>> [ MUSIC ]
>> CREW-4 IS THE FOURTH
CREW ROTATION FLIGHT
FOR THE SPACEX DRAGON VEHICLE.
>> CREW-4'S GOALS ARE TO SAFELY
AND SUCCESSFULLY GET TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
AND THEN TO SPEND
THE ALLOTTED TIME
LIVING AND WORKING IN SPACE,
MEETING ALL OF THE PLANNED
RESEARCH, AND SCIENCE,
AND MAINTENANCE GOALS
OF THE SPACE STATION PROGRAM.
>> WE ARE ALL SUPER EXCITED
ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO FLY
ON A CREW DRAGON SPACECRAFT.
THAT VEHICLE IS A, UH, SUPER
COMPLEX, MODERN VEHICLE
THAT ENABLES US TO GET TO SPACE
EFFICIENTLY AND SAFELY.
>> UH, MY ROLE AS PILOT
ON THE, UH, DRAGON VEHICLE
IS PRIMARILY TO MONITOR
AND MAINTAIN THE SYSTEMS
OF THE VEHICLE ITSELF.
TO GET A CHANCE TO PILOT
ONE OF THE NEWEST VEHICLES
ON OR OFF THE PLANET
IS A TRUE HONOR.
>> GETTING SELECTED FOR CREW-4
WAS, UH-- WAS AMAZING,
BECAUSE IT-IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY
TO GO BACK TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
AND EXPERIENCE THE GAIN--
THAT TRANSFORMATION FROM BEING
AN EARTHBOUND CREATURE TO BEING
THIS SPACE-LIVING CREATURE.
WHEN YOU GET TO SPACE STATION,
YEAH, THE FIRST THING
THAT REALLY STRIKES IS THIS
FEELING OF WEIGHTLESSNESS.
>> I'M SO EXCITED TO REVISIT
THE SPACE STATION.
IT WAS HOME FOR FIVE MONTHS
BACK IN 2015.
YOU KNOW, WE ARRIVED ON ORBIT,
AND REALLY, WITHIN A COUPLE
OF DAYS, MY BRAIN ADJUSTED
TO THE IDEA OF FLOATING.
NOT THAT I WAS GOOD AT IT,
BUT THE NOVELTY OF IT--
I THINK THE FACT THAT OUR BRAINS
CAN ADAPT TO SOMETHING
THAT IS SO NOVEL, SO DIFFERENT,
SOMETHING THAT WE'RE
COMPLETELY UNACCUSTOMED TO
FOR ALL OF OUR LIVES,
AND THAT IT CAN JUST-JUST ADAPT
LIKE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
>> THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION
IS A NATIONAL LABORATORY
BUILT TO DO SCIENCE.
>> THE CONNECTING ELEMENT
BETWEEN ALL OF THE EXPERIMENTS
THAT WE DO UP THERE
IS THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT,
AND SPECIFICALLY
WEIGHTLESSNESS-- MICRO GRAVITY,
AS THE SCIENTISTS LIKE TO SAY.
>> WHEN YOU'RE DEALING
WITH COMPLEX SYSTEMS,
UH, ONE WAY TO LEARN
HOW THEY WORK IS TO START
REMOVING VARIABLES.
WE'RE ABLE TO DO A LOT
OF THAT DOWN HERE ON EARTH,
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT WE HAVE A CHALLENGE DOING,
AND WE CAN'T DO, IS REMOVE
THE EFFECTS OF GRAVITY,
AND SO BY TAKING THINGS TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
WE CAN REMOVE THAT
AND WE CAN SEE HOW
THESE COMPLEX SYSTEMS WORK.
HOW THINGS GROW,
HOW THEY DEVELOP.
WE DO SO MUCH RESEARCH
UP THERE THAT NOT ONLY HELPS
TECHNOLOGIES AND DEVELOPMENT,
UH, DOWN HERE ON EARTH,
BUT IT IS ALSO AIDING
NASA'S PIVOT BACK INTO
DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION.
>> THE WORK THAT WE DO
EVERY DAY HELPS US
TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
HOW THE HUMAN BODY CHANGES
IN WEIGHTLESSNESS,
AND TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO DO
THE OPERATIONS LIKE SPACE WALKS
AND ROBOTIC ARM ACTIVITIES
THAT ARE NECESSARY,
UH, FOR US TO BE SUCCESSFUL
IN LUNAR ORBIT,
ON THE LUNAR SURFACE,
AND OUR WAY TO MARS.
>> WE GET THIS AWESOME
OPPORTUNITY TO BE
REPRESENTATIVES OF-OF HUMANITY--
OF ALL OF YOU,
AND WE DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY.
WE'RE SUPER HONORED
TO HAVE THAT RESPONSIBILITY
AND ARE EXCITED
ABOUT SHARING THE JOURNEY
WITH-WITH ALL OF YOU.