During a press briefing at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday, Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spoke to the media at length after being stuck in space for over 9 months.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon and welcome to NASA's Johnson Space Center for our Crew 9 news conference today.
00:06We are joined today here in person with our Crew 9 astronauts Nick Hague, Sonny Williams, and Butch Wilmore.
00:15We'll be taking questions from here in the room and on our phone bridge, but before we do that, we'll kick it off with some opening remarks from our crew.
00:22Nick, go ahead.
00:24Thanks, Courtney.
00:26So I wanted to kick off with words that would describe what the Crew 9 mission meant, and I think ultimately it's unique,
00:36like every spaceflight mission tends to be, and you don't know exactly how they're going to play out,
00:41but I think that the Crew 9 mission, when it comes to it, it highlights to me safety and the importance of the mission and the balance of those two.
00:52As you all know, back in the early fall, NASA was balancing the safe return of Sonny and Butch
01:00with the need to continue the mission that's been going on board the space station for two and a half decades,
01:06up there performing research for the benefit of humanity,
01:10and so there was a decision made to send Alex and I up with a couple empty seats
01:17and integrate Butch and Sonny into the crew of Crew 9 and then bring them back at the end of a long-duration spaceflight mission.
01:27And so we sit here today, minus Alex, who's recuperating in Russia right now with friends and family, thankfully,
01:35and we sit here as a testament to the success of that mission.
01:40So I look forward to answering your questions.
01:43Yeah, sure. I just wanted to say thanks.
01:45Thanks to Nick and Alex for coming up and getting us and bringing us home,
01:49and thanks to so many who prepared us for our mission.
01:52The commercial crew program with NASA and Boeing as well as SpaceX really got us ready to go.
02:01All of the trainers here at Johnson Space Center, the mission control teams all over the country in Florida to California,
02:09so throughout the whole country, as well as what we're doing now.
02:13Our teams here are getting us ready to get rehab and get ready to take on new challenges,
02:19so feeling good since we've been back almost two weeks now.
02:23I actually went out and ran three miles yesterday, so I will give myself a little pat on the back.
02:28Our trainers are rocking it and getting us ready to get back to help out with the new astronauts
02:35as they're getting ready for their mission, so the biggest thing I want to say was thank you.
02:39Yeah, thank you, Sunny.
02:41Let me start off with an analogy, a sports analogy.
02:44This very difficult job that we take part in, it's a team sport.
02:49It encompasses organizations throughout NASA, throughout the country, coming together,
02:55the commercial crew program, headquarters, the International Space Station program,
03:00working together day in and day out behind the scenes diligently to make all of this work together.
03:06Then you couple that with a nation that comes together and cares about the human spaceflight program
03:11and prays for us and what's taking place.
03:14It goes beyond understanding, honestly.
03:17Then this organization also is incorporated into an international organization that reaches beyond our own borders
03:24and brings in the world like no other organization on or off the planet.
03:29I can tell you it's simply a privilege to take part in all of that.
03:34All right.
03:35Thank you all for your opening remarks.
03:37We will go ahead and start taking questions now.
03:39If you're in the room, please raise your hand, and we'll be sure to get a microphone over to you.
03:43If you're joining from our phone bridge, please press star 1 when you're ready to enter the queue.
03:48Due to the high volume of questions today that we are receiving, we ask that media start with one question,
03:54and if we have time for a second round, we'll come back around to you.
03:57We'll start here in the first row with any questions.
04:00Mark, go ahead.
04:02Mark Strassman, CBS News.
04:04Welcome back, everyone.
04:05Good to talk to all of you again.
04:07We're meeting in this auditorium for a reason.
04:09There are roughly 60 news outlets represented here, another 120 or so on the phone.
04:14Butch and Sunny, have you been surprised by the continuing and intense interest in your space saga?
04:21I would have to say yes, absolutely.
04:24It's interesting.
04:25We go and launch, and we knew it was a little bit unique.
04:27Obviously, first time flying on a new spacecraft.
04:30So, yeah, that was interesting.
04:32But, you know, then life goes on up there.
04:34And I mentioned yesterday, you know, we pivoted, and we are International Space Station crew members,
04:38and we're doing what all of our other friends in the astronaut office do,
04:43is go and work and train and do amazing science experiments up on the International Space Station.
04:49And so, you know, I think you sort of get maybe a little bit tunnel visioned in what your job is.
04:53You know, do your job type of thing, right?
04:56And so you're not really aware of what else is going on down here.
05:00I hate to say that.
05:02You know, maybe the world doesn't revolve around us, but we revolve around the world, something like that.
05:07But, you know, I think we were just really focused on what we were doing
05:11and trying to be part of the team and making sure we pulled our weight for the team.
05:16Of course, we heard some things, and I'll let, you know, obviously hand this off to Butch,
05:20heard some stuff from our friends and family that people were interested and wondering what was going on
05:24and concerned about our health and all that kind of stuff while we were up there.
05:28But, I mean, we were just part of the team doing the job, filling in wherever we could,
05:32and then knowing that there's rotational flights, and we will be coming home eventually on a rotational flight.
05:37So, no, I don't think we were aware to the degree.
05:41I'm pretty honored and humbled by the fact of when we came home, like, wow,
05:46there are a lot of people who are interested, very thankful,
05:49very amazed that we could hopefully be one positive element to bring people together.
05:54Yeah, I don't know that there's much I could add to that,
05:56just thankful for a nation that cares, a nation that prays,
06:00and a nation that is involved in the processes that are important to all of us.
06:05Okay, we'll take our next question here in the room.
06:08Tom, go ahead.
06:10Hi, Tom Costello with NBC News again.
06:12Welcome back. Nice to see you all.
06:14Everybody's been thinking about you and worried about you.
06:17And I'm wondering, once you got your feet back on terra firma,
06:21what's the first thing both of you wanted to do,
06:24and were there any foods you were craving after nine-plus months?
06:29Oh, yeah, I wanted to hug my husband and hug my dogs, and I'll say that in that order.
06:34But maybe not. No, I'm just joking.
06:37Of course, food, you know, something that's just like for home for me,
06:41like something that reminds you of home.
06:44My father was a vegetarian, so I had a good grilled cheese sandwich when I got home.
06:48So that reminded me of him.
06:50Yeah, certainly embracing the family again,
06:53but also the opportunity, and I've already said it a couple of times,
06:55is just to say thank you to a nation that got involved in all of this.
06:59It makes it special, not just for us, but for I think our nation as a whole.
07:03So thank you.
07:05All right, we'll take our next question right here in the front row.
07:09Thank you. My question's for Sunny.
07:11When you first got off the plane in Houston, we saw you hug Zena Cardman,
07:16and there was a nice exchange.
07:18If you could describe what happened
07:20and your gratitude towards the crew members who stepped aside
07:24so that you'd have seeds coming back.
07:26Yeah, it's a great observation, so thank you very much.
07:28Zena's awesome. Stephanie Wilson, awesome.
07:31You know, when this whole thing was unraveling,
07:33like my heart went out because it's just sort of like,
07:35wow, you're waiting for your space flight,
07:37but specifically Zena as her first flight.
07:39Like, wow, you know, it's a little bit rough
07:42to know that you're going to be moved to a different flight.
07:45But at the same time, you know, she is an awesome person,
07:49an awesome astronaut.
07:51She's going to get the opportunity,
07:53and, you know, this just wasn't the right flight
07:55for her to be on at that moment in time.
07:58And so I just gave her a big, huge hug.
08:00I told her that I used her Crew 9 shirt
08:02when we were up there for a photo op,
08:04but I packed it back up real nicely and put it in her stuff.
08:07And a little joking aside,
08:09I just wanted to really tell her thank you
08:12for taking one for the team,
08:14and that's what our office is about.
08:16But she needed to have that acknowledgment.
08:19Okay, we'll take one more question here in the room,
08:22and then we'll head to our phone bridge.
08:24Hi, this question is for Sunita.
08:26I'm Jeff Safferstone, by the way, from NBC in Boston.
08:29A lot of people in your hometown, you need them.
08:32They've been watching this bit by bit every moment.
08:35Everybody at the elementary school,
08:37there was a big watch party for you when you came home.
08:39What's your message to them?
08:41They've been so anxiously awaiting for you to return.
08:44Oh, well, I'm back.
08:46First and foremost, we were always coming back,
08:49and I think people need to know that,
08:51and we're back to actually, you know,
08:53share our story with so many people
08:55because, you know, it's, like you all mentioned,
08:58it's slightly unique,
09:00and there's some lessons learned to it,
09:02and part of that is just resilience
09:04and being able to take a turn that was unexpected
09:08and make the best of it,
09:10and I think that is the biggest thing
09:12that I want to, you know, pass down,
09:14particularly to kids who think that their, you know,
09:16their life should be the straight arrow
09:18to where you, what you want to do,
09:20and you're just going to get there.
09:22Well, you know, sometimes it takes some turns,
09:24some rights and some lefts,
09:26but other doors might be open for you,
09:28so I think that's the biggest message.
09:31All right, we'll head to our phone bridge.
09:33Our first question there is from Marcia Dunn
09:36with the Associated Press.
09:39Welcome back, everybody.
09:41Butch, this question is for you.
09:43Where do you lay the blame for your Starliner test flight?
09:47Clearly, Starliner was not ready to fly when it did.
09:50Whom do you hold responsible for everything that happened?
09:53Thanks.
09:54That is a question that I cannot answer
09:56in a couple of comments, but I'll start with me.
10:00There were some issues, of course,
10:02that happened with Starliner.
10:04There were some issues, of course,
10:06that happened that prevented us from returning on Starliner,
10:08and I'll start with me.
10:10There were questions that I, as the commander of the spacecraft,
10:12that I should have asked, and I did not.
10:15At the time, I didn't know I needed to,
10:17and maybe you could call that hindsight,
10:19but I'll start and point the finger, and I'll blame me.
10:22I could have asked some questions,
10:24and the answers to those questions
10:26could have turned the tide.
10:28So blame, that's a term, I don't like that term,
10:31but certainly there's responsibility
10:33throughout all the programs,
10:35and certainly you can start with me.
10:38Responsibility with Boeing, yes.
10:41Responsibility with NASA, yes.
10:43All the way up and down the chain,
10:45we all are responsible.
10:47We all own this, and we are, in this business,
10:50trust, you cannot do this business without trust.
10:53You have to have ultimate trust,
10:55and for someone to step forward
10:57in these different organizations and say,
10:59hey, I'm culpable for part of that issue,
11:01that goes a long way to maintaining trust.
11:04So we're not going to look back and say,
11:06this happened or that happened,
11:08and that person or that issue or that entity is to blame.
11:11We're going to look forward and say,
11:13what are we going to use our lessons learned
11:15from this whole process and make sure
11:17that we are successful in the future?
11:20This is a tough business.
11:22The analogy about it is it's always a curvy road.
11:25It's never straight in this business,
11:27and minimizing those curves and being systems
11:32and processes in effect to prevent some of these curves
11:36is what we have to do as we leave low Earth orbit
11:39and go beyond to the moon and beyond that.
11:41So we're going to look forward, and that's the focus.
11:45All right.
11:46Our next question on the phone bridge
11:48is from Anthony with Spectrum News.
11:52Hello.
11:53Welcome back, everyone.
11:55It's nice seeing everyone return healthy and safe.
11:59I have a question for both you, Sunny, and Butch.
12:03Given the opportunity,
12:05would you guys go up on Starliner again?
12:09Yes, because we're going to rectify
12:12all the issues that we encounter.
12:14Yeah.
12:15We're going to fix it.
12:16We're going to make it work.
12:18Boeing's completely committed.
12:20NASA is completely committed.
12:22And with that, I get on in a heartbeat.
12:25Yeah, I would agree.
12:27The spacecraft is really capable.
12:29There were a couple things that need to be fixed,
12:31like Butch mentioned,
12:33and folks are actively working on that.
12:36But it is a great spacecraft,
12:38and it has a lot of capability
12:40that other spacecraft don't have.
12:42And to see that thing successful
12:44and to be part of that program is an honor.
12:46Yeah.
12:47Our next question is from Jackie with The Times of London.
12:53Yes, hello, and welcome back to Earth.
12:56I wondered about the stuck, stranded, marooned narrative,
13:00and to what extent were you aware of that narrative
13:02playing out around that down here,
13:04and has that been frustrating for you to have to address?
13:08I'm sorry, that was a little garbled.
13:10The stuck, marooned narrative.
13:12Oh, the stuck, marooned narrative.
13:14We heard about that.
13:15Yeah, we heard about that.
13:16Somebody mentioned that.
13:18We've said this before.
13:20We had a plan, right?
13:23The plan went way off from what we had planned,
13:26but because we're in human spaceflight,
13:28we prepare for any number of contingencies
13:32because this is a curvy road.
13:34You never know where it's going to go.
13:36We prepare for this.
13:37So we, as Sonny used the term, and it's a great term,
13:40we pivoted to all that training we did
13:42that we didn't think we needed to do,
13:44and a lot of people didn't think we needed to do,
13:46but we did it anyway, as we pivoted to this other preparation,
13:50and that is what makes human spaceflight,
13:53your human spaceflight program special.
13:55It is hard, like I said,
13:57and preparing for any number of contingencies is what we do.
14:01It happened to be me and Sonny involved in this,
14:03but it could have been any one of the astronauts.
14:05There's 40 or so of us eligible for assignment.
14:07It would have been any one of us
14:09that would have been in the same situation,
14:11or could have been in the same situation,
14:13and would have done the exact same thing that we did
14:15because they would have gone prepared just like we did.
14:18Yeah, and one addition to that,
14:20this is a lot bigger than Butch and myself,
14:23like we've talked about already.
14:25This is the International Space Station program,
14:27and there's a lot of wheels that are turning
14:30and wickets that we have to go through
14:32to get people up to the International Space Station
14:34to do all of the amazing science that we're doing up there.
14:37We recognize that, we know that,
14:39just like anybody else in the astronaut office,
14:41and we came, as Butch has mentioned before, prepared,
14:44and we were ready to do that pivot
14:47and be part of that bigger thing that's not just about us,
14:50knowing that everybody on the ground,
14:52there's a huge team of people,
14:54like I quickly mentioned in my quick thank you,
14:56but there's a huge group of people
14:58who are looking at the whole program
15:00and understanding how and what was the best time
15:03and way to get us back home.
15:05We knew that, and we were ready to wait
15:08until that decision was made, and that was fine.
15:10And I'll also add that we're grateful for people that,
15:13I don't think they were looking just at us
15:15when they make recommendations,
15:17we can do this, we can do that.
15:19They're looking what's best for the human space flight program
15:21for our nation's goals.
15:23They're not looking just about Sonny and Butch,
15:25and we appreciate those entities that do that
15:28and reach out and say, hey, we can do this,
15:30we can do that, we can do that,
15:32and NASA says, hey, we got a plan,
15:34we came prepared, here's what our plan is,
15:36and we think this is the best plan
15:38because it doesn't disrupt the flow
15:40of how these missions lay out.
15:42And that's the one we went with.
15:44Yeah.
15:46All right, we'll take our next question here in the room.
15:48Andrea, go ahead.
15:50Thank you guys for being available today.
15:52So your mission became unusually political.
15:54Given your experience,
15:56do you think other astronauts are going to get nervous
15:58that they could be caught in the middle of a political fight?
16:00And is there a point where, you know,
16:02this starts to jeopardize safety of a mission
16:04when you start looking at all these politics
16:06that come into play?
16:10You know, I think Nick's got some good insight on that.
16:12Good job.
16:18So the way I'd like to answer that
16:20is that when we're up there operating in space,
16:22you don't feel the politics,
16:24you don't feel any of that.
16:26It's focused strictly on mission.
16:28And, you know,
16:30if I step back a little bit to the question before,
16:32Butch and Sonny talk up here,
16:34they make it sound like, you know,
16:36well, you know, everybody figured out
16:38what they could do with us.
16:40The reality is they are highly skilled,
16:42very technically competent,
16:44and it took everything I had on every day
16:46to keep up with them as they're moving along.
16:48So they were more than just gap fillers
16:50on the station.
16:52They were productive, pushing the station mission forward.
16:54And Sonny was the station commander.
16:56So she was calling the shots.
16:58So you get in that environment,
17:00that operational environment,
17:02the politics,
17:04they don't make it up there.
17:06We are working as a part of an international team
17:08that spans the globe
17:10and works with, you know,
17:12half a dozen mission control centers
17:14spread around the globe
17:16that are talking in multiple languages,
17:18and we just figure out how to make it happen.
17:20And that's the magic of human spaceflight
17:22is that we can focus on something so positive
17:24that pulls people together.
17:26And we've been doing that for a long time.
17:28Yeah.
17:30All right.
17:32We'll take our next question here in the room.
17:34Hi.
17:36I'm Jaewon with KPRC,
17:38the NBC affiliate in Houston.
17:40This question is for Butch.
17:42I actually stopped by your church
17:44right before I came here,
17:46and I heard that you were still attending
17:48your church services from space.
17:50Right.
17:52Oh, my goodness.
17:54The word of God continually infilling me.
17:56I need it.
17:58My pastors are the finest pastors
18:00on or off, in this case, the planet.
18:02And to tie in and to worship
18:04with my church family was vital.
18:06I mean, it's part of what makes me go.
18:08And not only that,
18:10I also tied into Grace Baptist Church
18:12in Mount Juliet, Tennessee.
18:14A buddy of mine is an elder there
18:16and a pastor there,
18:18and I would watch their services well
18:20because it was invigorating.
18:22It was part of what I need
18:24as a believer in Jesus Christ
18:26to continue that focus.
18:28It assists me day in and day out
18:30because I need that fellowship,
18:32even though it's fellowship from afar.
18:34And it's not like being fellowship
18:36up close, but still I need it.
18:38So, yeah, thank you for that.
18:40Okay. We'll head back to our phone bridge.
18:42Next up is Ryan with
18:44nasaspaceflight.com.
18:46Hi, thank you.
18:48For the whole crew, of course,
18:50this narrative that's been pushed out
18:52has made your mission probably
18:54the most popular NASA mission
18:56to the general public for as long
18:58as I can remember, probably since
19:00the retirement of the shuttle.
19:02But for the whole crew, do you think
19:04this extra attention has been
19:06a net positive or a net negative
19:08for the agency's
19:10sort of popularity
19:12and the spaceflight industry
19:14as a whole? Thank you.
19:16I'll start with this one.
19:18You know,
19:20it's, again, an honor that
19:22actually people were paying attention.
19:24And I'm very thankful that people are paying attention.
19:26You know, sometimes good news, bad news,
19:28it's just news, and it's good for
19:30space exploration.
19:32And that's what we're all about.
19:34Our mission, of course, building and
19:36working on the International Space Station was just
19:38awesome, and we all had the opportunity to do that.
19:40But we also have bigger goals
19:42of exploring our solar system,
19:44going back to the moon, going on to Mars.
19:46And to get people understanding
19:48that it is hard, it is difficult,
19:50and what we do up there
19:52is really awesome.
19:54And I think at least that we had
19:56a little bit of that that came with
19:58the interest in this mission.
20:00And if we can perpetuate that
20:02and tell people a little bit more
20:04and have the opportunity, the forum, to do that,
20:06I'm very thankful for that.
20:08All right. Our next question
20:10is from Nicole with the Canadian Broadcasting
20:12Corporation.
20:14Hi there.
20:16Could you perhaps talk about how
20:18difficult it was being away from your
20:20friends and family,
20:22particularly since you hadn't prepared for that?
20:28Difficult.
20:30Yes,
20:32I would say it was difficult.
20:34It wasn't in the preparation, but in my
20:36family, we talk about
20:38these possibilities.
20:40We discussed all of this. We never said we were
20:42going to be gone for nine months, but it
20:44turned out that way. But the discussions we had,
20:46and it's not just discussions prior to the mission launch.
20:48This is the way we've trained our daughters
20:50from the time they were born, because
20:52their dad is in a unique
20:54occupation, right?
20:56This is not the norm leaving
20:58the planet. And they understand
21:00that. And they, again,
21:02use that term, pivoted
21:04and got on board understanding
21:06that this is part of what
21:08families and these
21:10type of businesses do. And it's not
21:12just in human space flight. This is
21:14military, armed forces,
21:16police forces,
21:18all across, all different types of
21:20occupations that are involved
21:22in the possibility
21:24of extended stays away.
21:26And we're not unique in that.
21:28And so they understand that.
21:30They have friends that have
21:32parents in other areas where they've
21:34been involved in similar type
21:36situations, and all of that came together.
21:38And, you know, the Lord's help.
21:40We persevered. They persevered.
21:42And I can tell you, I am very proud of them.
21:44We'll take another question
21:46on our phone bridge and then head back
21:48into the room. Our next question is from
21:50Tom with Sky News London.
21:54Hello. Thanks for taking
21:56my question. Congratulations on
21:58your extended mission and your safe return.
22:00Although the political
22:02situation around this
22:04would bring a lot of attention to
22:06space and to the International Space Station,
22:08some of the statements that were made
22:10during your stay up there
22:12caused embarrassment to NASA,
22:14forced them to make
22:16corrections to statements.
22:18Now that you're back,
22:22did the politics around your stay
22:24make any difference?
22:26Did the politics
22:28around your stay make
22:30a difficult situation worse?
22:34I'm not sure I understood.
22:36I didn't understand the question exactly.
22:38Yeah, you came in just,
22:40you were broken up just a little bit.
22:42Could you please try to repeat your question
22:44one more time?
22:46Yeah, I will.
22:48Can you hear me? I was
22:50asking whether
22:52the, although the
22:54political wrangling
22:56around your extended stay in
22:58space brought a lot of attention
23:00to human space flight.
23:04Some of the political statements
23:06raised caused embarrassment
23:08to NASA, forced to make
23:10denials about various things that were offered
23:12and not offered, and sometimes
23:14to your astronaut colleagues.
23:16Did the politics
23:18around your mission
23:20make a difficult situation
23:22worse?
23:24Thank you for the question.
23:26You know, I talked about
23:28the, you know, how the politics
23:30kind of, they don't
23:32make it up there when we're trying to make operational
23:34decisions. So as the, you know, the
23:36commander of Crew 9, responsible for the safety
23:38of this crew and getting them back safely,
23:40I can tell you that
23:42the entire time
23:44up there, you know, I launched
23:46with that singular objective of
23:48showing up to the station and having to integrate
23:50Butch and Sonny into a crew
23:52with Alex and myself, and
23:54then we were planning, you know, from
23:56day one to return toward the end of
23:58February. That
24:00all predicated on the fact that we would have
24:02a replacement crew show up and we'd have
24:04adequate handover with that crew before
24:06we left. That's important
24:08to maintain the mission
24:10of the International Space Station to
24:12continue pushing
24:14research and exploration.
24:16And that was never
24:18in question the entire time.
24:20There were
24:22a lot of
24:24options that were discussed
24:26and the ground team and the team
24:28on the ground, you know, we've alluded to it
24:30a couple times already, is gigantic
24:32and everybody
24:34was working with singular focus on how
24:36do we
24:38end the Crew 9 mission at the
24:40right time and maintain the safety
24:42and the success
24:44of the space station mission.
24:46And, you know, launching in September,
24:48given all the unique dynamics surrounding this
24:50mission and coming back
24:52originally targeting the end of February
24:54and hitting the middle of March,
24:56that's pretty much on target if you look at the
24:58track record of human spaceflight.
25:00It's dynamic, it's challenging,
25:02the weather doesn't always cooperate,
25:04but somehow we figure out how to make it work.
25:06All right, we will
25:08take our next question here in the room.
25:10Box 26 here in Houston, welcome back to H-Town.
25:16Sonny and Butch, both of you
25:18all have a long history of being active
25:20in athletes, but with that being said, obviously
25:22you all spent nearly nine months in space.
25:24What does that recuperation
25:26and recovery process look like
25:28getting acclimated back here to Earth?
25:30I'll start.
25:32I can tell you, we have a group of
25:34individuals, astronaut strength
25:36conditioning and rehabilitation
25:38specialists, and we are
25:40directly integrated with them
25:42day in and day out. They send
25:44us protocols to work out, and
25:46I can tell you, I'm not as
25:48young as I used to be, but
25:50I was stronger on
25:52space station doing more weight
25:54and more reps on exercises
25:56than I have in my entire
25:58life, because this group of
26:00professionals work to get us
26:02stronger and stronger and stronger. We're trying to minimize
26:04muscle atrophy, minimize our
26:06bone loss, so if we go to
26:08other planets, the moon and other planets
26:10in the foreseeable future,
26:12that we will be able to function when we get
26:14there. It's a whole science built around
26:16this team of individuals that
26:18are working to help us better
26:20understand human physiology
26:22and what zero gravity does to it
26:24and how we can mitigate the effects
26:26of the bone loss and the muscle
26:28atrophy. Day in and day out,
26:30I worked out every single day.
26:32We went into quarantine on the 22nd
26:34of April, and starting on the
26:3622nd of April, I never missed a
26:38single day of workout, because your
26:40body can recuperate in zero gravity. It doesn't
26:42have the normal stresses of gravity on it all the time,
26:44so you work out real hard, you hurt for an hour,
26:46and it finally fades away, and you're ready to go the next day.
26:48So I applaud those individuals.
26:50They are making huge gains
26:52in the preparation to go beyond low
26:54Earth orbit, and it's science
26:56that is taking place day in and day out, and has for years,
26:58and we're still learning, and we're still progressing.
27:00Yeah, and
27:02day 265
27:04on the ARED, because it counts
27:06all your days that you
27:08go and do a workout, I was thinking,
27:10I wish the hay was in the barn, but
27:12every single day, just like
27:14Butch is saying, you've got to get on the machine
27:16and work out, and it
27:18actually is a really great stress relief to be able
27:20to have that time up there and
27:22run or bike or
27:24lift weights. It's really great, and
27:26the folks that Butch is talking about,
27:28along with the nutritionists, really are
27:30helping out for us, making sure that when we get
27:32back here to planet Earth with gravity,
27:34we'll be able to function. So yeah, it's an
27:36adjustment when we get back, and they're here
27:38right with us from day one
27:40when we landed, ready to
27:42one, evaluate us and see how
27:44we're doing, and then work on a protocol to
27:46get us back, and like I said,
27:48I sneakily went for a run yesterday,
27:50but that's all as a result of their hard work.
27:52Yeah, I mean, who would
27:54even imagine that you come back
27:56from 10 months in space, roughly 10
27:58months, and within a week, you run
28:00two miles at an eight-minute pace.
28:02I mean, that's not even conceivable
28:04that the body could handle that,
28:06but these folks get us ready to where
28:08those type of things happen.
28:10Okay, we'll take our next question
28:12here in the room.
28:14Yes, hello. I'm just wondering, you know,
28:16there are a lot of people that depend on jobs here in the
28:18aerospace industry. In the Houston area, 23,000
28:20total. In the past,
28:22when there have been issues with NASA
28:24spacecrafts, there have been delays,
28:26and now we have another issue with the
28:28Boeing Starliner. Is there any
28:30concern that your issues
28:32with Boeing may delay future
28:34projects, future missions,
28:36and what would you say to one of your fellow astronauts
28:38before they go up on another test flight?
28:40That's a great question.
28:42Yeah, it's a great question, and you know,
28:44I think we all have alluded to it.
28:46There's lessons learned, and that's
28:48like a piece of hope, right?
28:50We're not just sitting here doing the same thing over and over
28:52again, and we're learning from every
28:54mistake, potentially, or maybe
28:56a decision that we've made
28:58and how we could make that better
29:00and do better the next time.
29:02When we go to the moon, we won't have an international
29:04space station to maybe take a stop at.
29:06We really have to get it right,
29:08and because of our mission,
29:10I think that highlighted some areas
29:12where maybe we need to work on and
29:14get it right for our fellow
29:16astronauts. I think they're encouraged by that, right?
29:18You learn, and you move on,
29:20and you get better, and I think that's
29:22part of the learning process. It's part of the
29:24exploration process.
29:26We are scheduled on Wednesday
29:28to meet with Boeing
29:30leadership, the program managers,
29:32senior chief
29:34engineers, to discuss some of
29:36these issues. They want to come together
29:38with us, Sonny and myself, because we
29:40live through this with them, and
29:42get on board with what the future looks like
29:44and having flight crew with background
29:46in test and acquisition involved
29:48in the processes going forward
29:50to make sure that we're dotting
29:52every I and crossing every T,
29:54but still, that doesn't
29:56mean that you're guaranteed success in anything.
29:58Like we've said many times, this is a tough
30:00business, and we're
30:02learning all the time to go
30:04further and further and further.
30:06We'll take another question
30:08here in the room.
30:10I'm Chang from New York Times. This is for all of you.
30:12I was wondering if you could sort of talk about
30:14your personal future.
30:16Sorry.
30:18There's been a lot of talk
30:20about this uncertainty about the future
30:22of the Human Space Flight Program,
30:24suggestions that ISS should be
30:26de-orbited in a few years, there should be a pivot
30:28from the Moon to Mars.
30:30How would astronauts feel
30:32about these potential changes
30:34in three years is a lot longer than eight months?
30:40So we've
30:42each been able to do multiple missions
30:44to the space station,
30:46and I'll let Butch and Sunny
30:48add on to this, but
30:50one of the things that I noticed
30:52was a dramatic increase in the
30:54complexity and the
30:56weightiness of the experiments
30:58that we were conducting this time around
31:00on the station since six years ago
31:02when I was last there.
31:04It just gives you this sense that
31:06we are in the golden
31:08age of the space station right now
31:10in terms of the return on investment and what
31:12we're able to do there, and it's not
31:14just focused on return to
31:16benefit the Earth, it's also
31:18focused on enabling all those things that we're going
31:20to need as we go to the Moon
31:22and on to Mars.
31:24And so I am really
31:26optimistic when I think about the future of human
31:28space flight.
31:30Yeah, I would add on to
31:32it was over a decade since I've been up
31:34there last, and I was pretty excited
31:36about what was going on. There was a lot
31:38going on when we first got there. It was
31:40an honor to be working with Crew 8
31:42and seeing all that they were doing and just
31:44trying to help them with their stuff
31:46and then moving up
31:48to the prime spots for Crew 9
31:50and Expedition 72 as we
31:52took on a lot of experiments ourselves
31:54as well as spacewalks, and what the
31:56space station is doing
31:58to help us in exploration is really
32:00encouraging, and it's exciting.
32:02And I'm a little
32:04envious of the future astronauts,
32:06the guys who are coming behind us. They're going to have
32:08so many wonderful
32:10opportunities to do the same
32:12as us, add to that exploration,
32:14add to trying to find the answers
32:16to the next questions.
32:18It's going to be an exciting future, so
32:20I'm not worried about aerospace
32:22industry. I think there's a lot going on, and
32:24it's a great time to be in it.
32:26We'll take our next question
32:28right here.
32:30Ed Lavandera with CNN. Thanks for taking
32:32the time today.
32:34When you reentered the Earth
32:36atmosphere and came back to
32:38gravity, can you talk
32:40specifically about any kind of weird
32:42sensations or experiences that you've had
32:44dealing with that over the last couple of weeks?
32:46And more importantly, did you know that you guys
32:48had been greeted by dolphins
32:50when you splashed out?
32:52I can tell you that returning
32:54from space to Earth through the atmosphere
32:56inside of a 3,000 degree
32:58fireball of plasma is
33:00weird, regardless of how you look at it.
33:02It doesn't matter what type. Yeah, it doesn't matter what type.
33:04It's thrilling.
33:06It's amazing. I remember thinking
33:08about the structure of the capsule
33:10and the stresses that it was taking
33:12that was ongoing as the
33:14drogues came out, and the whole capsule
33:16starts shaking and twisting
33:18and thinking about the stresses
33:20taking place and going,
33:22I hope those cables hold.
33:24And then the parachutes open up, and
33:26you're like, I've said it many times, there's not a better feeling
33:28returning from space than the parachutes open
33:30and work. And I didn't have
33:32the view in front of me, and thankfully Nick did.
33:34He had a great view of the camera going out right off the top,
33:36and he said, three parachutes,
33:38four good parachutes, and I tell you what,
33:40it's a great feeling.
33:42And it's exhilarating
33:44because this, again, I can't help
33:46because it's within me. This is our
33:48national focus, national
33:50goals. We don't do this because
33:52NASA decides to do this or this or this.
33:54This is Congress and everything coming together
33:56to affect a human spaceflight
33:58program with a purpose.
34:00And part of that
34:02purpose includes bringing those astronauts back
34:04to Earth. And it's a thrilling ride
34:06like no other that you could imagine.
34:08And satisfying.
34:10And I had requested dolphins
34:12as kind of a joke. Somehow
34:14they pulled it off.
34:16Yeah, I'll just
34:18hats off to Nick for
34:20he's just commentating the whole way down.
34:22So there was obviously, we had
34:24trained this and gone over it while we were up on
34:26the space station and reviewed, but just
34:28to hear everything as it was ticking
34:30along, it's just really awesome.
34:32You can envision it. You had a
34:34display, I think there's a camera that goes up, right?
34:36To see it. And Butch and I both had
34:38a window on either side
34:40where we were. And I was watching
34:42through the window as much as I could, but then
34:44all of a sudden, with the heating, it
34:46glazes over and then you can't see outside.
34:48A funny thing that
34:50happened, though, after you can't see, you can still
34:52sort of see through it. We knew it was daylight
34:54and we knew the folks were coming out to
34:56rig the spacecraft. And I see a little tennis shoe
34:58sort of going in front of the window. So
35:00I'm like, okay, our friends are here
35:02getting us ready to get back on the boat. And that was
35:04pretty special, too. I didn't see a
35:06fin, though. I wish I had seen a fin.
35:08Okay, we'll head to
35:10our phone bridge. Our next question
35:12from Margaret Smith.
35:14Hi, everyone.
35:16This is Margaret Smith
35:18from Worcester, Massachusetts.
35:20I don't know if Robert got it.
35:22He started it all.
35:24Thanks for taking the time today.
35:26My question to both of you
35:28is, for those who
35:30maybe are not especially familiar or
35:32who may question the need
35:34for the space station, can you all make
35:36the case for why that work is
35:38important?
35:40Why the space station
35:42is important? Oh, the space
35:44station is amazing, right? So
35:46just sort of like we've talked about a little
35:48bit earlier in this conversation, so
35:50we're doing a bunch of stuff, like
35:52Butch alluded to, physiology, understanding
35:54what happens to humans as they're in space for
35:56a longer period of time.
35:58That brings in lots
36:00of science experiments in
36:02chemistry, in biology.
36:04Some of that stuff all comes back to
36:06Earth, because we're doing some amazing stuff in
36:08the microgravity environment. Some of it
36:10is mirrored, for example, in our
36:12own human bodies. And so
36:14there's a lot of stuff that's happening
36:16for us, for exploration,
36:18for the humans, as well
36:20as for Earth. And then, as Nick alluded
36:22to, there's all sorts of systems
36:24and other things that we're testing up there
36:26to help us take those next steps to go back
36:28to the Moon and on to Mars, figuring
36:30out all these exploration systems,
36:32including docking vehicles,
36:34like different types of spacecraft that
36:36we have up there, other types of commercial spacecraft
36:38that are coming up for resupply.
36:40That's all a huge program
36:42to get us to understand
36:44how we're going to take the next steps in exploration.
36:46I can't help also but talk
36:48about STEM. I mean, all of this
36:50is STEM, right? Science, technology, engineering,
36:52and math. And I'm hoping the work
36:54that we've done up there also encourages
36:56the next generation of kids
36:58to understand how
37:00important that is and how they can
37:02become involved. We did lots of
37:04experiments up there with kids and
37:06universities and companies
37:08trying out new guidance navigation
37:10control algorithms and robots that were
37:12flying inside the space station competitions,
37:14for example, for them. And that's
37:16pretty awesome that you can really touch
37:18and talk to kids on the ground
37:20as you're doing experiments up there
37:22and they have their finger on
37:24the pulse of science experiments
37:26and they can understand that
37:28and think to themselves, I could be part of this one day.
37:32Our next question on the phone bridge is from
37:34Neil with ITV News.
37:38Congratulations on a great job, everyone.
37:40Sonny, can I ask how
37:42your body is recovering to
37:44life with gravity after nine months?
37:46And Butch, what's your
37:48message to others from your
37:50experience, the delays that you guys
37:52faced, and any lessons in
37:54patience for the rest of us down here?
37:56Oh, I
37:58think I'm doing okay.
38:00I was just joking around and showing
38:02off a little bit. But no,
38:04seriously, we talked a little bit about our
38:06group, the Astronaut Strength Reconditioning
38:08folks that are getting us back
38:10in shape and every day feeling
38:12better and better. It's pretty much a miracle
38:14to see how your human
38:16body can adapt. I mean, the first day
38:18we got back, when
38:20all of us came down the ladder and
38:22greeted everybody,
38:24we were all a little bit wobbly at that time
38:26and it's amazing within 24
38:28hours how the neurovestibular system kicks in.
38:30Your brain understands what's going on.
38:32And then the agility and the weightlifting
38:34that occurs in the next
38:36week that makes you feel good enough to
38:38actually, like I mentioned, go out, run,
38:40actually lift weights, get in
38:42there, do squats and deadlifts and stuff
38:44already. That's pretty incredible.
38:46So I knew it was going
38:48to happen. We all knew it. We've all flown before.
38:50We all knew that there's just this little bit of a hump
38:52to get over and then you can get back
38:54on it. Hope to do a couple races
38:56in the springtime. I think the clear message
38:58is that, like I said when I started,
39:00it takes a team.
39:02It takes a team of motivated
39:04and passionate individuals. We
39:06don't have a human spaceflight program. You don't have folks
39:08sitting up here in a blue suit without the
39:10massive team that's making
39:12it all happen. We get to
39:14ride the pointy end of the rocket. It is wonderful.
39:16We get to go to the space station. We're the arms
39:18and the eyes for PIs here
39:20on Earth. They're the ones
39:22that are doing the hard work. We're just setting up
39:24and doing and switching and changing.
39:26So it takes a team. And I would say
39:28any part of this team is a great
39:30and wonderful place to be because
39:32we're proud of all of them because we don't have it
39:34without them.
39:36Our next question is from Marcia
39:38with Space Policy Online.
39:40Thanks so much
39:42for taking my question. But you
39:44mentioned that you were going to be meeting with the Boeing
39:46leadership to talk about Starliner.
39:48And I'm wondering
39:50are you surprised that after
39:52all these months, I mean it's been almost
39:54seven months since Starliner landed, that they
39:56still haven't resolved all these problems?
39:58And will you and Sunny be
40:00assigned to work with them over these next
40:02many months getting Starliner ready?
40:04Okay, so
40:06a couple of questions there. Am I surprised?
40:08I'm not surprised. I mean this, like we've
40:10said it several times again, human spaceflight is hard.
40:12It's not that no work has been
40:14done to this point. There's a great deal of work being done.
40:16But we have insight that
40:18not many other people have. We worked this
40:20program for six years before we launched.
40:22We talk to everyone up and down
40:24the chain of command. And we have insight
40:26that other people don't have.
40:28And we want to share that as much as possible.
40:30We've tried to share it from orbit, but that's hard.
40:32Face-to-face is
40:34how you communicate. It's very difficult to communicate
40:36when you can't even see the other person that you're
40:38talking to. So we've had some conversations,
40:40but now it's time to get serious and get together
40:42and talk about some of these issues
40:44and some of these things.
40:46We're already tracking on
40:48the right path, but maybe a little tweaking
40:50here and there because of some insight that we'll be able
40:52to give them. That's the purpose of that meeting.
40:54And they're eager to do it as
40:56are we.
40:58We'll take our next question here in the room.
41:00Jacob
41:02Brascone, KHOU11.
41:04I wonder what you would say
41:06about the life lesson
41:08I think we can all relate to.
41:10We've all made plans.
41:12We've all been excited about
41:14those plans, and we've all
41:16watched those plans kind of
41:18fall apart.
41:20What would you say about what
41:22allows you to
41:24meet the moment
41:26with courage, with serenity,
41:28or maybe
41:30you didn't, you know, internally.
41:32But what would you say about that life lesson
41:34I think we can all relate to?
41:38Well, I'll start.
41:40I'm sure you want to add, both of you,
41:42because I think every
41:44flight is a little bit different
41:46than what you go in planning it to be.
41:48It doesn't matter if it was this one or many
41:50other flights or many things in life,
41:52just like you alluded to, right?
41:54I think the go-to thought there
41:56is what is the opportunity
41:58in front of me?
42:00It's not a missed opportunity, it's actually another
42:02opportunity that I didn't really think about
42:04and wow, that opens a lot of, like I
42:06mentioned earlier, a lot of doors
42:08or a lot of things to learn.
42:10I think
42:12it's great.
42:14I think that's the
42:16point, I think, of the whole thing.
42:18When something doesn't go your way,
42:20you just have to take the blinders off
42:22and look around you and see
42:24what other really great things
42:26are waiting for you.
42:28Then just take advantage of that, learn as much as you
42:30can while you're, wherever you are, whatever
42:32your situation is and move on from
42:34there and then share that lesson.
42:38Well, I
42:40sort of had a similar question
42:42on orbit and I think my answer would be
42:44similar.
42:46Life is a,
42:48our life, all of our lives are bound up
42:50in many things. For me,
42:52and it's
42:54faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
42:56He is the end-all, be-all.
42:58He
43:00forgives us.
43:02He teaches us when His words
43:04is about being content in all situations
43:06because He's working out His plan and His purposes
43:08for His glory and our good
43:10and I believe that because the Bible says
43:12that and that's the message that
43:14I lived. We lived it.
43:16My family lived it. We taught them these things
43:18throughout their lives and that's
43:20contentment. It doesn't mean
43:22there's no pain, but content
43:24and knowing that God's in control. Sovereign God's
43:26in control, working out His plan and His purpose
43:28and you might say, well, goodness, that wasn't
43:30a very good thing. God did that. Well,
43:32He's working out His plan and His purpose.
43:34I mean, who's lived a life without pain?
43:36I mean, no one.
43:38That's the nature of existence.
43:40Who's lived a life without
43:42sorrow? Who's lived a life without
43:44challenges? It grows us.
43:46We learn from it and that's the focus
43:48that I try to take from it. What's the Lord
43:50trying to show me and what's He
43:52teaching me? Because there's so
43:54much to learn in life and there's so much
43:56to learn from this evolution and I think
43:58we're all, I know my daughters are better off for it
44:00and I'm grateful for that and I think we are
44:02as well.
44:04If there's any additional questions here in the room,
44:06please be sure to raise your hand and we'll get
44:08a microphone over to you.
44:10In the meantime, we'll head over to the phone bridge
44:12to Josh with Space.com.
44:14Hi, Josh Dinner.
44:16Thank you all so much for doing this.
44:18This question is for all three of you.
44:20What were the most
44:22out of this world and your favorite
44:24experiments or tech demos you got to be a part
44:26of on this mission and for Williams
44:28and one more specifically, did
44:30the extension of your mission
44:32create any new opportunities for
44:34experiments or research that was not
44:36originally planned for the expedition?
44:38You start.
44:40Sure.
44:42So while I was up there,
44:44we performed about 150 different
44:46experiments.
44:48Of those, the ones that you know the most
44:50about are the ones where you end up being
44:52one of the guinea pigs in the experiment.
44:54So there was about a dozen different
44:56experiments where we were doing
44:58things to me and seeing how my body
45:00adapted, whether that was
45:02a vascular aging experiment
45:04where we're measuring how stiff
45:06my arteries get because
45:08my arteries are so tight
45:10and how stiff my arteries get
45:12because life in space
45:14tends to manifest itself
45:16as accelerated
45:18aging and so we can better understand
45:20how the human body responds to that and
45:22hopefully provide some treatments on the ground
45:24to help with problems that
45:26as you get older, you encounter.
45:28How our immune system
45:30works. I did a whole study
45:32on the immune system and how my body was
45:34responding. Life on orbit
45:36tends to suppress the immune system and why
45:38that happens. We're trying to understand that
45:40so we can help design
45:42better treatments on the ground but also
45:44understand how we can support crews that
45:46go deeper into space on longer missions.
45:48Probably one of the
45:50most shocking experiments
45:52Butch and Sunny got me to
45:54watch me wire myself up to
45:56muscle
45:58stimulation pads and
46:00shock myself
46:02and trying to figure out how do we
46:04keep our muscles
46:06strong when we don't
46:08have access to all the equipment
46:10we have on the International Space Station because as we
46:12go to the moon and on to Mars
46:14that's a lot of extra mass
46:16and if we can do it with smaller equipment
46:18maybe that works. The side benefit
46:20of that is anybody that's been bedridden on
46:22the ground, that's also a treatment
46:24for how you can support somebody that's been
46:26kind of tied to a bed for a long period
46:28of time and help keep them healthy
46:30so there's a benefit directly to the ground. That's three of them
46:32They're all
46:34interesting and
46:36I'm one of many subjects
46:38and it takes years to get enough
46:40subjects to go through the space station
46:42to be able to generate enough data to draw
46:44some conclusions and so that's why research
46:46up there takes a long time
46:48but the value is
46:50clear.
46:52Just very briefly
46:54there's some medications on
46:56Earth that work well
46:58with a certain age group but the same medication
47:00doesn't work so well with another
47:02so it's a capillary flow experiment
47:04to try to understand how that medication
47:06is flowing through our bodies
47:08and maybe there's something we can figure out
47:10as to why those things are
47:12and we're trying to figure that out and that's very beneficial
47:14obviously to mankind and may
47:16benefit some of our families one day.
47:18I just want to highlight some
47:20other science that's going
47:22on up there because we have just an amazing
47:24person, Don Pettit, who's up on the space station
47:26getting ready to come home and
47:28every day he's up
47:30to something and just trying to highlight
47:32what microgravity does
47:34and how it is as well
47:36as amazing photography which I'm sure
47:38a lot of you have probably seen out there
47:40and the fact that
47:42he can take a picture of a red sprite
47:44or a blue jet and have a picture
47:46from the space station looking down
47:48on a lightning cloud is just
47:50incredible and it enlightens
47:52all of us into what is actually
47:54going on in the universe and that's
47:56just simply because he's curious
47:58and that is something that's actually
48:00like I said, we're sharing and
48:02we're showing off to
48:04everybody like wow, you know, we think
48:06we know what's going on but we really don't
48:08and if you just open your eyes and make some
48:10observations like Don does
48:12every morning at 4am
48:14we learn a whole lot.
48:16It's a great place. Don's taking
48:18potatoes he's growing and the
48:20nitrogen produced in the roots of the potatoes
48:22to nourish the
48:24peanuts that he's growing. I mean
48:26it's pretty special. He's a special guy.
48:28He's awesome.
48:30Our next question on our phone bridge is
48:32from Robert Perlman.
48:36Hi, for Butch and Sunny
48:38you're now the first astronaut to
48:40fly on both Starliner and Dragon
48:42admittedly one on the way up and
48:44one on the way down. Was there anything
48:46about either spacecraft that you found you
48:48like more about the other
48:50that stood out as a feature especially in terms
48:52of crew amenities?
48:56More Velcro
48:58on SpaceX.
49:00That's a crew
49:02amenity.
49:04We've talked about that.
49:06You know they're both
49:08unique and they both have their
49:10purpose and made
49:12to do the same thing but I think what's
49:14really cool is give a problem to
49:16two different people and see how they solve
49:18it.
49:20Starliner is a really awesome
49:22spacecraft like Butch had mentioned with the
49:24integration of manual control as
49:26well as automation as well as its vision
49:28systems. Dragon is
49:30a very comfortable
49:32spacecraft that tells you what it's
49:34doing which is very nice
49:36versus having to interpret
49:38displays as we have done throughout
49:40the space programs with
49:42former programs including
49:44shuttle. So they're both
49:46different. They're both unique. They both have
49:48their place in history.
49:50Very honored
49:52to have had that opportunity
49:54to see both of them up close and
49:56personal and ride them both.
49:58I don't
50:00know if I have a preference. Honestly
50:02they're both great for different
50:04reasons.
50:06Our next question on the phone bridge is
50:08from David Curley.
50:10Thank you very much.
50:12Butch you mentioned lessons learned.
50:14Sunny you mentioned earlier about
50:16the ability of the
50:18Starliner. When you meet
50:20with Boeing, what is the overarching
50:22message you'll deliver to the company?
50:24We don't
50:26have enough time to go into all that.
50:32If you understand the
50:34spacecraft that we have now, we have Dragon,
50:36we have Orion, and we have Starliner.
50:38In my opinion, Starliner
50:40has the most capability
50:42when you think about its
50:44ability to maneuver automatically.
50:46You think about its ability to maneuver
50:48manually in all phases of flight.
50:50Then we have a mode, if those
50:52modes have failure modes,
50:54we have a backup mode
50:56where we can go directly from
50:58controllers to the reaction control
51:00system jets and maneuver the spacecraft.
51:02There's no spacecraft that has all of this
51:04capability. I jokingly said a couple of times
51:06before we launched that I could literally do
51:08a barrel roll over the top of the space station.
51:10I would never do that, but you can
51:12in this spacecraft. It is very, very capable.
51:14If we can figure out a couple
51:16of very important primary
51:18issues with the thrusters
51:20and the helium system,
51:22Starliner is ready to
51:24go. We have to do some
51:26tests. We have to do some integrated tests.
51:28We have to bring it all together
51:30in a process of
51:32qualification that is not going to
51:34happen overnight, but it has to take place.
51:36Starliner will be right
51:38in line with the number of missions
51:40that Dragon and
51:42affect what it is
51:44designed to do. That's
51:46very close to it from the International Space Station
51:48and cargo. I think
51:50that very quickly we can get on that track
51:52and that's part of the discussions that we'll have.
51:54Our next
51:56question is from Carolyn with Fortune
51:58Magazine.
52:00Hello.
52:02Thank you and
52:04welcome home.
52:06Can you share maybe
52:08any special times or conversations
52:10you've had just with family or friends
52:12since you've been home?
52:16Conversations you've had
52:18with family and friends since you've been home?
52:20Since we've been home.
52:22For me, it's making plans.
52:24My family
52:26had been making plans while I
52:28was gone because we thought we were only going
52:30to be gone for about a week and a half, two
52:32weeks or something. There was definitely
52:34plans throughout the summer. There's plans throughout the
52:36fall.
52:38Personally, we have a house up
52:40in New England and
52:42my husband's been talking about when
52:44we're going to get up there and do a lot of
52:46fun stuff up there. I think that's probably
52:48appropriate when it gets hot and humid here in the summer.
52:50Take a little reprieve up there.
52:52Those are mostly the conversations
52:54about just like, what's next?
52:56What's next on the list? What else do you want to do?
52:58Where else in the world would you like to
53:00go see? Because when you come back
53:02from space, it's really hard to
53:04sit where you just are
53:06because there were so many amazing places that
53:08you saw, like Patagonia, for example,
53:10for me. There's a bigger
53:12bucket list that I had when I left,
53:14which is unfortunate for my family, but
53:16we're fortunate for my family.
53:18We're all going to be taking some trips.
53:20I think that's mostly the
53:22conversations about just being home
53:24and enjoying each other's company and
53:26going and seeing new things. I think when you've
53:28had this period of
53:30recuperation and getting back in the swing
53:32of life on Earth,
53:34it's pretty close as far as the people that you
53:36interact with, your family, folks at church.
53:38I think my message, at least
53:40in the short term here, has been thank you
53:42for the support of us.
53:44Thank you for the support of my family, but then it goes
53:46beyond that to my home state of
53:48Tennessee. There's an immense amount of support
53:50by my family there and friends
53:52there and the whole state, as a matter of fact.
53:54Tennessee's a wonderful state. Put it in my pitch for
53:56Tennessee. But getting up there eventually
53:58and relaying the same thank you to
54:00them and to, like I said, to a nation
54:02that cares, a nation that
54:04appreciates, and this opportunity right now to say
54:06thank you to our nation, our wonderful nation.
54:08Our next question on the
54:10phone bridge comes from Uttarish.
54:12Go ahead.
54:16Welcome, everyone.
54:18My question to Suni is
54:20that Indian
54:22Space Research Organization, ISRO,
54:24chief, has said that India
54:26wishes to utilize your expertise
54:28in space exploration.
54:30Is there any scope of hope
54:32that we can see you working or
54:34collaborating with ISRO, that is
54:36Indian Space Research Organization,
54:38in future? And second part of this
54:40question is, while being in
54:42ISS and seeing India from
54:44space, is there any moment you would
54:46like to share? How does India look from
54:48space, Suni?
54:58Let me address the second question real quickly.
55:00India is amazing. Every time
55:02we went over the Himalayas, and I'll tell you,
55:04Butch got some incredible pictures
55:06of the Himalayas.
55:08Just amazing. And you can see,
55:10like I've described it before,
55:12just like this ripple that
55:14happened, obviously, when the plates collided,
55:16and then as it flows down
55:18into India, it's many, many
55:20colors.
55:22I think when you come from the east
55:24going into, like, Gujarat and
55:26Mumbai, the fishing fleet that's
55:28off the coast there gives you a little
55:30bit of a beacon that here we come.
55:32And then all throughout India,
55:34I think the impression I had was it was
55:36just like this network of lights
55:38from the bigger cities going down
55:40through the smaller cities. Just incredible to
55:42look at at night as well as during
55:44the day, highlighted, of course, by the
55:46Himalayas, which was just incredible
55:48as a forefront going down into India.
55:50I hope,
55:52and I think for sure I'm going to be
55:54going back to my father's home country
55:56and visiting with people and
55:58getting excited about the first,
56:00or not the first, but the Indian
56:02astronauts who's going up on the
56:04Axiom mission coming up.
56:06Pretty awesome. They'll have a
56:08hometown hero there of their own
56:10that will be able to talk about how wonderful
56:12the International Space Station is from his perspective.
56:14But I hope I can meet up
56:16at some point in time and we can share
56:18our experiences with as many people
56:20in India as possible because it's
56:22a great country, another wonderful democracy
56:24that's trying to put
56:26its foot in the space
56:28countries and we'd love
56:30to be part of that and help them along.
56:32Do you plan to take your crew members
56:34on that trip with you? Absolutely.
56:36You might
56:38stick out a little bit, but that's okay.
56:40We'll get
56:42you all primed with some spicy
56:44food. We'll be good. Okay, we have
56:46time for one final question on the phone
56:48bridge from Jim Siegel.
56:50Everybody, Jim Siegel
56:52here from
56:54Florida Media Now. Thank you for taking
56:56my question.
56:58Butch and Sunny,
57:00you missed
57:02a couple of holidays
57:04while you were back up at the
57:06International Space Station at
57:08Christmas and Thanksgiving. I wondered
57:10whether you have done or
57:12planned to do anything special with
57:14your family and friends for those holidays.
57:16Thank you. I don't think we missed
57:18them. I think we celebrated
57:20every single one. We actually had a
57:22reindeer that we built and
57:24rode like a bull. I don't know if you saw those
57:26pictures, but we celebrated in
57:28style. Trust me. Oh, yeah.
57:30Nick was great because he
57:32came up anticipating that we were all
57:34going to obviously be there for those holidays.
57:36He was like Santa Claus, had his
57:38little bag of goodies for all of us
57:40and it was pretty awesome to
57:42have the holidays up there. It's pretty
57:44unique and not many of us get to
57:46do that, so it was a lot of fun.
57:48But this holiday season will be special.
57:50For sure. Absolutely.
57:52All right. That's all the time
57:54we have for today. Thank you for joining in
57:56on our news conference today and thank you for
57:58your continued interest in NASA's
58:00SpaceX Crew-9 mission. We'll see
58:02you next time.