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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
Earth.

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Over eight billion people
live here.

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But not all of them are home.

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Since the turn of the century,

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a few have been living here...

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♪ ♪

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...in the most hazardous
scientific outpost ever built:

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the International Space Station.

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♪ ♪

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Altogether, over 280 people

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have ridden
a controlled explosion

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250 miles into space,

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risking their lives

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to maintain a continuous
human presence off planet.

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One day, we may be getting ready
for a spacewalk

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and the next day, we'll be doing
some world-class science.

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
Its unique environment
provides a research laboratory

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like no other.

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But conducting science in space

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brings its own challenges.

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RAJA CHARI:
Very quickly, you can have
an out-of-control situation

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from a very innocuous start.

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
As astronauts push

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the boundaries
of science and exploration,

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they face daily threats.

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(over radio):
CO2 sensor bad.

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MAN:
Copy, Luca.

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LUCA PARMITANO:
You are constantly at risk
of dying

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for a multitude of reasons.

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♪ ♪

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WENDY LAWRENCE:
You've got orbital debris

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that can hit your module

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and put a hole in it.

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♪ ♪

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CHRIS CASSIDY:
In the military,

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we say that problems happen

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at the fold of a map
and at night.

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And that's exactly
how this was shaping up.

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ZEBULON SCOVILLE:
How do we respond

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to that unknown?

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Understanding situations

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may have
the ultimate consequences.

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(alarm beeping)
MAN (over radio):
Station, Houston on 2.

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This is an actual.

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NARRATOR:
This is the story of innovation

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and scientific exploration

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aboard the I.S.S.

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"Operation Space Station:

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Science and Survival."

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Right now, on "NOVA."

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR:
June 2024.

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The world is gripped by a drama
playing out far above Earth.

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NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore
and Suni Williams

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had been scheduled
to spend just eight days

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aboard the
International Space Station

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while testing
a new commercial spacecraft,

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the Boeing Starliner.

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WILLIAMS (over radio):
Into the spacecraft!

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NARRATOR:
Instead, when the vehicle
encounters technical issues,

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their mission stretches
into months.

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Despite the difficulties,

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the pair pivots to become
routine crew members,

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drawing from their years
of training

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and a deep love of the job

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to embrace
their extended mission.

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Because this job
is like no other.

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We're still pioneers in space,

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so there's still a lot
that we have to learn.

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(over radio):
Okay, my yellow hook,

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closed and locked.

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NARRATOR:
Space is incredibly risky.

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The safest thing to do is to not
go anywhere,

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but that's not going
to really teach you much

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about your species
or the planet you live on.

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You have to take risk
to get the reward.

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NARRATOR:
Butch and Suni's extended stay

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is just the latest
in a long line

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of unexpected challenges
faced in orbit.

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MAN (over radio): And lift off.

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The International Space Station

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is underway.

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NARRATOR:
Since the space station's
first module

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was launched in 1998,

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there have been countless
moments of risk and uncertainty.

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ROBERT CURBEAM (over radio):
There's ammonia all over the
place.

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NARRATOR:
Requiring calm
and quick thinking to resolve.

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TOM JONES (over radio):
You just pulled the bail?

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CURBEAM: Yeah.

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And that stopped the leak.

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NARRATOR:
All to create
a unique research laboratory,

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a platform for international
science and discovery

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through cooperation,

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uniting humanity
in the pursuit of knowledge

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beyond our planet.

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♪ ♪

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From monitoring hurricanes
on Earth

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to cultivating plants in space.

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From detecting X-rays
released by neutron stars

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to developing
cancer therapeutics.

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RENITA FINCKE:
We have taken technologies,

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people, systems
from all over the world,

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and we've put it together
into this amazing laboratory.

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♪ ♪

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The research
that we've been able to do

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has directly benefited
life on planet Earth,

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and we're only
just getting started.

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♪ ♪

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NARRATOR: Every minute of an
astronaut's day on the station

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is carefully planned,

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and life on board
might even come to feel routine.

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But it's always
just a matter of time

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before the universe finds a way
to remind the crew

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of just how vulnerable they are.

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♪ ♪

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In 2013, plans are underway
to further extend

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the International Space
Station's scientific footprint.

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A new module called Nauka,

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Russian for "science,"

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is to be added to the station
the following year.

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Created to conduct

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materials science
and biotechnology research,

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Nauka includes a base
for the European Robotic Arm

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and will also feature
a specially designed airlock

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to carry out experiments
in the vacuum of space.

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♪ ♪

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But to unlock
this groundbreaking science,

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astronauts must brave
the most unforgiving extremes.

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CASSIDY:
In my personal operational
experience in the military,

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in the SEAL teams,

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the bad guys were the enemy
that's shooting at you.

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In a space mission,
the "bad guy"

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is the environment.

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♪ ♪

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The environment
is trying to kill you.

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PARMITANO:
Space is not really
made for life.

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It's very cold and very hot
at the same time.

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It doesn't have an atmosphere.

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It really doesn't want
to keep you alive.

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NARRATOR:
A spacewalk,

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also known as an extra-vehicular
activity, or E.V.A.,

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is especially dangerous.

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Astronauts usually go
through the airlock in pairs

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so that once outside,

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they can assist each other
if needed.

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But still, they are isolated

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and vulnerable to hazards
like radiation,

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micrometeoroid impacts,

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and equipment malfunctions.

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On July 16, 2013,

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American astronaut Chris Cassidy

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and flight engineer
Luca Parmitano

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don their spacesuits.

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Spacewalks are not
something that you just

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willy-nilly do--
"Hey, it's Tuesday.

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You want to go out
and knock out a spacewalk?"

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No, it doesn't work like that.

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Takes about four hours

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to go through the oxygen
pre-breathe process

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and all of the checks leading up

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to opening the hatch.

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(over radio):
All right, I have
a waist tether,

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gate closed and locked.

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(voiceover):
All spacewalkers

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are tethered
to the space station

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with a retractable metal cable

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that pays out to 85 feet.

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And just like if you walk
a pair of dogs on dog leashes,

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those leashes
get all tangled up.

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PARMITANO (over radio):
On my way.

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CASSIDY (voiceover):
Safety tethers are no different.

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So, oftentimes,

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we intentionally
take separate routes,

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so the safety tethers

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don't tangle up on themselves.

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NARRATOR:
Luca and Chris come together

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on top of the Tranquility module

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to carry out their task:

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connecting data
and ethernet cables

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for when the new module arrives.

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38 minutes into the E.V.A.,

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a warning alarm is triggered
in Luca Parmitano's spacesuit.

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The carbon dioxide levels
are too high.

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PARMITANO (over radio):
CO2 sensor bad.

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MAN: Copy, Luca.

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It measures 48.6.

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CASSIDY: Copy that, Luca.

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(exhales)

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NARRATOR:
Ordinarily,
exhaled carbon dioxide

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would be controlled and removed

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by the Portable
Life Support System

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in Luca's backpack.

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The alarm could signal

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a dangerous buildup of the gas

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inside his spacesuit,

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which could lead
to severe headaches,

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impaired judgment,

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and even death.

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PARMITANO (voiceover):
We have a checklist

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telling us to check
different parts of the suit

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to understand whether it is
an actual alarm

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or whether the sensor itself
is at fault.

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CASSIDY:
It said, "Did the reading
go from normal

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to ludicrous instantly?"

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If that happened, then
it's probably the sensor's bad.

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MAN (over radio)
And Luca, nice work
on the cuff checklist,

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but no further action
on your part.

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NARRATOR:
Doubtful of the carbon
dioxide reading

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and satisfied
that Luca has no symptoms,

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00:10:33,066 --> 00:10:37,066
Mission Control concludes
that the sensor is faulty,

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and the E.V.A.
can continue as planned.

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00:10:41,566 --> 00:10:42,666
(static hisses)

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But six minutes later,

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Luca calls Mission Control
again:

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there's another issue.

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00:10:48,833 --> 00:10:50,800
PARMITANO (over radio):
F.Y.I.,

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00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:53,633
I feel a lot of water
on the back of my head.

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00:10:53,633 --> 00:10:55,500
MAN:
Are you sweating?
Are you working hard?

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PARMITANO:
Um,

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I am sweating,

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but feels like a lot of water.

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00:11:03,166 --> 00:11:05,533
MAN:
Yeah, Luca, we copy.
MAN: Copy.

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00:11:07,966 --> 00:11:09,166
PARMITANO:
Just F.Y.I.

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00:11:09,166 --> 00:11:10,400
(voiceover):
There should never be

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any water inside your
space suit,

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00:11:12,233 --> 00:11:14,866
especially not in the, in the
helmet area,

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and so I communicated that
to the ground.

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00:11:17,700 --> 00:11:19,800
(chuckling):
And I said, "I don't think
it's a big deal."

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00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:21,700
I just wanted to keep
going with the E.V.A.

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00:11:21,700 --> 00:11:23,733
MAN (over radio):
Hey, Luca, while you're
working there,

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00:11:23,733 --> 00:11:24,833
can you give us, uh,

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maybe some more words
on the water?

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00:11:26,666 --> 00:11:30,033
Um, maybe identify
the source, do you think,

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and then,
is it getting any worse

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or is it the same?

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PARMITANO: Um, good questions.

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00:11:34,433 --> 00:11:36,166
It's still the same,

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00:11:36,166 --> 00:11:38,133
and I cannot tell you
the source.

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NARRATOR:
On Earth,

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00:11:41,533 --> 00:11:44,400
water falls
under the force of gravity.

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In space,
it's much less predictable.

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00:11:47,966 --> 00:11:49,566
CASSIDY:
It's surface tension

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00:11:49,566 --> 00:11:51,900
that drives
the behavior of water.

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00:11:51,900 --> 00:11:54,733
That surface tension
is a pretty strong force,

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and the water
just wants to stick

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to whatever it's stuck to.

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NARRATOR:
In Luca's case,

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00:12:00,733 --> 00:12:02,666
the unexplained ball of water

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00:12:02,666 --> 00:12:04,800
is sticking
to the back of his head

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00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,166
and threatening to creep around
toward his face.

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00:12:08,166 --> 00:12:10,066
PARMITANO:
My biggest concern

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00:12:10,066 --> 00:12:12,633
was the water
getting inside my ears.

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00:12:12,633 --> 00:12:14,033
(static hisses)

257
00:12:14,033 --> 00:12:16,900
Because if it did,
it's really hard to get it out.

258
00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:19,666
You cannot tap your head--
there's nothing you can do.

259
00:12:19,666 --> 00:12:20,866
(static hisses)

260
00:12:20,866 --> 00:12:22,066
CASSIDY:
I finished what I was doing

261
00:12:22,066 --> 00:12:23,700
and got over close to him,
and I remember,

262
00:12:23,700 --> 00:12:25,566
I could see, it looked like

263
00:12:25,566 --> 00:12:28,500
half of a grapefruit
just kind of jiggling

264
00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:30,200
on his head.

265
00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:31,766
(Parmitano panting softly)

266
00:12:31,766 --> 00:12:34,433
CASSIDY:
And then little bitty pieces

267
00:12:34,433 --> 00:12:36,766
 
of water droplets
moving around inside.

268
00:12:36,766 --> 00:12:39,466
(on radio):
I see beads of sweat.

269
00:12:39,466 --> 00:12:40,666
PARMITANO: No, it's not sweat.

270
00:12:40,666 --> 00:12:42,166
CASSIDY: Oh, it's not sweat.

271
00:12:42,166 --> 00:12:43,666
MAN:
Hey, Luca, can you clarify,

272
00:12:43,666 --> 00:12:46,866
is it increasing
or not increasing?

273
00:12:46,866 --> 00:12:48,166
PARMITANO: It's hard to tell,

274
00:12:48,166 --> 00:12:50,566
but it feels
like a lot of water.

275
00:12:50,566 --> 00:12:52,833
CASSIDY: Oh, I see, yes.

276
00:12:53,833 --> 00:12:56,100
I see it now, wiggling.

277
00:12:56,100 --> 00:12:58,266
PARMITANO:
And, um, I, I can't,
don't understand

278
00:12:58,266 --> 00:12:59,433
where it's coming from--
it can't be the water...

279
00:12:59,433 --> 00:13:01,900
CASSIDY: It has to be the bag.

280
00:13:01,900 --> 00:13:04,200
NARRATOR:
At the European Space Agency,

281
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,900
astronaut instructor
Hervé Stevenin

282
00:13:06,900 --> 00:13:09,900
watches a live feed
of the mission.

283
00:13:09,900 --> 00:13:11,400
(Stevenin speaking French)

284
00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:12,700
(translated):
They thought it might be

285
00:13:12,700 --> 00:13:14,733
the small water bag
that the astronauts carry.

286
00:13:14,733 --> 00:13:16,100
There is a small bag

287
00:13:16,100 --> 00:13:18,033
which is attached to the stomach
with Velcro

288
00:13:18,033 --> 00:13:21,366
and contains around one to
one-and-a-half liters of water.

289
00:13:21,366 --> 00:13:23,066
This has a little straw,

290
00:13:23,066 --> 00:13:25,100
to enable the astronaut
to stay hydrated.

291
00:13:26,633 --> 00:13:28,100
CASSIDY (over radio):
And you've sucked it dry?

292
00:13:28,100 --> 00:13:31,300
PARMITANO:
Okay, the bag is dry now.

293
00:13:31,300 --> 00:13:33,833
NARRATOR:
But the situation
doesn't improve.

294
00:13:36,100 --> 00:13:38,233
CASSIDY:
The bag is empty now.

295
00:13:38,233 --> 00:13:40,700
And, uh,
you know, there's something

296
00:13:40,700 --> 00:13:44,166
less than a liter
in the back of his head.

297
00:13:44,166 --> 00:13:45,566
800 milliliters, maybe.

298
00:13:45,566 --> 00:13:47,300
MAN:
All right, Chris.

299
00:13:47,300 --> 00:13:49,933
NARRATOR:
More water collects
in Luca's helmet.

300
00:13:49,933 --> 00:13:53,533
PARMITANO:
Yeah, I'm thinking that it might
not be the water bag.

301
00:13:53,533 --> 00:13:55,333
The only other option, Chris,
that I'm thinking

302
00:13:55,333 --> 00:13:57,633
is the LCVG.

303
00:13:59,333 --> 00:14:00,800
NARRATOR:
The LCVG,

304
00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,033
or Liquid Cooling
and Ventilation Garment,

305
00:14:03,033 --> 00:14:05,700
circulates cold water
in the spacesuit

306
00:14:05,700 --> 00:14:08,000
via a system of tubes

307
00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,766
to prevent astronauts
from overheating.

308
00:14:10,766 --> 00:14:13,300
As Chris and Luca correctly
suspect,

309
00:14:13,300 --> 00:14:15,933
Luca's LCVG has malfunctioned

310
00:14:15,933 --> 00:14:19,266
and is leaking water
into his helmet.

311
00:14:21,833 --> 00:14:23,700
The very suit
designed to protect him

312
00:14:23,700 --> 00:14:25,233
from the dangers of space

313
00:14:25,233 --> 00:14:28,400
may now be putting him
in mortal danger.

314
00:14:29,833 --> 00:14:31,400
CASSIDY:
That's the moment, I think,

315
00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:33,733
where it solidified
in everybody's mind,

316
00:14:33,733 --> 00:14:35,566
"Okay, we're done for today."

317
00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:40,366
NARRATOR:
67 minutes into the E.V.A.,

318
00:14:40,366 --> 00:14:43,633
Mission Control
terminates the spacewalk.

319
00:14:43,633 --> 00:14:45,866
MAN (over radio):
All right, Chris and Luca,
just for you guys,

320
00:14:45,866 --> 00:14:49,266
we think we're are gonna
terminate E.V.A. case for EV2.

321
00:14:49,266 --> 00:14:51,500
So, Luca, we'll have you
head back to the airlock.

322
00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:52,933
Chris, we'll get a plan for you

323
00:14:52,933 --> 00:14:54,266
to clean things up here

324
00:14:54,266 --> 00:14:56,766
and then join him in a minute.

325
00:14:58,133 --> 00:15:01,333
NARRATOR:
Luca needs to get back
inside the space station

326
00:15:01,333 --> 00:15:03,100
and remove his helmet.

327
00:15:04,700 --> 00:15:06,533
He begins retracing his route

328
00:15:06,533 --> 00:15:07,833
back to the airlock,

329
00:15:07,833 --> 00:15:10,766
while Chris clears away
their tools.

330
00:15:11,733 --> 00:15:13,800
PARMITANO:
I remember leaving Chris,

331
00:15:13,800 --> 00:15:16,733
and as I made the corner
and disappear from sight,

332
00:15:16,733 --> 00:15:19,066
I remember thinking

333
00:15:19,066 --> 00:15:22,066
that I really wish that Chris
could come with me,

334
00:15:22,066 --> 00:15:24,100
because that's how we train.

335
00:15:24,100 --> 00:15:26,233
We train to be together--
that's why we go outside

336
00:15:26,233 --> 00:15:28,666
as a team, so that
we have each other's back.

337
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,633
CASSIDY:
Before I saw Luca disappearing

338
00:15:32,633 --> 00:15:34,733
behind the Z1 truss...

339
00:15:37,066 --> 00:15:38,733
And I wanted to say out loud,

340
00:15:38,733 --> 00:15:40,766
"Luca, stop, hold on,
I'm coming with you."

341
00:15:40,766 --> 00:15:44,033
It just felt like
that's what we should do.

342
00:15:46,100 --> 00:15:47,933
NARRATOR:
But as tempting as it is
to hurry,

343
00:15:47,933 --> 00:15:50,133
Chris follows orders

344
00:15:50,133 --> 00:15:52,800
and forces himself
to move deliberately.

345
00:15:54,066 --> 00:15:56,433
In the military,
we say that problems happen

346
00:15:56,433 --> 00:15:57,733
at the fold of a map,

347
00:15:57,733 --> 00:15:59,600
at the junction of grid squares,

348
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:00,833
and at night.

349
00:16:00,833 --> 00:16:02,800
And that's exactly
how this was shaping up.

350
00:16:04,133 --> 00:16:06,166
As soon as he started to move,

351
00:16:06,166 --> 00:16:07,933
the sun set.

352
00:16:09,166 --> 00:16:12,466
PARMITANO:
And everything turns gold,
bright gold,

353
00:16:12,466 --> 00:16:14,600
for one split second.

354
00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,166
Incredibly beautiful,

355
00:16:16,166 --> 00:16:19,500
and then it's lights out.

356
00:16:20,700 --> 00:16:21,833
(static hisses)

357
00:16:23,066 --> 00:16:25,266
(static hisses,
water drips on radio)

358
00:16:27,966 --> 00:16:31,066
NARRATOR:
The I.S.S. takes
around 90 minutes

359
00:16:31,066 --> 00:16:33,400
to orbit the Earth.

360
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,233
For half this time,

361
00:16:35,233 --> 00:16:37,666
the space station
is in total darkness.

362
00:16:37,666 --> 00:16:39,966
(static hisses,
water drips on radio)

363
00:16:39,966 --> 00:16:43,633
CASSIDY:
Now, once Luca started to move,

364
00:16:43,633 --> 00:16:45,900
well, what happened
to his motion,

365
00:16:45,900 --> 00:16:48,533
it gets transferred
into the water, too,

366
00:16:48,533 --> 00:16:50,966
so that stationary jiggly ball
of Jell-O

367
00:16:50,966 --> 00:16:53,800
starts flushing around his head.

368
00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:56,300
♪ ♪

369
00:16:56,300 --> 00:16:59,333
PARMITANO:
I felt it coming closer
and closer to my forehead

370
00:16:59,333 --> 00:17:01,800
and I thought,
"Okay, this might cover

371
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:03,400
"both of my ears
at the same time.

372
00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:05,466
"It may be more
than a simple hindrance.

373
00:17:05,466 --> 00:17:07,233
It may be an actual,
an actual problem."

374
00:17:09,966 --> 00:17:11,700
And I just completed a maneuver

375
00:17:11,700 --> 00:17:14,033
where I put myself upside down,

376
00:17:14,033 --> 00:17:18,200
so all my terms of reference

377
00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,233
had completely switched
180 degrees.

378
00:17:22,066 --> 00:17:25,966
That's when the water really
completely covered my nose...

379
00:17:27,900 --> 00:17:29,700
...and I found myself isolated,

380
00:17:29,700 --> 00:17:31,133
unable to see anything,

381
00:17:31,133 --> 00:17:33,600
unable to breathe
through my nose.

382
00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:35,833
I didn't really know
how much time I had

383
00:17:35,833 --> 00:17:37,566
before the water
reached my mouth.

384
00:17:39,066 --> 00:17:42,833
NARRATOR:
If too much water covers
both Luca's nose and mouth,

385
00:17:42,833 --> 00:17:44,500
he'll be unable to breathe

386
00:17:44,500 --> 00:17:47,700
or drink his way out of trouble.

387
00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:48,700
(radio static hissing)

388
00:17:48,700 --> 00:17:50,033
And to make matters worse,

389
00:17:50,033 --> 00:17:52,600
water enters Luca's comms,

390
00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:54,700
causing it to malfunction.

391
00:17:56,566 --> 00:17:57,600
PARMITANO (over radio):
Hey, Chris?

392
00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,333
CASSIDY:
I hear you, Luca, go ahead.

393
00:17:59,333 --> 00:18:03,333
(radio static hissing)

394
00:18:03,333 --> 00:18:05,766
Luca, I hear you.
PARMITANO:
Chris?

395
00:18:05,766 --> 00:18:06,766
Yeah...

396
00:18:06,766 --> 00:18:08,633
(radio static hissing)

397
00:18:08,633 --> 00:18:11,900
(translated):
There are two mics here,
and when Luca talked,

398
00:18:11,900 --> 00:18:14,766
all we could hear
were gurgling sounds.

399
00:18:14,766 --> 00:18:18,533
This was terrifying to hear
for us here in the control room.

400
00:18:18,533 --> 00:18:20,700
At this stage, we realized

401
00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:22,900
that something serious
had happened,

402
00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:26,233
very bad and very dangerous.

403
00:18:26,233 --> 00:18:29,833
(water bubbling)

404
00:18:32,633 --> 00:18:35,100
My memories are of just

405
00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:36,900
trying to feel around,

406
00:18:36,900 --> 00:18:39,500
making sure that I would grab
the correct handles

407
00:18:39,500 --> 00:18:41,133
in a pressurized glove,

408
00:18:41,133 --> 00:18:44,533
which gives you no feedback,
no tactile feedback.

409
00:18:48,133 --> 00:18:49,366
And I called Chris, telling him,

410
00:18:49,366 --> 00:18:51,466
"Hey, Chris,
I, I think I'm a bit lost,"

411
00:18:51,466 --> 00:18:53,300
but nothing came out,

412
00:18:53,300 --> 00:18:54,833
and I, I didn't have any return
in my earphones,

413
00:18:54,833 --> 00:18:56,100
so I knew
that he couldn't hear me.

414
00:18:56,100 --> 00:19:00,200
(water bubbling)

415
00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:02,266
And at the time,
my thoughts were,

416
00:19:02,266 --> 00:19:04,666
"Okay, I don't think
Chris is going

417
00:19:04,666 --> 00:19:07,033
"to come and get me right away.

418
00:19:07,033 --> 00:19:08,466
How much time do I have?"

419
00:19:08,466 --> 00:19:10,466
That was my thought in my head.

420
00:19:10,466 --> 00:19:11,633
"How much time do I have

421
00:19:11,633 --> 00:19:13,166
before this helmet
fills up with water?"

422
00:19:16,133 --> 00:19:17,333
There was a risk

423
00:19:17,333 --> 00:19:19,633
that if the water increased
dramatically,

424
00:19:19,633 --> 00:19:21,500
I would drown in space.

425
00:19:23,900 --> 00:19:25,733
NARRATOR:
For the next five minutes,

426
00:19:25,733 --> 00:19:29,433
Luca will be completely
silent and alone.

427
00:19:29,433 --> 00:19:31,800
♪ ♪

428
00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:33,800
(water drips)

429
00:19:37,900 --> 00:19:41,166
CASSIDY:
He had the amazing presence
about himself,

430
00:19:41,166 --> 00:19:43,766
when everything
kind of went dark and silent,

431
00:19:43,766 --> 00:19:45,666
to just stop.

432
00:19:45,666 --> 00:19:47,266
(water bubbling)

433
00:19:47,266 --> 00:19:49,100
NARRATOR:
At that point, Luca remembers

434
00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:52,266
he is tethered to
the space station's airlock.

435
00:19:52,266 --> 00:19:55,266
STEVENIN (translated):
His cable extends

436
00:19:55,266 --> 00:19:57,833
all the way along the route,
creating a safety line.

437
00:19:57,833 --> 00:20:01,000
If the astronaut were
to float off into space,

438
00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:05,000
this cable would slowly pull
them back towards the airlock.

439
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:06,433
(speaking French)

440
00:20:07,633 --> 00:20:11,466
CASSIDY:
That tether has a little
three- or five-pound pull to it,

441
00:20:11,466 --> 00:20:14,466
and he waited to feel
the direction of that pull.

442
00:20:16,533 --> 00:20:18,800
And then he just put his hand
over

443
00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:21,133
and grabbed the next piece
of metal that he could find,

444
00:20:21,133 --> 00:20:23,233
and inched his way back
that way.

445
00:20:23,233 --> 00:20:25,500
Unbelievable awareness by Luca.

446
00:20:25,500 --> 00:20:30,633
♪ ♪

447
00:20:30,633 --> 00:20:33,300
NARRATOR:
The gentle tug
of the waist tether

448
00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:36,766
leads Luca back to the airlock.

449
00:20:36,766 --> 00:20:40,066
But he's not safe yet.

450
00:20:40,066 --> 00:20:42,200
Before he can
take his helmet off,

451
00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:47,633
the airlock must be sealed
and repressurized.

452
00:20:47,633 --> 00:20:49,866
With no time to waste,

453
00:20:49,866 --> 00:20:53,400
the I.S.S. crew runs
through their checklist.

454
00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:55,000
Five minutes later,

455
00:20:55,000 --> 00:21:00,300
Chris joins Luca,
squeezing in feet first.

456
00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:01,900
CASSIDY:
The only thing that mattered
at that point

457
00:21:01,900 --> 00:21:03,433
was the hatch being closed.

458
00:21:03,433 --> 00:21:04,800
Because if we couldn't
close the hatch,

459
00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:06,633
we couldn't get
good air pressure.

460
00:21:06,633 --> 00:21:07,800
If we couldn't get air pressure,

461
00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:08,833
we couldn't get Luca's helmet
off,

462
00:21:08,833 --> 00:21:10,500
and we can't get
Luca's helmet off,

463
00:21:10,500 --> 00:21:11,966
pretty soon,
he's not going to have

464
00:21:11,966 --> 00:21:13,200
air in his helmet to breathe.

465
00:21:16,800 --> 00:21:19,900
NARRATOR:
With Luca's comms
malfunctioning

466
00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:22,833
and water now obscuring
his vision,

467
00:21:22,833 --> 00:21:25,000
Chris must ready the airlock

468
00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,966
before crewmate Karen Nyberg
can repressurize it.

469
00:21:27,966 --> 00:21:33,166
(man speaking faintly
on radio)

470
00:21:33,166 --> 00:21:34,733
As they speed through

471
00:21:34,733 --> 00:21:37,800
the normally 15-minute-long
airlock procedure,

472
00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,233
Ground Control attempts
to check in with Luca.

473
00:21:41,233 --> 00:21:42,866
MAN (over radio):
Hey, Luca, from Houston.

474
00:21:42,866 --> 00:21:45,466
How you doing? Give us a status.

475
00:21:45,466 --> 00:21:46,633
(water bubbling)

476
00:21:46,633 --> 00:21:50,266
NARRATOR:
But there is still no response.

477
00:21:50,266 --> 00:21:51,500
CASSIDY:
Luca, do you hear that?

478
00:21:51,500 --> 00:21:53,900
(water bubbling)

479
00:21:53,900 --> 00:21:57,366
NARRATOR: The pair
are positioned head-to-foot,

480
00:21:57,366 --> 00:22:00,633
making it difficult for Chris
to see into Luca's helmet.

481
00:22:00,633 --> 00:22:02,633
(static hissing)

482
00:22:02,633 --> 00:22:04,266
CASSIDY (over radio): Shane,
I don't think he can, uh...

483
00:22:04,266 --> 00:22:06,200
His voice is going out or you,

484
00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:08,500
he can't hear you, but...

485
00:22:08,500 --> 00:22:10,000
I'm trying to see him.

486
00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:14,300
Right about then,
I grabbed his hand.

487
00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:17,600
(over radio): Squeeze my hand
if you're fine, Luca.

488
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:18,666
(static hisses)

489
00:22:18,666 --> 00:22:20,000
Luca, squeeze my hand.

490
00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:21,700
Everything okay?

491
00:22:21,700 --> 00:22:23,200
You okay?

492
00:22:23,200 --> 00:22:25,233
And we had never
pre-briefed this,

493
00:22:25,233 --> 00:22:26,466
never talked about it,

494
00:22:26,466 --> 00:22:28,500
but I squeezed his hand.

495
00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:31,333
(static hisses)

496
00:22:31,333 --> 00:22:32,466
(over radio):
Roger that.

497
00:22:32,466 --> 00:22:34,133
Shane, visually confirmed,

498
00:22:34,133 --> 00:22:36,100
he's doing okay.

499
00:22:36,100 --> 00:22:39,000
♪ ♪

500
00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:40,500
Sorry to my wife, but,

501
00:22:40,500 --> 00:22:43,400
there'd been never
a more comforting

502
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,500
squeeze back of a hand.

503
00:22:45,500 --> 00:22:47,833
♪ ♪

504
00:22:47,833 --> 00:22:49,533
That sensation of feeling
his hand squeeze back

505
00:22:49,533 --> 00:22:51,000
in a nice, controlled way

506
00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,233
was, like, "Okay,
we're going to be all right."

507
00:22:53,233 --> 00:22:55,133
(over radio):
He looks fine.

508
00:22:55,133 --> 00:22:57,166
He looks miserable, but,

509
00:22:57,166 --> 00:22:58,800
uh, okay.

510
00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:00,200
MAN:
Copy all, Chris, uh,

511
00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:02,133
we'll just status you
from now on to check on him.

512
00:23:02,133 --> 00:23:03,466
(Cassidy's mic crackling)

513
00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:08,300
CASSIDY: 14 PSI, Karen.

514
00:23:08,300 --> 00:23:10,633
NYBERG: Hatch coming open.

515
00:23:12,133 --> 00:23:14,200
(static hissing)

516
00:23:16,633 --> 00:23:17,966
MAN:
Airlock, Houston.

517
00:23:17,966 --> 00:23:19,333
Uh, if you could have
some towels ready,

518
00:23:19,333 --> 00:23:21,266
that would be great.

519
00:23:22,433 --> 00:23:24,633
NYBERG: We have them here.

520
00:23:24,633 --> 00:23:27,233
PARMITANO (voiceover):
As my crewmates from the inside

521
00:23:27,233 --> 00:23:29,900
were opening the hatch,
I looked up,

522
00:23:29,900 --> 00:23:32,566
and I could see Karen,
Karen Nyberg's face,

523
00:23:32,566 --> 00:23:34,300
and Fyodor.

524
00:23:34,300 --> 00:23:36,700
The whole crew had come into
the airlock to help me,

525
00:23:36,700 --> 00:23:38,366
and their faces,

526
00:23:38,366 --> 00:23:39,966
they were so worried.

527
00:23:42,900 --> 00:23:46,066
CASSIDY (over radio):
Hatch is open, Shane.

528
00:23:46,066 --> 00:23:47,633
Luca's going
through the airlock.

529
00:23:47,633 --> 00:23:49,900
MAN:
Copy, Chris, thanks.

530
00:23:49,900 --> 00:23:52,566
The sense of friendship,
camaraderie,

531
00:23:52,566 --> 00:23:54,566
it's a form of love that,

532
00:23:54,566 --> 00:23:56,400
that we should explore more,
I think.

533
00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:58,600
♪ ♪

534
00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,733
I could feel it,
I could sense it,

535
00:24:00,733 --> 00:24:02,700
I could see it on their faces,
and I was moved.

536
00:24:02,700 --> 00:24:04,366
MAN (over radio):
Okay, Chris, just hang tight
for a bit.

537
00:24:04,366 --> 00:24:08,200
Once we get Luca taken care of,
we'll work on you.

538
00:24:09,700 --> 00:24:11,533
CASSIDY:
No problem, I'm in no rush.

539
00:24:11,533 --> 00:24:13,933
I got a ringside seat.

540
00:24:13,933 --> 00:24:15,200
PARMITANO (voiceover):
I was obviously relieved.

541
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:17,100
I knew that the ordeal

542
00:24:17,100 --> 00:24:18,200
was just about to end

543
00:24:18,200 --> 00:24:20,100
when they took the helmet off.

544
00:24:22,133 --> 00:24:23,500
♪ ♪

545
00:24:23,500 --> 00:24:24,800
I was all smiles,

546
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:26,333
and I started cracking jokes.

547
00:24:26,333 --> 00:24:28,500
They were certainly happy
to see me.

548
00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:30,100
I was certainly happy
to see them.

549
00:24:30,100 --> 00:24:34,633
♪ ♪

550
00:24:34,633 --> 00:24:36,266
NARRATOR:
A thorough investigation

551
00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:38,233
reveals that a clogged filter

552
00:24:38,233 --> 00:24:40,633
led to the leak in Luca's suit.

553
00:24:42,633 --> 00:24:45,700
To ensure that astronauts
can keep breathing

554
00:24:45,700 --> 00:24:47,666
if such a thing happens again,

555
00:24:47,666 --> 00:24:52,033
NASA has an absorbent pad
and even a makeshift snorkel

556
00:24:52,033 --> 00:24:54,700
installed into each helmet.

557
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:01,533
♪ ♪

558
00:25:05,166 --> 00:25:07,333
The way water behaves in space

559
00:25:07,333 --> 00:25:11,200
is just one aspect
of microgravity,

560
00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:13,466
which is one-millionth
the gravitational pull

561
00:25:13,466 --> 00:25:15,500
experienced on Earth.

562
00:25:17,533 --> 00:25:21,600
And it's what helps keep
the space station in orbit.

563
00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,433
♪ ♪

564
00:25:25,566 --> 00:25:29,033
It's a challenge to live
and work in microgravity,

565
00:25:29,033 --> 00:25:32,033
but it also allows
for groundbreaking studies

566
00:25:32,033 --> 00:25:34,866
to be carried out on the I.S.S.

567
00:25:34,866 --> 00:25:40,200
♪ ♪

568
00:25:42,533 --> 00:25:45,433
Biomedical experiments in space

569
00:25:45,433 --> 00:25:47,366
reveal that in microgravity,

570
00:25:47,366 --> 00:25:52,533
protein crystals form more
uniformly, with fewer defects.

571
00:25:52,533 --> 00:25:54,166
JENNIFER BUCHLI:
They tend to be higher quality.

572
00:25:54,166 --> 00:25:56,900
They tend to be purer
and larger.

573
00:25:56,900 --> 00:25:58,700
And so, this has really been
a great application

574
00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:00,233
for the pharmaceutical industry.

575
00:26:01,833 --> 00:26:04,033
NARRATOR:
A team of Japanese researchers

576
00:26:04,033 --> 00:26:07,866
has taken advantage
of the I.S.S.'s Kibo laboratory

577
00:26:07,866 --> 00:26:10,500
to investigate proteins
associated

578
00:26:10,500 --> 00:26:12,766
with Duchenne's
Muscular Dystrophy...

579
00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:16,866
...a severe genetic disorder

580
00:26:16,866 --> 00:26:18,500
causing progressive
muscle weakness.

581
00:26:20,233 --> 00:26:22,566
BUCHLI:
That series of experiments
were really successful

582
00:26:22,566 --> 00:26:27,000
in finding some of the crystals
associated with those proteins

583
00:26:27,000 --> 00:26:28,866
that they weren't able
to do on the ground,

584
00:26:28,866 --> 00:26:30,300
and develop drugs
to target those.

585
00:26:31,533 --> 00:26:35,200
NARRATOR:
Other experiments focus
on the astronauts themselves

586
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:37,566
and the impact
the microgravity environment

587
00:26:37,566 --> 00:26:38,633
has on their bodies.

588
00:26:41,266 --> 00:26:43,533
A vital area of research

589
00:26:43,533 --> 00:26:47,066
if humanity is to venture
farther out into space.

590
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:50,900
And we give periodic samples
of blood

591
00:26:50,900 --> 00:26:53,433
and urine and saliva,
and, in some cases, number two

592
00:26:53,433 --> 00:26:56,966
to test all of the different
outcomes on the body.

593
00:26:59,066 --> 00:27:02,533
PARMITANO:
We are both the conductors
and the test subjects.

594
00:27:02,533 --> 00:27:04,700
We don't like the term
"guinea pigs"

595
00:27:04,700 --> 00:27:06,733
because, uh, because we're not,

596
00:27:06,733 --> 00:27:09,466
but we are subjects of the same,
of the same kind of experiments.

597
00:27:09,466 --> 00:27:12,133
♪ ♪

598
00:27:12,133 --> 00:27:15,066
In the end, we are interesting
in, what can we glean

599
00:27:15,066 --> 00:27:18,400
from performing science
on the human body in space

600
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,600
that we cannot on the ground?

601
00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,533
♪ ♪

602
00:27:23,533 --> 00:27:26,233
NARRATOR:
Every part of the space station
is crucial

603
00:27:26,233 --> 00:27:27,733
to conduct this science

604
00:27:27,733 --> 00:27:30,200
and maintain the lives
of its inhabitants.

605
00:27:31,666 --> 00:27:34,633
All the things we might take
for granted here on Earth--

606
00:27:34,633 --> 00:27:37,000
air, water, food--

607
00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,600
have to be designed, calculated,
and engineered

608
00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,300
to work properly
in microgravity.

609
00:27:43,300 --> 00:27:46,433
Even using the toilet.

610
00:27:46,433 --> 00:27:48,133
CASSIDY:
Close the lid.

611
00:27:48,133 --> 00:27:49,566
CASSIDY (voiceover):
You gotta be able to use
all of your facilities,

612
00:27:49,566 --> 00:27:51,366
whether it's the bathroom

613
00:27:51,366 --> 00:27:54,066
or the air conditioning
or the water processor.

614
00:27:54,066 --> 00:27:55,866
All of those systems
are there for a reason,

615
00:27:55,866 --> 00:27:56,966
because you need them.

616
00:27:56,966 --> 00:27:59,233
Let's take a peek
at the process.

617
00:28:00,666 --> 00:28:03,466
NARRATOR:
With so little gravity,
space toilets use air flow

618
00:28:03,466 --> 00:28:06,966
to pull urine and feces
away from the body

619
00:28:06,966 --> 00:28:09,500
and into the proper receptacles.

620
00:28:09,500 --> 00:28:12,766
And this valve is what activates

621
00:28:12,766 --> 00:28:14,533
 
the whole system.

622
00:28:14,533 --> 00:28:16,500
(voiceover):
Going number one,

623
00:28:16,500 --> 00:28:17,666
you feel pretty confident
with that.

624
00:28:17,666 --> 00:28:19,033
You're effectively
just turning on a fan,

625
00:28:19,033 --> 00:28:21,500
opening a valve,
and, and peeing.

626
00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:24,066
In good NASA fashion,
we have a checklist.

627
00:28:24,066 --> 00:28:27,366
This is called procedure 2.301,

628
00:28:27,366 --> 00:28:30,066
and in case things go wrong...

629
00:28:30,066 --> 00:28:32,600
Going number two
is a little bit more...

630
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:36,033
Yeah, you, you really
reread every little line.

631
00:28:36,033 --> 00:28:41,766
There's a plastic liner in
there, where your deposit goes.

632
00:28:41,766 --> 00:28:43,566
If you make the mess,
you got to clean up the mess.

633
00:28:43,566 --> 00:28:44,833
So you don't want to be
that one.

634
00:28:44,833 --> 00:28:49,366
You take this red tab,
you pull it off the rim,

635
00:28:49,366 --> 00:28:54,300
and we do have a, a stick,
and you push it down in there.

636
00:28:54,300 --> 00:28:56,600
And then it's time
to put a new bag on.

637
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:58,366
Ready to go.

638
00:28:58,366 --> 00:28:59,700
(toilet flushing)

639
00:29:01,233 --> 00:29:02,866
NARRATOR:
But the toilets are vital

640
00:29:02,866 --> 00:29:06,700
to the International Space
Station in more ways than one.

641
00:29:06,700 --> 00:29:08,566
CASSIDY (voiceover):
Water is life.

642
00:29:08,566 --> 00:29:10,433
Water is life on Earth.

643
00:29:10,433 --> 00:29:12,700
Water is life on
the International Space Station.

644
00:29:12,700 --> 00:29:14,466
Every drop of water,

645
00:29:14,466 --> 00:29:17,200
whether it's your urination,

646
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,233
whether it's your sweaty
T-shirt from exercise,

647
00:29:20,233 --> 00:29:22,433
the moisture in our breath
as we exhale,

648
00:29:22,433 --> 00:29:24,166
all of that moisture
gets captured

649
00:29:24,166 --> 00:29:26,200
by the Environmental Control
System

650
00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:30,266
and put back
into the water processor.

651
00:29:30,266 --> 00:29:33,766
NARRATOR:
This fundamental part
of the space station's

652
00:29:33,766 --> 00:29:36,333
Environmental Control
and Life Support System

653
00:29:36,333 --> 00:29:40,766
allows the I.S.S.
to recycle 98% of the water

654
00:29:40,766 --> 00:29:43,866
that a crew brings along
at the start of a mission.

655
00:29:45,266 --> 00:29:47,700
CASSIDY:
Every now and then, as
you're filling your coffee bag,

656
00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:51,333
you think, "Wait a minute,

657
00:29:51,333 --> 00:29:54,366
this was yesterday's coffee,
and it's also today's coffee,"

658
00:29:54,366 --> 00:29:56,366
but the, the system works
really well,

659
00:29:56,366 --> 00:29:58,800
and you get alarms long before

660
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:00,300
it, it is anything
but pure water.

661
00:30:01,866 --> 00:30:03,966
NARRATOR: While the systems
on board are designed

662
00:30:03,966 --> 00:30:05,766
to keep the crew alive,

663
00:30:05,766 --> 00:30:07,966
it is the responsibility
of the crew

664
00:30:07,966 --> 00:30:11,200
to maintain
the space station itself,

665
00:30:11,200 --> 00:30:15,000
a fundamentally
symbiotic relationship.

666
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,033
Neither could survive
for long periods in space

667
00:30:18,033 --> 00:30:19,900
without the other.

668
00:30:22,033 --> 00:30:23,466
The I.S.S.

669
00:30:23,466 --> 00:30:27,266
is the largest human-made
structure in orbit ever built,

670
00:30:27,266 --> 00:30:31,433
with a surface area
of well over 100,000 square feet

671
00:30:31,433 --> 00:30:34,400
exposed to the hostile
environment of space.

672
00:30:37,633 --> 00:30:40,400
One of the dangers in space
that's outside the vehicle

673
00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:42,233
are what we call
micrometeoroids.

674
00:30:43,866 --> 00:30:46,533
So those can come
from a number of sources.

675
00:30:47,933 --> 00:30:50,466
LAWRENCE:
Bits of cosmic dust

676
00:30:50,466 --> 00:30:53,866
traveling at a tremendously
high speed

677
00:30:53,866 --> 00:30:57,433
can hit the shell of your module
and put a hole in it.

678
00:30:57,433 --> 00:31:01,566
♪ ♪

679
00:31:01,566 --> 00:31:03,833
NARRATOR:
Impact tests conducted
on the ground

680
00:31:03,833 --> 00:31:07,833
reveal the destructive force
of high-velocity particles,

681
00:31:07,833 --> 00:31:10,900
some no larger
than a grain of sand.

682
00:31:13,233 --> 00:31:15,133
Incoming particles
can reach speeds

683
00:31:15,133 --> 00:31:18,833
of up to 162,000 miles per hour,

684
00:31:18,833 --> 00:31:22,033
up to 50 times faster
than a speeding bullet.

685
00:31:24,233 --> 00:31:25,600
The I.S.S. has survived

686
00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:28,766
several direct hits
to its solar panels

687
00:31:28,766 --> 00:31:30,633
and to the Canadarm2.

688
00:31:33,133 --> 00:31:35,666
MICHAEL LÓPEZ-ALEGRÍA:
The smaller pieces
cause problems

689
00:31:35,666 --> 00:31:37,600
because they're going very fast.

690
00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:41,333
So you multiply a very
small number, which is the mass,

691
00:31:41,333 --> 00:31:44,366
times a very big number,
which is the velocity,

692
00:31:44,366 --> 00:31:45,966
that's where
you get the problem.

693
00:31:48,566 --> 00:31:51,900
NARRATOR:
The result is that even
the tiniest particles can pack

694
00:31:51,900 --> 00:31:53,633
a huge punch.

695
00:31:54,933 --> 00:31:57,300
To defend the space station,

696
00:31:57,300 --> 00:32:01,433
more than 100 shields protect
the critical components.

697
00:32:01,433 --> 00:32:04,333
A common kind
is a stuffed Whipple shield...

698
00:32:05,533 --> 00:32:08,700
...a multi-layered system of
metal and synthetic materials,

699
00:32:08,700 --> 00:32:10,800
which can break up
smaller meteoroids,

700
00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,100
dispersing their energy.

701
00:32:17,566 --> 00:32:20,166
KWATSI ALIBARUHO:
Russian modules tend to have

702
00:32:20,166 --> 00:32:24,266
thicker ribs and thinner skin.

703
00:32:24,266 --> 00:32:26,366
So from a probabilistic
perspective,

704
00:32:26,366 --> 00:32:29,200
the Russian modules are much
more susceptible

705
00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:31,933
 
to small micrometeoroid
penetrations.

706
00:32:33,166 --> 00:32:35,966
On the flip side,
the U.S. modules have

707
00:32:35,966 --> 00:32:37,866
very, very thick skin.

708
00:32:37,866 --> 00:32:40,500
So smaller micrometeoroids

709
00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:42,600
are not likely
to penetrate the U.S. module.

710
00:32:44,300 --> 00:32:47,566
NARRATOR:
But micrometeoroids
aren't the only threat.

711
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:50,833
LÓPEZ-ALEGRÍA:
Increasingly,

712
00:32:50,833 --> 00:32:53,866
it's orbital debris that comes
from something human-made.

713
00:32:53,866 --> 00:32:57,400
So a screw, a paint fleck,
a rocket body--

714
00:32:57,400 --> 00:32:58,866
I mean, it could be anything,
right?

715
00:33:00,666 --> 00:33:02,866
LAWRENCE:
There are so many more objects
in space.

716
00:33:02,866 --> 00:33:06,133
There may be bits
of derelict satellites

717
00:33:06,133 --> 00:33:07,400
that approach your orbit.

718
00:33:09,133 --> 00:33:12,666
NARRATOR:
With low Earth orbit becoming
more crowded by the day,

719
00:33:12,666 --> 00:33:16,966
the probability of catastrophic
collision increases.

720
00:33:16,966 --> 00:33:19,033
CHARI:
The good thing
about low Earth orbit is,

721
00:33:19,033 --> 00:33:20,300
we've seen this huge boom

722
00:33:20,300 --> 00:33:22,666
of private companies
and commercialization,

723
00:33:22,666 --> 00:33:24,633
and it's everywhere.

724
00:33:24,633 --> 00:33:25,900
Now, the bad thing is,

725
00:33:25,900 --> 00:33:27,900
there's lots of old pieces
of stuff out there,

726
00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:29,500
whether it's
spent launch vehicles,

727
00:33:29,500 --> 00:33:30,900
whether it's dead satellites.

728
00:33:32,666 --> 00:33:36,500
NARRATOR:
Protecting the I.S.S.
now poses a unique challenge.

729
00:33:38,066 --> 00:33:41,866
Today, more than 15,000 pieces
of space debris

730
00:33:41,866 --> 00:33:46,000
are tracked in low Earth orbit,
where the I.S.S. resides,

731
00:33:46,000 --> 00:33:49,666
including fragments
of used rockets

732
00:33:49,666 --> 00:33:52,600
and decommissioned satellites

733
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:54,900
that, with no way to regulate
their temperature,

734
00:33:54,900 --> 00:33:57,466
repeatedly expand and contract,

735
00:33:57,466 --> 00:34:02,133
until they break up
or sometimes even explode.

736
00:34:02,133 --> 00:34:06,100
And these are just the objects
we are able to track,

737
00:34:06,100 --> 00:34:08,400
those larger than four inches.

738
00:34:09,966 --> 00:34:12,366
Add in smaller fragments,

739
00:34:12,366 --> 00:34:14,266
and the total number
of debris particles

740
00:34:14,266 --> 00:34:16,766
is estimated to be
in the millions.

741
00:34:18,900 --> 00:34:21,866
Each fragment can go on
to hit more objects,

742
00:34:21,866 --> 00:34:26,966
creating exponentially more
fragments and more collisions.

743
00:34:28,966 --> 00:34:31,600
A potential nightmare
for Mission Control.

744
00:34:35,666 --> 00:34:38,300
The bigger pieces
we track pretty well.

745
00:34:38,300 --> 00:34:41,533
And we do debris avoidance
maneuvers sometimes,

746
00:34:41,533 --> 00:34:43,400
because we know that there
is a potential collision.

747
00:34:45,766 --> 00:34:50,133
NARRATOR:
In 2021, Russia launched
an anti-satellite missile,

748
00:34:50,133 --> 00:34:54,100
deliberately destroying one
of its own defunct satellites.

749
00:34:54,100 --> 00:34:58,300
The impact created a massive
cloud of high-velocity debris

750
00:34:58,300 --> 00:35:01,633
hurtling
through low Earth orbit.

751
00:35:02,866 --> 00:35:05,833
Although the initial pass
missed the station,

752
00:35:05,833 --> 00:35:08,666
the danger was far from over.

753
00:35:10,333 --> 00:35:12,200
Subsequent orbits
of the wreckage

754
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,466
required Mission Control
to carry out avoidance maneuvers

755
00:35:15,466 --> 00:35:18,600
to keep the I.S.S.
out of harm's way.

756
00:35:20,866 --> 00:35:23,866
 
But rogue impactors
aren't always the problem.

757
00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:28,433
Every maneuver, every docking,

758
00:35:28,433 --> 00:35:30,766
is painstakingly planned
and monitored

759
00:35:30,766 --> 00:35:32,900
by the folks at Mission Control.

760
00:35:36,233 --> 00:35:38,900
And during these tightly
coordinated movements

761
00:35:38,900 --> 00:35:40,100
of the space station,

762
00:35:40,100 --> 00:35:44,633
controllers must be ready
for the unexpected.

763
00:35:44,633 --> 00:35:48,000
TRANSLATOR (over radio):
The range is three meters.

764
00:35:48,000 --> 00:35:49,566
(man speaking Russian)

765
00:35:49,566 --> 00:35:51,133
TRANSLATOR:
Range...

766
00:35:51,133 --> 00:35:52,300
(man speaking Russian)

767
00:35:52,300 --> 00:35:53,733
TRANSLATOR:
...is 0.1.

768
00:35:53,733 --> 00:35:55,866
We're standing by for contact.

769
00:35:55,866 --> 00:35:58,566
NARRATOR: July 29, 2021.

770
00:36:00,233 --> 00:36:02,166
After years of delays,

771
00:36:02,166 --> 00:36:04,866
the uncrewed multi-purpose
laboratory module,

772
00:36:04,866 --> 00:36:07,433
or MLM, Nauka

773
00:36:07,433 --> 00:36:10,100
docks with
the International Space Station.

774
00:36:11,666 --> 00:36:14,833
It marks the first major
expansion to the Russian segment

775
00:36:14,833 --> 00:36:16,566
in over ten years.

776
00:36:18,066 --> 00:36:21,300
Once docking to the Zvezda
Service Module is complete,

777
00:36:21,300 --> 00:36:24,400
at Mission Control in Houston,

778
00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:27,166
Zebulon Scoville takes
over flight director duties.

779
00:36:28,166 --> 00:36:30,900
SCOVILLE:
I did a quick handover
and plugged in,

780
00:36:30,900 --> 00:36:32,500
thinking that we were
just going to be

781
00:36:32,500 --> 00:36:34,000
doing some minor
reconfigurations

782
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,600
and stabilizations of
opening hatches,

783
00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:38,833
equalizing the atmospheres,
and so forth.

784
00:36:41,733 --> 00:36:43,400
It didn't quite go that way.

785
00:36:45,500 --> 00:36:49,300
About one-and-a-half minutes
after plugging in my headset,

786
00:36:49,300 --> 00:36:53,333
a small yellow stripe lit up
across the caution warning board

787
00:36:53,333 --> 00:36:54,566
in the front of Mission Control.

788
00:36:56,100 --> 00:36:57,833
My attitude control officer

789
00:36:57,833 --> 00:37:01,166
notifies me that we have
a loss of attitude control,

790
00:37:01,166 --> 00:37:03,600
or LOAC.

791
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:05,133
NARRATOR:
For reasons unknown,

792
00:37:05,133 --> 00:37:08,633
the I.S.S. has begun
to spin out of control.

793
00:37:09,900 --> 00:37:11,700
SCOVILLE:
We saw on the front screens,

794
00:37:11,700 --> 00:37:14,266
the video cameras coming
from I.S.S.,

795
00:37:14,266 --> 00:37:16,300
almost a snowstorm of particles

796
00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:18,666
around the outside of the I.S.S.

797
00:37:18,666 --> 00:37:21,566
And it wasn't entirely clear
what the source of this was.

798
00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:24,633
This could be

799
00:37:24,633 --> 00:37:26,400
a coolant fluid that had vented,

800
00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:28,766
it could be a fuel or propellant
that was leaking overboard,

801
00:37:28,766 --> 00:37:30,900
or it could be thrusters firing.

802
00:37:30,900 --> 00:37:32,833
The fact of the matter is,
we didn't know.

803
00:37:32,833 --> 00:37:35,533
And so this is where we had to
very quickly try to understand,

804
00:37:35,533 --> 00:37:37,633
what is this venting overboard?

805
00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:40,400
What is it doing to I.S.S.?

806
00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:43,333
How will we, first, make sure
this crew is going to be safe

807
00:37:43,333 --> 00:37:45,866
and, second,
get the vehicle under control?

808
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:48,200
MAN (over radio):
Station, Houston on 2.

809
00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:50,466
We need you in
two decimal seven zero two.

810
00:37:50,466 --> 00:37:51,933
This is an actual.

811
00:37:53,466 --> 00:37:57,300
NARRATOR:
French astronaut Thomas Pesquet
and his six crewmates

812
00:37:57,300 --> 00:37:59,800
are onboard at the time.

813
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:01,000
(speaking French)

814
00:38:01,000 --> 00:38:03,333
(translated):
"This is not training."

815
00:38:03,333 --> 00:38:06,133
That's the message
we don't really want to hear

816
00:38:06,133 --> 00:38:08,333
during a six-month mission.

817
00:38:08,333 --> 00:38:12,033
♪ ♪

818
00:38:12,033 --> 00:38:14,466
SCOVILLE:
If a space station spins
too fast,

819
00:38:14,466 --> 00:38:16,700
this could introduce
several potential hazards.

820
00:38:18,266 --> 00:38:20,600
If it were to flip upside down,

821
00:38:20,600 --> 00:38:22,933
now our antennas,
which are normally pointing

822
00:38:22,933 --> 00:38:24,666
towards our communication
satellites,

823
00:38:24,666 --> 00:38:26,333
are no longer pointing up.

824
00:38:26,333 --> 00:38:29,533
So we risk losing communication
with the space station.

825
00:38:30,533 --> 00:38:32,700
 
PESQUET (translated):
We have solar panels that are

826
00:38:32,700 --> 00:38:36,100
35 meters across and 70 meters
long and very, very fragile.

827
00:38:37,366 --> 00:38:39,533
The acceleration
of rotating them

828
00:38:39,533 --> 00:38:40,800
will generate centrifugal force,

829
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,033
and that can tear everything
apart.

830
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:47,100
SCOVILLE:
We have docking mechanisms

831
00:38:47,100 --> 00:38:49,400
with the crew vehicles
that are used as lifeboats.

832
00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:50,633
If we spin too fast,

833
00:38:50,633 --> 00:38:52,800
if we had to undock
in an emergency,

834
00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:54,266
those hooks might jam.

835
00:38:56,100 --> 00:38:58,733
PESQUET (translated):
It's really very, very
dangerous.

836
00:38:58,733 --> 00:39:00,866
A space station is very fragile.

837
00:39:00,866 --> 00:39:03,766
It doesn't even have
to carry its weight.

838
00:39:05,233 --> 00:39:08,666
NARRATOR:
The advantage of building a
station in the vacuum of space

839
00:39:08,666 --> 00:39:12,166
is that you don't have to fight
things like wind and gravity,

840
00:39:12,166 --> 00:39:14,633
so the structure
can be less sturdy.

841
00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:19,200
The problem is,
any unexpected twisting

842
00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:21,966
could break it into pieces.

843
00:39:24,766 --> 00:39:27,533
Ground Control desperately
needs to understand

844
00:39:27,533 --> 00:39:30,633
what is causing the I.S.S.
to turn.

845
00:39:30,633 --> 00:39:33,100
SCOVILLE:
So one of my first questions

846
00:39:33,100 --> 00:39:35,133
was to my life support officer.

847
00:39:35,133 --> 00:39:37,200
(over radio): Are we maintaining
cabin atmosphere?

848
00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:38,800
 
Cabin atmosphere
is stable flight.

849
00:39:40,966 --> 00:39:43,266
Okay, what about
cooling systems?

850
00:39:43,266 --> 00:39:45,533
 
Thermal systems are stable
flight-- we're looking good.

851
00:39:47,133 --> 00:39:48,800
NARRATOR:
The team ticks off a checklist

852
00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:51,366
of possible causes...

853
00:39:51,366 --> 00:39:53,666
(man speaking on radio)

854
00:39:53,666 --> 00:39:56,966
...until a plausible
suspect emerges.

855
00:39:56,966 --> 00:39:59,866
SCOVILLE: One of the main and
most likely candidates was

856
00:39:59,866 --> 00:40:02,300
that the Nauka module
was firing thrusters.

857
00:40:04,766 --> 00:40:07,200
NARRATOR:
A software error on the Nauka

858
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:09,100
means that it doesn't recognize

859
00:40:09,100 --> 00:40:12,633
it has successfully connected
to the I.S.S.

860
00:40:12,633 --> 00:40:14,900
(translated):
And so it will try

861
00:40:14,900 --> 00:40:16,866
to establish its orientation,
to move,

862
00:40:16,866 --> 00:40:20,133
to capture the sun,
to recharge its solar panels.

863
00:40:20,133 --> 00:40:23,700
The problem is, it starts to
take the whole station with it.

864
00:40:25,666 --> 00:40:28,100
NARRATOR:
Nauka's thrusters start firing,

865
00:40:28,100 --> 00:40:30,333
trying to pull away
from the space station

866
00:40:30,333 --> 00:40:32,833
it is now securely docked to.

867
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:35,633
MAN (over radio):
Station, Houston on 2.

868
00:40:35,633 --> 00:40:40,433
We are out of attitude by at
least 45 degrees and increasing.

869
00:40:43,400 --> 00:40:46,600
NARRATOR:
Four huge gyroscopes
on board the I.S.S.

870
00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:48,666
keep the station in position.

871
00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:53,700
As the Russian thrusters fight
with the space station's gyros,

872
00:40:53,700 --> 00:40:57,133
there's concern that the joints
of the aging ship

873
00:40:57,133 --> 00:40:58,933
can't take the strain.

874
00:41:00,966 --> 00:41:02,466
So the decision is made

875
00:41:02,466 --> 00:41:05,400
to shut the gyros down...
(alarm beeping)

876
00:41:05,400 --> 00:41:07,900
...reducing the stress
on the attachment points

877
00:41:07,900 --> 00:41:10,266
that connect
the station's modules together.

878
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:15,966
The I.S.S. is now in free drift.

879
00:41:17,500 --> 00:41:19,500
And there's
an added complication.

880
00:41:19,500 --> 00:41:20,966
SCOVILLE:
Unfortunately,

881
00:41:20,966 --> 00:41:23,000
 
the Nauka module could only
communicate with the ground

882
00:41:23,000 --> 00:41:25,500
if the station was physically
over the Russian ground sites.

883
00:41:25,500 --> 00:41:28,133
As it was,
we were just heading off

884
00:41:28,133 --> 00:41:30,800
of the eastern coast of Russia
over the Pacific.

885
00:41:32,266 --> 00:41:34,766
And so we had no insight,
no telemetry, no data,

886
00:41:34,766 --> 00:41:37,033
and no ability to command it
or turn it off.

887
00:41:39,033 --> 00:41:41,300
We weren't going to get that
back for about 90 minutes.

888
00:41:42,566 --> 00:41:46,066
NARRATOR:
In Houston,
flight controllers listen

889
00:41:46,066 --> 00:41:49,300
to real-time translations
of the communications

890
00:41:49,300 --> 00:41:51,000
between Moscow's Mission Control

891
00:41:51,000 --> 00:41:53,100
and the cosmonauts
on board the station.

892
00:41:53,100 --> 00:41:54,700
(people speaking Russian
over radio)

893
00:41:54,700 --> 00:41:57,233
TRANSLATOR:
Oleg, please,

894
00:41:57,233 --> 00:42:00,900
can, can you confirm or not

895
00:42:00,900 --> 00:42:04,733
whether MLM thrusters
are still firing?

896
00:42:04,733 --> 00:42:05,733
Do you see,

897
00:42:05,733 --> 00:42:07,433
do you hear anything?

898
00:42:07,433 --> 00:42:09,800
(people speaking Russian)

899
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:13,066
TRANSLATOR: I can confirm that
the thrusters are still firing.

900
00:42:13,066 --> 00:42:15,200
They have just fired,
and we could feel it.

901
00:42:16,233 --> 00:42:19,500
(translated):
At the time, I don't know
if we fully realized

902
00:42:19,500 --> 00:42:21,833
the seriousness
of the situation.

903
00:42:21,833 --> 00:42:23,700
♪ ♪

904
00:42:23,700 --> 00:42:25,133
SCOVILLE:
We've got one-and-a-half hours

905
00:42:25,133 --> 00:42:27,600
to ride this thing out

906
00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:30,333
before we're going to be able to
completely stabilize the system.

907
00:42:33,400 --> 00:42:35,800
At this point,
in order to assure

908
00:42:35,800 --> 00:42:37,333
we had every advantage we could,

909
00:42:37,333 --> 00:42:38,800
I declared a spacecraft
emergency.

910
00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:41,333
NARRATOR:
A spacecraft emergency

911
00:42:41,333 --> 00:42:45,000
ensures that all attention
is focused

912
00:42:45,000 --> 00:42:46,700
on the operation at hand.

913
00:42:46,700 --> 00:42:50,400
♪ ♪

914
00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:54,300
All available ground antennas
across the U.S.

915
00:42:54,300 --> 00:42:56,700
now attempt to make contact
with the I.S.S.

916
00:42:58,566 --> 00:43:00,866
TRANSLATOR (over radio):
Oleg, we did not copy your last.

917
00:43:00,866 --> 00:43:03,133
Could you repeat your last?

918
00:43:03,133 --> 00:43:04,666
NARRATOR:
But still,

919
00:43:04,666 --> 00:43:06,700
the connection
between the ground and space

920
00:43:06,700 --> 00:43:08,866
is patchy and unpredictable.

921
00:43:08,866 --> 00:43:12,233
(people speaking on radio)

922
00:43:12,233 --> 00:43:15,400
And, with the whole I.S.S.
structure now turning away

923
00:43:15,400 --> 00:43:17,366
from its communications
satellites...

924
00:43:17,366 --> 00:43:18,833
(people speaking on radio)

925
00:43:18,833 --> 00:43:22,300
...U.S. operations are about
to lose contact with the crew.

926
00:43:22,300 --> 00:43:24,000
(alarm beeping)

927
00:43:24,000 --> 00:43:25,633
SCOVILLE:
We were tracking
the space station spin,

928
00:43:25,633 --> 00:43:28,266
and we could predict
we had minutes

929
00:43:28,266 --> 00:43:31,033
to communicate several steps
of procedure to the crew

930
00:43:31,033 --> 00:43:33,766
before we were going
to run out of time.

931
00:43:35,433 --> 00:43:36,900
PESQUET (translated):
Step number one,

932
00:43:36,900 --> 00:43:39,833
make sure to secure everything
that is outside the station

933
00:43:39,833 --> 00:43:41,533
that can move, that can rotate.

934
00:43:41,533 --> 00:43:42,966
(man speaking on radio)

935
00:43:42,966 --> 00:43:44,366
NARRATOR:
The crew are instructed

936
00:43:44,366 --> 00:43:46,666
to lock the station's radiators,

937
00:43:46,666 --> 00:43:49,366
which are at risk
of shearing off,

938
00:43:49,366 --> 00:43:52,166
while the solar panels
are repositioned.

939
00:43:52,166 --> 00:43:55,633
♪ ♪

940
00:43:59,833 --> 00:44:02,233
Meanwhile, at Mission Control,

941
00:44:02,233 --> 00:44:04,900
the team formulates a plan

942
00:44:04,900 --> 00:44:07,733
to fight back
against Nauka's thrusters.

943
00:44:07,733 --> 00:44:10,000
MAN (over radio): We want you
to run the procedure...

944
00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,100
♪ ♪

945
00:44:12,100 --> 00:44:14,900
SCOVILLE: We knew, as the Nauka
module's thrusters were firing,

946
00:44:14,900 --> 00:44:16,400
that we had to bring

947
00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:19,166
a bigger lever arm,
a more powerful force,

948
00:44:19,166 --> 00:44:21,233
to bear against these thrusters.

949
00:44:24,700 --> 00:44:26,633
NARRATOR:
For that extra muscle,

950
00:44:26,633 --> 00:44:29,833
Ground Control turns
to the Zvezda Service Module,

951
00:44:29,833 --> 00:44:34,033
primary source for the I.S.S.'s
propulsion systems.

952
00:44:38,166 --> 00:44:41,866
At this time, a cargo ship,
Progress 78,

953
00:44:41,866 --> 00:44:44,066
is also docked to the station,

954
00:44:44,066 --> 00:44:47,066
on the opposite side
to the misfiring Nauka.

955
00:44:50,266 --> 00:44:55,733
Crucially, both Progress 78
and the Zvezda have thrusters.

956
00:44:58,266 --> 00:44:59,300
SCOVILLE:
Now, typically,

957
00:44:59,300 --> 00:45:01,800
there will be days of analysis.

958
00:45:02,866 --> 00:45:04,800
In this specific case,
this was unexpected,

959
00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:06,300
and so there was a little bit
of engineering judgment

960
00:45:06,300 --> 00:45:08,266
that had to be applied,

961
00:45:08,266 --> 00:45:10,700
recognizing that the alternative
and indecision

962
00:45:10,700 --> 00:45:11,900
would have been worse.

963
00:45:14,233 --> 00:45:17,633
NARRATOR: Mission Control
makes the decision to fire up

964
00:45:17,633 --> 00:45:20,833
the Zvezda and Progress 78
thrusters

965
00:45:20,833 --> 00:45:23,866
to set up an orbital wrestling
match with the Nauka

966
00:45:23,866 --> 00:45:25,866
that they have to win.

967
00:45:25,866 --> 00:45:29,166
♪ ♪

968
00:45:29,166 --> 00:45:31,366
MAN (over radio): Hey, Aki,
just to update you guys,

969
00:45:31,366 --> 00:45:33,200
so right now we're
in a little bit of a tug-of-war

970
00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:36,833
between thrusters firing
from both the SM and the MLM.

971
00:45:36,833 --> 00:45:39,166
And we're sorting through
the best course of action,

972
00:45:39,166 --> 00:45:40,833
uh, right now.

973
00:45:40,833 --> 00:45:43,433
At this point, we have
no further actions for you.

974
00:45:43,433 --> 00:45:46,333
NARRATOR:
For nearly 45 minutes,

975
00:45:46,333 --> 00:45:49,866
the I.S.S. drifts
out of control.

976
00:45:49,866 --> 00:45:54,200
A combined effort of the
Zvezda and Progress 78 modules

977
00:45:54,200 --> 00:45:57,133
pushes back against Nauka.

978
00:45:57,133 --> 00:46:00,500
It's putting huge strain on
the space station's structure.

979
00:46:00,500 --> 00:46:04,033
SCOVILLE: This was like
riding a bucking bronco

980
00:46:04,033 --> 00:46:05,266
 
and we've got to make it
the full eight seconds,

981
00:46:05,266 --> 00:46:06,366
except this time,

982
00:46:06,366 --> 00:46:07,866
it was in orbit
around the entire Earth.

983
00:46:07,866 --> 00:46:11,133
♪ ♪

984
00:46:11,133 --> 00:46:14,766
NARRATOR:
It will be another 45 minutes
before Russian controllers

985
00:46:14,766 --> 00:46:17,733
can regain command
of Nauka's thrusters.

986
00:46:17,733 --> 00:46:22,466
♪ ♪

987
00:46:23,633 --> 00:46:26,200
But then, all of a sudden...

988
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:28,933
♪ ♪

989
00:46:28,933 --> 00:46:31,233
MAN (over radio):
Aki, uh, we can report

990
00:46:31,233 --> 00:46:33,400
that the MLM thrusters
are no longer firing.

991
00:46:33,400 --> 00:46:35,200
We are back in attitude control.

992
00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:36,500
Rates are stable.

993
00:46:36,500 --> 00:46:38,133
AKIHIKO HOSHIDE: Okay, copy.

994
00:46:39,366 --> 00:46:42,200
NARRATOR:
Nauka's thrusters fall silent.

995
00:46:43,900 --> 00:46:46,233
Its fuel tanks have run dry.

996
00:46:47,366 --> 00:46:50,033
The tug-of-war is over.

997
00:46:50,033 --> 00:46:51,900
♪ ♪

998
00:46:51,900 --> 00:46:55,000
SCOVILLE:
As we brought the space station
back to normal attitude,

999
00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:57,266
I think we all took
a, a deep sigh of relief.

1000
00:46:59,100 --> 00:47:04,133
NARRATOR:
After rotating one-and-a-half
times, around 540 degrees,

1001
00:47:04,133 --> 00:47:09,266
mission controllers can finally
bring the station to a halt

1002
00:47:09,266 --> 00:47:12,666
and begin a controlled return
to its correct attitude.

1003
00:47:15,700 --> 00:47:19,300
SCOVILLE:
The team that I had working
in the control center that day

1004
00:47:19,300 --> 00:47:22,833
was an example of performance

1005
00:47:22,833 --> 00:47:25,300
that to this day
I will always remember.

1006
00:47:27,966 --> 00:47:30,533
Not because
we did everything perfect,

1007
00:47:30,533 --> 00:47:32,333
but because
of how we came together.

1008
00:47:32,333 --> 00:47:35,833
♪ ♪

1009
00:47:39,333 --> 00:47:42,733
NARRATOR:
Since its launch in 1998,

1010
00:47:42,733 --> 00:47:46,866
the I.S.S. has been humanity's
laboratory in the sky.

1011
00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:50,466
BUCHLI:
Over the past 25 years,

1012
00:47:50,466 --> 00:47:54,033
we have served
over 5,000 researchers

1013
00:47:54,033 --> 00:47:56,533
on the International Space
Station,

1014
00:47:56,533 --> 00:47:59,233
conducted over 4,000
different experiments...

1015
00:48:01,300 --> 00:48:04,433
...and published
right around 4,000 papers.

1016
00:48:06,866 --> 00:48:09,566
ALIBARUHO:
The fact that we've learned
so much,

1017
00:48:09,566 --> 00:48:12,333
not just about technology,
but about ourselves,

1018
00:48:12,333 --> 00:48:15,000
as a result of the I.S.S.,

1019
00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,166
that's a legacy that's not
to be denied

1020
00:48:17,166 --> 00:48:19,033
or discounted in any way.

1021
00:48:19,033 --> 00:48:21,366
♪ ♪

1022
00:48:21,366 --> 00:48:24,000
NARRATOR:
For many, the value
of the I.S.S.

1023
00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:26,200
goes far beyond the physical.

1024
00:48:27,633 --> 00:48:28,900
It's about perspective,

1025
00:48:28,900 --> 00:48:30,900
hope,

1026
00:48:30,900 --> 00:48:34,633
and the shared pursuit
of something greater.

1027
00:48:34,633 --> 00:48:36,400
PARMITANO:
The space station

1028
00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:39,700
is not just a place
where we produce science,

1029
00:48:39,700 --> 00:48:41,566
but it's a place of emotions.

1030
00:48:41,566 --> 00:48:43,833
It is a place of humanity.

1031
00:48:45,066 --> 00:48:49,233
A place where we brought with us
our own dreams.

1032
00:48:49,233 --> 00:48:51,566
♪ ♪

1033
00:48:51,566 --> 00:48:54,166
PESQUET (translated):
It's absolutely phenomenal.

1034
00:48:54,166 --> 00:48:55,566
There is a technical feat,

1035
00:48:55,566 --> 00:48:58,166
but I think that the dream
and the conception of the world,

1036
00:48:58,166 --> 00:49:02,300
a bit of multilateralism
and scientific cooperation

1037
00:49:02,300 --> 00:49:03,966
between the countries behind it,

1038
00:49:03,966 --> 00:49:06,000
which for me,
are even more beautiful.

1039
00:49:07,666 --> 00:49:10,133
CHARI:
A quarter-century
of peaceful cooperation,

1040
00:49:10,133 --> 00:49:11,633
multiple countries,

1041
00:49:11,633 --> 00:49:14,133
multiple organizations,

1042
00:49:14,133 --> 00:49:16,133
all working with the focus of
trying to make humanity better,

1043
00:49:16,133 --> 00:49:19,400
to me, that seems like a pretty
powerful and lasting legacy.

1044
00:49:19,400 --> 00:49:21,866
♪ ♪

1045
00:49:21,866 --> 00:49:23,833
NARRATOR:
But with aging technology

1046
00:49:23,833 --> 00:49:27,666
and the advent of new,
more efficient space platforms,

1047
00:49:27,666 --> 00:49:31,266
the station's days are numbered.

1048
00:49:33,266 --> 00:49:35,266
SCOVILLE:
The I.S.S. was never meant

1049
00:49:35,266 --> 00:49:37,066
to be a permanent structure
in space.

1050
00:49:39,566 --> 00:49:41,633
NARRATOR:
The International Space Station

1051
00:49:41,633 --> 00:49:45,633
is scheduled to begin
its final chapter in 2030.

1052
00:49:45,633 --> 00:49:47,800
♪ ♪

1053
00:49:47,800 --> 00:49:50,966
SCOVILLE:
About a year and a half before
the space station deorbits,

1054
00:49:50,966 --> 00:49:53,333
we will launch a crew
that will stay there for a year.

1055
00:49:53,333 --> 00:49:54,800
They will be in charge

1056
00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:57,766
of getting the last bits of
science and engineering we can

1057
00:49:57,766 --> 00:49:59,400
out of this facility.

1058
00:49:59,400 --> 00:50:02,200
♪ ♪

1059
00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:04,666
About six months prior
to the deorbit process,

1060
00:50:04,666 --> 00:50:06,466
that crew will come home,

1061
00:50:06,466 --> 00:50:08,300
leaving the space station
uncrewed

1062
00:50:08,300 --> 00:50:10,200
as its altitude starts to lower.

1063
00:50:10,200 --> 00:50:15,466
♪ ♪

1064
00:50:15,466 --> 00:50:18,566
NARRATOR:
A deorbit vehicle will attach
to the I.S.S.

1065
00:50:18,566 --> 00:50:22,633
and gently guide the station
into a slow, deliberate descent,

1066
00:50:22,633 --> 00:50:26,233
where it will enter the thick
layers of Earth's atmosphere

1067
00:50:26,233 --> 00:50:30,700
at speeds
over 17,000 miles per hour.

1068
00:50:30,700 --> 00:50:33,333
♪ ♪

1069
00:50:33,333 --> 00:50:38,800
Experiencing temperatures close
to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

1070
00:50:38,800 --> 00:50:42,400
♪ ♪

1071
00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:44,633
SCOVILLE:
We know some of it will burn up,

1072
00:50:44,633 --> 00:50:46,633
but large pieces of it
will survive

1073
00:50:46,633 --> 00:50:48,366
through the atmospheric
re-entry,

1074
00:50:48,366 --> 00:50:50,666
and that's why we want
to make sure

1075
00:50:50,666 --> 00:50:52,433
that it's a controlled process,

1076
00:50:52,433 --> 00:50:54,433
so we safely hit
the Pacific Ocean.

1077
00:50:54,433 --> 00:50:57,766
♪ ♪

1078
00:50:57,766 --> 00:51:01,133
NARRATOR:
The I.S.S.'s
fiery disintegration

1079
00:51:01,133 --> 00:51:04,133
will be the final act
in its incredible journey.

1080
00:51:04,133 --> 00:51:10,866
♪ ♪

1081
00:51:10,866 --> 00:51:13,700
But the lessons we learn
from its time in space,

1082
00:51:13,700 --> 00:51:16,000
the technologies developed,

1083
00:51:16,000 --> 00:51:18,533
and the unity it represents

1084
00:51:18,533 --> 00:51:21,933
will echo
in future space exploration

1085
00:51:21,933 --> 00:51:25,600
for generations to come.

1086
00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:27,433
RENITA FINCKE:
The I.S.S. is not just

1087
00:51:27,433 --> 00:51:30,333
a international laboratory
that's orbiting in space.

1088
00:51:30,333 --> 00:51:33,166
It's much, much more than that.

1089
00:51:33,166 --> 00:51:35,466
♪ ♪

1090
00:51:35,466 --> 00:51:37,833
LAWRENCE:
No matter where we come from,

1091
00:51:37,833 --> 00:51:40,066
no matter the differences
in political systems

1092
00:51:40,066 --> 00:51:42,033
and the leaders that we have,

1093
00:51:42,033 --> 00:51:44,100
we really can work together.

1094
00:51:44,100 --> 00:51:45,633
We have that ability.

1095
00:51:45,633 --> 00:51:50,666
♪ ♪

1096
00:51:50,666 --> 00:51:52,366
CASSIDY:
It's just really fun to think

1097
00:51:52,366 --> 00:51:54,733
about the future
of space exploration

1098
00:51:54,733 --> 00:51:56,400
and to know that I was,
in a small way,

1099
00:51:56,400 --> 00:51:58,566
part of the International Space
Station's story.

1100
00:51:58,566 --> 00:52:01,700
♪ ♪

1101
00:52:06,133 --> 00:52:08,500
The International Space Station

1102
00:52:08,500 --> 00:52:12,400
is the crowning achievement
of human ingenuity so far.

1103
00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:18,366
(static hissing)

1104
00:52:18,366 --> 00:52:19,400
(device beeps)

1105
00:52:42,066 --> 00:52:44,933
♪ ♪

1106
00:52:45,866 --> 00:52:53,400
♪ ♪

1107
00:52:57,233 --> 00:53:04,833
♪ ♪

1108
00:53:08,666 --> 00:53:16,200
♪ ♪

1109
00:53:17,833 --> 00:53:25,366
♪ ♪

1110
00:53:27,000 --> 00:53:34,533
♪ ♪