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If you look at Chinese and Russian astronauts, when they return to Earth after 5-15 day mission, they cannot stand or walk. If you look at US astronauts, space shuttle especially, after 15 day mission, they march out by themselves. Chinese or Russians cannot even get out of the reentry capsule by themselves, and carried by some medics. Americans jump out of the capsules, run out of Space Shuttle. Can you explain what the hell is going on?
I love that last comment. I really wish people could have a bigger picture of reality beyond their own backyard and realize we are all on the same spaceship.
Thought the same thing, the questions were extremely well thought out, and the answers with shiny eyes made it extremely pleasent to listen to and watch.
Years ago, because my Earth Science teacher in HS worked for NASA from the beginning to Apollo 15, we got to go into mockups of the Gemini. A few years ago, when Jim Lovell used to reply to emails, I asked him how he doffed the suit on Gemini 7. I was only 14 when I was in the mockup, and it was so freaking tight. He said that in zero-g, you floated and you could get out easier than in one-g.
If you are in Seattle you can experience just how small the Space Shuttle crew quarter is in person in the retired NASA trainer at the Museum of Flight.
This is one of the best interviews of an astronaut I've seen because you are asking questions as a pilot; one pilot to another. Tom compared the shuttle landing to a dive bomb run - but I have no context for that. However, as an airline pilot I used to figure it seemed like doing an Emergency Descent maneuver right down to landing - without being allowed to touch the thrust levers!. Great interview. Thanks for posting.
Cool! I went to the same high school as he did, he was 3 years ahead of me. I even worked with his sister at the Post Office. Thank you for your service Tom.
Great job by the interviewer. He asked every question I was hoping he would ask, and his follow up questions were intuitive and smart. If he’s not currently doing this for a living, he should.
The naming of astronauts is super funny. The actual pilot is the "Commander". But if you've reached the elite level of pilots that makes you an astronaut, you dont want to be insulted with the title "Co-pilot". So you're "Pilot", despite not actually being tasked with piloting the vessel. "Payload specialist" you might think means "Specialist of the payload" but is just really a specialist who is payload.
After watching Mr Henricks interview just reassured me that we live in the greatest country in the world . Him and all the other pioneers in space are a true asset to all of us.
Awesome interview and what a privilege. For a guy who started a RU-vid channel because he loves flying and aeroplanes, who's put in a lot of time and effort creating everything he has, it must still have been amazing, and humbling, to talk with an Astronaut of his calibre.
I know landing at all of the airports in Texas is on your bucket list. When you fly to Rick Husband International Airport in Amarillo, go to the Flight Museum there. They have the Shuttle Trainer Rick Husband (Commander of Columbia STS-107) flew and will give you a tour of it. It’s pretty amazing to see the shuttle controls on one side and the normal aircraft controls on the other.
This is awesome. Thank you both for doing it. I know it's not possible now, but I was hoping you would talk about the living quarters. You talked about sleep and the bathroom which is great, but it's just so unique - especially these days, to have 7 people all living in that cabin for what was at least 18 days in one of his missions that he mentioned. I take the ISS for granted in that regard and while it's no Hilton and has space limitations, it's not anywhere near the shuttle cabin with 7 even up to 8 people. It's also tough to imagine getting work done, science experiments etc. I know there was 2 decks/levels to it, but the top deck was mainly just like a cockpit in an airplane IIRC so while there's two seats there, and I'm sure they were used, it really was all about the lower deck and the crew cabin. You look at something like Soyuz and when they get 3 in there it just looks miserable. Of course, you can get through a launch but I cant imagine them staying in space for any extended period of time. It makes me think 7 people is just too many and I don't see an advantage, EXCEPT if they essentially do what truckers do now, one drives one sleeps. So if they had 3-4 crew sleeping and they'd be nice and tucked away and 3-4 working, you're really only sharing space with a few others. I'm wondering if that's how they ran things. The Shuttle is an absolutely amazing machine and to put up to 8 people on any one rocket was totally unprecedented. It was it's own mini space station. EDIT: Actually, I wrote this a little premature> I was only half way through the video lol (I thought you had covered that topic and were moving on to others), but you just asked about claustrophobia - and that's essentially what I was looking for! Excellent job on this Interview, dude.
I'm the guy who could totally back out on launch day, on the launch pad, while strapped in with the timer counting down. I mean, in reality, I'd never make it that far in the first place, but IF I did, then trust me, "well we've come this far.." is so not an argument that works on me lol Woodpeckers.. I cannot even begin to tell you how mad I would be to blow up because of some fucking woodpeckers..
Iwas watching a Hubble repair mission video a while ago and Story put it like this about the shuttle and it's stayed with me ever since! "It's like a butterfly bolted to a bullet"
Damn, that was an interesting interview. I've been following the "space race" since the late '60s and yet I still heard a new perspective on being an astronaut. Thank you.
What an absolutely outstanding video! Great questions, and great answers. Wonderful insights from the interviewer, which brought out fun, interesting, and insightful answers from Tom Hendricks. Just a truly wonderful interview! Ok, cutting this off, because part 2 is already out! Clicking now!
The modified Gulfstream he mention was modified so they could use the thrust reversers in flight. To make the glide match the shuttle, it didn't glide with no engines. It glid with the the engines in reverse.
All of these guys were braver than brave. He talked about 1 launch in 3 being on time but glossed over the 1 launch on 100 ending in disaster. How many people would go to work with a roughly 1% chance of not coming home. There were also many phases of launch where the abort modes were dubious at best until you reached a once around or abort to orbit. It was certainly time to retire the shuttle because the vehicles today have much better margins of safety.
A good comparison is the official safety numbers for ascent and STS was around 1/90, mitigated by QC. The modern spacecraft numbers for ascent are Orion (1/300), Crew Dragon (1/270) and Starliner (1/290). The requirements have been 1/250 and all modern capsules have exceeded this thankfully! Apollo was figured as 1/25 using modern analysis.
We just went to Kennedy space center, and after going and seeing some of those rockets, and the Atlantis shuttle, I realized why the cram the astronauts way up in the very tip of the rocket. So there’s room in the back for the balls.
Pretty nerve racking that there were no "go around's" in this thing either. You had one chance and one chance only to stick the landing. You had to get there too - without any propulsion, essentially parachuting down because it basically got enough life to be able to come down softly, but it was always falling, there was never really any gliding lol
RU-vid doesn't like posting links, sorry. But you can search for "faa student pilot requirements" and get loads of information. Almost too much. You can also look for an online ground school for private pilots, most list the requirements for receiving your PPL. Good luck.
@@Michael-rk8cl not everyone can but a lot of people can. Way more than it first seems. Worth chatting to a flight school. Go up for a discovery flight. Explore getting your medical after that.
Fast forward 2024 and how we've digressed, NASA has gone from the Space Shuttle, to an $8 billion dollar piece of junk that is now stuck in space, that we can't even bring home. What an embracement.
We should absolutely be teaching political borders. Our neighbors didn't fund his trips to space and us tax payers fund the FAA for commercial and private aviation. This guy is an absolute goat for NASA and the dreamy eyed left.
@@scottabelli3406 let's say I was an aeronautical engineer ok it's the aeronautical engineers that tell us that space shuttles go to space and space shuttles are a glider so I am definitely a giant leap above an aeronautical engineer you see space starts at 62 miles high and nothing has ever been to space because rockets can not produce thrust in a vacuum so the rocket just falls back down and you can see and hear the jet engines on the shuttles
An AMAZING channel, I liked every second in this interview, all your questions it's just cleverly asked/prepared. Please more of this and wish ya all the luck.
