Episode 4 - The Spacewalk

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0:00:03 > 0:00:05'This is Mission Control, Houston.

0:00:05 > 0:00:07'We are in a terminate case.'

0:00:09 > 0:00:13A dramatic conclusion to Tim Peake's first-ever spacewalk.

0:00:13 > 0:00:17It didn't go to plan. Four and a half hours in, the mission is terminated,

0:00:17 > 0:00:21as Tim's partner has a malfunction in his spacesuit.

0:00:21 > 0:00:25And it all takes place as the pair fly through space

0:00:25 > 0:00:26at 17,000 miles an hour,

0:00:26 > 0:00:29clinging to the outside of the space station.

0:00:29 > 0:00:31We'll bring you every critical moment.

0:00:31 > 0:00:33I'm Brian Cox, he's Dara O Briain,

0:00:33 > 0:00:36and this is Stargazing Live: The Spacewalk.

0:01:03 > 0:01:05APPLAUSE

0:01:06 > 0:01:10Thank you very much. It's been an extremely dramatic day

0:01:10 > 0:01:12and we've brought the best team on the planet together

0:01:12 > 0:01:15to guide us through Tim Peake's first spacewalk -

0:01:15 > 0:01:18astronaut and former space station commander, Chris Hadfield,

0:01:18 > 0:01:20a key member of Tim's support team here in the UK

0:01:20 > 0:01:23and a former Columbus flight director, Libby Jackson.

0:01:23 > 0:01:27And an expert in space flight biology, Dr Kevin Fong,

0:01:27 > 0:01:31and later, joining us from Chichester, Tim's dad and sister.

0:01:31 > 0:01:32Well, what today's events showed

0:01:32 > 0:01:34is that spacewalking is incredibly perilous.

0:01:34 > 0:01:37And it doesn't matter, Libby, how much these things are planned out,

0:01:37 > 0:01:41as they are meticulously planned out, they can occasionally go wrong.

0:01:41 > 0:01:44Absolutely, that's why Mission Control train and train and train.

0:01:44 > 0:01:46We run simulations with the crew

0:01:46 > 0:01:48to make sure that we're prepared for any eventuality.

0:01:48 > 0:01:49Chris, as an astronaut,

0:01:49 > 0:01:52there are obviously many hazardous things you do,

0:01:52 > 0:01:55there's launch, space flight, spacewalks, re-entry,

0:01:55 > 0:01:59what is the order? What's the most hazardous?

0:01:59 > 0:02:03The most dangerous nine minutes of your life is flying the rocket ship.

0:02:03 > 0:02:06- That's the most dangerous part. - So, we've done that.

0:02:06 > 0:02:08Now that we've got that part over,

0:02:08 > 0:02:12today was the next most dangerous thing that an astronaut does.

0:02:12 > 0:02:16And that is to not be protected by the ship itself,

0:02:16 > 0:02:18but to pull yourself out and do a spacewalk.

0:02:18 > 0:02:21So, you don't do a spacewalk for the fun,

0:02:21 > 0:02:23- it's not something you do lightly? - No.

0:02:23 > 0:02:26- This had to be done?- Yeah. We only go outside the spaceship

0:02:26 > 0:02:28when we've exhausted all the other options.

0:02:28 > 0:02:32When something needs the dexterity of our fingertips,

0:02:32 > 0:02:35or the real-time judgment of a crew,

0:02:35 > 0:02:38like they needed to go out and replace that unit today.

0:02:38 > 0:02:42And so, Kevin, how many things can damage you medically on a spacewalk?

0:02:42 > 0:02:45Well, from a doctor's point of view this is a total nightmare,

0:02:45 > 0:02:47there's threat from the moment you get into that airlock

0:02:47 > 0:02:50and you start decompressing, and it doesn't stop

0:02:50 > 0:02:52until you're back in and you've gone back to normal pressure again,

0:02:52 > 0:02:55so I look at this thing the whole way through and think,

0:02:55 > 0:02:58"What's going to kill him next? What's the danger? What's the danger?"

0:02:58 > 0:03:01The whole way through? Now, we've been following Tim's adventures

0:03:01 > 0:03:04since 2011 when he'd recently recruited as an astronaut.

0:03:04 > 0:03:07And before Christmas, just before he blasted off,

0:03:07 > 0:03:11he told us why he so cherished the idea of walking in space.

0:03:11 > 0:03:14The prospect of doing an EVA, an actual spacewalk of course,

0:03:14 > 0:03:18I think for any astronaut is the absolute icing on the cake.

0:03:18 > 0:03:20It's a real dream come true.

0:03:22 > 0:03:23You shouldn't really get your hopes up.

0:03:23 > 0:03:27Even if there's an EVA scheduled, all sorts of things can change.

0:03:27 > 0:03:31And until that hatch opens, you can't really be sure that you're going to get a get a spacewalk,

0:03:31 > 0:03:35but, of course, it's something that I'm really hoping for.

0:03:35 > 0:03:37Now, a spacewalk is not a fast thing,

0:03:37 > 0:03:40it's six and a half hours we're scheduled for today,

0:03:40 > 0:03:42so we've been here all day with Chris Hadfield

0:03:42 > 0:03:44watching this spacewalk every step of the way.

0:03:44 > 0:03:48We've been listening to the communication between Tim and Mission Control.

0:03:48 > 0:03:52And when Tim started the spacewalk, everything was going to plan.

0:03:52 > 0:03:56- 'All right, gentlemen, it's... - I've got the airlock.

0:03:56 > 0:04:00'If you're ready, it's time for Tim Kopra to head outside.

0:04:00 > 0:04:03'And you'll be going out with the crew-lock bag torque wrench bundle,

0:04:03 > 0:04:05'keeping the large and small wrench on the bag.'

0:04:05 > 0:04:06BEEPING

0:04:06 > 0:04:08'Copy that.'

0:04:08 > 0:04:11- So, Tim Kopra's heading outside now.- Correct.

0:04:11 > 0:04:13And they're going to be passing equipment out,

0:04:13 > 0:04:18cos they need all of this equipment during the day, they are doing a lot of work.

0:04:18 > 0:04:21And they're just pushing those out, getting them tethered.

0:04:21 > 0:04:25Once all those are squared away, Tim'll head up and start getting to work.

0:04:25 > 0:04:26And then Tim Peake'll come outside.

0:04:26 > 0:04:31What I find wonderful is the juxtaposition between the mundane and the kind of extreme.

0:04:31 > 0:04:34"Have you got the tool bag? Yeah, I've got the tool bag.

0:04:34 > 0:04:35"The hammer's coming out now."

0:04:35 > 0:04:38This is the last of the bags that Tim Peake is handing out.

0:04:41 > 0:04:43Oh, here comes sunset. Look.

0:04:43 > 0:04:46It happens so fast.

0:04:46 > 0:04:48- Darkness.- The whole station glows red,

0:04:48 > 0:04:51or just the station is driving into the shade of the Earth.

0:04:51 > 0:04:54So there's a little bit as the sun goes through the atmosphere.

0:04:54 > 0:04:58- So that's a sunset? It's the red of the sun?- This is a sunset, yeah.

0:04:58 > 0:05:02It's just like watching the whole sky turn red and then go dark.

0:05:02 > 0:05:05- Oh, hello. There's Tim Peake. - There he is.

0:05:05 > 0:05:06His favourite view is the night,

0:05:06 > 0:05:10so his first view of the Earth is going to be the view that he loves,

0:05:10 > 0:05:12which are the lights of the planet.

0:05:12 > 0:05:14- 'A beautiful sunset.- I know.

0:05:14 > 0:05:17'Gosh!'

0:05:17 > 0:05:19So, we should see Tim emerge somewhere.

0:05:19 > 0:05:24You can see the white of Tim Kopra's suit.

0:05:24 > 0:05:27And when Tim Peake comes outside, we'll see...

0:05:27 > 0:05:29He may come out feet first, he may come out headfirst,

0:05:29 > 0:05:32I'm not sure the geometry's going to work for him.

0:05:32 > 0:05:35- Hello.- It might be a breech birth, we'll see how it comes out.

0:05:35 > 0:05:36Well, there's some feet there.

0:05:36 > 0:05:39- 'OK, I'm coming out.- OK.'

0:05:40 > 0:05:43I think he must be on his way out.

0:05:43 > 0:05:46- There we are.- There he is. He's actually at the door now.- Yeah.

0:05:48 > 0:05:51'Tim, it's really cool seeing that Union Jack go outside.

0:05:51 > 0:05:55'It's explored all over the world, now it's explored space.

0:05:55 > 0:05:58'Thank you. It's great to be wearing it.'

0:05:58 > 0:06:01So that's his helmet.

0:06:01 > 0:06:04- So he's holding on. - This is the moment where he's about to step into space.

0:06:04 > 0:06:06He's about to pull himself out.

0:06:06 > 0:06:10'All right, gents, once you're happy, we are ready for config checks.'

0:06:10 > 0:06:14So Tim is now outside... in the universe.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17- Tim is outside.- We should have a round of applause.

0:06:17 > 0:06:20APPLAUSE

0:06:21 > 0:06:24We're going to have a look at a spacesuit like Tim's.

0:06:24 > 0:06:28And if you have any questions you want to ask about spacesuits or spacewalks,

0:06:28 > 0:06:31send them to the usual addresses. They're on the screen right now.

0:06:31 > 0:06:34Chris, this is a model of a similar spacesuit to the one

0:06:34 > 0:06:36that Tim was using today. Could you show us around?

0:06:36 > 0:06:43Yeah. It's inherently just a little bag of the Earth's atmosphere

0:06:43 > 0:06:46that you're carrying around with you to keep you alive -

0:06:46 > 0:06:48a little pressurised, one-person spaceship,

0:06:48 > 0:06:51and it's mostly just, you know, cloth,

0:06:51 > 0:06:55and it's not all that thick.

0:06:55 > 0:06:57It comes... If I could borrow that.

0:06:57 > 0:06:58It's got multiple layers.

0:06:58 > 0:06:59It's got this white stuff to protect

0:06:59 > 0:07:01you against the sun and the outside

0:07:01 > 0:07:07and then it's got some sort of protective tough layers here in case you get hit by a little meteorite.

0:07:07 > 0:07:09And then one thick, tough layer here.

0:07:09 > 0:07:14And then inside, it's a pressure bladder in order to hold the air inside.

0:07:14 > 0:07:19And then all of that against your skin is a liquid-cooling garment,

0:07:19 > 0:07:23pumping water around your body, all keeping you alive alone outside.

0:07:23 > 0:07:24Because one of the things, obviously,

0:07:24 > 0:07:26it's not just there to keep air around you,

0:07:26 > 0:07:29it's also to protect against vast extremes of temperature.

0:07:29 > 0:07:32If you're in the sun and then you're out of the sun,

0:07:32 > 0:07:34it's a difference of 300 degrees.

0:07:34 > 0:07:38It is. If the sun was right there on your chest,

0:07:38 > 0:07:42it would be in the order of plus 150 Celsius,

0:07:42 > 0:07:46but on your back it would be minus 140 Celsius or so,

0:07:46 > 0:07:50so a huge temperature... And you can feel it on your legs.

0:07:50 > 0:07:55You don't want to let the flesh of your legs touch the ice-cold pipes of the suit itself.

0:07:55 > 0:07:59- You really feel where you are.- As you say, it's a little spacecraft,

0:07:59 > 0:08:02so up here there are displays monitoring the systems.

0:08:02 > 0:08:03So this is a computer system?

0:08:03 > 0:08:08It is, it has the essential stuff that you need just analogue, like a pressure gauge.

0:08:08 > 0:08:12But then you can watch and if there's an emergency,

0:08:12 > 0:08:16you'll hear a little tone and you can look down and read what's failed on your suit.

0:08:16 > 0:08:22You can control temperature right here by controlling that fluid, the water flowing around your body.

0:08:22 > 0:08:25And then you can turn the volumes up and down and the lights.

0:08:25 > 0:08:29- So it's a primitive little ship.- It all seems easy, but then you've got one of these on,

0:08:29 > 0:08:34which actually in this configuration, it's not too bad,

0:08:34 > 0:08:36- it's like a gardening glove. - But in truth,

0:08:36 > 0:08:41picture that you're wearing that gardening glove with all the structure of the suit inside,

0:08:41 > 0:08:46but then also pressurised to about the same pressure as a volleyball.

0:08:46 > 0:08:51So that resistance of the cloth itself,

0:08:51 > 0:08:56every time you want to close your fist, it's like you're squeezing a tennis ball every time.

0:08:56 > 0:09:00And there's no break, you're in the suit for six or seven hours that way.

0:09:00 > 0:09:05So when we see Tim doing quite difficult, very precise tasks with cabling,

0:09:05 > 0:09:09he's doing it with this glove but inflated to that pressure?

0:09:09 > 0:09:11It's as if someone has strapped you to an exercise machine

0:09:11 > 0:09:14for six and a half hours for everything you move.

0:09:14 > 0:09:16So when you come in after being on a spacewalk in this suit,

0:09:16 > 0:09:19I mean, you've skinned yourself essentially?

0:09:19 > 0:09:23Oh, yeah. You're tired, your hands are used up,

0:09:23 > 0:09:25your fingers throb for days afterwards.

0:09:25 > 0:09:30You have to be really careful, trim your nails beforehand,

0:09:30 > 0:09:35and try and conserve your energy, because the things you do in the last 15 minutes of the spacewalk

0:09:35 > 0:09:38are just as important as the things you did at the start.

0:09:38 > 0:09:40So you have to pace yourself and be ready for it.

0:09:40 > 0:09:43And the controls, I notice, they're all printed backwards.

0:09:43 > 0:09:48Yeah. If you're in this suit and you're trying to control the stuff in the front, you can't see it,

0:09:48 > 0:09:51so you wear a wrist mirror on your left wrist.

0:09:51 > 0:09:54And so if you want to adjust the temperature, you look at that,

0:09:54 > 0:09:57you reach down, you dial it to where it needs to be.

0:09:57 > 0:10:00Or the main control of the pressurisation of the suit are all here.

0:10:00 > 0:10:02We used the word earlier,

0:10:02 > 0:10:06- it's a nontrivial exercise doing a spacewalk.- Yes.- That's probably right.- Yes.

0:10:06 > 0:10:11Yes. There's a lot of engineering in spacesuits, but they can and do fail during a spacewalk.

0:10:11 > 0:10:17In 2013, a potentially fatal water leak nearly drowned Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano.

0:10:17 > 0:10:20He told his story to Liz Bonnin.

0:10:20 > 0:10:23Luca, tell me about the moment when you realised something was wrong.

0:10:23 > 0:10:27I had just completed the first task of the day or maybe the second task.

0:10:27 > 0:10:32And I was just moving away from this corner that I had been working in,

0:10:32 > 0:10:36and in doing the motion I leaned back inside the helmet with my head

0:10:36 > 0:10:41and I felt cold water touching the back of my head.

0:10:41 > 0:10:43Water that wasn't supposed to be there.

0:10:43 > 0:10:47It was coming from the back of my head and it was flowing forward.

0:10:47 > 0:10:53'I feel a lot of water on the back of my head, but I don't think it's leaked from my bag.'

0:10:53 > 0:10:56And at that moment the water covered my eyes

0:10:56 > 0:10:58and then it went inside my nose.

0:10:58 > 0:11:04'My head is really wet and I have a feeling that it's increasing.'

0:11:04 > 0:11:07And the sun went down at the same moment.

0:11:07 > 0:11:13And so, all at once, I went from a situation where I thought I was comfortable

0:11:13 > 0:11:15to being very uncomfortable.

0:11:15 > 0:11:17'It feels like a lot of water.'

0:11:20 > 0:11:25At that point, I didn't know how much time I had, because the water is still filling my helmet.

0:11:25 > 0:11:28Is it going to reach my mouth? Am I going to be able to breathe?

0:11:28 > 0:11:31And so I basically started navigating my way in the blind,

0:11:31 > 0:11:35using the experience that I had to try to reach the airlock.

0:11:38 > 0:11:43'Hatch is open, Shane. Luca's going in the lock.'

0:11:43 > 0:11:47After all of this, are you still very keen to do spacewalks?

0:11:47 > 0:11:50And if so, will you approach them differently?

0:11:50 > 0:11:54I was ready to go outside the next day. I wanted to go outside and finish the job.

0:11:56 > 0:11:58Libby, what happened there in that situation?

0:11:58 > 0:12:02So, in order to keep the astronaut's body temperature regulated,

0:12:02 > 0:12:05they wear, as Chris said, a liquid-cooling garment.

0:12:05 > 0:12:08And that feeds back into the back of the spacesuit there.

0:12:08 > 0:12:10And what we now know happened, we didn't know at the time,

0:12:10 > 0:12:14was that some grit had got into that system

0:12:14 > 0:12:18and it was causing the part where the water and air meet, and they should never mix,

0:12:18 > 0:12:20the water was getting into the air system.

0:12:20 > 0:12:25Now, the air's blown up over the top of the head into the helmet to keep the air circulating,

0:12:25 > 0:12:28and with water in there it was getting into the helmet,

0:12:28 > 0:12:30going over, and so it was getting into Luca's eyes.

0:12:30 > 0:12:33In space you can't feel the effects of gravity,

0:12:33 > 0:12:36so the overriding force is one of surface tension.

0:12:36 > 0:12:39So the water's just going to stick to everything, it stuck to his eyes,

0:12:39 > 0:12:41his ears, got in his nose, got in his mouth.

0:12:41 > 0:12:43As Luca said there, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear,

0:12:43 > 0:12:45the only way back was to feel his way back.

0:12:45 > 0:12:48We've footage of the test they did on Luca's helmet afterwards

0:12:48 > 0:12:51and you can see how the water gathered in front of him.

0:12:51 > 0:12:54And it is possible, Kevin, to drown in this situation.

0:12:54 > 0:12:59Yeah. And certainly when Luca's mission was on, this was the worry of the flight surgeon on the desk,

0:12:59 > 0:13:01could he drown in his suit?

0:13:01 > 0:13:04And, you know, it doesn't take very much water to drown.

0:13:04 > 0:13:10A few hundred mils of water in your lungs is going to cause irreparable damage.

0:13:10 > 0:13:15And you don't have to drown completely, a partial drowning will cause problems with your lungs

0:13:15 > 0:13:17that you'd need the services of an intensive care unit.

0:13:17 > 0:13:19There's no intensive care unit up there.

0:13:19 > 0:13:22But this suit, or this section of the suit,

0:13:22 > 0:13:25it was returned into use again.

0:13:25 > 0:13:29Well, Nasa, of course, looked into it really seriously,

0:13:29 > 0:13:33they looked at the design, but if it's something that only happens when you're weightless,

0:13:33 > 0:13:37then it's really difficult to figure out exactly what caused the problem.

0:13:37 > 0:13:39But they replaced a bunch of pieces

0:13:39 > 0:13:42and they put the suit back into service.

0:13:42 > 0:13:47And that suit was being worn again today.

0:13:47 > 0:13:50There aren't many of these suits in existence, are there?

0:13:50 > 0:13:52No, there's, like, a dozen of these suits that exist.

0:13:52 > 0:13:55And there are three up on the space station right now.

0:13:55 > 0:13:57It's not like there's a bunch of reserves you can go to,

0:13:57 > 0:13:59they're complex and rare and expensive,

0:13:59 > 0:14:02and so you want to use them for as long and as many times as you can.

0:14:02 > 0:14:05So it was the suit Tim Kopra was wearing today?

0:14:05 > 0:14:07- It's the same one that Luca was wearing.- OK.

0:14:07 > 0:14:10The first moments of Tim's spacewalk were in darkness,

0:14:10 > 0:14:14but after just half an hour, he experienced his first sunrise.

0:14:14 > 0:14:18'All right, gents, the sun is coming up. You're over Western Canada.

0:14:18 > 0:14:20'We're looking great on the timeline,

0:14:20 > 0:14:24'we can take it nice and easy and no hurry at all.'

0:14:24 > 0:14:29Now I think we're going to see our first glimpses, hopefully, of Tim Peake in daylight

0:14:29 > 0:14:31on his first spacewalk.

0:14:31 > 0:14:33You really get a sense of the scale.

0:14:33 > 0:14:36I haven't really had that sense before,

0:14:36 > 0:14:39but looking at these pictures, it is a vast structure, isn't it?

0:14:39 > 0:14:41It's nice if you get lost, though.

0:14:41 > 0:14:44We have painted little arrows all over the station that say,

0:14:44 > 0:14:47- "Airlock - that way." - LAUGHTER

0:14:47 > 0:14:50- That must be Tim Peake there. - I think Tim Kopra already went out.

0:14:50 > 0:14:53He did, yeah. So that's Tim Peake clinging onto the bottom of...

0:14:53 > 0:14:56He's got a bag of tools.

0:14:56 > 0:14:58- You can see his safety tether as well.- Yeah.

0:14:58 > 0:15:01There's his hand on the hatch back.

0:15:01 > 0:15:04That there is a Union Jack on his shoulder

0:15:04 > 0:15:06on the outside of the space station for the first time.

0:15:06 > 0:15:09- It's nice to see.- It is, isn't it?

0:15:09 > 0:15:12Does it make you feel...insignificant?

0:15:12 > 0:15:17Does it make you feel proud to watch that unfurl beneath you?

0:15:17 > 0:15:23I think what Tim's going to come back inside with is a true sense of perspective.

0:15:23 > 0:15:26And the fact that you recognise that you're small

0:15:26 > 0:15:30does not necessarily make you feel insignificant.

0:15:30 > 0:15:34Because through our creativity and our invention,

0:15:34 > 0:15:38we have figured out a way to get to where he is today.

0:15:38 > 0:15:42You know, to get to see the whole world like this out the window,

0:15:42 > 0:15:45to start exploring the rest of the universe in person,

0:15:45 > 0:15:48that gives you a great sense of historical significance.

0:15:48 > 0:15:51But you also recognise just how small you are,

0:15:51 > 0:15:56how ancient world is, how the distances are beyond comprehension,

0:15:56 > 0:15:58and you're just out there in the middle of it all.

0:15:58 > 0:16:04You really get a sense of...of where we are in the universe.

0:16:04 > 0:16:07You know, one of my favourite moments, a beautiful little moment,

0:16:07 > 0:16:13when we saw that Tim Kopra had a picture of his family strapped to his arm.

0:16:13 > 0:16:16And we believe that Tim Peake also did,

0:16:16 > 0:16:19but we saw that image there, which I thought was very beautiful.

0:16:19 > 0:16:21And there it is.

0:16:21 > 0:16:24And it's attached to his checklist, to his emergency checklist.

0:16:24 > 0:16:27Actually, you brought your emergency checklist along, didn't you?

0:16:27 > 0:16:31- This is the one that's flown twice. - Yeah. So, it's really nice,

0:16:31 > 0:16:34cos Tim Kopra's wife was there in Mission Control watching today,

0:16:34 > 0:16:37so she got to look at that quick image over his shoulder

0:16:37 > 0:16:41and see on one of these blank pages in the very back

0:16:41 > 0:16:42where he'd put something personal.

0:16:42 > 0:16:46It's kind of like social media sort of -

0:16:46 > 0:16:48you're out there doing an important thing,

0:16:48 > 0:16:51but it gives us insight into what it is like to be a person, a family member.

0:16:51 > 0:16:54- It reminds you to be careful, I would think.- That's true too, yeah.

0:16:54 > 0:16:58They were lucky, actually, cos both Tims had time to take photographs,

0:16:58 > 0:17:02we have footage of them, and they even got Tim Peake to lift up his visor to get a better photograph.

0:17:02 > 0:17:06David Hartley wants to know, do astronauts have any time

0:17:06 > 0:17:09for sightseeing or contemplation during an EVA?

0:17:09 > 0:17:13There's no... If you were to look at the timeline that Nasa built for the spacewalk,

0:17:13 > 0:17:17- nowhere in there does it say, "Take time out for contemplation." - LAUGHTER

0:17:17 > 0:17:20But...but you try and work as efficiently as you can.

0:17:20 > 0:17:24Inevitably, there's going to be a few moments in there

0:17:24 > 0:17:26where you get ahead of the timeline.

0:17:26 > 0:17:30And in this case, they got all the way out to the furthest end of the space station,

0:17:30 > 0:17:33and they had in the order of 15 or 20 minutes

0:17:33 > 0:17:36waiting for the sun to go down before they could start doing the actual work.

0:17:36 > 0:17:39So it was a beautiful moment that Tim will remember.

0:17:39 > 0:17:43I loved it as well. Visor up and a big smile.

0:17:43 > 0:17:46- Yeah.- You'd have to! LAUGHTER

0:17:46 > 0:17:49Shaun Murphy aged seven asks, "How heavy is that suit?"

0:17:49 > 0:17:52How heavy is the suit? It weighs more than I do,

0:17:52 > 0:17:55- maybe as much as you do, Dara. - LAUGHTER

0:17:55 > 0:17:57So, not heavy at all.

0:17:57 > 0:17:59No, no. It's weightless in fact.

0:17:59 > 0:18:01- All right. Yeah. - LAUGHTER

0:18:01 > 0:18:04Spacewalks are integral to the functioning of the space station.

0:18:04 > 0:18:08In fact, it simply wouldn't exist without them.

0:18:11 > 0:18:16In March 1965, Russian cosmonaut, Alexey Leonov,

0:18:16 > 0:18:20became the first person to walk in space.

0:18:21 > 0:18:24Since then, 214 astronauts

0:18:24 > 0:18:29have stepped outside their spaceship into the dark vacuum of space.

0:18:32 > 0:18:35Tim Peake is number 215.

0:18:41 > 0:18:45The ISS was built from scratch by spacewalking astronauts.

0:18:45 > 0:18:51It's taken 191 EVAs to construct and maintain the station so far.

0:18:51 > 0:18:54That's over 1,000 hours in space.

0:19:01 > 0:19:04Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev

0:19:04 > 0:19:07holds the record for the most spacewalks.

0:19:07 > 0:19:12He left the safety of the Mir space station 16 times.

0:19:15 > 0:19:21The longest ever spacewalk was done by Americans Susan Helms and Jim Voss in 2001,

0:19:21 > 0:19:24and lasted eight hours and 56 minutes.

0:19:28 > 0:19:35Spacewalking astronauts experience temperature swings of up to 277 degrees Celsius

0:19:35 > 0:19:39as the ISS moves from day to night.

0:19:41 > 0:19:45Only six untethered spacewalks have ever been performed.

0:19:45 > 0:19:53In 1984, Bruce McCandless floated freely away from the space shuttle for over 300 feet,

0:19:53 > 0:19:57the most remote anyone has been in space.

0:19:59 > 0:20:02So, Libby, space stations built and repaired...

0:20:02 > 0:20:05Excuse me, spacewalks built and repaired the International Space Station,

0:20:05 > 0:20:07so what was broken that had to be repaired today?

0:20:07 > 0:20:11Back in November, a box called the sequential shunt unit broke.

0:20:11 > 0:20:14Now, there are eight solar arrays on the space station,

0:20:14 > 0:20:16and each one of those provides power to the space station.

0:20:16 > 0:20:18It's completely solar-array powered.

0:20:18 > 0:20:23Now, the sequential shunt unit is effectively a voltage regulator for one of those solar arrays.

0:20:23 > 0:20:26It makes sure that the power coming in is good to use.

0:20:26 > 0:20:29So that broke. We need to go and fix it.

0:20:29 > 0:20:33The space station's fine at the moment, but if another problem were to happen with the power system,

0:20:33 > 0:20:36we'd be down a quarter of our power and that's not ideal.

0:20:36 > 0:20:39So we've gone out... but it's fairly tricky.

0:20:39 > 0:20:43The sequential shunt unit is a bit like the on/off switch for the solar array.

0:20:43 > 0:20:45Now, if you were going into your house to do some electrical work,

0:20:45 > 0:20:48you wouldn't touch anything until you'd switched

0:20:48 > 0:20:50the power off at the mains and the system was completely dead.

0:20:50 > 0:20:55Now, we can't go and switch the mains off, our power comes from the sun.

0:20:55 > 0:20:59So the astronauts had to wait until we were in the darkness, until the sun had set,

0:20:59 > 0:21:03for them to go and touch that box to be able to move it and replace it.

0:21:03 > 0:21:06So, it makes it technically more difficult than it already is

0:21:06 > 0:21:10that the work has to be done within a very specific time limit.

0:21:10 > 0:21:16Yeah. As a spacewalker, you always feel the clock ticking behind you,

0:21:16 > 0:21:21but for these two gentlemen today, they knew that they had, basically, a half hour.

0:21:21 > 0:21:25And at the end of it, the electricity was going to be back on.

0:21:25 > 0:21:30So they really got a sense of the time and the urgency and the pace with which they had to work.

0:21:30 > 0:21:34And if they'd had a problem and the sunrise was approaching,

0:21:34 > 0:21:38they'd have to step back, step away from it and wait till the sun sets?

0:21:38 > 0:21:40Yeah. And the problem is while they back away and wait,

0:21:40 > 0:21:44they're way out on the end of the station and they've got a bunch of gear deployed,

0:21:44 > 0:21:48so it wouldn't make sense to go all the back to the centre of the station to do any other work.

0:21:48 > 0:21:51They sort of would have been trapped out there for a whole orbit,

0:21:51 > 0:21:55so it gave them even more motivation to try to get everything done

0:21:55 > 0:21:59in that one dark pass behind in the shadow of the world.

0:21:59 > 0:22:02So, knowing the limitations under which this had to be done,

0:22:02 > 0:22:05let's go back to Tim's spacewalk as the astronauts start their repair,

0:22:05 > 0:22:07which is not without its hazards.

0:22:07 > 0:22:10So explain to us the risk that's involved here.

0:22:10 > 0:22:14The risk is...electrocution,

0:22:14 > 0:22:16because a lot of the suit is metal,

0:22:16 > 0:22:19so you could actually conduct electricity through the suit,

0:22:19 > 0:22:25or if it starts sparking and arcing and spitting little bits of molten metal out,

0:22:25 > 0:22:27the molten metal could go into the cloth of the suit

0:22:27 > 0:22:29and burn through it and cause your suit to start leaking,

0:22:29 > 0:22:32especially if you're hit up on your visor.

0:22:32 > 0:22:35So those are kind of the primary risks we're trying to avoid.

0:22:35 > 0:22:37And that's why we really want to make sure

0:22:37 > 0:22:39that you're in the dark side of the world.

0:22:39 > 0:22:41'Right, Tim, it's time.'

0:22:41 > 0:22:46'Perfect. We are ready to go. You can verify the socket is fully engaged.

0:22:46 > 0:22:49'And we are going to have you do four and a half turns.'

0:22:49 > 0:22:51So that's the wrench.

0:22:51 > 0:22:57So he has the big power tool on top of the main central bolt that is holding the SSU on.

0:22:57 > 0:23:00And you can see Tim is watching, highlighting the area that he's working.

0:23:00 > 0:23:03- 'Three.'- It sounds like it's turning at a nice rate, which is good.

0:23:03 > 0:23:05'Four...and a half.

0:23:05 > 0:23:08'Push it my way a little bit more.

0:23:08 > 0:23:14'I'm looking at the basin end of it and...it all looks clean.'

0:23:14 > 0:23:17- So old one has been removed, it's been checked, it's been stowed.- Yep.

0:23:17 > 0:23:19So now the new one goes in.

0:23:19 > 0:23:24And now the focus is taking the last strap off the bag of the new, pristine...

0:23:24 > 0:23:28This sequential shunt unit just came up to them on the last spaceship.

0:23:28 > 0:23:32And now they're going to start the meticulous process of positioning it

0:23:32 > 0:23:36so that it brings this whole solar array back to life.

0:23:36 > 0:23:38'First engagement is good.

0:23:38 > 0:23:41'Excellent. Connectors are on.

0:23:41 > 0:23:43'Bravo One, clockwise two.'

0:23:43 > 0:23:46So, it's attached in place and now it's being secured.

0:23:46 > 0:23:49Will they begin to get stressed now? Are they working against the clock?

0:23:49 > 0:23:52You're always working...

0:23:52 > 0:23:55The clock is your enemy in a spacewalk, always.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58You're... The clock is always ticking

0:23:58 > 0:24:01- and you always have...- But there's a very real risk here

0:24:01 > 0:24:06- when we move back into daylight? - Right, but here they are definitely working against the next 15 minutes,

0:24:06 > 0:24:08they have to get this solved

0:24:08 > 0:24:10or it's going to have an effect on the rest of their spacewalk.

0:24:10 > 0:24:13It looks like it's going well.

0:24:13 > 0:24:15'OK, guys, just a second. Everything looks good.

0:24:15 > 0:24:18'Just hang out for a second and we'll give you final word.

0:24:18 > 0:24:23- 'My CO2 stats are bad.- OK, Tim, we copy. CO2 stats are bad.'

0:24:23 > 0:24:25So Tim just had a problem with his suit.

0:24:25 > 0:24:27'You did get about a quarter turn out of that PGT.'

0:24:27 > 0:24:32- Just to be clear, that's Tim Kopra's CO2 sensor?- I think I understood it as Tim Kopra,

0:24:32 > 0:24:36his carbon dioxide sensor in his suit failed.

0:24:36 > 0:24:40'We're going to page 26 of the cuff checklist.

0:24:40 > 0:24:43'And step one is to periodically monitor from water in the EMU.'

0:24:43 > 0:24:45Yeah, so they think it was caused by water.

0:24:45 > 0:24:48If they thought there was a problem with the actual CO2 level,

0:24:48 > 0:24:51they would pop this, this comes out turns 90,

0:24:51 > 0:24:56and that opens up a little hole into the suit.

0:24:56 > 0:25:00So oxygen, and in this case CO2 would start hissing out here,

0:25:00 > 0:25:04and then the new oxygen supply coming from your backpack

0:25:04 > 0:25:06would be flowing over your head.

0:25:06 > 0:25:11And so it flows it across your mouth, so you get a nice, new, pure environment,

0:25:11 > 0:25:15which I did for about a half hour during my first spacewalk,

0:25:15 > 0:25:20when I was dealing with...with a suit contamination problem.

0:25:20 > 0:25:25- Why did you have to...?- In my case, there was contaminated water floating around inside,

0:25:25 > 0:25:31and it picked up some contamination off the visor and put contaminated water into my left eye.

0:25:31 > 0:25:38And really...like oil or shampoo or something in your eye, so you can't see, but your tears don't drain.

0:25:38 > 0:25:41And the ball of tear got bigger and bigger on my eye,

0:25:41 > 0:25:46until eventually it got so big, this floating ball of contaminated tear

0:25:46 > 0:25:51went across the bridge of my nose and went into my other eye and blinded me.

0:25:51 > 0:25:56So I did what Tim just did, called down to Houston and said, "Houston, I'm blind."

0:25:56 > 0:26:00And they said, "Well, give us a minute to think about it."

0:26:00 > 0:26:04And then they thought maybe it's contamination, so they had me open this valve.

0:26:04 > 0:26:09So I was holding on to the outside of the station...blind,

0:26:09 > 0:26:14listening to my oxygen hiss out into the cosmos for a while.

0:26:14 > 0:26:19Until eventually, I'd cried enough and my tears evaporated,

0:26:19 > 0:26:22so that it started to dilute the stuff in there and I could start to see again.

0:26:22 > 0:26:24So then I told Houston I could see,

0:26:24 > 0:26:26although I couldn't really see very well,

0:26:26 > 0:26:30but I could see enough and I was tired of listening to my oxygen hiss out.

0:26:30 > 0:26:32As soon as I could just start to make out shapes,

0:26:32 > 0:26:36I...I closed this valve and then got back to work.

0:26:36 > 0:26:39And we finished the whole spacewalk, about an eight-hour spacewalk.

0:26:39 > 0:26:44- But I was blind for about a half hour.- But they should now,

0:26:44 > 0:26:47eight minutes till sunrise, they should be moving away?

0:26:47 > 0:26:49OK, so...

0:26:49 > 0:26:52They're good, they don't need to move away,

0:26:52 > 0:26:57because they got it locked down and torqued and it's safe.

0:26:57 > 0:27:01- So anything that goes wrong will go wrong internally?- Correct.

0:27:01 > 0:27:06They have all indications that the SSU they just secured is just as good as the SSUs

0:27:06 > 0:27:08that they went by on their way out there.

0:27:08 > 0:27:12They got everything done in this darkness period, so that's terrific.

0:27:12 > 0:27:17Now, Kevin, we heard there something which sounded a small problem,

0:27:17 > 0:27:20which is a CO2 sensor failure in the suit.

0:27:20 > 0:27:23So as the doctor, the flight surgeon, sat there,

0:27:23 > 0:27:27what do you feel if the CO2 sensor fails?

0:27:27 > 0:27:30They're fairly temperamental sensors,

0:27:30 > 0:27:32and it's not uncommon that they fail,

0:27:32 > 0:27:35but it leaves you with a problem. As the flight surgeon,

0:27:35 > 0:27:39you're monitoring the health of the astronaut indirectly through all of these devices,

0:27:39 > 0:27:41and now you're blind to that. Now, you've no reason to suspect

0:27:41 > 0:27:44that the thing that's removing his carbon dioxide,

0:27:44 > 0:27:47those carbon dioxide scrubbing units inside the suit have failed,

0:27:47 > 0:27:49but you will now have to monitor his carbon dioxide levels

0:27:49 > 0:27:52through what he's feeling, to monitor for the symptoms.

0:27:52 > 0:27:55And the astronaut will have to monitor for the symptoms

0:27:55 > 0:27:58of high levels of carbon dioxide, so drowsiness, dizziness, confusion.

0:27:58 > 0:28:01So, it will be unnerving for the flight surgeon.

0:28:01 > 0:28:05And certainly this would not have been a comfortable spacewalk.

0:28:05 > 0:28:07And slightly unnerving for the astronaut,

0:28:07 > 0:28:10cos you're saying that you put the diagnosis pressure back onto the astronaut.

0:28:10 > 0:28:14And say, "Do you feel as if your CO2 levels are rising?"

0:28:14 > 0:28:16- Cos that's all you can do. - Absolutely.

0:28:16 > 0:28:20Now you're going to your second monitor, which is the astronaut themself.

0:28:20 > 0:28:23And...it's really the sort of thing that...

0:28:23 > 0:28:29You don't want to have to rely upon just your feel of the situation.

0:28:29 > 0:28:33You know, everyone wants to be clear that everything is working.

0:28:33 > 0:28:34And there's a saying in space operations,

0:28:34 > 0:28:38which is as soon as things start to go wrong, they tend to continue to go wrong.

0:28:38 > 0:28:41So that sort of sometimes heralds other problems.

0:28:41 > 0:28:43Question from Jill Martin.

0:28:43 > 0:28:47She asks, "They keep looking at their gloves, do they do that to check for damage?"

0:28:47 > 0:28:51Occasionally, the space station gets hit by a tiny meteorite.

0:28:51 > 0:28:55It's like a little bullet hole, and if it's in one of the handrails,

0:28:55 > 0:28:57you might not even know it was there.

0:28:57 > 0:29:02And you grab onto that handrail and inadvertently maybe put a little tear in your glove.

0:29:02 > 0:29:08The glove's got some layers in it and a pretty tough almost like a chainmail armour layer underneath,

0:29:08 > 0:29:11but it's a really good idea every half hour or so to stop,

0:29:11 > 0:29:14hold your gloves up to the camera that's looking at them,

0:29:14 > 0:29:19do a full inventory and watch how your gloves are surviving the whole spacewalk.

0:29:19 > 0:29:25You don't want to have inadvertently poked a hole through your glove and not know that it's there.

0:29:25 > 0:29:30Jamie on Twitter asks, "Is there a special diet before a spacewalk?"

0:29:30 > 0:29:33Well, the night before, astronauts carb load.

0:29:33 > 0:29:35They're going outside for about eight hours at a time,

0:29:35 > 0:29:39and they can't eat while they're out there, so in order to make sure they've got enough energy,

0:29:39 > 0:29:43they'll eat well the night before, they'll have protein bars or something in the morning.

0:29:43 > 0:29:46- OK. As if they're running a marathon, essentially?- Exactly.

0:29:46 > 0:29:48The same amount of effort they're putting into it.

0:29:48 > 0:29:50Christian Wood got it touch to ask,

0:29:50 > 0:29:54"If Tim were to become detached when outside the space station, is there anything that could be done?"

0:29:54 > 0:29:57Well, astronauts do have a jet pack to help them get back,

0:29:57 > 0:29:59but its fuel only lasts minutes,

0:29:59 > 0:30:02a scenario that Tim had practised for safely when on the ground.

0:30:06 > 0:30:10Houston, EV2 is off-structure at the airlock and drifting.

0:30:11 > 0:30:16It's September last year, three months before Tim's mission.

0:30:16 > 0:30:20He's in Nasa's Virtual Reality Lab in Houston.

0:30:20 > 0:30:24- It feels incredibly real.- As he floats away from the space station,

0:30:24 > 0:30:27he has one chance to save himself.

0:30:27 > 0:30:29Safety handle deployed.

0:30:29 > 0:30:31Powering on.

0:30:31 > 0:30:32Waiting for motion to cease.

0:30:32 > 0:30:37In the simulation, Tim has just fired up the jet pack on his back.

0:30:39 > 0:30:43It's the best hope for an astronaut drifting in the void.

0:30:43 > 0:30:45So, basically, there are six jets on every corner,

0:30:45 > 0:30:47the top two and the bottom two corners.

0:30:47 > 0:30:50And those six thrusters allow the crew member to manoeuvre themselves

0:30:50 > 0:30:53in space and bring themselves back to the space station.

0:30:53 > 0:30:56Plus X. Ten seconds.

0:30:56 > 0:30:59If floating free in the vastness isn't bad enough,

0:30:59 > 0:31:03one thing could make Tim's job of saving himself even harder.

0:31:03 > 0:31:08Because the space station passes from day to night twice every 90 minutes,

0:31:08 > 0:31:11disaster could strike in the dark.

0:31:11 > 0:31:13It's a lot more difficult to do it at night.

0:31:13 > 0:31:17As soon as you come away from the station, then you're just left with a dark piece of station.

0:31:17 > 0:31:20Pitching up.

0:31:22 > 0:31:24M2 level 35%.

0:31:25 > 0:31:28- What are you thinking?- I'm thinking I'm drifting a little bit port

0:31:28 > 0:31:32and I'm still high above the station not really adjusting as quickly as I'd like.

0:31:32 > 0:31:35People might think you can use this to fly around the space station,

0:31:35 > 0:31:38you don't have that much time, it's a limited amount of gas.

0:31:38 > 0:31:41Pretty low on gas. I'm at 6%.

0:31:41 > 0:31:46If he runs out of fuel, Tim has no other way to get himself back to the station.

0:31:46 > 0:31:48A crew member has to get it right the first time.

0:31:48 > 0:31:51Braking. Negative X.

0:31:52 > 0:31:54OK, this would be our reach.

0:31:55 > 0:31:57I've got the handrail.

0:31:57 > 0:31:59All right, Tim, you made it back to the station. Good job.

0:31:59 > 0:32:02- BOTH LAUGH - Wow!- That's pretty impressive.

0:32:02 > 0:32:05On the back of that, James Bass asks,

0:32:05 > 0:32:09"How do thrusters work on the suit when there's nothing to push against in space?"

0:32:09 > 0:32:12It's very simple. Mr Newton told us in 1687,

0:32:12 > 0:32:15if you throw something one way, you go the other way.

0:32:15 > 0:32:18- It's the conservation of momentum, that's how a rocket works.- Very good.

0:32:18 > 0:32:23Let's rejoin Tim now as he's attaching 28 metres of communication cables -

0:32:23 > 0:32:26it's work needed to pave the way for a new adapter

0:32:26 > 0:32:29which will allow commercial spacecraft to dock with the ISS.

0:32:29 > 0:32:32Previously, he was working alongside Tim Kopra,

0:32:32 > 0:32:34and now he's on his own.

0:32:34 > 0:32:36I've got to say that is a great shot.

0:32:36 > 0:32:39- Isn't that a beautiful view? - The scale of the space station,

0:32:39 > 0:32:41then little Tim Peake making his way along.

0:32:41 > 0:32:43This is Tim's point of view here as he moves,

0:32:43 > 0:32:46as they call it, as he translates across the space station.

0:32:46 > 0:32:47As you can see, he's on the lab.

0:32:47 > 0:32:50So this is an area code.

0:32:50 > 0:32:53This is the armour that's on the outside of the laboratory here.

0:32:53 > 0:32:58So you can see he's on the underside of the lab, holding on to...

0:32:58 > 0:33:05The only places you can touch normally are designated in advance handrails, some of this shielding.

0:33:05 > 0:33:08Lot of places they don't even want you to brush with your hand,

0:33:08 > 0:33:12because of a coating on it or a fragility to it.

0:33:12 > 0:33:14Is this painstaking to move around?

0:33:14 > 0:33:18Erm, yes, it is. I think it's the definition of painstaking,

0:33:18 > 0:33:23you want to take great pains of how you move along, carefully, deliberately.

0:33:23 > 0:33:27Cos if you just miss one grip, then you are going to tumble off into space

0:33:27 > 0:33:30to the full length of your tether.

0:33:30 > 0:33:33And then your entire life is counting on the fact that this tether,

0:33:33 > 0:33:35when it pulls tight, is going to pull you back in again.

0:33:35 > 0:33:38You never want to get yourself in that boat.

0:33:38 > 0:33:40And you're always just one missed grip away from doing that.

0:33:40 > 0:33:45And how important is Capcom for that? Cos we hear every now and again that you get the message,

0:33:45 > 0:33:48"Tim, you're doing great," reminding him to do things.

0:33:48 > 0:33:51So how important is that relationship?

0:33:51 > 0:33:55Er, well, Capcom can definitely save the day.

0:33:55 > 0:33:58Cos what the Capcom has in front of him is exactly what I'm holding right here,

0:33:58 > 0:34:02step by step with reminders that are in yellow,

0:34:02 > 0:34:05cautions, all of the things that you might get wrong,

0:34:05 > 0:34:10the values for maybe torques or things like that.

0:34:10 > 0:34:13And also making sure... you can just miss a step.

0:34:13 > 0:34:21And so it's sort of like having, I don't know, your mom with you to say,

0:34:21 > 0:34:24"Hey, don't do that. OK, you're doing great. Watch out for that."

0:34:24 > 0:34:30Someone that gives you that voice of second look and comfort.

0:34:30 > 0:34:33And it's not just an anonymous voice from Houston,

0:34:33 > 0:34:36this is someone with who you have... It's another astronaut.

0:34:36 > 0:34:38And not only another astronaut,

0:34:38 > 0:34:42but it's an astronaut who's done multiple spacewalks, who's lived on the space station.

0:34:42 > 0:34:47So a great depth of expertise, who's been in the pool to practise this,

0:34:47 > 0:34:51- so they know exactly what's going on.- And they will know you as well, have a relationship with you.

0:34:51 > 0:34:54Yeah. They know both of these Tims, they trained in Russia together,

0:34:54 > 0:34:59in Houston, in...Europe, in Canada, all over.

0:34:59 > 0:35:04So...so there's a great collegial feel of professional trust

0:35:04 > 0:35:07as well as just knowing each other as two people.

0:35:07 > 0:35:14And it's a very nice voice to hear in your ears when you're so far from home.

0:35:14 > 0:35:17He's doing very well at this point, isn't he? He's doing very well out there.

0:35:17 > 0:35:21Yeah. You can listen to his tone of voice,

0:35:21 > 0:35:25he's staying on the schedule, everything's working well.

0:35:25 > 0:35:28He's really done an excellent job to this point.

0:35:28 > 0:35:31And it's making him feel good, but also it's a great reflection

0:35:31 > 0:35:34on everything that went into his training and his selection.

0:35:34 > 0:35:39Quickly on the dangers from Clare Aldridge, "Could Tim be hit by space junk?"

0:35:39 > 0:35:43Both man-made space junk orbiting the world,

0:35:43 > 0:35:46but also just little tiny pieces of the universe,

0:35:46 > 0:35:48little grains of sand, little bits.

0:35:48 > 0:35:51The station gets hit by those all the time

0:35:51 > 0:35:53and it's one of the concerns out on a spacewalk,

0:35:53 > 0:35:58it's why it's got all those layers. And we practise just in case one of them were to cause a leak.

0:35:58 > 0:36:01You told me once that you could hear them when you're asleep.

0:36:01 > 0:36:06Yeah. If you sit and wait inside the station with your head somewhere near the metal hull,

0:36:06 > 0:36:11if you wait long enough, you'll hear the station get hit, like a little ricochet sound.

0:36:11 > 0:36:14You even today described some parts, "That is armour," you said.

0:36:14 > 0:36:18Yeah. So you're thankful for the armour when you hear it getting hit.

0:36:18 > 0:36:21But when we bring back a piece of the station,

0:36:21 > 0:36:23like an old communication antenna,

0:36:23 > 0:36:29we look at that and it has hundreds of little punctures, little dings all around the surface.

0:36:29 > 0:36:32So we can actually figure just how often we do get hit.

0:36:32 > 0:36:35That's just luck, because you look at these things and the fabric

0:36:35 > 0:36:39and there's not a lot of protection in a spacesuit, is there?

0:36:39 > 0:36:42- So you just...- Yeah. Eventually,

0:36:42 > 0:36:46something will go very wrong on a spacewalk.

0:36:46 > 0:36:50But we take our chances, we do the math, we try and understand it,

0:36:50 > 0:36:53we try and make the suit as robust as we can.

0:36:53 > 0:36:58And for the 193 spacewalks we've done at the station, our design has worked well.

0:36:58 > 0:37:00Mark Clifford asks, "What are the others,"

0:37:00 > 0:37:03presumably on the ISS, "doing while Tim is on his spacewalk?"

0:37:03 > 0:37:06Well, there's four people inside while Tim and Tim are outside.

0:37:06 > 0:37:09Scott Kelly, the Commander of the space station, he helped them get

0:37:09 > 0:37:12into their spacesuit and will help them get out of their spacesuits

0:37:12 > 0:37:14when they come back into the space station later.

0:37:14 > 0:37:17The three Russian crew members will be aware of what's going on,

0:37:17 > 0:37:18they'll be following along,

0:37:18 > 0:37:21but they'll also be carrying on with their science experiments

0:37:21 > 0:37:23- and their exercise and their normal day-to-day life.- OK.

0:37:23 > 0:37:28- So the day is normal for most people.- With awareness.- OK.

0:37:28 > 0:37:33Now let's rejoin Tim as he carrying...carries on, excuse me, installing those cables.

0:37:35 > 0:37:39The task they've given Tim Peake is one of the ones

0:37:39 > 0:37:41all astronauts dread.

0:37:41 > 0:37:45It's a perpetual pressure and force on your fingertips,

0:37:45 > 0:37:48so they're throbbing, and they'll throb for the next week.

0:37:48 > 0:37:50Actually, his fingertips will hurt for a week.

0:37:50 > 0:37:55If you aren't careful, you'll rip a fingernail off, the suits will rip your fingernail off.

0:37:55 > 0:37:58And by now, he's probably skinned most of his knuckles.

0:37:58 > 0:38:01- It doesn't...- We've just had big news, sorry.

0:38:01 > 0:38:05They're terminating the EVA, they're going back into the space station.

0:38:05 > 0:38:08Ah. OK, it must be because of Tim Kopra's...

0:38:08 > 0:38:10'Breathe my work state in a good...'

0:38:10 > 0:38:12'For Tim Kopra. We want you to get...

0:38:12 > 0:38:15'For Tim Kopra. We want you to get your crew-lock bag on your BRT

0:38:15 > 0:38:18'and start heading back towards the airlock.'

0:38:18 > 0:38:21OK, so that's Tim Kopra's suit probably?

0:38:21 > 0:38:23Yeah. I haven't heard the reason yet,

0:38:23 > 0:38:26but Tim Kopra has a sensor in his suit

0:38:26 > 0:38:28that measures the level of carbon dioxide.

0:38:28 > 0:38:31Here he is now. So, they've told him to get straight back.

0:38:31 > 0:38:33It's not that the air supply...

0:38:33 > 0:38:37We've just heard... Sorry, we've just heard there's water in his helmet as well.

0:38:37 > 0:38:39Oh, OK. So he's got water in his helmet.

0:38:39 > 0:38:43Water in the helmet is one of two things. You have a water bag that you can drink out of

0:38:43 > 0:38:46and sometimes it leaks and then there's just water floating around.

0:38:46 > 0:38:50If that happens, just drink the whole bag and get rid of the water source.

0:38:50 > 0:38:53But you're wearing a liquid-cooling suit,

0:38:53 > 0:38:56there's a lot of tubes in your undergarment.

0:38:56 > 0:39:01If it starts leaking, then you could have a fairly high volume of water collecting in your helmet,

0:39:01 > 0:39:05and then that can really lead to problems, cos you can breathe it or get it in your eye.

0:39:05 > 0:39:10'For Tim Peake, as Tim Kopra comes by you, which he's going to do in just a minute,

0:39:10 > 0:39:14'we want you to give a quick visual assessment of the water in the top of Tim Kopra's helmet.'

0:39:14 > 0:39:18That's a good idea. So he's going to look into Tim's helmet and see...

0:39:18 > 0:39:23Obviously, that's Tim Kopra, he's doing all right and he's heading back.

0:39:23 > 0:39:26'Kopra, you're, er, rear 25 lock...'

0:39:26 > 0:39:29He's heading towards the airlock.

0:39:29 > 0:39:32But it can go bad fairly quickly, water in your helmet,

0:39:32 > 0:39:36because if you start losing hearing or worse start losing vision,

0:39:36 > 0:39:39and worst case you're starting to have to spit out water every time you breathe,

0:39:39 > 0:39:42that can happen rapidly.

0:39:42 > 0:39:44This is the time to be doubly methodical.

0:39:44 > 0:39:46Nobody's dying right now,

0:39:46 > 0:39:49let's think about we don't want to inadvertently

0:39:49 > 0:39:52make a bad problem worse by feeling a sense of rushing.

0:39:52 > 0:39:56- This is Tim Kopra's?- This is Tim Kopra, through his helmet cam,

0:39:56 > 0:39:59working his way back to the airlock, and you see he's on Node 3.

0:39:59 > 0:40:02'Lift up your visor... looking into the sun.'

0:40:02 > 0:40:04So now, they're looking at each other.

0:40:04 > 0:40:08- 'A film of water right now, see it? - I see it, it's a film of water.'

0:40:08 > 0:40:13- Tim Peake said that he could see a film of water.- Yeah.

0:40:13 > 0:40:15'OK, we're happy with that, guys.

0:40:15 > 0:40:18'We want Tim Kopra to continue moving back,

0:40:18 > 0:40:22'so grab your green hook on the way back for Tim Kopra.

0:40:22 > 0:40:25'The, er, water from my helmet is cold.'

0:40:25 > 0:40:28- BRIAN COX: What does that tell you? That it's cold?- Well, if he's...

0:40:28 > 0:40:30If it's the drinking bag water, then it's against his chest,

0:40:30 > 0:40:33so it'll be warm, but he's got cold water,

0:40:33 > 0:40:35which means it's coming from his liquid cooling system.

0:40:35 > 0:40:39- We've actually got...- Yeah. - So this is a spacesuit.- Right.

0:40:39 > 0:40:42- And all the layers of the spacesuit. - These are all the external layers,

0:40:42 > 0:40:45but right against your body is an undergarment with these

0:40:45 > 0:40:51tubes in it and these tubes collect the heat all around your body...

0:40:51 > 0:40:55Then they go through an adaptor and then they hook up to the plumbing of

0:40:55 > 0:40:58the spacesuit itself and then that runs through a chiller in the back.

0:40:58 > 0:41:01'Check the water may be a little bit thicker,

0:41:01 > 0:41:02'it's about four inches long.

0:41:02 > 0:41:04'The neck cavity's about one inch wide

0:41:04 > 0:41:07'and the pool is about four inches across two inches.'

0:41:07 > 0:41:10So it sounds like it's pulling on his visor in front of his eyes.

0:41:10 > 0:41:13He's looking at it here and describing.

0:41:13 > 0:41:16And when Tim Peake says it's a film of water,

0:41:16 > 0:41:19I think it's on his visor collecting in front of him.

0:41:19 > 0:41:22So what they're doing now, they say, "As quickly as possible,

0:41:22 > 0:41:25"back to the airlock," and now, they're...

0:41:25 > 0:41:27'Hey, gents, we got, er, a big picture update for you.

0:41:27 > 0:41:30'Tim Kopra, this is going to be mainly on you. We're thinking that

0:41:30 > 0:41:35'we are going to have you ingress first and go on to EV2, SCU...'

0:41:35 > 0:41:39- That's an umbilical.- '..and have Tim Peake in EV1 position for ingress.'

0:41:39 > 0:41:42That was actually a pretty big thing, because,

0:41:42 > 0:41:46if we go with that plan, then Tim Peake is going to now be

0:41:46 > 0:41:50responsible for, er, closing up and being the person that's going

0:41:50 > 0:41:53to close the hatch, he's going to be basically taking over

0:41:53 > 0:41:56in the EV1 role for the last part of the spacewalk, so it puts

0:41:56 > 0:41:59a bunch of new responsibility on Tim at the end of this...

0:41:59 > 0:42:04- So we see now Tim Kopra entering the airlock?- Yeah.- Headfirst?- Yeah.

0:42:04 > 0:42:06Tim's going to wait for him?

0:42:06 > 0:42:10So Tim Kopra is basically inside the airlock

0:42:10 > 0:42:13and now he's claiming forward to grab that umbilical off the wall.

0:42:13 > 0:42:16This is being done in a very calm way, in a very methodical way,

0:42:16 > 0:42:20but nonetheless, an hour and a half early, maybe two hours early?

0:42:20 > 0:42:23- They...- This is the response to an emergency.- This is coming back fast?

0:42:23 > 0:42:30Yeah. They've had a, er... an unexpected and serious emergency

0:42:30 > 0:42:33with one of the suits, that, for whatever reason,

0:42:33 > 0:42:36water is getting into the helmet

0:42:36 > 0:42:39while it shouldn't be - outside during a spacewalk -

0:42:39 > 0:42:43and it's water from this cooling system and so they have stopped

0:42:43 > 0:42:47the EVA in the most safe and, er, and careful manner they can.

0:42:47 > 0:42:49They've already got Tim back inside

0:42:49 > 0:42:52and they were hooking him up to the ship's oxygen and water

0:42:52 > 0:42:55and now it's up to Tim Peake to finish all the clean-up

0:42:55 > 0:42:57and he'll be responsible for closing up

0:42:57 > 0:43:00and closing the hatch.

0:43:00 > 0:43:03So there was a sudden change in mood - an expected emergency.

0:43:03 > 0:43:07Suddenly it was about a controlled urgency to get Tim Kopra

0:43:07 > 0:43:09back inside the International Space Station.

0:43:09 > 0:43:12Um, what was happening inside his suit?

0:43:12 > 0:43:16Er, well, ever since Luca Parmitano had that problem,

0:43:16 > 0:43:20where the water started enveloping his whole head,

0:43:20 > 0:43:22we've come up with a different procedure.

0:43:22 > 0:43:25We actually wear sort of a modified nappy on the back,

0:43:25 > 0:43:28just in case that happens, so it won't get into your eyes,

0:43:28 > 0:43:32and I think, listening to what happened to, er, to Tim Kopra today,

0:43:32 > 0:43:35he had essentially the same problem Luca had,

0:43:35 > 0:43:39but the absorbent material took a lot of the water,

0:43:39 > 0:43:42but some of it has still been wicking around inside the suit,

0:43:42 > 0:43:45is my best guess, so it's in the visor in front of his eyes

0:43:45 > 0:43:47and everybody responded the right way -

0:43:47 > 0:43:51they saw this as a serious problem, leaks never get worse...

0:43:51 > 0:43:56Never get better! Leaks only get worse and so, they...they responded,

0:43:56 > 0:43:59but they didn't, you know, make a panic of it, they made sure things

0:43:59 > 0:44:01were carefully done, get Tim back, get him inside,

0:44:01 > 0:44:03get him attached to the umbilical of the ship,

0:44:03 > 0:44:07and then pass the responsibility over to Tim Peake

0:44:07 > 0:44:10to do all the final clean-up and close the hatch.

0:44:10 > 0:44:13But there was a difference in this case, wasn't there?

0:44:13 > 0:44:15Because there is this absorbent - what's the word for it? -

0:44:15 > 0:44:19what would they call it? There's an acronym, isn't there?

0:44:19 > 0:44:23- Head absorbency garment. - It's a nappy, isn't it?- Yeah, yeah.

0:44:23 > 0:44:27That the astronauts wear after Luca's emergency?

0:44:27 > 0:44:29Indeed, so that was there, so it's a similar problem,

0:44:29 > 0:44:32we don't know whether it was caused by the same thing,

0:44:32 > 0:44:36or a different problem that caused the liquid cooling garment to leak,

0:44:36 > 0:44:41but by having it there, it made the problem present itself later on.

0:44:41 > 0:44:44We were able to get through all the main tasks we needed to do

0:44:44 > 0:44:47and, by detecting it, we then got back to the airlock safely.

0:44:47 > 0:44:51But as Kevin said, we saw that failure of the CO2 monitor,

0:44:51 > 0:44:53which can be caused by moisture.

0:44:53 > 0:44:56I think we mentioned it at the time, actually, and it looks like that was

0:44:56 > 0:44:59perhaps a signal of something going wrong, as you said earlier?

0:44:59 > 0:45:02Yeah, that detector can be tricked by lots of things.

0:45:02 > 0:45:05It can be tricked by water, water vapour, that's what we see

0:45:05 > 0:45:07in our life-support machines in hospitals and anaesthetics

0:45:07 > 0:45:10and intensive care - that's what's happened here.

0:45:10 > 0:45:13And it just underlines for you that this is truly the smallest

0:45:13 > 0:45:16spacecraft that you will ever travel in and doesn't have

0:45:16 > 0:45:19the same levels of redundancy as the space station or the shuttle,

0:45:19 > 0:45:22so you're pretty vulnerable, and that's why they got him in quickly.

0:45:22 > 0:45:24And now there's a new level of responsibility

0:45:24 > 0:45:28- on Tim Peake's shoulders? - Because the job...

0:45:28 > 0:45:31He was supposed to go in first and Tim Kopra, who's already done

0:45:31 > 0:45:35two spacewalks, was, er, was going to use his experience

0:45:35 > 0:45:38to make sure that everything got closed up and put away quickly.

0:45:38 > 0:45:41Now, suddenly, sort of with almost no warning,

0:45:41 > 0:45:45Tim Peake not only has to take care of everything outside,

0:45:45 > 0:45:48try and get it inside, with a real feeling of urgency,

0:45:48 > 0:45:51cos his crewmate is in some sort of risk,

0:45:51 > 0:45:57and then get himself in, which is quite a complex physical manoeuvre,

0:45:57 > 0:46:00to be the last guy in and get everything out of the way,

0:46:00 > 0:46:03and then up to Tim Peake to be the one to close the hatch and

0:46:03 > 0:46:07make them safe again, so he wasn't expecting that to happen today.

0:46:07 > 0:46:09Let's rejoin the spacewalk with Tim Peake,

0:46:09 > 0:46:12on his first spacewalk, now in charge.

0:46:12 > 0:46:15BRIAN COX: So that's Tim Peake entering the airlock now.

0:46:15 > 0:46:17- TIM PEAKE: 'Bolt's good. - OK, great, we have Scott ready

0:46:17 > 0:46:19'and Sergey to help and we've got towels ready.'

0:46:19 > 0:46:22- CHRIS HADFIELD:- Did you hear they have towels ready?

0:46:22 > 0:46:25They just announced, so they've now Scott and Sergey inside,

0:46:25 > 0:46:28are ready with towels so, as soon as they get it re-pressurised,

0:46:28 > 0:46:31pop open the hatch, get his helmet off, so that water...

0:46:31 > 0:46:34- That's Tim now re-entering.- Yeah. - He's going into the airlock.

0:46:34 > 0:46:35'And for Tim Peake,

0:46:35 > 0:46:38'don't forget about the thermal cover as you come in there.'

0:46:38 > 0:46:42- Ah, so Tim is now inside and now it's...- Here's that checklist.

0:46:42 > 0:46:45Yeah, that's the re-pressurisation checklist, and it's got...

0:46:45 > 0:46:48It's got a slow version and a fast version, of course.

0:46:48 > 0:46:51Tim Peake now, it's quite complex to climb in

0:46:51 > 0:46:54and get yourself turned around, like doing a little somersault

0:46:54 > 0:46:56- with all those clothes on... - I believe this is his camera.

0:46:56 > 0:46:58..to now head out the way he is,

0:46:58 > 0:47:01and now he's going to be reaching around, grabbing that...

0:47:01 > 0:47:05'..there's a little piece of Velcro right there by your right hand...'

0:47:05 > 0:47:08..fabric thermal cover. Here he comes, he's pulling it closed now.

0:47:08 > 0:47:10'There's something blocking my head.

0:47:10 > 0:47:13'I don't know if I'm going to be able to get the hatch on here.'

0:47:13 > 0:47:16Am I reading too much? They sound slightly out of breath, as if...

0:47:16 > 0:47:20- this was a greater exertion now to return?- 'OK, guys, nice work...'

0:47:20 > 0:47:23Er...it's mostly just

0:47:23 > 0:47:26- a sense of urgency.- Yeah. - You don't have time to take a break.

0:47:26 > 0:47:31- Will Tim have trained for that? - Yeah, they've both trained for this.

0:47:31 > 0:47:35Tim Peake is familiar with the mechanism. It wasn't his job today.

0:47:35 > 0:47:38But it's one of the things he'll have practised.

0:47:38 > 0:47:39But he didn't think he was doing it today.

0:47:39 > 0:47:42- No.- So it puts a little more responsibility on his shoulders.

0:47:42 > 0:47:45We've lost a couple of layers of what would normally be

0:47:45 > 0:47:48protection here. Tim Kopra's pretty vulnerable right now.

0:47:48 > 0:47:49That's the umbilical.

0:47:49 > 0:47:53Tim Peake is now getting his umbilical attached to his suit,

0:47:53 > 0:47:56so that he knows for sure he's on the ship's system.

0:47:56 > 0:48:00- 'Just make sure it's clear before you go all the way in.- Yeah.

0:48:00 > 0:48:02'It's good.

0:48:02 > 0:48:05'And latching.'

0:48:05 > 0:48:10OK, so this is Tim Peake's helmet as he's pulling the internal hatch

0:48:10 > 0:48:13into place and now he's starting to drive the locking mechanism.

0:48:13 > 0:48:16'Tim, are you just talking about the little tab right at the base

0:48:16 > 0:48:19- 'of the hatch handle there? - Yeah, just the little tab,

0:48:19 > 0:48:23'little tab at the base of the handle is still in the unlocked position.

0:48:23 > 0:48:26'OK, you can flip that over, that's great.

0:48:27 > 0:48:30'Cool. Handle is latched. It is locked.

0:48:30 > 0:48:32'The hatch is latched and locked.'

0:48:34 > 0:48:37"The hatch is latched and locked." Tim Peake brings it in,

0:48:37 > 0:48:39closes up the hatch, brings them back into the care

0:48:39 > 0:48:41of the International Space Station.

0:48:41 > 0:48:43A genuine sense of relief, I'd imagine, for everyone there?

0:48:43 > 0:48:46Absolutely, it was an unexpected problem.

0:48:46 > 0:48:48We wanted to get Tim and Tim back in safely.

0:48:48 > 0:48:50We knew what we were doing, we knew we had time,

0:48:50 > 0:48:52the crew were never in danger, but we still

0:48:52 > 0:48:55breathe a sigh of relief when we know that hatch is closed.

0:48:55 > 0:49:00I think we saw, um, a sense of the urgency, because Yuri,

0:49:00 > 0:49:05who flew that manual docking that we showed just before Christmas,

0:49:05 > 0:49:08we saw a picture of him and he was just showing

0:49:08 > 0:49:11a little bit of fiddling with his hands.

0:49:11 > 0:49:13You noticed it as well and said, "Even Yuri..."

0:49:13 > 0:49:17All four members of the crew gathered at the door at this point?

0:49:17 > 0:49:19They should be off doing their own tasks -

0:49:19 > 0:49:21they wouldn't normally be there to welcome people in?

0:49:21 > 0:49:24It's human nature. You've got someone who's out there

0:49:24 > 0:49:26who's got water in his helmet - we know how serious that can be -

0:49:26 > 0:49:29and you want everybody there, to make sure that we can get

0:49:29 > 0:49:32Tim Kopra out of his suit, out of his helmet as quickly as possible,

0:49:32 > 0:49:34to get him back, to be able to breathe,

0:49:34 > 0:49:37to dry him up, and everyone just wants to make sure he's OK.

0:49:37 > 0:49:40This is Tim Kopra when he finally arrived in, actually.

0:49:40 > 0:49:44Sorry, Tim Kopra we've already seen. Apologies. This is Tim Peake,

0:49:44 > 0:49:48I think, as he arrived in and his helmet being removed.

0:49:48 > 0:49:51So, we should say that that was...

0:49:51 > 0:49:54It was a successful spacewalk, by any measure,

0:49:54 > 0:49:57in the sense that the main job was done and, of course,

0:49:57 > 0:50:01the astronauts returned safely, so that's tick, tick.

0:50:01 > 0:50:04You don't expect everything to go right all the time,

0:50:04 > 0:50:05but that's the main thing?

0:50:05 > 0:50:09We essentially have an unlimited list of things we could do while

0:50:09 > 0:50:12we're outside, most of them just aren't worth doing a spacewalk for.

0:50:12 > 0:50:15Today, the one that we really went outside to do was to fix

0:50:15 > 0:50:18the electrical system and they did that immaculately.

0:50:18 > 0:50:22They got that done right away and then Tim Kopra got

0:50:22 > 0:50:25the pressure valve installed - that's good -

0:50:25 > 0:50:27Tim Peake got a lot of the cable laid and then

0:50:27 > 0:50:30we ran into a problem and we did the right thing and came inside.

0:50:30 > 0:50:34But it was a rollicking success overall, of things getting done,

0:50:34 > 0:50:38and we dealt with a serious problem, which will teach us about the suits.

0:50:38 > 0:50:41We breathed a huge sigh of relief when we knew Tim was back safely.

0:50:41 > 0:50:42If WE were relieved, however,

0:50:42 > 0:50:45how must it have felt for Tim's family? Let's ask them!

0:50:45 > 0:50:49His father Nigel and his sister Fiona join us from Chichester.

0:50:49 > 0:50:51How was that to watch this afternoon?

0:50:53 > 0:50:57Er, pretty interesting. I wondered at some stage if I was going to need

0:50:57 > 0:51:00- a maximum absorption garment... - LAUGHTER IN THE STUDIO

0:51:00 > 0:51:04..but, um, I think, in Chris Hadfield's words,

0:51:04 > 0:51:07it was "a rollicking success".

0:51:07 > 0:51:09I think it was your wife who said, on the day of the launch,

0:51:09 > 0:51:11that it was, "A good day at the office" -

0:51:11 > 0:51:14does this count as an even better day in some ways?

0:51:16 > 0:51:18Er, pretty good. I mean, it's taken us 25 years

0:51:18 > 0:51:21to actually see what he does, you know, to catch him at work,

0:51:21 > 0:51:26so it was wonderful to sit there with a cup of tea and see him, um,

0:51:26 > 0:51:29tethering himself and carrying out his tasks properly

0:51:29 > 0:51:33and professionally, um... You know, it's a pretty proud moment.

0:51:33 > 0:51:35And did you breathe a big sigh of relief,

0:51:35 > 0:51:38proud as you were to see him out there working, when that hatch

0:51:38 > 0:51:42was closed and he emerged back into the space station again?

0:51:44 > 0:51:46Yes, I think so, I think it was, um...

0:51:46 > 0:51:48Obviously, we started to get a little bit tense,

0:51:48 > 0:51:51although they were very reassuring and everybody was very calm,

0:51:51 > 0:51:54but it was the sensible thing to do to get them back in,

0:51:54 > 0:51:56and, I must admit, I was quite relieved when, um,

0:51:56 > 0:51:59when you knew that that was it and they were almost back to safety

0:51:59 > 0:52:03and just waiting to get the pressurisation levels back again.

0:52:03 > 0:52:06It's quite incredible, you know, that a member of your family is one

0:52:06 > 0:52:12of the only 215 people who have ever done a spacewalk, and the only one

0:52:12 > 0:52:14- from Chichester, as well! - LAUGHTER

0:52:14 > 0:52:17So, er, the hits keep coming! You must be terribly proud of this?

0:52:19 > 0:52:23- Yeah, quite.- Yeah.- I mean, we keep using this word "surreal",

0:52:23 > 0:52:26which it really is - you pinch yourself all the time.

0:52:26 > 0:52:31I've watched the ISS go over this morning, at 7.28 it passed over us,

0:52:31 > 0:52:36a beautifully clear sky, and to think that your son is up there, um,

0:52:36 > 0:52:39conducting these experiments and getting ready for a spacewalk

0:52:39 > 0:52:43is just completely... It's still unbelievable.

0:52:43 > 0:52:45Do you keep track of where he is at all times?

0:52:45 > 0:52:47Do you have a website open with where the ISS is?

0:52:50 > 0:52:52Usually, we try to, but, um, you sort of...

0:52:52 > 0:52:55The other night, when he called us, you know, one minute, he's over

0:52:55 > 0:52:59the Alps and, the next minute, he's heading towards Moscow or somewhere.

0:52:59 > 0:53:01It's pretty difficult to sort of

0:53:01 > 0:53:05get used to this five miles a second, um, idea.

0:53:05 > 0:53:08When do you expect to speak to him about the spacewalk?

0:53:11 > 0:53:12Um, I don't know, really.

0:53:12 > 0:53:15Maybe hopefully this weekend, um, if he gets the chance.

0:53:15 > 0:53:18It'd be great to chat with him and see how he felt it all went,

0:53:18 > 0:53:20because he was certainly very relaxed when we spoke to him.

0:53:20 > 0:53:22Well, I spoke to him last Sunday,

0:53:22 > 0:53:24Dad and Mum spoke to him on Tuesday, I think,

0:53:24 > 0:53:27and he was certainly feeling really relaxed about it then.

0:53:27 > 0:53:29How does that work? Does the phone just ring

0:53:29 > 0:53:30and you pick it up and it's Tim?

0:53:30 > 0:53:33- Or is it prearranged somehow? - Yeah, I know!

0:53:33 > 0:53:37It just rings and, if he gets the right number, he, um,

0:53:37 > 0:53:39you hear a voice saying, "Is that Planet Earth?"

0:53:39 > 0:53:41LAUGHTER

0:53:41 > 0:53:45And, if not, you get a voice...voice message. We've both had messages.

0:53:45 > 0:53:47Yes, if you're out, you get a voice message,

0:53:47 > 0:53:52which we did, but, um, it just comes up, it's not a special number,

0:53:52 > 0:53:54it doesn't say, "ISS,"

0:53:54 > 0:53:56or "space" or whatever, it just comes up as a phone number

0:53:56 > 0:54:00and you hope that it's not somebody trying to sell you PPI insurance.

0:54:00 > 0:54:02LAUGHTER

0:54:03 > 0:54:07Well, good for you for not screening out your son's calls from space!

0:54:07 > 0:54:09Er, well done to all of you,

0:54:09 > 0:54:12hopefully not too many nervous moments today.

0:54:12 > 0:54:15Thank you very much to Tim's dad and sister, pleasure to talk to you.

0:54:15 > 0:54:17The, er... Ooh! Where do we go from here?

0:54:17 > 0:54:19I'll lead this on through a question.

0:54:19 > 0:54:22Peter Young asked, "What's going to happen to the spacesuit?

0:54:22 > 0:54:24"Will it be brought to Earth to be looked into?"

0:54:24 > 0:54:28All the teams at Nasa, and around the world, will already be having

0:54:28 > 0:54:30discussions about what possibly happened, what does it mean?

0:54:30 > 0:54:33Was it the same as Luca's failure or another one?

0:54:33 > 0:54:35They'll look at all the data. They've already had the crew

0:54:35 > 0:54:38taking lots of photographs, collecting the amount of water.

0:54:38 > 0:54:40They may bring it back, they may not, these are dec...

0:54:40 > 0:54:43discussions and decisions that will happen in the coming days.

0:54:43 > 0:54:48Can we reflect, though, on what a terrific achievement this is

0:54:48 > 0:54:50and the International Space Station?

0:54:50 > 0:54:53We saw it today, the pictures took me by surprise, actually -

0:54:53 > 0:54:56the size and scale of what we've done, what you've actually done.

0:54:56 > 0:54:59I think you pointed to an antenna at one point and said,

0:54:59 > 0:55:01"I put that on," which was quite impressive.

0:55:01 > 0:55:05But it is a remarkable engineering achievement, isn't it?

0:55:05 > 0:55:08I think it's remarkable for a couple of different reasons, Brian.

0:55:08 > 0:55:11One is we've run almost 2,000 different

0:55:11 > 0:55:15experiments on the station since it was put up there.

0:55:15 > 0:55:17We're running about 200 at a time right now.

0:55:17 > 0:55:20And today's spacewalk was really just to keep everything healthy

0:55:20 > 0:55:23and to run all those experiments. It's also letting us

0:55:23 > 0:55:27see the world in a way that we've never really seen it before.

0:55:27 > 0:55:30Not just personal, like Tim saw it through his eyes today, but just as

0:55:30 > 0:55:34a species and actual understanding of our own perspective.

0:55:34 > 0:55:37But it's also our first permanent step away.

0:55:37 > 0:55:40You know, for 15 years, we've been living on the space station.

0:55:40 > 0:55:43Some of us have been off the planet for the last 15 years.

0:55:43 > 0:55:47It's kind of a historic moment in the life of our species

0:55:47 > 0:55:49on this planet, and the space station,

0:55:49 > 0:55:53when Tim's dad went out this morning and watched it go over,

0:55:53 > 0:55:55that's what the space station really symbolises.

0:55:55 > 0:55:58I thought it was a really powerful moment when you said,

0:55:58 > 0:56:01- for the first part of the spacewalk, we had three schools in.- Yeah.

0:56:01 > 0:56:04And you said, you looked at those children, and you said,

0:56:04 > 0:56:09"You've never been alive when there were no humans beyond Earth."

0:56:09 > 0:56:12For their whole life, humans have been off the planet

0:56:12 > 0:56:14and hopefully will be forever now.

0:56:14 > 0:56:16The space station is such an incredible issue.

0:56:16 > 0:56:18At the start, before they started building it,

0:56:18 > 0:56:20they had the wall, which was all the spacewalks

0:56:20 > 0:56:21they would have to do to build the station

0:56:21 > 0:56:24and, from a medical perspective, that was just terrifying,

0:56:24 > 0:56:27cos we knew this is the most dangerous thing they do on orbit

0:56:27 > 0:56:29and you're going to have to do dozens, hundreds actually,

0:56:29 > 0:56:31of walks to get it together.

0:56:31 > 0:56:33The fact that it's up there and built, the fact that

0:56:33 > 0:56:36we are running operations like today - incredible achievements.

0:56:36 > 0:56:38The, er... It's been spectacular.

0:56:38 > 0:56:41We have a piece of, well, some would say mundane media that he's...

0:56:41 > 0:56:45He's been on Twitter! He's been on Twitter since he did this.

0:56:45 > 0:56:48- Tim's been on Twitter?! Nice! - Tim has already tweeted to say...

0:56:51 > 0:56:54- LIBBY:- With the selfie!

0:56:54 > 0:56:57- Hashtag spacewalk, hashtag, er... - LAUGHTER

0:56:57 > 0:56:59..er, walk it through... hashtag I'm the daddy!

0:56:59 > 0:57:01LAUGHTER

0:57:01 > 0:57:05But, Libby, for you to summarise, it's been a terrific day,

0:57:05 > 0:57:09but the whole project, the International Space Station, goes on.

0:57:09 > 0:57:11It's a wonderful thing.

0:57:11 > 0:57:14Yes, it is, and it will continue to go on doing fantastic science,

0:57:14 > 0:57:17inspiring the next generation of children to get involved

0:57:17 > 0:57:19in science and technology, engineering, maths.

0:57:19 > 0:57:21Today was a job well done.

0:57:21 > 0:57:23We went out, we fixed the Sequential Shunt Unit,

0:57:23 > 0:57:26everybody's done their jobs perfectly, perhaps the spacesuit

0:57:26 > 0:57:28didn't function quite as we hoped, but we sorted it out.

0:57:28 > 0:57:31You know what it says to me as well? We're sat here at Jodrell Bank.

0:57:31 > 0:57:34It's the 70th birthday of Jodrell Bank, as we've said on Stargazing,

0:57:34 > 0:57:36so we've got a telescope out there

0:57:36 > 0:57:40that tracked the first man-made satellite, Sputnik, across the sky

0:57:40 > 0:57:43and then we're sat in front of the telescope, it's still working,

0:57:43 > 0:57:46and we're watching people living and working in space.

0:57:46 > 0:57:48I think it tells you about how powerful and wonderful...

0:57:48 > 0:57:51- What wonderful things humans can do. - And a great story of progress.

0:57:51 > 0:57:53That, I'm afraid, is all we have time for.

0:57:53 > 0:57:56It has been an extraordinary day at the end of an incredible week.

0:57:56 > 0:57:59I'd like to thank very much Commander Chris Hadfield,

0:57:59 > 0:58:04Libby Jackson and Kevin Fong for bringing your insight and expertise.

0:58:04 > 0:58:06Now, Tim's only been in space for a month,

0:58:06 > 0:58:09and so much has happened, as I'm sure you've seen.

0:58:09 > 0:58:13He's still got five months to go, so you can certainly follow

0:58:13 > 0:58:17his mission all the way through, follow his re-entry down to Earth.

0:58:17 > 0:58:20- There's about half a year of it still to go.- Absolutely.

0:58:20 > 0:58:22Thank you for joining us for the last four nights,

0:58:22 > 0:58:25for finding pulsars with us and following Tim Peake's spacewalk.

0:58:25 > 0:58:27It's been a pleasure to have you here. We'll see you

0:58:27 > 0:58:30- for the next Stargazing Live. - See you next time.- Goodnight.

0:58:34 > 0:58:36APPLAUSE