEACHER,
MRS. BAUKUS, UH, BROUGHT
IN THIS SET OF TANGRAMS FOR ME,
UH, AND A BOOK
OF, LIKE, TANGRAMS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE
FAMILIAR WITH THEM OR NOT,
IT'S LIKE A SET OF SHAPES,
SOME TRIANGLES, SOME SQUARES,
A PARALLELOGRAM,
UH, IN THERE AS WELL.
AND-AND YOU REORGANIZE
THESE-THESE PLASTIC SHAPES
INTO A LARGER--
YOU GOTTA FIT THEM,
IT'S KIND OF LIKE A PUZZLE,
YOU FIT THEM INTO A LARGER SHAPE
ON THE PIECE OF PAPER.
AND I WAS JUST--
I WAS SO ENTHRALLED
BY THIS KIND OF MATHEMATIC,
KIND OF GEOMETRY,
KIND OF, LIKE,
SHAPE CHALLENGE PROBLEM
OF TRYING TO VISUALIZE, UH,
AND THEN SOLVE THE DIFFERENT,
UH, PUZZLE SHAPES.
I WENT THROUGH BOOK AFTER BOOK
OF THESE TANGRAMS,
AND IT JUST-- IT KIND OF
GOT ME EXCITED ABOUT GEOMETRY
AND MATH AND SCIENCE
AND-AND, LIKE--
IT WAS KINDA MY FIRST STEP,
I THINK, TOWARDS, UH, BEING
INTERESTED IN THAT TYPE OF--
THAT TYPE OF EDUCATION
AND-AND, UH, MATERIAL.
THE IDEA OF TRAINING
TO BE A NASA ASTRONAUT, UH,
IT'S-IT'S REALLY SURREAL.
LIKE, YOU-YOU GET
THIS PHONE CALL THAT SAYS
WE WANT YOU TO COME DOWN.
YOU KNOW, THROUGH
THE WHOLE SELECTION PROCESS
THAT YOU WERE SURROUNDED
BY SO MANY TALENTED
AND PASSIONATE PEOPLE, UH,
IT'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF LUCK,
YOU GOT PICKED, UH,
AND YOU'RE JUST--
IT DOESN'T QUITE FEEL REAL
UNTIL YOU GET STARTED INTO IT
AND THEN YOU'RE JUST, AGAIN,
YOU'RE SURROUNDED
BY GREAT, INTERESTING PEOPLE.
IT'S KIND OF EXCITING,
YOU WANT TO DO WELL,
YOU WANT TO TAKE
THIS OPPORTUNITY
THAT YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN, UH,
AND MAKE THE MOST OF IT, UH,
SINCE NOT EVERYONE, UH,
ALWAYS GETS THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.
UH, SO IT'S HARD TO SAY.
I'M EXCITED, UH,
I'M A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS,
I WANNA DO WELL, I WANNA,
YOU KNOW, BE PART OF THE TEAM.
UH, IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE
IT'S HAPPENING.
UH, BUT I GUESS
MOSTLY I'M JUST EXCITED
FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.
IT'S A TOUGH QUESTION
TO ANSWER TO SAY
WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED
ABOUT HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT,
UH, IN THE MODERN TIME?
I MEAN, THE SIMPLE ANSWER
IS EVERYTHING.
LIKE, THERE'S SO MUCH
GOING ON RIGHT NOW
FROM COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT
TO THE STUFF THAT NASA'S DOING.
UH, AND IT'S HAPPENING SO FAST,
LIKE, WHO KNOWS WHAT'S GONNA
HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 5
OR 10 YEARS OR 15 YEARS?
UH, IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE IN
THIS REALLY GREAT TIME FRAME
WHERE THINGS ARE
CHANGING EXPONENTIALLY,
THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNOLOGICAL
DEVELOPMENTS GOING ON,
THERE'S A LOT OF INTEREST,
UH, THERE'S A LOT OF FUNDING.
IT SEEMS LIKE WE'RE
REALLY IN A-A SWEET SPOT
OF, UH, SPACE EXPLORATION,
BOTH MANNED AND UNMANNED.
UH, SO IT'S HARD FOR ME
TO POINT TO ONE THING.
I'M JUST SUPER EXCITED
TO SEE WHAT ROAD WE GO DOWN,
WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE, UH,
AND HOW SOON
WE'RE GONNA GET THERE.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT A QUESTION
OF IF IT'S GONNA HAPPEN,
BUT HOW QUICKLY
IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
GOING TO SPACE
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
IT'S HARD TO EVEN WRAP
YOUR HEAD AROUND, UH,
AROUND THAT, UH, CONCEPT.
LIKE, WHAT'S IT GONNA BE LIKE?
I MEAN, YOU'VE NEVER EXPERIENCED
ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE.
UH, I GUESS IT'S LIKE
THE FIRST TIME YOU GO OUT
TO AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER
AND YOU-AND YOU LAND
ON AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER,
YOU GET A CATAPULT OFF OF IT.
THERE'S NO PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
THAT YOU HAVE
THAT CAN REALLY PREPARE YOU
FOR THOSE MOMENTS.
UH, YOU JUST KIND OF,
YOU'RE ALONG FOR THE RIDE
AND WHILE IT'S HAPPENING,
UH, YOU'RE JUST LIKE,
"I CAN'T BELIEVE
THIS IS HAPPENING."
UH, SO I'M EXCITED
FOR THE NEW EXPERIENCE,
AN EXPERIENCE THAT CAN'T BE
REPLICATED ANY OTHER WAY.
UH, ONE PARTICULAR ASPECT?
I COULDN'T POINT TO
ONE PARTICULAR ASPECT.
I'M EXCITED
ABOUT THE WHOLE THING,
ABOUT DOING SOMETHING
NEW AND EXCITING, UH,
AND CHALLENGING, UH,
AND JUST-IT'S JUST--
IT'S GONNA BE A BLAST.
THE FIRST THING I'M GONNA DO
WHEN I GET TO SPACE IS UNSTRAP,
FLOAT AROUND FOR A LITTLE BIT,
SEE WHAT THAT FEELS LIKE.
UH, HOPEFULLY THERE'LL BE
SOME BUTTONS TO PUSH
OR SOMETHING TO HELP
THE SPACECRAFT
GET TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO GO.
UH, BUT I'M EXCITED ABOUT
THAT, UH, FEELING
OF WEIGHTLESSNESS
WHICH, UH, YOU KNOW, I--
WILL BE MUCH DIFFERENT THAN
THE FEELING OF WEIGHTLESSNESS
YOU CAN KIND OF SIMULATE
A LITTLE BIT IN AN AIRCRAFT
IN THE ATMOSPHERE, UH,
YOU KNOW, ON A ZERO-G DIVE
OR WHATEVER.
BUT, UH, I'M REALLY EXCITED
TO SEE WHAT THAT
ACTUALLY FEELS LIKE,
TO BE JUST FLOATING AROUND.
AND THEN THE NEXT THING
I'M GONNA DO
IS LOOK OUT THE WINDOW, UH,
'CAUSE I JUST--
PEOPLE TALK ABOUT IT, UH,
HOW AWE INSPIRING THE VISTA
OF-OF THE EARTH ITSELF IS,
UH, I'M JUST--
I'M REALLY EXCITED
TO-TO GET OUT OF THAT SEAT,
FLOAT AROUND A LITTLE BIT,
AND JUST LOOK OUT THE WINDOW
AND JUST-JUST APPRECIATE
HOW WONDERFUL
OUR PLANET EARTH IS.
THE BEST ADVICE I'VE RECEIVED
ABOUT BECOMING AN ASTRONAUT,
UH, IT'S TO BE THE TYPE
OF PERSON THAT GETS SELECTED
TO BE AN ASTRONAUT.
LIKE, THERE'S NO
ONE THING YOU CAN DO,
THERE'S NO ONE WAY
TO BECOME AN ASTRONAUT.
EVERYONE'S GOT SUCH DIFFERENT
BACKGROUNDS AND EXPERTISES.
UH, I GUESS
YOU FIND WHAT YOU LOVE,
YOU GET REALLY GOOD AT IT,
UH, AND THEN JUST BE
THE TYPE OF PERSON,
THE TYPE OF TEAM PLAYER,
THE TYPE OF PROBLEM SOLVER,
THE TYPE OF, UH, PERSON
THAT WORKS WELL, UH,
WITH VARIOUS DIVERSE
BACKGROUNDS, PEOPLE,
TO WORK TO SOLVE
A COMPLICATED PROBLEM
IN A DEMANDING ENVIRONMENT.
UH, AND IF YOU'RE THAT
TYPE OF PERSON, UH,
MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO GO
TO A SELECTION BOARD
AND GET INTERVIEWED,
AND MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET PICKED.
OR MAYBE YOU WON'T.
BUT IN THE END, UH,
YOU'LL BE THAT TYPE OF PERSON,
AND YOU'LL BE A HAPPIER,
UH, MORE SUCCESSFUL PERSON
THAT HAS BECOME
WHAT YOU WANNA BE.
UH, SO THAT'S THE BEST ADVICE
I CAN GIVE, IS JUST TO BE
THAT TYPE OF PERSON
THAT EXCELS AT WHAT THEY DO,
LOVES WHAT THEY DO,
IS PASSIONATE ABOUT
WHAT THEY DO, UH,
AND DOES IT
WITH OTHER PEOPLE WELL.
UH, AND THEN, UH,
THINGS WILL WORK OUT.
UH, WHEN I WAS GETTING READY
TO INTERVIEW FOR
THE FIRST ROUND
OF ASTRONAUT CANDIDATES,
I CALLED
AN OLD NAVY BUDDY OF MINE
WHO WAS A BLUE ANGEL, UH,
AND I WAS LIKE, "HEY,
YOU WENT THROUGH THIS PROCESS
TO GET SELECTED
TO BE A BLUE ANGEL.
I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY
SOME SIMILARITIES IN TERMS
OF HOW THEY DO THE INTERVIEWS
AND SELECTION PROCESS.
I'VE NEVER DONE AN INTERVIEW
LIKE THIS BEFORE,
UH, WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE?"
UH, AND THE PIECE OF ADVICE
HE GAVE ME WAS THAT, UH,
"THEY'RE GONNA ASK YOU
A QUESTION, LIKE, UH,
'WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST PET PEEVE?'
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT."
UH, AND, UH, HE'S LIKE,
"THE BEST WAY
TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION
IS TO TELL A FUNNY STORY."
UH, AND HE'S LIKE, "YOU KNOW,
I WAS INTERVIEWING
TO BE A BLUE ANGEL
AND THEY ASKED ME
WHAT MY PET PEEVE WAS.
I WAS LIKE, "YOU KNOW
WHAT MY PET PEEVE IS?
IS WHEN PEOPLE
DON'T PUT GROCERY CARTS
BACK IN THE LINE WHEN THEY GO--
WHEN THEY DROP THEIR
GROCERIES OFF AT THEIR CAR.
AND THEN THE CARTS ARE
ALL OVER THE PARKING LOT
AND IT'S JUST--
THEY'RE JUST ALWAYS IN THE WAY.
WHY CAN'T YOU JUST
PUT YOUR CART BACK?"
UH, AND SO I WAS LIKE,
THAT'S A GOOD WAY--
THAT'S A TOUGH QUESTION
TO ANSWER,
THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO DO IT.
SO THAT PIECE OF ADVICE
TO TELL A FUNNY STORY,
UH-UH, STUCK WITH ME
AND HELPED ME OUT
IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS.
MY DREAM DESTINATION IN SPACE,
UH, I GUESS IS SPACE ITSELF.
LIKE, IF I END UP
IN LOW EARTH ORBIT,
IF I END UP ON THE MOON,
IF I END UP
DOING SOMETHING ELSE,
UH, ALL OF THAT
WILL BE EXCITING.
UH, YEAH, I-I DON'T EVEN KNOW
HOW TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
LIKE, IT'S SUCH
A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY
TO DO ANY OF THOSE THINGS,
ANY OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES
WOULD BE WONDERFUL FOR ME,
AND I'D BE SUPER EXCITED.
I'M REALLY THRILLED TO GET
ANY OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES
TO-TO GET OUT OF
THE ATMOSPHERE IN ANY WAY,
SHAPE, OR FORM.
THE LEAST EXTRAORDINARY THING
THAT I DO IS FORGET
WHERE I PUT THINGS.
UH, MY WIFE IS CONSTANTLY
COMPLAINING THAT I'VE PUT DOWN
MY KEYS, PUT DOWN MY PHONE,
I CAN'T FIND MY COVER
TO GO TO WORK, UH,
I FORGOT MY LUNCH.
UH, ONE TIME I WAS GETTING READY
TO GO ON A DEPLOYMENT
AND I FORGOT
A CRITICAL UNIFORM ITEM
THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BRING.
AND AFTER WE HAD SAID
OUR GOODBYES, SHE HAD
TO COME BACK AND DROP IT OFF,
'CAUSE I'M CONSTANTLY
FORGETTING, UH,
WHERE I PUT THINGS.
SO THAT'S-THAT'S PROBABLY
THE LEAST EXTRAORDINARY,
MY WIFE WOULD SAY
THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING
ABOUT ME.
WHEN I'M TRYING TO STUDY
OR GET READY FOR A TEST
OR, UH, WORK ON A PAPER
THAT I'M TRYING TO WRITE DOWN,
I TRY TO FIND THE BEST PLACE
FOR ME TO-TO WORK.
LIKE, EVERYONE'S KINDA
GOT THEIR OWN, LIKE,
HAPPY SPACE WHERE THEY WORK.
MAYBE IT'S IN THEIR ROOM,
MAYBE IT'S SOMEWHERE ELSE.
UH, FOR ME IT'S LIKE,
I PUT ON A PAIR OF HEADPHONES,
I GET SOME MUSIC GOING,
UH, AND I JUST, UH,
HAVE SOME MUSIC GOING
AND KIND OF ISOLATE MYSELF
FROM EVERYONE ELSE.
AND THEN I CAN JUST FOCUS
ON WHAT I'M DOING
AND KIND OF THE MUSIC KEEPS ME-
KEEPS ME ON TRACK,
KEEPS ME MOVING, AND THEN
I CAN JUST-I CAN JUST
WORK THROUGH WHATEVER PAPER
OR MATH PROBLEM, OR WHATEVER
I'M GONNA GO WORK OUT.
SO I GUESS MY BEST TIP
IS TO FIND THE PLACE
THAT YOU WORK BEST, UH,
AND THEN USE THAT, UH,
AND KNOW HOW YOU-
KNOW HOW YOU WORK BEST
AND JUST SET YOURSELF UP
FOR THAT.
WHEN I WAS IN, UH,
I CAN'T REMEMBER NOW
IF IT'S LATE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
OR MIDDLE SCHOOL OR WHATEVER,
BUT, UH, MY-- ONE OF
MY MATH TEACHERS
GAVE ME A WORKSHEET FOR
DIFFERENT BASE NUMBER PROBLEMS.
LIKE WE ALWAYS TALK
IN BASE TEN NUMBERS,
AND I'D NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED
THAT THERE'S OTHER,
YOU KNOW, BASE NUMBERS.
LIKE YOU COULD WORK
IN BASE SEVEN OR YOU COULD WORK
IN BASE NINE, OR YOU COULD DO
BINARY BASE TWO.
UH, IT KIND OF OPENED MY MIND
TO THE FACT THAT MATH
IS KIND OF A CONSTRUCT,
AND YOU CAN SOLVE
ALL SORTS OF DIFFERENT PROBLEMS
BY LOOKING AT IT
IN A DIFFERENT WAY.
SOMETIMES THE WAY
THAT WE LOOK AT THINGS, UH,
NOT NECESSARILY ARBITRARY,
BUT THERE'S OTHER WAYS,
OTHER POINTS OF VIEW
TO LOOK AT PROBLEMS.
UH, THAT KIND OF OPENED MY EYES
TO THAT TYPE OF THINKING.
NOT JUST THAT YOU CAN DO MATH
IN BASE SEVEN OR EIGHT
OR WHATEVER, BUT THAT
YOU CAN LOOK AT PROBLEMS
IN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WAYS,
AND CHANGING
THAT PERSPECTIVE, UH,
CAN SOMETIMES HELP YOU
SOLVE A DIFFICULT PROBLEM.
THAT WAS KIND OF A NEAT, UH,
EXPERIENCE FOR ME TO SEE HOW--
UH, TO KIND OF START
MY INTEREST IN STEM,
UH, AND MATH AND SCIENCE
GOING FORWARD FROM THERE.
I GUESS A CHALLENGE FOR ME
IN SCHOOL, UH, GROWING UP,
MAYBE ALL THE WAY, UH,
EVEN TO NOW IS, UH,
IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED
IN A TOPIC, BUT IT'S A TOPIC
YOU GOTTA GET THROUGH
OR IT'S A SUBJECT
THAT YOU GOTTA DO,
BUT IT'S NOT
THE MOST INTERESTING FOR YOU.
UH, WHEN I'M NOT INTERESTED,
IT'S HARD FOR ME
SOMETIMES TO FOCUS
AND-AND GET THE-
GET THE WORK DONE.
UH, IT'S PROBABLY TRUE
OF A LOT OF PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE
A LOT OF GREAT ADVICE ON HOW
YOU OVERCOME THAT CHALLENGE
OTHER THAN YOU JUST
BUCKLE DOWN AND, UH,
AND, UH, FIND THE WAY
THAT YOU WORK BEST
TO GET THROUGH THOSE THINGS.
SOMETIMES I TRY TO DO
THE-THE WORK I WANNA DO FIRST
SO I CAN BE IN A GOOD MOOD,
AND THEN DO THE STUFF
I DON'T WANNA DO.
SOMETIMES I DO THE STUFF
I DON'T REALLY WANNA DO FIRST
SO THAT I HAVE THE-THE,
UH, TREAT OF THE WORK
I'D RATHER DO AT THE END
AND I GOTTA GET TO IT FIRST.
UH, BUT THAT-THAT'S KIND OF
ALWAYS BEEN A CHALLENGE OF STUFF
THAT'S NOT SUPER INTERESTING,
UH, TO ME
TO-TO FIND THE FOCUS, UH,
TO GET THROUGH THOSE PROBLEMS.
IN THE NAVY, UH,
WHEN WE SELECT PILOTS, UH,
AND-AND REALLY ENGINEERS
AS WELL, TO GO TO
TEST PILOT SCHOOL, UH,
WE'RE KIND OF UNIQUE
AMONG MOST, UH, UH, SERVICES
THAT OPERATE AIRCRAFT
AROUND THE WORLD,
EVEN IN THE US SERVICES,
IN THAT ONCE YOU GO
TO TEST PILOT SCHOOL,
YOU GRADUATE, AND THEN YOU
GO DO A TEST TOUR, BUT THEN
YOU GO BACK OPERATIONAL,
UH, AFTERWARDS.
AND MOST-MOST AIR FORCES
AND MOST OTHER, UH, NAVIES
THAT OPERATE AIRCRAFT, UH,
STAY TEST PILOTS
FOR THEIR WHOLE CAREER.
IT'S REALLY AWESOME, I THINK,
UH, THAT WE IN THE NAVY,
IN THE US NAVY,
TAKE OUR TEST PILOTS
AND ALL THAT SCIENTIFIC
AND ENGINEERING KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERIENCE,
AND WE GO BACK OPERATIONAL
TO HELP-HELP THE FLEET,
UH, BE MORE CAPABLE.
UH, I THINK
THAT'S REALLY AWESOME.
UH, BUT THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT
IS THAT I LOVED BEING
A TEST PILOT,
I LOVED BEING ON A TEST TEAM,
I LOVED WORKING WITH
THE FLIGHT TEST ENGINEERS,
AND I ONLY GOT A SHORT PERIOD
OF TIME TO DO THAT,
ONLY LIKE TWO OR THREE YEARS,
UH, OR SO AFTER I GRADUATED
TEST PILOT SCHOOL.
AND THEN I WENT BACK
TO THE OPERATIONAL WORLD,
AND I HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO
GO BACK TO THE TEST WORLD YET.
SO NOW THAT I'VE HAD
THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY,
I'VE BEEN SELECTED FOR NASA,
I CAN-- GONNA GET
THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK
WITH A WHOLE BUNCH
OF FLIGHT TEST TEAMS
TO SOLVE ENGINEERING CHALLENGES,
TO WORK OUT FLIGHT CONTROL LAWS,
AND DIFFERENT
FLIGHT DYNAMIC ISSUES,
UH, AND KIND OF COMBINED
THAT SENSE OF-OF ME AS A PILOT
AND MY PILOTING EXPERIENCE,
HOW I CAN HELP THE ENGINEERS,
UH, SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS,
HOW THE ENGINEERS CAN HELP US
SOLVE OUR, UH,
PILOTING CHALLENGES
IN ORDER TO PRODUCE A PRODUCT,
YOU KNOW, A SPACECRAFT
IN THIS CASE, UH,
THAT CAN DO
THE MISSION OBJECTIVE,
RETURN A SAMPLE,
BRING PEOPLE SAFELY
TO LOW EARTH ORBIT,
GET THEM TO THE MOON,
ALL THESE CHALLENGES, UH,
THAT ARE FACING NASA AND OTHER,
UH, SPACE OPERATORS NOWADAYS.
I'M SUPER EXCITED TO BE BACK
INTO THE SCIENCE ENGINEERING
TEST MINDSET
OF WORKING WITH A TEST TEAM
TO, UH, IDENTIFY THESE PROBLEMS,
SOLVE THESE CHALLENGES,
ITERATE UNTIL
WE FIND A SOLUTION.
UH, 'CAUSE WE'RE RIGHT ON
THE LEADING EDGE OF TECHNOLOGY,
STUFF THAT'S NEVER
BEEN DONE BEFORE,
THAT WE'RE NOT SURE
WE CAN EVEN SOLVE WITH
THE MATERIALS AND CAPABILITIES
THAT WE HAVE.
UH, SO, UH, BEING A NAVY
TEST PILOT, I LOVED GOING
BACK OPERATIONAL, UH,
THAT'S WHAT, UH, NAVY PILOTS DO,
WE GO OUT TO SEA,
UH, YOU KNOW, FORWARD PRESENCE,
UH, YOU KNOW, FOR OUR COUNTRY.
BUT I'M SUPER EXCITED
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY
TO TAKE ALL THAT OPERATIONAL
EXPERIENCE, BRING IT BACK
INTO THE TEST WORLD,
SPECIFICALLY FOR SPACECRAFT,
UH, AND OTHER, UH,
TYPES OF ENGINEERING CHALLENGES
WE GET TO FACE
AND SOLVE HERE AT NASA.