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American Morning
Safe Landing for Discovery; Constitution Deadline
Aired August 09, 2005 - 9:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Mission accomplished. After 14 days in orbit, the Space Shuttle Discovery is back on planet Earth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nose gear touchdown. And Discovery is home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
M. O'BRIEN: The shuttle's crew of seven says the words everybody wanted to hear: "wheel stop." And then, "Happy to be back" on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: This is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien in New York and Miles O'Brien at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome to this split edition of AMERICAN MORNING. A very exciting day for NASA.
The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery, their families, the Columbia crews, for that matter, they're home safe and sound after a two-and-a-half-year ordeal which began with the loss of Columbia. We'll have more on that coming up, but first, let's get back to New York and Soledad O'Brien.
Soledad, good morning.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you, Miles. And it was an exciting day here in New York, too, as we had a chance to watch the shuttle coming down. A really picture-perfect landing.
Other news to tell you about as well. Unfortunately, a new round of violence to report in Iraq. At least one U.S. soldier is among the dead. We're going to take you live to Baghdad in just a few moments.
But first, let's go right back to Miles, as we said, at the Kennedy Space Center -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's take a look at some live pictures, Soledad, right now, and just give you a sense of what's going on right now, right near runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base. That was not the preferred landing site. The preferred landing site, just a few hundred yards behind me. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.
And there you see the mountains of California's high desert as Discovery is worked over by that ground crew. As you can see, over time, slowly more and more vehicles have descended upon the orbiter. And as they deem it to be safe, as it is sniffed for gases, as it is cooled down, slowly but surely they begin that process of buttoning it up, really now initiating the process which will bring Discovery back here to the Kennedy Space Center for its processing for its next flight.
Hopefully in a week or so that will all happen.
So about 75 people attending to the shuttle right now. The crew of seven inside. If you look on the left-hand side of your picture there, you'll see what amounts to a shuttle jetway, I guess a shuttleway.
The crew transport vehicle, CTV, is up there. And that is where the crew will head off into. They'll do a quick change of clothes, and then they will begin their walk around beneath the orbiter.
Of course that customary inspection used to have a lot more surprises packed into it than it does these days, because in the wake of this space shuttle mission we know a lot about what's going on in the heat shield of Discovery given all of the imagery and all of the photographic effort that was poured into this mission. NASA gave the green light for landing with more knowledge than they ever had before.
Cady Coleman, it really does make me wonder why they didn't do this in the first place. And, you know, it seems like -- OK, I'm not a rocket scientist, but it seems like you'd want to have these pictures. Why wasn't this thought of before?
CADY COLEMAN, NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, it -- this is a test program. It's an experimental airplane, so to speak. Just one that happens to go to space. And, you know, we're still learning, every single day, every single mission.
You know, unfortunately, with Columbia, we learned large things. And we've put them to use in the last two-and-a-half years. We've come a long way. And our goal is actually not to stop looking around, but to have this not be the only revelation.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, and I guess now -- you know, one of the questions I had for Stephanie Stillson (ph), who is -- I described her as Discovery's mama -- is she's got -- she's the vehicle manager. She's got a lot of work to do here.
One thing that is on people's minds, and we're going to know more this afternoon when it becomes obvious exactly how bad that foam issue is, and how big a repair there will be, is the idea of kind of preserving the option of a September launch for Atlantis. And Discovery is part of that whole pictures, because post-Columbia, there has to be a vehicle far enough long, ready enough to do a rescue mission if need be.
That seems like it would be a hard thing to do.
COLEMAN: Well, we're going to just look at the facts. And I know that folks have been looking at the foam, and we've been focusing on, you know, basically what didn't work with the tank, which is that large piece of foam coming off, and a few others. But I look at the inspections that were done on the underside of that vehicle, and I see a very clean vehicle, and I see folks that have learned a lot about the tank and about what comes off the tank and why it does, and how to prevent that.
You know, we made some -- we made some judgments that were not -- obviously not correct.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's listen for just a moment. They're actually egressing. I don't know if we're going to see it with the crew transport vehicle covering them up, but let's listen for just a sec. I think they just gave a go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to officially turn over to the ASP (ph) at this time.
COLEMAN: That's the astronaut support system.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. We had a successful contact with the ASP (ph). We're happy.
M. O'BRIEN: OK. So at this point, then, she's unplugging, right? CDR is out?
COLEMAN: Correct. Correct.
M. O'BRIEN: OK.
COLEMAN: She's the last one out of the vehicle, I think.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, is that how it works? The commander is last. So the other -- the other ones, we presume, would be -- if we could get that picture of the NASA TV on my telestrator I could point out things. They're actually already on board that crew transport vehicle there? Is that right?
COLEMAN: Yes. It looks like a big sort of, you know, mobile home that's raised up. It actually approaches the hatch and the shuttle. And probably the mission specialists are out already.
And I heard a few minutes ago Jim Kelly signing off. And then the astronaut support personnel, these are astronauts whose job it is to go ahead and, you know, support the shuttle and climb in and take over the controls.
It's still a working vehicle. And powering down the computers correctly. I mean, these steps are just as important as they were up on orbit, so that we do them correctly. We've got astronauts implementing those right now.
M. O'BRIEN: I don't know if you can see in this vehicle right here in the back, this is a vehicle that has a key role in helping cool off the shuttle. There's a bunch of hoses that attach to the back side of the shuttle, and it keeps air circulating over it because, as we pointed out, the actual highest heat that the aluminum skin feels is about 20 or 30 minutes after landing. And so they want to keep that process of cooling down going.
You don't want it to overheat, right?
COLEMAN: Right. You know, up on orbit, our computers and instruments are generating a lot of heat as well. But those payload bay doors are open. And the way I like to describe it is that there's basically refrigerator tubing that runs in those -- in those payload bay doors bark and forth and back and forth. And so we are now hooking up auxiliary cooling units to help get greater cooling after landing.
M. O'BRIEN: Cady Coleman, you've been great. It's been really a pleasure having you with us to describe what it's like to be on the shuttle and sharing with us your experiences.
COLEMAN: Well, it's a pleasure for me. It was a great day today for the whole NASA team.
Scott, who you just talked to, and I have been a part of that return flight process. And that is thousands of people doing their best, working very long hours. Today was a good day.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. We hope you get at flight soon.
Cady Coleman...
COLEMAN: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: ... angling for a flight. Maybe your coverage today will help. We'll see. Put it on your resume -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: I've heard that a lot, actually, Miles. I think there's a bunch of people who are angling for a flight soon.
M. O'BRIEN: I think so. There's quite a few unflown astronauts.
S. O'BRIEN: Including you, yourself, I want to say. All right. Miles, we'll check in with you in a little bit.
Let's get to some other stories making news today. Iraq's constitutional committee running out of time, really. There's only about a week left to resolve the differences that are holding up the government document for post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.
Aneesh Raman is live for us in Baghdad this morning.
Aneesh, good morning to you. A meeting under way yet?
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, good morning.
It is. Round two of talks among Iraq's political leadership began just about an hour ago. They were to meet yesterday, of course, but a massive sandstorm descended upon the capital.
We're awaiting word from the office of Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, as to how those talks went. That should come in about two hours.
No one, though, Soledad, really expecting a big breakthrough today. This is the first of what will be a marathon of talks and negotiations all the way up to that August 15 deadline, now just days away.
They are confronting enormous issues, still, the ones we've talked about all week: federalism, the role of Islam. These are not easy to solve.
Essentially, what they have to decide is whether they can solve them at all, or should they table them and let the five-year government that will come at the end of the year deal with those with specificity in amendments. But these are hefty debates, Soledad.
Everyone is aware this constitution will create Iraq's identity. Not many countries get to redefine themselves, get to re-ignite discussion among the people as to how they want to live. And that is what is taking place.
That is why it is so complex. That is why it is unlikely we'll see any breakthrough after just two days of talks -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: And that's why there's so much at stake, Aneesh, clearly. And yet, you still have more violence in the capital of Baghdad. What's going on there?
RAMAN: It is. It's always a duality here. Progress goes forward, as does the violence.
Today, a suicide car bomb detonating in central Baghdad alongside a U.S. military convoy. At least one U.S. soldier was killed. Three Iraqi civilians died as well.
Upwards of 50 people were wounded, to give you a size, a sense of how big this explosion was, including another U.S. soldier. Also today, Soledad, Baghdad awoke to a string of drive-by shootings, six of them taking place also, as well, in the town of Baquba. Those shootings left some 10 Iraqi police officers dead and six others wounded -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Aneesh Raman for us with an update from Baghdad this morning.
Aneesh, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.
Time to take a look at the weather for the day ahead. Chad Myers is at the CNN Center. He's got the latest.
Hey, Chad. Good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: Coming up in a moment, Discovery's landing marks the end of the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster. We're going to talk to loved ones of the Columbia crew coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Space Shuttle Discovery is safe and sound on the ground at Edwards Air Force Base, a continent away from where we stand here at the Kennedy Space Center. It would have been nice to see the Discovery here, but more important, it's nice to see the Discovery safe and sound after a two-week mission and two-and-a-half years after the loss of Columbia.
Many of you might be surprised to know that there were several members of the Columbia family here. I'm joined by two of them right now, Jon Clark, who is the widower of Laurel Clark, who was onboard Columbia, and Doug Brown, the brother of Dave Brown. Two Columbia crew members.
Why did you come, first of all, Jon?
JON CLARK, LOST WIFE IN COLUMBIA DISASTER: Well, the first thing was to show our respect for the 114 crew, who has really, you know, led the -- led the charge back in the return to space flight for the -- for NASA. And we just wanted to show our profound admiration and respect for them.
M. O'BRIEN: Doug, what was it like, though? Clearly, it had to take you back to what it was like two-and-a-half years ago.
DOUG BROWN, LOST BROTHER IN COLUMBIA DISASTER: Well, I think we all watched together, the families. All but a couple were here. It was silent for half an hour.
You could kind of cut the tension with a knife. And when they finally touched down, everybody broke into applause. A few tears in the room when it was back to space as usual, and that was a good feeling.
M. O'BRIEN: So you were sort of right back in the spot you were two-and-a-half years ago, literally, but not necessarily mentally. I mean, you've all come a long way in two-and-a-half years. A few tears this morning, though?
CLARK: Yes, sure. You know, my analytical brain is like, yeah, great, we're back in space, and my emotional brain is, you know -- is feeling that little twang of emotion that, you know, that the Columbia crew didn't come home. But, you know, for the most part, it was a very positive, wonderful, joyous feeling that Discovery's home and their crew is safe and sound on Earth.
M. O'BRIEN: You feel the same way? I mean, is "joy" the term that comes to mind?
BROWN: Well, you know, it's still stressful. The launch was such a joyous day for us all, and the landing was so stressful. And so when we came to the point at which Columbia ran into its problems, that was a moment of tension for me, I think.
But, you know, then there's the elation when everything works out fine. So that was really kind of the daylight.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, one thing that struck me this morning as we went through that period of peak heating, it reminded me once again how close they were.
CLARK: Yes, I was following the whole way down, and all along the way it was parallel. OK, this is when the tire alarm went, this is when the roll alarm went. This is when, you know, the loss of signal occurred. This is when the vehicle broke up. This is when the crew module broke up.
So, for me, I was following it all along the way. And again, it was just joyous for me to realize that, you know, as much as this is risky, we did rectify a lot of the problems and still have a lot more to go.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, and let's pick up on that point, Doug. To see that foam fall off a couple minutes after launch, that, also, must have brought back some awful memories.
BROWN: Well, yes. And I think it makes you wonder about how the safety goes forward. But also, we know we need to finish the station, and that means the shuttle, and that means with foam on the tank.
And so we've got to go forward. And I have every confidence that the people I met at NASA will attack that problem with vigor and the next launch will be better. And so that was, you know, where I think we're going.
M. O'BRIEN: You among the surviving members of the Columbia crew, those who were left behind, Jon, are inside NASA. And you've sort of seen this in a way. It must be even more difficult, and in some ways reassuring.
Do you have the sense that NASA's where it should be right now?
CLARK: I think their heart is really in it, and commitment to a safe -- a safe culture, a safety culture, and they've learned a lot from the Columbia accident, and the Challenger and Apollo I.
There's a lot to do. And it's really not how we've done on the first test flight, the 114 flight, but it will be how we do on the last flight of the shuttle program.
M. O'BRIEN: And Doug, today, I assume there were lots of memories in the air as the families got together. Was there laughter, as well as tears?
BROWN: Oh, yes. And I think there was great joy in back to space.
I mean, we've been waiting and waiting. And we've rescheduled the launch many times. And to watch the safety issues, they could have landed here yesterday, you know, but they took the safe road and went to California. And I think that that's a sign of the culture change, and I'm hoping that that continues, and that Jon and I and J.P. and others, the families members, will all be vigilant in making sure that complacency doesn't set in again.
That's a very long issue. But I know that as family members that's what we're committed to reminding people of.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's make a vow, all of us, to collectively not let them forget. All right?
CLARK: Thanks so much.
M. O'BRIEN: Doug Brown, Jon Clark, thanks very much for being with us. Appreciate it. I'm sure it was a tough and at the same time joyous moment for you both. Appreciate it.
CLARK: Thank you.
M. O'BRIEN: In a moment, more on today's shuttle landing. We're expecting to hear from NASA officials very shortly, the customary post-landing news conference. We'll bring it to you live when it happens.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Give me a B, as in busted. A quick-thinking cheerleading squad from Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, worked up a cheer to try to memorize the license plate number of a hit-and-run driver. That helped police track down the suspect.
Cheerleading coach Patricia Clark, team captain Kimmie Ostrowski join us from Ann Arbor to talk about their kind of spur-of-the-moment performance.
Ladies, nice to see you. Thanks for joining us this morning.
Kimmy, why don't we begin with you? You saw an accident happen, I guess, pretty much right in front of you. What exactly happened?
KIMMIE OSTROWSKI, CHEERLEADING TEAM CAPTAIN: We were walking, getting ready to walk across the street to go to camp, and we were stopped at the light, waiting for the light to the say it was OK for us to walk by. And there was a guy watching us and not paying attention to what he was doing.
And there was cars stopped, and he hit one of the cars, which caused a chain reaction. And then he pulled off to the side and we thought that he was going to see if everyone was OK. So then he just took off. So our coach ran after him and got the license plate number and then...
S. O'BRIEN: So you were pretty much -- let me interrupt you there, because you're pretty much an eyewitness to a hit-and-run. And as you said, your coach jumps into action. Lots going on now, because it's a chain reaction. And she's able to get the license plate number.
So Coach Clark, you yelled it out to the team members, right, including Kimmie?
PATRICIA CLARK, CHEERLEADING COACH: I yelled to them to remember it, because I knew I wouldn't. I'm first-aid trained through the Red Cross. So my biggest concern was making sure the woman was OK.
S. O'BRIEN: So you sprint off to go help. Was she OK?
CLARK: Yes. She had a big knot on her head and her -- some swelling on her knee. But as far as we know, she's OK.
S. O'BRIEN: OK. Well, that's good news.
Now, back to the cheerleading squad. You guys -- the coach yelled out a license plate number, "Don't forget this, kids, I've got to go help somebody." And instead of searching for a piece of paper and a pen, you memorize it and do it as a cheer.
Why?
OSTROWSKI: That was really the only way we could probably remember it, and we just kept saying it over and over, and it just turned into a big chant.
S. O'BRIEN: What was the -- what was the license plate number?
OSTROWSKI: 7634LL.
S. O'BRIEN: And so your -- your squad, which is pretty big, is now on the street corner yelling, chanting the license plate number. Is that right?
OSTROWSKI: Yes.
CLARK: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: What are the -- at some point, someone calls 911. Did you chant the license plate number to the cops?
CLARK: Yes, they did. I actually chased the truck down the street to get the plate number, and then I yelled to the girls. And I was dialing 911 as I was yelling to the girls, and I just held my phone out to them, and they yelled the plate number into the phone.
S. O'BRIEN: So they essentially cheered the plate number into the phone. Now, the police on the other end of this, did they think this is some kind of prank, that you guys are kidding? Or did they believe that this is a serious accident and they've got to come and help?
CLARK: Oh, no, they believed. We gave them a complete description of the truck, the man in the truck. There were three cars involved. We told them that we needed EMS there for the woman. They needed to come check her out. So they -- they believed it. And they had no doubt in the their minds.
S. O'BRIEN: So what happened, Coach Clark?
CLARK: Like we said, he ran into her and she hit two other vehicles, and then he just took off.
S. O'BRIEN: And so, at the end of the day, the police got their man, didn't they?
CLARK: Yes, they did.
S. O'BRIEN: All because of your quick thinking, and because of your cheerleading squad's fantastic skills in cheerleading. Fair to say?
CLARK: Yes, the girls are pretty awesome.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
Kimmie, you seem pretty calm now. You must be pretty excited about it. I mean, how great to learn how to cheerlead so now you can thwart a crime in progress.
(LAUGHTER)
S. O'BRIEN: She's just happy as a clam. I'm sorry, Coach Clark. What was that?
CLARK: Kimmie wants to be a police officer.
S. O'BRIEN: It all comes full circle. Ladies, I want to thank you so much for joining us. That falls a little bit under the strange but true category. And we're glad to hear that you were able to get involved and really help out, too.
Thanks, guys.
OSTROWSKI: Thank you.
CLARK: Thank you.
S. O'BRIEN: Let's head back out to Miles. He, of course, at the Kennedy Space Center, where we have been following the news the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Hey, Miles. Good morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, Soledad...
S. O'BRIEN: Or should I say, M-I-L-E-S. Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Give me an N, give me an A, give me an S, give me an A. What's that spell? All right. Still to come, the crew of Discovery back safe on Earth. We're going to hear from some of the mission managers, including the NASA administrator as well, in about five minutes time. We'll have live coverage of that.
And, of course, the moment we see the crew de-shuttle, or whatever the term is, egress the vehicle, as they say, we'll bring that to you as well. There you see as the sun rises over Edwards Air Force Base. And that's the site that NASA wanted to see.
Back with more in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: The Space Shuttle Discovery has been on the ground now for about an hour and 20 minutes or so. The ground crew there still very busy, going through the post-landing checklist.
The crew has made its way to the crew transport vehicle. And now mission managers here at the Kennedy Space Center, a continent away, are about to begin talking to the media. The NASA administrator, the shuttle program manager, and the launch director here at the Kennedy Space Center. As you see behind me -- the -- let's listen in on that news conference, blasted by that T-38.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
MODERATOR: We appreciate everybody showing up this morning. What we're going to do is please identify yourself and your affiliate when called upon, and I'm also going to ask that you stand up and wait for the mike handler to come to you before you ask your questions.
Before we take some Q & A, we're going to have some opening remarks and then we'll come to your questions and answers. All right. NASA administrator Michael Griffin.
MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: Thanks, Dean (ph). Actually, I'm thinking about resigning my position in favor of Eileen Collins. I mean, she's smarter, more personable, better looking, better pilot. You know, I'm thinking it's a good idea. Obviously, we're real pleased here today. Thanks.
BILL PARSONS, PROGRAM MANAGER: Today we honored the Columbia crew. We brought Discovery home safely. It's a great day. If want to know how I feel? I feel fantastic. So -- thank you all very much, and just -- it's good to be us today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, on July 26th, we all sat here and said, the only thing better than that launch would have been on landing day. And I'm here to tell you, it really is truly better. Discovery's home, the crew is safe and we've come full circle now.
MODERATOR: All right. That will do it for opening remarks. We'll now go to question and answer. We'll start off on the back wall with Mike Cabbage (ph). QUESTION: Mike Cabbage (ph) at the "Orlando Sentinel." First for Dr. Griffin. Talk if you would, sort of put in context what this mission means as NASA gets ready to move ahead now. An awful lot on this mission went well. You had a few things that maybe didn't go as well as you would have liked; for example, the foam shedding problem recurring during liftoff. But just sort of put in perspective what this accomplishment means as you guys get ready to move forward here.
GRIFFIN: Well, this is the first step back in our return to flight sequence, leading to being able to go forward to complete the station. We needed to get back flying to do that. I would certainly -- I would have to take exception that maybe a few things went wrong, other than, I think there are five places where foam came off the tank that we would -- in pieces above our size limit. We don't like that, but that I know of. That's the only thing that went wrong with this mission, and in any imaginably significant way.
I think the crew performed beyond fantastically well. The flight directors who, you know, haven't controlled the shuttle for two-and-a- half years performed fantastically well. Space station program, their flight controllers, their engineering team, were so good that nobody ever noticed them. And they didn't -- have not yet gotten the credit they really deserve for being able to deal with two-and-a-half years of down time on shuttle resupply, and then bouncing back strong.
Everywhere you look was nothing but -- everywhere you look was nothing but outstanding success. And the external tank engineers now have some real data to go with all the analysis and the supposition and the conjecture, you know, that they've been having to deal with over the last couple of years as they tried to figure out how to produce a perfect tank without the ability to put a tank into a flight test. So now we had a flight test, and it's not quite a perfect tank, but now they have some data. It's going to be really hard to top this mission.
MODERATOR: Let's stay along -- actually, let's go right up front here to Jay Barberi (ph).
QUESTION: Jay Barberi (ph) with NBC. Well, congratulations to all of you. I know Bill feels about as good as if the Rebels finally won a ball game. Didn't you? But seriously to all of you, if had you to guess today when did you think we'll have the problem solved with insulation and when we'll be back in space, at the earliest?
PARSONS: I couldn't -- I couldn't guess right now. I think we still -- now that we have Discovery on the terra firma, then we'll go work the other issues. And I think right now we've got the teams in place to give us that data, that information, and I think in the next week or so, we'll get some preliminary findings about where we're headed and we'll be able to share that with you after that.
QUESTION: What's the likelihood of (INAUDIBLE) back in space this year?
GRIFFIN: That's another way of asking us to guess, and I don't want to guess. You know, we're going to try as hard as we can to get back in space this year, because we have a big construction project we're working on and we need the shuttle to do it. So we're going to try as hard as we can. But we're not going to go until we're ready to go.
PARSONS: Jay, we're preserving all of our opportunities. We're preserving everything we can to go and do the best that we can, and we just have to wait and see has that turns out to be.
MODERATOR: Space operations associated administrator, Bill Readdy, joined us -- just to let folks know.
GRIFFIN: Glad you could join us, Reads.
MODERATOR: All right. Let's continue the questioning, and let's go to the wall, back with Tracy Watson (ph).
QUESTION: Thank you. Tracy Watson (ph), "USA TODAY." For Mr. Parsons, what kind of milestones do you think you reached with Discovery touching down safely? I guess this is a version of Mike Cabbage's question, but for you.
PARSONS: Well, it's been two-and-half years of just really hard work by this entire shuttle team and this agency, really. When you look at the amount of resources this agency put towards the repair of the shuttle and the vehicle and to get it ready for flight again. And, you know, we kept setting this milestone of, we've got to return it flight. We've got to see this vehicle in the combined environments, and then we got to get her home safely and then we're going to see where we go from there. We always knew this was test flight that was going to give us a lot of information. And so we've come back with a lot learned.
I think -- I'll agree with the administrator. This was a wildly successful mission in so many ways. We have some things that we learned and that we got to go work on, but I think that now it's clear what it is we have to go work on, and we'll go do that. So, again, I think we met the milestone of return to flight, and now it's just -- it's the next test flight is in the works.
BILL READDY, NASA ASSOC. ADMINISTRATOR: And Bill, if I could pile on to that and just say that, the way I'd characterize this is more like a relay race. And the torch is now passed to Atlantis and the STS-121 crew and we're going to continue the test mission that we set out to do two-and-half years ago. And we're about halfway through. We've got some more work to do. But as Mike Griffin has told you, now we have some data to work with, and for the first time in the shuttle era, we've got a real solid place to start.
And teams are already at work, looking at exactly how we're going to go off and fix those various areas on the external tank. But it's not limited to the tank. We're going to look across the entire vehicle. We're going to look at all the elements, and we're going to go over them with a fine-tooth comb and we're going to characterize exactly what we have and see where we need to go next.
MODERATOR: Let's go right up front with Irene? QUESTION: Irene Klotz with Reuters. I think maybe for Bill Readdy, if you don't mind taking this one. Considering that this was the first shuttle program, first shuttle to fly that you ever had any information about the heat shield and knew for sure what condition it was in, why was there any anxiety about landing at all?
READDY: Well, because it's not simply the heat of re-entry. What we do flying down a soda straw for a flight envelope in this glide halfway around the world to power it off dead stick touchdown in the middle of night at Edwards, there isn't any of this that's easy.
Eileen made it look like a cakewalk. She did such a spectacular job, and her crew, as well, for the entire mission has gone -- just extremely well. Beyond, I think, anybody's expectations ahead of time. If you consider the content of this flight -- you know, 14 days. Very intensive robotic operations. Rendezvous, docking, logistics, more very exotic robotics when you consider the MPLM operations and then the gap filler removal there in EVA number three. And then...
M. O'BRIEN: We have been listening to some of the NASA management as they give their post-landing briefing. Obviously, a euphoric bunch. That was NASA associate administrator and astronaut Bill Readdy talking about how complicated this mission was, especially when compare it back to the last return of flight after Challenger. That was about a four-day mission, kind of up and back, just to prove basically that those solid rocket booster re-designs would work.
This was a much more complicated mission. Eileen Collins and her crew performing flawlessly. Some problems with the shuttle that had to be rectified, but we'll talk more about that later.
We'll be back with some insights from the family members. What was it like to be here, waiting for Discovery to come home, given all that has transpired in the shuttle program? You'll hear it firsthand in just a moment. Stay with us.
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M. O'BRIEN: Discovery is safe and sound at Edwards Air Force Base. The ground there attending to its every need. The crew has moved into the crew-transport vehicle. We expect to see them very shortly as they do the customary walk-around beneath the orbiter, as they marvel at the vehicle that has taken them safely home.
We are all glad to report that it is, in fact, a happy landing for Discovery after this 14-day mission, and two-and-a-half years after the loss of Columbia. Can you imagine what it was like for family members of that Discovery crew, especially this morning, kind of holding their breath through the process. We knew a lot about this orbiter, and how safe it was coming in. But nevertheless, until it happens, it hasn't happened.
Joining me to talk a little bit about this is Chelsea Camarda, who is daughter of Charlie Camarda, mission specialist, and the commander's husband, Pat Young, Eileen Collins' husband, and obviously, a pair of happy people today.
CHELSEA CAMARDA: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Take us through the whole process. And in particular, those moments of peak heating, those critical moments. What were you thinking at that time?
CAMARDA: Well, I was a little nervous for a little bit, but it was good. It was a great launch, a great landing.
M. O'BRIEN: Were you holding your breath? Were you grabbing on to somebody? What were you doing?
CAMARDA: The last 10 seconds I was. I was a little nervous.
M. O'BRIEN: I should say.
Now, Pat, you've been through this quite a few times before, and Eileen's the best of the best. And you know that. You're an airline pilot. You know how good she is. You must have had some worries, nonetheless.
PAT YOUNG: Absolutely. My daughter was on my lap as we all watched together. And she was a little nervous, but it was really fun. The cameras were pretty incredible to see what you could. And then once they rolled out on final, you could see the runway itself and see what the pilot sees, but to see the wheels touchdown and hear "wheel stop" was a great feeling.
M. O'BRIEN: That's what everybody hoped for. The children, you have a nine-year-old daughter, right? So she knows enough to know this is risky, and I'm sure it's been a tough period of time. I know that she probably just missed her mom the last couple of weeks, but this morning, in particular, do you think she knew what the gravity of moment, excuse that term?
YOUNG: I do. She was disappointed when I had to tell her that they weren't going to be landing here in Florida, but I said, well, they're going to land in Edwards, because the weather's good, and that's the safest place to do it. And she goes, we'll will be able to watch? I said, we sure are,. So she was happy.
M. O'BRIEN: yes. And I'm sure you all are. Chelsea, tell them, you have a necklace that you're wearing now, which matches a ring, which actually that isn't with you now. Tell us the story of this.
CAMARDA: Well, my mom had gotten me this necklace to match a ring that my father had bought for me to take up in space. So he has a matching ring -- it's a David Yerman (ph) ring -- that's just touched down not too long ago.
M. O'BRIEN: So that's a rather special ring when it becomes reunited.
CAMARDA: It is. M. O'BRIEN: I know you're looking forward to that. You've had a chance to trade e-mails back and forth, and then there's the teleconferences, and all the ways that families stays connected with each other. He's had a good run, hasn't he? Has he enjoyed it?
CAMARDA: He has. He's had a blast.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. I mean, been an engineer for years, has patents and all that and dreamed of this kind of thing, kind of came to the astronaut corps a little different course than a lot of people. Must be really gratifying for him?
CAMARDA: It is. It really is. He was at Langley for 22 years, and training with NASA in Houston for about 10, so...
M. O'BRIEN: As you look back on this mission, what was the high point? I'm going to guess, probably today. What was the low point for you?
CAMARDA: Actually, there wasn't a low point. I've been very optimistic, very happy about everything. It's gone great.
M. O'BRIEN: When you saw the foam falling off and all those issues, that didn't trouble you?
CAMARDA: I mean, it troubled me maybe for an hour or so until I was informed that it was minor, and that it's fixable.
M. O'BRIEN: How about you, Pat? Did you va low point? Was there a moment when you said, oh boy, this is not what I want to see?
YOUNG: Well, I think just having been assigned to a flight for four years, all the delays that came, and then the initial (INAUDIBLE) with the fuel sensor, you know, you start to wonder, is it ever going to go? But once it launched and they worked a few problems, I thought exceptionally well, and it was a great mission.
M. O'BRIEN: With any luck, there'll be a reunion in Houston later tonight, assuming the crew wants to fly. I know want to fly there. They'll be taking off on this landing strip, where we should have had a shuttle, in just a little while, for ultimately, a reunion for your families. And I know enchilada for Eileen, right?
What's your dad's going to eat, do you think? What is his favorite meal right now?
CAMARDA: Probably Italian food.
M. O'BRIEN: Italian food. Come on, of course. Of course. Naturally, a little pasta.
CAMARDA: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, well, welcome back, and manja (ph) and all that stuff. We appreciate you joining us.
CAMARDA: Thank you.
YOUNG: Thank you, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, we'll be back with more AMERICAN MORNING in just a moment. Stay with us.
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S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. The Fed is expected to raise interest rates again. How is that news affecting the markets this morning? Andy Serwer is "Minding Your Business." Again?
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" COLUMNIST: Again. The tenth time this would be, Soledad, over the past year and a half. The Fed funds rates now at three-and-a-quarter. Economists expecting 3.5 percent. Let's go right down to the big board, up 56 points. Stocks rallying at this hour. The news from the Federal Reserve will be expected, Soledad, so that's not rattling the markets much at all. What's helping out this morning is the fact the price of oil has declined a little bit.
S. O'BRIEN: You've got some news about a man we probably should have been talking about a lot today, but there was other news. The shuttle, obviously and some violence in Iraq. But a big loss in the African-American publishing community and publishing in general?
SERWER: That's right. This gentleman, John Johnson, passed away today. And he was 87 years old. He was the publisher and founder of Ebony and Jet magazines, and really a pioneer. One of the richest black Americans and actually one of the richest Americans, period.
And just an amazing story, Soledad. John Johnson is the grandson of slaves, grew up in poverty in Arkansas and Chicago. Borrowed $500, using his mother's furniture as collateral, to found these magazines and built this empire single-handedly. John Johnson was 87.
And speaking of pioneers, the latest issue of "Fortune" magazine has a story called "The Bravest Generation," and it's about the first African-American executives in large Fortune 500 companies. It tells their stories. The story of people like Harvey Russell, who was the first vice president of a Fortune 500 company. He worked at PepsiCo. Back in 1962, he was named vice president. It's just amazing how the times have changed. When he was named vice president, the Ku Klux Klan tried to start a boycott of PepsiCo, you know, 40-some years ago. A lot of progress has been made and people would say there's still more progress to be made.
S. O'BRIEN: I was going to follow with that. Some would argue there's still a little way to go. Andy, well, good for him. That's great. And that looks like a great cover story, too, on "Fortune."
SERWER: Think so. Thanks.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's go back to Miles. He's at the Kennedy Space Center this morning. Miles, good morning again.
M. O'BRIEN: Hello again, Soledad. You know, all morning long we've been talking to Kathy Sullivan, a veteran shuttle flier. The first woman, as a matter of fact, to do a space walk for the United States. And Kathy, I just wanted to have a few final words from you.
I was just listening to the news conference and Mike Griffin was addressing a question. And he brought out an important point that perhaps is overlooked many times by those of us on the outside of the space world. And that is the fact that, even after all these years, there's only been 145 manned space flights. And what we just saw is really still just barely possible. It's really just on the edge. Isn't it, still?
KATHRYN SULLIVAN, FORMER ASTRONAUT: I think that's a fabulous point to be made. There is still, to this day, fewer than 500 human beings in the whole course of humankind that have ever left the planet, 145 space flights. It's taken many decades and we're an impatient bunch as a species. But this really is the very first halting steps and each one of these really is still a work of engineering art.
M. O'BRIEN: You know, hulking steps -- what will it take to make it more routine, though?
SULLIVAN: Well, I suspect any time you're the member of a crew of a vehicle like this -- it may become very frequent to quote John Young many years ago, but it is never going to be routine. The power it takes to throw things off this planet and send them off into Earth's orbit or beyond is always going to be immense until we discover some breakthrough of physics that's currently just in science fiction books. So crews will always need this kind of acumen and capability.
What will take -- what could be different to make it a little easier, to do a little more frequent would be if we find a demand driver -- and some would say it's tourism -- that will begin to change the economics of taking things into orbit.
M. O'BRIEN: Is that the future, then? You know, what we see with Sir Richard Branson and Burt Rutan, the designs we saw and the X prize, where inspiring people to actually make a business out of this? Could that really be the case?
SULLIVAN: Well, I'm excited about those advances, but I have to confess, I am one of the cynics about there's a large volume industry in space tourism that will have that kind of fundamental transformative effect on the economics of space flight itself. If you look back at the history of aviation, that didn't come out of the blue and it didn't happen just weeks after Lindbergh flew the Atlantic. It took a couple of wars, it took major scale-up of production and it took an innovator like Juan Trippe to realize we all had a communications desire in the form of postage that could move faster with airplanes than it had been with the trains to date. What is that combination of factors that a next innovator may spot in the space arena? I don't think it's been found yet.
M. O'BRIEN: Kathy Sullivan, you're great. Thank you for your time. SULLIVAN: It's been a pleasure, Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Thanks for bringing the shuttle down for us safe and sound. I guess you don't get credit, but you helped us quite a bit.
Soledad, it was quite a day. It was nice to see Discovery end after 14 days like that. It takes me back to two-and-half years ago. I got to tell you, I was holding my breath there.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, well, you both get credit in my book. Great job, you guys. Wonderful coverage. And we certainly appreciate it.
We do have sad news, though. Some breaking news to give you here at CNN. There are reports now that Dana Reeve, the widow of Christopher Reeve, the actor, has been diagnosed with lung cancer, and is undergoing treatment. She released this information based apparently on a tabloid article that is coming out about her.
And I want to read to you a little bit of what she writes in her release. She says: "I have been recently diagnosed with lung cancer. I'm currently undergoing treatment. I have an excellent team of physicians who are optimistic about my prognosis. My family and I deeply appreciate the care and concern of our friend and supporters, and trust that everybody understands our need and desire for privacy at this time. I hope before too long to be sharing news of my good health and my recovery. Now more than ever, I feel Chris with me as I face this challenge. As always, I look to him as the ultimate example of defying the odds with strength, courage and hope in the face of life's adversities."
That's the word from Dana Reeve, the widow of Christopher Reeve, who's newly diagnosed with lung cancer. Of course, we are absolutely pulling for her and wish her and the family the very best.
A short break. We're back in a moment.
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S. O'BRIEN: And that is it for all of us here on AMERICAN MORNING. You want to be sure to catch Miles O'Brien as he continues his reporting on the safe return on the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Daryn Kagan is at the CNN Center. She's going to take you through the next few hours on "CNN LIVE TODAY." Hey, Daryn, good morning.
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