1 00:00:01,902 --> 00:00:04,805 NARRATOR: In the mid-sixties a small group of NASA engineers 2 00:00:04,838 --> 00:00:07,874 start work on a radical idea. 3 00:00:07,908 --> 00:00:10,377 To establish a permanent human presence 4 00:00:10,410 --> 00:00:13,713 in the lethal environment of space. 5 00:00:13,747 --> 00:00:17,251 JIM: We were doing something that man had never done before. 6 00:00:17,284 --> 00:00:21,121 TOM: A facility that has to operate 24/7. 7 00:00:21,154 --> 00:00:24,157 NARRATOR: A dream that will become the most expensive structure 8 00:00:24,191 --> 00:00:27,961 ever built, costing 100 billion dollars. 9 00:00:27,995 --> 00:00:29,897 ASTRONAUTS: That’s a view you don’t see every day! 10 00:00:29,930 --> 00:00:34,101 NARRATOR: The International Space Station. 11 00:00:34,134 --> 00:00:35,569 But to achieve this goal, 12 00:00:35,602 --> 00:00:38,972 America must change the course of history. 13 00:00:39,006 --> 00:00:41,242 RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY: Houston, Flight (inaudible). 14 00:00:41,275 --> 00:00:43,677 NARRATOR: And work with a former enemy. 15 00:00:43,710 --> 00:00:46,079 TOM: The Russians were there with their space station 16 00:00:46,113 --> 00:00:48,048 and we were not. 17 00:00:48,081 --> 00:00:52,018 NARRATOR: Engineers must overcome seemingly impossible odds. 18 00:00:52,052 --> 00:00:53,320 ASTRONAUTS: Let go! Let go! 19 00:00:53,353 --> 00:00:57,891 GEORGE: It was very intense. Adrenaline was running very high. 20 00:00:57,925 --> 00:00:59,126 RICK: We had a spacecraft up there 21 00:00:59,159 --> 00:01:01,161 and we weren’t gonna give up on it. 22 00:01:01,194 --> 00:01:05,165 PAUL: It was a perfect example of ingenuity in the moment. 23 00:01:05,198 --> 00:01:08,001 NARRATOR: This is the story of the unsung heroes 24 00:01:08,035 --> 00:01:12,172 who built the International Space Station. 25 00:01:12,205 --> 00:01:21,915 [♪ theme music ♪] 26 00:01:21,949 --> 00:01:24,084 ♪ ♪ 27 00:01:24,117 --> 00:01:27,454 NARRATOR: August 2016. 28 00:01:27,487 --> 00:01:30,757 250 miles above the Earth NASA astronauts 29 00:01:30,791 --> 00:01:32,726 Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins 30 00:01:32,759 --> 00:01:35,562 are undertaking a critical spacewalk. 31 00:01:37,130 --> 00:01:38,565 ASTRONAUTS: Okay, I’m going to egress now 32 00:01:38,599 --> 00:01:41,769 and then mate these cables in the egress position. 33 00:01:41,802 --> 00:01:44,938 MISSION CONTROL: That sounds great Jeff, thanks. 34 00:01:44,972 --> 00:01:47,208 NARRATOR: They must fit a docking adapter 35 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,343 that will allow both manned and unmanned spacecraft 36 00:01:50,377 --> 00:01:51,678 from different countries 37 00:01:51,712 --> 00:01:54,481 to visit the International Space Station. 38 00:01:56,416 --> 00:01:57,817 ASTRONAUT: Cover’s loose. 39 00:01:57,851 --> 00:02:01,321 ASTRONAUT 2: Okay, I will meet you at the back. 40 00:02:01,355 --> 00:02:04,525 NARRATOR: It will be the latest addition to an outpost in space 41 00:02:04,558 --> 00:02:10,864 that has been permanently occupied for sixteen years. 42 00:02:10,897 --> 00:02:18,438 A 460-ton engineering marvel the size of a football field. 43 00:02:18,472 --> 00:02:24,044 Traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, it orbits the Earth 44 00:02:24,077 --> 00:02:28,248 every 90 minutes. 45 00:02:28,281 --> 00:02:32,385 CATHLEEN: Anyone here on Earth can look up at an appointed moment 46 00:02:32,419 --> 00:02:36,423 and see the International Space Station orbiting overhead, 47 00:02:36,456 --> 00:02:39,893 and that is a great testimony to the engineering prowess 48 00:02:39,926 --> 00:02:43,463 that went into it. 49 00:02:43,497 --> 00:02:51,305 NARRATOR: 217 astronauts from fifteen countries have lived on board, 50 00:02:51,338 --> 00:02:53,540 many of them gazing back at the Earth 51 00:02:53,573 --> 00:02:56,342 from the extraordinary glass cupola. 52 00:02:56,376 --> 00:03:01,414 ♪ ♪ 53 00:03:01,448 --> 00:03:04,584 ROD: I’m awed by the fact that we’ve had crews in orbit 54 00:03:04,618 --> 00:03:05,953 for all these years. 55 00:03:09,589 --> 00:03:11,324 ♪ ♪ 56 00:03:11,358 --> 00:03:16,964 NARRATOR: The term "space station" dates back to the 1920’s. 57 00:03:16,997 --> 00:03:21,034 But it’s Second World War rocket pioneer Wernher Von Braun 58 00:03:21,068 --> 00:03:27,942 who is among those imagining an orbiting space station. 59 00:03:27,974 --> 00:03:31,244 Von Braun heads up a group of German rocket engineers 60 00:03:31,278 --> 00:03:35,249 brought to the U.S. after World War II 61 00:03:35,282 --> 00:03:40,521 to work on America’s early space program. 62 00:03:40,554 --> 00:03:43,457 GEORGE: Dr. Von Braun had the vision and the dream 63 00:03:43,490 --> 00:03:48,762 even at the very earliest days of human space flight. 64 00:03:48,795 --> 00:03:51,865 NARRATOR: In 1952 he declares: 65 00:03:51,898 --> 00:03:54,834 GERMAN VOICE: Development of the space station is as inevitable 66 00:03:54,868 --> 00:03:57,804 as the rising sun. 67 00:03:57,838 --> 00:04:02,476 NARRATOR: Von Braun envisages a huge 250-foot-wide wheel, 68 00:04:02,509 --> 00:04:07,981 rotating slowly as it orbits the earth. 69 00:04:08,014 --> 00:04:11,684 ♪ ♪ 70 00:04:11,718 --> 00:04:14,254 It’s a vision that would be borrowed by movie maker 71 00:04:14,287 --> 00:04:20,093 Stanley Kubrick for his sci-fi . 72 00:04:25,165 --> 00:04:28,335 ♪ ♪ 73 00:04:28,368 --> 00:04:31,104 By the mid-sixties NASA is consumed with 74 00:04:31,138 --> 00:04:37,444 creating the rocket that will take men to the moon. 75 00:04:37,477 --> 00:04:42,649 Building a space station isn’t a priority. 76 00:04:42,682 --> 00:04:47,520 But at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, 77 00:04:47,554 --> 00:04:51,224 engineers, including George Hardy and Jim Splawn, 78 00:04:51,258 --> 00:04:57,531 are looking beyond the space race and making new plans. 79 00:04:57,564 --> 00:04:59,399 GEORGE: Apollo, we learned, to go to 80 00:04:59,432 --> 00:05:03,369 a destination in space and return. 81 00:05:03,403 --> 00:05:06,806 Now we wanted to learn about living in space 82 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:12,779 and living for extended periods of time. 83 00:05:12,813 --> 00:05:16,517 NARRATOR: But the Apollo missions have been hugely expensive, 84 00:05:16,550 --> 00:05:24,491 and from 1966 NASA’s budget is cut by 44%. 85 00:05:24,524 --> 00:05:27,260 Engineers are forced to use their ingenuity 86 00:05:27,294 --> 00:05:30,864 to design a space station on the cheap. 87 00:05:30,897 --> 00:05:32,332 RICK: We just kept working on it until 88 00:05:32,365 --> 00:05:33,967 something came up that we could say, yeah, 89 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,970 we think we’re gonna go do this and it’d probably work. 90 00:05:40,674 --> 00:05:42,676 ♪ ♪ 91 00:05:42,709 --> 00:05:45,278 NARRATOR: Their groundbreaking idea is to transform 92 00:05:45,312 --> 00:05:51,885 the top section of a Saturn V rocket into a space station. 93 00:05:51,918 --> 00:05:56,356 Engineers take their proposal -- named Skylab -- to NASA, 94 00:05:56,389 --> 00:05:59,359 who give it the green light. 95 00:05:59,392 --> 00:06:03,897 But now they face uncharted territory. 96 00:06:03,930 --> 00:06:05,799 SPIKE: Skylab gave you an opportunity to have 97 00:06:05,832 --> 00:06:08,768 a shirtsleeve environment to run experiments 98 00:06:08,802 --> 00:06:12,239 over a long period of time, see how well men can survive 99 00:06:12,272 --> 00:06:14,074 in space. 100 00:06:14,107 --> 00:06:17,644 They weren’t too sure what the long-term effects would be 101 00:06:17,677 --> 00:06:21,881 until you experimented and found out. 102 00:06:21,915 --> 00:06:24,818 NARRATOR: First they must bolt together their space station 103 00:06:24,851 --> 00:06:28,254 using the third stage of the Saturn V rocket. 104 00:06:31,892 --> 00:06:35,696 A telescope is attached to the old hydrogen storage tank, 105 00:06:35,729 --> 00:06:40,634 which is stripped out so humans can live inside. 106 00:06:40,667 --> 00:06:43,003 To make living in space more bearable, 107 00:06:43,036 --> 00:06:48,575 it will have a few home comforts like a kitchen and a shower, 108 00:06:48,608 --> 00:06:52,879 along with a laboratory and life support systems. 109 00:06:52,913 --> 00:06:59,620 Two massive solar panel arrays will provide power. 110 00:06:59,653 --> 00:07:06,693 JIM: The mood around the engineering staff was pure excitement. 111 00:07:06,726 --> 00:07:08,394 NARRATOR: This full-size backup at 112 00:07:08,428 --> 00:07:11,598 the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum 113 00:07:11,631 --> 00:07:15,535 is testament to the engineers’ incredible ingenuity. 114 00:07:20,540 --> 00:07:23,043 ♪ ♪ 115 00:07:23,076 --> 00:07:26,046 But they now face the challenge of keeping a spacecraft 116 00:07:26,079 --> 00:07:32,285 in orbit for up to a decade. 117 00:07:32,319 --> 00:07:37,291 TOM: Here you have a facility that has to operate 24/7. 118 00:07:37,324 --> 00:07:39,693 The maintainability and operability was 119 00:07:39,726 --> 00:07:42,662 the real challenge. We’d never done that. 120 00:07:42,696 --> 00:07:45,699 NARRATOR: To maintain Skylab, astronauts will be required 121 00:07:45,732 --> 00:07:49,936 to undertake longer spacewalks than ever before. 122 00:07:49,970 --> 00:07:53,307 JIM: This had never been pushed to the extreme of 123 00:07:53,340 --> 00:07:56,577 being able to stay out over just a very short period of time, 124 00:07:56,609 --> 00:08:00,813 like an hour or two. 125 00:08:00,847 --> 00:08:02,982 ♪ ♪ 126 00:08:03,016 --> 00:08:05,218 NARRATOR: To test those extremes, engineers must 127 00:08:05,251 --> 00:08:10,323 first replicate zero gravity conditions on Earth. 128 00:08:10,357 --> 00:08:11,458 JIM: We were trying to figure out, 129 00:08:11,491 --> 00:08:15,695 how in the world can we simulate that? 130 00:08:15,729 --> 00:08:20,367 NARRATOR: Jim and the team ponder the problem over a working lunch. 131 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:24,170 JIM: In the mid-60s most everybody brought their lunches. 132 00:08:24,204 --> 00:08:26,540 We just called it the brown bag. 133 00:08:26,573 --> 00:08:31,011 NARRATOR: A chance remark leads to a light bulb moment. 134 00:08:31,044 --> 00:08:36,082 JIM: One of the guys commented that it had been a nice weekend, 135 00:08:36,116 --> 00:08:37,684 they’d been to the swimming pool. 136 00:08:37,717 --> 00:08:39,519 He said, have you guys ever watched 137 00:08:39,552 --> 00:08:41,421 your wife swim underwater? 138 00:08:41,454 --> 00:08:44,958 And we said, oh yeah, yeah, hey you bet, you bet. 139 00:08:44,991 --> 00:08:47,760 He said, that’s not what I’m talking about. 140 00:08:47,794 --> 00:08:50,096 What did her hair do? 141 00:08:50,130 --> 00:08:56,737 Hair? Well I guess it just sort of floats. 142 00:08:56,770 --> 00:09:00,874 He said, is that an idea? 143 00:09:00,907 --> 00:09:04,344 And we took that comment, and that’s the way we got started, 144 00:09:04,377 --> 00:09:10,450 underwater, simulating weightlessness. 145 00:09:10,483 --> 00:09:12,051 ♪ ♪ 146 00:09:12,085 --> 00:09:15,755 NARRATOR: The engineers waste no time. 147 00:09:15,789 --> 00:09:19,326 A small pit at Alabama’s Marshall Space Flight Center 148 00:09:19,359 --> 00:09:24,130 is filled with water to put their theory to the test. 149 00:09:24,164 --> 00:09:26,867 But right away they hit a snag. 150 00:09:26,900 --> 00:09:29,536 JIM: One of the first things that we had to figure out is 151 00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:34,140 how can we compensate the flotation of a man 152 00:09:34,174 --> 00:09:38,345 in a pressure suit once he goes underwater. 153 00:09:38,378 --> 00:09:42,315 We decided that we can make a harness of lead weights 154 00:09:42,348 --> 00:09:43,382 to put on him. 155 00:09:43,416 --> 00:09:45,218 The weight counterbalances 156 00:09:45,251 --> 00:09:50,923 the volume of air around the body inside the pressure suit. 157 00:09:50,957 --> 00:09:54,861 NARRATOR: It works. Engineers make a man in a pressure suit 158 00:09:54,894 --> 00:10:00,500 neutrally buoyant underwater -- neither rising nor sinking. 159 00:10:00,533 --> 00:10:04,037 JIM: We decided that we should invite top management 160 00:10:04,070 --> 00:10:05,572 to watch a test. 161 00:10:05,605 --> 00:10:10,009 Go to the very top guy; and that was Dr. Wernher Von Braun. 162 00:10:10,043 --> 00:10:12,245 When he saw what we were doing he’d say, 163 00:10:12,278 --> 00:10:18,184 ja, ja, it’s good, it’s good, keep going, keep going! 164 00:10:18,218 --> 00:10:19,720 NARRATOR: Von Braun gives the go-ahead 165 00:10:19,752 --> 00:10:27,593 to upscale the experiment into a million-dollar project. 166 00:10:27,627 --> 00:10:34,100 75 feet in diameter, 40 feet deep 167 00:10:34,134 --> 00:10:38,138 and holding 1.3 million gallons, it’s officially called 168 00:10:38,171 --> 00:10:42,876 the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator. 169 00:10:42,909 --> 00:10:46,846 But it’s nicknamed the Big Tank. 170 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:48,915 JIM: Why such a big tank? 171 00:10:48,948 --> 00:10:54,921 We had fabricated a full-scale mock-up of Skylab. 172 00:10:54,954 --> 00:10:58,558 We could get all the ingredients there that we needed to have 173 00:10:58,591 --> 00:11:01,994 for the training of the flight crew. 174 00:11:02,028 --> 00:11:04,197 NARRATOR: Marshall’s Neutral Buoyancy Simulator 175 00:11:04,230 --> 00:11:06,799 is a vital part of training astronauts to do 176 00:11:06,833 --> 00:11:11,504 unscheduled repairs on Skylab in zero gravity. 177 00:11:11,538 --> 00:11:13,206 But nobody could have imagined 178 00:11:13,239 --> 00:11:15,575 just how critical it would become. 179 00:11:19,445 --> 00:11:21,380 ♪ ♪ 180 00:11:21,414 --> 00:11:24,684 May 14th, 1973. 181 00:11:24,717 --> 00:11:28,487 The countdown approaches for America’s first space station -- 182 00:11:28,521 --> 00:11:34,994 Skylab, packed into the top section of a Saturn V rocket. 183 00:11:35,028 --> 00:11:36,963 It’s the first step to the ultimate goal 184 00:11:36,996 --> 00:11:40,733 of a permanent human presence in the most hostile environment 185 00:11:40,767 --> 00:11:43,837 known to man. 186 00:11:43,870 --> 00:11:48,742 MISSION CONTROL: Ignition sequence has started. 5, 4, 3... 187 00:11:48,775 --> 00:11:59,986 [Engines ignite] 188 00:12:00,019 --> 00:12:02,889 All engines running. We have liftoff. 189 00:12:02,922 --> 00:12:07,460 ♪ ♪ 190 00:12:07,493 --> 00:12:13,132 NARRATOR: But just 63 seconds after launch, Skylab is in trouble. 191 00:12:13,166 --> 00:12:14,567 GEORGE: We started seeing telemetry 192 00:12:14,601 --> 00:12:17,804 that there’d been a failure. 193 00:12:17,837 --> 00:12:20,773 PAUL: As the rocket cleared the tower 194 00:12:20,807 --> 00:12:24,678 and went up into the clouds, suddenly, 195 00:12:24,711 --> 00:12:27,480 the aerodynamic forces grabbed a piece of this 196 00:12:27,513 --> 00:12:33,119 micro-meteoroid shield that protected actual lab itself. 197 00:12:33,152 --> 00:12:35,888 SPIKE: We had a big problem. 198 00:12:35,922 --> 00:12:39,459 NARRATOR: The micro-meteoroid shield is mission-critical, 199 00:12:39,492 --> 00:12:41,995 as it wraps around Skylab’s heart, 200 00:12:42,028 --> 00:12:45,965 its laboratory and crew quarters. 201 00:12:45,999 --> 00:12:48,502 Made from aluminum, it’s primarily designed 202 00:12:48,534 --> 00:12:54,340 to protect astronauts from the impact of cosmic debris. 203 00:12:54,374 --> 00:12:58,278 SPIKE: There was enough air trapped under it that expanded. 204 00:12:58,311 --> 00:13:00,880 The vibration of the dynamic pressure 205 00:13:00,913 --> 00:13:05,584 grabbed ahold of the top edge and ripped it off. 206 00:13:05,618 --> 00:13:08,087 It was like peeling an orange. 207 00:13:08,121 --> 00:13:12,125 GEORGE: It was bleak. I felt the mission was lost. 208 00:13:12,158 --> 00:13:15,928 NARRATOR: The shield also performs a second critical function 209 00:13:15,962 --> 00:13:18,331 -- doubling up as a sunshade. 210 00:13:18,364 --> 00:13:22,201 Exposed to the sun in space, blistering temperatures will 211 00:13:22,235 --> 00:13:26,973 soon make Skylab uninhabitable, destroying the mission. 212 00:13:27,006 --> 00:13:28,207 GEORGE: As soon as we got on orbit 213 00:13:28,241 --> 00:13:29,943 the temperatures started going up. 214 00:13:29,976 --> 00:13:34,614 Temperatures got to 125, maybe 130 degrees. 215 00:13:34,647 --> 00:13:36,849 TOM: All the environmental control systems, 216 00:13:36,883 --> 00:13:40,920 the life support system, the food, the electronics, 217 00:13:40,953 --> 00:13:44,056 communication systems, breathing systems. 218 00:13:44,090 --> 00:13:47,293 GLYNN: Sooner rather than later they needed to get some way 219 00:13:47,327 --> 00:13:50,130 to control the thermal conditions on the vehicle 220 00:13:50,163 --> 00:13:53,533 or it would be lost in a number of days for human habitation. 221 00:13:58,438 --> 00:14:02,208 NARRATOR: The engineers are now in a race against time. 222 00:14:02,241 --> 00:14:04,610 Meanwhile, the crew, who were scheduled to launch 223 00:14:04,644 --> 00:14:08,848 the following day, are grounded. 224 00:14:08,881 --> 00:14:10,916 Tom Moser is part of the team 225 00:14:10,950 --> 00:14:16,556 scrambling to save the roasting space station. 226 00:14:16,589 --> 00:14:20,326 TOM: We devised a parasol that could be unfurled, 227 00:14:20,360 --> 00:14:23,296 just like an umbrella. 228 00:14:23,329 --> 00:14:30,036 NARRATOR: The parasol will shield Skylab from the sun’s extreme heat. 229 00:14:30,069 --> 00:14:33,639 But engineers must create it from scratch. 230 00:14:33,673 --> 00:14:36,409 GEORGE: Designing the parasol to operate in zero gravity 231 00:14:36,442 --> 00:14:39,245 was a tricky operation. 232 00:14:39,278 --> 00:14:42,214 We could calculate some of the effects that it would have, 233 00:14:42,248 --> 00:14:45,318 but we haven’t got the time that you would normally have 234 00:14:45,351 --> 00:14:48,721 when you’re designing space hardware. 235 00:14:48,755 --> 00:14:51,458 NARRATOR: The team decides to use the same material that 236 00:14:51,491 --> 00:14:55,862 protects astronauts from the heat of the sun. 237 00:14:55,895 --> 00:14:58,531 But it’s useless unless they figure out how to make 238 00:14:58,564 --> 00:15:01,834 a supporting structure. 239 00:15:01,868 --> 00:15:05,305 JIM: It was like, what in the world do we have in our garages 240 00:15:05,338 --> 00:15:08,741 or what can we go to a store and buy 241 00:15:08,775 --> 00:15:11,845 that might help us do this? 242 00:15:11,878 --> 00:15:14,781 NARRATOR: Then, inspiration strikes. 243 00:15:14,814 --> 00:15:19,052 One of the engineers thinks fishing rods might work. 244 00:15:19,085 --> 00:15:21,955 The plan is to fasten four of them together 245 00:15:21,988 --> 00:15:25,558 to create the engineering prototype. 246 00:15:25,591 --> 00:15:27,059 GEORGE: We needed a quick answer, 247 00:15:27,093 --> 00:15:30,697 and I did think it was rather ingenious. 248 00:15:30,730 --> 00:15:33,933 NARRATOR: Fortunately there’s a tiny airlock right next to 249 00:15:33,966 --> 00:15:40,406 where the micro-meteoroid shield would have been. 250 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,377 The idea is for an astronaut to manually push the parasol 251 00:15:44,410 --> 00:15:49,482 outside through this airlock. 252 00:15:49,515 --> 00:15:53,452 Four spring-loaded arms will then be extended to deploy 253 00:15:53,486 --> 00:15:59,726 the 24 foot by 22 foot makeshift fabric sun shield. 254 00:15:59,759 --> 00:16:04,063 An inspired solution, if it works... 255 00:16:04,096 --> 00:16:06,332 TOM: There was a huge time pressure to get that system 256 00:16:06,365 --> 00:16:10,769 designed and built and put up there. 257 00:16:10,803 --> 00:16:13,372 NARRATOR: The engineers manage to finish the parasol 258 00:16:13,406 --> 00:16:15,808 in just ten days. 259 00:16:15,842 --> 00:16:20,480 GEORGE: It was very intense. Adrenaline was running very high. 260 00:16:20,513 --> 00:16:24,384 Even though there was risk, if there was a chance 261 00:16:24,417 --> 00:16:28,955 that this would work, it needed to be tried. 262 00:16:28,988 --> 00:16:30,556 ♪ ♪ 263 00:16:30,590 --> 00:16:34,527 NARRATOR: May 25th, 1973. 264 00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:37,863 The Skylab crew prepares for their delayed mission, 265 00:16:37,897 --> 00:16:41,434 which is now a daunting rescue operation. 266 00:16:41,467 --> 00:16:45,738 No one, least of all astronauts Pete Conrad, Joe Kerwin 267 00:16:45,771 --> 00:16:49,441 and Paul Weitz, has any idea just how bad the damage 268 00:16:49,475 --> 00:16:52,178 to Skylab is. 269 00:16:52,211 --> 00:16:54,880 Or if they can save it. 270 00:16:54,914 --> 00:17:00,620 GEORGE: Your adrenaline is up, your expectations are high. 271 00:17:00,653 --> 00:17:04,824 You really couldn’t assess all the damage until you got there. 272 00:17:04,857 --> 00:17:07,626 There was an urgency. 273 00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:14,467 [Engines ignite] 274 00:17:14,500 --> 00:17:16,836 SPIKE: A certain degree of apprehension: 275 00:17:16,869 --> 00:17:18,404 What’s going to happen next? 276 00:17:24,243 --> 00:17:25,878 ASTRONAUTS: Tally-ho the Skylab. 277 00:17:25,912 --> 00:17:31,684 We got her in daylight at 1.5 miles, 29 feet per second. 278 00:17:31,717 --> 00:17:33,285 MISSION CONTROL: Roger, Pete, copy. 279 00:17:33,319 --> 00:17:36,055 NARRATOR: Closing in on the overheating space station, 280 00:17:36,088 --> 00:17:39,858 Pete Conrad reports the damage to the two main solar panels 281 00:17:39,892 --> 00:17:41,894 back to mission control. 282 00:17:43,729 --> 00:17:48,434 ASTRONAUT: A brief description it is suspected solar wing 2 283 00:17:48,467 --> 00:17:52,037 is gone, completely off the bird. 284 00:17:52,071 --> 00:17:53,706 MISSION CONTROL: Roger, copy. 285 00:17:53,739 --> 00:17:56,408 PAUL: The solar array, one of them is completely ripped off 286 00:17:56,442 --> 00:17:59,078 trailing its own wires. 287 00:17:59,111 --> 00:18:00,879 The other one is held down, kind of pinioned 288 00:18:00,913 --> 00:18:02,681 by one of the straps of what’s left 289 00:18:02,715 --> 00:18:04,917 of the micro-meteoroid shield. 290 00:18:04,951 --> 00:18:09,155 NARRATOR: These images reveal the sun-blistered surface, exposed 291 00:18:09,188 --> 00:18:13,859 where the micro-meteoroid shield peeled off. 292 00:18:13,893 --> 00:18:18,197 As the astronauts dock, they’re faced 293 00:18:18,230 --> 00:18:23,001 with an unprecedented challenge. 294 00:18:23,035 --> 00:18:26,572 They must enter a spacecraft cooking at 130 degrees 295 00:18:26,606 --> 00:18:34,214 Fahrenheit to deploy an untried device in zero gravity. 296 00:18:34,246 --> 00:18:41,820 Failure will mean the loss of America’s first space station. 297 00:18:41,854 --> 00:18:45,758 It’s the moment of truth for the fishing-rod-inspired parasol. 298 00:18:46,759 --> 00:18:50,529 ASTRONAUT: So we are progressing slow but sure, 299 00:18:50,563 --> 00:18:54,700 and everything so far is working. 300 00:18:54,734 --> 00:18:57,503 NARRATOR: Engineering and flight teams in mission control 301 00:18:57,536 --> 00:19:00,939 hold their breath. 302 00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:05,411 ♪ ♪ 303 00:19:05,444 --> 00:19:08,914 The makeshift parasol deploys without a problem. 304 00:19:09,715 --> 00:19:11,850 ASTRONAUTS: We can see the ends of all the rods. 305 00:19:11,884 --> 00:19:14,320 It’s completely free of anything. 306 00:19:14,353 --> 00:19:16,689 There’s nothing hanging it up. 307 00:19:16,722 --> 00:19:18,557 GEORGE: As the crew got the parasol out, 308 00:19:18,591 --> 00:19:22,929 I mean, it was jubilation. 309 00:19:22,962 --> 00:19:26,532 NARRATOR: But the celebrations are short-lived. 310 00:19:26,565 --> 00:19:30,035 The station’s survival also depends on deploying 311 00:19:30,069 --> 00:19:34,307 the one remaining solar panel. 312 00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:37,176 PAUL: The solar panels for the Skylab is the way 313 00:19:37,209 --> 00:19:39,678 that they have enough power to do any of the experiments, 314 00:19:39,712 --> 00:19:42,481 to keep everything working, to keep it cool. 315 00:19:42,515 --> 00:19:47,053 How they generate power for all of the equipment. 316 00:19:47,086 --> 00:19:49,322 NARRATOR: Pete Conrad and Joe Kerwin now face 317 00:19:49,355 --> 00:19:53,059 an extraordinarily demanding repair job. 318 00:19:53,092 --> 00:19:58,731 A critical spacewalk to free the stuck solar panel. 319 00:19:58,764 --> 00:20:00,966 PAUL: The only way to do that was to have two of the crew 320 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,504 go out and do a spacewalk; reach down to the base 321 00:20:04,537 --> 00:20:07,573 of where that strap is holding onto the solar array, 322 00:20:07,606 --> 00:20:11,410 cut it and then pull the solar array out. 323 00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:15,882 ♪ ♪ 324 00:20:15,915 --> 00:20:20,186 NARRATOR: It’s at this moment that Jim Splawn’s big tank at Marshall 325 00:20:20,219 --> 00:20:23,856 comes into its own. 326 00:20:23,889 --> 00:20:25,924 JIM: All the time that this was going on, 327 00:20:25,958 --> 00:20:29,261 we had air to ground communications. 328 00:20:29,295 --> 00:20:32,064 We were ready to help them in any way we could. 329 00:20:32,098 --> 00:20:34,367 NARRATOR: In the water, a backup crew mirror 330 00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:38,638 the astronauts’ every move. 331 00:20:38,671 --> 00:20:44,076 Bob Crippen was part of the Skylab support team. 332 00:20:44,110 --> 00:20:47,380 BOB: They had a device that was kind of a like a long pole 333 00:20:47,413 --> 00:20:48,581 with a cutter on the end of it 334 00:20:48,614 --> 00:20:51,984 like somebody might use to trim trees. 335 00:20:52,017 --> 00:20:56,288 NARRATOR: But can a design based on a $65 tree pruner 336 00:20:56,322 --> 00:21:00,893 really save a $2.5 billion space station? 337 00:21:03,529 --> 00:21:05,865 ♪ ♪ 338 00:21:05,898 --> 00:21:09,835 America’s dream of a long-term human presence in space 339 00:21:09,869 --> 00:21:14,006 is on a knife edge. 340 00:21:14,039 --> 00:21:16,608 If Pete Conrad and Joe Kerwin can’t free 341 00:21:16,642 --> 00:21:19,879 Skylab’s one remaining large solar panel, 342 00:21:19,912 --> 00:21:25,217 it won’t have enough power to survive. 343 00:21:25,251 --> 00:21:30,490 Everything rests on a single spacewalk. 344 00:21:30,523 --> 00:21:32,759 MISSION CONTROL: Skylab, we’re reading you loud and clear. 345 00:21:32,792 --> 00:21:35,128 ASTRONAUT: Okay, Houston, we’re out there. 346 00:21:35,161 --> 00:21:38,931 There looks like enough room to get the cutter. 347 00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:41,099 PAUL: So the solar array, it’s been pinioned down 348 00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:44,303 by a small strap that’s ripped off of 349 00:21:44,336 --> 00:21:47,773 the micro-meteoroid shield. 350 00:21:47,807 --> 00:21:52,278 BOB: Joe Kerwin was operating the device. 351 00:21:52,311 --> 00:21:56,282 GEORGE: He was able to get into position and work the cutter. 352 00:21:56,315 --> 00:21:59,151 BOB: Pete managed to put in an extra pressure on it. 353 00:22:05,324 --> 00:22:07,626 ASTRONAUT: Let go! Let go! 354 00:22:07,660 --> 00:22:12,365 BOB: He went flying away from the spacecraft. 355 00:22:12,398 --> 00:22:15,134 NARRATOR: The only thing preventing Pete Conrad spiraling 356 00:22:15,167 --> 00:22:21,640 into space is a 60-foot cord fixed to the airlock. 357 00:22:21,674 --> 00:22:24,777 BOB: He was constrained by the umbilical, which held him in. 358 00:22:24,810 --> 00:22:26,245 But you have to know Pete. 359 00:22:26,278 --> 00:22:28,514 He would say "Wahoo" or something like that 360 00:22:28,547 --> 00:22:30,249 when he went out flying. 361 00:22:31,417 --> 00:22:37,123 ASTRONAUT: All right, that’s got it! [laughs] 362 00:22:37,156 --> 00:22:38,491 BOB: That would have probably scared the Dickens 363 00:22:38,524 --> 00:22:41,694 out of anybody else, but not Pete. 364 00:22:41,727 --> 00:22:43,195 JIM: Pete Conrad said, 365 00:22:43,229 --> 00:22:45,098 "This is just like the water tank at Marshall, 366 00:22:45,130 --> 00:22:46,898 except it’s a little bit deeper," 367 00:22:46,932 --> 00:22:50,102 so that was a good compliment. It was a good compliment. 368 00:22:50,135 --> 00:22:53,939 ♪ ♪ 369 00:22:53,973 --> 00:22:58,878 GEORGE: The recovery of that mission was almost indescribable pride, 370 00:22:58,911 --> 00:23:01,414 just to be a little part of it. 371 00:23:05,885 --> 00:23:07,653 ♪ ♪ 372 00:23:07,686 --> 00:23:09,555 NARRATOR: Two more crews will visit Skylab 373 00:23:09,588 --> 00:23:12,724 to carry out scientific and medical experiments, 374 00:23:12,758 --> 00:23:18,097 including the effects of weightlessness. 375 00:23:18,130 --> 00:23:25,304 The last manned mission leaves Skylab in 1974. 376 00:23:25,337 --> 00:23:29,808 Five years later, it slowly reenters the Earth’s atmosphere, 377 00:23:29,842 --> 00:23:33,879 showering debris over the Australian outback. 378 00:23:33,913 --> 00:23:37,183 GEORGE: It was a bit of sadness, I suppose, 379 00:23:37,216 --> 00:23:39,051 but a great sense of satisfaction 380 00:23:39,084 --> 00:23:42,120 on what had been accomplished. 381 00:23:42,154 --> 00:23:46,225 NARRATOR: The legacy of Skylab’s engineers is a stepping stone 382 00:23:46,258 --> 00:23:49,495 to meet the next epic challenge in space. 383 00:23:55,034 --> 00:23:59,305 In 1984, President Reagan gives 384 00:23:59,338 --> 00:24:00,940 a State of the Union address 385 00:24:00,973 --> 00:24:05,478 that echoes John F. Kennedy’s historic moonshot goal. 386 00:24:05,511 --> 00:24:07,546 PRESIDENT REAGAN: Tonight, I am directing NASA to develop 387 00:24:07,579 --> 00:24:09,681 a permanently manned space station 388 00:24:09,715 --> 00:24:11,850 and to do it within a decade. 389 00:24:11,884 --> 00:24:14,286 [Applause] 390 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,623 NARRATOR: This orbiting space station will be named Freedom. 391 00:24:17,656 --> 00:24:21,160 Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency 392 00:24:21,193 --> 00:24:25,764 all sign up to the ambitious idea. 393 00:24:25,798 --> 00:24:28,267 ROD: The goal is to provide a laboratory in space to do 394 00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:32,171 science and engineering research to advance exploration. 395 00:24:38,978 --> 00:24:41,013 [Engines firing] 396 00:24:41,046 --> 00:24:45,984 NARRATOR: But tragedy is just around the corner. 397 00:24:46,018 --> 00:24:48,554 MISSION CONTROL: Challenger, go with throttle up. 398 00:24:53,659 --> 00:24:57,363 [Explosion] 399 00:25:03,168 --> 00:25:07,305 NARRATOR: As the world reels from the Challenger disaster, 400 00:25:07,339 --> 00:25:10,609 the American space program is put on hold. 401 00:25:14,179 --> 00:25:16,314 ♪ ♪ 402 00:25:16,348 --> 00:25:23,455 In contrast, their Cold War rival’s are thriving. 403 00:25:23,489 --> 00:25:28,894 The Soviets have launched seven Salyut space stations. 404 00:25:28,927 --> 00:25:30,662 JAY: Having not landed on the moon, 405 00:25:30,696 --> 00:25:34,333 they focused their space program onto 406 00:25:34,366 --> 00:25:39,538 how to do these long missions in Earth orbit. 407 00:25:39,571 --> 00:25:43,008 NARRATOR: Just two weeks after Challenger, the Soviets launch 408 00:25:43,042 --> 00:25:48,881 the first module of their new space station -- called Mir. 409 00:25:48,914 --> 00:25:51,316 TOM: The Russians were there with their space station 410 00:25:51,350 --> 00:25:53,152 and we were not. 411 00:25:56,121 --> 00:26:00,025 NARRATOR: But in 1989 the beginning of the fall of communism 412 00:26:00,059 --> 00:26:01,694 tips the Soviet space program 413 00:26:01,727 --> 00:26:07,066 into financial and political turmoil. 414 00:26:07,099 --> 00:26:10,235 America isn’t faring much better. 415 00:26:10,269 --> 00:26:14,006 Space station Freedom is stuck at the design stage 416 00:26:14,039 --> 00:26:18,343 thanks to holdups and budget cuts. 417 00:26:18,377 --> 00:26:21,580 NASA needs a radical rethink if they’re to meet the goal 418 00:26:21,613 --> 00:26:22,914 of the President. 419 00:26:25,818 --> 00:26:27,420 ♪ ♪ 420 00:26:27,453 --> 00:26:31,057 In 1993, America does what for decades 421 00:26:31,090 --> 00:26:32,892 would have been unthinkable, 422 00:26:32,925 --> 00:26:35,895 asking its former Cold War enemy Russia 423 00:26:35,928 --> 00:26:41,100 to join forces on a newly named International Space Station, 424 00:26:41,133 --> 00:26:44,303 or ISS. 425 00:26:44,336 --> 00:26:48,207 CATHLEEN: Since the launch of the Mir the Soviets had 426 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,076 a near-permanent human presence in orbit, 427 00:26:51,110 --> 00:26:54,580 and that taught them a great deal. 428 00:26:54,613 --> 00:26:56,982 It was a vast resource that I don’t think 429 00:26:57,015 --> 00:26:59,384 the Americans could have shied away from. 430 00:26:59,418 --> 00:27:01,320 NARRATOR: NASA are charged with designing 431 00:27:01,353 --> 00:27:05,424 the biggest-ever structure to be assembled in space. 432 00:27:05,457 --> 00:27:08,360 Their solution is for a series of modular 433 00:27:08,393 --> 00:27:12,497 or segmented sections to be joined together. 434 00:27:12,531 --> 00:27:17,002 Rod Jones was a member of one of the ISS design teams. 435 00:27:17,035 --> 00:27:19,170 ROD: What we learned from looking at the Mir 436 00:27:19,204 --> 00:27:22,340 was that if you put modularity into your design, 437 00:27:22,374 --> 00:27:25,244 you can extend and perpetuate the vehicle life 438 00:27:25,277 --> 00:27:27,412 for a much longer period of time. 439 00:27:27,446 --> 00:27:30,582 Modularity allows you to add things to the space station, 440 00:27:30,616 --> 00:27:33,452 take things away. It allows you to shift functionality 441 00:27:33,485 --> 00:27:37,222 around the space station. 442 00:27:37,256 --> 00:27:40,092 NARRATOR: But can these former enemies work together 443 00:27:40,125 --> 00:27:42,494 to create a new space station? 444 00:27:45,831 --> 00:27:47,266 [Engines igniting] 445 00:27:47,299 --> 00:27:51,370 June 27th, 1995. 446 00:27:51,403 --> 00:27:54,640 Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off to dock 447 00:27:54,673 --> 00:27:56,975 with Russian space station Mir. 448 00:28:00,212 --> 00:28:03,248 ASTRONAUTS: Capture confirmed. Capture is confirmed. 449 00:28:03,282 --> 00:28:08,320 Atlantis is now docked with the Russian space station. 450 00:28:08,353 --> 00:28:11,690 NARRATOR: It’s the first of nine missions that dock with Mir -- 451 00:28:11,723 --> 00:28:13,858 allowing the two countries to pave the way 452 00:28:13,892 --> 00:28:18,163 for the International Space Station. 453 00:28:18,197 --> 00:28:21,600 CATHLEEN: Mir became a destination for studying 454 00:28:21,633 --> 00:28:25,137 the engineering, the science and human factors 455 00:28:25,170 --> 00:28:26,838 in human space flight. 456 00:28:30,075 --> 00:28:34,680 NARRATOR: With their old rivalries set aside, 457 00:28:34,713 --> 00:28:40,786 construction of the ISS modules gets underway. 458 00:28:40,819 --> 00:28:43,288 But their dream will be tested, 459 00:28:43,322 --> 00:28:46,692 as both sides encounter a critical problem. 460 00:28:49,494 --> 00:28:52,130 ♪ ♪ 461 00:28:52,164 --> 00:28:55,100 The dawn of 1993. 462 00:28:55,133 --> 00:28:58,637 America’s dream of a permanent human presence in space 463 00:28:58,670 --> 00:29:02,207 is under threat. 464 00:29:02,241 --> 00:29:04,443 With NASA strapped for cash, 465 00:29:04,476 --> 00:29:06,745 the only way of realizing their goal 466 00:29:06,778 --> 00:29:09,281 is to work with the Russians. 467 00:29:09,314 --> 00:29:13,618 But a major engineering challenge stands in the way. 468 00:29:13,652 --> 00:29:15,621 PAUL: Because we wanted to get the Russians on board 469 00:29:15,654 --> 00:29:17,756 the International Space Station program, 470 00:29:17,789 --> 00:29:20,225 we had to get them launching from their own launch sites, 471 00:29:20,259 --> 00:29:22,695 and those are up at about 52 degrees latitude. 472 00:29:22,728 --> 00:29:27,499 [Engines igniting] 473 00:29:29,768 --> 00:29:31,637 NARRATOR: The Russians launch all their rockets 474 00:29:31,670 --> 00:29:39,545 from Kazakhstan, into a 52-degree orbital angle. 475 00:29:39,578 --> 00:29:45,451 And this is where the ISS will be assembled in space. 476 00:29:45,484 --> 00:29:50,155 But for the Americans that presents a huge problem. 477 00:29:50,188 --> 00:29:53,324 The space shuttle usually launches from Cape Kennedy, 478 00:29:53,358 --> 00:29:59,097 into a much lower orbital angle of around 30 degrees. 479 00:29:59,131 --> 00:30:02,968 The trouble is, to reach the greater 52-degree angle, 480 00:30:03,001 --> 00:30:06,705 the shuttle loses the boost it gets from the Earth’s rotation 481 00:30:06,738 --> 00:30:11,276 that helps fling it into orbit. 482 00:30:11,310 --> 00:30:15,247 Bottom line, by carrying heavy ISS components, the shuttle 483 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:20,485 doesn’t have enough power to launch into the steeper angle. 484 00:30:20,519 --> 00:30:22,554 BOB: To fly at those higher inclinations 485 00:30:22,587 --> 00:30:26,391 and carry a large payload you need more power. 486 00:30:29,027 --> 00:30:31,196 NARRATOR: Astronaut Mike Massimino is a veteran 487 00:30:31,229 --> 00:30:33,131 of two shuttle missions. 488 00:30:35,934 --> 00:30:40,138 MIKE: To get to that higher inclination requires more power, 489 00:30:40,172 --> 00:30:45,811 which means more fuel, but you can’t add endless fuel, 490 00:30:45,844 --> 00:30:49,681 because you’re constrained by the size of your tank. 491 00:30:49,715 --> 00:30:55,421 NARRATOR: Engineers are forced to look at the only other option 492 00:30:55,454 --> 00:30:58,924 -- make the shuttle lighter. 493 00:30:58,957 --> 00:31:03,361 They calculate it needs to lose 13,500 pounds 494 00:31:03,395 --> 00:31:08,200 to give it enough power to lift ISS components. 495 00:31:08,233 --> 00:31:10,535 They shave nearly half by redesigning 496 00:31:10,569 --> 00:31:16,341 the shuttle’s storage racks and even the crew seats. 497 00:31:16,375 --> 00:31:22,481 But they still need to lose another 7,000 pounds. 498 00:31:22,514 --> 00:31:27,219 Myron Pessin was chief engineer for the shuttle’s external tank. 499 00:31:27,252 --> 00:31:33,458 MYRON: The demands on us were extreme to get that 7,000 pounds. 500 00:31:33,492 --> 00:31:37,663 NARRATOR: So engineers come up with a radical solution. 501 00:31:37,696 --> 00:31:41,099 Make a new external tank from a revolutionary metal alloy 502 00:31:41,133 --> 00:31:45,504 called Weldalite. 503 00:31:45,537 --> 00:31:47,939 MYRON: These aluminum lithium alloys were 504 00:31:47,973 --> 00:31:52,478 higher strength and lighter. 505 00:31:52,511 --> 00:31:54,646 NARRATOR: But Weldalite is so new 506 00:31:54,679 --> 00:31:58,583 it’s barely beyond the development stage. 507 00:31:58,617 --> 00:32:02,621 MYRON: The material properties were still somewhat uncertain. 508 00:32:02,654 --> 00:32:05,891 But we all felt it was an acceptable risk to go forward 509 00:32:05,924 --> 00:32:10,729 with this because of the national need for it. 510 00:32:10,762 --> 00:32:14,899 NARRATOR: In February 1998 NASA takes delivery of the shuttle’s 511 00:32:14,933 --> 00:32:18,203 new super lightweight external tank. 512 00:32:24,042 --> 00:32:27,779 Now assembly of the largest and most expensive structure 513 00:32:27,813 --> 00:32:33,585 in space can begin. 514 00:32:33,618 --> 00:32:37,288 But to succeed, the 15 different ISS modules 515 00:32:37,322 --> 00:32:44,663 must be docked precisely 250 miles above the earth. 516 00:32:44,696 --> 00:32:45,997 MIKE: You had all these different pieces 517 00:32:46,031 --> 00:32:48,734 that needed to fit together in space. 518 00:32:48,767 --> 00:32:50,769 I thought to myself, there’s no way that this stuff 519 00:32:50,802 --> 00:32:51,870 is all gonna work. 520 00:32:51,903 --> 00:32:54,339 You know, you can’t get things to fit together in, 521 00:32:54,372 --> 00:32:55,840 you know, in your kitchen. 522 00:32:55,874 --> 00:32:57,442 How are we gonna get this to work in space 523 00:32:57,476 --> 00:32:59,478 with different countries and different languages 524 00:32:59,511 --> 00:33:02,314 and rocket ships and all this other stuff? 525 00:33:02,347 --> 00:33:06,418 How’s it gonna work? 526 00:33:06,451 --> 00:33:09,854 NARRATOR: On November 20th the Russians take the first step. 527 00:33:12,691 --> 00:33:15,794 [Engines igniting] 528 00:33:15,827 --> 00:33:17,128 MISSION CONTROL: Liftoff of the Proton rocket 529 00:33:17,162 --> 00:33:19,131 of the Zarya Control module. 530 00:33:19,164 --> 00:33:23,669 The International Space Station is underway. 531 00:33:26,872 --> 00:33:29,975 NARRATOR: Zarya will provide the initial propulsion and power 532 00:33:30,008 --> 00:33:33,545 for the ISS, along with communications systems 533 00:33:33,578 --> 00:33:36,114 and docking ports for future modules. 534 00:33:39,050 --> 00:33:40,318 ♪ ♪ 535 00:33:40,352 --> 00:33:43,488 The pressure is now on the Americans. 536 00:33:43,522 --> 00:33:47,893 For the ISS to progress any further, the first U.S. module, 537 00:33:47,926 --> 00:33:51,463 the Unity Node, must be connected to Zarya 538 00:33:51,496 --> 00:33:56,034 in the lethal vacuum of space. 539 00:33:56,067 --> 00:33:58,336 December 4th, 1998. 540 00:33:58,370 --> 00:34:00,439 Commander Robert Cabana and his crew 541 00:34:00,472 --> 00:34:02,874 prepare for an unprecedented mission. 542 00:34:02,908 --> 00:34:04,176 MISSION CONTROL: We have main engines start. 543 00:34:04,209 --> 00:34:09,481 4, 3, 2, 1, liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavor, 544 00:34:09,514 --> 00:34:10,615 with the first American element 545 00:34:10,649 --> 00:34:12,317 of the International Space Station, 546 00:34:12,350 --> 00:34:16,287 uniting our efforts in space. 547 00:34:16,321 --> 00:34:20,292 NARRATOR: Two days later they rendezvous with Zarya; 548 00:34:20,325 --> 00:34:22,694 unload the Unity Node; 549 00:34:22,727 --> 00:34:25,530 and inch it toward the Russian module. 550 00:34:26,932 --> 00:34:30,769 ASTRONAUTS: Houston, Endeavor, we have capture of Zarya. 551 00:34:30,802 --> 00:34:33,972 NARRATOR: The first stage of the ISS is born. 552 00:34:34,005 --> 00:34:36,975 Engineers have enabled two former enemies 553 00:34:37,008 --> 00:34:40,378 to build a permanent structure in space. 554 00:34:40,412 --> 00:34:44,516 ♪ ♪ 555 00:34:44,549 --> 00:34:47,185 These two modules are the first of what will grow 556 00:34:47,218 --> 00:34:53,624 into an enormous 15-module space station. 557 00:34:53,658 --> 00:34:57,729 Seven modules are delivered from the U.S., five by Russia, 558 00:34:57,762 --> 00:35:03,601 two by Japan, and one from Europe. 559 00:35:03,635 --> 00:35:09,474 But there are limits to what you can cram into a space shuttle. 560 00:35:09,507 --> 00:35:12,977 Transporting this giant jigsaw into space 561 00:35:13,011 --> 00:35:18,216 will be an epic challenge. 562 00:35:18,249 --> 00:35:19,717 ROD: We made the modules as big as we could, 563 00:35:19,751 --> 00:35:21,786 to fit them in the shuttle. 564 00:35:21,820 --> 00:35:25,257 The length of a module, it became like a baloney slice, 565 00:35:25,290 --> 00:35:26,658 how much can you afford to launch? 566 00:35:26,691 --> 00:35:29,060 And that’s where you cut it off. 567 00:35:29,094 --> 00:35:33,966 NARRATOR: It takes thirteen years, 37 shuttle flights, 568 00:35:33,999 --> 00:35:38,737 160 spacewalks and over a thousand hours 569 00:35:38,770 --> 00:35:41,840 to construct the ISS in orbit. 570 00:35:48,246 --> 00:35:53,051 But building it is only half the battle. 571 00:35:53,084 --> 00:35:54,452 ♪ ♪ 572 00:35:54,486 --> 00:35:59,157 Allowing astronauts to be self- sufficient in space long-term 573 00:35:59,190 --> 00:36:02,860 creates a new raft of engineering challenges. 574 00:36:02,894 --> 00:36:05,330 JENNIFER: So this is almost a liter of water, 575 00:36:05,363 --> 00:36:10,602 and to get this into space is about 48,000 US dollars. 576 00:36:10,635 --> 00:36:13,771 NARRATOR: But there’s another source of water on the ISS: 577 00:36:13,805 --> 00:36:17,742 the astronauts themselves. 578 00:36:17,776 --> 00:36:19,144 ♪ ♪ 579 00:36:19,177 --> 00:36:21,846 Jennifer Pruitt is part of the team who designed 580 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:25,417 this ingenious assembly to distill urine 581 00:36:25,450 --> 00:36:30,221 by creating artificial gravity. 582 00:36:30,255 --> 00:36:33,225 JENNIFER: This whole part is the centrifuge that’ll spin. 583 00:36:33,258 --> 00:36:37,729 So the urine will be sprayed out along the back wall 584 00:36:37,762 --> 00:36:40,298 as it spins. 585 00:36:40,331 --> 00:36:42,934 The heavy dense fluid will stick to the wall, 586 00:36:42,967 --> 00:36:45,503 and the lighter steam as it evaporates out 587 00:36:45,537 --> 00:36:48,206 will be sucked through the center through that mesh 588 00:36:48,239 --> 00:36:51,876 on to the next part of the system. 589 00:36:51,910 --> 00:36:54,179 So at the end this is the good clean urine distillate 590 00:36:54,212 --> 00:36:55,814 that you get. 591 00:36:55,847 --> 00:36:58,483 This is what will go on to the water processor assembly later 592 00:36:58,516 --> 00:37:02,687 on and then will be the water that the astronauts will drink. 593 00:37:02,721 --> 00:37:06,491 NARRATOR: Since its installation on the ISS in 2008, 594 00:37:06,524 --> 00:37:12,263 85% of the water in urine has been recycled in this way. 595 00:37:12,297 --> 00:37:14,533 Just hours after peeing, an astronaut 596 00:37:14,566 --> 00:37:17,969 can be drinking fresh water. 597 00:37:18,002 --> 00:37:19,370 JENNIFER: That’s what’s great about space station. 598 00:37:19,404 --> 00:37:22,407 This is something that had never been done before, 599 00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:27,345 but it is so important for long term humans into space. 600 00:37:27,378 --> 00:37:30,648 NARRATOR: Smart engineering like this has allowed the ISS 601 00:37:30,682 --> 00:37:34,419 to be permanently inhabited since the year 2000 602 00:37:34,452 --> 00:37:36,187 by hundreds of astronauts. 603 00:37:38,757 --> 00:37:41,493 ♪ ♪ 604 00:37:41,526 --> 00:37:44,796 But lingering in orbit exposes space stations 605 00:37:44,829 --> 00:37:48,599 to a potentially catastrophic event. 606 00:37:48,633 --> 00:37:50,201 A high-speed impact. 607 00:37:55,640 --> 00:37:57,442 ♪ ♪ 608 00:37:57,475 --> 00:38:01,012 November 2016. 609 00:38:01,045 --> 00:38:02,580 The International Space Station 610 00:38:02,614 --> 00:38:09,121 celebrates sixteen years of full-time habitation. 611 00:38:09,154 --> 00:38:14,459 It’s traveled more than 2.5 billion miles 612 00:38:14,492 --> 00:38:18,329 and been visited by 85 manned missions. 613 00:38:18,363 --> 00:38:24,502 A phenomenal engineering achievement. 614 00:38:24,536 --> 00:38:27,372 But even the ISS is not immune 615 00:38:27,405 --> 00:38:30,775 to a nightmare scenario. 616 00:38:30,809 --> 00:38:32,144 MIKE: There are just a couple of things that 617 00:38:32,177 --> 00:38:34,046 you’re really worried about when you’re in space. 618 00:38:34,078 --> 00:38:38,783 You’re always kind of like, all right, kind of living on edge. 619 00:38:38,817 --> 00:38:41,486 One is a fire. That would be bad. 620 00:38:41,519 --> 00:38:44,288 The major problem is, if you got hit, 621 00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:48,760 you would be in a life-threatening situation. 622 00:38:48,793 --> 00:38:51,396 NARRATOR: More than a hundred million fragments of debris 623 00:38:51,429 --> 00:38:59,404 orbit our planet traveling up to 17,500 miles per hour. 624 00:38:59,437 --> 00:39:05,209 At those speeds even the tiniest piece can do serious damage. 625 00:39:05,243 --> 00:39:08,012 A fleck of paint gouged this crater 626 00:39:08,046 --> 00:39:12,384 into the windshield of a space shuttle. 627 00:39:12,417 --> 00:39:16,354 Damage to the ISS is unavoidable. 628 00:39:16,387 --> 00:39:18,756 DANA: The International Space Station, it’s getting hit. 629 00:39:18,790 --> 00:39:23,161 It’s getting hit all the time. This is a major risk. 630 00:39:23,194 --> 00:39:29,167 NARRATOR: The ISS is protected by a layer of shielding. 631 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:33,104 The frame is made of two thin plates of aluminum. 632 00:39:33,137 --> 00:39:38,376 The outer bumper layer causes debris to fragment on impact. 633 00:39:38,409 --> 00:39:41,746 Inside are six layers of ceramic fiber 634 00:39:41,779 --> 00:39:46,217 and Kevlar fabric stuffing. 635 00:39:46,251 --> 00:39:49,087 An inner layer of aluminum catches what’s left 636 00:39:49,120 --> 00:39:52,123 of the energy of the impact. 637 00:39:52,156 --> 00:39:55,026 It’s a huge advance in shield design 638 00:39:55,059 --> 00:40:00,998 since the single layer of aluminum used to protect Skylab. 639 00:40:01,032 --> 00:40:05,003 At the NASA Johnson Space Center, Dana Lear 640 00:40:05,036 --> 00:40:09,741 is using a high-pressure gas gun to test-fire a particle 641 00:40:09,774 --> 00:40:13,044 at a potential new layer. 642 00:40:13,077 --> 00:40:16,981 If successful, it could be a new first line of defense 643 00:40:17,015 --> 00:40:18,416 for the ISS. 644 00:40:20,818 --> 00:40:22,019 [Impact] 645 00:40:22,053 --> 00:40:28,760 ♪ ♪ 646 00:40:28,793 --> 00:40:32,263 DANA: Okay, there’s a small hole here in this outer layer 647 00:40:32,297 --> 00:40:34,900 we call the bumper shield. 648 00:40:34,933 --> 00:40:41,773 This is the first layer that’s encountered by space debris. 649 00:40:41,806 --> 00:40:43,775 When it passes through that bumper it actually 650 00:40:43,808 --> 00:40:45,576 tears the particle up. 651 00:40:45,610 --> 00:40:49,481 So, let me take the outer bumper off. 652 00:40:49,514 --> 00:40:52,650 The second layer, it’s not perforated, and you can see 653 00:40:52,684 --> 00:40:54,085 that the particle has been broken up 654 00:40:54,118 --> 00:40:56,754 into small particulates. 655 00:40:56,788 --> 00:41:00,258 NARRATOR: There are seven layers of this new material being tested. 656 00:41:00,291 --> 00:41:03,728 A metal alloy that’s 90% iron. 657 00:41:03,761 --> 00:41:05,896 DANA: If we go down to the last layer, you can see that 658 00:41:05,930 --> 00:41:08,299 we haven’t penetrated any further into the shield, 659 00:41:08,333 --> 00:41:10,769 and certainly didn’t penetrate down to the pressure wall. 660 00:41:10,802 --> 00:41:14,205 So, this works really good. 661 00:41:14,238 --> 00:41:16,273 ♪ ♪ 662 00:41:16,307 --> 00:41:20,211 NARRATOR: Like Wernher Von Braun sixty-five years ago, 663 00:41:20,244 --> 00:41:23,614 visionary engineers today see space stations as 664 00:41:23,648 --> 00:41:28,620 a stepping stone to explore distant worlds. 665 00:41:28,653 --> 00:41:30,455 MIKE: We learned very valuable lessons putting together 666 00:41:30,488 --> 00:41:32,323 the space station. 667 00:41:32,357 --> 00:41:34,826 That’s going to be invaluable experience 668 00:41:34,859 --> 00:41:42,200 of how to engineer a big project on a place like Mars. 669 00:41:42,233 --> 00:41:44,702 NARRATOR: April 8th, 2016. 670 00:41:44,736 --> 00:41:47,105 [Engines igniting] 671 00:41:47,138 --> 00:41:51,175 A SpaceX cargo rocket launches a revolutionary new piece 672 00:41:51,209 --> 00:41:53,645 of technology that could change the way 673 00:41:53,678 --> 00:41:56,514 we build space stations in the future. 674 00:41:59,350 --> 00:42:01,819 MIKE: In space engineering, because you’re limited 675 00:42:01,853 --> 00:42:04,689 by the amount of weight you can take with you, 676 00:42:04,722 --> 00:42:07,892 you need to miniaturize as much as possible. 677 00:42:07,925 --> 00:42:11,328 MISSION CONTROL: Good morning from Mission Control Houston. 678 00:42:11,362 --> 00:42:13,397 We bring you the installation of 679 00:42:13,431 --> 00:42:18,303 the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module referred to as BEAM. 680 00:42:18,336 --> 00:42:21,372 NARRATOR: BEAM is a lightweight, flat-pack module, 681 00:42:21,406 --> 00:42:24,876 flown to the ISS in a small package, attached 682 00:42:24,909 --> 00:42:29,680 and then expanded. 683 00:42:29,714 --> 00:42:33,051 Instead of heavy aluminum, BEAM is made from layers 684 00:42:33,084 --> 00:42:39,223 of insulating material covered with a silica fiber cloth. 685 00:42:39,257 --> 00:42:42,861 It also has an ingenious key feature. 686 00:42:42,894 --> 00:42:45,964 NATHAN: During the expansion we had rip stitch straps. 687 00:42:45,997 --> 00:42:47,265 They would essentially open up 688 00:42:47,298 --> 00:42:52,136 and allow the module to gradually expand. 689 00:42:52,170 --> 00:42:55,206 So it was pretty awesome. 690 00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:57,808 ASTRONAUTS: ISP success, DVC complete. 691 00:42:57,842 --> 00:42:59,877 MISSION CONTROL: Houston copy. 692 00:42:59,911 --> 00:43:03,014 NARRATOR: If successful, BEAM will undergo a two-year trial 693 00:43:03,047 --> 00:43:05,850 on board the ISS. 694 00:43:05,883 --> 00:43:08,219 NATHAN: This is a stepping stone to see humans 695 00:43:08,252 --> 00:43:10,121 on Mars eventually. 696 00:43:12,657 --> 00:43:15,860 ♪ ♪ 697 00:43:15,893 --> 00:43:20,164 NARRATOR: The soaring achievement of the ISS owes an enormous debt 698 00:43:20,198 --> 00:43:24,302 to a previous generation of NASA engineers. 699 00:43:24,335 --> 00:43:26,137 Their ingenuity triumphed over 700 00:43:26,170 --> 00:43:30,074 seemingly insurmountable obstacles to save 701 00:43:30,108 --> 00:43:32,944 America’s first space station. 702 00:43:32,977 --> 00:43:38,516 RICK: We had some challenges, but we managed to overcome them. 703 00:43:38,549 --> 00:43:42,820 GEORGE: Some of NASA’s greatest days. 704 00:43:42,854 --> 00:43:46,925 JIM: You can look back now and you just gotta grin a little bit 705 00:43:46,958 --> 00:43:50,361 because it was such a success story. 706 00:43:50,394 --> 00:43:53,397 And it’s all about the people pulling together 707 00:43:53,431 --> 00:43:55,600 and getting the big job done.