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CNN Live Today
Astronauts Set New Endurance Mark
Aired June 12, 2002 - 11:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Well this is a phone bill I wouldn't want to see, but somehow Miles O'Brien has managed to hook up with the space shuttle astronauts for a live chat -- Miles, we'll let you take it from here.
MILES O'BRIEN, SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.
First of all, let's tell you where the international space station Alpha and Endeavour, which have been joined up for a few days now, are. They're just over Brazil, South America, speeding along at 17,500 miles an hour some 240 miles above us. Does that bother us? No, we have the technology.
Let's take a trip aboard the international space station. Welcome to the destiny laboratory. That's a fine looking group of astronauts there. And let me just tell you quickly who we have.
There's Franklin Chang-Diaz. Right in the middle is the pilot, Paul Lockhart. To his left is the French astronaut, Philippe Perrin. In the back row we have Peggy Whitson. I don't want to cover her face. I did a little bit -- sorry about that. And finally, the record holder among the group, Dan Bursch, who is now 12 hours into a U.S. space endurance record.
Dan Bursch, you get the first question. You beat Shannon Lucid's record, which was 188 days and six hours, or whatever it was. Do you think when you get down on the planet and in one gravity you're going to be weak as a kitten?
DANIEL BURSCH, FLIGHT ENGINEER T: No, I don't think so. We've had pretty good success in exercising almost every day using a treadmill. I really like to run on earth, but actually I've kind of gotten sick of running up here. It's kind of on the treadmill and the same run the entire time.
But I feel pretty good. And from what other long expedition crews have told me, if you've exercised everyday -- almost everyday -- and you use the treadmill a lot, then you should be in pretty good shape. So I think it will be pretty good, but we'll see.
O'BRIEN: Welcome to the space record books. Pass the microphone to Philippe Perrin -- Philippe, a question for you quickly about your boot. I understand that the shoe didn't fit, but you still had to wear it. Tell me if you got that all worked out and how you deal with those problems in space.
PHILIPPE PERRIN, MISSION SPECIALIST: Well it was a very minor issue. I think I had the wrong configuration when I went outside the (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And I had an additional piece of clothing that was not supposed to be my boot and my (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And I just had to go through the pain.
That's what it takes to do (UNINTELLIGIBLE). And the next day I removed that piece, and everything went great.
O'BRIEN: All right. Let's send it over to Franklin Chang-Diaz, on his seventh shuttle mission. That's a record tier. And let's take the second e-mail on the list. This one from Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Douglas Stokes has this for us: "Is there ever any danger of a space- walking astronaut being hit by super fast-moving space junk?"
That's the debris floating in orbit around our planet. How can they avoid a collision? And I also just have to ask you, Franklin, when we look at those pictures from Sunday's space walk, as you were hanging on the cannon arm, over the South Pacific, you described this scene as amazing. I've been calling that an understatement. Do you have better words for it yet?
FRANKLIN CHANG-DIAZ, MISSION SPECIALIST: Well it was for me completely overpowering; an overpowering experience. I have been in space multiple times, but I never really felt quite like I did on that space walk. You know hanging there at the end of the arm, the view is just crystal clear and you see the panoramic aspect of the whole planet.
And it's just something that is breathtaking. And you have to take a moment to just take it all in and just realize where you are at the moment. Luckily, I was in the good hands of Peggy Whitson and Valerie Coltson (ph), who were operating the arm, and I had nothing to fear. And, of course, there is always the possibility of a meteorite or space junk hit that you are talking about. But in the big scheme of things, we don't really think about those things when we go outside.
O'BRIEN: All right. Good answer, Franklin Chang-Diaz. Let's send it up to Peggy, if you would. Chris McGonagle in Wareham, Massachusetts has this: It's a good chance you might see a space tourist during your stint, Peggy. And his question is, "What do the current astronauts and cosmonauts think should the Russians extend this program by possibly adding, say, a tourist-only module to the international space station?"
And also, what do you think in general about tourists visiting?
PEGGY WHITSON, FLIGHT ENGINEER: Well I think everyone should have this experience, and I think it's an incredible thing to be in space and to live and work in space. I think that our future will definitely have humans in space. I don't know how long it will take us to get there, where everyone has the capability to come into space. But I look forward to that point in time when it's easy access for everyone, because I think everyone should experience this. O'BRIEN: Send it back to Philippe for one final quick question. Ivan Nevarez of Canoga Park, California has this: "Has the crew been keeping up with the World Cup or had the opportunity to see the highlights?" It's hard to see on the television screen the tracks of Philippe Perrin's tears, the French team having suffered an ignominious defeat.
Philippe, it was in the middle of your space walk when this news became apparent. I assume you weren't too concerned at that moment.
PERRIN: Yes, as it turns out, I guess I was very concerned. I was very pleased thinking that maybe it would bring more attention to my space flight.
O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you very much. We appreciate this five-some joining us. Franklin Chang-Diaz, Paul Lockhart, Philippe Perrin, Peggy Whitson, Dan Bursch, two of them space record holders -- great to have you with us. We appreciate you dropping by, as they zoom around the planet 17,500 miles an hour, and their hair isn't even thrown back, Daryn. It's amazing.
KAGAN: Good hair in space. Miles, one more question from Daryn in Atlanta. When will Miles O'Brien be the first journalist in space?
O'BRIEN: I'm sorry I can't hear you, Daryn, believe it or not.
KAGAN: Oh you can't hear me? I'll yell across...
O'BRIEN: Yell across the room. I'm listening to NASA's...
KAGAN: I'll yell it across the newsroom. When are you going to be the first journalist in space?
O'BRIEN: Oh, well that's a question I'd love to answer. Wouldn't it be nice if I could be up there answering the questions and telling you all about it. As long as these tourists keep coming, I am hoping that one day, if it's good enough for Lance Bass, it's good enough for Miles O'Brien.
KAGAN: Yeah. You're just as cute, OK? I'm going to be your campaign manager for that. We've got to get Miles up in space -- Miles O'Brien, thank you so much.
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