1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Jersey and Amanda jam Nation Thing. 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 2: Our next guest is an absolute trailblazer. How brave you'd 3 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:10,039 Speaker 2: have to be a trailblazer in the world of space exploration. 4 00:00:10,600 --> 00:00:14,360 Speaker 2: Catherine Bentelpeg is the first female astronaut to fly under 5 00:00:14,360 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 2: the Australian flag. 6 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:16,119 Speaker 1: I can see you in a. 7 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 2: Uniform now with an Aussie flag on her arm. Hello, Katherine, 8 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:20,319 Speaker 2: We're so thrilled to talk to you. 9 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 3: Hello. Oh, thank you. Happy to be on your show. 10 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 3: Thanks so much. 11 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,320 Speaker 2: So you've done all the training and you now wait 12 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,200 Speaker 2: to see if you get selected for a mission. 13 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 3: Is that right? That's right? So I graduated in April 14 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 3: from what's called basic training, which is what you do 15 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:39,199 Speaker 3: after you're selected to be an astronaut. And once you graduate, 16 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 3: you can call yourself an astronaut and you're ready for 17 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 3: mission assignment to the space station or even the Moon. 18 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 3: So we'll see what the future holds. It's up to 19 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 3: each astronauts country to decide they have passed forward. But 20 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 3: it's early days, so one step at a time. 21 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 2: Amazing. Did you dream of being an astronaut when you 22 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 2: were a kid? 23 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 3: I did you know it was becoming an astronauts? Really? 24 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 3: The company of a childhood dream and a combination with 25 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,319 Speaker 3: my adult dream as well, that helped grow the really 26 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 3: great Australian space sector that we have. And you know, 27 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:12,559 Speaker 3: seven out of ten Aussie kids want to be astronauts today, 28 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 3: which is just incredible and it's been amazing to speak 29 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:16,920 Speaker 3: to many of them since I've come home. 30 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:20,160 Speaker 4: When you look at the NASA astronauts Butchered and Sinita, 31 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 4: who are stuck on the International Space Station as we speak, 32 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 4: do you feel Oh, hang on a minute, I because 33 00:01:25,640 --> 00:01:27,120 Speaker 4: if you had plans. 34 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 2: Like you go up there and I've planned a dinner park, I've. 35 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 4: Got some plans and now I'm stuck out petill next year. 36 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: How does that? How does that feel? How do you 37 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:35,560 Speaker 1: feel about that? 38 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 3: Well, astronauts have a lot of training in how to 39 00:01:40,080 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 3: deal with uncertainty, and particularly for you know, Butcher and Sunny, 40 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,240 Speaker 3: they have been trained for this particular mission, which one 41 00:01:48,240 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 3: of the scenarios was you might be in space a 42 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 3: lot longer. So I'm sure they've got people watering their plants, 43 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 3: et cetera at home and while they're in space there, 44 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 3: you know, being active members of the crew doing science 45 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 3: and are ready to do things like space walk so yeah, 46 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 3: it's part of your training to handle that level of 47 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:07,400 Speaker 3: risk and uncertainty. Even in a vehicle that you know 48 00:02:07,640 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 3: is mature and operational. There's a one in two hundred 49 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:14,399 Speaker 3: fatality risk in your mission, and it's a higher risk 50 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:16,760 Speaker 3: in a new vehicle. And yeah, it's part of your 51 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 3: service to the world to help develop new ways to 52 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 3: get to space for good science and exploration. 53 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: Well that's the thing. 54 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: You are doing science while you're there. We see the 55 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,920 Speaker 2: drama of the liftoff and whatever and whatever, but I 56 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: mean you're actually when you're in space, you are doing 57 00:02:30,639 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 2: science work, aren't you. 58 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 3: Absolutely so. In space. The major home for astronauts today 59 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 3: is the International Space Station ISS. It's almost the site 60 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 3: of a soccer pitch. It's huge, it's got you know, 61 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 3: it's got the internal volume of like an A three eighty, 62 00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 3: and it's full of science labs and research labs for 63 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 3: things like robotics and astronomy and material science and even 64 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 3: astronauts themselves, and medical test subjects for a lot of 65 00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 3: medical research on Earth into things like bone and muscle 66 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 3: degradation and pardi you vascular systems. So there's a lot 67 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 3: to do up there, and it meant that on the 68 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:05,880 Speaker 3: training in the last year and a half, we learned 69 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:09,600 Speaker 3: so many different topics. It was really an incredible time. 70 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 2: I've always wondered how I would go because I've seen 71 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 2: in the movies that's centrifuge that you train in and 72 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 2: then the claustrophobia of being cooped up. You obviously don't 73 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 2: suffer from any of those things. 74 00:03:22,639 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 3: No, but of course astronauts of humans, so there are 75 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 3: times that we get stressed as well, so during the 76 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:33,360 Speaker 3: astronaut training or put in situations designed to push our limits. 77 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 3: So we went in a centrifuze like you mentioned, spun 78 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 3: up to six g for quite some time at the 79 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:39,840 Speaker 3: end of a long arm in a small box. But 80 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 3: actually that was wonderful because it was dark and you 81 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 3: could really imagine yourself going through the launch and re 82 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 3: entry on a rocket. And we do things like expeditions 83 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 3: like winter survival, ocean survival, firefighting and rescue, and learn 84 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 3: how to handle ourselves when we pushed out of our 85 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 3: comfort zone in space. While most astronauts you know, don't 86 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 3: have a vertigo ere of heights when you step out 87 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 3: of the airlock on a spacewalk and the earth's below you. 88 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 3: You often get apparently a sense of vertigo, like you 89 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,120 Speaker 3: might feel like you might fall, but of course you're 90 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:16,359 Speaker 3: not going to fall. So we taught techniques like, you know, 91 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 3: don't look down initially, wait till your body realizes you know, 92 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,840 Speaker 3: you're still floating, and then enjoy the view for a 93 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 3: minute or two before you start off. 94 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 1: You're going to fall out and. 95 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 3: Oh wow, yeah, yeah, it's just something in the body. 96 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 4: Just yeah that way, because it's very high. Are the 97 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 4: toilet facilities do you go through practice? Because I was, 98 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 4: I was looking how the whole toilet thing, because this 99 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 4: is something that's soon. 100 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,000 Speaker 1: He explained what you have to do. 101 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 4: But like for a guy, it's kind of easier, but 102 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:49,920 Speaker 4: for number one and number two it's like, oh my god, 103 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 4: that I couldn't even deal with that. 104 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 2: That's your first year of training. 105 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 3: Well, I have done the toilet qualification, or at least 106 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 3: for one of the toilets, I'm equipped to answer. But yeah, 107 00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 3: the well, it's actually a really complicated piece of kit 108 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,160 Speaker 3: for the number ones. Yeah, it's probably a bit easier 109 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 3: for men, but you know, everyone has their own kind 110 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 3: of funnel to use, and there's air flow to help 111 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 3: things go where it should and Yesterday's coffee becomes to 112 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 3: Murray's coffee, if you know what I mean, or the 113 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 3: water is recycled. 114 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 1: And did you see the Martian? Yeah? 115 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:23,279 Speaker 3: I did love that. 116 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: Can I ask you? 117 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 2: It seems that more and more people are saying that 118 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 2: the moon landing was fake. My husband, who was a 119 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 2: science head, would punch people in the face if anyone 120 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,359 Speaker 2: said that to him, and I know buzz Aldrin punched 121 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 2: someone pretty much in the throat when they said it 122 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 2: to him. How do you feel because this undermines all 123 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:43,360 Speaker 2: that incredible science that has been done all through these years. 124 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think it's It's almost something that I find 125 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 3: a bit amusing, because you know, sometimes people just want 126 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 3: to be controversial, and there's so many arguments that say 127 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 3: that there's no way that happened. There were just far 128 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 3: too many people involved. For a start, I think I 129 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 3: learned from doctor, but you know, you need no more 130 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 3: than five or six people to keep a secret, and 131 00:06:03,839 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 3: there were, you know, tens of thousands of people involved 132 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 3: across many countries. Every single conspiracy can be debunked. You know, 133 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 3: Australia was you know, tracking the Apollo vehicles as they 134 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 3: came back and in that era, there's absolutely no way 135 00:06:16,520 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 3: you could could mimic the flight path of that and 136 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,719 Speaker 3: that kind of signal for a radio telescope board tracking system. 137 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 4: It's been amazing you if you were part of that ofcorn. 138 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: How could I not have blobe the moon landing? 139 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 3: But I mean, honestly, the next person on the Moon 140 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,479 Speaker 3: will be blubbing. Wouldn't they want to claim being the first? 141 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: That's why Buzz got so upset. Yeah, blame it. 142 00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 2: I don't blame him either, ads and all the science 143 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 2: that went into that should not be undermined. 144 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:49,720 Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, And I mean this is an achievement of 145 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:52,680 Speaker 3: humanity that you know, if anything is remembered for our 146 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 3: era for thousands of years, that will be it. You know, 147 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 3: It's it's a phenomenal step into you know, the next 148 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 3: phase of human life offer Yep. 149 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 4: Do you believe that there's another there's life out there, 150 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:05,800 Speaker 4: like another world? I have this theory that there's another 151 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:07,719 Speaker 4: world like ours, but it's so far away, it's like 152 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 4: light years, light years away, and they have this radio No, 153 00:07:11,520 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 4: they have the same technology as we do, but they 154 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 4: can't get to us and we can't get to them. 155 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: Is that a theory that could stand up. 156 00:07:18,760 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean the distance is involved in the scale 157 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 3: of the universe mind blowing. You know, in the universe 158 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 3: sought to be there's more than a billion trillion stars. 159 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 3: It's similar to you know a number of grains of 160 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:33,640 Speaker 3: sand in the Earth. Actually, and when we look through 161 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 3: space telescopes at at different stars near us, we're seeing 162 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 3: so many of them actually have planets around them, and 163 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 3: many have planets in what's called the habital zone. 164 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:44,520 Speaker 1: So just on an. 165 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 3: Odds perspective, I'm personally quite convinced there's life out there, 166 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:51,600 Speaker 3: but I don't think we've been visited by intelligent life. 167 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 3: And the question is can we ever find and communicate 168 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:55,080 Speaker 3: with it there? 169 00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: It is what a life you're in. It's amazing to 170 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: speak to you. Good luck, We're we're on your team. 171 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: We want you up there. 172 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 3: Thank you so much. Yeah, it's an honor to represent 173 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 3: Australia into to be helping our researchers get more access 174 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 3: to in space lauds as well. 175 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:10,880 Speaker 1: Good on you. 176 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:13,240 Speaker 2: Maybe we could get Catherine do wear some WS logo 177 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 2: Jonesy and Amanda cats Well and I will talk about 178 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 2: that separately. Catherine, thank you, Thank you to work on. 179 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: The toileting Catherine and bettle Peg. Thank you for joining us, 180 00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:27,360 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me. Thank you