>> Sreenivasan: NASA ASTRONAUTS
ROBERT BEHNKEN AND DOUGLAS
HURLEY ARE PREPARING TO BEGIN
THEIR RETURN TO EARTH FROM THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION THIS
EVENING.
THEIR HISTORIC MISSION ABOARD
THE SPACE-X CREW "DRAGON"
CAPSULE WILL MARK THE FIRST
MANNED LAUNCH AND RETURN OF A
COMMERCIALLY BUILT AND OPERATED
AMERICAN SPACECRAFT.
THE "DRAGON ENDEAVOR" HAS BEEN
DOCKED AT THE SPACE STATION
SINCE MAY, AND IS EXPECTED TO
SPLASH DOWN TOMORROW AFTERNOON.
I SPOKE WITH DAVE MOSHER,
SENIOR SPACE CORRESPONDENT
WITH "BUSINESS INSIDER," ABOUT
THE ASTRONAUTS' SCHEDULED TRIP
BACK HOME.
DAVE, THERE WAS A LOT OF
EXCITEMENT WHEN THE "DRAGON"
CAPSULE FROM SPACE-X TOOK U.S.
ASTRONAUTS UP INTO SPACE.
AND THERE'S A LITTLE EXCITEMENT
ON THE WAY DOWN, BECAUSE THESE
CAPSULES ARE SUPPOSED TO SPLASH
DOWN IN THE WATER LIKE BACK IN
THE OLD DAYS.
WHAT'S IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE
WHEN THIS CAPSULE RE-ENTERS
EARTH?
>> WELL, WHAT WE'RE FIRST GOING
TO SEE IS AN UNDOCKING
PROCEDURE, WHICH IS THIS-- THE
CREW "DRAGON" SPACESHIP MOVING
AWAY FROM THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
AND THEN, THAT STARTS A JOURNEY
OF ANYWHERE FROM SIX TO 30 HOURS
BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY LAND BACK
ON EARTH.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO SEE A LOT OF
THOSE STAGES AFTER THEY LEAVE
THE SPACE STATION JUST BECAUSE
THEY'RE IN SPACE.
BUT, WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS
THE SPACESHIP IS GOING TO GET
RID OF THIS TRUNK, THIS
CYLINDRICAL THING FULL OF THE
SOLAR PANELS AND THE FUEL AND
ALL THE STUFF, AND THEN IT'S
GOING TO START ENTERING THE
ATMOSPHERE.
AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT, WE'RE
GOING TO START GETTING
TELESCOPIC VIEWS OF THE CREW
"DRAGON" COMING BACK.
IT'S GOING TO LOOK LIKE A
RED-HOT KIND OF WHITE DOT IN THE
SKY.
AND NASA IS GOING TO TRY TO
FOLLOW THIS ALL THE WAY TO THE
GROUND.
THEY'RE GOING TO DEPLOY THE
PARACHUTES.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE THOSE
PARACHUTES COME OUT, FROM
GROUND CAMERAS, CAMERAS ON BOATS
AND IN AIRPLANES.
AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE THE
SPLASHDOWN IN THE OCEAN AND
WE'RE GOING TO SEE A BUNCH OF
BOATS DIVERGING ON THAT-- THAT
CAPSULE, TO GET THOSE ASTRONAUTS
OUT OF THERE BEFORE THEY PUKE
THEIR GUTS OUT, AND GET THEM
BACK TO THE RECOVERY BOAT, GET
THEM ALL CHECKED OUT BY SOME
DOCTORS, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE
A LOT OF THAT FOOTAGE.
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO
SEE THEM WHISKED AWAY TO LAND
VIA HELICOPTER FROM THAT
RECOVERY BOAT.
>> Sreenivasan: SO THERE IS A
LITTLE CONCERN NOW-- FLORIDA IS
BRACING FOR HURRICANE ISAIAS.
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE WEATHER
AND THE CONDITIONS AND WHERE THE
ASTRONAUTS CAN LAND?
>> YEAH, THIS IS A PRETTY
STUNNING MOMENT TO TRY TO
PERFORM A HIGHLY IMPORTANT,
EXPERIMENTAL TEST MISSION IN
WHICH YOU'RE PROVING THAT A
BRAND-NEW SPACESHIP CAN SAFELY
RETURN PEOPLE TO EARTH, LIKE
TAKE THEM UP TO SPACE AND TAKE
THEM BACK TO EARTH.
THIS HURRICANE IS GENERATING
SOME EXTREMELY STRONG WINDS,
LIGHTNING, WEATHER, CLOUDS,
ALL THE STUFF YOU DON'T WANT.
BUT RIGHT NOW, THEY HAVE
SEVERAL-- AS NASA SAYS, OUT OF
THESE SEVEN LANDING SITES, THREE
ARE ON THE ATLANTIC SIDE AND
FOUR ON THE GULF COAST SIDE, FOR
THIS CAPSULE TO SPLASH DOWN.
RIGHT NOW, HURRICANE ISAIAS IS
KIND OF LOOKING TO GO STRAIGHT
UP THE ATLANTIC SIDE OF FLORIDA.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT A POSSIBLE
LANDING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO AT
THIS POINT.
>> Sreenivasan: SO, HOW PRECISE
CAN THEY GET ON EXACTLY WHERE
THEY WANT TO LAND?
AND THEN, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE
TO GET FROM SPACE TO THAT SPOT?
>> SO THE PRECISION OF THE
LANDING OF THIS CAPSULE IS
REALLY GOOD.
WE SAW THAT WITH THE
"DEMONSTRATION ONE," OR
"DEMO ONE" MISSION.
THEY BASICALLY PUT IT DOWN RIGHT
WHERE THE BOAT WAS-- THE
RECOVERY BOAT WAS AT.
IT JUST IS ASTONISHING WHAT A
BUNCH OF ENGINEERS AND AEROSPACE
SCIENTISTS CAN-- CAN FIGURE OUT,
IN TERMS OF THE PHYSICS AND
LIKE, THE WIND CONDITIONS.
THEY CAN REALLY NAIL THE LANDING
AND PULL THE BOAT RIGHT UP TO
WHERE THE CAPSULE'S GOING TO BE.
WHICH IS A GOOD THING IF YOU'RE
COMING BACK-- YOU DON'T WANT TO
BE IN THAT CAPSULE FOR TOO LONG
BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO REALLY
SEASICK, GOING UP AND DOWN ON
THE WAVES.
>> Sreenivasan: SO WE'RE GOING
TO BE ABLE TO SEE THIS?
IF THEY KNOW EXACTLY WHERE IT'S
GOING TO LAND, ARE WE GOING TO
SEE THE CAPSULE WITH THE
PARACHUTES COMING DOWN AND
SPLASHING DOWN IN THE WATER?
>> NASA IS SCRAMBLING BASICALLY
ALL RESOURCES THAT IT CAN.
IT'S EVEN CALLED ON THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO HAVE
EMERGENCY RECOVERY VESSELS
AVAILABLE.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE PLANES IN
THE SKY, BOATS IN THE WATER,
YOU KNOW, TELESCOPES EVEN, TO
LOOK FOR THIS CAPSULE AS IT
COMES THROUGH THE ATMOSPHERE.
AND IT'S NOT JUST FOR OUR
VIEWING PLEASURE HERE.
THEY ARE TRYING TO GET AS MUCH
DATA AS THEY CAN ABOUT THIS
RETURN, BECAUSE THE GOAL OF THIS
MISSION, THE "DEMONSTRATION 2"
OR "DEMO 2" MISSION, IS TO SHOW
THAT THIS CAPSULE IS SAFE TO
TAKE PEOPLE TO AND FROM SPACE.
NOT JUST ANY PEOPLE, BUT
CIVILIANS.
TOM CRUISE WANTS TO GO UP IN
THIS WITH HIS DIRECTOR-- THIS
SPACE CAPSULE, THE CREW
"DRAGON"-- AND FILM A MOVIE AT
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
SO THEY'VE GOT TO SHOW THAT THIS
IS REALLY SAFE, AND PART OF THAT
IS COLLECTING AS MUCH DATA AS
THEY CAN.
SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE RECORDING
THIS OUT THE WAZOO.
AND WE'RE GOING TO BE TAKING A
REALLY NICE BACKSEAT ARMCHAIR
LOOK AT THIS, BECAUSE THEY'RE
GOING TO STREAM A LOT OF THAT
FOOTAGE DIRECTLY TO NASA TV.
>> Sreenivasan: DAVE MOSHER,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
>> MY PLEASURE.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
