Questions and Answers With Space Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane

I recently had the enormous privilege of interviewing retired pilot and former NASA astronaut Mike Mullane. In a quick Q&A session, it was great to ask Mike about his opinions on the the past, present and future of human space flight.

At what point did you decide that you wanted to pursue a career exploring space?

I was twelve years old when Sputnik’s launch by the Russians started the space race.  As soon as American astronauts were selected (the Mercury 7 Astronauts) I knew I wanted to be an astronaut.

How important do you feel the space shuttle was in terms of allowing us to take the next step and construct something as huge as the International Space Station?

The ISS could not have been constructed without the Space Shuttle.  The robotics of its “arm”, its ability to carry large payloads, and the presence of spacewalking astronauts were all essential to build the ISS.

What are your feelings about the retirement of a flying machine as great as the shuttle, and the fact that now, US astronauts have to fly on the Russian Soyuz in order to go to the ISS?  

Retiring the shuttle was the right decision.  If we want to put astronauts back on the moon, on asteroids, and/or Mars, we need a vehicle that can fly out of earth orbit.  The shuttle cannot do that.  But I’m saddened that America’s financial situation makes it unlikely that any deep space exploration by humans will occur for many, many years.  It’s a national tragedy that we have to rely on the Russians to put Americans in space.

One of NASA'S main goals for the future is to land a man on Mars. Do you feel that in order to go to places such as this, man needs to return to the moon, so that we can practice techniques such as landing and rendezvous?  

No.  We know how to land and rendezvous.  What we need to better understand is how to protect astronauts during multi-year missions (as will be a mission to Mars).  The ISS will allow the opportunity to better understand the hazards of long space flights.

Countries such as India and China have expressed their desire to land a man on the moon, and have their own space station by the 2020's. Do you feel that older space faring nations like the US and Russia need to work together with these countries, rather than having a divide?  

India, yes.  It’s a democracy.  China, no. China needs to make some movement toward democracy. 

Editor's note:

This interview was originally published on October 27 2012 with the prior consent of astronaut Mike Mullane.

A big thanks to Mike for taking the time to share with me his opinions. If you want to learn more about Mike and his career as a pilot and astronaut be sure to read his excellent book entitled "Riding Rockets" which is available on his website: http://mikemullane.com/riding-rockets/

Thank you for reading Irish Space Blog!

New Trio Launches to Space Station

At 11:51 GMT, a Soyuz rocket carrying three astronauts lifted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstan, bound for the International Space Station.

The reliable Soyuz FG rocket safely launched from the Russian leased cosmodrome in near perfect conditions. After nine minutes of powered flight, the crew reached an altitude of 250 miles sbove Earth. The spacecraft will continue to chase down its target- the International Space Station, which is expected to take 34 orbits, or just over two days.

The Soyuz TMA-06M crew consists of cosmonaut commander Oleg Novitskiy, Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin, and NASA astronaut Kevin Ford. Both Novitskiy and Tarelkin are rookie space farers, and have never flown in space, whereas NASA's Kevin Ford flew on the Space Shuttle as it's pilot on STS-128 in 2009.

This will be the second time Ford will spend time aboard the space station, having visited during his assembly mission three years ago. However, rather than being up there for only 8 days, Ford and his crew mates will spend nearly six months aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting experiments in microgravity, as well as some earth observation.

When they arrive, they will be greeted by NASA astronaut and current space station commander; Sunita Williams, who is currently aboard station alongside veteran cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide.

When asked what is he most looking forward to doing when he arrives on the space station, he replied; "It's going to be great!"
"I'm looking forward to some Sunday afternoons seeing the whole planet, and doing some things I didn't get to do before"

Ford and his crew will return to Earth in their Soyuz capsule in March 2013.

The Jump From the Edge of Space

On October 14th 2012, history was made by a 43 year old Austrian BASE Jumper by the name of Felix Baumgartner, after he ascended to a height of 128,097 feet above the Earth in a capsule suspended by a helium balloon- and then jumped!

"Sometimes you have to go up really high, to understand how small you are."

This is all part of the Red Bull Stratos Project, an idea which is over seven years in the making, in which Baumgartner and Red Bull hoped to send him to an altitude of 120,000 feet, jump out of his capsule, and break the speed of sound in the process. The aim was also to test out the next-generation space suit which will be worn by future astronauts in case they need to bail out from their spacecraft at high altitudes. However, Felix is no stranger to death-defying stunts like this. The man is a world renowned BASE jumper, which basically means he jumps off of tall buildings (such as the Petronas Towers, Taipei 101 and the Christ the Redeemer Statue) for a living! Back in 2003, he glided across the English Channel with a set of Carbon-fiber wings on his back, in a little over 6 minutes! 

Felix and Red Bull approached the current record holder for the highest jump made as they saw that this would be of huge assistance to the project. The man who made this jump was Colonel Joe Kittinger of the US Air Force. Colonel Joe ascended in his own helium balloon to a height of 102,800 feet- once again, to test out a new space suit back in 1960. We must remember though that when Kittinger made his jump, man had never flown in space yet, so this jump was both a mystery(because man had never before travelled to this height before) and important to say the least! Kittinger keenly obliged!

This jump has been years in the making, with the mission encountering setback after setback through the years. Perhaps if it were not for the determination of Felix and his team, the Red Bull Stratos Project would be a total flop! A launch date was finally set for October 9th, but high, gusty winds meant that the mission would have to be delayed. A new date of October 14th was slated to be the day that Felix would make history. Then, at 4:30pm Irish time, the balloon was released and Felix was on his way to the edge of space- not a bad way to spend your Sunday afternoon it has to be said! Just over two hours later, Felix stepped out of his capsule, said a few short but muffled words, and gave a final salute, before plummeting down towards the Earth below. After a minute of freefall, Baumgartner was travelling supersonic, becoming the fastest man to travel without the use of a vehicle such as a car or plane. The fall just so happened to take place on the same day that the great Chuck Yeager made man's first ever supersonic flight in his famous Bell X1 aircraft- 65 years ago. Felix fell without a parachute for a total of 4 minutes and 20 seconds, and set foot back on Earth just over nine minutes after leaving his pressurised capsule. The mission was a total success!

Although it may be some time before the true benefits of Felix's jump come to light(as NASA isn't planning to send astronauts into space until at least 2014), we do know one thing though. We now know that when given the correct physical and mental preparation, man can do just about anything, and the word impossible just doesn't exist anymore!