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Today's Launch Of Moon Rocket In Jeopardy Amid Several Issues; Britney Spears Makes A Comeback With Elton John Collaboration; BYU Bans Fan Over Racial Slurs Toward Black Volleyball Player. Aired 7:30- 8a ET

Aired August 29, 2022 - 07:30   ET

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

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[07:33:11]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Here we are looking at live images from Kennedy Space Center where the planned launch of the Artemis 1 mission originally scheduled to lift off between 8:33 am and 10:33 am is hitting some snags.

Let's go to CNN's Kristin Fisher for the very latest on this. All right, what are the issues that may be jeopardizing this launch today?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, it's not over yet but it's not looking good.

I'm going to walk you through some of the issues that NASA is encountering right now and I'm going to do it by using a model of the space shuttle rocket. We are not watching a space shuttle launch. Those retired about 11 years ago. But so much of the Artemis rocket -- the SLS rocket -- is built using parts from the space shuttle, and some of those parts are causing problems right now.

So, this is the main core stage right here and on the Artemis, the Orion capsule sits right up top. But this is the space shuttle. So if we just pan down you can see these two white solid rocket boosters -- those all use parts from the space shuttle on the Artemis rocket.

But where they are running into trouble right now are these engines. These are called the RS-25 engines. There are four of them that have been moved off the shuttle and onto the bottom of the core stage of the SLS Artemis rocket.

One of those rockets -- engine number three -- is running into some issues. The engineers -- and there are 91 engineers inside the Kennedy Space Center right now troubleshooting these engine problems right now -- they are just not seeing the temperatures that they want to see inside engine number three -- which, by the way, first flew on one of the space shuttles way back in 2006. So, these are -- these are old parts.

[07:35:00] The other issue that NASA engineers are really troubleshooting right now is there -- they've seen a line of frost in what's called the intertank. And there's not an intertank on this exact model but it would be found right about here in the middle section of the core stage of the rocket. It is where the super-cold liquid propellant is separated between the liquid hydrogen and the liquid oxygen. They don't know if it's a crack. All they can see is a line of frost.

That is why we are kind of in a hold right now and we don't know if this launch is going to go today.

We've also had two other issues. We've had lightning delays. We've had a hydrogen leak. NASA was successfully able to push through those two problems but now they're still troubleshooting these two.

And, Brianna and John, one of the big problems right now in addition to these technical issues is the weather because they have a 2-hour launch window. We are now almost certainly going to miss the beginning portion of that launch window at 8:30 am eastern, so now it pushes it to the back half, up until 10:30 eastern. And, of course, that is when the weather -- the Florida weather in August starts to kick in and be a problem.

So, too soon to say what's going to happen here but the folks that I've talked to say it's not looking good, Brianna.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Now look, we all want this to happen and happen soon, but the important thing is to get it right, which is what this whole mission is about. It's to use this equipment for the first time, Kristin.

FISHER: Yes, and NASA officials have been stressing this repeatedly. This is a test flight -- the first time that this rocket has ever flown.

And, you know, some people might say hey, why are we using all of these really old parts from the space shuttle days? Well, that's because this is what Congress instructed NASA to do. They have made the best with the resources that they were given. NASA told them to reuse parts from the shuttle and so that's what they did.

They've even used all of these parts of the solid rocket booster. Almost all of them came from this space shuttle. In fact, two parts down here actually flew on my dad's space shuttle flight back in the early 1980s. I mean, that's how old these parts are.

With that said, a lot of them are also battle-tested. These RS-25 engines have been tested time and time again on this space shuttle. The engines down here that are on the Artemis rocket behind me have flown a combined more than 20 shuttle missions. So there is something to be said for hardware that has actually proven that it can propel something up into space.

What they're really trying to see here with this test flight is how does all of this work together. How do all of these pieces come together for the first time when you're loading about 700,000 gallons of highly-flammable liquid propellant to get this thing off the launchpad?

So, not what we wanted here so far this morning, but it is to be very expected because this is a test flight. We've got two backup dates on the calendar, September 2 and September 5.

And, you know, this is what we expected to happen with a test flight and it's not over yet. They have not called off this launch. But like I said, any time you're running into this many issues this close to the launch window, that's not a promising sign.

KEILAR: Yes -- all right. We'll be keeping our eye on this.

And just to be clear, your dad is so young yet, Kristin, but in terms of technology, it doesn't always operate in human years. So that is pretty old for those space shuttle parts.

All right, keep an eye on things there for us. We'll be checking back in with you here at the top of the hour.

BERMAN: So -- oh, there he is -- the Rocket Man on the left. That would have been a good tease. Rocket Man Elton John, along with Britney Spears, topping the charts with their new hit single.

KEILAR: And history made at last night's MTV Video Music Awards. We'll have the highlights next.

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[07:43:18]

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LIZZO, SINGER-RAPPER: Singing "2 Be Loved (Am I Ready)."

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KEILAR: A big night last night, including this moment here. Lizzo taking the stage at the VMAs -- the MTV Video Music Awards -- last night after a surprise performance from Fergie. Fergie joined rapper Jack Harlow to perform his hit "First Class" which samples her iconic hit "Fergalicious."

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JOHNNY DEPP, ACTOR: And you know what? I needed the work.

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KEILAR: Speaking of surprises, Johnny Depp made a number of appearances throughout the program as the Moon Man himself, sparking some controversy online related to his very public defamation trial. Some big winners last night, too. Queen Nicki Minaj brought home this

year's Video Vanguard Award after performing a mashup of her greatest hits.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were awarded the Global Icon Award. And Bad Bunny became the first Latin artist to win Artist of the Year.

BERMAN: And while accepting her award for Music Video of the Year, Taylor Swift announced that she is releasing new music. In an Instagram post following the on-stage announcement, Swift shared the cover art for her upcoming album titled "Midnights." She says it is a collection of music written in the middle of the night. A pretty literal title. Swift's 10th studio album is set to be released October 21.

KEILAR: Nearly a year after her conservatorship ended, Britney Spears is back to topping charts thanks to her new duet with Elton John called "Hold Me Closer."

[07:45:00]

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BRITNEY SPEARS AND ELTON JOHN, SINGERS-SONGWRITERS: Singing "Hold Me Closer."

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KEILAR: Joining us now is Melissa Knowles, HLN's entertainment correspondent. I mean, that is some song to see her pairing up with Elton John in this kind of show of force here, Melissa.

MELISSA KNOWLES, HLN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It's huge, Brianna. Good morning to you and John.

You saw me bobbing my head and moving my shoulders because that is what this song is doing for a lot of people. We're ending the summer and you want to hear a song that is going to uplift your spirits and certainly something that will uplift Britney Spears.

Now, she deleted her Instagram last Thursday without warning, but she's been posting quite a bit to Twitter and reacting to how fans are enjoying this song. And, of course, telling Elton John that she's so grateful that he chose her to be a part of this collaboration. It may end up being the end of summer jam that we all need as a confidence boost.

BERMAN: So you say she canceled her Instagram account, but she is posting things on YouTube, including an audio clip where she addresses her conservatorship. Let's listen to this.

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SPEARS: If you're a weird introvert oddball like me, who feels alone a lot of the time, and you needed to hear a story like this today so you don't feel alone, know this. My life has been far from easy and you're not alone.

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BERMAN: What do you think of that?

KNOWLES: You know, I think that Britney is continuing to be candid about what she went through during that 13-year court-ordered conservatorship. I think that this is a time where Britney feels like she can kind of just take that tape off of her mouth and talk straight from her heart to her fans and to everybody else to really reveal what's been troubling her.

She talks about, in that audio clip, being thrown away. Feeling like her family had abandoned her. Feeling like she was out there on her own. Thanking the people of the Free Britney movement, which was a majority of fans just out there saying that we know something is going on that they are not telling us about. And now that she has the power to just speak her mind freely, that's exactly what she's doing.

I think that the new song is helping her with her confidence, but I also think that this is a time where she feels like she's really vulnerable, too.

KEILAR: Yes. It's sad listening to her talk about what she's been through. But it also sounds like the old Britney that I think a lot of --

KNOWLES: It does.

KEILAR: -- people didn't feel that they saw for years as she was behind that conservatorship and there were just little clips of videos on Instagram and it was hard to get that from her.

Melissa, I did want to ask you about something else, which is that episode two of HBO's -- HBO Max's "House of the Dragon" aired last night. HBO has already renewed the hit for a second season.

KNOWLES: I mean, which is not a surprise. It's not a surprise that this has been renewed for a second season because fans are loving this. So, as I was saying, it's not a surprise that this has already been renewed for a second season. When the first episode came out last week, more than 10 million viewers were watching. That is the largest audience for an original series that's brand-new on HBO. So, knowing that there's that kind of fan power behind it, of course, they're going to renew it for a second season.

People have a little bit of beef with some of the things like --

KEILAR: Yes.

KNOWLES: -- the opening credits. They're like wait a minute, you all couldn't come up with an original song? But other than that, people are really loving and receptive to the fact that they have the Targaryen house again, but also that they're going to get to see at least a second season. KEILAR: I know some people -- and I'm looking at myself -- who did not love the ending to "Game of Thrones," so they're kind of waiting, actually, to engage with this one. They're waiting until the very end. So I see, depending on how this goes, maybe they could even have a surge of watchers later. We'll have to see.

Melissa, thank you so much for being with us this morning.

KNOWLES: Thanks for having me.

KEILAR: And live pictures now from Kennedy Space Center in Florida where today's launch of the Artemis 1 moon mission is actually in jeopardy. We're watching this very carefully and we'll have the latest, next.

BERMAN: Racist slurs hurled at a Duke volleyball player during a match at Brigham Young. Her father joins us on NEW DAY.

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[07:53:49]

KEILAR: A Division 1 volleyball match at Brigham Young University turned really ugly when Black players from Duke University endured racial slurs from at least one fan in the crowd.

In a letter posted on Twitter, Rachel Richardson, a starter on Duke's volleyball team, wrote this. "In our match against Brigham Young University, my fellow African American teammates and I were targeted and racially heckled throughout the entirety of the match. The slurs and comments grew into threats which caused us to feel unsafe.

Both the officials and BYU coaching staff were made aware of the incident during the game but failed to take the necessary steps to stop the unacceptable behavior and create a safe environment. As a result, my teammates and I had to struggle just to get through the rest of the game."

BYU officials have issued an apology and banned that one particular spectator that they identified from attending events at any of its venues.

Joining me now is Marvin Richardson. He is the father of Duke University volleyball athlete Rachel Richardson. Marvin, thank you for being with us. I'm so sorry for what your daughter has had to endure here.

But tell us about this. You were watching this match on television and had no idea what was going on until Rachel called you. What did she tell you?

[07:55:02]

MARVIN RICHARDSON, FATHER OF DUKE UNIVERSITY WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER RACHEL RICHARDSON: So, no -- as you indicated, we were watching the match at our home here in Maryland and during the game had no clue what was going on.

And then after the game, we always talk and she called -- but this was a different call, right? So she was -- she was crying, she was upset. And Rachel's not the person who calls and cries over a loss. It's just not who she is. She's been playing the game for a long time. So we knew something was wrong.

And then as she started to tell us what was going on and what had happened during the game, needless to say -- first, you know, anger, outrage, and then just say a real need to make sure that something was done to correct that were the things that kind of came across us.

KEILAR: She was starting for this particular match.

RICHARDSON: Right.

KEILAR: The sole African American player who was --

RICHARDSON: On the floor at that time.

KEILAR: -- on the floor at that time. There are a few other Black players on the team as well that were enduring this.

What were they -- what was it like? Did she tell you what was happening?

RICHARDSON: Well, she -- Rachel's very strong and very mentally tough, but she's 19 years old also. And I think during that time, the one thing that as a competitor, she just didn't want this to take her away from her game, right -- to take her out of her game. So she, hearing this, played through it and really had to just kind of struggle to focus on the game.

And so, I think that -- when you start talking about what that does to an athlete and their ability to perform at the highest level under those circumstances, it's just not right -- and especially not in that kind of a college arena.

KEILAR: She lets her coaches know, so the other players -- they've alerted the coaches --

RICHARSON: Right.

KEILAR: -- and they try to take action. What happened?

RICHARDSON: So, they made it known what was happening. And at the point in between games -- the two different sets when it happened between the second and the fourth sets -- that's when they're at the student end -- of the -- of the court. And at some point, they moved a police officer down to the students' end of the court. And perhaps that's the -- that's an action but is that the only action that should be taken? I don't think so.

I've been at sporting events. We've been in volleyball for 30 years. I have four daughters that have played the game -- three at the college level. We've always had that occasional idiot that's just there in the crowd, right, but never an atmosphere like this where she said that she felt afraid. And she felt like hey, this was -- this was just something that was hard.

KEILAR: She thought it was more than one spectator? Is that right?

RICHARDSON: Yes. I mean, I appreciate the fact that they came forward with a statement saying that there's an individual who has been banned. But when she went back to the line to serve, you're about two feet away from the student section and she heard it from more than one person. And the person that they identified -- and I appreciate the fact that they identified that person and moved them out -- but there were 5,500 people in that -- in that crowd.

And I think the story really should be that there were 5,500 people at a women's volleyball game --

KEILAR: Yes.

RICHARDSON: -- at Smith Fieldhouse -- the first time in its history. The largest crowd. That should be the story.

KEILAR: You spoke to the head coach at Duke afterward. I know you were not pleased not only with the response from, say, BYU's coach, but also you want more from the Duke coaching staff and from the NCAA. What do you want?

RICHARDSON: So, no student-athlete should ever have to go into any venue and be subjected to that kind of an atmosphere, right? You want a raucous crowd if you're the home team and that's fantastic. But when it crosses that line it becomes the responsibility of those who are in authority to make sure that atmosphere stays safe and free from any of those kinds of elements that would prohibit people from playing at their highest level.

And so, what I'd like to see going forward is that we take every effort -- make every effort to make sure that those venues are safe and free from that kind of action. And when it is -- when it interjects itself that it is removed immediately.

I've been at places where coaches have taken the mic and said knock it off. And if you don't knock it off we're going to have you kicked out of here, right? I've seen that. That's an action that you can take right now. Stop it while it's happening. That didn't happen. And I think that we can always do more.

KEILAR: Marvin, really appreciate you being with us, and good luck to Rachel and the team. Thank you.

RICHARDSON: Thank you so much.

KEILAR: A NEW DAY special report starts right now.

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BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We're going back to the moon to stay, to live, to learn, to build. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, we haven't been there for almost 50

years since Apollo 17.

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Artemis program is the beginning of the next era.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's no longer the Apollo generation, it's the Artemis generation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This launch is years in the making. Billions of dollars have been poured into this program.

[08:00:00]