>>> SHE AND ANOTHER CREW MEMBER
SPOKE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE
AFTER THE LAUNCH. >> HELLO FROM OUTER SPACE!
>> HELLO FROM OUTER SPACE!
IT FEELS AMAZING TO BE SEEING
EARTH FROM THIS SPACE CAPSULE.
>> AS A LOOK OUTSIDE INTO
SPACE, I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING OF A
GREAT JOURNEY FOR ALL OF US. >> WE ARE JOINED BY THE SENIOR
>> WE ARE JOINED BY THE SENIOR
ADVISER FOR STATE PROGRAMS AT
THE INTREPID MUSEUM.
THE CREW IS SCHEDULED TO DOCK
AT THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE
STATION TODAY.
THEY WILL SPEND EIGHT DAYS
THERE.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTS
AND THINK THEY WILL BE DOING UP
THERE?
>> OVER 20 PROJECTS PLANNED IN
LIFE SCIENCES, TECHNOLOGY
DEMONSTRATIONS, S.T.E.M.
OUTREACH. THEY ARE GOING TO BE
DOING SOME THINGS WITH STUDENTS.
STUDENTS.
THEY HAVE AN ART CONTEST GOING
ON AS WELL.
IT'S RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT, AND OUTREACH THEY
WILL BE DOING.
THIS IS A REAL MISSION THEY
WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN FOR
ABOUT 8 TO 10 DAYS.
>> A LOT OF SCIENCE GOING ON.
I'M INTERESTED IN THESE THREE
PRIVATE CITIZENS DURING THIS
TRIP.
DID THEY NEED TO GO THROUGH
SIMILAR TRAINING ASTRONAUTS
HAVE TO GO THROUGH?
>> THEY DO.
THEY ARE ALL KIND OF PRIVATE
CITIZENS SORT OF, BUT TWO OF
THE CREWMEMBERS FROM SAUDI
ARABIA, SO THEY ARE SAUDI
ARABIAN ASTRONAUTS.
THE GOVERNMENT IS PAYING FOR
THEM TO GO.
THEY HAD TO BE TRAINED ON SPACEX VEHICLE, WHICH IS A
SPACEX VEHICLE, WHICH IS A
HIGHLY AUTOMATED VEHICLE.
UNLIKE JUST GOING FOR A RIDE,
THEY ARE TALKING AT THE SPACE
STATION.
THAT'S PART OF IT.
THEN GETTING ON THE SPACE
STATION, LEARNING HOW TO LIVE
ON SPACE, HAVING TO LIVE AND
DEAL WITH EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
>> THEY HAD SOME PRETTY INTENSE
TRAINING.
>> IS SIMILAR TO WHAT A NASA
ASTRONAUT WOULD GET, BUT KIND
OF AN ACCELERATED COURSE OF
WHAT THEY NEED TO KNOW, BUT IT
IS INTENSE TRAINING FOR ALL OF THEM.
THEM.
>> COMMERCIAL SPACE EXPIRATION
HAS CHANGED SO MUCH IN A SHORT
PERIOD OF TIME.
TELL US ABOUT PRIVATE SPACE
TRAVEL AND PRIVATE CITIZENS
HEADING INTO SPACE.
>> IT IS ANOTHER STEP IN THE
COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPACE.
SAUDI ARABIA, FOR EXAMPLE, HAD
ONE PERSON WHO WENT TO SPACE SO
FAR BEFORE THIS MISSION. I WAS 1985, SO NOW YOU HAVE THE
I WAS 1985, SO NOW YOU HAVE THE
FIRST WOMAN IN SAUDI ARABIA IN
SPACE.
IT IS A WAY FOR THE COUNTRY TO
GET INVOLVED, TO GO TO SPACE,
BUT THE COMMERCIAL ASPECT OF
IT, WHICH IS THE MOST
INTRIGUING, THIS IS A PRIVATE
ASTRONAUT MISSION. THEY HAVE
TWO MORE OF THESE MISSIONS
PLANNED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IT'S LEANING TOWARD
YEARS, AND IT'S LEANING TOWARD
THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF MORE.
A COMPANY THAT WAS SPONSORING
THIS MISSION IS PLANNING TO
BUILD A SPACE STATION,
COMMERCIAL SPACE STATION.
THERE ARE OTHER COMPANIES
COMPETING FOR THAT CONTRACT, SO
I THINK IT'S ANOTHER ONE OF
THESE WITH THE PRIVATIZATION OF
THE ORBIT, AND NASA WANTS TO
CONCENTRATE ON GOING TO THE
MOON AND MARS.
IT'S VERY EXCITING STUFF IT IS
A CHANGING ATMOSPHERE IN THE
SPACE PROGRAM, BUT WE HAVE HERE
TODAY.
>> WE HAVE PEOPLE HOPING FOR
PRIVATE SPACE TRAVEL, BUT ALSO HOPING THAT MISSION OF SPACE
HOPING THAT MISSION OF SPACE
EXPLORATION GOES FORWARD.
>> NASA IS NOT GOING TO STOP
WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
THEY HOPE TO TURN A LOT OF THE
SPACE OPERATIONS OVER TO
PRIVATE INDUSTRIES. THEY WANTED TO DO THAT WITH THE
THEY WANTED TO DO THAT WITH THE
SPACE SUBTLE FOUR YEARS AGO
WHEN THEY STARTED THE SPACE
SHUTTLE PROGRAM THAT ENDED OVER
10 YEARS AGO.
THEY WANTED TO MAKE IT
COMMERCIAL PROGRAM.
IT WAS NOT READY FOR THAT, BUT
NOW WE ARE READY FOR THAT, SO
NASA HAS BEEN TRIED TO ENCOURAGE
PRIVATE ENTERPRISES, WHICH CAN
OPERATE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE
GOVERNMENT, AND IT ALLOWS THEM
TO PURSUE THINGS THAT THE
GOVERNMENT CAN'T PURSUE, AND
THE GOVERNMENT CAN CONCENTRATE
ON OTHER THINGS.
THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES,
MORE DEMAND BECAUSE NOW, A
PRIVATE INDUSTRY AS WELL AS
GOVERNMENTS CAN SAY WE CAN BE
PART OF THE TO.
BEFORE, IT WAS NOT AN OPTION.
WHEN YOU GIVE PEOPLE AN OPTION,
THEY CAN FIND A WAY TO EXPLOIT
THAT.
THEY CAN UTILIZE SPACE TO DO
RESEARCH PROJECTS, TO HELP
THEIR PRESTIGE AS A COUNTRY. IF THERE SOMETHING THEY WANT TO DO
THERE SOMETHING THEY WANT TO DO