0:00:04 > 0:00:09'On 8th July, 2011, Atlantis left the earth for the last time.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15'After 30 years and 135 missions,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'the space shuttle was making its final flight.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22'I'm Kevin Fong and I used to work at NASA
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'with the shuttle's medical research team.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27'For the last month of this last mission,
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'I was granted unprecedented access to the shuttle programme.'
0:00:31 > 0:00:34It's a machine that's going to come alive very, very soon.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'I was with the astronauts as they went through
0:00:36 > 0:00:38'their final weeks of training.'
0:00:38 > 0:00:41- I'm glad I'm wearing this, not that. - Yeah. It's a little warm.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I'm bracing myself against the seat in front,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46dropping out of the sky like a stone here.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48'And I found the unsung heroes
0:00:48 > 0:00:50'who've worked on the shuttle since the beginning.'
0:00:50 > 0:00:54After this is all gone, what's next for you?
0:00:54 > 0:00:56To go look for another job.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59'And I met the man in charge of it all during one of the most
0:00:59 > 0:01:03'extraordinary and emotional months in NASA's history.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Today, this being Atlantis' last flight, was really special for me.
0:01:08 > 0:01:13Um...this was the first...first space shuttle I commanded.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16Before this era finally passes into history,
0:01:16 > 0:01:20I want to see what it takes to get this remarkable machine into orbit.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22And along the way, I want to talk to the men and women
0:01:22 > 0:01:25who've worked here at NASA as part of the shuttle programme
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and understand what the last three decades has meant to them.
0:01:53 > 0:01:5630 years ago, I was sitting in an assembly hall at school
0:01:56 > 0:02:01watching the first shuttle launch off the colour television then.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Back then, I never imagined I'd get a chance to work here.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10And having done that, it's just incredible to get the chance
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to come back and see the last shuttle launch.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17And the last 25 days of the last flight of the last space shuttle.
0:02:17 > 0:02:18Thank you.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'I'm on my way to Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30'Johnson is home to the astronauts and their training ground.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32'And it's where I used to work.'
0:02:33 > 0:02:35They seem to be expecting me.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38'And I want to say hello to some friends in my old department,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40'the shuttle medical research team.'
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Guys! This is your doing?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Yeah. A little bit. How are you?
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Good to see you. Good to see you.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51- How are you?- Fine. How are you doing?- It's good to see you.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53- It's good to see you. Got your flag.- Yes.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55THEY LAUGH
0:02:55 > 0:02:59- Yeah.- Is it strange with the shuttle finishing now?- Oh, I know it's sad.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01I hate to see that, but...
0:03:01 > 0:03:04- You've been with the programme all along, haven't you?- 25.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08- Yeah, I've been here 25 years. - Weird to see it go, isn't it?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10I know. Yeah. It is sad.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16'Today, I've been invited to see the final shuttle crew
0:03:16 > 0:03:19'and the mission control team being put through their paces.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21'This is mission control,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24'the nerve centre for shuttle flight operations.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30'Commander Chris Ferguson is in charge of this final shuttle crew.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34'They have a gruelling day of simulations ahead of them.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37'It's a full dress rehearsal for their worst nightmares.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43'This is a high-fidelity, full-motion simulation.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46'Everything is replicated, down to the last detail.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50'To the crew and mission control, it will feel like the real thing.'
0:03:52 > 0:03:55What you're seeing there is this little cabin.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59And on the inside, those black boxes are TVs facing into that cabin,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02showing them exactly the view they're going to get during
0:04:02 > 0:04:06all of these launch scenarios, all of the emergency-abort scenarios.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11They have a pretty good idea from being in that what it's going
0:04:11 > 0:04:13to be like if things go wrong on the day.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23'Neither the mission controllers nor the crew know what the
0:04:23 > 0:04:26'training team is going to serve up today.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28'Navigating through those simulated emergencies
0:04:28 > 0:04:30'is going to be quite a feat.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:32- "Liftoff confirmed."- Copy liftoff.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36- "Programme, Houston." - Roger, roll, Atlantis.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39This is a room full of people, each of them
0:04:39 > 0:04:40with a mission-critical task,
0:04:40 > 0:04:43but the most important person down there at the moment
0:04:43 > 0:04:45is the flight director, Richard Jones,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47just sitting just off to the left there.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49And it's his job to orchestrate all of this to keep that crew
0:04:49 > 0:04:52and that vehicle safe.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'It's only seconds after launch and the crew are in trouble.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'They've lost an engine and there are problems with the cooling system.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- What's going on?- "It just went off." - We've lost PDL.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05- "We've got a leak." - Leak on the right.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09We do see the helium leak on the right. Go to work the procedure.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- And tell him he's still hot mike. - And you're still hot mike, Chunky.
0:05:13 > 0:05:14"You're still hot mike, chunky."
0:05:14 > 0:05:17'The crew must decide whether to proceed or abort.'
0:05:17 > 0:05:20"It's an upper system leak."
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'The shuttle has past the point of no return.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25'From here, they either continue to space
0:05:25 > 0:05:28'or perform an emergency landing across the Atlantic.'
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Thank you.- Negative return.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33- Atlantis, negative return. - Stay out open.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Stay out open, Chunky. It's a tank leak.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38'One wrong decision here
0:05:38 > 0:05:41'and this emergency could become a catastrophe.'
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Press the ATO, you can select Istres.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47Looks like the right will make it to 23K, Chunky.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51'They can't make it to orbit, so decide to land is Istres, France.'
0:05:51 > 0:05:53OK. DPS, we have a little bit more time.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57'That transatlantic flight would take a jumbo jet nine hours,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00'but shuttle would do it in just 35 minutes.'
0:06:00 > 0:06:03All right, we're going to have to live with that hot mike on board.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07And how many launches have you overseen in your time as flight director?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10I've seen five before. This is going to be my sixth one.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12What would you say to people who shrug and say,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16"Well, it's been flying for 30 years, human space flight,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18"mostly has become routine."
0:06:18 > 0:06:20To what extent does it feel routine to you?
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Putting humans on top of that explosion, in a way,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27that is going on underneath it just to get it into orbit,
0:06:27 > 0:06:28it's just amazing.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31And it's not even close to being routine.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35You must have sims where everything goes wrong and theoretically,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37the crew and the vehicle are lost.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39How seriously do you take those?
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Those are really ugly.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43There are scenarios sometimes that you just cannot win.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Sometimes you might have to do a bailout or it's a loss of control.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Those feel horrible when you have to go through them,
0:06:51 > 0:06:54but there's so much to learn when you do go through them.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57They're almost like pieces of gold.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03'As the morning unfolds, the crew face launch after launch,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'each one featuring a new emergency.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- Pick up.- We're going. Do we need all this capability?
0:07:09 > 0:07:13They've chucked the kitchen sink at them.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17During the launch simulations, they've had engine failures,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20they've tried to get to orbit, couldn't get to orbit.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23They've then had to fly across the Atlantic, look for a landing site in Europe.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25And it's far from a foregone conclusion
0:07:25 > 0:07:27that this simulation is going to work out all right.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31- Abort ATO.- Atlantis, abort ATO.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34"Abort ATO."
0:07:34 > 0:07:35- This is Chris Ferguson. - Hey, Kevin.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Hi. Sorry to jump you after a long day in front of...
0:07:39 > 0:07:43'After four hours in the sim, I get to meet commander Chris Ferguson.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'He only found out in January this year that the mission
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'he was preparing for would be the shuttle's last.'
0:07:50 > 0:07:53So, 24 days now before you go.
0:07:53 > 0:07:54Have you managed to believe
0:07:54 > 0:07:56you're going to be commanding the last flight?
0:07:56 > 0:07:59I haven't counted the 24 days, but it's that close, huh?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- It's that close.- Yeah, they're clicking off pretty quickly now.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06I think I speak on behalf of my crew, we're extraordinarily honoured
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and we're going to make everyone in America very proud
0:08:09 > 0:08:11of 30 years of successful space shuttle.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15Of course, the last landing is going to be kind of, I guess historical.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19We want to make sure we recognise the right people at the right time.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Have you imagined that moment, wheel stop?
0:08:21 > 0:08:26It's going to be hard to capture 30 years of tremendous shuttle operation
0:08:26 > 0:08:29in a sentence or two when it's all said and done.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31We'll try to say something that's fitting.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Have you thought about what those words are going to be?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36I have, but I can't let you know them now.
0:08:36 > 0:08:37- Oh, go on.- No, no, I can't.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52'I'm in Florida, on my way to Cape Canaveral.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'If Houston is the home of the astronauts,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58'then Florida's Kennedy Space Centre is where the rockets are kept.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02'And it's where Atlantis will launch from in 20 days' time.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08'Since it last flew in 2010,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11'the spacecraft has undergone a complete refit.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17'As this mission got closer,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20'it was transferred to the giant vehicle-assembly building...
0:09:24 > 0:09:26'..where it was attached to its vast external tank
0:09:26 > 0:09:29'and twin solid rocket boosters.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34'A week ago, this whole assembly was transferred to the launch pad,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37'taking five hours to make the three-mile trip.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44'And it's there that Atlantis will undergo all the final system checks
0:09:44 > 0:09:46'that will make it ready for launch.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02'Normally, it's impossible to get up close to a shuttle on the launch pad.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'But today, an astronaut friend from my NASA days is visiting Atlantis.'
0:10:08 > 0:10:11That's a much better way to come to Florida.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16'Dan Tani has a vital role on the ground for this mission.
0:10:16 > 0:10:17'He's part of the CAPCOM team.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19'He'll be in mission control,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23'providing the vital communications link with the astronauts in space.'
0:10:24 > 0:10:26- Hey, Dan.- Greeting crew!
0:10:26 > 0:10:28- LAUGHTER - Nice ride!
0:10:32 > 0:10:35'Dan has launched on two shuttle missions.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37'He knows this journey well.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43'For this final flight, NASA has chosen Pad 39A,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45'the same launch pad that sent Armstrong and his crew
0:10:45 > 0:10:48'to the moon in 1969.'
0:10:48 > 0:10:52So on launch morning, you get out of the Astrovan and, er...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54you know, you stand here and you think
0:10:54 > 0:10:56it's unbelievable that humans could
0:10:56 > 0:10:58put something so complicated together.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01And what an incredible privilege it is, not only to stand there,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03but hopefully in about four or five hours,
0:11:03 > 0:11:06we're going to be circling the earth at 17,000 miles an hour.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08It's really awesome.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15You look up at the vehicle and steam is coming from it.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21There's some creaking. There are motors that you hadn't heard before.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27You feel like it's a beast that is awakening.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30And you get this awareness that it's a machine
0:11:30 > 0:11:32that's going to come alive very, very soon.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34'At the base of the launch platform,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'a shuttle sleeping in its protective metal cocoon.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41- This is the tail...? - The tail, yeah.- The rudder shuttle.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Yeah. Here's the rudder and the tail structure.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48Those tiles, they're close enough to touch, but you don't touch them.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Oh, no, you don't touch anything out here.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53We don't touch a flight part unless it's a requirement.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58'For a successful shuttle launch, millions of things have to go right.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03'If they don't, the result could be catastrophic.'
0:12:03 > 0:12:05What you can see here, these stainless-steel things,
0:12:05 > 0:12:09there are four of them on each SRB, so there's eight altogether.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12These are the hold-down bolts that hold the entire stack,
0:12:12 > 0:12:144.5 million pounds of space shuttle
0:12:14 > 0:12:18and booster to the launch platform on these four points.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21What's interesting is at the moment of launch...
0:12:25 > 0:12:27..the moment the SRBs are ignited,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29there are pyrotechnics on the bolts and they're blown apart...
0:12:33 > 0:12:37..to release the space shuttle from the launch platform.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39"Liftoff. 30 minutes..."
0:12:42 > 0:12:45And that's just another component that has to work.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Has to work 100%. If one of those bolts were to fail,
0:12:47 > 0:12:49it would be a catastrophic failure.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53You cannot turn off this booster.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56So it's a must-work function.
0:13:03 > 0:13:05- Let's go.- It's probably the first and last time
0:13:05 > 0:13:09I'll be catching a lift to a space shuttle while it's in the launch.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12'This is the astronauts' lift
0:13:12 > 0:13:16'and I'm going up 195 feet to the level of the flight deck.'
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- This is it.- Welcome to 195.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30'It's where every shuttle crew has entered their vehicle on launch day
0:13:30 > 0:13:32'and it's a highly-restricted area.'
0:13:33 > 0:13:36This is it. Once you're ready, and you have to be ready,
0:13:36 > 0:13:40they'll wave you in and you'll make the walk out.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41That's to the white room.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44You get ready and then you climb in from the white room,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47through the hatch into the shuttle, get strapped in.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Here's a piece of technology that passed us by
0:13:52 > 0:13:54for the first couple of times we were up here,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56but then somebody clued us in.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59They go, "That phone up on the 195 works. It's a functional phone."
0:13:59 > 0:14:03And, er...so what we started getting smart and doing is
0:14:03 > 0:14:05on launch morning, bringing a couple of phone numbers
0:14:05 > 0:14:07with you and you call your wife,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10"Hey, just about to get on the space shuttle.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13"I'll see you in a couple of weeks." Or I called my mom.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15- Did you really do that?- Absolutely.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Hey, I had 20 minutes before I got strapped in.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It is just beautiful up here.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32And 200 feet in the air off the coast, you know,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35some sunshine, breeze in your hair.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And you're parked next to a hydrogen bomb.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41And if you're the crew,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46you're just about to get into a machine for the next few days,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50if not few months, and leave the earth at 17,000 miles an hour.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01'The astronauts are about to move to the next phase of their training.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04'And it's time for some real flying.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06'The two hardest feats in all of rocket science
0:15:06 > 0:15:08'are starting and stopping.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18'Commander Chris Ferguson and Atlantis pilot Doug Hurley
0:15:18 > 0:15:22'are about to practise landings in a specially-adapted jet
0:15:22 > 0:15:25'that behaves exactly like a returning shuttle.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28'And they've invited me along for the ride.'
0:15:29 > 0:15:32- Are you looking forward to this? - Yeah, these are fun.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36We don't do a tonne of suited ones, but we do a fair amount.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- We do a lot of simulators. - I'm glad I'm wearing this, not that.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41- Yeah, it's a little warm. - It's pretty warm.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46'The shuttle returns to earth unpowered and falls from the sky
0:15:46 > 0:15:50'at an angle seven times steeper than a commercial jet.'
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Our shuttle trainer, which is a modified Gulfstream II business jet,
0:15:53 > 0:15:56it has the exact same flying qualities as a space shuttle.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59Of course, in order to get the flying qualities of a space shuttle,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01you need to employ drastic techniques.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04You need to deploy the landing gear at 30,000 feet
0:16:04 > 0:16:06and the engines that are actually working
0:16:06 > 0:16:09to push the shuttle training aeroplane backwards,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11it's a tremendous rate of descent.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13I still remember my first experience.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It was 30,000 feet, I looked down at the runway,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17it was a tiny little strip right under my left arm and I said,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21"There is no way we are going to possibly land on that thing."
0:16:21 > 0:16:24And he's says, "OK. You ready? I'm going to show you."
0:16:24 > 0:16:28And it's amazing. You come downhill really fast, but it works.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30And the space shuttle's the same way.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35So I'm about to get on this aircraft.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39Chris Ferguson, commander of SCS 135,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42is going to take it up to 20,000-odd feet,
0:16:42 > 0:16:45put those engines into reverse...
0:16:46 > 0:16:50..stick it in a 20-degree down dive,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54get about 10 feet off the runway, as far as I can tell,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57pull up, go around, do that 10 times.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's going to be interesting.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10'The shuttle is designed so it can be steered
0:17:10 > 0:17:12'at hypersonic speeds in the upper atmosphere.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16'But as it gets close to home, below the speed of sound,
0:17:16 > 0:17:19'its short wings mean that it sinks like a stone.'
0:17:23 > 0:17:28So we're on the climb on the way up to the first of those approaches.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32We're getting ourselves up to something like 20,000 feet now,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34getting ready to put ourselves at that very steep dive
0:17:34 > 0:17:37with the engines in reverse.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40'Chris Ferguson's side of the cockpit
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'is identical to the flight deck of Atlantis.'
0:17:43 > 0:17:45There you go. That noise...
0:17:45 > 0:17:49is the engines of this aircraft going into reverse.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56'We're experiencing the deadweight and powerlessness of the shuttle.'
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Looking out of the window now, I am looking straight down at the ground.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05'We're falling at 28,000 feet per minute.'
0:18:08 > 0:18:12All the way down. Bracing myself against the seat in front.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16It feels like you're falling out of the sky now.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'And just a few feet from the ground,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21'we pull up and soar back into the sky.'
0:18:30 > 0:18:32That's just amazing! It's just amazing!
0:18:40 > 0:18:42We'll have come down 16,000 feet
0:18:42 > 0:18:44by the time we're lined up with the runway.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49You really do feel like this thing's pointed right at the ground.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53Dropping out of the sky like a stone here.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57'A mission commander has to complete at least a thousand of these
0:18:57 > 0:19:00'practise runs before they fly the real shuttle.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03'Chris Ferguson has completed one thousand.'
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Off we go again. It's just incredible! It's just amazing!
0:19:28 > 0:19:33That is the craziest thing I think I've...ever done.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37That was an hour and a half of going 28,000 to zero.
0:19:37 > 0:19:4028,000 to zero, 28,000 to zero.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Um...it was just incredible.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Just incredible. And the thing just drops out of the sky like a rock.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48And you're being flown by the guy
0:19:48 > 0:19:51who's about to command the last space shuttle.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00During its mission, there are many phases
0:20:00 > 0:20:03when the shuttle is under extreme stress.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06The fierce heat of re-entry is more than enough
0:20:06 > 0:20:08to destroy an unprotected vehicle.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15On 1 February 2003, space shuttle Columbia was due to
0:20:15 > 0:20:17return from a 16-day mission.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- SHUTTLE:- 'This is Columbia, Houston.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23'We see your tyre pressure messages and we did not copy.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- MISSION CONTROL: - Is it instrumentation?
0:20:27 > 0:20:30'Columbia, Houston - UHF com check.'
0:20:43 > 0:20:46In the skies above Texas, Columbia broke up as she hit
0:20:46 > 0:20:48the upper atmosphere.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Her insulating shield had been damaged on take-off
0:20:55 > 0:20:58and she could not survive the heat of re-entry.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03All seven crew members - lost.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13Terry White has worked on the shuttle's thermal protection
0:21:13 > 0:21:16system since the beginning.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20'His last job is to make Atlantis ready for mission.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24'With Atlantis on the launch pad, he showed me around another
0:21:24 > 0:21:29'shuttle - Discovery - which flew her last mission in February 2011.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:33What we see is extreme temperature about 3,000 degrees
0:21:33 > 0:21:35Fahrenheit on re-entry.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38So it's really important to have the thermal protection system
0:21:38 > 0:21:43intact to make sure that the orbiter, its payload
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and the astronauts, get home safe. Right.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Were you to take one of the tiles of the vehicle,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51this is what it would look like.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53That's a lot lighter than it looks like it should be.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56That feels a bit more like a polystyrene block.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58Yes, that's the closest thing it's similar to.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01These are easily damaged. You can actually hear one
0:22:01 > 0:22:04when I push my thumb into it, you can hear it crack.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07The coating is about the thickness of an eggshell.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09This is one of the new tiles. This one's so strong
0:22:09 > 0:22:11you can actually bang it on the end of the table.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15And these were developed after...
0:22:15 > 0:22:19They were developed before the Columbia incident, but we started
0:22:19 > 0:22:21using them after the Columbia incident.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23That was a way to make the vehicles even safer.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26So if you want a new tile, just one tile on the vehicle,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30end-to-end, start to finish, how long would that take?
0:22:30 > 0:22:31It takes ten days to two weeks,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34- depending on where it's at... - One tile?- One tile.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41- How long would it take to put 24,000 on?- A couple of years!
0:22:42 > 0:22:45And they're about to send this to the museum.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49After this has all gone, after these processing facilities
0:22:49 > 0:22:52are empty, what's next for you?
0:22:52 > 0:22:55To go look for another job!
0:22:55 > 0:22:58I've been doing this for 33 years, but I'm not quite ready to
0:22:58 > 0:23:01retire, so I'll go look for something else to do.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13The last three decades have seen an extraordinary
0:23:13 > 0:23:16team of specialists like Terry come together,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20each an authority in their own field, each one dedicated to
0:23:20 > 0:23:24a particular system needed to make the shuttle what it is.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27And with no new craft fully developed to take manned
0:23:27 > 0:23:28space flight to the next level,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31this unique group of people will have to be broken up.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39Today the astronauts have arrived in Florida for a dress rehearsal.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42- Permission to go aboard.- Absolutely. - Permission to go aboard.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Have a great day, guys.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It's the first time they'll enter the shuttle on the pad.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51- Come on in, boss!- How are you doing? - Great, man.- You look marvellous.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Waiting for them is another specialist team -
0:23:54 > 0:23:56the Closeout Crew - who make sure
0:23:56 > 0:23:59the astronauts are fully equipped and ready for launch.
0:24:02 > 0:24:07These guys have obsessive attention to detail as a job requirement.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10They must check every last aspect of the astronauts equipment,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13powering their flight suits and strapping them in to the vehicle.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18You are literally the last people on earth that the crew see
0:24:18 > 0:24:20- before they go.- We connect with them
0:24:20 > 0:24:23when they come in there and we make it
0:24:23 > 0:24:27a point to connect with them because we want to make them comfortable.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32'We're there for them and to help them do their job.'
0:24:32 > 0:24:36All right. I'm going in. She's going in. Look out!
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Chick comin' aboard!
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'We've got to know several over the years
0:24:41 > 0:24:45and got to be real good friends with a lot of them. We want to do it.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48But we're not going to get the shot, you know.
0:24:48 > 0:24:49And we see them do it, we love it.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52And we connect with all of them the best we can.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56One of my biggest jobs that I'm going to have on launch day is
0:24:56 > 0:24:59accounting for him, to make sure he's not in there
0:24:59 > 0:25:01when I close the hatch!
0:25:02 > 0:25:07Because he would go and fly on it, you know, as we all would.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09That's my main job, my main check list.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12All right, guys.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16And then the last thing we do is we look at the Commander in the window
0:25:16 > 0:25:20and he's usually laying there and he gives us the thumbs up, he or she.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22And we like that part.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24We get to wave to them and then we go down the elevator
0:25:24 > 0:25:27and we go over here in this field and we wait.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32We have to close and lock the hatch.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35And this is the tool that you use to do that.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37This is the key to the space shuttle.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41This is the key to the space shuttle. This is called the locking T-tool.
0:25:41 > 0:25:46And we turn it 450 degrees and then you lock it right there,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49from the outside and you push these tabs and remove it.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51- How many of these do you have? - 18.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Always good to have spare keys for the space shuttle, I should imagine.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- Yes.- I just quite like this "remove before flight" label!
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- You don't want to take off with the keys still in the door!- No!
0:26:06 > 0:26:10The launch is getting ever closer, so I am lucky to be able to grab
0:26:10 > 0:26:13lunch with Rex Walheim, another member of the Atlantis crew.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16I want to know how being an astronaut affects those
0:26:16 > 0:26:17closest to them.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22It's really tough on the family. How does your family cope?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25My kids since they can remember, I've been an astronaut
0:26:25 > 0:26:28so they've always know it's part of my job and the first time I told
0:26:28 > 0:26:31them... I didn't tell them for a few days I'm going on the shuttle,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33you know and I'll be gone a couple of weeks.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36I kind of told them in their rooms and they were three and five
0:26:36 > 0:26:40at the time. And they're kind of, OK. Everybody does that(!)
0:26:40 > 0:26:43So, it wasn't a real big deal for them. It's kind of a vague memory
0:26:43 > 0:26:46now, but they kind of know this is what dad does.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Who finds it hardest out of everyone on launch day?
0:26:49 > 0:26:52On launch day, the spouses. Definitely the spouses.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55It is hard on them, especially my wife. It's hardest on them,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58they understand what we're going through and they have no
0:26:58 > 0:27:01sense of control over it like we do when we're in the cockpit.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04- Did you know her when you got selected?- Yes.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06When I was first dating her I told her
0:27:06 > 0:27:10I was applying to be an astronaut and being the type who tends to
0:27:10 > 0:27:12worry a little more than others,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14it was really kind of funny that she ended up married to someone
0:27:14 > 0:27:18- who's an astronaut, so...- Will she be glad when you stop flying?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Yes. I think when I'm done doing the flying in space stuff
0:27:21 > 0:27:22she'll be very happy about that!
0:27:24 > 0:27:26In less than a week the astronauts will
0:27:26 > 0:27:29arrive in Florida for the final time.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32They'll go into quarantine in dedicated, if somewhat spartan
0:27:32 > 0:27:35crew quarters, where every astronaut
0:27:35 > 0:27:38since Apollo has spent their last days on earth.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43'Cameras are rarely allowed here but before the crew of Atlantis
0:27:43 > 0:27:46'arrive, my friend Dan gives me a guided tour.'
0:27:46 > 0:27:49This is really our home away from home down here. It's awesome.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51When you come down flight T38 in,
0:27:51 > 0:27:56the crew will, you make the drive over here and just make this walk
0:27:56 > 0:27:57and once you get in the elevator,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00you think it's unbelievable... the real thing.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03'Dan introduces me to Gloria and Dolores,
0:28:03 > 0:28:07'two of the most important people to the astronauts in isolation.'
0:28:07 > 0:28:12All right. So, first of all these are the folks that keep us happy
0:28:12 > 0:28:15down here and you want happy crew. Because they provide the food.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19One of the things we do in the kitchen is to try to make
0:28:19 > 0:28:22everything as home-made as we possibly can and everything
0:28:22 > 0:28:26that we feed them and put on weight, they lose up in space!
0:28:26 > 0:28:28We try to!
0:28:28 > 0:28:31One of the things I didn't know about a week before launch,
0:28:31 > 0:28:34there's a sheet came around and said what kind of sandwich do you want?
0:28:34 > 0:28:39You know, on orbit. And I thought, a sandwich? What? And... I don't know.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Ham and cheese, I guess.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45And so the morning of the lunch, these folks make
0:28:45 > 0:28:48sandwiches for the crew, pack 'em away in a bag and they're on
0:28:48 > 0:28:51the shuttle with us, under the seat, tied to the seat,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53so that it doesn't float away.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57And then as soon as you get into orbit, take off your suit,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00you can have a sandwich. And I didn't know that so...
0:29:00 > 0:29:02- Yours was ham and cheese. - Ham and cheese!
0:29:02 > 0:29:06The biggest majority of them, peanut butter and jello.
0:29:06 > 0:29:08It's a sin to say that!
0:29:08 > 0:29:12The quarters are set up especially for each new crew.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16'I meet manager Judy Hooper in the astronaut common room.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21'Judy has been here since the beginning looking after
0:29:21 > 0:29:24'astronauts and their families in the run-up to launch.'
0:29:24 > 0:29:30I've been here since STS One. I came on board in 1979.
0:29:30 > 0:29:37And it was the most exciting thing that you could ever, ever imagine.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Everybody you run into, every engineer, every tech,
0:29:41 > 0:29:45every astronaut, it didn't matter where they worked.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49They would have done it for free. That's how cool it was.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53I mean, you're working on the space shuttle.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55What else could be better than that?
0:29:55 > 0:29:59'I asked Judy about the toughest times she's faced here
0:29:59 > 0:30:02'and she spoke about the first shuttle accident -
0:30:02 > 0:30:04'Challenger in 1986.'
0:30:04 > 0:30:11I was up on the LCC roof, watching the family through there. Um...
0:30:15 > 0:30:18And I remember looking up and...
0:30:19 > 0:30:21..somehow you know.
0:30:23 > 0:30:27You know, you don't know the minute you realise it,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29because I think you kind of go into shock.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34And liftoff.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Liftoff of the 25th Space Shuttle mission,
0:30:37 > 0:30:38and it has cleared the tower.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45Challenger exploded 73 seconds into flight in the skies above Florida.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48Challenger, go at throttle-up.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50Roger, go at throttle-up.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55RUMBLING
0:31:06 > 0:31:08A fault in one of the solid rocket boosters
0:31:08 > 0:31:10caused a catastrophic failure.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19- Go ahead.- RSO reports vehicle exploded.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Copy.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28All seven crew members,
0:31:28 > 0:31:32including NASA's first civilian astronaut, were lost.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46It's just so sad, because this was such a great crew, you know,
0:31:46 > 0:31:48and to me, they're still great.
0:31:48 > 0:31:54And I'm so glad that what they sacrificed could mean something,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58because we learned from that, like everything else.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07You're never ever going to make
0:32:07 > 0:32:10human space exploration completely safe.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12It's always going to be like this.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16This is a memorial to all of the NASA astronauts who have died
0:32:16 > 0:32:20either while training or on mission, and look at that monument.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24There is plenty of space for more names. It will always be like this.
0:32:24 > 0:32:30Exploration will always be risk, and without risk, there is no progress.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37First Challenger and then the Columbia accident
0:32:37 > 0:32:39cast long shadows over the programme
0:32:39 > 0:32:42and caused NASA to search its soul.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44They sought to learn from their mistakes
0:32:44 > 0:32:46and make Shuttle ever safer.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49With the flight of Atlantis days away,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52I want to see one of the more recent weapons in that armoury.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57- Kenny, this is your office here. - This is it.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00If you will, let's open this up and undo those snaps
0:33:00 > 0:33:03and show the cameras.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06'Kenny Allen is a specialist cameraman.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10'On launch day, he'll be one of the closest human beings to Atlantis.'
0:33:10 > 0:33:13This is our camera tracking mount.
0:33:13 > 0:33:19'After Columbia, NASA invested 39 million in specialist digital images.
0:33:19 > 0:33:25'The pictures taken reveal in minute detail any damage the shuttle experiences during launch.'
0:33:25 > 0:33:28The whole system is top-notch.
0:33:28 > 0:33:32You won't find anything better than this anywhere in the world right now.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33There's no way.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36I see a seat in the middle of this, so that's your throne for the day.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38On launch day, I come out here and I sit in the seat and we hear
0:33:38 > 0:33:44the countdown and it's getting exciting and everything's nerve-racking,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47and as soon as the shuttle lifts off and the sound comes in,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50and your clothes, everything, it starts pounding,
0:33:50 > 0:33:53and you can see I'm in this little enclosed area
0:33:53 > 0:33:55and the sound waves start coming in here
0:33:55 > 0:33:58and it really feels like somebody's just punching on my chest.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02Its neat. At liftoff, I'm concentrating right on the joystick,
0:34:02 > 0:34:03and I look through the scope
0:34:03 > 0:34:07and I track throughout the duration of the flight,
0:34:07 > 0:34:11and then as it goes up, and I track down and I stop, it's like,
0:34:11 > 0:34:13"Yes! All right! We did another one."
0:34:13 > 0:34:15Then you go rush off to see what you did.
0:34:15 > 0:34:16Immediately after launch,
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Kenny's images can be analysed frame by frame.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22This is where we record the video that's shot out there.
0:34:22 > 0:34:25- This is Tim Terry.- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28The imagery's stunning, there's no doubt,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31but it's not stunning just for stunning's sake.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33There's groups of engineers looking at different parts
0:34:33 > 0:34:36of the shuttle, just like I'm doing here, frame by frame, and they
0:34:36 > 0:34:39all have their own little interest, their own little department, and
0:34:39 > 0:34:44they all are looking at things in the minutest of detail, every launch.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48If the shuttle's tiles were found to be severely damaged, NASA could
0:34:48 > 0:34:52make a call whether to undertake repairs in space or offload
0:34:52 > 0:34:56the crew to the International Space Station and abandon the shuttle.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59You have all these cameras trained on this vehicle
0:34:59 > 0:35:03because of a catastrophic accident.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05Well, if you go back and look at the history,
0:35:05 > 0:35:09135 Space Shuttle missions, we've had two mishaps.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12On the Challenger, the only thing that found out what happened,
0:35:12 > 0:35:15the only thing that identified what happened was photo.
0:35:15 > 0:35:21The same thing with Columbia, when the foam hit the wing, it was seen.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24But what we're here for at the end of the day is to say,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27that shuttle's safe. It's not damaged in any way.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30It's flying, we're going to bring those guys home.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36With four days to go, the crew of Atlantis
0:35:36 > 0:35:39arrive at Cape Canaveral on American Independence Day.
0:35:42 > 0:35:45That's Chris and Sandy arriving in the jet on the right,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and Rex and Doug are on the jet on the left,
0:35:48 > 0:35:51and they're in quarantine now,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54which means that nobody except for front-line mission operations
0:35:54 > 0:35:58personnel or close family are allowed within ten feet of them.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Good afternoon to everybody.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06I think it's wonderful that you've all come out to join us,
0:36:06 > 0:36:09when I know and I certainly hope that you will have an opportunity
0:36:09 > 0:36:12to go home when this is all done and enjoy some barbecues,
0:36:12 > 0:36:15some fireworks and some apple pie.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19The crew now in quarantine, I wanted to find out what
0:36:19 > 0:36:21goes through the mind of an astronaut
0:36:21 > 0:36:23as they step away from the public gaze
0:36:23 > 0:36:26and think of the mission they're about to embark upon.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31So I went to meet with Dan Tani again,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34and two astronaut friends he trained with.
0:36:35 > 0:36:38Over the last decade, Dan has spent over four months in space.
0:36:40 > 0:36:44Greg Chematov put the last bolt in the International Space Station,
0:36:44 > 0:36:47and British-born Piers Sellers has clocked up
0:36:47 > 0:36:50over 40 hours in space walks.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53If we go through the arithmetic on it, this is amongst the most
0:36:53 > 0:36:58risky jobs outside of the military during war there is.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I don't even like watching other people's launches.
0:37:01 > 0:37:07If I'm back here, I never enjoy them. It just makes me nervous.
0:37:07 > 0:37:08It's a dangerous business.
0:37:08 > 0:37:10Anybody who tells you otherwise is lying,
0:37:10 > 0:37:14and launch is probably about the most dangerous phase.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17The more you know about the vehicle, the more you know about all
0:37:17 > 0:37:22the very small margins, you know, there's a lot at risk.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24So when you're watching, it is nerve-racking.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27When you're in it, it's great, because you're going.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29You have something to do. You have a job.
0:37:29 > 0:37:34THEY LAUGH
0:37:34 > 0:37:36Explain that a bit to me, because you know what can happen,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38you've seen what can happen,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41and yet your launches, that's not in your mind.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45They say when you climb Everest, you know the places where people
0:37:45 > 0:37:51fell off and been killed, and for Shuttle, both my launches,
0:37:51 > 0:37:53you listen for "go at throttle-up"
0:37:53 > 0:37:56and you know that this is the moment that you lost Challenger,
0:37:56 > 0:38:00and then when you're coming back home and you're coming through Mach 19,
0:38:00 > 0:38:02you know this is when we lost Columbia,
0:38:02 > 0:38:05so you have these, you pass these moments, and for me, there was
0:38:05 > 0:38:10certainly relief past "go at throttle-up" and coming in past 19,
0:38:10 > 0:38:14where you think, "Wow..." Not that that same thing's going to hit you,
0:38:14 > 0:38:21but this was the moment, and I'm glad to be past it.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23I never felt an active sense of jeopardy.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26I guess it was there in the background,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28but I never really paid attention to it,
0:38:28 > 0:38:30and then coming down in the shuttle,
0:38:30 > 0:38:32and it wasn't until I touched down,
0:38:32 > 0:38:37and all of a sudden I felt this relief that must have been
0:38:37 > 0:38:39collected for months, about, I'm really home,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43I'm really going to be back, I'm really going to see my family again,
0:38:43 > 0:38:45it's really over, I really got back down safely.
0:38:45 > 0:38:49This is the question that everybody outside the fence is always
0:38:49 > 0:38:55going to ask. 30 years of Shuttle, 135 flights. Why did you do it?
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Why did WE do it?
0:38:57 > 0:39:01It's raised our ability to do things in space from a very
0:39:01 > 0:39:06rudimentary level to an extremely ambitious level. Now look what we do.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09We have pretty much building sites up there with these gigantic arms
0:39:09 > 0:39:14flying around doing things, so it's raised the level of technology
0:39:14 > 0:39:18and engineering enormously over 30 years,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21so that when we do get around to doing something further out,
0:39:21 > 0:39:25we'll have a big repository of knowledge and experience to build on.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30The world's news crews are gearing up for launch day.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34The astronauts and the hardware are nearing their state of readiness.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38But there's one thing that's still out of NASA's control.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41So, worrying news, 48 hours to launch,
0:39:41 > 0:39:45and I've just heard there's a 60% chance that the thing won't launch,
0:39:45 > 0:39:47because of the weather conditions.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49After all that engineering and all that technology,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51it comes down to clouds and rain.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53I'm just going to find out what's happening.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57Kathy Winters is NASA's chief weather officer.
0:39:58 > 0:40:01I wish I had better weather for the forecast,
0:40:01 > 0:40:03but it is not looking favourable right now.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05We're going to have some showers and potentially some
0:40:05 > 0:40:07thunderstorms by launch time.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10I'm Kevin from BBC. You have to understand, we're British
0:40:10 > 0:40:15so we only ever talk about the weather, and you're the most
0:40:15 > 0:40:18important weather woman in the world for me today, so I just wonder what
0:40:18 > 0:40:21it's like to feel the pressure of getting this forecast right, Kathy.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24I wouldn't call it pressure, I would call it exciting.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26It's really an exciting situation we get into.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29It's not really, I guess, a feeling like stress
0:40:29 > 0:40:31until maybe afterwards and then a big letdown
0:40:31 > 0:40:35if you do happen to screw up, but that's kind of how it is.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39The next stage in Atlantis's countdown to launch is to get
0:40:39 > 0:40:42fuel aboard its giant external tank.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47But over the whole of the next day, the weather takes over.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56You don't need to be a rocket scientist to realise that
0:40:56 > 0:40:59having lightning coming down when you're filling a vehicle with
0:40:59 > 0:41:01thousands and thousands of tonnes, here we go,
0:41:01 > 0:41:08of liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, it's a dangerous thing.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12At the moment, they're trying to get the rotating service structure
0:41:12 > 0:41:13back away from the vehicle
0:41:13 > 0:41:16so they can get access to it to get the fuel on board,
0:41:16 > 0:41:20but they need to have no lightning and better weather than this,
0:41:20 > 0:41:23and if that process slips by more than four or five hours,
0:41:23 > 0:41:26they're going to have to rethink the whole thing,
0:41:26 > 0:41:28possibly going to have to scrub.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31- It's a bit crazy in here today, Jeff.- Absolutely.
0:41:31 > 0:41:36'Atlantis's mission is to rendezvous with the International Space Station,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40'but to do that, she has to launch at just the right time.'
0:41:40 > 0:41:43I'm seeing lightning, and hearing thunder, do you really think
0:41:43 > 0:41:45there's any chance of you getting off the ground tomorrow?
0:41:45 > 0:41:47I think the weather we've got coming in tomorrow,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50people have said there are some breaks in that weather,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53and we only need, it doesn't matter how bad it is beforehand,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55it's when we get to that key zero timeframe.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59In any given day, how long is the window in which you can launch?
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Normally it's about ten minutes long. It's designed to be ten minutes long.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07When you're trying to an object going 17,000 miles an hour,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10the ability for you to get that point in space at the same time they are,
0:42:10 > 0:42:14starting from zero, is really a challenge, so you have to
0:42:14 > 0:42:16shoot at just the right spot, at just the right angle so you have
0:42:16 > 0:42:20enough of propellant and enough capability on board
0:42:20 > 0:42:23to be able to steer the vehicle to meet the station at the right time,
0:42:23 > 0:42:25because otherwise, you're not going to hit it.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31It's the day before the launch, and taking advantage of a brief
0:42:31 > 0:42:35break in the weather, the launch control team decide to press ahead
0:42:35 > 0:42:38and peel back the orbiter's protective shield.
0:42:38 > 0:42:39She's now ready for fuelling,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43and I get my first proper look at Atlantis.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49If the weather holds, Atlantis will be fuelled overnight,
0:42:49 > 0:42:51ready for launch tomorrow.
0:42:55 > 0:42:58In the early hours of the morning, I get the call.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Atlantis has been fuelled, countdown will begin.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Four o'clock in the morning, the morning of the launch.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07If's kind of strange.
0:43:07 > 0:43:11I didn't really think that I would feel anything in particular
0:43:11 > 0:43:16this morning, but as time goes on,
0:43:16 > 0:43:20I sort of start to feel like the people we've been talking to,
0:43:20 > 0:43:24a bit happy, a bit sad.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29There's a small part of me that doesn't want it to go today,
0:43:29 > 0:43:32because then the end doesn't have to start so soon.
0:43:32 > 0:43:36It's quite unexpected.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40As I arrive at Kennedy, I see Rene and Travis from the close-out crew,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42preparing to leave the shuttle on the launchpad.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46- How are you?- Great.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48- You ready this morning? - Yes, sir! Ready.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51Do you think the weather's going to hold for you today?
0:43:51 > 0:43:54Do you know, it's above my area of expertise.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56I've had flight crews out there in the rain before
0:43:56 > 0:43:59and we ended up launching,
0:43:59 > 0:44:03so I've seen perfect weather and we ended up scrubbing.
0:44:03 > 0:44:05So, who knows.
0:44:05 > 0:44:08It's the space business, it's what we're in, if it cooperates,
0:44:08 > 0:44:12we'll get her off the ground safe. If it's not safe, we won't go.
0:44:18 > 0:44:23As dawn breaks, the odds of a successful launch have fallen to 30%.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26The launch window opens at 11.21am.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29If the weather forecast for that time isn't good,
0:44:29 > 0:44:32countdown will be scrubbed.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35But that hasn't stopped the public turning out in force.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39- RADIO:- ..history here on Magic 107.7, with the Space Shuttle launch...
0:44:39 > 0:44:40..traffic is backing up...
0:44:47 > 0:44:51At 7.35am, Chris, Doug, Rex and Sandy leave their crew quarters
0:44:51 > 0:44:54for the three-mile journey to the launchpad.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01There they go. They've spent their last night on Earth
0:45:01 > 0:45:04in the building just behind me. They're off to the pad now
0:45:04 > 0:45:09and hopefully on their way to space in a couple of hours' time.
0:45:11 > 0:45:14There's so much riding on this launch today.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16The end is hard enough.
0:45:16 > 0:45:18No-one wants to go through countdown for it to be
0:45:18 > 0:45:20cancelled at the 11th hour.
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Up on level 195, Rene and Travis are there to meet the astronauts
0:45:33 > 0:45:35and prepare them for flight.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40In Houston's Mission Control,
0:45:40 > 0:45:42Richard Jones tells his team to expect a decision.
0:45:45 > 0:45:46We're getting close, folks.
0:45:46 > 0:45:49Expect a go/no-go in the next 10 or 15 minutes.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00At the one-mile mark, Kenny is primed and ready.
0:46:12 > 0:46:16And by the countdown clock, Terry White is watching.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20- Opening event doors.- Yes.- OK.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24MUFFLED VOICES OVER RADIO
0:46:24 > 0:46:28With the astronauts strapped in and the door locked, everyone is waiting
0:46:28 > 0:46:33to hear the weather all-clear from launch director Mike Leinbach.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35OK, guys, let's get ready.
0:46:36 > 0:46:41OK, we're starting to feel pretty good down here on the ground about this one today,
0:46:41 > 0:46:45so on behalf of the greatest team in the world, good luck to you
0:46:45 > 0:46:48and your crew on the final flight of this true American icon.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53You are clear to launch Atlantis.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56I copy that, sir, thank you.
0:46:56 > 0:46:58T minus nine minutes and counting.
0:46:58 > 0:47:02You know, despite all the weather that cheer you're hearing out there,
0:47:02 > 0:47:06that's everyone being told that we're still go for launch,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08so they've dodged around the weather, the rainstorms,
0:47:08 > 0:47:12the thunderbolts, the lightning. It looks like it might just be
0:47:12 > 0:47:15clear enough, and they're going to begin the final countdown to launch.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18The giant vent hood is one of the last connections
0:47:18 > 0:47:21between Atlantis and the launchpad.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23When it's removed, liftoff can begin.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26O2 flow.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33T minus 35, 33.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35T minus 31 seconds.
0:47:36 > 0:47:41- We're holding at 31. - We have a problem with the switches.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43The launch is suddenly held.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45A sensor is saying that
0:47:45 > 0:47:47the giant vent hood hasn't retracted and locked.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50We are trying to verify using a camera
0:47:50 > 0:47:54and we're positioning camera 62 right now.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56It's getting pretty desperate now.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59There are two minutes left in the launch window,
0:47:59 > 0:48:0131 seconds still on the clock.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04They have less than two minutes to find out if the sensor is
0:48:04 > 0:48:09faulty or if the hood is indeed blocking the launch of Atlantis.
0:48:09 > 0:48:15Launch control hunt for a view of the hood. And a decision is made.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18We verify it is retracted.
0:48:18 > 0:48:2031 seconds still on the clock.
0:48:21 > 0:48:27No, no, the clock has started again. So we're 31 seconds to launch.
0:48:29 > 0:48:34- Go for sequence start. - We are counting.- Copy.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40- Ten seconds.- Copy that. - Main engine start.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27MUFFLED VOICE ON RADIO Roger, Atlantis.
0:49:51 > 0:49:56GREAT RUMBLING
0:49:56 > 0:50:00Three miles out and more now. You can feel that in your chest.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04It's a deafening roar.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11Atlantis, go up, throttle up, no action, DPDT.
0:50:11 > 0:50:18- Throttle up, no action, DPDT. - Single engine Zaragoza. 104.
0:50:18 > 0:50:21Two minutes after launch, the solid rocket boosters detach
0:50:21 > 0:50:22and fall back to the sea.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32- Negative return. - Atlantis, negative return.
0:50:35 > 0:50:38- MECO, MECO confirmed.- Copy MECO.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41Now standing by for external tank separation.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44As she pushes through the earth's upper atmosphere,
0:50:44 > 0:50:46Atlantis detaches from its external tank.
0:50:49 > 0:50:53Chris, Doug, Sandy and Rex are in orbit.
0:50:58 > 0:51:02Atlantis's final mission to the International Space Station
0:51:02 > 0:51:04would last 13 days.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Atlantis, station on the big loop, we have you in sight.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09We'll be there soon!
0:51:09 > 0:51:13The crew deliver over four tonnes of food, water and equipment
0:51:13 > 0:51:17that will allow the Space Station to be manned for another year.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23In Houston, my friend Dan Tani is capcom,
0:51:23 > 0:51:25the astronauts' connection to Earth.
0:51:25 > 0:51:29Atlantis crew on the ISS, this is Houston, are you ready for the event?
0:51:29 > 0:51:32What advice do you have for kids wanting to get into NASA
0:51:32 > 0:51:34and get in the field?
0:51:34 > 0:51:36I think our advice would be just to work really hard in school,
0:51:36 > 0:51:38especially in science and math,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41because that's very, very important in this business.
0:51:41 > 0:51:44Sandy, Chris, could you guys turn a flip for us in zero gravity?
0:51:48 > 0:51:52- I love it!- There you go! I like the socks. Very nice.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58America now want the commercial sector to take over
0:51:58 > 0:52:00Space Station delivery runs,
0:52:00 > 0:52:02freeing NASA to develop new spacecraft
0:52:02 > 0:52:05to take humans beyond low Earth orbit.
0:52:05 > 0:52:08Until then, astronauts travelling to the Space Station
0:52:08 > 0:52:10will go on Russian vehicles.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15NASA's vehicle assembly building is one of the largest structures
0:52:15 > 0:52:17in the world,
0:52:17 > 0:52:20but it now lies empty and with no immediate
0:52:20 > 0:52:24successor to Shuttle, it's uncertain what will fill this void.
0:52:26 > 0:52:29It's sort of eerie being here.
0:52:29 > 0:52:33This place ordinarily, between missions, would have been a flurry
0:52:33 > 0:52:37of activity while they processed a vehicle, but it's empty now.
0:52:37 > 0:52:41And all of this huge, beautiful, specifically engineered infrastructure
0:52:41 > 0:52:47is never going to be used to build a shuttle again.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51After eight days aboard the Space Station,
0:52:51 > 0:52:54Atlantis and her crew prepare to leave.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58They still have to face the challenge of re-entry and landing.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03We're glad to be heading home and we're happy to serve with you.
0:53:03 > 0:53:04We'll see you again.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07Thanks a million. We'll see you back home. Take care. Have a safe flight.
0:53:08 > 0:53:13It's 5.45am, Kennedy Space Centre, and Atlantis is on her way.
0:53:13 > 0:53:17Chris Ferguson has to wrestle with 100 tonnes of unpowered shuttle.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20I know exactly what the view looks like from up there,
0:53:20 > 0:53:21but this time it's for real.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23They'll get one shot at the landing strip today.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26This is where all that practice in the training aircraft
0:53:26 > 0:53:28is going to pay off.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29They really have to get down
0:53:29 > 0:53:31and they only have one opportunity to do so.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43Landing gear down and locked.
0:53:59 > 0:54:02The last landing of Atlantis is perfect.
0:54:04 > 0:54:06Nose gear touchdown.
0:54:08 > 0:54:09And that's it.
0:54:09 > 0:54:1530 years of Space Shuttle programme. As it comes to a halt there,
0:54:15 > 0:54:19the whole thing comes to an end.
0:54:41 > 0:54:44It's a difficult day for everyone, including someone I've known
0:54:44 > 0:54:48for many years, Charlie Bolden, the head of NASA.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51He's had to convince the world that it's the right time
0:54:51 > 0:54:55- for Shuttle to come to an end.- How you doing?- Charlie.- Good to see you.
0:54:55 > 0:54:59- Great to see you.- Fantastic, fantastic.- Thanks for talking to me.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Do you think that we'll ever see a vehicle as complex
0:55:02 > 0:55:05and as capable as a Space Shuttle again?
0:55:05 > 0:55:08Shuttle is an incredible technological marvel,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12but one of its drawbacks was its complexity,
0:55:12 > 0:55:15and it is a vehicle that required
0:55:15 > 0:55:19thousands, literally thousands of people just to prepare it for flight.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22What we're going to do, hopefully, in the future,
0:55:22 > 0:55:26is simplify the design, make them technologically superior,
0:55:26 > 0:55:31so that it doesn't take an army of people to prepare a vehicle
0:55:31 > 0:55:32and to fly it and to recover it.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35But Charlie's also a former astronaut,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38a veteran of four Shuttle missions.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41This being Atlantis's last flight was really special for me.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Um...
0:55:44 > 0:55:47CHOKING: This was the first Space Shuttle I commanded,
0:55:47 > 0:55:49so that made it really special.
0:55:49 > 0:55:50Um...
0:55:50 > 0:55:56But as the administrator of NASA, my job is to do what don't do very well,
0:55:56 > 0:56:00and that is to stand in front of people and try not to be emotional.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02You've known me a long time,
0:56:02 > 0:56:07and I'm just not a person who can not be emotional. I love these people.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09I love the vehicles, I love the programme.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11I love what they stand for.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15The final Shuttle mission marks the end of an incredible era.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19This week, NASA will let go of thousands of its brightest and best.
0:56:19 > 0:56:22Like me, they got an opportunity to do the flying,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25but we owe an incredible debt of gratitude to the thousands,
0:56:25 > 0:56:27literally tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands
0:56:27 > 0:56:31of folk around the country who made all this possible.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34- Toughest thing for you today? - Yes, it is.
0:56:34 > 0:56:3732 years ago, I was loaned to this building
0:56:37 > 0:56:41for three weeks to work on the Shuttle.
0:56:41 > 0:56:4532 years later, tomorrow I clear the last things off my desk
0:56:45 > 0:56:49and I am no longer an employee of Kennedy Space Centre.
0:56:49 > 0:56:50It's very sad.
0:56:52 > 0:56:54What are people going to remember Shuttle for?
0:56:54 > 0:56:56What is its legacy going to be?
0:56:56 > 0:57:01All they have to do is go outside on a clear night at the right time
0:57:01 > 0:57:03and they can see the Space Station go over.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06It couldn't have been done without the Shuttle.
0:57:08 > 0:57:15I hope it's remembered as the biggest, proudest icon of America.
0:57:15 > 0:57:17I really do. Nobody else has done it.
0:57:20 > 0:57:25I want to think that what we have done here,
0:57:25 > 0:57:30what we have accomplished will lead to something equally as great
0:57:30 > 0:57:33and I choose to look at it that way.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40- Are you going to miss Shuttle? - Sure, in a way.
0:57:40 > 0:57:42But again, I have to look forward.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46You can't spend time looking backwards, you got to look forwards.
0:57:46 > 0:57:50So, for me, Shuttle is more than a machine, and having spent
0:57:50 > 0:57:53a month in the company of the people who made it happen, I have
0:57:53 > 0:57:57come to realise that its legacy is far richer than I ever imagined.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00You know, it's not the science, or the engineering.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03It's not the accidents, it's not even the Space Station.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06Shuttle was always more than that.
0:58:07 > 0:58:10It changed the way we saw the universe and inspired
0:58:10 > 0:58:14everybody whose lives are touched, and he taught a generation to dream.
0:58:14 > 0:58:20So that, for me, is its legacy. It is the bridge to all our futures.