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CNN Live At Daybreak

Interview with Rob Navias

Aired August 26, 2002 - 05:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they're walking up there in space.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

COSTELLO: And we mean that literally. Just about four hours ago, crew members aboard the international space station put on their special suits and are floating around on their second space walker.

On the phone with us from the Johnson Space Center in Texas is NASA Spokesman Rob Navias.

And you're more than a spokesman, Rob.

MYERS: That's right.

ROB NAVIAS, NASA SPOKESMAN: Well, good morning, Carol.

We're also providing commentary throughout the course of the morning on the NASA television channel. And everything is going very well on board the international space station.

COSTELLO: You're the guy who says "five, four, three, two, one, we have," right?

NAVIAS: Well, actually, I, from time to time, as I will in October, do the commentary after the shuttle lifts off on its ride to orbit. The other commentary for the countdown itself is provided by others at the

Kennedy Space Center. But close enough for government purposes, I guess.

MYERS: There you go.

COSTELLO: He's being modest.

Doesn't that make you nervous, though, because your words will like be part of history?

NAVIAS: Well, in my former life before I joined NASA nine years ago I was a radio network correspondent and most of what I did, starting about 25 years ago, actually, was coverage of the space program. So I'm familiar with the vehicle and broadcasting is kind of second nature to me.

COSTELLO: He's very good at it. MYERS: He is. And you know what? We heard, Robert, that you can actually log into a Web site to find out when the space station is going to be over your head, basically, or over anybody's head, and telling you what time you can look up and you can see it. What is that Web site? Where can you see this stuff?

NAVIAS: Yes, the Web site, the human space flight Web site where you can find out all the information about not only shuttle activity, but space station activity as well as a sighting page that tells you when and where it's going to be flying over your city, it's space flight -- no www required. This is the modern era now.

MYERS: Yes.

NAVIAS: It's space flight, one word, nasa.gov, G-O-V, chock full of all kinds of space information for the average viewer.

COSTELLO: Very cool information. But I guess it's time to get down to business now. They're walking in space. What are they doing up there?

NAVIAS: Well, two Russians who are part of the three person crew on board the station, Valery Korzun, the commander, and Sergei Treshchyov, the flight engineer, stepped outside, as you said, just over four hours ago to install equipment on the outside of one of the Russian modules to the station that will help facilitate future space walkers on their assembly tasks on board the station as we continue to put these large modular components together on board this complex.

They also swapped out a series of Japanese experiments that measure the effect of small micro media rode debris hits on candidate engineering materials and a Russian experiment that has been measuring the buildup of jet thruster residue emitted from the cluster of thrusters that are at the rear of the Russian portion of the station, again, for engineering analysis back on the earth.

Now in the latter stage of the space walker, the two Russians are installing a pair of ham radio antennas that will help facilitate ambiter (ph) radio contacts between the residents on board the station and hams throughout the earth.

COSTELLO: You're kidding? Oh, that is awesome. Peggy Whitson -- there is an American on board the international space station -- what is her role in this space walker?

NAVIAS: Well, she went outside 10 days ago with Korzun to install some armament around the station, a series of six micro media rode debris shields, to strengthen the exterior hull of the Russian segment of the station. Today she's playing the role of space walk choreographer inside the international space station, monitoring the station's systems, operating television cameras on the Canadian built space station robotic arm that has provided us with our down linked television views this morning. And she is generally lending a helping hand from inside.

COSTELLO: You know, we see these space walks so often now, or so it seems, you know, most people probably figure it's a piece of cake. But it's not, is it?

NAVIAS: Well, this is the 43rd space walker, actually, in the four year history of the international space station for assembly and maintenance. And although, whether it's Russian or Americans or other nationalities conducting these space walks, whether it be on shuttle assembly flights visiting the station or the station residents themselves, they train quite rigorously before they fly for these tasks.

They're speeding along at five miles a second 235 miles above the earth and although it appears to be easy, the equipment that they're hauling around is extremely large in mass, not in weight, because everything is weightless up in orbit. But these tasks are extremely difficult. They train for years to complete.

MYERS: If you guys are going that fast up there and a piece of space junk -- I don't even -- a nut or a bolt from some other thing that was flown up there, isn't that dangerous? Aren't those things flying around the space station all the time?

NAVIAS: Well, there's no junk associated with the station itself. There are small debris particles, of course...

MYERS: Left over...

NAVIAS: ... that have...

MYERS: ... from other stuff.

NAVIAS: ... that have impact potential.

MYERS: Yes.

NAVIAS: But the space suits, whether they be U.S. space suits or Russian space suits that the space walkers wear, are several layers thick. And there is multiple layers of protection available in case an exterior layer is damaged or penetrated. It wouldn't mean any serious impact as far as the space walker itself is concerned.

COSTELLO: Just amazing.

MYERS: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, we quickly want to ask you about Lance Bass, because he's supposed to be arriving to train later today. Is that right?

NAVIAS: Well, he and his, a Russian and a Belgian crew mate are in Houston. They will begin training today here at the Johnson Space Center for the launch to bring a brand new return Soyuz vehicle to the international space station at the end of October. And although contractual negotiations are not altogether complete with the Russians from Bass' financial backers, he will be here in Houston for a week's worth of training to learn about the station's systems, the U.S. segment systems, to receive emergency training that will be very helpful to him once he is launched at the end of October. MYERS: So he, too, is only a space cadet, like me. That's right.

NAVIAS: I think we all are at heart, actually.

COSTELLO: Thank you very much, Rob, for joining us this morning.

MYERS: That's pretty good.

COSTELLO: We'll let you get back to work.

NAVIAS: My pleasure.

MYERS: That's good stuff.

COSTELLO: Yes, it is. It's amazing how fast they move up there.

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