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As part of his visit, Bob taped pieces for CBS' Early Show and his own show, Bob Vila's Home Again. |
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During the recent NASA Space Shuttle Endeavour mission to continue construction on the International Space Station, Bob Vila visited the facilities at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to get a first hand look at how the residents of the International Space Station will live and work in their new home in outer space.
Bob's impression? "You could call it the 'Ultimate Smart House'. Not only does it 'communicate' in English and Russian-it is soon going to learn Spanish, Japanese and a host of other languages as new countries launch their additions and they are mated to the existing sections in orbit," observed Bob. The latest addition-a 240-foot-long solar array-will eventually generate enough electricity on its own to power light a small neighborhood back on Earth. In fact, many of the controls would be familiar to earth-bound computer users (such as icon-driven computer touch screens). But instead of getting an alarm clock to activate a coffee machine, the project involves integrating hardware from a host of countries. "There are a lot of interfaces and data protocols to be worked out," commented one NASA astronaut.
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In addition to the training facilities for the International Space Station, a full-size Space Shuttle trainer is nearby. |
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A part of the tour, Bob explored two Russian-built module replicas (both of which are currently in orbit). The Zeveda ("Star") and Zarya ("Sunrise") modules house the crews' sleeping and eating quarters, as well as storage for experimental equipment, extra supplies and food. Inside the Zeveda module, NASA's Stephanie Walker demonstrated a few of the tools the astronauts use to assemble the station. "Most of the tools the crews use are surprisingly similar to the ones used back home, including miniature flashlights, soldering irons and electrical test equipment," noted Bob.
Bob toured the training version of the U.S. modules Destiny and Unity with Dr. Jeff Wisoff, who was a crewmember on the 100th shuttle mission in October 2000. Dr. Wisoff has logged almost 43 days in orbit since 1993. The Unity module, which is currently in orbit, is a connecting piece between Russian and U.S. modules. In addition to providing a passageway between sections of the space station, visiting space shuttles can dock to it and move back and forth between the shuttle and space station. The U.S. laboratory module Destiny will be delivered to the space station in January.
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"Pilot" Bob Vila surveys the view from the cockpit of one of NASA's Space Shuttles. |
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To complete the tour, Bob took part in real time discussion with the Space Shuttle crew as they orbited Earth (the shuttle successfully completed it mission and returned to earth on Monday, December 11th). Highlights of the conversation included the astronauts explaining a selection of the tools they were currently using to continue the assembly of the space station, and a preview of following days activities, which include maintenance work on the stations massive new 240-foot solar arrays.
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Unity Module
Bob and astronaut Jeff Wisoff tour the Unity module and its connecting components. The Unity module was the first U.S. module to be attached to the International Space Station.
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Soyuz Capsule
Bob and NASA's Mike Hawes peer into the cramped compartments of the Russian Soyuz capsule, which sends three cosmonauts into space.
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Space Suits
Astronaut Jeff Wisoff, a veteran of several space walks, and Bob examine one of the $12,000,000 space suits. Each suit is custom fitted to every astronaut, and weighs over 300 pounds. Although that is more than your average tool belt, the suits are a self-contained living environment, capable of withstanding the extreme hot and cold temperatures the astronauts encounter during their mission.
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Space Shuttle Endeavour
A highlight of the tour was a call to the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which was docked to the International Space Station during Mission STS-97. Bob spoke with Commander Brent Jett, pilot Michael Bloomfield and mission specialists Joseph Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega.
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Vestibule Operations Trainer
Standing in front of a piece of equipment called the Vestibule Operations Trainer, NASA's Michael Hawes and Bob discuss the challenges the astronauts face in assembling a structure that will eventually grow to the size of three average American homes.
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