Amanpour and Company

EXCITED FOR VIEWERS TO SEE BEHIND THE SCENES WHAT IT TAKES TO GET CREWS TO SPACE. IT'S AN INTERNATIONAL EFFORT. THAT'S THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY 18 YEARS AS AN ASTRONAUT. I HAVE INDIVIDUAL PERSONAL EXPERIENCES, BUT I FEEL LIKE THOSE ARE SHARED WITH THE WHOLE NASA WORKFORCE AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS. IT WAS 18 YEARS, THREE TRIPS TO SPACE. ONCE ON A SHUTTLE. TWO TIMES LAUNCHING ON A RUSSIAN SOYUZ. AND THE MOST RECENTLY YOU SAID DURING COVID, WHICH WAS A GREAT PLACE TO BE OFF THE PLANET DURING THE PANDEMIC. >> HOW DID THIS SERIES COME ABOUT? WAS SHOULD NOTE YOU WERE THE FIFTH HUNDRED PERSON IN SPACE, I LIKE THAT ROUND NUMBER. BUT THIS WAS YOUR FINAL MISSION. HOW DID YOU COME ABOUT HAVING IT DOCUMENTED? >> IT WASN'T ABOUT ME THAT THERE'S AN EXPERIMENT ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, IS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, WHICH IS FEATURED IN THE PROGRAM. IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE SCIENCE, CUTTING-EDGE SCIENCE THAT'S LOOKING DEEP INTO THE UNIVERSE FOR ITS ORIGINS. AND THAT MACHINE WAS FAILING. IT NEEDED REPAIR. A SERIOUS, COMPLEX REPAIR. AND SO THE INITIAL IDEA WAS TO CAPTURE THIS EFFORT. HOW DO WE DO THIS REPAIR? HOW DO WE CONDUCT THIS SPACE WALK, WHEN WILL IT BE DONE? THAT WAS THE ONSET OF THE PROGRAM. BUT WITH ANYTHING, IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE. AND ONCE THE DOCUMENTARY CREW GOT INVOLVED AND REALIZED THE AMAZING STORIES THAT WEAVED TOGETHER, IT SORT OF EVOLVED INTO WHAT IT IS NOW IN A SIX-PART SERIES. >> WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT IS THAT IT REALLY HIGHLIGHTS WHAT TAKES PLACE IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND ALL OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORK AND RESEARCH THAT NOT ONLY YOU, BUT AS YOU SAY, SO MANY OTHERS COLLABORATE OVENLT AND IN THIS TIME, WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH TENSION IN THE WORLD, ONE CAN ALWAYS LOOK TO NASA AND ASTRONAUTS AND THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AS A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE PEOPLE COME TOGETHER FROM AROUND THE WORLD. LET'S JUST SHOW A BRIEF CLIP OF WHAT YOU DESCRIBE YOU WERE WORKING ON. >> THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS AN ORBITAL LABORATORY. IT REALLY IS ABOUT TWO THINGS. MAKING LIFE ON EARTH BETTER. AND ENABLING US TO GO BEYOND ORBIT. THIS IS THE VEGGIE EXPERIMENT, GROWING PLANTS IN SPACE. THE GREAT THING ABOUT THIS PAYLOAD, THIS EXPERIMENT IS WHEN WE'RE ALL DONE, WE GET TO EAT THIS. WHEN WE WERE THERE SIX YEARS AGO, WE WERE NOT RUNNING NEARLY THE NUMBER OF EXPERIMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING NOW. NOW IT'S LIKE NON-STOP. SO THAT'S EXCITING.