All language subtitles for space.voyages.s01e03.open.for.business.web.h264-underbelly

Narrator: SPACE EXPLORATION
IS ONLY 60 YEARS OLD.

HARD-WON KNOWLEDGE IS STILL
PACKED INTO EVERY LAUNCH.

BUT WHILE WE WERE FIRST PUSHED
BY POLITICS,

NOW SOME ARE MOTIVATED
BY PROFIT.

Man: IT'S MARKET TIME, BABY.

Narrator: SPACE IS NOW OPEN
FOR BUSINESS.

Man: WE'RE GOING TO BREAK OPEN
SPACE LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

Narrator: FOR 30 YEARS, NASA'S
SPACE SHUTTLE BLAZED THE TRAIL.

TODAY PRIVATE COMPANIES
ARE BUILDING

ON ITS CRUCIAL BREAKTHROUGHS.

Man: WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
THOUSANDS,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

EVENTUALLY GOING INTO SPACE
ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

Narrator: AND TAKING LESSONS
FROM ITS CRUSHING LOSSES.

Men: EVERYBODY WAS IN DISBELIEF

THAT IT COULD ACTUALLY FAIL
LIKE THAT.

Narrator: DESPITE THE RISKS,
SPACE TRAVEL PROMISES NEW WAYS

FOR HUMANITY TO EXPLORE
AND EXPLOIT THE COSMOS.

Man: THE MISSIONS
WILL BE ON A SCALE

WHICH I THINK DEFIES IMAGINATION
AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

Narrator: EVERY SPACE MISSION

PROPELS US FURTHER
ON OUR REMARKABLE HUMAN VOYAGE.

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
IS ROARING INTO SPACE.

THE SKY IS NO LONGER THE LIMIT.

COMPANIES ARE INVESTING
BIG MONEY...

BUILDING THEIR OWN ROCKETS
AND ORBITERS...

DEPLOYING COMMERCIAL SATELLITES
TO CONNECT THE ENTIRE GLOBE...

DEVELOPING NEW DRUGS...

PREPARING FOR SPACE TOURISM...

AND PLANNING THE POTENTIAL
FOR THE NEXT GOLD RUSH,

MINING PRECIOUS RESOURCES
ON OTHER PLANETS AND ASTEROIDS.

SPACE IS NOW A QUARTER
OF A TRILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY.

WITH PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
ON BOARD, IT'S GROWING FAST.

Mark Sirangelo: WE'RE SEEING
A SEMINAL CHANGE

WHERE PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING
TO REALIZE

THAT THIS ISN'T JUST A FANTASY,

THERE ARE REAL HARDWARE
BY SERIOUS COMPANIES

THAT WITHIN A FEW YEARS WILL BE
DELIVERING ROUTINE SERVICE

TO LOW EARTH ORBIT
ON A COMMERCIAL BASIS.

Jeff Carr: THERE'S A LOT
OF BUSINESS BEING DISCUSSED NOW.

IT'S A NATURAL REFLECTION
OF WHAT'S HAPPENING

IN THE COMMERCIAL
SPACE INDUSTRY.

IT'S MARKET TIME, BABY.

George Whitesides:
I THINK WHAT DISTINGUISHES

THIS CURRENT SPACE AGE RIGHT NOW

IS FRANKLY THAT A BUNCH OF
VISIONARY, WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS

HAVE DECIDED THAT THEY'RE GOING

TO MAKE BIG INVESTMENTS
INTO SPACE,

AND THAT'S FUELED
THIS RECENT SPURT OF INNOVATION.

Narrator:
THESE WEALTHY INDIVIDUALS

ARE SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
ENTREPRENEURS OF OUR TIME.

AND THEY ARE LAYING
THEIR BIGGEST BETS IN SPACE.

ONE OF THEM IS LAS VEGAS
PROPERTY TYCOON ROBERT BIGELOW.

HE HAS INVESTED A QUARTER
OF A BILLION DOLLARS

IN HIS SPACE HOTEL PROJECT.

TWO OF HIS PROTOTYPE HABITATS
ARE NOW ORBITING THE EARTH.

RICHARD BRANSON'S
VIRGIN GALACTIC

OPERATES PASSENGER AIRCRAFT
FOR TOURIST JOYRIDES INTO SPACE.

AND LEADING THE PACK

IS A 42-YEAR-OLD
DOT-COM BILLIONAIRE.

ELON MUSK, FOUNDER OF PAYPAL,

SOLD HIS STAKE IN THE COMPANY
TO REALIZE HIS DREAM.

Man: AND LAUNCH OF
THE SPACEX FALCON 9 ROCKET.

Narrator: IN 2012
MUSK'S COMPANY SPACEX

BECAME THE FIRST PRIVATE FIRM

TO LAUNCH ITS OWN SPACECRAFT
INTO ORBIT

AND DOCK WITH THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.

[APPLAUSE]

FOR A COMPANY
ONLY TEN YEARS OLD,

IT WAS A STUNNING ACHIEVEMENT.

Alan Bond:
I REALLY ADMIRE THE FACT

THAT HE HAS BROKEN
THE PARADIGM OF HOW LONG

AND HOW EXPENSIVE IT IS
TO DEVELOP LAUNCH VEHICLES.

Bob Crippen: SPACEX
HAS DONE A MARVELOUS JOB

PROVING THAT THEY COULD
TAKE CARGO UP.

I'VE BEEN VERY IMPRESSED

WITH WHAT THEY'VE BEEN
MANAGING TO DO.

Narrator: THE NEW GENERATION
CAN ONLY SUCCEED

IF THEY TACKLE THREE
KEY CHALLENGES OF SPACE FLIGHT:

RELIABLY SAFE LAUNCHES;

SAFE RE-ENTRY AND LANDING
BY REUSABLE VEHICLES;

AND CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
OF HARDWARE IN ORBIT.

SOME 30 YEARS AGO, NASA OVERCAME
THESE INTRICATE CHALLENGES

WITH BIG GOVERNMENT SPENDING.

Carr: WE'RE LEARNING HOW
TO DO IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY,

WE'RE LEARNING HOW TO DO IT
IN AN INNOVATIVE FASHION,

WE'RE LEARNING HOW TO
DO IT FOR A LOT LESS MONEY,

AND WE'RE AT A TIPPING POINT.

THERE HAS NOT BEEN A PERIOD

OF SUCH GREAT OPPORTUNITY
AND INVENTION

SINCE THE VERY EARLY DAYS
OF MERCURY AND GEMINI.

Narrator:
IN FACT THE NEW SPACE AGE
IS FOCUSED ON PROBLEMS

DATING BACK TO THE MERCURY
AND GEMINI PROGRAMS

AS THEY PAVED THE WAY

FOR APOLLO'S HISTORIC
LUNAR LANDINGS.

Neil Armstrong:
THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN...

ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND.

Narrator: AMERICA'S TRIUMPH ON
THE MOON HAD A HEFTY PRICE TAG.

IN TODAY'S MONEY
THIS ACHIEVEMENT COST

OVER $100 BILLION.

Armstrong:
MERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH

FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON,
JULY 1969, A.D.

Narrator: WHEN THE APOLLO
MISSIONS CONCLUDED IN 1972,

NASA NEEDED TO FIND A NEW,
MORE AFFORDABLE WAY

TO CONTINUE EXPLORING SPACE.

Ken Bowersox: THE BIG INNOVATION
THAT PEOPLE WERE LOOKING FOR

WAS REUSABILITY.

IF YOU HAD TO THROW AWAY A 747

EVERY TIME YOU MADE THE TRIP
OVER THE PACIFIC,

IT WOULD BE REALLY EXPENSIVE,

BUT WE DON'T DO THAT.

WE LAND THE AIRPLANE,
WE REFUEL IT,

AND WE FLY IT BACK
WITH ANOTHER LOAD OF PASSENGERS.

Narrator: NASA DECIDED
TO EMULATE THE AIRLINE MODEL:

DESIGN A REUSABLE AIRPLANE
FOR EARTH ORBIT.

THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

Story Musgrove: THE SHUTTLE
WOULD BE SOMETHING

THAT WOULD SATISFY
EVERYONE'S REQUIREMENTS.

IT WOULD BE ALL FOR EVERYBODY,

IT WOULD GO UP AND DOWN
WHENEVER WE WISHED TO SEND IT,

AND SO THAT WOULD TOTALLY
OPEN UP SPACE FLIGHT.

Narrator: NASA'S NEW GOAL
FOR MANNED SPACEFLIGHT

WAS FREQUENCY, NOT DISTANCE.

RATHER THAN SHOOT FOR THE MOON
OR BEYOND,

THEY WANTED TO LAUNCH PEOPLE
AND PAYLOADS INTO EARTH ORBIT

ALMOST AT WILL.

IF WE COULD EXTEND
THE HUMAN INFRASTRUCTURE OUT

A FEW HUNDRED MILES,

SPACE WOULD BECOME
THE NEXT FRONTIER

OF SCIENCE AND BUSINESS.

TO ACHIEVE THIS, THEY SCRAPPED
THE APOLLO MODEL

AND STARTED FROM SCRATCH.

Crippen: TECHNOLOGY-WISE WE WERE
PRESSING THE STATE OF THE ART

QUITE A BIT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT
OF THE SHUTTLE.

Narrator: IN PLACE OF APOLLO'S
THREE-MAN CREW,

THE NEW VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO
CARRY UP TO SEVEN PEOPLE

AND 16 TONS OF CARGO INTO ORBIT.

FULLY LOADED, THE NEW CRAFT
COULD WEIGH 130 TONS,

FAR HEAVIER THAN THE APOLLO
SPACECRAFT'S 80 TONS.

TO LIFT THAT MUCH INTO SPACE

WOULD REQUIRE A NEW TYPE
OF ROCKET HARDWARE.

IN FACT, TWO NEW TYPES.

Crippen: PROBABLY
THE TOUGHEST THING WE DID

WAS THE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES.

Narrator: THREE MAIN ENGINES
WERE THE FIRST NEW TECHNOLOGY.

THEY WERE INSIDE
THE SHUTTLE ITSELF,

PROVIDING SOME OF THE THRUST
NEEDED FOR LAUNCH.

IN STARK CONTRAST TO APOLLO'S
DISPOSABLE LAUNCH SYSTEM,

THIS ONE WOULD BE REUSABLE.

Crippen: FOR THEIR SIZE
AND WEIGHT,

THEY PUT OUT A LOT OF POWER,
AND WE HAD A LOT OF FAILURES.

Musgrove: IT WAS JUST
MORE DIFFICULT THAN WE THOUGHT.

Narrator: NASA FINALLY GOT
THE SHUTTLE MAIN ENGINES

TO FIRE AS PLANNED,

BUT IT TOOK A YEAR LONGER
THAN THE SCHEDULE HAD ALLOWED.

THE SECOND NEW ROCKETS
WERE SOLID BOOSTERS,

ONE STRAPPED TO EACH SIDE
OF THE SHUTTLE.

EACH WOULD DELIVER
3 MILLION POUNDS OF THRUST.

ASIDE FROM DELIVERING
MASSIVE POWER,

THESE ROCKETS WERE DESIGNED
TO SAVE MONEY.

AFTER LAUNCH
THEY COULD BE RECOVERED

AND REFURBISHED TO FLY AGAIN.

OVER 30 YEARS LATER,
SPACECRAFT DESIGNERS

ARE PUSHING REUSABILITY
TO WHOLE NEW LEVELS

IN SEARCH OF THE NEXT
BIG BREAKTHROUGH.

Bond: ONE OF THE PROBLEMS OF
THE WAY THAT WE GET INTO SPACE

AT THE MOMENT
WITH EXPENDABLE ROCKETS

DERIVED FROM COLD WAR TECHNOLOGY

IS THAT IT'S VERY CUMBERSOME
AND IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE.

Narrator: THE NEW SKYLON
SPACECRAFT DESIGN

ELIMINATES EXPENSIVE
BOOSTER ROCKETS ALTOGETHER.

IT WILL LAUNCH LIKE AN AIRPLANE,
USING ADVANCED JET ENGINES

ON THE FIRST LEG
OF ITS TRIP TO SPACE.

THEIR ENGINE IS CALLED SABRE.

Richard Varvill: THE SABRE
ENGINE IS A HYBRID ENGINE.

AT LOW SPEED IT USES AIR

INSTEAD OF LIQUID OXYGEN
WITH LIQUID HYDROGEN.

AND THAT TAKES YOU
UP TO MACH FIVE.

Narrator:
AT VELOCITIES THIS GREAT,

AIR IS TOO HOT
FOR JET ENGINES TO USE.

SKYLON'S UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY
COOLS THAT AIR

IN A FRACTION OF A SECOND

SO ITS ENGINES CAN WORK,

TAKING THE PLANE
TO THE EDGE OF SPACE.

AT THAT POINT,
SKLYON'S ENGINES TRANSFORM.

Varvill: BEYOND MACH FIVE

THE AIR-BREATHING EQUIPMENT
SHUTS DOWN, AND WE REVERT

TO A STATE-OF-THE-ART
ROCKET ENGINE,

WHICH IS THEN ABLE
TO TAKE YOU ON INTO ORBIT.

SO EFFECTIVELY WE'VE GOT
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS.

Narrator: SABRE IS CURRENTLY
IN TESTING.

IF IT WORKS, IT MIGHT BE
AN EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL WAY

TO GET INTO ORBIT.

BUT GETTING UP THERE
IS ONLY HALF THE CHALLENGE.

RETURNING TO EARTH SAFELY
IN A LARGE, REUSABLE SPACECRAFT

IS JUST AS TRICKY.

BACK IN THE 1970s
THIS RETURN JOURNEY

POSED ONE OF NASA'S
GREATEST CHALLENGES...

TO FLY A WINGED SPACECRAFT

TEN TIMES HEAVIER THAN ANYTHING
THAT HAD COME BEFORE IT

SAFELY BACK TO EARTH.

AN ORBITING SPACECRAFT IS
TRAVELING 17,500 MILES PER HOUR.

TO GET BACK TO EARTH,
IT MUST PASS

THROUGH AN ATMOSPHERE
THICK WITH MOLECULES.

THE FRICTION OF THESE MOLECULES
HELP SLOW DOWN THE SPACECRAFT,

BUT THE SIDE EFFECT
IS EXTREME HEAT.

AND THE HEAVIER THE SPACECRAFT,
THE HOTTER IT BECOMES.

ALL PREVIOUS SPACE VOYAGES WERE
TAKEN IN SINGLE-USE VEHICLES,

EFFECTIVELY DESTROYED
BY THEIR RE-ENTRY.

THE SHUTTLE AND ITS HEAT SHIELD

WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THE TRIP
COUNTLESS TIMES.

NASA'S SOLUTION WAS A CARPET
OF HEATPROOF TILES.

Crippen: IF YOU PICK UP
A SHUTTLE TILE,

IT'S ABOUT LIKE THE CONSISTENCY
OF STYROFOAM.

BASICALLY IT'S GLASS,

SILICA FIBERS THAT THEY LEARNED
TO SUSPEND IN A FLUID

AND THEN BAKE THE FLUID OUT,

AND IT'S REMARKABLE, YOU CAN
HOLD A TILE IN YOUR HAND

AND TAKE A BLOWTORCH
ON THIS SIDE AND PUT IT ON

AND YOU WON'T FEEL IT AT ALL.

Narrator: BUT WHILE THE TILES
DID THE JOB,

THEY WERE FRAGILE, EXPENSIVE,
AND HARD TO WORK WITH.

THE ENGINEERS
OF TODAY'S PRIVATE SPACESHIPS

FACE THE SAME RE-ENTRY PROBLEM.

BUT THE LESSONS OF THE SHUTTLE

AND THE ADVANCEMENT
OF TECHNOLOGY

ARE HELPING THEM SOLVE IT.

THE DREAMCHASER TEAM HAS
MORE THAN ONE SOLUTION.

Sirangelo: OUR TILE SYSTEM
THAT WE'RE USING

IS THE LATEST GENERATION
OF THE HEAT SHIELD TILES.

WE'VE DESIGNED WHAT'S CALLED
ABLATIVE MATERIALS,

OR COATINGS THAT GO
OVER THE TILES,

AND IT'S NOW HUNDREDS OF PERCENT
TOUGHER THAN IT WAS BEFORE.

Narrator: THEY HAVE ALSO BUILT
A SMALLER VEHICLE.

IT HAS 1/17 THE SURFACE AREA
THE SHUTTLE DID,

MAKING IT MUCH EASIER
TO MAINTAIN,

BUT IT CAN ONLY CARRY CREW
AND SMALL PAYLOADS INTO SPACE.

SKYLON ADDRESSES THE RE-ENTRY
PROBLEM DIFFERENTLY.

CARRYING ITS FUEL INTERNALLY

REQUIRES THAT IT BE
A LARGE CRAFT.

BUT FOR RE-ENTRY
WITH TANKS EMPTY,

THIS MEANS IT'S LIGHT
FOR ITS SIZE.

Mark Hempsell: IF YOU COMPARE
SKYLON WITH THE SHUTTLE,

THE BIG DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE
FUEL TANK'S INSIDE THE VEHICLE,

AND THAT MAKES IT
MUCH LESS DENSE,

SO IT MEANS THAT THE RE-ENTRY
PROCESS IS GENTLER;

YOU DON'T HAVE
QUITE SUCH FIERCE HEATING.

Narrator:
THIS LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN
ALLOWS FOR COOLER RE-ENTRY,

SO SKYLON DOESN'T NEED
THE COMPLEX THERMAL TILE SYSTEM

THAT PROTECTED
THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

IN THE '70s, PROBLEMS
WITH THE SHUTTLE'S HEAT SHIELD

SLOWED PROGRESS.

WHILE THEY HAD FOUND
THE RIGHT MATERIAL FOR THE JOB,

NASA FOUND ATTACHING IT
TO THE SPACECRAFT

FAR MORE INTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE
THAN THEY IMAGINED.

TWO YEARS BEHIND SCHEDULE
AND $6 BILLION OVER BUDGET,

THE FIRST SHUTTLE IS PREPARED
FOR LAUNCH ON APRIL 12, 1981.

Musgrove: THESE KINDS OF THINGS
YOU CAN ONLY TEST SO FAR.

YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HAVE
SOME WIND TUNNEL.

WELL, THAT'S FINE, BUT WE DON'T
HAVE MACH 25 WIND TUNNELS.

THE KIND OF STUFF WE DID,

IT HAD TO BE TESTED
BY FLYING IT.

Narrator: IN OTHER WORDS,

ASTRONAUTS BOB CRIPPEN
AND JOHN YOUNG

ARE TRUSTING THEIR LIVES
TO THEORETICAL TECHNOLOGY.

Bowersox: I REMEMBER THINKING

THAT THOSE GUYS SITTING
ON THE TOP OF THE ROCKET

MUST BE NUTS.

Crippen: THEY DID CONSIDER
WHETHER THEY SHOULD TRY

TO FLY IT UNMANNED
THE FIRST TIME,

AND JOHN AND I LOBBIED VERY HARD

THAT WE OUGHT TO BE ON BOARD
THE FIRST FLIGHT,

AND MANAGEMENT, THANK GOODNESS,
AGREED WITH THAT,

BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOUGH
TO TRY TO FLY IT UNMANNED...

NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT TOUGH.

Narrator: AFTER A DECADE
OF DEVELOPMENT,

THE MOMENT CAPTIVATES A NATION

HUNGRY FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE
IN SPACE.

Crippen: IT WAS ONLY
WHEN THE COUNT GOT DOWN

INSIDE OF ONE MINUTE

I TURNED TO JOHN AND SAID
I THINK WE MIGHT DO IT.

Man: STAND BY
FOR ABORT ADVISORY.

Narrator: AT EXACTLY 7 O'CLOCK
IN THE MORNING,

THOUSANDS OF ONLOOKERS
HEAR THE SHUTTLE'S ROAR

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Man: FLIGHT LIFTOFF CONFIRMED.

ROGER, ROLL.

Crippen: THE LAUNCH WAS GREAT,

YOU KNOW, IT LASTS
8 AND A HALF MINUTES

WHILE THE MAIN ENGINES
ARE BURNING,

AND THAT SEEMED LIKE IT WAS
LESS THAN A MINUTE TO ME.

Jay Barbree: FOR SIX YEARS
THERE'D BEEN NO FLIGHT,

SO EVERYBODY CAME DOWN.

IT WAS LIKE AS MANY PEOPLE
AS THERE WERE HERE

FOR THE MOON LAUNCHES.

Bowersox: IT WAS THE MISSION
OF THE CENTURY FOR A TEST PILOT.

Narrator: ON THIS DAY, THE MOST
COMPLICATED SPACESHIP EVER BUILT

PERFORMS FLAWLESSLY.

Musgrove: ALL THE STUFF THAT HAD
TO COME TOGETHER WORKED,

BUT, YOU KNOW,
AMERICAN ENGINEERING

IS ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.

WE WERE ABLE TO PULL

THIS MASSIVELY DIFFICULT
PROGRAM TOGETHER.

Narrator: NASA BUILT FIVE
SPACE SHUTTLES IN THE 1980s,

AND THEY FLEW
INTO THE 21st CENTURY.

THEY DEPLOYED
BREAKTHROUGH SATELLITES,

CONTRIBUTED TO BIOLOGICAL
AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES

WITH ZERO G EXPERIMENTS,

AND TAUGHT HUMANS HOW TO LIVE
AND WORK IN SPACE.

ONE INNOVATION SEEMED
RIGHT OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION...

THE MANNED MANEUVERING UNIT,
OR MMU.

Amy Ross: THE MMU'S PURPOSE
WAS TO ALLOW THE CREW MEMBER

MOBILITY TO GO RESCUE
A SATELLITE

OR DO VARIOUS JOBS
FROM THE SHUTTLE.

IT WAS YOUR JET PACK.

Narrator: IN 1984,
ASTRONAUT BRUCE McCANDLESS

TOOK THE MMU
ON ITS FIRST TEST DRIVE.

Bowersox: I THINK A LOT OF US
WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HAD

THAT OPPORTUNITY TO FLY
ON THAT MISSION.

Narrator: COMPLETELY UNTETHERED
189 MILES ABOVE EARTH,

McCANDLESS FLOATED AWAY
FROM THE SPACECRAFT.

HIS COLLEAGUES
ABOARD THE SHUTTLE

KEPT A KEEN EYE ON HIM.

Vance Brand: EVERYONE HAD
THOUGHT OUT EMERGENCY SCENARIOS,

SO WE WERE KEEPING OUR RADAR
TRAINED ON HIM

AND OUR NOSES WERE
UP TO THE WINDOW, WATCHING.

BRUCE McCANDLESS WENT OUT,

FLYING OUT WITH HIS
BUCK ROGERS-TYPE BACKPACK,

A HUNDRED METERS OUT
FROM THE SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: McCANDLESS FLOATED
ALONE IN SPACE ALMOST SIX HOURS

AND CAPTURED IMAGINATIONS
BACK ON EARTH.

Bowersox: THE PICTURE'S ICONIC

BECAUSE IT SHOWS A HUMAN
FLOATING IN SPACE, RIGHT,

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT,

HE'S REALLY IN HIS OWN
LITTLE SPACESHIP.

Narrator:
THE EXPERIMENTAL MMU EVOLVED
INTO A MUCH SMALLER DEVICE,

NOW BUILT INTO EVERY
NASA SPACESUIT:

SIMPLIFIED AID FOR
E.V.A. RESCUE.

ALSO KNOWN AS "SAFER."

Ross: THE SAFER
BUILT ON THAT TECHNOLOGY

AND THAT PROVEN CONCEPT,

BUT IT REALLY HAD
A DIFFERENT JOB.

ITS JOB IS IF I GET SO FAR AWAY
FROM MY VEHICLE

MY VEHICLE CANNOT COME GET ME,

SO THE SAFER IS MY PUSH BACK
TOWARD WHERE I NEED TO BE.

Narrator:
IT IS EVERY SPACE WALKER'S
EMERGENCY LIFE JACKET.

IN THE MID 1980s,
THE SHUTTLE STAYED ON A ROLL.

WITH LAUNCHES
ALMOST EVERY MONTH,

IT WAS BEGINNING TO MAKE
SPACE TRAVEL LOOK ROUTINE.

Bowersox: PEOPLE HAD KIND OF
GOTTEN TO THE IMPRESSION

THAT THE SHUTTLE
WAS BULLETPROOF

AND WE DIDN'T REALLY NEED
TO WORRY.

Kathy Thornton: IT DID SEEM
ROUTINE, I THINK, TO THE PUBLIC

BECAUSE WE WERE LAUNCHING IT
10 TIMES A YEAR,

AND SO IT WASN'T AS MUCH
OF A FASCINATION

BECAUSE THEY EXPECTED SUCCESS.

THEY EXPECTED EVERY MISSION
TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

Narrator: SO MUCH SO
THAT IN A FORESHADOWING

OF TODAY'S
COMMERCIAL SPACE ENDEAVORS,

NASA BEGAN TO THINK IT WAS TIME
TO OPEN UP SPACE TO CIVILIANS.

IN 1984 THEY DECIDED TO BRING
THE SHUTTLE INTO THE CLASSROOM.

A TEACHER WILL BE SELECTED
TO FLY INTO ORBIT

AND BEAM LIVE LESSONS ABOUT
SPACE TO AMERICA'S STUDENTS.

OUT OF THOUSANDS OF APPLICANTS,

NASA CHOSE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
CHRISTA McAULIFFE.

Musgrove: WELL, I THOUGHT IT WAS
A MARVELOUS THING TO DO.

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PEOPLE
OTHER THAN JUST PLAIN ASTRONAUTS

TO EXPERIENCE SPACE FLIGHT

AND TO COMMUNICATE IT
IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

BUT ESPECIALLY TEACHERS,

WITH THE IDENTIFICATION
THAT CHILDREN HAVE,

MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF KIDS,
"THAT'S MY TEACHER."

Narrator:
ENTHUSIASTIC AND CHARMING

THROUGHOUT HER FOUR-MONTH
SPACE TRAINING PROGRAM,

McAULIFFE BECAME
A FAVORITE NATIONAL FIGURE.

Announcer: THIS IS
SHUTTLE LAUNCH CONTROL

AT T MINUS 2 HOURS 28 MINUTES
AND COUNTING.

HERE COMES THE 51-L FLIGHT CREW.

Narrator:
McAULIFFE'S MISSION LAUNCHED
ON THE SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER

IN JANUARY 1986.

AN UNCOMMONLY FROSTY
WINTER NIGHT IN FLORIDA

PRECEDED THE MORNING'S LAUNCH,

BUT IT WENT AHEAD,
TWO HOURS AFTER SCHEDULED.

WITH McAULIFFE'S PARENTS
AT THE LAUNCH

AND MANY CLASSROOMS ACROSS
THE U.S.A. WATCHING LIVE,

THE AIR OF EXCITEMENT
WAS UNUSUALLY HIGH.

Mission Control:
T MINUS 10, 9, 8, 7, 6...

WE HAVE MAIN ENGINES START...
4, 3, 2, 1.

AND LIFTOFF, LIFTOFF OF THE 25th
SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION,

AND IT HAS CLEARED THE TOWER.

ROGER, ROLL, CHALLENGER...

GOOD ROLL PROGRAM CONFIRMED.

CHALLENGER NOW HEADING
DOWN RANGE.

ENGINES AT 65%.

THREE ENGINES RUNNING NORMALLY.

THREE GOOD FUEL CELLS.

THREE GOOD APUs.

VELOCITY 2257 FEET PER SECOND.

ALTITUDE 4.3 NAUTICAL MILES.

DOWNRANGE DISTANCE
3 NAUTICAL MILES.

ENGINES THROTTLING UP,
3 ENGINES NOW AT 104%.

CHALLENGER, GO WITH THROTTLE UP.

Astronaut: ROGER,
GO WITH THROTTLE UP.

[CROWD SCREAMING]

Mission Control:
WE HAVE A REPORT FROM
THE FLIGHT DYNAMICS OFFICER

THAT THE VEHICLE HAS EXPLODED.

FLIGHT DIRECTOR CONFIRMS THAT.

WE ARE LOOKING AT CHECKING
WITH THE RECOVERY FORCES

TO SEE WHAT CAN BE DONE
AT THIS POINT.

Crippen:
EVERYBODY WAS IN DISBELIEF

THAT IT COULD ACTUALLY FAIL
LIKE THAT...

THE FACT THAT IT HAD
TORN UP LIKE THAT

AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE

WAS SOMETHING THAT UPSET ME
QUITE A BIT.

Mission Control: CONTINGENCY
PROCEDURES ARE IN EFFECT.

WE WILL REPORT MORE AS WE HAVE
INFORMATION AVAILABLE.

AGAIN, TO REPEAT THAT
THE VEHICLE HAS EXPLODED.

WE ARE NOW AWAITING WORD
FROM ANY RECOVERY FORCES

IN THE DOWNRANGE FIELD.

Musgrove:
WELL, IT STARTS OUT AS GRIEF

BECAUSE YOU LOST
YOUR COLLEAGUES,

BUT VERY SHORTLY
IT TURNS TO ANGER,

AND THAT'S WHERE IT STAYS.

ANGER.

Ronald Reagan: THIS IS TRULY
A NATIONAL LOSS.

WE WILL NEVER FORGET THEM

NOR THE LAST TIME WE SAW THEM,
THIS MORNING,

AS THEY PREPARED FOR THEIR
JOURNEY AND WAVED GOODBYE

AND SLIPPED
THE SURLY BONDS OF EARTH

TO TOUCH THE FACE OF GOD.

Narrator:
IT TOOK MONTHS FOR NASA

TO UNCOVER THE CAUSE
OF THE TRAGEDY.

FOUND TO BE AT FAULT,

NASA WAS GROUNDED
FOR OVER A YEAR.

THE SHUTTLE PROGRAM
RECEIVED AN OVERHAUL,

INCLUDING NEW
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES.

Bowersox: TO ME, I MEAN,
AS PAINFUL AS THOSE LOSSES ARE,

THE PROGRAM IS STILL IMPORTANT,
IT'S STILL SIGNIFICANT,

AND FOR ME I STILL WANTED
TO BE PART OF IT.

Crippen: THERE WAS A BIG FOCUS
TO GO OUT

AND REALLY UNDERSTAND
THE PROBLEM

SO WE COULD CORRECT IT,

AND I FELT VERY STRONGLY

THAT THAT'S WHAT THE CREW
WOULD HAVE WANTED US TO DO,

AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE ALL
SET ABOUT DOING.

Narrator: NEARLY 30 YEARS LATER,
LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE TRAGEDY

STILL INFORM SPACECRAFT DESIGN
AND OPERATION,

TO NEVER UNDERESTIMATE
THE RISKS,

NO MATTER HOW OFTEN WE FLY.

John Mulholland:
THIS BUSINESS CAN NEVER BE
CONSIDERED COMMONPLACE.

IT WILL BE A LONG TIME

BEFORE ANY OF US ARE COMFORTABLE
CALLING IT ROUTINE.

SO IN OUR DESIGN WE WILL HAVE
CONTINUOUS ABORT COVERAGE

ALL THE WAY THROUGH
THE ASCENT PHASE.

WE WON'T HAVE WHAT THEY CALL
ANY BLACK ZONES,

WHICH ARE AREAS WHERE YOU DON'T
HAVE ABORT CAPABILITY.

SO THAT WILL ADD ANOTHER HUGE
LAYER OF SAFETY ON OUR DESIGN.

Varvill: SKYLON HAS
MORE TYPICAL ABORT MODES

OF THOSE OF AN AEROPLANE.

SO FOR EXAMPLE,
IF WE HAVE A PROBLEM

WITH ONE OF THE ENGINES,

WE CAN SHUT THAT ENGINE DOWN,

AND THE VEHICLE
CAN THEN BE SAFELY FLOWN

BACK TO THE LAUNCH SITE.

SO STRAIGHT AWAY THE SAFETY
OF THE VEHICLE IS GOING TO BE UP

BY A FACTOR OF A HUNDRED OR SO,

COMPARED
TO AN EXPENDABLE ROCKET.

Sirangelo: TECHNOLOGY DESIGN
IS NOW SO MUCH BETTER,

AND THE SYSTEMS
THAT WE ARE USING NOW

ARE SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER
AND FAR SAFER

THAN THEY EVER HAVE BEEN.

Narrator: SAFE ENOUGH, SOME SAY,

THAT THEY ARE WILLING
TO TAKE ANYBODY INTO SPACE.

WELCOME TO SPACE TOURISM,

AS ENVISIONED
BY VIRGIN GALACTIC.

Whitesides: OUR VEHICLE
HOLDS EIGHT PEOPLE...

TWO PILOTS AND SIX PASSENGERS,

OR ASTRONAUTS,
AS WE LIKE TO CALL THEM,

AND SO YOU'LL BE
IN THREE ROWS OF TWO.

EVERYBODY'S GOT A WINDOW SEAT,

AND THEN WHEN YOU GET UP
INTO SPACE,

YOU'LL BE ABLE TO UNBUCKLE
YOUR SEATBELT

AND FLOAT AROUND THE CABIN

AND EXPERIENCE THE AMAZING VISTA

OF, YOU KNOW,
THE EARTH FROM SPACE.

Narrator: NOW IN ITS FINAL STAGE
OF TESTING,

SPACESHIP TWO IS ALREADY BOOKED

TO CARRY MORE THAN 500 TOURISTS
TO SPACE IN ITS FIRST YEAR.

Whitesides: WE'RE GOING TO BREAK
OPEN SPACE LIKE NEVER BEFORE,

SO YOU KNOW,
WHEREAS IT'S BEEN THE REALM

OF MAYBE TEN PEOPLE A YEAR
OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW,

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THOUSANDS,
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE

EVENTUALLY GOING INTO SPACE
ON AN ANNUAL BASIS.

Narrator: ANOTHER COMPANY
IS ALREADY COMPETING

WITH VIRGIN GALACTIC.

Andrew Nelson: SO THE LYNX
IS A SUBORBITAL SPACE PLANE,

AND WE'RE OFFERING A FLIGHT
TO SPACE AND BACK.

YOU WILL DEFINITELY
FEEL WEIGHTLESSNESS

FOR 6 TO 7 MINUTES.

YOUR ARMS ARE GONNA FLOAT UP,

YOU'RE GONNA FEEL THAT,
YOU KNOW, FREEFALL.

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT FIND IT
TERRIFYING,

BUT THAT'S... HUMANS
LOVE TO SCARE OURSELVES.

AND THAT'S WHY IT'S EXCITING.

Narrator: SHORT RIDES
BY SPACE TOURISTS

ARE A SMALL FRACTION
OF POTENTIAL SPACE BUSINESS.

THE REAL MONEY LIES
IN COLONIZING SPACE

WITH BUILDINGS AND MACHINERY.

HERE, TOO, NASA PAVED THE WAY.

IN 1988, THE SHUTTLE
WAS CLEARED TO FLY AGAIN.

Musgrove:
AS DIFFICULT AS IT WAS,

I THINK THE DIFFICULTY
MADE US GOOD.

Narrator: THE SHUTTLE WAS BACK,
AND AMERICA WELCOMED IT.

Barbree: IT WAS THE BEGINNING
OF US GETTING BACK INTO SPACE.

Narrator:
THE SHUTTLE WAS BACK IN ORBIT.

SOON IT WOULD EMBARK
ON ITS MOST FAMOUS MISSION EVER:

THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE.

Musgrove: PEOPLE WERE
FANTASTICALLY EXCITED

ABOUT HUBBLE.

Neal: THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
WAS HERALDED

AS BEING THE FINEST
TELESCOPE EVER

AND WOULD BE AN INSTRUMENT

THAT WOULD TAKE US BACK
TO THE BEGINNING OF TIME.

Narrator: WITHOUT THE EARTH'S
BLURRY ATMOSPHERE IN THE WAY,

AN ORBITAL TELESCOPE WOULD HAVE

A CLEAR, UNBLINKING VIEW
OF THE COSMOS.

IN APRIL 1990,
SPACE SHUTTLE DISCOVERY

FERRIED THE $1.5 BILLION
TELESCOPE TO ITS NEW PERCH

380 MILES UP,
AND GENTLY LET IT GO.

ASTRONOMERS ON THE GROUND

EAGERLY AWAITED
THE FIRST PICTURES.

Musgrove: SO I WAS
IN MISSION CONTROL

FOR THE CARRY UP AND DEPLOYMENT,

AND THINGS STARTED TO GO BADLY.

Neal: WELL, THE FIRST IMAGES
THAT WERE RECEIVED

PROVED TO BE A LITTLE BIT FOGGY
AND BLURRY,

AND IMMEDIATELY PEOPLE KNEW
SOMETHING WAS WRONG.

Narrator: NONE OF HUBBLE'S
PICTURES WERE SHOWING.

THE SCIENTISTS DEDUCED
IT HAD A TECHNICAL FAULT

IN THE TELESCOPE.

Thornton: IT WAS DISCOVERED
THERE WAS A PROBLEM

WITH THE PRIMARY MIRROR.

IT WAS TOO FLAT BY JUST
THE TINIEST LITTLE BIT,

BUT ENOUGH THAT IT
COULDN'T LIVE UP

TO THE ENORMOUS EXPECTATIONS

THAT WE ALL HAD
FOR THAT INSTRUMENT.

Musgrove: IT'S WORSE
THAN EMBARRASSING,

IT'S JUST FRIGHTENING.

Narrator: THE TINIEST FLAW
HAD BECOME A HUGE PROBLEM,

NOT JUST FOR HUBBLE
BUT FOR NASA.

Man: I DON'T KNOW
EXACTLY WHO TO ASK!

WHAT MIGHT HAVE
MADE THIS HAPPEN?

Man: SOMEWHERE IN THIS CHAIN,

A VERY COMPLICATED
CHAIN OF EVENTS,

THERE WAS A MISTAKE
OR AN ERROR MADE SOMEWHERE

THAT RESULTED THEN IN THE MIRROR
BEING VERY PRECISELY MADE,

BUT ULTIMATELY
TO THE WRONG FIGURE.

Narrator: NASA'S CREDIBILITY
WAS IN TATTERS.

THERE WAS ONLY ONE SOLUTION.

REPAIR THE FLAWED OPTICS
IN ORBIT.

SUCH A PROCEDURE
HAD NEVER BEEN UNDERTAKEN.

NOW EVERYONE WAS WATCHING.

Thornton: THERE WERE A LOT
OF INDEPENDENT REVIEW PANELS

THAT WERE LOOKING
OVER OUR SHOULDERS

TO SEE WHAT THE PLAN IS,
MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS DO-ABLE.

Narrator: AND ON TOP OF
THE INFAMOUSLY FLAWED MIRROR,

IT TURNED OUT A NUMBER OF OTHER
SYSTEMS ON THE TELESCOPE

NEEDED ATTENTION.

Musgrove: WHEN THINGS BREAK
RIGHT UP FRONT

IT'S NOT BECAUSE THEY WORE OUT,

IT'S BECAUSE THERE WAS A PROBLEM
IN THE DESIGN.

AND HUBBLE HAD 13 SYSTEMS BROKEN
WHEN I WENT TO FIX IT.

Narrator: IN DECEMBER 1993

HUBBLE'S REPAIR MISSION
LAUNCHED.

THREE DAYS LATER
THEY APPROACHED THE TELESCOPE

AND GRASPED IT WITH
THE SHUTTLE'S ROBOTIC ARM.

Thornton: WE WENT OUT TO REPLACE
THE SOLAR ARRAYS,

AND WHEN WE CAPTURED HUBBLE

WE SAW ONE OF THEM
WAS KIND OF BENT,

AND WHEN WE TRIED
TO RETRACT THEM,

ONE OF THEM WAS NOT
GOING TO RETRACT.

AND SO WE KNEW
BEFORE WE WENT OUT

WE WERE GONNA HAVE TO THROW ONE
OF THE SOLAR ARRAYS OVERBOARD.

Narrator: THE CREW'S FIRST
OF MANY ASSIGNMENTS

WAS TO REPLACE
THE DAMAGED SOLAR PANELS.

Thornton: WE WANTED TO BE SURE

WE COULD SEE WHERE
THE SOLAR ARRAY WENT.

AND SO I WAS JUST HOLDING IT
WAITING FOR THE SUN TO COME UP,

AND IT WOULD JUST SORT OF FLOAT
IN FRONT OF MY FACE,

AND THEN KEN BOWERSOX FIRED
THE REACTION CONTROL JETS,

AND THAT'S WHAT CAUSED
THE SOLAR ARRAY

TO ALMOST BEND OVER DOUBLE.

Musgrove: IT WAS GORGEOUS,
IT WAS JUST,

FLYING BY ITSELF, YOU KNOW.

BUT AS WE FLEW AWAY,

THE LITTLE JETS,
THE PLUME HIT THEM,

SO IT'S, IT'S FLAPPING
LIKE A BIRD OUT THERE,

SO IT'S FLAPPING JUST LIKE THIS,
LIKE A BIRD FLYING OUT THERE.

Thornton: WE COULD HAVE
WATCHED IT FOR HOURS.

Narrator: FOUR DAYS
AND TWO SPACEWALKS LATER,

THORNTON WOULD PERFORM THE MOST
IMPORTANT JOB OF THE MISSION:

CORRECT HUBBLE'S BLURRY VISION
WITH A DEVICE CALLED COSTAR.

Thornton:
COSTAR IS AN INSTRUMENT
THAT CORRECTED ALL THE LIGHT

GOING INTO THE OTHER
THREE INSTRUMENTS

INTO THE BOTTOM PART
OF THE TELESCOPE.

I WAS ON THE END
OF THE MECHANICAL ARM,

AND MY SPACE WALKING PARTNER
TOM AKERS

WAS THE DIRECTOR, ESSENTIALLY.

HE CLIMBED IN THE TELESCOPE

AND WOULD TELL ME
WHICH WAY TO POINT IT

AND MAKE SURE IT WENT IN THERE,

AND WHEN IT GOT IN,
I HELD IT IN PLACE,

AND HE DROVE THE FIRST
OF THE LATCHES CLOSED

SO THAT IT STAYED
WHERE IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE,

AND THEN WE FINISHED THAT OFF.

Narrator:
THE ENTIRE REPAIR CHECKLIST

REQUIRED FIVE DAYS
OF SEVEN-HOUR SPACEWALKS.

AND WHEN THE MISSION
WAS COMPLETE,

NO ONE KNEW FOR SURE IF
THE REPAIRS HAD ACTUALLY WORKED.

Thornton: WE KNEW THAT
THE INSTRUMENTS WERE POWERED UP,

THEY WERE SENDING BACK DATA,

BUT UNTIL THE SPACE TELESCOPE
INSTITUTE COULD CALIBRATE IT

AND MAKE SURE EVERYTHING
WAS WORKING RIGHT,

WE DIDN'T REALLY KNOW
THAT OUR MISSION WAS SUCCESSFUL.

Narrator: IT WAS
A MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR REPAIR

TO A $1.5 BILLION TELESCOPE.

FAILURE WAS UNTHINKABLE.

Neal: THIS WAS KIND
OF THE PRINCIPAL TELESCOPE

OF THE GREAT OBSERVATORIES,

AND IT HAD BEEN SO PRAISED
IN ADVANCE,

AND SO MANY PROMISES
WERE RIDING ON IT.

Narrator: IT TOOK ONE LONG MONTH

TO OPEN HUBBLE'S EYES
AFTER THE SURGERY.

THE PROGNOSIS ARRIVED
WITH THE FIRST PICTURES.

Thornton: AND WE SAW PICTURES
AT THE SAME TIME

EVERYBODY ELSE DID
IN JANUARY OF 1994,

AND THAT'S THE MOMENT WE KNEW

THAT THE MISSION
HAD BEEN SUCCESSFUL.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator:
SINCE THEN, HUBBLE HAS BEEN
THE BIGGEST NAME IN ASTRONOMY,

REVOLUTIONIZING SCIENCE

AND SHOWING US BEAUTIFUL
PICTURES OF THE COSMOS

PREVIOUSLY BEYOND OUR VIEW.

Thornton: I THINK THE HUBBLE

IS PROBABLY THE GREATEST
ACHIEVEMENT IN ASTRONOMY

SINCE GALILEO'S TELESCOPE.

Paul Ceruzzi: THE FACT THAT IT
WAS ABLE TO PEER BACK IN TIME

CLOSE TO THE VERY BEGINNING
OF OUR ORIGINS,

THAT IS JUST
SO EMOTIONALLY POWERFUL.

Narrator:
THE HUBBLE REPAIR MISSION PROVED
THE SPACE SHUTTLE'S CAPABILITY

IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAYS,

TRANSFORMING
A HUGE EMBARRASSMENT FOR NASA.

Neal: THE HUBBLE DEBACLE
PROVED TO BE

ONE OF NASA'S
MOST SHINING HOURS.

THEY SNATCHED VICTORY
FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT.

Musgrove:
IT IS SHUTTLE AT ITS BEST.

IT'S A HUGE SUCCESS.

IT MADE US GOOD.

Thornton:
THIS WAS A DEMONSTRATION

THAT WE COULD ACTUALLY BUILD
AND FIX THINGS IN ORBIT.

Narrator: BUILDING AND FIXING
THINGS IN ORBIT

IS KEY TO THE NEW AGE
OF COMMERCIAL SPACE.

AND NASA,
WITH WORLDWIDE PARTNERS,

PAVED THE WAY BY CONSTRUCTING
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

Mike L

IS THE MOST TECHNICALLY COMPLEX

INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING
MISSION EVER PERFORMED.

FIVE AGENCIES
FROM AROUND THE WORLD

MAKING THINGS
IN DIFFERENT FACTORIES

WITH DIFFERENT
MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS

AND PUTTING THEM TOGETHER
IN SPACE,

SO IT'S A REALLY PHENOMENAL
ACCOMPLISHMENT.

Narrator: BEGUN IN 1998,

THE I.S.S. TOOK 13 YEARS
TO BUILD,

BUT ITS LEGACY WILL EXTEND
FAR INTO THE FUTURE.

Bowersox: SOMEDAY HUMANS
WILL LEAVE EARTH FOREVER,

AND THE KNOWLEDGE
THAT WE'RE GAINING NOW

ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION

WILL BE A LARGE PART
OF THE KNOWLEDGE

THAT ENABLES HUMANITY
TO MOVE OUT

AND BECOME
A MULTI-PLANET SPECIES.

Ceruzzi: I THINK ONE
OF THE FUNDAMENTAL LESSONS

IS THE COOPERATION
AMONG NATIONS.

I THINK IF WE'RE EVER GOING
TO GO FAR AWAY FROM THIS PLANET,

WE'D NEED TO HAVE
AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM TO DO IT.

Narrator:
ASTRONAUTS FROM 16 COUNTRIES

HAVE OCCUPIED THE STATION
CONTINUALLY

FOR 12 YEARS AND COUNTING.

IT IS TODAY'S HUB OF HUMANITY
IN SPACE,

AND THE PROVING GROUND FOR NEW
COMMERCIAL SPACE COMPANIES.

PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
HAS NO SHORTAGE

OF GAME-CHANGING IDEAS FOR SPACE

THAT COULD TRANSFORM
HOW WE LIVE ON EARTH.

Paul Spudis: SUPPOSE YOU BUILT
A COMSAT NETWORK

THE SIZE AND THE POWER OF THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

IN ONE FELL SWOOP
YOU WOULD RENDER OBSOLETE

THE ENTIRE TERRESTRIAL
CELL PHONE NETWORK.

YOU WOULD HAVE HIGH SPEED
INTERNET BROADBAND WORLDWIDE.

YOU COULD HAVE 4,000 CHANNELS
OF HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION

ON YOUR iPAD.

IT WOULD LITERALLY REVOLUTIONIZE
GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS.

Narrator: AND WHEN HUMANS
PUSH FARTHER OUT INTO SPACE,

COMPANIES WILL BE READY
TO OFFER SERVICES

THAT COULD DRAMATICALLY CHANGE
SPACE TRAVEL.

Spudis: THE PROBLEM
WITH LOW EARTH ORBIT

IS ONCE YOU GET THERE
IN MOST MODERN ROCKETS

YOUR FUEL TANKS ARE EMPTY.

NOW SUPPOSE INSTEAD
I JUST DEVELOP ROCKETS

THAT ARRIVE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT
WITH EMPTY FUEL TANKS,

BUT THEN THEY CAN GO TO A PLACE
WHERE THEY CAN REFUEL,

WHERE THEY CAN GAS UP AGAIN.

Narrator: ONE COMPANY PLANS
TO LOCATE AND SUPPLY

THAT FUEL IN SPACE.

Bill Stone:
PEOPLE ARE SEEING IT REGULARLY

IN THE WASHINGTON POST,
IN THE NEW YORK TIMES,

ALL OF THE OTHER PAPERS.

THERE'S WATER ON THE MOON.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Spudis: THE COMPONENT GASES
OF WATER... HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN...

WHEN CONVERTED TO A LIQUID FORM

IS THE MOST POWERFUL
CHEMICAL PROPELLANT WE KNOW OF.

IN FACT, THE SPACE SHUTTLE
MAIN ENGINES

USE LIQUID HYDROGEN
AND LIQUID OXYGEN.

Narrator: ONE CORPORATION PLANS
TO MINE THE MOON'S WATER

AND DELIVER IT TO A FUEL STATION
IN EARTH ORBIT.

Stone: IF YOU WORK FROM THE MOON

BY USING VERY CAREFULLY DEFINED
OPTIMIZED PROCEDURES,

YOU CAN REDUCE THE COST

OF GETTING RAW MATERIALS
TO EARTH ORBIT

BY A FACTOR OF UP TO 20-1.

SO IT'S INEVITABLE
THAT IF THE FUEL IS THERE,

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BUY IT.

Bond:
ONCE WE'VE GOT A GOOD TRANSPORT
INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE

AND WE CAN BEGIN TO EXPLOIT
THE RESOURCES OF THE MOON,

THEN BRINGING LUNAR OXYGEN
INTO LOW EARTH ORBIT

TO FUEL ALL OF THE ACTIVITIES,
THAT'S A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH.

THE CONSEQUENCE OF THAT

IS THAT THE MISSIONS
THAT WE CAN CONSIDER

WILL BE ON A SCALE WHICH I THINK
DEFIES IMAGINATION

AT THIS POINT IN TIME.

Narrator: A RESUPPLY STATION
IN EARTH ORBIT

WOULD BE A STEPPING STONE
INTO DEEP SPACE.

Hempsell: LOW EARTH ORBIT
IS THE FIRST STOPPING POINT

YOU HAVE IN SPACE
TO GO ANYWHERE IN SPACE.

THE PROCESS OF GETTING THERE
IS HALF THE JOB

OF GETTING TO ANYWHERE
IN THE UNIVERSE.

Narrator: SEVERAL COMPANIES
ARE ALREADY MARKETING SERVICES

OUTSIDE OUR ORBIT,

INCLUDING MINING FOR PRECIOUS
MINERALS ON NEARBY ASTEROIDS.

AND GOVERNMENT SPACE AGENCIES
AND PRIVATE COMPANIES ALIKE

ARE CURRENTLY DRAWING UP PLANS
FOR TRAVEL TO MARS.

Hempsell: TO GET TO MARS, YOU'RE
GOING TO NEED A SPACECRAFT

IN THE 700-TON REGION.

THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN
LAUNCH THAT IN ONE PIECE,

IT'S GOT TO BE
LAUNCHED IN PIECES,

IT'S GOT TO BE LAUNCHED
COST-EFFECTIVELY.

Narrator:
ONE COMPANY SUGGESTS SENDING
ROBOTS TO BUILD SETTLEMENTS,

SO HUMANS ARRIVE
WITH A PLACE TO STAY.

ALL OF THIS CREATIVITY
IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

CAN BE TRACED BACK TO NASA'S
PEDIGREE OF GROUNDBREAKING WORK.

Stone: NASA HAS SPENT 50 YEARS

INVENTING THE TECHNOLOGIES
THAT NEVER EXISTED BEFORE.

WE ARE THE BENEFICIARIES OF ALL
OF THAT HARD SWEAT AND WORK.

THEY HAVE MADE POSSIBLE

WHAT CAN NOW BE DONE
BY PRIVATE ENTERPRISE,

THAT'S REALLY WHAT THIS
IS ALL ABOUT.

Narrator: BY 2003,
NASA WAS ADVANCING

THOSE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES
LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

THEY HAD COMPLETED
OVER A HUNDRED SHUTTLE MISSIONS.

HUBBLE WAS DELIVERING
IMPORTANT SCIENCE.

THE I.S.S. WAS FULLY FUNCTIONAL
AND GROWING FAST.

Man: THIS IS THE CREW COMING
OUT OF THE CREW QUARTERS.

Narrator: ON JANUARY 16, 2003,
THE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA LAUNCHED

WITH A CREW OF SEVEN
ON A TWO-WEEK SCIENCE MISSION.

Mission Control: WE HAVE
BOOSTER IGNITION AND LIFTOFF

OF SPACE SHUTTLE COLUMBIA

WITH A MULTITUDE OF NATIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL

SPACE RESEARCH EXPERIMENTS.

Man: ROGER, ROLL, COLUMBIA.

COLUMBIA NOW ROLLING
ON TO THE PROPER AZIMUTH

FOR A 39-DEGREE INCLINATION
TO ORBIT.

SHUTTLE IN A HEADS-DOWN,
WINGS-LEVEL POSITION

FOR THE 8 1/2 MINUTE
RIDE TO ORBIT.

Narrator: DURING THEIR MISSION
THEY CHATTED

WITH THEIR ASTRONAUT COLLEAGUE
AND FRIEND KEN BOWERSOX,

WHO WAS ON THE SPACE STATION.

Bowersox:
WE HAD A SORT OF A PUBLIC
TELECONFERENCE WITH THEM

WHERE WE GOT TO TALK
OVER THE RADIO

WITH ONE OF THE SHIFTS
OF STS-107 CREW,

AND IT WAS REALLY NICE TO BE
ABLE TO TALK WITH THEM.

Laurel Clark:
THE FIRST TIME THAT I GOT TO SEE

THE ORBITER AS THE SUN SET,

THE WHOLE PAYLOAD BAY TURNS
THIS BEAUTIFUL ROSY ORANGE PINK.

Bowersox: IT WAS FUNNY,
WE WERE TALKING

ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING,
THE SCIENCE WE WERE DOING,

AND THEN ONE OF
THE CREW MEMBERS CAME UP

AND SAID, HEY, ENOUGH OF THAT,

HOW ARE THE FAMILIES DOING,
HOW ARE YOUR KIDS?

Narrator: A SMOOTH
AND SUCCESSFUL MISSION

WAS COMING TO A CLOSE

AS COLUMBIA APPROACHED
EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

Astronaut: THIS IS AMAZING,

IT'S REALLY GETTING
REALLY BRIGHT OUT THERE.

YEAH, YOU DEFINITELY DON'T WANT
TO BE OUTSIDE NOW.

[LAUGHING]

Mission Control:
COLUMBIA, HOUSTON. COMM CHECK.

COLUMBIA, HOUSTON,
UHF COMM CHECK.

Woman: INFLIGHT, EECOM?
Man: EECOM.

Woman: I'VE GOT
FOUR TEMPERATURE SENSORS

ON THE BOTTOM LINE DATA
THAT ARE OFF SCALE LOW.

Flight: TC, FLIGHT.
TC: FLIGHT, TC.

Flight: LOCK THE DOORS.
TC: COPY.

Flight: NO PHONE CALLS...
OFF SITE...

OUTSIDE OF THIS ROOM.

OUR DISCUSSIONS
ARE ON THESE LOOPS

ON THE RECORDED DVS LOOPS ONLY.

Narrator:
MINUTES LATER, TELEVISION
WAS BROADCASTING THIS IMAGERY

TO A STUNNED AUDIENCE
ACROSS THE NATION.

Bowersox: FOR THE FIRST FEW
HOURS WE WERE HOPING

THAT THEY'D BE ABLE TO FIND
SOMEONE THAT HAD SURVIVED,

AND THEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT
THAT WAS LESS AND LESS LIKELY.

Carr: NASA'S BIGGEST ENEMY
IS THEIR RECORD OF SUCCESS.

THEY MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY.

EVERYONE THAT WORKS
ON A SPACE SHUTTLE KNOWS

THAT EVERY TIME A SPACE SHUTTLE
MAKES IT TO ORBIT

THAT A MINOR MIRACLE
IS TAKING PLACE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
COLLECTED THOUSANDS

OF FRAGMENTS OF DEBRIS

AND SLOWLY PIECED TOGETHER
WHAT HAPPENED.

Barbree: WHEN COLUMBIA
LIFTED OFF,

A CHUNK OF FOAM CAME OFF

AND KNOCKED A HOLE ABOUT
THE SIZE OF A BOWLING BALL

IN THE LEFT WING OF THE SHUTTLE.

Narrator: INSULATION
FROM COLUMBIA'S FUEL TANK

BROKE OFF DURING LAUNCH
AND BOUNCED OFF A WING,

DAMAGING THE SHUTTLE'S
ALL-IMPORTANT HEAT SHIELD.

UPON RE-ENTRY, THE SEARING HEAT
BREACHED THE SHIELD

AND BROKE THE SHUTTLE APART.

Bowersox: ONE OF THE LESSONS
FROM COLUMBIA

WAS SIMILAR TO THE LESSON
ON CHALLENGER.

HUMANS CAN MAKE BAD DECISIONS.

THEY CAN GET COMFORTABLE
WITH RISK,

MAYBE TOO COMFORTABLE WITH RISK.

Barbree: ON COLUMBIA
AGAIN THEY GOT TO THE POINT

THAT THEY WERE OVERCONFIDENT,

AND HAD THEY LOOKED
AND FOUND THAT HOLE IN THE WING,

WHICH THEY HAD 16 DAYS TO DO IT,

THEY COULD HAVE SAVED THIS CREW.

Narrator: ALL SHUTTLES
WERE GROUNDED

FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS
TO OVERHAUL THE ENTIRE PROGRAM.

NASA KNEW THAT TO SUCCEED,

A MILLION THINGS
HAVE TO GO RIGHT.

ONCE AGAIN THEY LEARNED
THAT TO FAIL,

ONLY ONE THING HAS TO GO WRONG.

DESIGNS FOR CURRENT SPACECRAFT

MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE
FOR FUEL TANKS

TO THROW DEBRIS AT THE VEHICLE.

Sirangelo: WE'VE LEARNED
THOSE HARD LESSONS.

WE'RE PUTTING OUR VEHICLE
ON TOP OF THE ROCKET

INSTEAD OF SIDE-MOUNTING IT,

AND MANY OF THE CHALLENGES THAT
CAME OUT OF SHUTTLE PROGRAM

WAS DUE TO ITS HAVING TO BE
SIDE-MOUNTED.

Hempsell:
WE HAVE NOTHING LIKE THAT

BECAUSE THE TANKS
AREN'T ON THE OUTSIDE,

SO THERE IS NOTHING
TO THROW THERMAL INSULATION

OR ANYTHING ELSE
ONTO OUR VEHICLE.

Narrator: NASA RECOVERED
FROM TRAGEDY ONCE MORE,

AND THE SHUTTLES FLEW
UNTIL RETIREMENT IN 2011.

AFTER 30 YEARS OF OPENING
A NEW GATEWAY TO SPACE,

TOUCHDOWN OF THE LAST MISSION
WAS BITTERSWEET.

Announcer: HAVING FIRED
THE IMAGINATION OF A GENERATION,

A SHIP LIKE NO OTHER,
ITS PLACE IN HISTORY SECURED,

THE SPACE SHUTTLE PULLS
INTO PORT FOR THE LAST TIME.

Narrator: WHEN THE NEXT SUCCESS
STORY IS WRITTEN IN SPACE,

IT WILL OWE A LOT TO THE LIFE
AND LESSONS OF THE SHUTTLE.

Mulholland: WE WOULDN'T BE
ANYWHERE NEAR WHERE WE ARE

WITHOUT THE SPACE SHUTTLE
PROGRAM.

IT REALLY REVOLUTIONIZED
HOW WE OPERATE

AND HAD JUST AN AMAZING CAREER

AND WILL LEAVE BEHIND
AN AMAZING LEGACY.

Narrator: THE LEGACY IS THIS:

SPACE IS NO LONGER
JUST FOR GOVERNMENTS.

LITTLE COMPANIES WITH BIG IDEAS

ARE SEEDING THE FUTURE
WITH COMPETITIVE DRIVE.

IT'S A NEW SPACE RACE,
WITH UNLIMITED PARTICIPANTS.

AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT SPACE
IS BIG ENOUGH FOR ALL OF THEM.

Whitesides: I REALLY THINK
THAT COMMERCIAL SPACEFLIGHT

WILL DRIVE THE RATE
OF INNOVATION IN SPACE

MUCH, MUCH FASTER
THAN WE'VE SEEN,

AND WE'VE ALREADY SEEN IT
OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS,

YOU KNOW, WITH NOW
MANY DIFFERENT VEHICLES

OUT THERE OPERATING.

Nelson: THESE VEHICLES,
THE ONES THAT WE'RE BUILDING

AND OUR COMPETITORS
ARE BUILDING,

HAVE A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO SHAPE
THE WAY OUR CHILDREN THINK.

TO HAVE THEM EMBRACE,
TRULY EMBRACE

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS.

IF YOU CAN CAPTURE A KID
IN SIXTH GRADE

WITH A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT,

I THINK WE CAN
REALLY CHANGE THE WORLD.

Bowersox: BEING IN SPACE
REALLY MAKES YOU REALIZE

HOW CONNECTED WE ALL ARE.

AND THAT DESPITE OUR DIFFERENCES

IT'S WORTH TAKING
THE TIME TO TALK

AND DEVELOP THE PLAN
TO WORK TOGETHER

AND TO DO SOMETHING THAT GETS US
TO THINK ABOUT SOMETHING BIGGER.