1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff. 2 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:12,039 Speaker 1: Lauren Vogue bomb here for the first time since NASA 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: astronauts will once again return to space from US soil. 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:20,119 Speaker 1: Veteran astronauts Robert Bankin and Douglas Hurley will rendezvous with 5 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:24,120 Speaker 1: the International Space Station after they lift off on May 6 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: from the Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. To 7 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: get there, they'll ride a crew Dragon spacecraft propelled into 8 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:35,199 Speaker 1: orbit by a Falcon nine rocket, both designed and manufactured 9 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:38,919 Speaker 1: by SpaceX, the organization founded into thou two by entrepreneur 10 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,559 Speaker 1: Elon Musk. If all goes well, this mission will make 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 1: SpaceX the first private company to put astronauts into space. 12 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: News of the flight was broken in April by NASA 13 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: Administrator Jim Bridenstein. During a series of virtual press conferences 14 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: held on Friday May one, Bridenstein and other key figures 15 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: representing both NASA and SpaceX spoke about the Crew Dragons 16 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: unprecedented task. Brinstein told the media, this is a high 17 00:01:06,600 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: priority mission for the United States of America. We as 18 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: a nation have not had our own access to the 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: International Space Station for nine years. At the same time, 20 00:01:15,360 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 1: we've had American astronauts on the International Space Station for 21 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: twenty years in a row. The International Space Station, stretching 22 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:25,400 Speaker 1: three hundred and fifty seven feet long about a hundred 23 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,319 Speaker 1: and nine meters, is the largest man made object in 24 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: Earth's orbit. Cruise stationed at the vessel perform a wide 25 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: range of experiments in low gravity. The I S S 26 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,120 Speaker 1: owes a great deal to NASA's defunct Space Shuttle program. 27 00:01:39,319 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: Green lit by then President Richard M. Nixon in nineteen 28 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: seventy two, this initiative gave the world its first reusable spacecraft. 29 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: From one to two thousand eleven, NASA sent astronauts into 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: orbit on American made shuttles. These were often used to 31 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: transport portions of the I S S during its construction. 32 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: On July, the Space Shuttle era came to an end 33 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: as the Atlantis orbiter returned from its final mission, but 34 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: the program dis continued. I S bound astronauts grew dependent 35 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: on Russian Soyuz rockets. Then the law of supply and 36 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: demand took over. For nearly a decade, no other rockets 37 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,240 Speaker 1: were capable of sending people to the I S S. 38 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:22,519 Speaker 1: All astronauts bound for that station had to be launched 39 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: out of Kazakhstan's bike Nor Cosmodrome, which is a spaceport 40 00:02:25,919 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: at least to the Russian government, and by April the 41 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: Russians were charging eighty six million dollars to include foreign 42 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,959 Speaker 1: astronauts in their Soyuz missions. Another Soyuz rocket launch is 43 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 1: scheduled for October, and Brandenstein says NASA is currently in 44 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 1: negotiations to book a seat, and nevertheless, it's hoped that 45 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: the SpaceX Crew Dragon will end this space flight monopoly. 46 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: Brandenstein explained, we want the Russian American relationship in space 47 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:57,680 Speaker 1: exploration to remain strong. We see a day when Russian 48 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: cosmonauts can launch on American rockets, an American astronauts can 49 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: launch on Russian rockets. By now, space X at the 50 00:03:05,600 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: International Space Station have a fair bit of history using 51 00:03:09,280 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: unmanned crafts. The company has delivered supplies to the orbiting 52 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: laboratory since the Crew Dragon aced address rehearsal in March 53 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: of twenty nineteen, when it left Merritt Island on the 54 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,520 Speaker 1: nose of a SpaceX Falcon nine rocket and autonomously docked 55 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 1: with the International Space Station. Five days after its departure. 56 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 1: The Crew Dragon returned to Earth, splashing down in the 57 00:03:30,240 --> 00:03:32,720 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean some one hundred and forty three miles or 58 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 1: two kilometers off Florida's eastern coastline. But that trip's only 59 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: passengers were an earth shaped plush toy and a dummy 60 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: named Ripley, named after Sigourney Weaver's character Ellen Ripley from 61 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 1: the Alien movie franchise. The flight later this month will 62 00:03:49,520 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: be the first time that live astronauts will be on 63 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: board SpaceX crew. Mission director Benjamin Reid said at the 64 00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: May first conference, Dragon will be fully autonomous. The x 65 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 1: afectation is that it can carry the crew safely to 66 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: the station and bring them home without direct intervention. Even so, 67 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: Hurley and Bancon are set to take control for a 68 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: short period before the crew Dragon docks. They'll be able 69 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: to guide the vessel using touch screens or physical switches. 70 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:19,160 Speaker 1: Both options are available for certain portions of the journey. 71 00:04:19,440 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: While aboard, the crews expected to test out such components 72 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:27,200 Speaker 1: as the maneuvering thrusters and environmental control system. And then 73 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: there's the space suits, one piece outfits designed by SpaceX 74 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,160 Speaker 1: to supply the astronauts with oxygen, provide the appropriate temperature, 75 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:37,720 Speaker 1: and maintain pressure. The space suits plug into the crew 76 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,919 Speaker 1: dragon's chairs when their wearers sit down. Reid said. The 77 00:04:41,960 --> 00:04:44,760 Speaker 1: suits also have an integrated communication system so that the 78 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,720 Speaker 1: crew can communicate through their helmets. Neither bank It nor 79 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:52,480 Speaker 1: Hurley are strangers to low Earth orbit. Bankons logged more 80 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: than seven hundred and eight hours in space, and Hurley 81 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: was a member of NASA's last Shuttle air crew back 82 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:03,359 Speaker 1: in But every mission presents its own unique challenges. Like 83 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,200 Speaker 1: the rest of the world, NASA, space X and these 84 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: two astronauts have had to make adjustments during the coronavirus outbreak, 85 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:14,359 Speaker 1: taking extra precautions. So what does that mean? Both SpaceX 86 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: and NASA have implemented social distancing protocols like keeping work 87 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: desks six ft or two meters apart at their respective 88 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: control rooms. Meanwhile, the crews getting a wide berth contact 89 00:05:26,279 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: with them by any other team members has been minimized 90 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 1: and many training sessions have been done virtually and for 91 00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,960 Speaker 1: the safety of the ISS crew, the astronauts will observe 92 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: a pre flight quarantine from May sixteenth until the launch 93 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: on Right now, there are three space farers, two Americans 94 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 1: and a Russian living and working aboard the International Space station. 95 00:05:48,560 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: The length of Bankin's and Harley's stay at the facility 96 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 1: will be determined at a later date. It could last 97 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: anywhere from five to thirty days. When the time to 98 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: head home arrives, the crew Dragon should undock autonomous Lee 99 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: and deliver its human charges to Florida by way of 100 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: the Atlantic. There's a long, proud tradition of civilians gathering 101 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: near the Kennedy Space Center to witness rocket launches. Unfortunately, 102 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: NASA is discouraging people from following suit this time lest 103 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,440 Speaker 1: they spread or contract COVID nineteen. But you can tune 104 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 1: in and watch the launch online. For just the fifth 105 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 1: time in history, NASA astronauts will be test flying a 106 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,320 Speaker 1: new type of spacecraft. Should bank in and hurly complete 107 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: their mission objectives, we may yet see a golden age 108 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: of space tourism and innovation, with private industry taking on 109 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: development roles long adopted by governments. Brandenstein said, this really 110 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:44,520 Speaker 1: is the next major step in commercializing low Earth orbit 111 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:47,960 Speaker 1: and having a really vital low Earth orbit economy in 112 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:56,599 Speaker 1: which NASA is one of many customers. Today's episode was 113 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: written by bark Mancini and produced by Tyler Clang. For 114 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: more on the and lots of other topics. Visit how 115 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff is production of I 116 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio. More podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the 117 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: i heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 118 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:10,760 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.