>> STATION, THIS IS HOUSTON.
SPACE TO GROUND, ARE YOU READY
FOR THE EVENT?
>> HOUSTON, I AM READY FOR THE
EVENT.
>> KCAL, THIS IS MISSION CONTROL
HOUSTON.
PLEASE CALL STATION FOR A VOICE
CHECK.
>> STATION, HOW DO YOU HEAR ME?
>> GOOD MORNING, JEFF.
HEAR YOU LOUD AND CLEAR.
WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
>> GOOD TO YOU, VICTOR.
AM SO THRILLED TO DO THIS.
IF YOU DON'T MIND, I AM A
SCIENCE GEEK.
I AM A SPACE GEEK.
RIGHT OFF THE TOP, YOU KNOW,
TELL ME ABOUT THIS MISSION
BECAUSE WHAT SORT OF EXPERIMENTS
ARE YOU CONDUCTING RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, THIS MISSION HAS BEEN
GREAT.
IT IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY.
WE FLEW HER IN CREW DRAGON
RESILIENCE MADE BY SPACEX IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
THAT WAS MAJOR PART OF THE
EXPEDITION.
NOW THAT THE FOUR OF US ARE HERE
AND WE JOINED KATE RUBINS SERGEY
AND SERGEY TO MAKE UP A
SEVEN-PERSON CREW AND THERE ARE
HUNDREDS OF EXPERIMENTS GOING ON
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE.
I AM INVOLVED IN A FOOD
PHYSIOLOGY EXPERIMENT THAT IS
LOOKING AT MACRONUTRIENTS AS
WELL AS ENJOYMENT AND VARIETY OF
FOODS WE HAVE UP HERE TO EAT.
ALSO THE WAY MICROGRAVITY
AFFECTS THE SENSORY AND
SENSORIMOTOR SKILLS, UM, OUR
VISUAL PERCEPTION AND OUR, AND
OUR TIME PERCEPTION, AND THERE
IS ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT
EXPERIMENTS I COULD NAME YOU
DOZENS AND DOZENS OF THEM.
YOU KNOW, ARE YOU DEALING WITH
ANY SORT OF MUSCULAR ATROPHY OR
ANYTHING BEING IN ZERO GRAVITY
AT THIS POINT?
>> YOU KNOW, MAYBE, BUT I CAN'T
BLAME IT ON MICROGRAVITY.
MAYBE IT IS BECAUSE MY GYM
ROUTINE SUFFERED A LITTLE BIT
PRIOR TO LAUNCH BECAUSE WE WERE
SO BUSY.
ACTUALLY, YOU NO I HAVE BEEN ON
STATION FOR ABOUT 45 DAYS, I HAD
THE OPPORTUNITY, EVERY DAY, THEY
HAVE TIME FOR KNOW GO TO THE
GYM, WORKOUT, LIFT, CARDIO,
STRENGTH TRAINING AND CARDIO, SO
I NO COMPLAINT AND REALLY ENJOY
EXERCISING IN MICROGRAVITY.
OH MY GOODNESS, THAT IS A GYM ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION?
>> IT IS GREAT.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE-- IT IS CALLED
ADVANCE RESISTANT EXERCISE
DEVICE.
IT IS A DEVICE, WE HAVE A CYCLE
ODOMETER SO WE CAN DO SPIN TYPE
OF TRAINING, THEN WE HAVE A
TRADE MILL, A VERY NICE SYSTEM,
WE WEAR A VEST AND PULLS US DOWN
TO THE TREADS AND WE CAN RUN.
THE THREE OF THOSE TOGETHER
PROVIDE A GREAT WORKOUT.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU WERE TALKING
ABOUT THE EXPERIMENTS YOU WERE
CONDUCTING HADED TO DO WITH
FOOD.
I HAVE BEEN READING THAT ON THE
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION,
THERE IS ALSO EXPERIMENTS
DEALING WITH CONVERTING URINE
INTO DRINKABLE WATER.
IS THAT TRUE?
>> YOU KNOW, THERE IS A SAYING,
WE TURNED YESTERDAY'S COFFEE
INTO TOMORROW'S COFFEE IN A
WOULDN'T CALL THAT AN
EXPERIMENT.
I GUESS IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE
NEED TO CONTINUE TO PUSH THAT
TECHNOLOGY SO WE CAN CAPTURE
MORE AND MORE OF OUR MOISTURE
AND TURN IT INTO WATER BECAUSE
MOISTURE AND THIS WATER IS VITAL
TO HUMAN LIFE.
THAT IS TALL LAY SYSTEM WE
DEPEND ON.
IT IS A PART OF THE LIFE SUPPORT
SYSTEM HERE ON THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION.
SO I GOT ASK YOU THE FOLLOW UP
QUESTION BECAUSE I AM SURE
VIEWER WANT TO KNOW.
WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE.
WHAT IS IT LIKE?
>> IF DIDN'T TELL YOU, YOU
WOULDN'T KNOW.
IT IS BETTER THAN MOST TAP WATER
THAT I HAD.
IT IS ACTUALLY GREAT.
>> YOU KNOW, SPEAKING OF WATER
IN SPACE.
AM JUST KIND OF CURIOUS A LITTLE
BIT IN TERMS OF PERSPIRATION.
CAN YOU SWEAT IN ZERO GRAVITY?
>> WELL, THAT IS A GREAT
QUESTION.
I HAPPEN TO SWEAT QUITE A BIT.
GENERALLY LIKE TO DOG THE WEIGHT
LIFTING FIRST SO I AM NOT A
SWEATY MESS WHEN I GET TO THE
WEIGHT DEVICE.
THE CYCLE AND THE TREADMILL.
POUR SWEAT.
I ACTUALLY STARTED TO WEAR A
HEADBAND.
WEAR HEADBAND BECAUSE IT CAN
WAKE UP THE SWEAT AND I KEEP A
TOWEL NEXT TO ME SO I CAN WAKE
UP TO THE REST OF.
ACTUALLY DENTATE.
IT DOESN'T RUN DOWN YOUR FACE
AND BODY.
IT POOLS WHERE IT IS AT.
LIKE WATER DOES HERE IN
MICROGRAVITY.
A YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU
CURRENTLY, YOU ARE CIRCLING THE
EARTH EVERY 90 MINUTES.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DO THAT SNAP
IN DO YOU GO BETWEEN SUNLIGHT
AND DARKNESS WITH EACH ORBIT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO SEE
SUNRISE AND SUNSET 16 TIMES A
DAY.
IT IS TRULY AMAZING, AND THE
DURATION OF THE DAY AND THE
NIGHT VARIES A LITTLE BIT AS WE
ORBIT THE EARTH.
BUT AS THE SEASONS CHANGE, BUT,
TO SEE IT, WITH YOUR OWN EYES,
IT IS HARD TO REALLY EXPLAIN IT
IN WORDS.
I GUESS IF YOU CAN I AGE GIN
WHAT DROVE HUMAN KIND TO DEVELOP
MICROSCOPES AND TELESCOPES SO WE
CAN SEE THE SMALL AND LARGE AT
OUR LEVEL ON OUR SCALE.
GAIN BEING ABLE TO LOOK OUT, TO
SEE GOOD CHUNK OF THE EARTH WITH
YOUR OWN EYES.
IT IS HARD TO DESCRIBE.
IT IS BEAUTIFUL.
IT IS AWE INSPIRING.
IT IS SOMETHING I WISH MORE
PEOPLE COULD DO.
>> HAVING SAID THAT, AS YOU DO
THAT, WHEN YOU ARE LOOKING OUT
THROUGH THE CUPOLA, ARE YOU ARE
ABLE TOLL SEE THE UNITED STATES
OR THE HOME STATE OF CALIFORNIA
FROM THAT VANTAGE POINT, WHAT IS
THAT LIKE?
>> I AM NOT 100% SURE IF I CAN
SEE THE ENTIRE STATE.
WE CAN SEE VERY LARGE S.W.A.T.S
OF THE PLANET, BUT YOU CAN SEE,
AN ENTIRE COASTLINE.
I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE FROM SAN
DIEGO ALL THE WAY TO SAN
FRANCISCO, AND THAT SCALE IS, IT
IS JUST AMAZING TO THINK, HOW
LONG IT WOULD TAKE ME TO DRIVE
THAT, OR TO, AN EXAMPLE WE HAD
NOT LONG AGO.
WE FLEW OVER CORPUS CHRISTI AND
HEADED TO HOUSTON.
WE TIMED IT.
WAS 43 SECONDS FROM CORPUS
CHRISTI TO HOUSTON.
MADE THAT DRIVE PLENTY OF TIMES
IN FOUR AND A HALF HOURS AND 43
SECONDS WAS IMPRESSIVE.
IT IS AMAZING THING TO SEE THAT
SCALE, THE WEATHER, THE OCEANS
AND THE LAND MASSES AND THE
BEAUTIFUL COLORS UP HERE, IT
REALLY IS IMPRESSIVE.
>> THE LAST TIME YOU AND I
TALKED, I MENTIONED TO YOU HOW
EMOTIONAL DR.WALSH, HOW
EMOTIONAL COACH POWELL GOT, TO
SEE YOU GO INTO SPACE, AND YOU
CREDIT YOUR SUCCESS TO THEM.
YOU CREDIT HAVING GOOD MENTORS.
ANY ADVISE TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE
OF OUR COUNTRY ABOUT FINDING
GOOD MENTORS?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK,
FIRST OF ALL, YOU SAID FIND GOOD
MENTORS.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW
VALUABLE, HAVING SOMEONE WHO HAS
BEEN THERE AND SEEN THAT, EVEN
IF THEY DON'T DO WHAT YOU DO.
IF THERE IS SOMETHING YOU WANT
TO DO IN THE FUTURE.
IT HELPS TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO
BLAZED THAT TRAIL ALREADY.
AND SO FINDING A MENTOR, JUST
KNOWING THAT THAT IS IMPORTANT,
THAT I THINK IS AN IMPORTANT
FIRST STEP BUT THEN THE OTHER
THING I WOULD SAY IS LISTEN TO
YOUR MENTORS.
WE ALL NEED TO LISTEN.
I HAVE YOUNG FOLKS THAT I MENTOR
AND I LEARN AS MUCH FROM THEM AS
HOPEFULLY I SHARE AND IMPART
WITH THEM.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO FIND AND THEN
TO LISTEN TO AND GROW THROUGH
YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR
MENTORS.
>> YOU KNOW, LEADING UP TO
MISSION, VICTOR?
YOU HAVE SPOKEN A LOT ABOUT
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EXTREME
CLIMATE CONDITIONS HERE ON
EARTH.
WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING SOME
OF THAT WITH THE WILD FIRES HERE
IN CALIFORNIA, AS YOU ORBIT THE
EARTH THIS PERSPECTIVE NOW, AND
IN RECENT WEEKS, WHAT HAS THAT
DONE THE OUTLOOKING ON THE
ISSUES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE AND
EXTREME CLIMATE CONDITIONS?
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ASKED ME THAT
LAST TIME, MY OVERWHELMING
FEELING WAS HOW BIG OF A
QUESTION IT WAS, AGAIN, WILL SAY
IT.
IT IS A MASSIVE, MASSIVE
CONCEPT, BUT IT IS MASSIVELY
IMPORTANT, THAT WE TAKE BOTH
SERIOUSLY, AND BEING UP HERE
MAKES ME JUST EVEN MORE
COMMITTED TO DOING THE WORK IT
TAKES TO MAKE SURE WE PROTECT
HUMAN LIFE, AND TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE PROTECT THE PLANET.
AGAIN, I WISH MORE PEOPLE COULD
SEE WHAT WE SEE UP HERE, NOT
JUST OUR PLANET TO SEE THE GREAT
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION THAT
WE HAVE UP HERE WITH THE RUSSIAN
COSMONAUT COLLEAGUE AND
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS AND THE
FOUR OF US U.S. ASTRONAUTS THAT
UP HERE WORKING VERY HARD FOR
ALL OF YOU DOWN THERE.
>> LAST QUESTION, A FUN ONE IF
YOU DON'T MIND.
I GREW UP NOT FAR FROM YOU, SO
YOU KNOW, HERE IN SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA.
MEXICAN CUISINE IS A BIG PART OF
OUR LIVES.
I HEARD A PEW YEARS AGO THAT
ASTRONAUT IN OUT OF SPACE, IS
THAT TRUE?
CAN YOU TELL ME WHY?
>> YOU KNOW, THE TORTILLA IS
QUITE POPULAR, IT IS SO POPULAR
THAT WE HAVE LOTS OF FOOD STORED
IN THE WHERE ARE WE EAT AND THEY
ARE IN BOXES AND CONTAINERS AND
BAGS BUT WE HAVE A SPECIAL
CONTAINER WE KEEP IT FULL AND I
THINK IT IS BECAUSE IT IS JUST
SO VERSATILE.
THINK OF IT LIKE A FOOD, YOU CAN
USE IT TO GRAB BE A HOT DRINK
BAG AND THE COLD DRINK ABOUT
BAG.
YOU CAN WRAP MEAT OR BEANS IN
IT.
IT IS VERSATILE.
YOU CAN STUFF IT THROUGH A GREAT
DELICIOUS THINGS THEN SMEAR
CONDIMENTS AND CHEESE.
I MISS GOOD CHEESE.
IT IS JUST A VERSATILE PIECE OF
CUISINE, THAT YOU CAN USE ABOUT
WITH ANYTHING UP HERE?
>> TO GET INTO THE EQUIPMENT?
>> IT IS LESS CRUMMY THAN SAY
CHARACTERS OR THE FLAT BREADS,
BUT YOU GOT TO BE CAREFUL.
IT HELPS TO WARM IT UP FIRST.
PROTIP, WARM IT UP FIRST.
>> THANKS SO MUCH.
WE ARE ALL SO VERY PROUD OF YOU.
THANK YOU FOR BEING SO GRACIOUS.
ALL THE BEST TO YOU.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND
ALL OF YOU CALIFORNIANS, IT IS
GREAT TIME.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU.
I WISH YOU A GREAT 2021.
THANKS, GREAT TALKING TO.
GREAT TALKING TO YOU.
>> STATION, THIS IS HOUSTON ACR.
THAT CONCLUDES THE EVENT.
THANK YOU.
>> AND THANK YOU TO KCAL
STATION.
WE'RE NOW RESUMING OPERATIONAL
AUDIO COMMUNICATIONS.