HI, MY NAME IS JEANETTE EPPS.
HI,
I'M NASA ASTRONAUT,
KAYLA BARRON.
I AM NASA
ASTRONAUT KJELL LINDGREN,
AND I JUST GOT BACK
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION
A FEW WEEKS AGO.
IT'S AWESOME
TO BE BACK WITH MY FAMILY
AND FRIENDS, TO BE BACK
HERE ON THE EARTH.
I DO LOVE TO
GET REAL LETTERS,
WHETHER IT'S AT HOME
OR AT WORK OR EVEN IN SPACE
WE GET CARDS AND LETTERS
DELIVERED FROM FAMILY
FROM TIME TO TIME,
WHICH IS SO EXCITING.
AND THIS YEAR WE'D LIKE
TO THANK ALL THE STUDENTS
WHO SENT IN LETTERS
AND NOTES TO US.
AND THIS IS
ONE OF MY FAVORITE
THINGS TO DO
IS TO READ YOUR LETTERS.
SO LET'S GET TO IT.
THE FIRST TIME
YOU WENT INTO SPACE,
HOW DID IT FEEL?
WERE YOU SCARED OR HAPPY?
MY FIRST SPACE
LAUNCH WAS INCREDIBLE.
WE WERE SUPER WELL PREPARED,
SO I THINK FOR THE MOST PART
WE WERE JUST
EXECUTING THE PROCEDURES,
DOING THE JOB
WE HAD PRACTICED DOING.
BUT AS WE COUNTED DOWN,
YOU KNOW,
THE FAMOUS COUNTDOWN
FROM TEN, NINE,
EIGHT UP TO THAT
MOMENT OF LAUNCH,
THE ROCKET ENGINES
LIGHT UNDERNEATH US.
AND THERE'S KIND OF THIS
MAGIC MOMENT
WHERE YOU HANG IN THE AIR,
YOU'RE JUST OFF
THE LAUNCH PAD,
AND YOU CAN FEEL
THAT YOU'RE STARTING
TO TRAVEL TO SPACE,
BUT YOU HAVEN'T
REALLY STARTED
ACCELERATING YET.
AND IN THAT MOMENT,
I WAS JUST FLOODED
WITH PURE JOY.
I WAS JUST SO EXCITED
THAT MY JOURNEY
WAS FINALLY STARTING
AND SO EXCITED TO DO IT
WITH MY TEAMMATES, MY CREW
AND OUR TEAM
AROUND THE WORLD.
AND SO,
YEAH, IT WAS
I WAS HAPPY
MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
WHAT DO WE HAVE IN HERE?
LOOK AT THIS.
THAT’S SO GOOD.
I’M GOING TO PUT THAT
ON MY REFRIGERATOR.
OH, LOOK AT THIS.
THIS MAKES MY DAY.
HOW GREAT IS THAT?
THAT'S GOING UP ON THE WALL
FOR SURE.
I LOVE THOSE COLORS. LOVE IT.
I HAD A BOWL OF CEREAL
AND MILK
FOR BREAKFAST AND CHILI
FOR LUNCH.
AND EVERY NOW
AND THEN YOU OPEN THESE UP
AND YOU LEARN WHAT, LIKE,
SOMEBODY’S FAVORITE FOOD IS.
IS THERE CHEESE TO EAT
IN YOUR SPACESHIP?
I LOVE CHEESE.
OH, MY GOSH. ME TOO.
ACTUALLY, IT'S REALLY HARD
TO SEND CHEESE TO SPACE
BECAUSE IT GOES BAD
PRETTY QUICKLY.
BUT YOU CAN SEND
SOME HARD CHEESES TO SPACE,
SO I REALLY HOPE THAT
THAT'S THERE IN MY SPACESHIP.
SARA SAYS.
I THINK SPACE IS VERY COOL,
BUT I THINK SPACE
ICE CREAM
WOULD BE THE BEST PART.
SARA YOU KNOW ALL THAT
THERE IS TO KNOW
BECAUSE YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT, SPACE
ICE CREAM IS VERY COOL
AND COLD.
DO YOU LIKE CHICKEN NUGGETS?
I LOVE ALL CHICKEN NUGGETS.
I'M SURE THERE’S
SOMEBODY OUT THERE
THAT DOES NOT LIKE
CHICKEN NUGGETS,
BUT THAT IS NOT ME.
SO I THINK THE BIGGER CHICKEN
NUGGET QUESTION IS,
HOW DO YOU EAT YOUR CHICKEN
NUGGETS?
WITH A FORK, AND KNIFE,
DIP THEM IN KETCHUP?
ARE YOU KIND OF A MAYONNAISE
OR A MUSTARD PERSON?
OR IS IT JUST STRAIGHT UP,
I'VE GOT 18
CHICKEN NUGGETS
IN FRONT OF ME
AND I'M GETTING AFTER IT
ALL RIGHT NOW?
SO I DON'T CARE
HOW YOU EAT YOURS,
BUT I'LL TELL YOU
HOW I EAT MINE.
I DEFINITELY LIKE
CHICKEN NUGGETS.
I LIKE A LITTLE
BIT OF KETCHUP
AND I DEFINITELY USE
MY FINGERS.
IT'S A GREAT QUESTION
AND I HOPE YOU HAVE A
WONDERFUL HOLIDAY
SEASON, CHARLIE.
SO WHAT TYPE OF ROCKET SHIP
DID YOU GO ON?
WELL,
THIS MOST RECENT MISSION,
I FLEW IN A
CREW DRAGON CAPSULE
ON TOP OF A FALCON-9 ROCKET.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
WE LAUNCHED
FROM KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
AND WE WERE IN
LOW EARTH ORBIT
IN LESS THAN NINE MINUTES.
NOW, MY FIRST MISSION
ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO,
I LAUNCHED IN A SOYUZ CAPSULE
ON A SOYUZ ROCKET
OUT OF BAIKONUR
COSMODROME IN KAZAKHSTAN.
I LAUNCHED WITH OUR RUSSIAN
PARTNERS AND,
AND THAT WAS MY FIRST FLIGHT.
AND SO IT WAS REALLY COOL
TO HAVE
THAT EXPERIENCE
OF FLYING INTO SPACE
ON TWO DIFFERENT TYPES
OF ROCKETS.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING
ABOUT YOUR JOB?
WELL, PIPER,
ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
ABOUT MY JOB
IS THAT I CONTINUE
TO LEARN NEW THINGS
JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY.
FLYING IN THE T-38,
DOING ROBOTICS,
JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING
THAT WE DO HERE.
THERE'S ALWAYS
SOMETHING NEW GOING ON.
AND I LIKE TO LEARN.
THIS IS COOL.
THIS IS A LAUNCH PAD.
LOOK AT THAT.
VERY DETAILED FROM GABE.
GABE, THAT'S AWESOME.
I SEE.
WE GOT THE,
WE GOT THE PAD HERE.
WE GOT THE GANTRY
THAT WE WALK ACROSS
INTO THE CAPSULE THERE
WITH THE ASTRONAUTS INSIDE.
THAT IS A GREAT DRAWING,
GABE. GOOD JOB.
CAN YOU FEEL
HEAT IN THE SPACESHIP?
ESPECIALLY WHEN
WE'RE COMING HOME?
THE- OUR SPACECRAFT
GETS REALLY HOT.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE A HEAT
SHIELD
THAT PROTECTS US
AS OUR SPACECRAFT STARTS
TO TRAVEL
THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.
BECAUSE ALL OF THAT
RESISTANCE OF THE GASES
IN THE ATMOSPHERE
REALLY CAUSE THE,
THE CRAFT TO HEAT UP.
BUT WE'RE IN SUITS
THAT GIVE US COOLING,
SO THEY KEEP OUR BODIES COOL.
AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE
YOU HAVE AIR CONDITIONING.
SO EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE
GETS REALLY HOT,
THE SPACESHIP
GETS REALLY HOT,
WE STAY AT A
COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE.
WHAT TYPES OF THINGS
DO WE DO IN OUTER SPACE?
RIGHT NOW
WE'RE IN LOW-EARTH ORBIT,
SO THAT'S
WHERE THE SPACE STATION IS.
WE DO TWO MAIN THINGS THERE.
ONE IS TO KEEP IT FUNCTIONING
AND KEEP IT WORKING
BECAUSE IT'S A COMPLEX
MACHINE THERE
IN LOW-EARTH ORBIT.
THE OTHER THING WE DO
IS WE DO RESEARCH THERE
AND A LOT OF OUR TIME
IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
THE HUMAN BODY, UNDERSTAND
DIFFERENT THINGS
THAT WE NEED TO TAKE
THE NEXT STEP TO THE MOON
TO STAY
AND AFTER THAT TO MARS.
AND SO TO KEEP EXPLORING,
WE HAVE TO KEEP LEARNING.
I LOVE NOT KNOWING
WHAT IS INSIDE
EACH OF THESE LETTERS.
AND THIS ONE FROM EVAN
IS REALLY COOL.
THE DRAWINGS ARE ALWAYS
MY FAVORITE.
FROM ABIGAIL
IN SAINT GEORGE,
UTAH USED A REALLY AWESOME
CAT ASTRONAUT
STICKER HERE
WHO DOESN'T LOVE A CAT
ON A FLYING SAUCER?
DO ASTRONAUTS
BELIEVE IN ALIENS?
WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
I DON'T KNOW.
SOME MAYBE DO
AND SOME MAYBE DON'T.
I THINK IT WOULD BE AMAZING
TO DISCOVER ALIENS
IN OUR LIFETIME.
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, ALIENS
PROBABLY DON'T
LOOK LIKE LITTLE GREEN MEN,
BUT THEY MIGHT BE LIKE
TINY MICROORGANISMS
THAT LIVE OR
USED TO LIVE ON A PLANET
LIKE MARS.
UNEQUIVOCALLY, 100%,
I BELIEVE IN ALIENS.
THERE IS NO WAY
THAT YOU CAN BE
ON THE SPACE STATION
GOING AROUND THE EARTH
AND LOOK OUT AT NIGHT
AND SEE MILLIONS OF STARS
AND NOT THINK FOR CERTAIN.
THERE ARE ALIENS OUT THERE
AND PEOPLE ASK ME
IF I'VE EVER SEEN AN ALIEN.
AND I SAY ABSOLUTELY. 100%.
I'VE SEEN ALIENS
BECAUSE YOU'RE
LOOKING AT THEM EVERY NIGHT.
WHEN YOU LOOK OUT
IN THE NIGHT SKY,
SOMEWHERE OUT THERE,
THERE IS SOME
CRAZY CIVILIZATION
DOING SOME CRAZY WORK
THAT WE HAVEN'T
DISCOVERED YET.
I KNOW IT IS OUT THERE.
THANK YOU ALL
SO MUCH FOR THE LETTERS
THAT YOU WRITE TO US.
IT MEANS SO MUCH
TO RECEIVE THEM
AND I LOVE
READING EVERY SINGLE ONE.
THANK YOU.
THESE LETTERS
ARE THE ROCKET
FUEL THAT WE USE.
THIS IS WHAT KEEPS US GOING.
SO PLEASE DON'T STOP
SENDING THEM, PLEASE
KEEP SENDING THEM
AND HELP US PUSH THIS
MISSION FORWARD.
BECAUSE IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT.
THANK YOU.
THANKS, EVERYBODY,
FOR ALL YOUR LETTERS
AND YOUR AWESOME QUESTIONS.
THE CURIOSITY IS AWESOME
AND I HOPE YOU STAY ENGAGED
AND THINKING
ABOUT HOW THE WORLD
AND THE UNIVERSE WORKS.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LETTERS.
KEEP THEM COMING.
HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY.
I AM SO THANKFUL
TO BE BACK HERE ON EARTH
WITH MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS
AND I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST
THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
AS YOU SPEND TIME
WITH YOUR FAMILY,
WITH YOUR FRIENDS
ON OUR INCREDIBLE
PLANET, OUR HOME, THE EARTH.