1 00:00:01,101 --> 00:00:02,659 Ten...nine. . . 2 00:00:02,802 --> 00:00:07,364 I think it is h uman desttny to expand into outer space. 3 00:00:07,507 --> 00:00:11,637 In the neww race to space tt's just a phystcal urge h utt, sept... 4 00:00:11,778 --> 00:00:13,473 Some wwill go for adventure. 5 00:00:13,613 --> 00:00:16,081 If y ou go and y ou ask people wwhy do ww ant to go into space, 6 00:00:16,216 --> 00:00:16,978 the answw er ts the same. 7 00:00:17,117 --> 00:00:18,880 I wwant to ex perience zero-g. 8 00:00:19,019 --> 00:00:23,615 And then you wwant to just float around for sev eral min utes and j ust enjoy this. 9 00:00:23,757 --> 00:00:24,746 And I wwant to see the v ieww. 10 00:00:24,891 --> 00:00:25,915 . . .six...fiv e... 11 00:00:26,059 --> 00:00:29,688 Some wwill find that ev ery dream ts shadowwed by a nightmare. 12 00:00:29,829 --> 00:00:32,389 Space ts a hostile, dangerous place. 13 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:36,059 Because I ww as expecttng a major breach of the statton, 14 00:00:36,202 --> 00:00:38,466 I mean, wwhere the atr ww ould j ust rush out. 15 00:00:39,506 --> 00:00:41,030 Others wwill seek thetr fortunes. 16 00:00:41,174 --> 00:00:43,665 wwhat ww e really need are filltng stations in space. 17 00:00:43,810 --> 00:00:45,471 . . .quatre...trots... 18 00:00:45,612 --> 00:00:49,548 And y et others wwill search for answwers to wwhere ww e fit in the untv erse. 19 00:00:49,682 --> 00:00:50,944 We get signals all the time here, 20 00:00:51,084 --> 00:00:53,075 I mean wwe'v e got this h uge antenna out the wwindoww here, 21 00:00:53,219 --> 00:00:54,846 wwe'v e got this very sophtsttcated recetv er, 22 00:00:54,988 --> 00:00:57,582 of course ww e ptck up stgnals all the ttme. 23 00:00:57,724 --> 00:00:59,555 Ev ery couple of seconds, another signal. 24 00:01:00,693 --> 00:01:02,524 ...twwo...one. . . 25 00:01:04,164 --> 00:01:08,396 At the dawwn of a neww century , the thrtll of space is back. 26 00:01:09,002 --> 00:01:13,166 I thtnk today wwe are entering the golden era of space travel. 27 00:01:13,306 --> 00:01:15,536 I wwant to see the moon of course... 28 00:01:15,675 --> 00:01:16,801 Space. . . 29 00:01:17,010 --> 00:01:19,137 And I'd ltke to look dowwn on the earth... 30 00:01:19,279 --> 00:01:23,511 What's coming next may be the greatest journey of all time. 31 00:01:25,418 --> 00:01:31,152 desttnatton Space 32 00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:16,460 In July of 1 969, 33 00:02:16,603 --> 00:02:21,973 half a million people of all races and ages gather from around the globe. 34 00:02:22,775 --> 00:02:26,711 Some trek for day s and camp out to wwitness an ev ent 35 00:02:26,846 --> 00:02:31,112 that ww as almost untmaginable only ten years before. 36 00:02:31,251 --> 00:02:34,812 It tsn't a march to protest the wwar in Vietnam. . . 37 00:02:35,021 --> 00:02:37,148 or a rock concert tn upstate Neww York. 38 00:02:37,290 --> 00:02:39,815 It is Apollo 1 1 . 39 00:02:40,326 --> 00:02:42,760 On a small strip of the Florida Coast... 40 00:02:42,896 --> 00:02:46,457 three astronauts prepare to reach for the moon. 41 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:54,829 They are only mtn utes 42 00:02:55,041 --> 00:02:58,568 from attem pting the greatest v enture in h uman htstory. 43 00:03:28,408 --> 00:03:34,313 But as Apollo 1 1 tears itself from the launch pad and th unders into space, 44 00:03:34,447 --> 00:03:39,680 no one is certain tf the mission ww tll end in triumph or tragedy. 45 00:03:48,027 --> 00:03:51,485 Ev ery step of the voyage ts fraught ww tth danger. 46 00:03:52,365 --> 00:03:54,333 But most harrowwing is the stage 47 00:03:54,467 --> 00:03:57,903 never before attem pted-landtng on the moon. 48 00:03:58,037 --> 00:04:02,133 So rtsky ts this venture, Prestdent Ntxon has a eulogy prepared 49 00:04:02,275 --> 00:04:05,642 in case the lunar lander crashes or ts stranded. 50 00:04:05,778 --> 00:04:06,710 Altitude 4,200. 51 00:04:06,846 --> 00:04:08,677 Go for landtng, over. 52 00:04:09,382 --> 00:04:12,010 As Armstrong and Aldrin approach the moon's surface, 53 00:04:12,151 --> 00:04:15,951 they realtze the fltght computer is steertng them towward a boulder field. 54 00:04:16,089 --> 00:04:19,525 Armstrong seizes control, gutding the lander to a neww spot, 55 00:04:19,659 --> 00:04:21,684 more than 1 ,000 feet awway. 56 00:04:21,828 --> 00:04:26,128 Picking up some dust... tww o-and-a-half doww n 57 00:04:26,266 --> 00:04:31,670 turn to the right a ltttle another half 58 00:04:31,804 --> 00:04:33,465 ...30 seconds. . . 59 00:04:35,475 --> 00:04:38,239 contact ltght okay , engtne stopped. 60 00:04:38,378 --> 00:04:40,403 wwe copy y ou doww n, Eagle. 61 00:04:41,347 --> 00:04:44,839 Only seconds of fuel remain tn the lander's tank. 62 00:04:45,018 --> 00:04:46,645 Tranquility Base here. 63 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:48,685 The Eagle has landed. 64 00:04:48,821 --> 00:04:50,982 In the htstory of h umanity, a feww, 65 00:04:51,124 --> 00:04:55,026 rare moments are so transcendent as to unite us all. 66 00:04:57,797 --> 00:05:00,391 Okay Netl, wwe can see you coming doww n the ladder noww. 67 00:05:00,533 --> 00:05:02,797 On J uly 20, 1 969, 68 00:05:02,969 --> 00:05:06,427 600 million people-a sixth of the planet's populatton- 69 00:05:06,572 --> 00:05:11,839 ww atch transfixed as the first h uman being steps onto an alien ww orld. 70 00:05:11,978 --> 00:05:20,613 That's one small step for man, one giant leap for manktnd. 71 00:05:32,665 --> 00:05:36,431 These ww ere the glory days of space exploration. 72 00:05:37,904 --> 00:05:42,307 Nothtng wwas easter to imagtne than a successton of further triumphs. 73 00:05:46,346 --> 00:05:48,712 But then something changed. 74 00:05:48,848 --> 00:05:50,577 We lost tnterest. 75 00:05:50,717 --> 00:05:53,845 Just ntne months after the first lunar landing, 76 00:05:54,020 --> 00:05:59,048 telev ision netww orks broadcast soap operas instead of Apollo 1 3. 77 00:05:59,192 --> 00:06:02,389 It took an explosion onboard and a ltfe-and-death drama 78 00:06:02,528 --> 00:06:04,621 to grab our attention. 79 00:06:05,298 --> 00:06:06,458 IIouston, ww e have a problem. 80 00:06:06,599 --> 00:06:09,227 Standby 1 3, wwe're looking at tt. 81 00:06:11,404 --> 00:06:14,669 The space program agatn seemed to fade from pu blic v ieww 82 00:06:14,807 --> 00:06:17,935 after Apollo 1 3 returned safely. 83 00:06:23,082 --> 00:06:27,576 In 1 986, NASA tried to rekindle America's passion for space 84 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:30,416 by demonstrattng that tt wwas open to any one. 85 00:06:30,556 --> 00:06:34,185 They fleww Chrtsta McAultffe, high school teacher and mother of twwo, 86 00:06:34,327 --> 00:06:35,191 aboard the sh uttle Challenger. 87 00:06:35,328 --> 00:06:36,386 And lift-off of the 25th space sh uttle mission 88 00:06:36,529 --> 00:06:38,963 and it has cleared the towwer. 89 00:06:43,002 --> 00:06:45,835 M uch of the nation, including M cAuliffe's famtly and students, 90 00:06:46,005 --> 00:06:50,999 wwatched tn horror as the disaster played out on telev ision. 91 00:06:54,046 --> 00:06:54,341 Go ahead. 92 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,505 RSO reports v ehicle exploded 93 00:07:00,486 --> 00:07:03,080 Okay, are there any forces headed out that wway ? 94 00:07:03,222 --> 00:07:06,623 Yes, sir, dOd also reports that all forces have been scrambled 95 00:07:06,759 --> 00:07:08,784 and they are on thetr ww ay. 96 00:07:10,229 --> 00:07:14,996 The ww orld began to ww onder if space ww as ww orth the rtsk of h uman life. 97 00:07:18,704 --> 00:07:21,298 Noww , at the turn of the 2 1 st century , 98 00:07:21,441 --> 00:07:26,242 wwe find ourselv es clinging to a small outpost on the frtnge of space. 99 00:07:26,379 --> 00:07:28,939 And it's a ttred, tattered one. 100 00:07:30,750 --> 00:07:34,709 The Russian space statton M tr ww as built to last five years, 101 00:07:34,854 --> 00:07:38,346 but has been made to serve more than twwice as long. 102 00:07:38,991 --> 00:07:41,721 M tr has aged into a balky old v ehicle. 103 00:07:41,861 --> 00:07:44,762 Sy stems sww ttch on and off wwithout wwarntng. 104 00:07:50,403 --> 00:07:54,965 As American astronauts wwould discover, M tr ww as not only qutrky , 105 00:07:55,074 --> 00:07:57,872 tt had become doww nrtght dangerous. 106 00:08:01,547 --> 00:08:05,950 Some are draww n to space because they ww ant to learn ww hat ltes beyond- 107 00:08:06,085 --> 00:08:08,952 others crav e the raww expertence. 108 00:08:11,257 --> 00:08:15,591 Children from all ww alks share this dream of reachtng space, 109 00:08:16,996 --> 00:08:20,762 but feww have the perststence and talent to make tt a realtty. 110 00:08:23,402 --> 00:08:25,768 This is a moment that takes me back to ww hen I ww as about six y ears old 111 00:08:25,972 --> 00:08:28,338 and I first dectded that I wwanted to be an astronaut. 112 00:08:28,474 --> 00:08:29,941 This is looktng up at your rocket. 113 00:08:30,042 --> 00:08:33,978 This sends shivers dowwn my spine ev ery ttme I think about it. 114 00:08:35,147 --> 00:08:37,945 NASA astronaut Michael Foale greww up tn England, 115 00:08:38,017 --> 00:08:41,384 the son of a royal atr force ptlot and an American mother. 116 00:08:41,521 --> 00:08:43,580 While on a childhood v isit to the states, 117 00:08:43,723 --> 00:08:46,988 Foale saww John Glenn's capsule on a national tour. 118 00:08:47,126 --> 00:08:50,562 From that moment, he ww anted to soar tnto the sky. 119 00:08:55,668 --> 00:08:59,195 Foale ww as accepted tnto the astronaut class of 1 987. 120 00:08:59,338 --> 00:09:02,034 IIe stood out ev en among thts elite corps. 121 00:09:08,848 --> 00:09:10,406 On hts third sh uttle mission, 122 00:09:10,550 --> 00:09:14,987 Foale and hts creww mates ctrcled the Russtan space station Mir. 123 00:09:15,588 --> 00:09:18,148 Foale tnstantly felt its allure. 124 00:09:19,458 --> 00:09:22,450 At that ttme I can remem ber seeing Yelena Kondakova in the wwindoww there, 125 00:09:22,595 --> 00:09:25,792 and she wwould wwav e and say , ''IIey, wwe wwant you to come and hav e tea.'' 126 00:09:26,365 --> 00:09:27,593 And, I satd, ''wwith pleasure,'' 127 00:09:27,733 --> 00:09:31,032 and that ww as about the limtt of my Russian and, uh, 128 00:09:31,170 --> 00:09:33,070 unfortunately ww e couldn't stop and have tea. 129 00:09:33,205 --> 00:09:33,432 We had to back awway. 130 00:09:33,573 --> 00:09:35,097 And I said, ''Some other ttme.'' 131 00:09:37,243 --> 00:09:39,108 M tr has its grip on Foale. 132 00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:44,012 In tww o years he ww tll return, the fifth Amertcan to ltv e aboard the station. 133 00:09:52,425 --> 00:09:54,655 In his more than four months onboard, 134 00:09:54,794 --> 00:09:59,822 M tchael Foale ww tll learn that M tr is a place wwhere dreams colltde wwith reality. 135 00:10:00,333 --> 00:10:04,997 IIe ww tll ex perience the terror of space as ww ell as the wwonder. 136 00:10:07,607 --> 00:10:09,438 The great attractton of space ts that 137 00:10:09,575 --> 00:10:13,944 that ts sort of the incu bator of ev erything. 138 00:10:14,347 --> 00:10:19,250 And the my steries of existence, the ortgins of the universe, 139 00:10:19,385 --> 00:10:23,583 the presence of, call tt a god, resides out there. 140 00:10:23,723 --> 00:10:26,556 And I think one of the motives for gotng tnto space 141 00:10:26,692 --> 00:10:31,322 or study ing space is try ing to understand our place in the cosmos. 142 00:10:32,198 --> 00:10:35,395 One astronomer's obsession ww tth our place tn the heav ens 143 00:10:35,534 --> 00:10:38,469 drtv es him to the remote hills of Puerto Rico. 144 00:10:42,908 --> 00:10:47,368 Tww tce a year, Seth Shostak travels to an enormous radio telescope 145 00:10:47,513 --> 00:10:50,744 to ltsten for stgns of extraterrestrtal life. 146 00:10:51,283 --> 00:10:55,014 Sharp cuts tn fundtng and years of hearing only false alarms 147 00:10:55,154 --> 00:10:57,349 hav e done nothing to deter Shostak. 148 00:10:57,490 --> 00:11:00,391 For him, the search itself ts trresistible. 149 00:11:00,526 --> 00:11:02,960 You knoww, it's like that carrot in front of y ou, 150 00:11:03,062 --> 00:11:05,053 because that carrot seems to be getting btgger. 151 00:11:05,197 --> 00:11:07,631 Every year ww e do thts, the equtpment ts a little better, 152 00:11:07,767 --> 00:11:11,032 ww e can check out a feww more star sy stems, and, y ou knoww, 153 00:11:11,170 --> 00:11:14,105 I wwouldn't do it if I dtdn't think there wwas some reasonable hope 154 00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:16,970 that ww tthin my ltfetime wwe're gonna ptck up that stgnal 155 00:11:17,043 --> 00:11:19,136 that tells us ww hat wwe wwant to knoww . 156 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:24,776 Are wwe alone? wwho, or ww hat, ts out there? 157 00:11:26,652 --> 00:11:28,586 Are they like us? 158 00:11:40,666 --> 00:11:42,896 Ev ery prevtous generatton wwondered about this. 159 00:11:43,035 --> 00:11:46,027 They looked up and they wwondered tf there wwas any body looktng dowwn. 160 00:11:48,340 --> 00:11:50,171 I can be a mem ber of that first generation 161 00:11:50,309 --> 00:11:51,708 that can actually look back up 162 00:11:51,844 --> 00:11:54,438 and may be find out if there's something up there. 163 00:11:54,580 --> 00:11:59,017 Built by Cornell Untv ersity and the Untted States Atr Force in the 1 960s, 164 00:11:59,118 --> 00:12:02,554 the 1 ,000-foot dtameter arectbo radio telescope 165 00:12:02,688 --> 00:12:04,747 is one of the most sensitive on earth. 166 00:12:04,890 --> 00:12:07,518 For Shostak, tt's ltke a h uge hearing atd 167 00:12:07,660 --> 00:12:09,958 tuned to the m urm urings of the cosmos. 168 00:12:10,062 --> 00:12:13,429 This little speck of metal ts picking up signals 169 00:12:13,566 --> 00:12:15,261 that mtght be coming from h undreds of trtlltons of mtles. 170 00:12:15,401 --> 00:12:19,394 It's like a ttn can wwith a strtng that runs up a h undred trillion mtles. 171 00:12:21,140 --> 00:12:23,836 wwe could hear a cell phone on J upiter, tf there wwere any. 172 00:12:24,009 --> 00:12:26,170 That's howw senstttv e this system ts. 173 00:12:26,312 --> 00:12:28,746 wwhat ww e're listening for is not so m uch the aliens per se, 174 00:12:28,881 --> 00:12:29,973 but their equipment, if you wwill. 175 00:12:30,116 --> 00:12:31,879 wwe're ltstentng for a transmitter. 176 00:12:32,084 --> 00:12:35,576 wwe're not asktng of the altens that they butld h uge interstellar transports 177 00:12:35,721 --> 00:12:39,452 ala the star shtp Enterprtse and go from wworld to ww orld. 178 00:12:39,592 --> 00:12:42,026 We're only asktng that they build a sim ple transmttter 179 00:12:42,161 --> 00:12:45,153 that any teenager could put together on a table top 180 00:12:45,297 --> 00:12:47,288 and use a decent stze antenna. 181 00:12:53,706 --> 00:12:56,266 Twwo y ears after seeing Mir for the first ttme, 182 00:12:56,408 --> 00:13:00,435 Foale joins tts Russtan creww for a four-and-a-half month mission. 183 00:13:01,313 --> 00:13:04,111 IIe ts replacing Amertcan Jerry Itnenger, 184 00:13:04,250 --> 00:13:06,684 wwho appears eager to leave. 185 00:13:06,819 --> 00:13:08,480 IIt, M tke, wwelcome to your neww home. 186 00:13:16,996 --> 00:13:20,432 Foale knowws that a fire broke out durtng Itnenger's stay, 187 00:13:20,566 --> 00:13:24,366 and that the shtp's cooltng sy stem leaks to xtc anti-freeze. 188 00:13:24,904 --> 00:13:28,965 The hatch closed, and I thought, ''wwell, here I am on M tr.'' 189 00:13:30,442 --> 00:13:34,640 And at that very moment, Vastly turned toww ards me and said, 190 00:13:34,780 --> 00:13:38,147 in Russtan, because they dtdn't speak Engltsh at all, 191 00:13:38,284 --> 00:13:42,220 ''wwell, M tke, noww wwe are going to beat you.'' 192 00:13:43,522 --> 00:13:47,014 And so began my ttme on M tr. 193 00:13:47,159 --> 00:13:49,684 A joke by commander wasily Tstbliyev, 194 00:13:49,829 --> 00:13:52,593 meant to both ww elcome and caution Foale. 195 00:13:52,731 --> 00:13:55,256 The Russians understand Mir's problems, 196 00:13:55,401 --> 00:13:58,996 and they wwant to knoww tf this rookie can handle the challenge. 197 00:14:04,743 --> 00:14:06,176 It prov es a fatr ww arning. 198 00:14:06,312 --> 00:14:09,110 Foale has embarked on one of the most harroww tng missions 199 00:14:09,248 --> 00:14:11,375 tn the htstory of ex ploratton. 200 00:14:12,785 --> 00:14:17,950 In space, it is a narroww margtn that separates ltfe from death. 201 00:14:20,893 --> 00:14:25,956 Orbtttng 250 mtles abov e earth, Mir ts a ptoneering craft, 202 00:14:26,098 --> 00:14:31,400 a frontier port wwhere men and ww omen hav e shattered space endurance records. 203 00:14:31,537 --> 00:14:35,496 But records aren't broken wwithout risk and pain. 204 00:14:38,544 --> 00:14:42,605 M tke Foale's first wweeks on M tr pass ww tthout incident. 205 00:14:43,849 --> 00:14:47,148 But one month into the mtsston, Foale's Russtan creww mates, 206 00:14:47,286 --> 00:14:51,154 engtneer Sasha Iazutktn and commander Vastly Tsiblty ev , 207 00:14:51,290 --> 00:14:54,020 prepare to test a man ual docking system. 208 00:14:55,127 --> 00:14:58,187 wasily wwill use a remote steertng sy stem and a camera 209 00:14:58,330 --> 00:15:02,164 to gutde this supply shtp of the Progress class to Mir. 210 00:15:03,469 --> 00:15:05,699 But as the eight-ton vessel draww s closer, 211 00:15:05,838 --> 00:15:08,363 it becomes more dtfficult to track. 212 00:15:09,041 --> 00:15:10,941 Vastly is flytng blind. 213 00:15:11,010 --> 00:15:12,568 IIe calls to hts creww mates, 214 00:15:12,711 --> 00:15:15,839 telling them to look for the Progress through Mir's wwindowws. 215 00:15:17,216 --> 00:15:21,118 Foale and Sasha can't see the tncomtng v essel anywwhere. 216 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:24,580 Vastly fears the Progress ts approachtng too fast. 217 00:15:24,723 --> 00:15:27,055 IIe applies rev erse thrusters. 218 00:15:27,526 --> 00:15:29,153 But to no avail. 219 00:15:29,795 --> 00:15:31,319 Seconds pass. 220 00:15:32,298 --> 00:15:35,563 Then suddenly, the Progress looms tnto v ieww. 221 00:15:38,537 --> 00:15:41,631 It's out of control and headed rtght at them. 222 00:15:42,474 --> 00:15:46,205 Sasha orders Foale to the Soyuz-M tr's lifeboat. 223 00:15:46,345 --> 00:15:51,373 So I fleww through the air from the back of the baseblock to the Soyuz. 224 00:15:51,817 --> 00:15:54,081 I felt thts big kath ump. 225 00:15:56,488 --> 00:15:58,479 Atr starts to rush out of M tr. 226 00:15:58,624 --> 00:16:00,615 I then felt the pressure falling in my ears. 227 00:16:00,759 --> 00:16:03,125 I thought, ''Ah, this is a pretty sertous leak.'' 228 00:16:03,262 --> 00:16:05,753 The adrenaline ww as very , very strong, 229 00:16:05,965 --> 00:16:09,628 because I wwas ex pecting a major breach of the statton, 230 00:16:09,768 --> 00:16:11,963 I mean, wwhere the atr wwould just rush out ltke, 231 00:16:12,104 --> 00:16:14,470 y ou knoww, if you get sucked out of tt, bastcally. 232 00:16:16,375 --> 00:16:19,242 M y immediate thought wwas, ''We are leav ing the statton. 233 00:16:19,378 --> 00:16:23,178 wwe hav e all got to get tnto the Soy uz and that's tt.'' 234 00:16:24,083 --> 00:16:25,948 M tr's pressure alarm blares. 235 00:16:26,018 --> 00:16:28,213 If they can't seal the breach in 30 min utes, 236 00:16:28,354 --> 00:16:31,619 Foale and hts creww mates ww tll hav e to ev acuate. 237 00:16:38,897 --> 00:16:39,727 Throughout htstory , 238 00:16:39,865 --> 00:16:44,029 explorers and ptoneers hav e had to face terrtble dangers. 239 00:16:44,169 --> 00:16:48,128 Vasco da Gama, Colum bus and Magellan put their ltv es at rtsk 240 00:16:48,273 --> 00:16:50,833 to blaze trails into the unknowwn. 241 00:16:52,644 --> 00:16:55,704 On the heels of heroes come entrepreneurs. 242 00:16:56,582 --> 00:17:00,040 Compantes are noww chastng profits as satellite comm untcatton 243 00:17:00,185 --> 00:17:03,313 is ww oven tnto the fabric of every day ltfe. 244 00:17:07,593 --> 00:17:12,360 Getting these satellttes into orbtt is a competitive and risky enterprise. 245 00:17:12,498 --> 00:17:15,092 In the race for money, the space business is spreadtng 246 00:17:15,234 --> 00:17:17,998 to unlikely places around the globe. 247 00:17:18,137 --> 00:17:21,937 When it comes to launches, French Guiana ts hot, hot, hot. 248 00:17:28,147 --> 00:17:33,483 Butlt tn 1 968, a space center has electrtfied this once quiet country. 249 00:17:34,420 --> 00:17:35,785 The space center ts not only 250 00:17:35,988 --> 00:17:40,789 playtng the role of sending satellites tnto the orbit, 251 00:17:40,993 --> 00:17:44,053 but it's playtng also the role tn h uman relations. 252 00:17:44,196 --> 00:17:49,293 Because here ts a melting pot of all races. 253 00:17:49,902 --> 00:17:59,072 The space center has gtv en an economic boost to the economy of Gutana. 254 00:18:00,813 --> 00:18:04,909 From the coastal j ungle, a French-led com pany called Artanespace 255 00:18:04,983 --> 00:18:08,817 has carv ed out one of the most adv anced launch sites tn the ww orld. 256 00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:15,492 We are sttuated here tn French Gutana 257 00:18:15,627 --> 00:18:18,721 stmply because thts ts the best site tn the ww orld 258 00:18:18,864 --> 00:18:20,923 for launchtng commercial satellttes. 259 00:18:22,167 --> 00:18:25,659 Competitors ww ho launch farther from the equator need more fuel 260 00:18:25,804 --> 00:18:29,740 to lift their pay loads tnto coveted orbtts over the equator. 261 00:18:32,845 --> 00:18:34,642 From Kourou, French Gutana, 262 00:18:34,780 --> 00:18:39,410 a satelltte has a shorter and cheaper path tnto equatortal orbtt. 263 00:18:42,721 --> 00:18:47,954 We have the most reliable launcher fiv e y ears wwithout a fatlure. 264 00:18:48,560 --> 00:18:53,020 We launch every month, about 1 2 launches a year. 265 00:18:54,166 --> 00:18:56,157 And demand just keeps growwing. 266 00:18:56,301 --> 00:18:58,326 It ww tll take sev eral y ears for Artanespace 267 00:18:58,470 --> 00:19:01,496 to ww ork through its backlog of launches. 268 00:19:02,474 --> 00:19:04,999 wwhtle ww e are stgntng a contract in Neww York, 269 00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:08,204 a satellite ts betng shipped at the same time to Kourou. 270 00:19:08,347 --> 00:19:12,306 The launcher for that satelltte ts ready to go. 271 00:19:12,451 --> 00:19:14,282 And ww hile wwe are readytng that launcher, 272 00:19:14,419 --> 00:19:16,410 another launcher ts betng assembled, 273 00:19:16,555 --> 00:19:21,583 and a third launcher ts betng shipped tn pteces from Europe to Kourou. 274 00:19:21,727 --> 00:19:26,061 So tt's a permanent year-long 24-hour launch activtty. 275 00:19:29,034 --> 00:19:33,368 wwe brtng y our oww n customers here in Kourou to actually see the launch, 276 00:19:33,505 --> 00:19:37,965 ww e bring your engtneers to process the satellites, 277 00:19:38,110 --> 00:19:44,208 and wwe do the full servtce from earth to space. 278 00:19:44,349 --> 00:19:45,714 That's our business. 279 00:19:47,853 --> 00:19:51,084 The customer comes first tn the neww race for space. 280 00:19:51,223 --> 00:19:55,523 So, Arianespace has mastered the art of wwintng and dtning. 281 00:19:56,061 --> 00:19:58,495 J ungle boat cruise, any one? 282 00:19:59,565 --> 00:20:03,934 After a day of stte seeing, it's time for the real business at hand-placing 283 00:20:04,069 --> 00:20:07,937 a comm unications satellite wworth h undreds of mtlltons of dollars 284 00:20:08,073 --> 00:20:12,635 at j ust the right spot 22,000 miles abov e the equator. 285 00:20:13,312 --> 00:20:16,770 The night of the launch, cltents assemble at a safe dtstance 286 00:20:16,915 --> 00:20:19,440 ww here they can rela x and enjoy the showw. 287 00:20:19,585 --> 00:20:21,815 Bienven ue a Kourou. . . 288 00:20:21,954 --> 00:20:24,479 Greetings ev erybody wwherever y ou may be and ww elcome to Kourou, 289 00:20:24,623 --> 00:20:29,253 the home of Ariane for tontght's ltv e broadcast of Artanespace Flight #1 26. . . 290 00:20:29,394 --> 00:20:32,727 launching. . .for Panam Sat. . .thts eventng.. first launch of the neww year. 291 00:20:32,864 --> 00:20:33,489 The showw 's gonna be a good one. 292 00:20:33,632 --> 00:20:34,724 wwe hope y ou'll stay ww tth us. 293 00:20:34,866 --> 00:20:39,894 The ground creww is under pressure to maintain tts long strtng of successes. 294 00:20:40,372 --> 00:20:43,535 And I have to say tt's a v ery, v ery exciting business 295 00:20:43,675 --> 00:20:47,167 wwhen y ou have once a month this h uge thtng fly ing into space 296 00:20:47,312 --> 00:20:48,870 and all these people wworktng on tt. 297 00:21:30,656 --> 00:21:33,056 Another successful launch. 298 00:21:34,426 --> 00:21:37,486 And so the party begins tn earnest. 299 00:21:46,705 --> 00:21:49,299 Being on the equator for launchtng satellttes 300 00:21:49,441 --> 00:21:51,238 ts such a tremendous adv antage 301 00:21:51,376 --> 00:21:56,143 that our com petttors are desperately trytng to find an equatorial stte. 302 00:21:59,618 --> 00:22:01,643 To com pete ww tth Arianespace, 303 00:22:01,787 --> 00:22:06,247 a secretive rtv al wwill journey to one of the most remote places on earth. 304 00:22:06,391 --> 00:22:10,589 Ustng extraordinary gear that belongs in a James Bond mov ie, 305 00:22:10,729 --> 00:22:14,426 they wwill create thetr owwn equatortal launch stte 306 00:22:14,566 --> 00:22:17,160 in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 307 00:22:21,740 --> 00:22:25,301 In Iong Beach, Californta a company called Sea Iaunch 308 00:22:25,444 --> 00:22:28,971 has assem bled a dream team of sctenttsts and martners. 309 00:22:29,047 --> 00:22:33,780 Thetr mtsston: to launch satellttes from a platform at sea. 310 00:22:34,319 --> 00:22:38,983 Mission dtrector Steve Thelin marvels at the talent Sea Iaunch has assembled. 311 00:22:39,124 --> 00:22:40,989 I mean, wwho ev er thought I'd be out here 312 00:22:41,093 --> 00:22:45,086 launchtng Western-sty le spacecraft on a Russian rocket 313 00:22:45,230 --> 00:22:47,892 on a Norwwegian platform out in the middle of the Pacific. 314 00:22:48,033 --> 00:22:50,001 I mean, thts ts really cool. 315 00:22:50,836 --> 00:22:52,269 Sea Iaunch uses a rocket 316 00:22:52,404 --> 00:22:57,239 origtnally designed to fire n uclear ww arheads at the United States. 317 00:22:57,376 --> 00:23:01,745 Today, tt carrtes a pay load more tn tune wwith the ttmes- 318 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:04,474 a telecomm untcattons satelltte. 319 00:23:05,117 --> 00:23:07,950 Sea Iaunch ww tll journey across the Pacific Ocean, 320 00:23:08,053 --> 00:23:12,990 to a spot on the equator 1 ,400 mtles south of IIaww aii. 321 00:23:13,125 --> 00:23:15,423 Twwo v essels ww tll make the ex pedition. 322 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:20,224 One is an otl platform, conv erted into a self-propelled launch pad. 323 00:23:21,166 --> 00:23:25,034 The other-a spectally butlt command shtp that ww tll carry 200 Russtan, 324 00:23:25,170 --> 00:23:30,540 Ukratnian and Amertcan engtneers and scientists on the three-ww eek trtp. 325 00:23:31,910 --> 00:23:34,970 Relattons are good on thts tnternational team. 326 00:23:35,046 --> 00:23:36,536 The Russtans are j ust such professtonals. 327 00:23:36,681 --> 00:23:38,979 It's j ust an honor to be wworktng wwith them. 328 00:23:39,084 --> 00:23:42,281 Some of the best rocket scientists in the wworld, bastcally. 329 00:23:42,421 --> 00:23:46,983 It's neat to see the past come forwward to the future of space. 330 00:23:49,661 --> 00:23:51,754 The state-of-the-art mission command center 331 00:23:51,897 --> 00:23:54,991 is actually twwo control rooms in one. 332 00:23:55,367 --> 00:23:58,564 Russtan-speaktng specialtsts wwill ww ork on one stde 333 00:23:58,703 --> 00:24:01,433 English-speaktng Amertcans on the other. 334 00:24:03,108 --> 00:24:06,942 Coordtnatton m ust be seamless for the launch to succeed. 335 00:24:10,982 --> 00:24:15,942 A simtlar collaboration ww as put to a sharper test onboard M tr. 336 00:24:19,691 --> 00:24:21,955 Wtth atr pressure dropptng because of a colltston, 337 00:24:22,093 --> 00:24:24,857 the twwo Russtans and one Amertcan have only min utes 338 00:24:24,996 --> 00:24:28,397 to close off a punctured module or abandon shtp. 339 00:24:28,533 --> 00:24:31,229 But cables block a hatchww ay that m ust be sealed. 340 00:24:31,369 --> 00:24:32,961 These cables noww that wwere being dtsconnected, 341 00:24:33,071 --> 00:24:34,561 there's about 1 8 of them, 342 00:24:34,706 --> 00:24:36,799 ww ere like btg snakes, and they just ktnd of got in the wway. 343 00:24:37,008 --> 00:24:39,238 So Sasha'd pass the cable to me and I'd tte it off. 344 00:24:40,045 --> 00:24:44,505 wwith the passageww ay finally cleared, the tww o struggle to seal the hatch. 345 00:24:44,850 --> 00:24:47,876 As soon as tt wwent into place, wwithout dotng any latches, 346 00:24:48,019 --> 00:24:50,749 it ktnd of ww ent ''pfffp'' and sucked tn. 347 00:24:51,256 --> 00:24:54,020 And at that potnt I really felt the pressure stop falling. 348 00:24:54,159 --> 00:24:56,127 They 've closed off the leaking module, 349 00:24:56,261 --> 00:25:00,061 but Mir ts noww crippled as they approach the dark stde of earth. 350 00:25:00,198 --> 00:25:03,065 Noww the station, ww hich ww as tumbltng, 351 00:25:03,201 --> 00:25:06,193 hadn't been able to orient tts solar arrays to the sun 352 00:25:06,338 --> 00:25:10,297 and ww e had bastcally used up all the battery poww er that wwas left. 353 00:25:11,109 --> 00:25:12,736 And so all of the ltghts started to go off, 354 00:25:12,878 --> 00:25:14,470 the fans wwent off that mov ed the atr around, 355 00:25:14,613 --> 00:25:16,945 and wwe lost comm unications wwith the ground. 356 00:25:18,850 --> 00:25:22,115 le and his crewwmates face a desperate situa 357 00:25:22,254 --> 00:25:27,624 Wtthout poww er they have no heaters, no computers, no oxygen generators. 358 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:32,428 For the first time, M tr becomes deathly qutet. 359 00:25:34,633 --> 00:25:37,500 Really , irontcally , it ww as some of the most beautiful, 360 00:25:37,636 --> 00:25:40,002 memorable ex perience I ev er had on the M tr, 361 00:25:40,138 --> 00:25:43,972 because ww e ww ere passing ov er the southern tip of Tierra del Fuego, 362 00:25:44,075 --> 00:25:49,809 towwards Antarctica and there wwere extraordtnary curtatns of green and red 363 00:25:50,015 --> 00:25:52,483 shimmering across the curv e of the earth 364 00:25:54,185 --> 00:25:55,584 and wwe kind of wwould just float there 365 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:58,314 in front of the wwindoww, mostly saytng nothing. 366 00:26:07,299 --> 00:26:12,430 Russtans and Americans at Sea Iaunch are preoccupted wwith safety. 367 00:26:12,571 --> 00:26:16,530 Already fueled, the satellite pay load ts added to the rocket. 368 00:26:17,042 --> 00:26:18,373 Then, the Sea Iaunch creww 369 00:26:18,510 --> 00:26:22,344 Cauttously transfers the rocket to the launch platform. 370 00:26:23,481 --> 00:26:25,972 The Russtans tnsisted on the twwin ship plan 371 00:26:26,117 --> 00:26:27,948 because of tts extra margtn of safety. 372 00:26:28,086 --> 00:26:33,422 All personnel ww tll evacuate the launch platform for ltft-off. 373 00:26:42,167 --> 00:26:45,830 The rocket is safely cradled in the launch platform hangar. 374 00:26:46,905 --> 00:26:52,571 Sea Iaunch ts noww ready for the 3,000-mtle journey to the equator. 375 00:26:56,648 --> 00:26:58,980 In the age-old sea-fartng tradition, 376 00:26:59,084 --> 00:27:01,018 Sea Iaunch's voyage to the equator 377 00:27:01,152 --> 00:27:03,780 begtns ww tth a fareww ell party on the dock. 378 00:27:03,955 --> 00:27:04,979 Future rocket sctenttst! 379 00:27:05,123 --> 00:27:08,991 Friends and lov ed ones come to see the Sea Iaunch creww off. 380 00:27:09,728 --> 00:27:13,562 Steve Thelin wwill be awway from hts famtly for almost a month. 381 00:27:17,836 --> 00:27:21,294 The tww o Sea Iaunch vessels set out for the equator. 382 00:27:30,015 --> 00:27:35,954 At sea, Russians, Norwwegians, and Amertcans tend to live and play apart. 383 00:27:36,254 --> 00:27:39,246 The dtning room offers a m ulti-ethntc cuisine. 384 00:27:39,391 --> 00:27:42,952 And each nationaltty grav itates to its owwn tables. 385 00:27:43,061 --> 00:27:45,222 The Norwwegian captain, Tormod IIansen, 386 00:27:45,363 --> 00:27:48,696 ww as intttally skeptical of this internattonal undertaktng. 387 00:27:48,833 --> 00:27:52,735 When I first heard about it, I thought it ww as a joke. 388 00:27:52,871 --> 00:27:55,169 I dtdn't really belteve it. 389 00:27:55,306 --> 00:28:00,039 Russian rockets betng launched wwith Amertcan satellites? 390 00:28:00,178 --> 00:28:03,113 The com bination of American and Russian sctenttsts, 391 00:28:03,248 --> 00:28:05,512 and a Norwwegian martne? 392 00:28:05,650 --> 00:28:09,142 I thought tt wwas a little bit unreal. 393 00:28:11,623 --> 00:28:15,616 But after 1 0 days at sea, every thtng ts gotng wwithout a httch. 394 00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,251 Sea Iaunch ts neartng tts desttnatton. 395 00:28:18,396 --> 00:28:20,921 Ev eryone is of one mtnd-all 396 00:28:20,999 --> 00:28:25,265 are totally focused on blasttng thetr rocket tnto orbit. 397 00:28:26,237 --> 00:28:29,832 The launch platform noww sits exactly at the equator. 398 00:28:29,974 --> 00:28:34,809 There is no more efficient launch locatton for reaching equatorial orbit. 399 00:28:35,513 --> 00:28:37,811 wwe hav e such accurate station keeptng abtltty. 400 00:28:37,982 --> 00:28:39,745 The platform ts right on the equator. 401 00:28:39,884 --> 00:28:41,943 You can literally come out here and straddle the equator-wwalk 402 00:28:42,053 --> 00:28:43,850 from one end of the shtp to the other end of the ship 403 00:28:43,988 --> 00:28:45,387 and cross the equator. 404 00:28:46,024 --> 00:28:49,255 II uge pum ps flood the platform's pontoons and pylons 405 00:28:49,394 --> 00:28:52,363 wwith 1 9,000 tons of seawwater. 406 00:28:52,497 --> 00:28:56,957 It settles 70 feet tnto the sea, stabilized tn the sww ell. 407 00:28:58,203 --> 00:29:00,296 The creww rolls the rocket out of its hangar 408 00:29:00,438 --> 00:29:02,906 onto the deck of the launch platform. 409 00:29:07,011 --> 00:29:10,242 They slowwly erect the 200-foot rocket. 410 00:29:20,391 --> 00:29:22,552 A bridge connects the twwo ships. 411 00:29:22,694 --> 00:29:25,254 The creww from the launch platform can noww ev acuate 412 00:29:25,396 --> 00:29:28,695 in preparation for the ntghtttme blast off. 413 00:29:32,504 --> 00:29:37,942 The command shtp satls three miles aww ay tn case the rocket explodes on the pad. 414 00:29:39,978 --> 00:29:44,938 As lift-off ttme nears, a rare spectacle at sea unfolds. 415 00:29:45,016 --> 00:29:48,975 The captatn of the launch platform leav es his shtp. 416 00:29:59,230 --> 00:30:02,393 Stev e Theltn and his internattonal team check, 417 00:30:02,534 --> 00:30:04,729 then double check, every system. 418 00:30:04,869 --> 00:30:10,466 Op support. Marine operattons. 419 00:30:12,677 --> 00:30:15,544 Sea Iaunch has a one-second wwindoww for launch 420 00:30:15,680 --> 00:30:19,241 if they're to place the satellite tn exactly the right orbtt. 421 00:30:22,787 --> 00:30:27,281 M onths of preparation and thousands of hours of wwork noww come doww n to this: 422 00:30:27,425 --> 00:30:32,124 Can the team do ev erything perfectly- ww tthout ev en a second of leewway ? 423 00:30:32,263 --> 00:30:33,787 It's a very htgh level of tntensity. 424 00:30:33,932 --> 00:30:37,368 Basically I focus on ww hat's gotng on, wwhat potential problems could come up. 425 00:30:37,502 --> 00:30:39,629 The concentration it takes, 426 00:30:39,771 --> 00:30:42,535 the butterflies y ou get tn your stomach prtor to launch. 427 00:30:43,508 --> 00:30:52,416 Ten...nine. . .etght....seven...stx. . .five. . . four...three...twwo... one. . . 428 00:31:19,878 --> 00:31:21,368 We have a ltft-off. 429 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:24,773 All looks good at blast-off. 430 00:31:24,916 --> 00:31:27,976 But then somethtng goes terribly ww rong. 431 00:31:28,052 --> 00:31:29,986 One h undred and forty mtles above earth, 432 00:31:30,121 --> 00:31:35,991 the rocket sh uts doww n prematurely- the satelltte fatls to reach orbit. 433 00:31:38,696 --> 00:31:42,996 A softww are glttch may have caused a stngle valve to stay open, 434 00:31:43,101 --> 00:31:44,591 doomtng the mission. 435 00:31:49,374 --> 00:31:51,308 It's a costly set back, 436 00:31:53,711 --> 00:31:57,147 but Sea Iaunch is already planning its next launch. 437 00:32:03,154 --> 00:32:05,588 Nothing about rockets ts easy. 438 00:32:05,723 --> 00:32:09,955 defy ing grav ity rematns an exasperattng challenge. 439 00:32:12,430 --> 00:32:17,367 M any are pursutng radically neww ideas about howw to reach space. 440 00:32:17,502 --> 00:32:18,560 J ust a feww months ago, 441 00:32:18,703 --> 00:32:22,833 I got all these proposals by phystcists propostng wwacky , 442 00:32:23,007 --> 00:32:27,967 crazy mechantsms for one of NASAs adv anced propulsion systems 443 00:32:28,046 --> 00:32:30,981 that may one day take us to nearby stars. 444 00:32:31,115 --> 00:32:32,412 I laughed to my self a btt. 445 00:32:32,550 --> 00:32:36,987 are serious phystcists maktng sertous prop 446 00:32:37,088 --> 00:32:40,683 making a shot tn the dark because that's wwhat it may take for us 447 00:32:40,825 --> 00:32:43,055 to go to the dtstant planets. 448 00:32:46,030 --> 00:32:49,295 Iike others ww ho hope to rev olutionize space travel, 449 00:32:49,434 --> 00:32:54,394 propulsion phystcist Ietk Myrabo ww as inspired early tn life. 450 00:32:54,539 --> 00:32:58,407 Sputnik and also Echo fleww about the same y ear. 451 00:32:58,543 --> 00:33:01,068 My grandmother got me up out of bed tn the mtddle of the night 452 00:33:01,212 --> 00:33:03,840 and brought me outstde and actually showwed me 453 00:33:03,982 --> 00:33:06,348 one of these first satellttes flytng overhead. 454 00:33:06,484 --> 00:33:07,246 And it ww as j ust astounding. 455 00:33:07,385 --> 00:33:09,717 It ww as an amazing expertence. 456 00:33:11,622 --> 00:33:16,616 Wtth NASA backing, Myrabo has trav eled to Wright Patterson Air Force Base. 457 00:33:16,761 --> 00:33:19,559 IIere, he ww tll test ww hether a laser beam 458 00:33:19,697 --> 00:33:23,963 can be used to push specially made fabrics through space. 459 00:33:24,102 --> 00:33:29,062 Sctence fiction ww riters have been ww riting about laser sails-h uge, 460 00:33:29,207 --> 00:33:31,971 ultra thtn satls, like sptderww ebs 461 00:33:32,076 --> 00:33:36,103 covered wwith reflecttv e surfaces kilometers tn dtameter. 462 00:33:40,385 --> 00:33:43,548 We're actually testing five neww laser sail materials. 463 00:33:43,688 --> 00:33:45,246 Noww the sails aren't very btg. 464 00:33:45,390 --> 00:33:48,257 They're only about a couple of tnches across, twwo tnches across. 465 00:33:48,393 --> 00:33:50,122 But ww hat wwe're dotng ts wwe're flooding 466 00:33:50,261 --> 00:33:54,823 that wwith 1 0 to 1 00,000 ww atts of laser energy. 467 00:33:55,033 --> 00:33:57,433 Thts ts a ferocious envtronment frankly, 468 00:33:57,568 --> 00:33:59,866 wwe don't knoww howw wwell these wwill survtv e. 469 00:33:59,971 --> 00:34:02,565 And until you actually do tests like thts, 470 00:34:02,707 --> 00:34:04,072 you don't knoww ww here y ou stand. 471 00:34:04,208 --> 00:34:05,641 And that's ww hat these tests are about. 472 00:34:05,777 --> 00:34:07,608 So tt's tncredibly exctttng. 473 00:34:10,848 --> 00:34:12,713 Yeah, this is brand neww. 474 00:34:13,551 --> 00:34:15,951 The ww eight of these satl matertals has to be nothtng. 475 00:34:16,087 --> 00:34:19,250 I mean, ww e're talking about butterfly ww tngs. 476 00:34:21,225 --> 00:34:22,089 Wtll tt burn up? 477 00:34:22,226 --> 00:34:23,989 You knoww, ww tll tt just turn tnto ashes and fall 478 00:34:24,128 --> 00:34:25,720 to the bottom of the v acuum tank? 479 00:34:25,863 --> 00:34:26,955 wwe don't knoww. 480 00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:29,499 But ww e are stm ulating a space envtronment. 481 00:34:29,634 --> 00:34:35,129 It's ev acuated to an tncredibly loww pressure that sim ulates space. 482 00:34:35,706 --> 00:34:39,472 If these delicate prototy pes can wwithstand the burst of light, 483 00:34:39,610 --> 00:34:43,808 M y rabo's dream of a starship carrted by a large laser sail 484 00:34:44,015 --> 00:34:46,506 ww tll be one step closer to reality. 485 00:34:46,651 --> 00:34:47,709 Run n umber one. 486 00:34:47,852 --> 00:34:49,717 Pendulum n um ber one. 487 00:34:50,154 --> 00:34:51,678 Ready to arm... 488 00:34:59,497 --> 00:35:04,332 four...three...twwo...one. . . 489 00:35:17,815 --> 00:35:20,306 Incredtbly, tt wworks. 490 00:35:20,451 --> 00:35:23,045 The force of ltght alone has pushed 491 00:35:23,187 --> 00:35:25,815 the mtniature satl ww tthout incinerating it. 492 00:35:25,990 --> 00:35:33,260 This is good. wery good. I'm happy. 493 00:35:39,604 --> 00:35:44,701 A real laser sailcraft wwould requtre a colossal butlding project. 494 00:35:45,009 --> 00:35:49,139 M uch of the wwork might take place on a future lunar colony. 495 00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:53,614 Thousands of solar-poww ered lasers ww ould have to be butlt. 496 00:35:54,085 --> 00:35:56,815 Each laser ww ould be rolled out to a runwway 497 00:35:57,021 --> 00:36:00,923 ww here tt wwould be packaged for the quick trtp to earth orbit. 498 00:36:19,744 --> 00:36:21,837 A ratlwway lined wwith powwerful magnets 499 00:36:21,979 --> 00:36:26,348 wwould accelerate the laser to escape the moon's grav ity. 500 00:36:48,105 --> 00:36:50,300 The laser sloww s as it approaches 501 00:36:50,441 --> 00:36:53,842 a gargantuan array of lasers under constructton. 502 00:36:58,349 --> 00:37:01,113 A ww orker fits the neww laser into place. 503 00:37:07,158 --> 00:37:11,925 Nearby , in earth orbit, a laser satl unfurls. 504 00:37:15,700 --> 00:37:17,531 IIalf a mile across, 505 00:37:17,668 --> 00:37:22,731 it mtght carry a robot craft for explortng distant ww orlds. 506 00:37:35,052 --> 00:37:37,452 wwhen the laser array ts complete, 507 00:37:37,588 --> 00:37:41,388 1 00 btllton wwatts of light ww tll strike the satl. 508 00:37:44,295 --> 00:37:48,356 Bouncing off the sail, the light beam inches it forww ard. 509 00:37:48,733 --> 00:37:51,531 The craft gradually picks up speed. 510 00:37:54,538 --> 00:37:58,167 It passes Juptter, and, after y ears of travel 511 00:37:58,309 --> 00:38:02,678 it could approach another star at close to the speed of ltght. 512 00:38:04,048 --> 00:38:05,913 Near the end of tts mission, 513 00:38:05,983 --> 00:38:09,976 a smaller sail carrytng the probe ww ould separate. 514 00:38:21,065 --> 00:38:23,295 The small satl sloww s, 515 00:38:23,434 --> 00:38:28,929 perhaps to enter orbtt around a planet to search for alien life. 516 00:38:31,475 --> 00:38:34,706 But wwe are decades awway from mastertng the technology 517 00:38:34,845 --> 00:38:37,643 that Ietk Myrabo ts pioneertng. 518 00:38:39,050 --> 00:38:46,786 Today , it's still an ov erww helming task to matntatn and powwer a craft like Mir. 519 00:38:54,765 --> 00:38:57,529 After sealing the punctured module on M tr, 520 00:38:57,668 --> 00:39:02,605 the top priority for M tchael Foale and his crewwmates ts restortng powwer. 521 00:39:09,980 --> 00:39:13,245 wasily fires thrusters to stabilize Mir. 522 00:39:13,384 --> 00:39:16,444 IIe potnts the statton's solar panels towward the sun 523 00:39:16,587 --> 00:39:18,817 tn order to recharge its batteries. 524 00:39:18,956 --> 00:39:23,518 But ttme and agatn, com puter crashes cause Mir to tumble. 525 00:39:24,662 --> 00:39:27,688 Nothtng ts easy in space. 526 00:39:35,639 --> 00:39:38,472 Space is a hosttle, dangerous place- 527 00:39:38,843 --> 00:39:42,074 more dangerous than anyplace ww e've ev er ventured on earth. 528 00:39:45,149 --> 00:39:46,138 And there are a lot of places on earth 529 00:39:46,283 --> 00:39:48,649 that hav e killed people, ascending Mount Ev erest. 530 00:39:48,786 --> 00:39:50,981 There's a lot one has to overcome. 531 00:39:51,589 --> 00:39:55,992 When Columbus satled the ocean blue, he just had storms to wworry about. 532 00:39:56,394 --> 00:39:59,192 Astronauts hav e radiatton storms to wworry about, 533 00:39:59,330 --> 00:40:02,993 mtcrometeorttes that can pierce the h ull of their sy stem. 534 00:40:03,134 --> 00:40:06,399 They 're going to be factng all sorts of unknowwn dangers. 535 00:40:07,805 --> 00:40:10,433 On M tr, the creww growws exhausted. 536 00:40:10,574 --> 00:40:12,007 They seem cursed. 537 00:40:12,143 --> 00:40:15,943 Each time they resolve one crtsts, another arises. 538 00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:21,177 Sasha accidentally un plugs the com puter, sending Mir tum bling agatn. 539 00:40:24,855 --> 00:40:29,087 Russian ground controllers decide it's time to cut back on the wworkload. 540 00:40:29,226 --> 00:40:30,784 And ww e ktnd of dtd really relax. 541 00:40:30,928 --> 00:40:32,054 wwe actually ww atched one or twwo mov ies. 542 00:40:32,196 --> 00:40:36,326 wwe wwatched Apollo 1 3 tn the atrlock together, 543 00:40:36,467 --> 00:40:38,162 wwhtch I translated for them. 544 00:40:38,302 --> 00:40:44,070 But as hts tour on Mir draww s to an end,Foale sttll tsn't free from ww orry. 545 00:40:46,510 --> 00:40:52,210 On September 27, 1 997, he wwatches the sh uttle Atlantts approach. 546 00:40:54,351 --> 00:40:55,682 Even though I should be relaxing 547 00:40:55,820 --> 00:40:57,310 and just looktng forwward to the arrival, 548 00:40:57,455 --> 00:41:00,390 I ww as starting to become qutte tense 549 00:41:00,524 --> 00:41:05,052 that the sh uttle wwouldn't be able to dock and take me off 550 00:41:05,196 --> 00:41:07,664 because of one of these computer problems. 551 00:41:11,635 --> 00:41:16,334 I saww this beautiful stght rising up from the blue of the earth toww ards us- 552 00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:21,537 so sloww ly com pared to the Progress, so controlled compared to the Progress, 553 00:41:22,680 --> 00:41:26,548 ww tth hardly any immediate motion noted for about ten seconds 554 00:41:26,684 --> 00:41:29,847 betwween each change that they made in thetr flight profile- 555 00:41:30,054 --> 00:41:33,182 join up perfectly to our docktng port. 556 00:41:33,324 --> 00:41:37,385 And this enormous reltef gushed out of me. 557 00:41:39,730 --> 00:41:42,096 And at that potnt, I kneww I ww as home. 558 00:41:44,168 --> 00:41:45,567 IIome. 559 00:41:50,040 --> 00:41:52,031 As he pulls aww ay from Mir, 560 00:41:52,176 --> 00:41:56,840 Foale takes wwhat may be a last gltmpse of his second home. 561 00:42:00,351 --> 00:42:03,218 After more than four harroww tng months tn space 562 00:42:03,354 --> 00:42:06,050 that challenged his stamina and courage, 563 00:42:06,190 --> 00:42:09,853 Foale noww hopes for a trou ble-free rtde to earth. 564 00:42:22,806 --> 00:42:25,206 IIe returns to a vtbrant wworld, 565 00:42:25,342 --> 00:42:30,405 one filled ww tth color and life-a sharp contrast to Mir. 566 00:42:34,084 --> 00:42:37,053 In the mtddle of the M ojav e desert ltv es a man 567 00:42:37,187 --> 00:42:39,883 ww ho may ww ell profit from space travel. 568 00:42:40,424 --> 00:42:42,483 IIts name ts Burt Rutan. 569 00:42:42,626 --> 00:42:47,996 That's a dog. IIoww about a duck? Cat? Can y ou do a cat? 570 00:42:48,065 --> 00:42:52,001 Rutan thtnks-and lives- outside the bo x. 571 00:42:54,772 --> 00:42:58,230 Rutan's edge destgns hav e made avtation htstory. 572 00:42:58,375 --> 00:43:00,400 And he's enjoy ing the rtde. 573 00:43:03,180 --> 00:43:08,208 wwork? I haven't wworked stnce 1 97 4. 574 00:43:09,019 --> 00:43:10,486 This is all play. 575 00:43:11,755 --> 00:43:13,552 A stmple concept, actually. 576 00:43:14,158 --> 00:43:16,524 People hav e fun, they're v ery producttv e. 577 00:43:25,769 --> 00:43:27,964 Rutan runs Scaled Composites, 578 00:43:28,072 --> 00:43:31,872 a com pany that destgns and builds cutttng-edge aircraft. 579 00:43:35,479 --> 00:43:39,609 One of Rutan's latest projects embodtes hts phtlosophy : 580 00:43:39,750 --> 00:43:42,583 First, throww out the rulebook. 581 00:43:44,221 --> 00:43:47,088 The result is hts plane Proteus. 582 00:43:48,626 --> 00:43:53,620 Thts spindly craft can carry a one- ton payload to the stratosphere- 583 00:43:53,764 --> 00:43:56,289 1 1 miles tnto the air. 584 00:44:03,273 --> 00:44:06,674 Proteus might one day lift a manned rocket capsule. 585 00:44:08,412 --> 00:44:12,007 wwhen the aircraft reaches altttude, the capsule wwould detach, 586 00:44:12,149 --> 00:44:16,779 blast into orbtt under its owwn powwer, then glide back to earth. 587 00:44:47,017 --> 00:44:47,449 It's looktng good. 588 00:44:47,584 --> 00:44:49,017 Powwers are great. 589 00:44:49,720 --> 00:44:51,312 I'm gotng to leave the poww er set there. 590 00:44:51,455 --> 00:44:57,883 Controls are altv e, feeltng good. Okay , rotattng. 591 00:44:58,028 --> 00:45:02,988 Gears comtng... 1 1 0 ww ould be a good speed to hold. 592 00:45:05,569 --> 00:45:08,936 If y our am bition is to do a su b-orbttal flight, 593 00:45:09,006 --> 00:45:10,132 y ou ww ant to go to altitude, 594 00:45:10,274 --> 00:45:12,469 to showw ww hoever wwants to go up there, 595 00:45:12,609 --> 00:45:16,443 and I wwant to go too, wwhat it looks ltke from orbtt. 596 00:45:17,281 --> 00:45:20,250 And then y ou ww ant to j ust float around for several mtn utes 597 00:45:20,384 --> 00:45:22,944 and j ust enjoy this-ww eightless. 598 00:45:23,721 --> 00:45:26,087 You knoww, bring your house cat or your lov er or ww hatever 599 00:45:26,223 --> 00:45:28,384 y ou ww ant to do for thts ttme ww hile y ou're ww eightless. 600 00:45:28,525 --> 00:45:30,516 You knoww , y ou j ust can't do that on earth, baby. 601 00:45:30,661 --> 00:45:35,963 But tf y ou're single or cat-free, wwhat ww ould you do tn orbtt? 602 00:45:37,367 --> 00:45:40,234 Who wwants to be the first to see the earth from orbit 603 00:45:40,370 --> 00:45:41,803 wwhtle they're stpptng a marttni- 604 00:45:42,005 --> 00:45:45,406 r maybe there are people out there ww ho wwill do thts? 605 00:45:45,542 --> 00:45:46,804 I don't have enough money to do it. 606 00:45:47,010 --> 00:45:48,807 Perhaps tf I did, then I wwould certatnly do tt. 607 00:45:49,012 --> 00:45:50,809 But the question is not ww hether some people hav e enough money , 608 00:45:51,014 --> 00:45:53,312 but there's enough interest to keep tt sustatned 609 00:45:53,450 --> 00:45:56,851 and to drtv e the tndustry to tnvent the technology tn the first place. 610 00:45:57,020 --> 00:45:59,989 Remem ber the people used to ask the same questtons about air trav el. 611 00:46:00,124 --> 00:46:02,422 Why tn God's name wwould y ou ww ant to do that? 612 00:46:02,559 --> 00:46:05,084 IIoww practical could that possibly be? 613 00:46:06,029 --> 00:46:07,963 This ww hole notion of space tourism 614 00:46:08,098 --> 00:46:11,261 ts really a chance to get the economics gotng a business 615 00:46:11,401 --> 00:46:14,029 ww here there are thousands of launches, money comtng back tn, 616 00:46:14,171 --> 00:46:17,436 people designing neww v ehicles, brtngtng the prtce dowwn. 617 00:46:17,574 --> 00:46:21,340 And ww e go from sub-orbital fltghts to orbttal flights onto hotels 618 00:46:21,478 --> 00:46:25,005 and onto the moon, and tt's a tremendous opportuntty. 619 00:46:25,149 --> 00:46:27,344 IIi, guys. Good morntng, my name ts Peter dtamandis, 620 00:46:27,484 --> 00:46:28,678 I'm the chatrman of the X-Prize. 621 00:46:28,819 --> 00:46:31,287 Peter diamandts ts offering an tncenttv e 622 00:46:31,421 --> 00:46:34,788 to the potential Itndberghs of the 2 1 st century. 623 00:46:34,992 --> 00:46:38,450 So, ww e're looktng for a neww generatton of rocket sctenttsts out there 624 00:46:38,595 --> 00:46:42,395 wwho can go and build launch vehtcles that wwill carry us into space. 625 00:46:42,533 --> 00:46:44,125 We're try ing to make this on top of here, 626 00:46:44,268 --> 00:46:47,829 ww tth the parach ute in here and put thts up... 627 00:46:48,005 --> 00:46:52,135 IIe ts holding out a prtze to any kid ww ho can design a wwater rocket 628 00:46:52,276 --> 00:46:58,340 that wwill safely return its fragtle passenger-a raww egg-to M other Earth. 629 00:46:58,482 --> 00:47:03,181 What wwe're trytng to do here is to gtv e kids a chance to get hands on 630 00:47:03,320 --> 00:47:07,120 and feel the competitive sptrit and learn howw to butld these rockets 631 00:47:07,257 --> 00:47:09,919 and get into it so that they can relate. 632 00:47:10,060 --> 00:47:12,927 It's really neat to look at the designs and, tn parttcular, 633 00:47:12,996 --> 00:47:15,692 to knoww that the teachers here aren't givtng them the answw ers. 634 00:47:15,833 --> 00:47:18,961 Ev erything they'v e destgned here ts coming out of ex periment 635 00:47:19,102 --> 00:47:22,071 or thetr owwn tmagination and to see the wway 636 00:47:22,206 --> 00:47:25,266 that they 're getting their egg to surv ive is pretty awwesome. 637 00:47:25,409 --> 00:47:29,004 You're going to put y our cup in there, the ww hole ntne y ards? 638 00:47:29,146 --> 00:47:32,513 They gotta design thts v ehicle that can have the egg safely survtv e- 639 00:47:32,649 --> 00:47:36,312 and they get the tdea that wwhen tt cracks, that egg ts dead. 640 00:47:39,156 --> 00:47:42,853 Across towwn, students from another school build thetr owwn rockets 641 00:47:42,993 --> 00:47:45,052 for the upcomtng competition. 642 00:47:45,529 --> 00:47:49,090 One, Jaqut Rogers, has done her homeww ork. 643 00:47:51,101 --> 00:47:56,539 The thing that surprised me about space that I have learned is about the moon. 644 00:47:56,673 --> 00:47:58,402 And it ww as fascinating to me, 645 00:47:58,542 --> 00:48:03,605 because I learned that there ww as no ww tnd on the moon, 646 00:48:03,747 --> 00:48:09,310 that Neil Armstrong's footprtnts are sttll up there. 647 00:48:09,453 --> 00:48:12,547 And I learned about the craters and howw they got there. 648 00:48:13,257 --> 00:48:16,454 desttny Voy ager is noww complete. 649 00:48:19,296 --> 00:48:20,763 Iaunch day arrtv es. 650 00:48:20,964 --> 00:48:22,397 wwhat ww e're going to do ts wwe're gotng to gtv e y ou guys 651 00:48:22,532 --> 00:48:24,500 a chance to put y our eggstranauts in y our rockets. 652 00:48:24,635 --> 00:48:26,193 And you should be done dotng that 653 00:48:26,336 --> 00:48:28,930 by the ttme wwe get ready to launch wwith these guys. 654 00:48:29,039 --> 00:48:31,667 The pad and fuel prepared. . . 655 00:48:32,075 --> 00:48:32,769 Yeah. 656 00:48:32,976 --> 00:48:34,170 Every body 's got an eggstranaut? 657 00:48:34,311 --> 00:48:34,970 Yeah. 658 00:48:35,112 --> 00:48:36,704 Ev erybody's got fuel? Yeah. 659 00:48:36,847 --> 00:48:40,943 And the future rocket cadre trtes to look nonchalant. 660 00:48:41,985 --> 00:48:42,781 There you go. 661 00:48:45,322 --> 00:48:49,520 Un usual destgns create their oww n unique set of snafus. 662 00:48:49,660 --> 00:48:51,958 This happens at NASA all the time, you guy s' 663 00:48:52,062 --> 00:48:53,290 In fact, the sh uttle wwas delayed the other day 664 00:48:53,430 --> 00:48:55,159 because they had a bunch of strings tangled up. 665 00:48:55,299 --> 00:48:57,324 Rocket ts secure on the pad. 666 00:48:58,068 --> 00:48:59,831 All sy stems are go. 667 00:48:59,937 --> 00:49:02,371 The launch director recetv es the green ltght. 668 00:49:03,807 --> 00:49:14,775 Ten...nine. . .etght...seven...stx. . .five. . . four. . .three. . .tww o. . . 669 00:49:14,952 --> 00:49:16,283 one' 670 00:49:30,968 --> 00:49:33,129 Iaunching these rockets is easy. 671 00:49:39,776 --> 00:49:41,368 Open up, open up. . . 672 00:49:45,115 --> 00:49:46,582 It's the landing that's hard. 673 00:49:46,717 --> 00:49:47,945 Sorry guys. 674 00:49:51,688 --> 00:49:52,848 Today's lesson? 675 00:49:52,990 --> 00:49:56,289 To become a rocket scientist, y ou've got to crack a feww eggs. 676 00:49:58,128 --> 00:49:58,856 Excellent. 677 00:49:58,996 --> 00:50:00,122 Parach utes opened. 678 00:50:00,263 --> 00:50:05,599 Any one of these students could groww up to design rockets or spacecraft. 679 00:50:06,636 --> 00:50:12,233 Some may get the chance to leav e earth- or even to ww alk on another wworld. 680 00:50:17,614 --> 00:50:18,672 Whatever tt ts tn our nature 681 00:50:18,815 --> 00:50:22,717 that drove us to the moon can be found tn these kids... 682 00:50:22,853 --> 00:50:26,653 and ww tll contin ue to spur h umanity upww ard and outwward. 683 00:50:27,324 --> 00:50:29,383 Jaqut Rogers. 684 00:50:32,029 --> 00:50:38,229 If I could go up into space, I ww ould ww ant to gaze up on the sun. 685 00:50:38,368 --> 00:50:40,893 I wwould ltke to look dowwn on the earth. 686 00:50:41,038 --> 00:50:42,938 And Mars. 687 00:50:43,073 --> 00:50:47,373 I wwould ltke to find neww things that have never been found. 688 00:50:47,511 --> 00:50:49,672 I ww ant to see the moon, of course. 689 00:50:49,813 --> 00:50:52,441 And the first thtng that I ww ould search for wwas 690 00:50:52,582 --> 00:50:56,848 wwhere Neil Armstrong left the flag, and hts footprtnts, 691 00:50:56,987 --> 00:51:00,081 and that's the matn thtng that I'd be searchtng for. 692 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:10,967 In terms of ex ploratton, 693 00:51:11,034 --> 00:51:17,234 I think in 50 to 1 00 y ears wwe wwill have most definttely factltttes on the moon. 694 00:51:17,374 --> 00:51:18,966 wwe'll hav e factortes there. 695 00:51:19,042 --> 00:51:20,634 We'll have people wwho are ltv ing there. 696 00:51:20,777 --> 00:51:23,974 We'll have hotels there, of course. 697 00:51:24,047 --> 00:51:27,346 wwe'll hav e the first real self- suffictent and vtbrant colontes on Mars. 698 00:51:27,484 --> 00:51:31,648 But wwhat makes me exctted are going to be actual tndependent societtes, 699 00:51:31,788 --> 00:51:35,246 off planet, in free space colonies. 700 00:51:40,063 --> 00:51:43,260 I thtnk tt wwill be very m uch like it ww as in the 1 4 and 1 500s, 701 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:45,630 wwhere there ww ere dtfferent groups ww ho wwere gotng off explortng 702 00:51:45,769 --> 00:51:48,397 and fantasiztng about wwhere the best trails are, 703 00:51:48,538 --> 00:51:51,473 ww here the best next neww wworlds are. 704 00:51:51,608 --> 00:51:56,773 And that's the future I'm butlding towwards. 705 00:51:56,913 --> 00:51:59,973 I'm one of those ex plorers wwho can't wwatt to go off, 706 00:52:00,117 --> 00:52:02,813 you knoww , towwards that star over there. 707 00:52:04,054 --> 00:52:09,014 To travel to distant stars and establtsh colonies seems fantasttc today- 708 00:52:09,159 --> 00:52:12,959 but wwe're not even close to reachtng the ltmit of wwhat' 709 00:52:13,029 --> 00:52:17,728 Oh, in my day . . .to think of gotng up and breaktng the sound barrter, 710 00:52:17,868 --> 00:52:20,962 ww ell that ww as out, out of the question pertod. 711 00:52:21,104 --> 00:52:23,834 No wwe'd never break the sound barrier. 712 00:52:24,541 --> 00:52:27,135 So y ou see howw things are, can change. 713 00:52:27,277 --> 00:52:31,043 And then, ww ould anybody ever go to the moon? 714 00:52:31,181 --> 00:52:34,150 wwell, that wwas ridtculous. 715 00:52:34,284 --> 00:52:36,411 wwell, wwe'v e gone to the moon. 716 00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:39,821 Is it our desttny to cross the galaxy? 717 00:52:40,023 --> 00:52:42,992 If tt wwas once tnconcetv able to reach the moon. 718 00:52:43,126 --> 00:52:47,062 What v aulting ambtttons could become realtty tomorroww ? 719 00:52:48,398 --> 00:52:51,526 wwe hav e already begun an amazing journey 720 00:52:51,668 --> 00:52:55,536 that wwill carry us beyond the reach of our imagtnattons. 721 00:52:55,672 --> 00:53:01,167 wwe are entering an era that ww tll unfetter ev en dreamers. 722 00:53:01,311 --> 00:53:07,045 The cosmic perspecttv e ts tnextrtcably bound to our growwing awwareness 723 00:53:07,184 --> 00:53:09,209 of howw tiny ww e are tn thts untv erse, 724 00:53:09,352 --> 00:53:12,344 howw fratl wwe are in this universe, 725 00:53:12,489 --> 00:53:16,323 combtned ww tth sim ply howw btg and grand the untv erse ts. 726 00:53:16,459 --> 00:53:18,518 Noww , that might sound depresstng. 727 00:53:18,662 --> 00:53:21,256 For me, tt's only momentarily depressing. 728 00:53:21,398 --> 00:53:24,333 wwith that knoww ledge, ww e can all parttcipate tn thts journey, 729 00:53:24,467 --> 00:53:26,526 in this quest, to reach the edge of the untv erse 730 00:53:26,670 --> 00:53:29,434 and then perhaps see ww hat's on the other stde.