All language subtitles for space.voyages.s01e04.surviving.the.void.web.h264-underbelly

Astronaut: 10, 9, 8...

Narrator:
OUR FIRST STEPS INTO SPACE

WERE LEAPS INTO THE UNKNOWN.

WE KNEW LITTLE
OF WHAT LAY BEYOND THE BLUE.

Man: ROGER,
THE CLOCK IS OPERATING.

WE'RE UNDERWAY.

Narrator: DESPITE
SOME BREATHTAKING SUCCESS,

OUTER SPACE IS STILL THE MOST
HOSTILE PLACE EVER KNOWN.

Astronaut:
HOUSTON, WE'VE HAD A PROBLEM.

Narrator:
BUT WE MAY HAVE TO TAME SPACE

IN ORDER TO SAVE OURSELVES.

Man: THERE IS 100% CERTAINTY
THAT AT SOME FUTURE TIME,

THIS PLANET WILL BE
UNINHABITABLE.

Narrator: ANOTHER PLANET
MAY BE OUR ONLY OPTION.

Man: THE HUMAN RACE
HAS A CHOICE.

IT CAN EITHER SIT HERE

TILL IT BECOMES
THE NEXT GREAT EXTINCTION,

OR WE PRESERVE THE RACE
ELSEWHERE.

Narrator: THIS MAY SEEM LIKE
THE STUFF OF SCIENCE FICTION,

BUT NASA TEAMS ARE BUSY WORKING
TO MAKE IT A REALITY.

JUST ONE BIG HURDLE REMAINS.

Man: THE FRAGILENESS
OF THE HUMAN BODY

IS SOMETHING
THAT WE TAKE WITH US

WHEN WE GO INTO DEEP SPACE.

Narrator: THE QUESTION NOW
IS WHETHER HUMAN INGENUITY

CAN OVERCOME
THE HUMAN BODY'S LIMITATIONS.

NASA HAS AN EPIC NEW CHALLENGE.

President Obama:
BY THE MID-2030s,

I BELIEVE WE CAN SEND HUMANS
TO ORBIT MARS

AND RETURN THEM SAFELY TO EARTH.

AND A LANDING ON MARS
WILL FOLLOW.

AND I EXPECT TO BE
AROUND TO SEE IT.

Narrator:
A TRIP TO MARS IS NO EASY FEAT.

IT'S A 34-MILLION-MILE ODYSSEY

THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENT
THAT WOULD KILL A HUMAN

IN LESS THAN A MINUTE.

Roger Launius: THE REALITY IS

WE CAN BUILD THE TECHNOLOGIES
THAT WE NEED TO GO OTHER PLACES,

BUT THE HUMAN BODY ITSELF

IS THE MOST FRAGILE OF ANY
OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES.

Narrator:
SPACE IS AN INFINITE VACUUM

WITH FATALLY LOW
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE...

AND LETHAL RADIATION LEVELS.

IT SUPPORTS
NO FORMS OF LIFE...

THAT WE KNOW OF.

A TRIP TO MARS

WILL BE THE RISKIEST JOURNEY
WE'VE EVER ATTEMPTED.

Gene Kranz:
WHEN PRESIDENT KENNEDY

ISSUED HIS CHALLENGE
TO GO TO THE MOON,

WE'D NEVER BEEN TO ORBIT,

AND NINE YEARS LATER, WE WERE
ON THE SURFACE OF THE MOON.

RISK IS THE PRICE OF PROGRESS.

Narrator:
REACHING THE MOON,

250,000 MILES AWAY,

WAS AN EPIC ACHIEVEMENT.

BUT MARS IS MORE THAN
100 TIMES FARTHER.

WE'LL NEED SOME HUGE
TECHNOLOGICAL LEAPS

TO GET THERE.

THE CREW MUST ENDURE
THREE YEARS OF MICROGRAVITY

AND ITS IMPACT ON THE BODY:

RADIATION SICKNESS,

MUSCLE AND BONE LOSS.

THEY WILL FACE A PUNISHING ENTRY
THROUGH THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE

TO THEN LAND
ON A DUSTY, STORMY PLANET.

HERE, THEY MUST
EKE OUT AN EXISTENCE,

AND THAT WILL REQUIRE
THE ABILITY TO FUNCTION WELL

IN A TOPSY-TURVY WORLD
OF MICROGRAVITY.

CONQUERING WEIGHTLESSNESS
IS A PRIMARY SURVIVAL SKILL.

Mike Fincke: YOU HAVE TO LEARN
HOW TO MOVE YOUR BODY

TO GET IT IN THE RIGHT SPOT.

FOR EXAMPLE, WE WANT TO PUT
A BOLT INTO A NUT.

WELL, IF YOU TURN THIS DRILL,
BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT IN GRAVITY

AND YOUR FEET
AREN'T ON THE GROUND,

YOU'D SPIN AROUND
MORE THAN THE BOLT WOULD.

Narrator:
OUR FIRST ATTEMPTS TO DO
EVEN SIMPLE THINGS IN SPACE

POSED UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES.

Announcer: LIFT-OFF.

WE HAVE A ROLL PROGRAM
INITIATED.

Narrator: IN 1965,

NASA CHOSE ED WHITE
TO MAKE HISTORY.

AS GEMINI 4 ORBITED EARTH,

HE WAITED FOR THE COMMAND
TO LET GO.

Jim McDivitt:
WELL, THE OBJECT WAS TO
GO OUTSIDE AND COME BACK IN

AND NOT KILL ANYBODY
WHILE WE'RE DOING IT.

HE FLOATED OUT
AND FLOATED AROUND

ON THE END OF HIS TETHER.

Narrator:
AMERICA'S FIRST SPACEWALK
WAS AN UTTER LEAP OF FAITH

THAT THE TETHER WOULD HOLD...

THAT THE OXYGEN SUPPLY
WOULD FUNCTION PROPERLY...

AND THAT EVERY SINGLE ELEMENT
OF HIS SPACESUIT...

EVERY LAYER, EVERY SEAL...

WOULD KEEP WHITE ALIVE.

IF IT FAILED, HE'D LOSE
CONSCIOUSNESS IN 15 SECONDS.

WITHIN A MINUTE, THE ATMOSPHERIC
PRESSURE WOULD BOIL HIS BLOOD.

Cathleen Lewis: GEMINI SUITS
WERE REALLY THAT FIRST FORAY

IN DESIGNING A SUIT

THAT PURPOSELY FUNCTIONED
OUTSIDE A SPACECRAFT.

THEY WERE DESIGNED TO PROTECT
AGAINST RADIATION

AND ALSO GREAT FLUCTUATIONS
IN TEMPERATURE.

Narrator:
ALL OF THAT ESSENTIAL PROTECTION

ADDED UP TO SOME 34 POUNDS OF
BULKY AND RESTRICTIVE LAYERS.

McDivitt: THE GEMINI SPACESUIT,

WHEN IT WAS INFLATED,
IT WAS IN ONE POSITION.

TO MOVE YOUR ARMS OR ANYTHING,

YOU HAD TO BEND THIS KNIT TUBE
THAT YOUR ARM OR LEG WAS IN.

Narrator: FOR TWENTY
EXHILARATING MINUTES IN 1965,

ED WHITE'S SUIT DID ITS JOB.

Narrator: NASA THOUGHT THEY'D
CRACKED THE ART OF SPACEWALKING.

Kranz: WE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION

THAT SPACEWALKING
WAS A VERY NATURAL PROCESS.

THE CREW ADAPTED
VERY EASILY AND VERY WELL.

Narrator: BUT ASTRONAUTS
NEEDED TO WORK IN SPACE,

NOT JUST FLOAT IN IT.

SO NASA GAVE
THE NEXT GEMINI SPACEWALKERS

SIMPLE JOBS
TO PUSH THE ENVELOPE.

AND SPACE, QUITE LITERALLY,
PUSHED BACK.

Launius:
DURING GENE CERNAN'S SPACEWALK,

HE WAS OVERCOMPENSATING
FOR HIS MOVEMENTS,

HE THRASHED AROUND
IN THE WEIGHTLESS ENVIRONMENT,

COULDN'T GET TO WHERE
HE NEEDED TO GET,

AND CAME CLOSE TO PASSING OUT.

Narrator:
OVER THE NEXT 18 MONTHS,

TWO MORE ASTRONAUTS
STRUGGLED AND FAILED.

Lovell:
EVERY TIME SOMEONE GOT OUT,
THEY SEEMED TO FIGHT THE OUTSIDE

AND EVERY TIME
THEY WENT TO THE SPACECRAFT,

IT SEEMED TO REPEL THEM.

AND FINALLY WE ALL FORGOT
NEWTON'S THIRD LAW OF MOTION:

TO EVERY ACTION

THERE IS AN OPPOSITE
AND EQUAL REACTION.

Narrator:
WHAT NASA FAILED TO REALIZE

WAS THAT IF AN ASTRONAUT
TOUCHES ANYTHING IN SPACE,

IT WILL PUSH HIM
IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION.

THE SOLUTION
WAS TO TRAIN UNDERWATER,

AND ROOKIE ASTRONAUT BUZZ ALDRIN
TOOK THE PLUNGE.

Lovell: WE HAD BUZZ ALDRIN
PUT ON A SPACESUIT,

AND WE PUT WEIGHTS
AROUND HIS WAIST

TO MAKE HIM NEUTRALLY BUOYANT,

AND THEN WE BUILT A SERIES
OF FOOTHOLDS AND HANDHOLDS

ON THE MOCK UP,

AND HE THEN TRIED TO SEE

HOW HE COULD WORK COMFORTABLY
OUTSIDE THE SPACECRAFT.

Narrator: NOVEMBER 11, 1966.

ALDRIN MAKES A LAST-DITCH EFFORT
ON GEMINI 12.

IT'S THE FINAL GEMINI MISSION,
AND THE PRESSURE IS ON.

NO SUCCESSFUL SPACEWALK,

NO MOONWALK
BY THE END OF THE DECADE.

BUT WITH HOURS OF NEUTRAL
BUOYANCY TRAINING BEHIND HIM,

ALDRIN MAKES IT LOOK EASY.

Buzz Aldrin:
IT WAS A KIND OF SIMPLE-MINDED

"MONKEY, DO THIS
AND SCREW THIS."

SPACEWALKING IS SOMETHING THAT
SHOULD BE DONE SLOW, GRADUAL,

WITH JUST THE SLIGHTEST
MOVEMENTS AND PRESSURES.

IT WAS A BUNCH OF LITTLE TASKS.

BUT THEY WERE ALL SO SIMPLE
THAT EVERYTHING GOT DONE.

Narrator: BUZZ TRIUMPHED.

THE SPACEWALKING HURDLE
WAS JUMPED.

EVERY ASTRONAUT SINCE
TRAINS MANEUVERS IN SPACE

IN NASA'S GIANT SWIMMING POOL:

THE NEUTRAL BUOYANCY LAB.

Fincke: WE'VE HAD
AN EXCELLENT RUN HERE.

WE SIMULATED A SPACEWALK
THAT WE HADN'T DONE BEFORE.

AND WE'RE GOING TO SEND UP
WHAT WE LEARNED TODAY

TO THE CREW WHO'S IN ORBIT

SO THEY CAN GO OUTSIDE
IN JUST A WEEK OR TWO

TO FIX THE SPACE STATION.

Narrator: MIKE FINCKE
IS ONE OF 200 MEN AND WOMEN

WHO HAVE SINCE STEPPED OUT
INTO THE INKY VOID.

Fincke: YOU CAN PREPARE
TO A CERTAIN DEGREE,

BUT THERE'S NOTHING LIKE
THAT FIRST FEELING THAT YOU HAVE

WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN
YOU'RE WEIGHTLESS,

YOUR BODY STARTS SHIFTING,

ALL THE FLUIDS INSIDE THAT ARE
NORMALLY DOWN IN YOUR LEGS

WANT TO GO UP HIGHER,

YOUR FACE FEELS PUFFY,

AND YET YOU'RE EXHILARATED
IN YOUR HEART

BECAUSE YOU'RE OUT IN SPACE AND
YOU LOOK DOWN AT PLANET EARTH,

AND IT'S ALL SO EXCITING.

Narrator: OVER FIVE DECADES,

ASTRONAUTS WORKING IN SPACE HAVE
ACCOMPLISHED AMAZING MISSIONS:

EVERYTHING
FROM THE AWE-INSPIRING REPAIR

OF THE HUBBLE TELESCOPE

TO BUILDING THE COLOSSAL
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

BUT THESE MISSIONS
WERE ACCOMPLISHED

OVER MULTIPLE TRIPS,

WITH PEOPLE WORKING IN SPACE

FOR RELATIVELY
SHORT PERIODS OF TIME.

A NINE-MONTH JOURNEY TO MARS
IS A REAL LEAP INTO THE UNKNOWN.

OUR BODIES
JUST AREN'T BUILT TO LIVE,

MUCH LESS WORK

IN THIS INCREDIBLY
UNFORGIVING ENVIRONMENT.

NO ONE KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN
TO PEOPLE UP THERE THAT LONG.

IN 1973,
NASA SET OUT TO DISCOVER

THE IMPACT OF LONG-TERM
SPACE MISSIONS

ON THE HUMAN BODY.

Gerald Carr:
THEY WERE AFRAID IF SOMEONE
STAYED IN SPACE TOO LONG,

THEY MIGHT NOT COME BACK
IN GOOD ENOUGH SHAPE TO SURVIVE.

Narrator: FIRST, NASA NEEDED
TO GIVE THE ASTRONAUTS

MORE SPACE TO LIVE IN.

SO THEY BUILT SKYLAB,
THE FIRST SPACE STATION,

USING THE SHELL
OF AN OLD SATURN V ROCKET.

Paul Ceruzzi:
AN UPPER STAGE OF SATURN V

WAS CONVERTED INTO VERY, VERY
SPACIOUS LIVING QUARTERS,

AT LEAST BY SPACE STANDARDS.

Narrator: THE FIRST CREW,
NAMED SKYLAB 2,

LAUNCHED ON MAY 25, 1973.

THE ASTRONAUTS
SPEND 28 DAYS IN SPACE,

DOUBLING NASA'S PREVIOUS RECORD.

SKYLAB 3 ORBITED FOR 59 DAYS.

AND ON NOVEMBER 16, 1973,

SKYLAB 4 FINALLY APPROACHED
THE SPACE STATION.

THEIR MISSION:
TO LAST OVER 80 DAYS INSIDE.

Ed Gibson: IT WAS ABOUT THE SIZE
OF A 3-BEDROOM HOME,

BUT WE WERE WORKING IN THREE
DIMENSIONS AS OPPOSED TO TWO.

IF WE WERE TO TURN THIS
WHOLE ROOM INTO ZERO GRAVITY,

WE'D FIND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT
WOULD BECOME MUCH MORE SPACIOUS,

MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY TO YOU.

AND THAT'S THE WAY SKYLAB WAS.

IT WAS HUGE.

Narrator: AT THE SMITHSONIAN
NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM,

SKYLAB 4 COMMANDER GERALD CARR
VISITS THE DUPLICATE

OF THE SPACECRAFT
HE ONCE CALLED HOME.

Carr: I'M REMEMBERING
ALL OF THE MEALS

WE HAD AROUND THIS TABLE
IN THE WARD ROOM.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE ALWAYS DID
ON MY MISSION

WAS WE ALWAYS ATE TOGETHER.

Narrator:
WITH A FREEZER ON BOARD,

SKYLAB'S MENU
WAS AS GOURMET AND LUXURIOUS

AS SPACE FOOD EVER GOT.

Carr: WE HAD
THREE TYPES OF FOOD.

WE HAD FROZEN FOOD,

AND THAT WAS THINGS LIKE
ICE CREAM, FILET MIGNON,

LOBSTER NEWBERG,
ROAST PORK AND DRESSING.

THE SECOND TYPE OF FOOD
WAS FREEZE DRIED,

AND THAT'S KIND OF WHAT YOU GET

IN A SPORTING GOODS STORE,
CAMPING FOOD.

THE THIRD TYPE OF FOOD WE HAD
WAS CANNED FOOD.

NASA HAD A FANCY TERM.

THEY CALLED IT
THERMAL STABILIZED.

BUT IT WAS JUST
PLAIN OLD CANNED FOOD,

AND MOST OF THAT WAS OUR FRUITS.

THE BATHROOM WAS OVER THERE.

YOU COULD SEE THAT THE TOILET,

THE ENGINEER WHO DESIGNED THAT
WAS A MASOCHIST,

BECAUSE TO SIT ON THE TOILET

YOU HAVE TO HANG ON THE WALL
LIKE A BAT.

THEY EVEN PROVIDED US,
AS YOU CAN SEE,

WITH SEATBELTS TO HOLD US ON.

Narrator:
AS WELL AS BEING AT THE MERCY

OF MASOCHISTIC
SPACECRAFT ENGINEERS,

THE SKYLAB CREWS
WERE ALSO MEDICAL PIONEERS

AND GUINEA PIGS.

DOCTORS ON THE GROUND
KEPT A CLOSE EYE

ON HOW WEIGHTLESSNESS
AFFECTED THEIR HEALTH.

BODY FLUIDS
WERE THE FIRST TO CHANGE.

Carr: WHEN A HUMAN GOES INTO
A WEIGHTLESS ENVIRONMENT,

THE MOST COMMON THING IS
WHAT WE CALL A FLUID SHIFT.

Gibson: YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR,
AND THIS PUMPKIN LOOKS BACK,

THIS ROUND RED HEAD
WITH BRIGHT RED EYEBALLS,

BECAUSE NO LONGER
CHECKED BY GRAVITY,

YOUR ARTERIES
AND YOUR VEINS AND YOUR HEART

CONTINUE TO FORCE THE BLOOD
UP TOWARDS YOUR HEAD.

Narrator: LUCKILY, BODILY FLUIDS
RESETTLE AFTER A FEW DAYS.

BUT WITH IDLE LIMBS, MUSCLE TONE
RAPIDLY DETERIORATES.

Gibson: YOU DON'T REALLY WORK
LIKE YOU DO DOWN HERE.

YOU TEND TO LOSE
MUSCLE MASS,

ESPECIALLY IN YOUR LEGS.

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY,

BECAUSE YOUR HEART
DOESN'T WORK AS HARD,

Narrator:
RUDIMENTARY EXERCISE EQUIPMENT
HELPED MAINTAIN SOME MUSCLE.

BUT THE FIRST SKYLAB CREWS

STILL LOST 20%
OF THEIR MUSCLE MASS

IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS.

SO NASA ORDERED THE CREW
TO HIT THE GYM

FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF
EVERY DAY.

Carr: THIS IS
THE EXERCISE BICYCLE HERE.

WE TOOK THE SEAT OFF OF IT
BECAUSE THE SEAT WAS A BOTHER.

WE PUT A FEW TOWELS UP HERE,

AND YOU COULD
STAND UP AND BICYCLE

WITH YOUR HEAD ON THE PAD

AND THAT WAY YOU COULD
STRESS YOUR WHOLE SKELETON

RATHER THAN JUST
THE LOWER PART OF YOUR BODY.

Gibson:
I PERSONALLY REALLY ENJOYED IT
BECAUSE I MISSED EXERCISE,

BUT ALSO, IT TENDED
TO PULL THE FLUIDS

FROM THE UPPER PART OF YOUR BODY
DOWN INTO YOUR LEGS,

AND YOUR HEAD FELT CLEAR AGAIN.

Narrator:
IN ADDITION TO EXERCISE,

MISSION CONTROL
SCHEDULES EVERY MOMENT

OF ASTRONAUTS' LIVES IN SPACE,

WHICH HAS A HUGE IMPACT
ON CREW MORALE...

SOMETHING MADE CRYSTAL CLEAR
ON SKYLAB 4.

Gibson:
ONE OF THE MAJOR FEATURES

THAT YOU WANT
FOR A LONG-DURATION SPACE FLIGHT

IS, NUMBER ONE,
SOME WORK TO DO

WHICH IS INTERESTING
AND INTELLECTUALLY CHALLENGING.

AND THE SECOND THING YOU WANT

IS NOT TO HAVE TO
MARCH BY THE NUMBERS.

Narrator: SKYLAB'S AGENDA
WAS SCHEDULED

AS RIGIDLY AND RELENTLESSLY

AS IF THEY WERE ON
A ONE-DAY MERCURY TRIP,

NOT A THREE-MONTH-LONG MISSION.

THE CREW HAD A DIZZYING ARRAY

OF MEDICAL AND ASTRONOMICAL
EXPERIMENTS,

PLUS SEVERAL SPACEWALKS
TO ACCOMPLISH.

Carr: WE WERE OVER-SCHEDULED.

WHEN YOU'RE HAVING TO RUSH
FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHER,

YOU START MAKING MISTAKES,

AND WE STARTED MAKING MISTAKES

FROM THE BEGINNING
OF THE MISSION.

Gibson: IF YOU EVER TRIED
TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT YOU WERE GONNA DO TOMORROW

AND PUT IT ON A LIST
DOWN TO EVERY FIVE MINUTES,

AND THEN TRY TO
WORK THAT WAY TOMORROW,

YOU'D FIND
IT WOULD BE AWFUL HARD.

Carr: WE WERE JUST BEING PUSHED
TOO FAST TO DO THINGS.

THAT CAUSED
A PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM FOR US.

WE DIDN'T LIKE FAILING.

Vance Brand:
I THINK THE CREW FELT

THEY PROBABLY DID
HAVE A VERY HEAVY WORKLOAD.

WE WERE SITTING IN CHAIRS
IN MISSION CONTROL,

SO IT WAS HARD TO FEEL WHAT
THEY WERE FEELING UP THERE.

THE MEDIA WAS GETTING WIND
OF THE FACT

THAT THE CREW
WAS LESS THAN HAPPY.

Journalist: THERE HAVE BEEN
REPORTS OFF AND ON

ABOUT THIS CREW BEING
SOMEWHAT LESS ENTHUSIASTIC

THAN PREVIOUS SKYLAB CREWS.

COULD YOU COMMENT
ON THIS, PLEASE, SIR?

Man: YEAH, THEY'RE YOUR REPORTS,
NOT OURS.

THIS CREW IS
VERY ENTHUSIASTIC.

WE HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THEM.

Narrator:
BUT THAT ENTHUSIASM SOON WANED,

AND EVENTUALLY THE ISSUE
OF WORKLOAD CAME TO A HEAD

IN WHAT HAS FAMOUSLY
BEEN REFERRED TO

AS THE FIRST MUTINY IN SPACE.

Carr: I TOLD THE PEOPLE, "WE'RE
GONNA TAKE OUR SUNDAY OFF,"

AND WE REALLY TOOK IT OFF.

IN FACT, ON ONE OCCASION,
AS WE WERE GOING OVER A STATION,

WE HAD FORGOTTEN
TO RECONFIGURE OUR RADIOS.

THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND
CALLED US.

Mission control:
SKYLAB, THIS IS HOUSTON,

THROUGH CORPUS CHRISTI,
MERRITT ISLAND AND BERMUDA

FOR 14.5 MINUTES, OVER.

[SILENCE]

Carr: AND WE DIDN'T ANSWER,

SO THEY HAD TO SEND UP
AN EMERGENCY PULSE SIGNAL

TO HIT AN ALARM

AND GET US TO PAY ATTENTION
AND GET WITH THEM AGAIN.

Mission control:
OK, THANK YOU, SKYLAB 4.

Skylab astronaut:
OK... SO LONG.

Gibson: THEY CALLED IT
A STRIKE IN SPACE,

I MEAN, STRIKE?
WHERE WERE WE GONNA GO?

Narrator:
SOMETHING HAD TO GIVE.

Carr: FINALLY,
ON ABOUT DAY 40 OR SO,

AS WE CAME ACROSS A U.S. PASS
FOR ABOUT 14 MINUTES,

WE TOLD THE GROUND
WHAT WE DIDN'T LIKE.

Carr, recording:
I THINK THAT A CREW,

OR ANY MAN WHO IS
WORKING LONG HOURS

NEEDS SOME PERIOD OF TIME
AT THE END OF THE DAY

WHERE HE CAN BE QUIET
AND WIND DOWN AND RELAX

AND GATHER YOUR THOUGHTS

IN ORDER TO KIND OF
GET YOURSELF READY

FOR THE NEXT DAY'S ACTIVITY.

Carr: SO ON THE NEXT PASS,
THEY HAD THEIR TURN TO TELL US

WHAT WE WERE DOING
TO MAKE THEIR LIFE MISERABLE.

Gibson:
WE WORKED WITH THE GROUND

AND CAME UP WITH A BETTER WAY
TO GO AT IT,

AND I THINK WE ALL WERE
MUCH BETTER FOR IT...

NOT JUST OURSELVES
ON THAT FLIGHT,

BUT SUBSEQUENT FLIGHTS,
THE SPACE STATION, AND SO FORTH.

Narrator: WORK SCHEDULING
ON SPACE STATIONS

IS NOW MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE...

A CHANGE THAT HAS HAD
A HUGELY POSITIVE IMPACT

ON BOTH CREW MORALE
AND PRODUCTIVITY.

Carr: IT REALLY
LOOSENED UP THE DAY,

AND WE WERE
FAR MORE PRODUCTIVE.

IT'S INTERESTING
THAT GOT PICKED UP

IN A LOT OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWS.

HARVARD MANAGEMENT REVIEWS
AND PEOPLE USED THIS EVENT

AS AN EXAMPLE

OF WHY YOU SHOULD NOT
OVERSCHEDULE YOUR EMPLOYEES.

Narrator:
ON FEBRUARY 8, 1974,

CARR, GIBSON, AND POGUE
RETURNED HOME

AFTER 84 DAYS,
1 HOUR, AND 16 MINUTES

IN SPACE ORBIT.

Carr: IT WAS SAID BY SOME

THAT WE WERE PROBABLY
IN BETTER SHAPE WHEN WE GOT BACK

THAN WHEN WE LEFT.

Mike Barratt:
SKYLAB WAS AN AMAZING PROGRAM

IN A LOT OF WAYS.

FROM THERE WE LEARNED
HOW TO EXERCISE IN SPACE,

HOW TO FEED PEOPLE IN SPACE...

JUST THE BASICS
OF LIVING IN SPACE

FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME.

SKYLAB WAS REALLY
A LANDMARK PROGRAM FOR US.

Narrator:
SKYLAB WAS A MAJOR STEP

TOWARDS HUMAN HABITATION
OF SPACE.

IT ALSO LED TO SOME SURPRISING
INNOVATIONS ON EARTH.

FOR EXAMPLE, INFANT FORMULA
NOW USED AROUND THE WORLD

CONTAINS A SPECIFIC NUTRIENT
IDENTIFIED BY NASA

FOR LONG DURATION SPACEFLIGHT.

IN ADDITION
TO ADVANCING NUTRITION,

SKYLAB 4 HIGHLIGHTED HOW MUCH
THE WORKING RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN CREW AND MISSION CONTROL
CAN ENHANCE OR DERAIL A MISSION.

Gary Beven:
THERE ARE UPS AND DOWNS

DURING LONG DURATION MISSIONS.

THERE MIGHT BE A DAY IN WHICH

THE ASTRONAUTS
AND THE GROUND TEAM

DON'T SEE EYE-TO-EYE.

BUT IF EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS

THAT THEY'RE WORKING
TOGETHER AS PROFESSIONALS,

THEY MOVE ON.

Narrator: WORKING TOGETHER
FROM THAT DISTANCE

ALWAYS POSES CHALLENGES.

BUT NOTHING COMPARES
TO A FULL-BLOWN CRISIS

WHEN THAT DYNAMIC BECOMES VITAL
IN THE FLIP OF A SWITCH.

APRIL 14, 1970.

ROOKIE ASTRONAUTS
FRED HAISE AND JACK SWIGERT

AND COMMANDER JIM LOVELL,

A VETERAN
OF THREE NASA MISSIONS,

ARE TWO DAYS INTO
THE THIRD MOON LANDING ATTEMPT

ON APOLLO 13.

200,000 MILES FROM EARTH,

AS THE CREW PREPARES
FOR A NIGHT OF SLEEP,

HOUSTON HAS ONE FINAL ROUTINE
REQUEST FOR THE ASTRONAUTS.

Kranz: WE HAVE A FIVE-PAGE
PRE-SLEEP CHECKLIST.

WE GOT DOWN TO THE FINAL ITEM:
"DO WE REQUIRE A CRYO-STIR?"

Narrator:
A CRYO-STIR TURNS ON FANS

TO MAKE THE OXYGEN TANKS UNIFORM

SO MISSION CONTROL
CAN MEASURE THEM.

Kranz: JACK SWIGERT INITIATED
THIS CRYO-STIR.

Fred Haise:
THIS LOUD BANG OCCURRED.

I COULD HEAR AND SAW

SOME WARPING OF THE METAL
IN THE TUNNEL.

Lovell:
THESE LIGHTS STARTED TO FLASH
AND JETS STARTED TO FIRE,

AND I LOOKED UP AT FRED

TO SEE IF HE KNEW WHAT WAS
CAUSING ALL THIS COMMOTION,

AND I COULD TELL HE DIDN'T KNOW.

Narrator:
WARNING LIGHTS INDICATE

SOMETHING IS WRONG
WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

THEN MORE LIGHTS.

TWO OUT OF THE THREE FUEL CELLS
HAVE JUST DIED.

Narrator:
MISSION CONTROL GET BUSY

TRYING TO RESOLVE
WHAT THEY THINK

IS A MINOR COMPUTER PROBLEM...

UNTIL JIM LOVELL
CALLS DOWN AGAIN.

Haise: THERE WAS
A SEA OF DEBRIS AROUND US.

SOME WAS JUST SHINY THINGS

OUT A LITTLE WAYS
FROM THE SPACECRAFT;

CLOSE IN SOME THINGS LOOKED LIKE
LITTLE KERNELS OF POPCORN.

Narrator:
WHAT THE ASTRONAUTS SAW

WAS FROZEN OXYGEN SPILLING OUT
OF THEIR OWN AIR SUPPLY.

Kranz: AT THAT MOMENT,

EVERYBODY RECOGNIZED
THAT THIS WAS SURVIVAL,

AND WE STARTED MOVING IN
AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FASHION.

Narrator:
MISSION CONTROL HAS BEEN HANDED
THE JOB OF THEIR LIVES.

WITHOUT INVENTIVE SOLUTIONS,
THE CREW WILL PERISH.

Narrator:
THEIR CRISIS IS IMMEDIATE.

IN THE COMMAND MODULE,

BOTH OXYGEN AND POWER
ARE DWINDLING FAST.

Narrator:
THE ASTRONAUTS' ONLY HOPE

IS TO MOVE INTO
THE LUNAR LANDING MODULE,

WHICH HAS
AIR AND POWER OF ITS OWN,

AND USE IT AS A LIFEBOAT
TO FERRY THEM BACK TO EARTH.

Lovell: THE LUNAR MODULE
WAS NEVER DESIGNED FOR THAT.

IT WAS ONLY DESIGNED
TO LAST 45 HOURS,

AND WE WERE AT LEAST
90 HOURS FROM HOME.

Narrator:
NOW MISSION CONTROL MUST DECIDE
HOW TO GET THEM HOME.

Glynn Lunney:
THE IMMEDIATE REACTION
IN THE CONTROL CENTER

WAS TO TURN AROUND
AND COME BACK HOME.

AND THAT WAS UNDERSTANDABLE,

BUT IN THE END
IT BECAME CLEAR

THAT WE JUST DIDN'T
HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY

TO TURN THE VEHICLE AROUND.

Narrator: MISSION CONTROL
PICKS THE ALTERNATIVE:

FLY AROUND THE MOON
AND USE ITS GRAVITY

TO SLINGSHOT THE CREW
BACK TO EARTH.

77 HOURS INTO THE MISSION,

APOLLO 13 CIRCLES AROUND
THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON...

AND VANISHES...

OUT OF CONTACT WITH EARTH
FOR 45 MINUTES.

THE WORLD IS RIVETED.

Ceruzzi: AROUND THE WORLD
PEOPLE SUDDENLY BECAME

VERY MUCH INVOLVED
WITH THIS STORY.

EVEN THE SOVIET UNION,

THEY OFFERED THEIR HELP
IN ANY WAY THEY COULD.

Narrator:
ON THE STRICKEN SPACECRAFT,

ENERGY IS IN SHORT SUPPLY.

SO ALL SUPERFLUOUS
LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEMS

ARE SHUT OFF.

BUT EVEN WITH
EVERYTHING POWERED DOWN,

THE AIR SUPPLY WILL NOT HOLD OUT
LONG ENOUGH.

THE THREE ASTRONAUTS
ARE EXHALING DEADLY CO2

INTO THE TINY LUNAR MODULE.

Lunney: THE LUNAR MODULE
CANISTERS WERE LIMITED

BECAUSE THEY WERE BUILT
TO SCRUB THE OXYGEN

FOR TWO PEOPLE FOR TWO DAYS.

SO NOW WE HAD THREE PEOPLE
FOR FIVE DAYS.

Lovell: THE AMOUNT OF PRESSURE
OF CARBON DIOXIDE

WAS BUILDING UP
IN THE LUNAR MODULE.

Narrator: SPARE CANISTERS
IN THE COMMAND MODULE

COULD SAVE THE CREW,

BUT THESE SPARES ARE SQUARE,

AND THE LUNAR MODULE
CARBON SCRUBBER IS ROUND.

MISSION CONTROL NEEDS TO
FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.

Kranz: SO ENGINEERING
COMES UP WITH THE IDEA

TO FABRICATE AN ADAPTER

TO FIT THE SQUARE SCRUBBER
INTO THE ROUND HOLE,

TEST IT IN THE LABORATORIES,

AND VOICE THE INSTRUCTIONS
UP TO THE CREW.

Lovell:
AND THEY USED DUCT TAPE,

A PIECE OF CARDBOARD,

AND A PIECE OF PLASTIC,

AND AN OLD SOCK.

Kranz:
IT LITERALLY WAS IN MINUTES

THE CREW COULD SEE
THE CARBON DIOXIDE PRESSURE

STARTING TO DROP.

Narrator: QUICK THINKING
AT MISSION CONTROL

HAS FORESTALLED DISASTER.

BUT ANOTHER LIFE-THREATENING
ORDEAL LIES AHEAD...

THE PUNISHING HEAT OF RE-ENTRY.

Lovell:
WELL, OUR ONLY CONCERN WAS

DID THAT EXPLOSION
CRACK THE HEAT SHIELD

OF THE COMMAND MODULE
SOMEPLACE IN THE BACK?

Narrator: DURING RE-ENTRY

THE COMMAND MODULE WOULD BE
EXPOSED TO TEMPERATURES

AS HOT AS THE SURFACE
OF THE SUN.

Lovell: IF THERE WAS A CRACK,

THE HEAT WOULD GO
RIGHT THROUGH THERE

AND OF COURSE
TOAST EVERYTHING INSIDE.

NO WAY WE COULD SURVIVE.

Narrator: RE-ENTRY IONIZES
THE GAS AROUND ANY SPACECRAFT,

MAKING ALL RADIO CONTACT
IMPOSSIBLE FOR THREE MINUTES.

Kranz:
MY SPACECRAFT COMMUNICATOR

CALLS, "ODYSSEY,
HOUSTON STANDING BY."

AND THERE'S NO RESPONSE.

AND WE CALL AGAIN,
AND WE CALL AGAIN.

Narrator: IT'S BEEN FOUR MINUTES
WITH NO REPLY.

Lunney: THAT WAS
A SINKING FEELING TIME.

Kranz: ALL THE CONTROLLERS
ARE STANDING,

STARING AT THOSE CLOCKS,

AND THEY'RE WONDERING
WHAT WENT WRONG.

Kranz: THE EMOTIONAL RELEASE
AT THAT TIME IS SO INTENSE

THAT LITERALLY EVERY
CONTROLLER IS STANDING CRYING,

AND YOU'RE FRANKLY EMBARRASSED
BY YOUR LOSS OF COMPOSURE.

Lovell: WE HIT THE WATER,

AND THE WATER
SPLASHED OVER THE WINDOWS,

AND WE DIDN'T CONTINUE
TO SINK INTO THE OCEAN.

THEN I KNEW
WE WERE SAFELY ON BOARD.

Charlie Duke:
WHEN THEY SPLASHED DOWN,
WE JUST ERUPTED WITH CHEERS,

AND THE CIGARS CAME OUT,

AND WE STARTED WAVING OUR FLAGS,

AND PEOPLE WERE
VERY, VERY THANKFUL.

Narrator: THE HARROWING ORDEAL
OF APOLLO 13

WAS A STARK REMINDER
THAT WE HAD NOT TAMED SPACE.

Ceruzzi: APOLLO 13 SHOWED

THAT JUST THE FAILURE
OF ONE LITTLE WIRE

COULD CAUSE
SUCH A POTENTIAL TRAGEDY.

Narrator: ULTIMATELY IT WAS
THE HIGHLY SKILLED TEAMWORK

OF MISSION CONTROL
THAT SAVED THE DAY.

Ceruzzi: YOU REALLY DO NEED
PEOPLE ON THE GROUND

TO MANAGE HUMAN BEINGS
IN SPACE.

THE ASTRONAUTS,
AS WELL-TRAINED AS THEY WERE

AND AS EXPERT THEY WERE
IN FLYING,

REALLY COULD NOT GET THEIR HANDS
AROUND THE PROBLEM.

Duke: THE ADVANTAGE OF APOLLO
WAS IT'S CLOSE...

YOU KNOW, "HELLO, HOUSTON."

YOU'VE GOT
A SECOND AND A HALF DELAY,

AND THEN HOUSTON
RESPONDS IMMEDIATELY.

IF YOU WERE OUT AT MARS
AND YOU HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM,

YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN.

Narrator:
A 34-MILLION-MILE VOID

LIES BETWEEN MARS AND EARTH.

NO LIFELINE IS THAT LONG.

SO THE CRAFT AND CREW
WOULD HAVE TO BE ROBUST

AND READY
FOR JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.

IN A JOURNEY LASTING YEARS,

A CRISIS COULD UNFOLD
IN MERE SECONDS.

ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION,

CREWS ARE TESTING
HOW BOTH MAN AND MACHINE

COULD SURVIVE THE TRIP.

Barratt: WE WOULD LIKE TO USE
THE INTERNATIONAL STATION

AS A LOW EARTH ORBIT
WIND TUNNEL, IF YOU WILL,

TO REALLY TEST THINGS IN SPACE

THAT WILL ALLOW US
TO FLY FURTHER.

Ken Bowersox:
THERE'S A LOT OF WORK

WITH THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS.

MACHINES THAT SCRUB THE
CARBON DIOXIDE OUT OF THE AIR,

THAT CIRCULATE THE AIR,

THAT SWITCH
THE ELECTRICAL POWER...

ALL THOSE DIFFERENT SYSTEMS
NEED TO BE EXTREMELY RELIABLE

WHEN YOU'RE GONNA GO AWAY
FROM EARTH, WITHOUT A WAY BACK,

FOR YEARS AT A TIME.

Barratt: USING AS LITTLE
RESOURCES AS YOU CAN

AND MAKING
A TRULY CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM,

WE HAVE TO HAVE
A TEST BED FOR THAT.

IT HAS TO BE IN SPACE,

AND THE ISS GIVES US THAT.

Narrator:
THE ISS LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM

TURNS WASTEWATER FROM
RESPIRATION, SWEAT, AND URINE

INTO DRINKABLE WATER

AND HAS DIRECTLY INSPIRED
A WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM

THAT PROVIDES
SAFE DRINKING WATER

AROUND THE WORLD.

[RADIO CHATTER]

Narrator: SOMEONE WHO CAN VOUCH
FOR THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM

IS MIKE LOPEZ-ALEGRIA.

HE SPENT 215 DAYS
ON BOARD THE ISS...

THE LONGEST SPACEFLIGHT
OF ANY AMERICAN.

Mike L

"WOW. SEVEN MONTHS. YOU KNOW,
WEREN'T YOU GOING STIR-CRAZY?"

AND I HAVE TO SAY
THAT STATION MISSION

IS NOT LIKE THAT AT ALL.

THERE WAS ALWAYS
SOMETHING TO DO,

AND THE SEVEN MONTHS
WENT BY VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator: THE WORLD RECORD
FOR THE LONGEST STAY IN SPACE

GOES TO COSMONAUT
DR. VALERI POLYAKOV,

WHO FROM 1994 TO 1995

STAYED ABOARD
THE RUSSIAN MIR STATION

FOR A COLOSSAL 14 MONTHS,

WITH NO DISCERNIBLE LONG-TERM
EFFECTS ON HIS HEALTH.

Barratt: I ACTUALLY SAW
DR. POLYAKOV THE DAY HE LANDED.

I WOULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED,
HAD I NOT KNOWN,

THAT THIS MAN HAD BEEN IN SPACE
FOR THAT LONG,

BECAUSE WHEN I SAW HIM,

Narrator:
BUT THESE CURRENT RECORD HOLDERS

WERE PARKED IN LOW EARTH ORBIT
THE WHOLE TIME.

ON A TRIP TO MARS,

ASTRONAUTS WOULD FACE
AN INVISIBLE BUT FATAL THREAT...

DEEP SPACE RADIATION.

SOLAR FLARES AND RADIATION BELTS

FLING HIGH-ENERGY PROTONS
THROUGH SPACE.

TO HUMANS,
IT'S A DEADLY COCKTAIL.

Gibson:
A SHORT BURST OF RADIATION
CAN GIVE YOU RADIATION SICKNESS,

PRETTY MUCH LIKE YOU WOULD SEE
IN THE BOMB BLAST OVER IN JAPAN.

ON THE LONG TERM,

EVEN A GRADUAL AMOUNT OF
RADIATION CAN CAUSE CANCER.

SO WE GOT TO FIND
RADIATION PROTECTION.

Narrator:
RADIATION IS NOT A BIG THREAT
TO ASTRONAUTS CIRCLING IN ORBIT.

Al Drew: EARTH'S MAGNETIC FIELD
SHIELDS US FROM A LOT OF THAT

BECAUSE IT'S VERY THICK
AND IT'S FAIRLY POWERFUL

AND IT BENDS IT AWAY FROM US.

AND ONCE YOU GET OUT
OF THAT MAGNETIC FIELD,

YOU'RE EXPOSED
TO THAT SHOOTING GALLERY,

SO YOU'RE GETTING IRRADIATED.

Narrator: DURING A JOURNEY
TO MARS AND BACK,

ASTRONAUTS COULD BE HIT

WITH SIX TIMES A PERSON'S NORMAL
LIFETIME RADIATION EXPOSURE.

BUT THERE ARE SOME SOLUTIONS,

SUCH AS TIMING A MISSION

TO COINCIDE
WITH LOW SOLAR ACTIVITY.

Frank Cucinotta: COSMIC RAYS ARE
A STEADY BACKGROUND RADIATION

SINCE THEY'RE PRODUCED BY
ALL THE STARS IN OUR GALAXY.

BUT THERE IS A MODULATION
BY OUR SUN THAT OCCURS,

SO IF WE CAN PLAN MISSIONS
AT SOLAR MINIMUM,

WE CAN REDUCE THE EXPOSURES
MAYBE AS MUCH AS TWO TIMES.

Narrator:
ASTRONAUTS COULD TAKE DRUGS
TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECT.

Cucinotta:
THE SECOND THING WE CAN DO

IS TO LOOK AT BIOLOGICAL
COUNTERMEASURES

THAT IMPROVE A PERSON'S ABILITY
TO REPAIR DNA DAMAGE.

Narrator: THE SPACECRAFT
COULD EVEN BE ENCASED

IN A PROTECTIVE SHIELD
OF WATER OR LIQUID HYDROGEN.

Launius:
WE KNOW HOW TO DO THAT,

BUT THE PROBLEM WITH IT IS
IT'S VERY HEAVY,

AND FLIGHT IS ALL ABOUT
REDUCING THE WEIGHT.

SO HOW DO WE DO IT
IN A LIGHTWEIGHT MANNER

THAT'S SUSTAINABLE
OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME?

IT'S A CHALLENGE.

Narrator: IF WE CAN
OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE

AND GET TO MARS,

IT OFFERS A MEASURE OF RELIEF.

THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE PROVIDES
SOME RADIATION PROTECTION

FOR ANY VISITOR
THAT ROAMS THE SURFACE.

BUT THIS ATMOSPHERIC BLANKET
IS ALSO A DANGEROUS BARRIER

TO INCOMING SPACECRAFT.

IT'S RAZOR-THIN

AND LADEN WITH DUST STORMS.

TWO-THIRDS
OF ALL UNMANNED PROBE LANDINGS

HAVE ENDED
AS DISINTEGRATING FIREBALLS.

THE FIRST HUMAN CREW
WOULD HAVE TO BEAT THE ODDS.

IF THEY SUCCEED,

THEIR SURVIVAL SKILLS WILL BE
PUT TO THE ULTIMATE TEST.

STEP ONE:
SET UP CAMP FOR UP TO 18 MONTHS.

Drew: THIS IS
THE DEEP SPACE HABITAT.

THIS IS MEANT TO MOCK UP
SIMULATED MISSIONS

OUT INTO DEEP SPACE
BEYOND LUNAR ORBIT,

SO IF WE'RE GOING
TO A NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID,

IF WE'RE GOING TO MARS...

ANYTHING WHERE MISSIONS
GO BEYOND SIX MONTHS.

Narrator: THE DEEP SPACE HABITAT
SHOULD PROTECT THE CREW

FROM 250-DEGREE
TEMPERATURE SWINGS,

NOT TO MENTION
A NOXIOUS ATMOSPHERE

OF DEADLY CARBON DIOXIDE.

IT HAS TO.

THE NEAREST HELP
IS 34 MILLION MILES AWAY.

Drew: ONE OF THE BIG ISSUES
WE'RE DEALING WITH

IS TIME DELAY.

IF WE'RE AT MARS,

WE MAY BE 20 LIGHT MINUTES AWAY
FROM EARTH,

SO IF YOU JUST HIT "SEND"
ON YOUR TEXT MESSAGE,

AND THEY DON'T ANSWER YOU
FOR ANOTHER 40 MINUTES.

WE'RE USED TO HAVING
REAL-TIME CONTROL

ON BOARD THINGS LIKE
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

WHERE THEY HAVE REAL-TIME VIDEO,
THEY HAVE REAL-TIME AUDIO.

HOW DO THOSE THINGS WORK
WHEN YOU'RE IN DEEP SPACE?

THIS IS WHERE WE WORK THAT OUT

IS RIGHT HERE
AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER.

Narrator:
THE SEVEN LANDERS AND ROVERS
ALREADY ON MARS

ARE MARVELS OF EXPLORATION.

THEIR IMAGES AND DATA

HAVE INSPIRED BREAKTHROUGH
SCIENCE AND WIDE-EYED WONDER.

BUT THE STORY OF MARS
IS STILL LOCKED IN THE ROCKS.

ITS HISTORY,
ITS POTENTIAL FOR LIFE...

WE ARE LITERALLY
DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.

AND DIGGING WITH ROBOTIC PROXIES
ISN'T EASY.

A HUMAN PICKING UP A ROCK

AND ANALYZING IT
WITH A GEOLOGIST'S EYE

WOULD BE FAR MORE EFFICIENT.

Drew: OF COURSE IF WE'RE
GOING TO GO EXPLORING,

A BIG PART OF THAT
IS THE SCIENCE.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE IS HERE,

WHAT WE CALL THE GEO LAB
WORK STATION.

Narrator: THE WORK STATION
HAS THREE VACUUM-SEALED PORTS

WHERE COLLECTED ROCKS
CAN PASS THROUGH.

Drew: WHAT WE'RE
TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

IS WHICH ROCKS ARE WORTH
BRINGING BACK TO EARTH.

THINGS COST ON THE ORDER OF
ABOUT $100,000 A KILOGRAM

TO TRANSPORT TO AND FROM SPACE,

AND SO WE CAN'T, OF COURSE,
BRING BACK A TON OF ROCKS.

WE CAN BRING THEM HERE
AND LOOK AT THEM AND DO TRIAGE.

WE HAVE CAMERAS OVERHEAD

WHERE OUR GEOLOGISTS
BACK ON EARTH

CAN LOOK OVER OUR SHOULDER

AND GO, "OH, THAT ROCK
LOOKS VERY INTERESTING.

CAN YOU TAKE
A CLOSER LOOK AT IT?"

HERE WE'VE GOT AN OPERATING
TABLE THAT WE CAN PULL OUT.

WE'VE GOT ULTRASOUND,

WHICH SEEMS TO BE ONE OF OUR
BEST DIAGNOSTIC TOOLS ON ORBIT.

WE CAN LOOK INSIDE
A PERSON'S BODY

WITHOUT HAVING TO CUT THEM OPEN,
WE CAN FIND TUMORS.

AND AGAIN THAT INFORMATION
GOES BACK TO THE EARTH

WHERE WE HAVE SURGEONS WHO WOULD
LOOK AT THIS INFORMATION

AND USE THAT
TO MAKE DIAGNOSES.

Narrator: EVERYTHING
THE ASTRONAUTS MAY NEED

MUST FIT INTO
THE 10-FOOT-TALL HABITAT.

THEY PLAN FOR EVERY CONTINGENCY.

Drew: IF SOMETHING
BREAKS IN SPACE,

YOU CAN'T GO TO YOUR LOCAL
HARDWARE STORE AND REPLACE IT.

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO TAKE ALONG
A HUNDRED SPARES OF EVERYTHING?

BECAUSE YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE
DOWN ONE MORE OUNCE OF MATERIAL

THAN YOU NEED.

BY THE SAME TOKEN,

YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE
ONE OUNCE LESS THAN YOU NEED

BECAUSE THAT MIGHT CAUSE
YOUR MISSION TO FAIL,

SO YOU'VE GOT
A VERY NARROW SWEET SPOT.

Announcer: LIFT-OFF!

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF AT 9:34 A.M.
EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME.

Narrator: IT'S BEEN 40 YEARS

SINCE NASA SIZED UP WHAT TO PACK
FOR AN EXTENDED TRIP.

TO THIS DAY,
APOLLO MISSIONS 15, 16 AND 17...

THE SO-CALLED J MISSIONS...

PROVIDE US WITH
THE LAST AND ONLY EXAMPLE

OF WHAT LIVING ON ANOTHER
CELESTIAL BODY IS LIKE.

THE CREWS STAYED
ON THE MOON'S SURFACE

FOR TWO TO THREE DAYS AT A TIME

IN ORDER TO COLLECT
GEOLOGICAL DATA.

Kranz: THE J SERIES OF MISSIONS

WAS ABSOLUTELY
A BLAST TO WORK ON.

THERE WASN'T A SECOND

DURING THE TIME WE GOT
IN THE VICINITY OF THE MOON

THAT WE WEREN'T ACCOMPLISHING
SOMETHING USEFUL.

Narrator:
YEARS OF INTENSIVE TRAINING

ATTEMPTED TO TURN
THE FORMER TEST PILOTS

INTO HIGHLY COMPETENT
GEOLOGISTS.

Duke: WHEN I GOT TO NASA,

I SAID, WELL, THAT'S A PIECE
OF DIRT AND THAT'S A ROCK"

BUT BY THE TIME
WE FLEW ON APOLLO 16,

WE HAD SIX YEARS
OF GEOLOGY TRAINING,

AND WE'D GOTTEN PRETTY GOOD
AT WHAT I CALL FIELD GEOLOGY.

Narrator: THE CREWS HAD A PACKED
AGENDA OF SAMPLES TO GATHER.

Duke:
WE HAD DIVIDED OUR 72 HOURS UP
INTO THREE 24-HOUR PERIODS,

SO IT WAS LIKE
GOING TO WORK AT HOME.

YOU GOT HUNGRY OUTSIDE BECAUSE
YOU WERE OUTSIDE EIGHT HOURS,

SO WE HAD A LITTLE CANDY BAR
THAT CAME UP INSIDE THE HELMET

THAT WE COULD NIBBLE ON.

THEN WE GOT BACK INSIDE,

TOOK OFF THE SPACESUIT,
ATE A MEAL,

AND PUT OUR HAMMOCKS BACK UP
AND WENT TO SLEEP.

Narrator:
THE J MISSION ASTRONAUTS

WERE EXPLORING
ROUGH, UNEVEN TERRAIN.

SO THEIR SPACESUITS
HAD TO BE ROBUST

TO PROTECT THEM
FROM THE HAZARDS

OF THIS ALIEN LANDSCAPE,

BUT FLEXIBLE ENOUGH TO ALLOW
THEM TO GET ON WITH THEIR JOB.

Lewis: THIS IS
DAVID SCOTT'S SPACESUIT

THAT HE WORE
ON HIS APOLLO 15 MISSION.

THIS SUIT IS VERY, VERY DIRTY,

AND IT'S GOOD DIRT,
IT'S LUNAR DIRT.

THAT IS REALLY WHAT THIS SUIT
WAS MEANT TO WORK FOR...

TO ALLOW THE ASTRONAUT TO REALLY
GET DOWN INTO THE LUNAR DIRT

AND ALSO TO MOVE AROUND
WITH GREATER EASE

AND MORE FLEXIBILITY.

Narrator: APOLLO SPACESUITS

WEIGHED A HEFTY 180 POUNDS,

BUT THE MOON'S ONE-SIXTH GRAVITY

HELPED THEM FEEL
MORE LIKE 30 POUNDS.

Lewis: WHEN YOU LOOK AT FILMS
OF THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS

WALKING ON THE SURFACE
OF THE MOON,

THEY'RE DOING THAT
SORT OF BUNNY HOP,

AND IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THEY'RE
TAKING TINY LITTLE STEPS,

BUT THAT'S WHAT THEY HAD TO DO

TO CONTROL THAT MASS
FROM MOVING FORWARD.

YOU DON'T WANT TO GET THAT SUIT
OUT OF YOUR CONTROL.

Duke: IT WAS EASY TO LOSE
YOUR BALANCE ON THE MOON

BECAUSE THE BACKPACK
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM

WEIGHED MORE THAN I DID.

BUT I FOUND THE SUITS
VERY COMFORTABLE

ON THE LUNAR SURFACE.

Narrator: UNLIKE THE MOON,

WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY
A LARGE ROCK IN SPACE,

MARS HAS ITS OWN ATMOSPHERE
AND SEASONS.

Lewis: MARS HAS DUST STORMS
ON A PERIODIC BASIS.

IT HAS A CHANGE OF SEASONS.

SO A MARTIAN SUIT
WILL HAVE TO BE VERY RIGOROUS.

Narrator:
A SMALL STEP ON MARTIAN SOIL

WILL REQUIRE A GIANT LEAP
IN SPACESUIT DESIGN.

BACK AT THE JOHNSON
SPACE CENTER,

THE SPACESUIT LAB
IS CREATING A SUIT

FIT FOR 21st CENTURY ASTRONAUTS.

Amy Ross: WE REALLY NEED
TO MAKE THESE SUITS

AS USABLE FOR THE CREW MEMBERS
AS WE CAN POSSIBLY DO,

'CAUSE WE'VE ASKED THEM
TO DO A VERY DIFFICULT JOB

IN A VERY DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT.

Narrator: IN 2012,

NASA ANNOUNCED THE FIRST NEW
SPACESUIT DESIGN IN 20 YEARS.

EVERY INCH IS GEARED TO MAKE
SURFACE EXPLORATION EASIER.

Ross: THIS IS A PLANETARY
SPACESUIT PROTOTYPE.

WE CALL IT THE Z1 SUIT.

IT HAS A LOT OF MOBILITY
BUILT INTO THE LOWER TORSO,

SO IT HAS A BEARING
HERE AT THE HIP.

IT HAS ANOTHER BEARING
HERE AT THE THIGH.

AND THEN IT ALSO HAS A BEARING
DOWN HERE AT THE ANKLE.

YOU CAN SEE THE BOOTS
ARE VERY DIFFERENT.

THEY'RE MUCH MORE LIKE
WORKING BOOTS OR HIKING BOOTS,

SO IT ALLOWS YOU
TO GET IN THE BOOT,

YOU HAVE AN ADJUSTMENT

TO GET YOUR FOOT FITTED
TO THE BOOT BETTER,

FOR WALKING OVER ROUGH TERRAIN.

Narrator: AND A NEW HELMET
WILL ENHANCE THE VIEW.

Ross: THIS HOPEFULLY,

WITH THE ANGLE
AND THEN THE BUBBLE,

THE HEMISPHERICAL BUBBLE,

ALLOWS YOU
BETTER DOWNWARD VISIBILITY.

YOU CAN SEE HERE, THIS VELCRO IS
WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

WHERE WE WANT TO PUT
CONTROLS ON THIS SUIT,

BUT WE'RE TRYING
TO STILL KEEP THIS

AS CLEAN AS WE CAN KEEP IT

SO YOU CAN SEE DOWN.

Narrator:
THE RIGHT SUIT IS ESSENTIAL

TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR TIME
ON ANOTHER PLANET.

SO IS HAVING
THE RIGHT SET OF WHEELS.

Duke: WE WERE
VERY, VERY FORTUNATE

WHEN SOMEBODY HAD THE IDEA
FOR THE LUNAR ROVER

BECAUSE IT REALLY REVOLUTIONIZED
LUNAR EXPLORATION.

Narrator: THE LUNAR ROVER
WAS A TWO-SEAT ROADSTER

WITH A TOP SPEED
OF 11 MILES PER HOUR...

CLEVERLY STOWED AWAY AND FERRIED
TO THE MOON ON THE LUNAR LANDER.

Carr: TO WATCH THE WAY
THEY FOLD THAT THING UP

AND TUCK IT AWAY IN ONE OF
THE BAYS IN THE LUNAR MODULE

WOULD WARM THE COCKLES
OF THE HEARTS

OF MANY, MANY
MECHANICAL ENGINEERS.

Duke: IT WAS A GREAT VEHICLE.

EACH WHEEL HAD
ITS OWN ELECTRIC MOTOR,

SO IT WAS 4-WHEEL DRIVE.

THE TIRES WERE SORT OF WEIRD
BECAUSE THEY WERE WIRE,

AND I FIRST SAW THAT,
AND I SAID, "GOD, WIRE TIRES...

THAT DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT,"

BUT THEY JUST
FILLED UP WITH DUST,

AND IT GAVE IT
TREMENDOUS TRACTION

SO IT WOULD GO UP
A 25-DEGREE SLOPE.

Carr, recording:
MAN, WE ARE REALLY GOING UP
A HILL, I'LL TELL YA.

Narrator: CHARLIE DUKE AND
HIS CREWMATE JOHN YOUNG

SPENT THREE DAYS DRIVING AROUND
THE MOON ON APOLLO 16.

John Young, recording: THIS IS
GONNA BE A GOOD DAY, CHARLIE.

Duke: FIRST OFF,
JOHN WOULDN'T LET ME DRIVE.

I WAS THE NAVIGATOR,

SO I'VE GOT THE MAPS,

AND I'VE GOT TO GET US
FROM POINT A TO POINT B

WHICH MIGHT BE 2 MILES AWAY.

BUT WE HAD SOME GOOD TIMES,

FILMING WHAT WE CALL
THE GRAND PRIX.

I GOT OFF WITH A MOVIE CAMERA,
AND I SAID,

"COME ON, JOHN,
GIVE ME A SHARP TURN."

HE SAID,
"I DON'T WANNA DO A SHARPY."

I SAID, "COME ON, JOHN,
GIVE ME A SHARPY."

HE SAID, "OK, HERE'S A SHARPY."

Duke, recording:
MAN, YOU ARE REALLY BOUNCING!

Narrator: DUKE AND YOUNG
DROVE THE ROVER 17 MILES,

COLLECTING 213 POUNDS
OF LUNAR HIGHLAND ROCKS.

Kranz: THE LUNAR ROVER

ALLOWED THE CREW
TO EXTEND THE RANGE

BEYOND THAT WHICH THEY COULD
WALK IN THEIR SPACESUITS.

I WOULD SAY IT'S SORT OF LIKE

THE EXPLORERS
IN THE UNITED STATES

WHEN THEY MOVE
FROM WALKING ON LAND

TO ALL OF A SUDDEN
THEY FIND A RIVER,

AND THEY NOW GOT A CANOE.

SO BASICALLY,
YOU EXPAND THE ABILITY

TO SURVEY WHAT'S GOING ON.

Narrator:
WITH A YEAR AND HALF
TO EXPLORE MARS,

ASTRONAUTS WILL NEED A NEW ROVER
TO TRAVEL FARTHER

AND KEEP THEM ALIVE FOR LONGER.

AT JOHNSON SPACE CENTER,

BILL BLUETHMANN SHOWS OFF
THE ROVER OF THE FUTURE.

Bill Bluethmann: ALRIGHT.

SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT
THE SPACE EXPLORATION VEHICLE.

Narrator: THE BIGGEST CHANGE
IS THAT THE CREW WILL TREK

IN THE SAFETY
OF A PRESSURIZED COCOON.

Bluethmann:
INSIDE THIS CABIN

YOU'D EXPLORE
IN YOUR SHIRTSLEEVES.

WE THOUGHT IF WE TOOK THE CREW

AND PUT THEM INSIDE
A PRESSURIZED AREA

WHERE THEY COULD EXPLORE,
YOU KNOW, ONE DAY AT A TIME,

3 DAYS, 14 DAYS,

WE COULD REALLY SEE
THE SURFACE BETTER.

Narrator:
THE SECOND NEW DESIGN FEATURE

IS ITS ABILITY TO MOVE
IN ANY DIRECTION.

Bluethmann:
IT HAS INFINITE STEERING

WE SOMETIMES CALL IT OMNI DRIVE
OR CRAB DRIVE.

Narrator:
THE ABILITY TO DRIVE SIDEWAYS

ALLOWS THE ROVER TO DOCK

WITH THE HABITATION POD
AND OTHER ROVERS.

BUT THE MOST DISTINCTIVE ELEMENT
OF THE NEW ROVER

IS FOUND AT ITS REAR.

Bluethmann:
SO ON THE BACKSIDE HERE

WE HAVE REALLY A NEW CONCEPT,

WHICH IS WHAT WE CALL
A SUIT PORT.

Narrator: THE SUIT PORT MEANS

THE SUITS NEVER COME IN
TO THE ROVER.

INSTEAD, ASTRONAUTS WILL CLIMB
INTO THEM FROM INSIDE,

SEAL THE BACKPACK ON,

AND THEN DETACH FROM THE ROVER...

A DESIGN FEATURE DIRECTLY
INSPIRED BY THE APOLLO MISSIONS,

WHERE CONTAMINATION FROM
THE SURFACE WAS A REAL ISSUE.

Duke: THE DUST OF THE MOON
IS SO FINE,

IT GETS INTO YOUR SUIT,
IT GOT IN YOUR BOOTS,

GETS ON YOUR HANDS

AND YOU CAN'T BRUSH IT OFF,

SO ALL OF THAT
TRACKS BACK INSIDE WITH YOU,

AND IT WAS JUST EVERYWHERE.

Narrator:
DUST CAN GET INTO THE LUNGS

AND CORRUPT INSTRUMENTS.

BUT WITH SUIT PORTS, THIS WILL
NO LONGER BE A PROBLEM.

NOT ONLY THAT,

BUT THESE NEW SUITS
WILL REMAIN PRESSURIZED,

SAVING HOURS OF PREP TIME
WITH THE TRADITIONAL SUITS.

Bluethmann: IF YOU'RE
EXPLORING ON THE SURFACE

AND YOU SAW SOMETHING
YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE EXPECTED,

IF IT TOOK YOU 4-6 HOURS
TO GET OUT

AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON IT
AND DO A SAMPLE OF IT,

IT MIGHT NOT BE
THE BEST APPROACH.

WHEREAS IF YOU GET IN AND OUT
IN 15 MINUTES,

REALLY YOU CAN GET BACK ON
YOUR EXPLORATION PATH.

Narrator:
ALL OF THAT EXPLORATION
IS BOUND TO WORK UP AN APPETITE.

FEEDING ASTRONAUTS ON MARS

IS AN ENTIRELY NEW CHALLENGE
FOR NASA'S FOOD LAB.

Vicki Kloeris:
WHEN THE MISSIONS WERE SHORT,

THE CREW MEMBERS...

REALLY, THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD
WAS WAY AT THE...

WAY DOWN THE LIST,
AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED.

YOU KNOW, THEY CONSIDERED IT
A CAMPING TRIP.

IT WAS, "I CAN FIND
SOMETHING I LIKE, NO BIG DEAL."

BUT THEN, EARLY IN STATION,

WE RAN INTO SOME SITUATIONS
WHERE FOOD SUPPLIES RAN LOW

OR COFFEE SUPPLIES
RAN LOW ON ORBIT,

AND IT BECAME VERY OBVIOUS

THAT THIS WAS A BIG DEAL
FOR THE CREW MEMBERS.

Barratt: WE ALL ENJOY OUR TIME
AROUND THE GALLEY TABLE.

I BELIEVE I HOLD THE RECORD
FOR DAILY CALORIE INTAKE.

I WAS OVER 5,000 CALORIES A DAY

FOR THE FIRST SEVERAL WEEKS
I WAS UP THERE.

WHEN YOU'RE EXERCISING HARD,
YOU SORT OF WANT MORE FOOD.

Narrator:
BUT IT COSTS $50,000 IN FUEL

TO LIFT THE WEIGHT OF A SMALL
BOTTLE OF WATER INTO SPACE.

AND EACH ASTRONAUT WOULD REQUIRE
MORE THAN 4,000 POUNDS OF FOOD

OVER A 3-YEAR TRIP TO MARS.

THAT'S A $320 MILLION RESTAURANT
TAB PER PERSON.

SO IT WON'T BE PRACTICAL

TO CARRY ALL THEIR NUTRITION
WITH THEM.

INSTEAD,
THEY'LL HAVE A HIGH-TECH

INTERIOR "KITCHEN GARDEN"

FOR GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD.

Michele Perchenok: ONCE WE'RE
ON THE SURFACE OF MARS,

WE'RE GOING TO BE USING
WHAT WE CALL

A BIO-REGENERATIVE FOOD SYSTEM,

SO THIS FOOD SYSTEM
WOULD INCLUDE

GROWING VEGETABLES, FRUITS,

AND MAYBE OTHER BASELINE CROPS.

Narrator:
ASTRONAUTS ON THE ISS

HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH
SPACE GARDENING FOR YEARS.

Perchenok: PLANTS GIVE OFF
OXYGEN AND USE CARBON DIOXIDE,

Narrator: SO THE MARS CREW
WILL HAVE A BOUNTIFUL GARDEN,

A COMFORTABLE HABITATION POD,

AND WHEELS TO EXPLORE.

WHAT SEEMED LIKE
THE STUFF OF SCIENCE FICTION

JUST 50 YEARS AGO

SLOWLY SEEMS MORE POSSIBLE.

AND WHILE ENGINEERS
REFINE THEIR PROTOTYPES,

ROCKET SCIENTISTS
ARE FOCUSING ON THE SINGLE THING

THAT COULD REVOLUTIONIZE
EVERYTHING IN ONE FELL SWOOP:

NEW PROPULSION METHODS.

Barratt: ADVANCED PROPULSION...
GETTING TO MARS

WITHIN A FEW WEEKS
INSTEAD OF A FEW MONTHS...

MAY BE THE ANSWER.

WE'LL LOSE LESS BONE,
LESS MUSCLE,

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY,
LESS RADIATION EFFECTS.

SO NOBODY GOES ON A SEA VOYAGE
FOR THREE YEARS ANYMORE.

OUR SHIPS ARE FASTER,
WE HAVE OTHER WAYS TO DO IT,

AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED.

THAT'S THE QUANTUM LEAP WE NEED
IN SPACE EXPLORATION.

Narrator: NO MATTER HOW LONG
THE TRIP TO MARS TAKES

AND ALL THE CHALLENGES
TO OVERCOME,

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE
OF CURRENT ASTRONAUTS

EAGER TO BE SELECTED.

Fincke: IT WOULD BE
AN INCREDIBLE ADVENTURE.

WE WILL LEARN SO MANY THINGS
ALONG THE WAY.

IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TRIP,
IT WOULD TAKE A LONG TIME,

I'D MISS MY FAMILY,
I'D BE FRIED BY RADIATION,

BUT I'D STILL TAKE THAT TRIP.

Barratt: GOING TO MARS
IS A HUGE LEAP OF DISCOVERY,

AND I DON'T KNOW
VERY MANY PEOPLE

WHO WOULDN'T SIGN UP TO GO.

Narrator:
THE NEXT GENERATION

MIGHT BE THE FIRST TO SEND
HUMANS MILLIONS OF MILES AWAY.

JUST 60 YEARS AGO,

WE WERE BARELY
GETTING OFF THE GROUND.

Kraft: WE DID NOT
UNDERSTAND ROCKETRY.

I'D SAY 50% OF THE ROCKETS THAT
WERE FLYING AT THAT TIME FAILED.

Narrator: BUT WE PERSEVERED...
ALL THE WAY TO THE MOON.

SINCE THEN,
WE'VE HONED OUR SKILLS

IN COUNTLESS ORBITS
AROUND THE EARTH,

IN EVER MORE ADVANCED
SPACECRAFT.

AND OUR PROBES,
ROVERS, AND TELESCOPES

ARE GLIMPSING
FARTHER AND FARTHER,

OFFERING TANTALIZING TARGETS
OF EXPLORATION.

Adam Steltzner: MY FAVORITE
THING ABOUT CURIOSITY

IS ALL OF THE FANTASTIC CAMERAS.

THOSE SUPER ZOOMED-IN IMAGES

PAINT A PICTURE OF MARS
THAT MAKES ME WANT TO GO THERE.

Narrator: HUMANS HAVE BEEN
EXPLORING THE EARTH

FOR A FEW
HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS,

AND EXPLORING SPACE FOR ONLY 60.

WE'RE BARELY OUT OF THE GATE.

BUT WE ARE GAINING SPEED.

Gibson: IT TAKES LIGHT 4 YEARS
JUST TO REACH OUR NEAREST STAR,

SO WHEN IT COMES
TO REAL SPACE TRAVEL

WE HAVE BARELY NUDGED THE TIP
OF OUR TOE OUT THE FRONT DOOR.

BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND
WE'RE ON THE FRONT END

OF SOMETHING MUCH LARGER
THAN ANY OF US CAN IMAGINE.