WHAT ABOUT DOING A
SPACEWALK DO YOU THINK WOULD BE THE MOST SURPRISING FOR PEOPLE TO HEAR?
LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST INTERESTING
ASPECT OF IT THAT MAYBE ISN'T JUST.
WELL, OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE OUTSIDE IN SPACE.
YEAH. YEAH.
THERE'S SO MANY REALLY FASCINATING THINGS ABOUT DOING A SPACEWALK.
IT IS ENTIRELY YOUR SENSORY OVERLOAD.
IT'S- IT IS EVERY SENSATION THAT YOU HAVE AS A HUMAN BEING WRAPPED UP IN 6 HOURS.
FIRST OF ALL,
JUST TO TAKE YOU THROUGH, LIKE GETTING OUT THE DOOR, YOU'RE GETTING UP SUITED UP.
IT'S LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING PROFESSIONALLY THAT YOU'VE LOOKED FORWARD TO
FOR A LONG TIME IN PRACTICE, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY.
YOU'RE
SUPER FOCUSED, YOU'VE STUDIED, SO YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE ON THE TOP OF YOUR GAME
AND YOU GO OUT THE DOOR AND MOVE YOUR WAY OVER
TO WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO GO TO WORK.
AND THEN THE SUN STARTS TO COME UP AND YOU SEE THE PLANET RIGHT BELOW YOU.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE TOTAL CONTROL OF THAT OF WHERE YOU'RE, WHERE YOU'RE LOOKING.
AND IT'S A LITTLE SHOCKING AND SOMEWHAT A LITTLE SCARY.
MAKES YOU SORT OF HOLD ON A LITTLE BIT FOR A SECOND,
BUT DOUBLE CHECK YOUR TETHERS, MAKE SURE YOU'RE OK.
OK, MY HEARTBEAT JUST WENT DOWN.
I'M OK, NOW THE SUN'S UP.
SO I'M GETTING A LITTLE BIT HOT, CAUSE I'M WORKING REALLY A WHOLE LOT.
AND THEN THE SUN STARTS TO GO DOWN 45 MINUTES LATER.
OH, MAN, NOW I'M GETTING SUPER COLD AND I'M STARTING TO GET HUNGRY
BECAUSE I'M OUT THERE FOR A COUPLE HOURS IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
YOU'RE HAVING A CONVERSATION
WITH THE FOLKS ON THE GROUND, SO IT'S TYING YOU RIGHT BACK TO EARTH.
ON MY FIRST SPACEWALK, WE WERE UP HANGING OUT AT THE SOLAR ARRAY,
AND WE HAPPENED TO FLY OVER CANADA AND THE NORTHERN LIGHTS WERE BELOW YOU.
IT'S LIKE, HOLY MOLY, THAT'S THAT'S AMAZING.
THAT WAS COMPELLING.
LEFT AN IMPACT ON ME BECAUSE IT REMINDED ME THAT THERE'S
SO MUCH OUT THERE IN SPACE THAT'S GOING ON THAT WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OF.
YOU KNOW, PROBABLY THOSE NORTHERN LIGHTS.
MY BACKGROUND ISN'T AS A SCIENTIST,
BUT I'M SURE THAT IT STARTED FROM SOME TYPE OF SOLAR FLARE
AND THEN THE MAGNETIC FIELD OF THE EARTH GETS ACTIVATED AS THE PARTICLES
COME TOWARD THE EARTH.
AND WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
AND I THINK THAT WAS THE MOST COMPELLING FEELING.
LIKE WE SQUABBLE DOWN HERE ABOUT ENERGY OR WHATEVER
WE SQUABBLE ABOUT DOWN HERE ON EARTH, WHICH IS VERY
INCONSEQUENTIAL TO REALLY WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE.
AND WE ARE ONLY ONE LITTLE PLANET,
BUT IT IS GETTING AFFECTED BY THE REST OF THE UNIVERSE.
AND I THINK THAT REALLY CAME TRUE WHEN I- WHEN I WAS SITTING THERE
AND THAT GREEN STUFF WAS BELOW ME, HITTING THE EARTH AND
IT IS WHAT IT IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST PART OF IT.
SO IT'S LIKE ALL OF THAT.
AND THEN AT THE END OF IT, YOU'RE LIKE, WAIT A MINUTE, TICK TOCK.
YOU KNOW, LIKE WE HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE HOUSE, RIGHT?
SO YOU HAVE TO GO BACK, YOU KNOW, THEN YOUR BRAIN STARTS TO TICK AGAIN.
DID I GET EVERYTHING DONE?
WHERE'S ALL MY EQUIPMENT? WHERE'S MY BUDDY?
WHERE'S MY PARTNER?
MAKE SURE ALL OF THAT, YOU KNOW, SORT OF LIKE SURVIVAL SKILLS,
I THINK AT THE END IS SORT OF TICK IN YOU KNOW, COME TO- COME TO PLAY.
AND EVERY NOW AND THEN IT DAWNS ON YOU THAT, LIKE,
HEY, I'M IN A VERY DANGEROUS PLACE, ACTUALLY.
THE MAIN GOAL OF THIS SPACEWALK IS ACTUALLY TO GO OUTSIDE AND COME BACK IN,
BOTH OF YOU.
AND I THINK FINALLY AT SOME POINT IN TIME THAT THAT KICKS IN.
SO WE PRACTICE ALL THIS ON EARTH, BUT THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING
THAT YOU DON'T ANTICIPATE.
EITHER IT'S TOO HOT OR TOO COLD FOR A PIECE OF METAL TO WORK CORRECTLY,
YOU MIGHT HAVE TO WAIT.
AND SO THERE'S A
THERE'S A LOT OF HIGHS THAT YOU GOT SOMETHING DONE REALLY QUICK AND FAST
AND YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL.
A LOT OF LOWS OF LIKE I'M WORKING
AS HARD AS I CAN AND I AND I CAN'T GET THIS DONE.
AND MAYBE YOU HAVE TO ALTER THE PLAN AND CALL YOUR CALL YOUR BUDDY IN
TO HELP YOU OUT.
SO IT IS REALLY A HUGE SPECTRUM.
WHAT IS IT LIKE OR WHAT DOES IS IT FEEL LIKE TO SEE THE OUTSIDE OF THE ISS
SO CLOSE KNOWING IT'S JUST LIKE FALLING, CONTROLLED FALLING, THROUGH SPACE.
YOU, YOU RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S SORT OF FRAGILE
AND YOU'RE LIVING IN THERE.
I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS AND IT'S ALSO INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL.
SOUNDS SORT OF SILLY MAYBE, BUT IT REALLY FEELS LIKE YOU'RE IN SPACE.
YOU ARE REALLY PART OF THIS THIS UNIVERSE VERSUS INSIDE.
YOU'RE SORT OF LIKE ON A SHIP.
I GUESS IT'S EQUIVALENT TO LIKE WHEN YOU'RE ON A BOAT
AND YOU'RE ON THE BOAT AND YOU'RE HAVING A PRETTY COOL VIEW OF
THE WATER AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
AND THEN
IF YOU JUMP OUT AND YOU GO FOR A SWIM AND YOU HAVE SOME GOGGLES ON
AND YOU'RE LOOKING AROUND UNDERNEATH, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY THAT DIFFERENT.
IT'S LIKE YOU'RE IN IT, RIGHT?
YEAH, YOU ARE IN IT.
I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD DESCRIPTION OF IT.
I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ON THE TOP OF P6
WHEN WE HAD A SOLAR ARRAY
STICKING UP AND THEN LOOKED DOWN AT IT AND IT WAS SUPER COOL.
I ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ON THE FRONT OF IT LIKE SOMEBODY
ON THE FRONT OF A SHIP, YOU KNOW, LIKE- LIKE DOING THAT TYPE OF THING.
AND THAT'S YOUR HOUSE, THAT'S YOUR HOME, THAT'S YOUR BASE.
YOU WANT TO STAY CONNECTED TO IT. YOU DON'T WANT TO GO AWAY FROM IT.
IT'S HUMONGOUS, ABSOLUTELY HUMONGOUS.
AND YOU REALIZE THAT YOU'RE PRETTY FAR AWAY FROM THE,
YOU KNOW, THE DOOR TO GET IN.
BUT IT'S AN ENGINEERING MARVEL.
IF YOU LOOK AT ALL THE DIFFERENT PIECES AND PARTS
THAT CAME FROM ALL THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND COUNTRIES.
AND IT'S IT'S AMAZING THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PUT THAT ALL TOGETHER.
SO IT'S HUMBLING.
SUPER HUMBLING BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE JUST ONE GUY OUT THERE.
HOPEFULLY YOU'RE NOT MAKING A MESS OF IT
AND MAKING A MISTAKE AND ALL THE WORK OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE.
I MEAN, IT'S CULMINATED INTO THAT AMAZING LABORATORY
IT MAKES YOU STOP FOR A MINUTE.