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Elon Musk and NASA head Jim Bridenstine Talk about SpaceX Crew Dragon · Elon Musk Podcast

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It's a the way it works is whatever button the astronauts.
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Tell you to hit those are the buttons you hit and everything.
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Seems to work just fine. So anyway, it's been a great day
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today. Thank you to Elon Musk and your
2:26
team for enabling all of this to happen.
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No, this NASA has a lot under development right now and there
2:35
is a big difference between development and operations.
2:40
We think back to space shuttle that was an operational.
2:45
Leti that existed for decades and what we're doing now is we
2:49
are developing brand new things that have never operated before
2:53
and Commercial crew is one of those and the crew dragon is an
2:57
element of commercial fruit. So is the Starliner, the SLS and
3:02
the Orion Space Capsule, the Gateway, a human Landing system
3:07
that we will have under development shortly.
3:10
But yesterday is a matter. Of fact, I was out at the
3:13
facility of Grumman looking at the James Webb Space Telescope
3:18
which again is an amazingly complex system that NASA has
3:22
under development. We have right now a lot under
3:26
development but I will also tell you that Ilan and I are in
3:30
strong agreements on this. That the one thing we have under
3:34
development, that is of the highest priority, Is launching
3:38
American astronauts. We're going to have Hardware
3:41
delivered to the cape to the Kennedy Space Center and of
3:46
course between now and then there's a lot that needs to be
3:48
done. We have a static fire, that is
3:50
going to be happening in short order.
3:52
We have a high altitude abort test, that will be happening in
3:55
short order and once all that data comes back, we've got to
3:58
make sure that we are adequately meeting the margins necessary to
4:03
make sure that these two gentlemen right here are safe
4:06
and a lot and I Iron strong agreement, that whatever it
4:08
takes to make sure they are safe is what we are focused on like a
4:12
laser. So I want to say thank you for
4:14
being here. We are open to answering any
4:17
questions here, but Elon, I'll turn it over to you for a few
4:21
comments and then we'll open it up for questions.
4:24
Sounds good. Well, it's an honor to be here
4:27
with the NASA, astronaut with NASA administrator and with the
4:30
with Bob and Doug through will be the first astronauts on the
4:35
crew dragon. This is a, the launch of crew is
4:40
something that we're been working towards for for 17
4:43
years. Actually most that time with
4:46
NASA. We've now that actually 19 both
4:53
things and dockings or connections with the space
4:56
stations, we've gone up to the space station, 19 times,
4:59
partnership with with NASA. I think a lot of people don't
5:01
realize that we're actually done Vic.
5:03
Been there 19 times. Cluding one of those times with
5:08
the, the crew dragon design and and then the one that will be
5:14
going to the station with with the astronauts will be an
5:19
improved version of the one that's already gone, to space
5:21
station, docked and return. So the human spaceflight is the
5:28
is the reason that SpaceX was created and we're currently are
5:33
honored to partner with NASA. And it's just make this happen.
5:38
This is this is your dream come true really?
5:45
Oops. We're open at any questions.
6:20
Consider that any significant change after launch is a
6:24
potential of potential failure mode.
6:26
So traditionally if you had a solid rocket motor, especially
6:30
if it's a tractor or mounted on the nose, You would push will be
6:35
unable to. It's too heavy to carry all the
6:36
way to orbit. So you would only have a partial
6:40
above board capability. It doesn't take you all the way
6:42
there and safety and then because it's using the same
6:46
propellant as the on over during thrusters, you get dual use
6:51
because you even need to abort or you need to do orbital
6:55
maneuvering but you don't need to do both. so, it's, I think
6:59
it's a bunch of fundamentally improve design and, and I'm
7:05
material and proven to increase safety, and I would add that it
7:10
is a fundamentally new design and it's not easy and over a
7:16
year ago when I as the NASA administrator, when I first came
7:19
here to Hawthorne as the administrator of course I was
7:21
here as a member of Congress before that, but as the NASA
7:24
administrator Ilan, and I sat down And we had a conversation
7:28
about risk and I asked him specifically, what is what is
7:31
the biggest risk that we're dealing with you?
7:34
And his thought was at the time that that the concern was using
7:40
the propulsion system for the launch abort system, which has
7:43
never been done before. It's never been integrated in
7:45
this way and making that transition in pressures from a
7:49
from a propulsion system to launch it.
7:52
Elon Musk said to me, he said that's the biggest concern.
7:55
That's what we need to be worried about.
7:57
And I will tell you, if we look at the catastrophic failure that
8:00
happened back in April, he was right and that gives me
8:04
confidence and that is why we text.
8:06
And what we learned from that is going to make us all better in
8:09
the future. And I can tell you that we have
8:12
confidence based on that, experience that, that what we
8:17
have iterated since then, is going to make us all safer.
8:20
And it's really, I can About Bob and Doug, and Elon and we were
8:25
just in a meeting. You, I looked at them and he
8:26
said, we're not going to do anything that these two
8:29
gentlemen are not comfortable with and that puts all of us in
8:32
a great position. So, to be clear, this is not
8:35
easy, but to be clear, it will make us safer and that's
8:41
important. Yeah, I think the there was like
8:46
some, some expectation of the interaction between the orbital
8:49
maneuvering system, and the voice system.
8:51
That's why we do this. Test if you eat or do tests, if
8:54
you think everything's going to be fine, you do test.
8:57
If you think they might not be fine and so that's why they're
9:01
cool tests. And so you figure out what's,
9:05
what the issues are without a crew on board, you establish
9:10
recourse improve the design and retest and that's what we're
9:14
doing. And one of the things for
9:16
example that we're up Liquid with a lot of pressure behind
9:21
it. And a long line is, it will
9:23
essentially accelerate that smells like a liquid, it's like,
9:26
a bullet. And, and, and then, if it has
9:29
anything that different remotely combustible, at the end of that
9:31
line, it will it will, it would like o even like, like Titanium
9:35
on fire, which is what is it. So putting a burst disc in there
9:39
isolates, the reward system from the orbital maneuvering system
9:44
and prevents the any valve leakage.
9:47
That get us most like a liquid in there.
9:49
So today when we first talked today, he said the dragon is
9:52
basically a bunch of bowels. It's his well lot of valves.
9:55
Now there's a few less valves, which is good because it's going
9:59
to prevent these kind of Errors. I wouldn't have said that
10:02
earlier, but since you just said it, we're facing a Bose there.
10:07
Instead of a valve is better for business, does not leak.
10:18
I think that's that's that's basically I think we're so
10:20
invested. The reason not to their way.
10:22
There was the mostest. The first place was it's
10:23
somewhat vestigial because at one point we're going to use the
10:26
super Draco thrusters to land and so you want to pull a
10:30
reasonable length system that can land, then you would want to
10:33
burst this because you have to replace the first discovery
10:35
flight and you're going to have run a valve, but since we're no
10:38
longer going to do propulsive Landing with dragon, it makes
10:41
sense to put those purses. First in there is a ton of other
10:45
improvements that have been made as well.
10:47
Those are super inside baseball. We inside Spaceball Hey guys,
10:52
it's Chris Davenport from The Washington Post for Ilan and Jim
10:57
Leyland. We're talking about how over the
11:00
overwhelming amount of your resources are dedicated to
11:02
Falcon and drag them into this program.
11:05
How important was it then to have the administrator in to see
11:08
that firsthand not just charts and data for to see the hardware
11:11
walk. The floor being the simulator
11:13
for Jim. How important was that for you
11:15
to actually be hands on that way?
11:18
Well, I'll tell you for me, you know, the biggest concern right
11:22
now is we are getting close to launching American astronauts on
11:25
American rockets for the first time since 2011.
11:28
And of course, a lot of people see what happened back in April
11:32
and they have concerns. And of course, there have been a
11:34
lot of concerns about parachutes as well, and where we are today,
11:39
I think is a very positive position.
11:42
And when we walked the, not just the floor of this facility, but
11:45
other facilities here on the campus I got face-to-face time
11:51
with the people who are making the necessary adjustments to
11:54
ensure safety. I got to see them.
11:57
I got to shake their hand. I got to see the work that they
11:59
have done and all that is very positive.
12:03
There is no doubt that in the last weeks we have had a number
12:09
of conversations on the phone about what needs to happen in
12:13
order to meet the highest priority which is launching
12:16
American astronauts again. And some of those issues, we
12:20
talk about the integration of the launch abort system with the
12:22
propulsion system. Some of those issues are
12:25
important that the highest priority has been the
12:27
parachutes. A lot of people are don't focus
12:30
on that but that's where it's been and and and Ilan has told
12:34
me. And he showed me now that that's
12:36
where their priority they are putting as much resources and
12:40
Manpower as they can to getting those parachutes.
12:42
Ready. So that ultimately, we can have
12:45
consistent. Repeatable performance, we can
12:46
have those tests Hit the mark three parachutes to give
12:50
confidence to us, that our astronauts to be safe.
12:52
And I think seeing all that is been a big difference.
12:56
Yes. With the the we think the The
13:00
Mach two parachutes. I mean, we think those are safe
13:04
for the Mach Three parachutes are possibly 10 times safer.
13:09
So, in fact Unite I think there's the the come on three
13:15
parishes. On my opinion, is that the best
13:18
parachutes ever liked by a lot? Like if you were to compare
13:21
those, the the margin of safety safety factor of the monetary
13:26
parachutes to say. Apollo this is twice, the safety
13:30
Factor will call it. This is very like this is Really
13:36
a good design and as we're putting over energy behind the
13:42
Von three parachutes working with, with Airborne, which is
13:46
the really good at parachutes. And I was just there actually on
13:52
Saturday and Sundays talking to the chief engineer and the
13:57
program manager, and the people selling the parachutes and And
14:03
so we're going just full-tilt on the Mochrie parachutes.
14:07
And a pair of heels like a big pair of shoes, then they look
14:11
easy, but they are definitely not easy.
14:13
And and for those that know, the history of the Apollo program,
14:17
it was actually one of the toughest things in the Apollo
14:19
program was for the parachutes. There's actually one of the
14:22
toughest overall problems and important events.
14:24
So many Engineers quick on the does the parachutes.
14:27
It's funny to read that, you know, and then have the same
14:31
experience, basically. I mean I don't think you're
14:33
actually having, you know, many people quit over it but it is is
14:37
like the pretty arduous engineering job to get how she's
14:43
right. Hi.
14:46
My name is Michael sheets on? CNBC this question.
14:48
I'd like the astronauts actually answer first.
14:51
And when you saw that video of the demo one anomaly and when
14:55
that you saw what happened to the capsule in the explosion
14:58
have, wouldn't that make you think and feel?
15:00
And since then, what has given me the confidence to say, you
15:04
know what? Yes, we're still getting inside
15:05
this capsule. Yeah, good question.
15:09
Yeah, it's certainly, it's disappointing.
15:11
You know, you get questions from your family if you have
15:13
questions from your friends, what happened, you know, you
15:16
know what happened? That kind of thing.
15:17
So but the other part of it you have to keep in mind is this is
15:22
test evaluation development and it's part of the process.
15:27
You know, I think this became public because there was a video
15:30
that got right and this happens a lot.
15:34
I guarantee you. It happens a lot.
15:36
It'll happen next week. Maybe there's somebody doing it.
15:39
Airplane test or maybe a space vehicle test these things
15:41
happen. And while it's disappointing, it
15:44
also can be a real gift to the final design because form the
15:49
final design, you find the problems that he ought to talk
15:51
about and you get, okay, we need to fix this.
15:54
We need to redesign it and the team.
15:56
Mobilized incredibly both on the NASA side and the SpaceX side to
16:00
come up with the, why did this happen?
16:02
What can we do to fix it? How can we rebuild the capsule
16:05
and make it safer for crews in the future?
16:08
And That's exactly what they've done.
16:10
And now we're kind of at the end stages, as Jim put it verifying
16:16
and understanding that we do have the margins at the, the
16:20
redesign with the versus works and it works the way we intended
16:24
to work. So Doug and I had just been
16:27
pinned down at Kennedy a couple days prior to the actual event.
16:31
And so my first thought was to actually to that team because we
16:35
feel so integrated with that team that their their failure is
16:40
not their failure. It's our failure as a team as we
16:43
kind of go forward. So I thought this went out to
16:46
Kiko in the rest of the guys down there in Florida, who have
16:48
been showing us the hardware that they were proud of and
16:51
telling us how how excited they were to pull off the next phase
16:55
of the Campaign of tests that eventually lead to Doug and I
16:58
are applied on the first mission for SpaceX on the demo to
17:02
vehicle. And so I thought of that team I
17:04
sent to, I sent him a text. And then we got down there as
17:07
soon as we could, once we were out of the way from cleanup
17:11
perspective, it wasn't the best area to send folks in that
17:14
weren't in the right protective equipment, and that's not our
17:17
skill set. We don't when there's an issue
17:19
like that, we should keep our distance from it and let the
17:21
professionals handle it. And so that's where I was that
17:25
day when it Immediate message from the team here, I think Lee
17:30
Rosen was shared that there had been an incident and that kept
17:33
us informed. And that was another key aspect
17:35
of any of these failures, as they go forward, giving us
17:39
insight and sharing that understanding as we go forward,
17:42
has as been a part of what makes me so comfortable with this team
17:47
kind of going forward. And I just really appreciate how
17:50
much Insight we've been able to have and how quickly we've been
17:52
able to have it in each of these cases for something like this.
17:57
I think it's important to emphasize example of other
17:59
public just isn't to wear just like like what happens with
18:05
testing, you know, honestly if there's a test program and
18:09
nothing happens that took program, I would say.
18:10
That's a programs in specially rigorous.
18:14
This is that's that's the reality.
18:17
The, you know, innocent important to remember that,
18:21
that, that same spacecraft, went to the space station docked and
18:25
returned. And if people have been on board
18:28
that craft, they would have returned safely.
18:31
So when you test your testing extreme conditions are testing
18:35
of nominal conditions and you're trying to find out find extreme
18:40
Corner cases of when things go wrong, I'd be totally Frank.
18:45
If there hasn't been some Hardware that blowed up well on
18:48
a test and I don't think the tests that are hard enough,
18:52
that's the reality. So yeah.
18:56
Got to push the envelope, find out whether you wear the outer
19:00
issues are and and then address all the corner cases.
19:04
I will tell you. One of the things that SpaceX is
19:08
really good at doing. In fact, you could say, maybe
19:11
the best is fly test fit fly test, fixed y, test fix it's a
19:18
very different approach than a lot of our other contractors and
19:22
it is it is a way to iteratively make It changes very fast.
19:29
And in fact, a fail fast fail fast and then fix and some
19:34
people see concerns in that. I will tell you that that I
19:40
think it's different than a lot of our other contractors but I
19:43
don't think it's I don't think it's worse.
19:45
I don't think it's better. It's different.
19:47
And it's unlike quite frankly. What are other contractors do
19:51
and I like it, I like it being a part of the mix of our contract
19:55
capability. And that, that there is this
19:58
iterative fly test fixed mindset, that space, that time,
20:02
which is very different than trying to qualify every sub
20:05
component and every component and every craft before it ever,
20:09
you know, hits a test and SpaceX is very good at moving quickly
20:13
and and that's good for NASA. It pushes us, it's good.
20:17
Yeah, I mean I think there's a fundamental principle of make
20:19
sure you fail on the test and so you do not fail in play an
20:23
astronaut who of course is flown with our gentleman.
20:27
He's an amazing individual. He is in the acting position and
20:31
he's doing great work. As of right now, I'm very
20:34
confident that we can continue moving forward and not have any
20:37
delays because of the opening in that position because of the
20:41
quality person and the quality engineer that Ken Bowersox is, I
20:46
would also say that we are going, we are looking for all of
20:53
the best talent that we could find to fill that role.
20:57
And we will come to a point where we settle on a name and
21:01
we're not there yet we open the aperture, very wide initially.
21:06
We have started narrowing it down but we are not ready to
21:09
announce who that person is. But I will tell you that that
21:12
announcement is not months away, it's weeks away.
21:16
And that's that's a day that we're all looking forward, hi
21:23
Rod, firework space.com. Just wondering if you could give
21:25
us a little bit more More of an update on specific Milestones,
21:29
the parachute test. Yeah, so I mean, here's the
21:35
thing that we have to have with parachutes because it's not easy
21:37
to model. What we have to have is we have
21:39
to have consistent repeatable performance.
21:42
We need a lot of drop tests. And of course, because of the
21:46
conversations that we've had over the last week's, we now
21:49
know that we are committed as a team SpaceX and NASA committed
21:53
as a team, to the Mark 3 parachute, which is superior to
21:58
the mark to although the mark 2 we could argue is say.
22:01
Safe, the Mark 3 is even safer and we need to get with the Mark
22:06
3 now. Consistent, repeatable
22:08
performance. I will also say that given where
22:12
we are in the resources that are being deployed on that
22:14
particular effort. We've talked even today that we
22:19
could see as many as 10 drop test between now and the end of
22:23
the year and how those drop test go and how they match the mark
22:28
to deployment of shoots at with. We can look at how similar they
22:34
are or how different they are. And we can make assessments
22:36
based on similarity that we can actually use a lot of the drop
22:40
test that we have on Mark 2. And we have a lot of data on
22:43
Mark to a lot of a lot of testing on Mark to we could use
22:46
the data from R2 to help qualify the Mark 3.
22:49
As long as we see consistent, repeatable performance that
22:53
matches that of Mark to. So the question is, as we go
22:57
through this process, what we will find is how Consistent.
23:01
It is with the mark 2 and if it is consistent it'll give us
23:05
confidence that we don't have to do as many drop test.
23:08
If it is not consistent, then we will have to do more.
23:12
And so we're going to learn that in the coming weeks and months
23:16
and that's one of the reasons why when we go forward, it is
23:19
true. We believe Hardware can be
23:21
delivered by the end of the year, but we also have to make
23:24
sure that before we put any people on any spacecraft that we
23:28
have, the consistent repeatable performance and we have Have all
23:32
of the data where we can make sure that we are meeting the
23:34
margins that we agreed to ahead of time.
23:38
So I would say depending on how the next 10 drop test go, we
23:44
will know how many more drop test.
23:46
We will need I think want to add to that.
23:50
Yeah, absolutely. So we expect to start the, we've
23:58
done it for downtown Rome on three a drop test, but we're
24:02
able to have the first successful launch.
24:03
We drop test of within, you know, a week or two.
24:08
And then there will be a steady Cadence of test thereafter.
24:12
We only want to get, I think you know at least something on the
24:16
order of ten successful. Test in a row before before
24:20
launching astronauts. So that's a seems like a where
24:25
the the the behavior of the parachutes is consistent across
24:31
10 successful test. That's I think a very good sort
24:34
of figure of Merit. You know, I'll best yes.
24:39
And it's important to compare sizes is a guess is that this
24:42
that these tests will we should get to something like 10 tests
24:46
before the end of the year? But, but we may not, this is
24:50
just giving you what we believe. The biggest a tween the the mark
25:00
to mark three is going to much stronger Lions and the
25:04
parachute. So going from essentially nylon
25:07
to xylon because actually think with Cylon, which is very
25:11
impressive, the strength of the Lions is about three times that
25:16
of nylon, perhaps, arguably more.
25:20
And and then there were some changes to the stitching pattern
25:24
so that because there are certain place As where the lower
25:27
concentrates, basically, where the weather is fairly obvious,
25:30
where the weather the lines connect to the canopy you but
25:35
you've got a stress concentration and so you want to
25:38
have just exactly the right joint to spread the load at the
25:42
stress concentration where the lines meet the canopy it is it
25:47
is also true, we talked about parachutes and this is
25:49
important. We have learned a lot because of
25:52
the work of SpaceX and because of the work of Orion and
25:56
Starliner. We have learned a lot recently
25:59
about a cemetry issues on the risers or of a parachute that
26:07
that being said, we can apply that as an agency.
26:11
NASA can take that data and that information that we get from our
26:14
great partners and we can apply it across the agency as a whole
26:18
to make sure that our astronauts will be safe.
26:22
And so this is an area where it's not either or It's all of
26:27
the above and when one partner is successful that success is
26:32
applicable to all the partners because human safety is the
26:35
number one priority for NASA, a statement.
26:38
Yeah, I've been very, very clear with Jim that any SpaceX data
26:44
should not be considered proprietary and it is it can be
26:48
used by any of our competitors. No, for you, no charge to
26:53
perforate, obviously. And that will be very helpful.
26:58
Anybody have another question for the astronauts who have to
27:00
leave? Hi, CBS news, thank you,
27:08
gentlemen. What will you be doing between
27:10
now? And when you launch will be
27:13
here, short answer, but we spend almost all of every week here
27:20
now. And obviously with the employee
27:23
of board there be some career-related timeline
27:26
exercises, we want to do along the line that inflate board
27:30
timeline. So when we do the employee for
27:32
flew down to Florida for that, we make it down.
27:34
For the static fire. But majority of our time will be
27:37
here, training running, the Sims with the team's not only here in
27:41
Hawthorne, but the team back. He's so a lot of time in
27:45
California And thank you guys. They have to catch a plane so
27:52
we'll say so long. Thank you guys.
28:09
I know you said that the program is close to human launches, but
28:12
obviously it's still staying close.
28:14
To the end of u.s. availability of seats.
28:17
Also, use talk a little bit about that administrator was
28:20
that. It is.
28:22
So clearly, there's a number of things at play here.
28:27
Number one is making sure that we get the hardware deliver.
28:31
And I think we've got a good plan for how we're going to make
28:34
that happen. And I want to also be clear
28:36
because I know a lot of the SpaceX Workforce is going to see
28:40
and hear this media. We are very grateful for their
28:44
hard work and we want them to keep pressing to make sure that
28:47
we get that Hardware delivered while that is underway.
28:51
We also have a number of texts. We have a static fire for the
28:56
launch abort system, and then we have a high altitude abort test
29:00
that we have to get done between now and the end of the year and
29:04
we will take all of the data from those tests and make sure
29:09
that we are adequately meeting the margin.
29:11
And we are controlling those margins consistently and
29:14
repeatedly and when that is complete, then we will be ready
29:18
to launch. So there is there.
29:21
There is a. What we have to do, as an agency
29:25
is we have to make sure that we're taking the data and making
29:28
data-informed decisions to be ready to launch.
29:32
Hardware, delivery is not the end state, it is the beginning
29:36
and we have to take the data from the testing that we do
29:38
between now and Hardware delivery and qualify these
29:42
articles for human spaceflight and so I don't want to say what
29:45
the date is but I will say the partnership that we have with
29:49
Russia is important and it's good when we have these He's
29:53
terrestrial challenges that everybody is aware of, somehow
29:57
we have been able to keep space exploration, separate from the
30:00
geopolitics of the of the times and that's good.
30:06
And so we like this partnership but we also want it to be a
30:08
partnership. We don't want to have to, you
30:11
know, pay 85 million dollars. Every time we launch an American
30:14
astronaut on a soyuz rocket, we don't want to do that.
30:17
It won't. We would rather have it be a
30:18
true partnership where we launched on their rockets and
30:21
they launched on our Rockets, That would be a great
30:24
partnership for the future. And so we need to make sure that
30:28
that we do not have a day where we don't have American
30:32
astronauts on the International Space Station.
30:35
So we will be continuing to work with roscosmos, which is the
30:39
space agency of Russia to ensure that we do have American
30:43
astronauts on the International Space Station.
30:46
As an insurance policy for sure. Because there's still some
30:49
learning left to do between now and launching fruit to be clear.
30:54
If everything goes according to plan we may not need an
30:58
additional voices but here's what else we know here's here's
31:01
something else we have usually things don't go according to
31:04
plan when it comes to these new development capabilities, I will
31:09
say that we are getting very close and we're very confident
31:13
that in the first part of next year, we will be ready to launch
31:16
American astronauts on American Rockets.
31:22
I said it's a just use some, some insights into some of the,
31:28
the best guess timing ahead. This is just best guess.
31:34
So you know what tends to happen with these things.
31:35
We give a best guess and then you get some article like oh
31:38
they didn't meet the deadline but like no, it's just a
31:40
best-guess. Like if it was so like if this
31:45
was a fully completed development that you could say
31:48
with Precision with more Precision, what the timing of
31:51
things should be. But anything with that, that is
31:55
in development, albeit, even the late stages of development, you
31:58
don't, you never know when they might be some thing that crops
32:01
up that requires more investigation.
32:03
We're going to look into it more closely.
32:06
The tests I mentioned with respect to the Mach 3, Parachute
32:08
from a take longer than expected.
32:10
We make at we may encounter things that we don't yet know,
32:15
and that may require more testing with this.
32:20
There's most of the retest of the propulsion system and
32:25
propulsion lines to confirm that the design changes that we made
32:30
will be successful in preventing.
32:34
But what course the the test and failure earlier this year so
32:37
that those tests will happen probably in the next few weeks
32:42
and that will obviously be. If those tests go, well, will be
32:46
a significant risk reduction, you know, I think it's My plus v
32:53
is like to generally say what we think our best guess is and then
32:58
kind of bring people along for the ride and say like you know,
33:01
if things don't go quite as well as expected, hopefully, cheer us
33:05
on and like, you know, but it's full disclosures, it's just
33:09
telling you what we know as best we know it and sometimes will be
33:14
wrong and but I think it's more interesting to be along for the
33:18
ride and not for not. Try to pretend everything is
33:21
super great. Wait, there's always issues
33:24
space is hard. Obviously.
33:27
It's like, very few countries of violence has gone to over to
33:33
ever happen to create an overall vehicle, you know, well, I guess
33:38
really just three. So there's a very hard thing and
33:44
so this is You know, it's like I hope like you know as we go
33:48
along. There's a lot of people working
33:53
super hard at SpaceX and NASA, and our suppliers is doing their
33:58
best, you know? And So, you know, so those who
34:04
support will be good. So there's yeah.
34:10
So next few weeks hopefully testing the Porsche system
34:14
confirm that changes May were successful but you know it's a
34:20
test so it could go wrong for go, right.
34:23
We're we will be test for doing a lot of tests of them are three
34:25
parachute, a parachute will keep the public informed.
34:28
So you'll know what goes wrong and workers, right?
34:30
And what we're doing about it, those are the only two items
34:38
that I'm aware of. It will go with that.
34:39
SpaceX is, were that that are that, that put the schedule at
34:45
risk, but there may be other things that we discover.
34:47
This is also important are mine, you do not know which, you know
34:52
what, you do not know and if the best of our knowledge right now,
34:59
testing will be complete and Hardware will be at the cape by
35:02
the end of December. But this, this This may be wrong
35:08
important. This could be wrong.
35:09
This is what appears to be a case right now.
35:13
So then there's this some period of time after that, as the
35:16
administrator was alluding to wear SpaceX and NASA a may be
35:21
worse than the disease or comparable that then it is not
35:24
worth breaking configuration to it.
35:27
Unless the Cure is very obviously better than the
35:30
disease. This is the only thing.
35:34
I'm telling you exactly what I think is great.
35:40
And I'm glad you want to emphasize.
35:41
This is not like as soon as it's like it is this, you know, it's
35:45
a hot. If it's if the testing is
35:46
complete and the Hardware's, you know, at the cape is this like
35:50
some kind of like massive bureaucracy?
35:52
That's like things like it is not.
35:55
It is very important to for everyone involved to go through
36:01
all the data and then look at it again and look at it again and
36:05
there's confirmed the covering on everything possible to ensure
36:09
that the astronauts be safe. This is A lot of homework,
36:13
basically and then only at that point would be launched.
36:20
Only that point So, but I think I'll be very exciting to see the
36:28
hardware at the cape and the very exciting to see these these
36:33
tests complete, and I'll make sure you're kept up to speed on
36:39
all of the, everything we learned our quarterback.
36:42
So, you know, the straight skirt.
36:48
Hi. I think you may have answered my
36:50
question partially but I'm going to put it to you.
36:52
A little more directly administrator for I sign given
36:58
everything that still needs to happen before the connection
37:01
with delivered. What is your?
37:04
What do you? How soon do you think that you
37:06
will be ready to launch a manned mission to the crew?
37:10
Dragon? The moment.
37:11
I think you said like maybe as soon as the early part of next
37:15
year. If everything goes according to
37:18
plan it would be in the first quarter of next year.
37:22
But I remember and this is the important thing that we have to
37:24
get right on messaging. There is still, there are still
37:29
things that we can learn or could learn.
37:33
They could be challenging that we have to resolve.
37:36
I'm not saying that's going to happen, I don't know.
37:38
That's why we text. We have two very important test
37:41
coming up, plus a whole lot of drop test for parachutes.
37:47
Coming on what we learn in those tests will determine whether or
37:53
not. We're going to be able to launch
37:54
in the first part of next year, but if we learn what we think
37:57
we're going to learn, we should be ready in the first part of
38:00
next year, if something comes up that we didn't know, then it
38:05
could be longer than that. But this is what Elon was
38:07
talking about, which I think you said very well.
38:10
Regardless of whether we make it in the first part of next year
38:13
is less relevant than the fact that we will make it.
38:17
And when we do make it between now and then we need your
38:20
support. And I think that's pretty clear.
38:22
What, what Elon was getting at? This is a big deal for our
38:26
country. We can't get it wrong.
38:28
And in fact, we have to get it, right?
38:31
And so I think, I think these are, these are key messages that
38:36
we believe it can be done in the first quarter of next year.
38:38
But we are not going to Take any undue risk because the safety of
38:43
our astronauts in the success of the mission is the highest
38:45
priority. And remember this.
38:46
First flight with crew is a test flight, even the flight itself
38:51
is a test flight and it is done with test.
38:54
Pilots one Marine who will start building the next one and we
39:00
expect to be making Dragon version 2 or crew dragon on
39:05
approximately every every three or four months so they'll be a
39:08
number of The Craft that. Sorry.
39:10
Work. So you know, three or four
39:14
months time, there will be, there'll be another Dragon.
39:15
This with best social ready to go because we want to get into a
39:19
Cadence, as Jim was saying of operational flights to the space
39:23
station. And, you know, I think it's it's
39:28
been eight years since the United States was able to send
39:32
astronauts to, to Ole Miss. This is, you know, this is a
39:36
travesty for Holy Frank. Wiedersehen We need to get back
39:41
to but it's going to be a great day.
39:42
It's going to be right at. Yes.
39:43
But we've got to get this done, you know?
39:47
So it's yeah, it's super super big deal and they're getting to
39:54
the Cadence of wriggle, launches regular launches next year.
39:59
We great, we have a question from NASA, watch keep Callie he
40:04
rides, you are both Star Wars fans along build X-Wing,
40:07
Fighters and Jim flies them instead of the and since we've
40:10
been hearing about recently, what things do SpaceX and NASA
40:13
and you as an individual share in common when it comes to the
40:16
Future uses of space and how will you leverage these common
40:19
interests? So you build X-Wing Fighters and
40:25
I applied. Unless that's cool.
40:26
I like that's great. I like that, I'm liking this
40:29
already a couple of things. Number one, there's no need for
40:36
wings and space so I think that's a difference.
40:38
Yes, that is true. And if you look at how the
40:41
X-Wing Fighter is thrusted, I'm guessing, I don't know, but I'm
40:44
guessing it might be a nuclear electric propulsion based on the
40:49
design of the vehicle. But again, I don't know.
40:51
Know how the X-Wing is designed. But I will tell you that we as
40:57
an agency, we want to go to Mars and even Beyond.
40:59
And of course, we're very excited about the excitement
41:02
that he long and Elon and bringing to this, that SpaceX is
41:06
bringing to this idea of humans expanding throughout the solar
41:10
system. That is something that I think
41:12
both of us share deeply as as a vision that we want to be able
41:17
to achieve. And I think I think that that is
41:22
achievable. Now going back to the X-Wing
41:24
Fighter. In order to achieve that for the
41:28
long term and be successful, we're going to need to start
41:31
making investments in nuclear thermal propulsion and nuclear
41:35
electric. And of course, we've been
41:36
involved in the vast array of propulsion system as a
41:39
development capability for a number of years, which is
41:41
nuclear-electric, the idea being that we need to get places
41:44
faster and NASA has an interest in that but I think more than
41:51
anything thing. NASA has a keen interest in
41:54
human exploration, Elon Musk and SpaceX.
41:58
They've done okay. So there's just something that
42:03
people care around the world can gets super fired up about and
42:09
get excited about the future. there and future where we're
42:15
spacefaring civilization and out there Among the Stars is
42:17
inspiring People everywhere in the world.
42:24
High tension from Candy, see that to the topic of timeline
42:29
and delivery. Can you both address the recent
42:32
public exchange? Regarding the progress of crew
42:35
dragon in particular, has vitamin C in your tweets,
42:38
implying that that progress has been compromised somehow by
42:41
spaceship. Yeah.
42:43
So as the NASA administrator I have been focused on returning
42:48
to realism when it comes to cost and schedule and a lot of our
42:53
programs have not Been meeting cost and schedule.
42:56
And this is, this has been developing over time.
42:59
And a lot of these programs are, you know, five years old, 10
43:04
years old, that kind of thing. And so what we're trying to do
43:06
is get back to a day where we have realistic cost and schedule
43:11
and so I was signaling and I haven't done it just to SpaceX,
43:14
but to all of our contractors that we need more realism built
43:18
into the development time ones. To be clear the development
43:23
time. Lines are development timelines,
43:26
this is not operational yet. It is development, which means
43:28
put us in a position and it's not just the commercial crew
43:32
program. It's a lot of NASA's programs
43:36
and I am trying to make sure that if we're putting out key
43:40
messages about what we're capable of achieving that we are
43:44
matching it with budgets, that's been a high priority of mine.
43:48
I just want to make sure that we are focused.
43:51
On the number one highest priority for our country right
43:54
now, because I am the one that has to go, make sure that we're
43:57
buying seats Russian, soyuz seeks to keep a presence on the
44:01
International Space Station couple of weeks ago, I was out
44:04
at Japan, we believe that there is a there is a strong
44:08
probability that they will have an astronaut on the
44:11
International Space Station during the Olympics.
44:15
But there is also a possibility of things, don't go.
44:18
According to plan that they will not, that's a challenge.
44:20
For me, is the NASA administrator as I try to
44:23
encourage our International Partners to invest more than
44:26
they ever have before, in our effort to get to the moon
44:29
sustainably. In other words, we want to go to
44:31
the Moon to stay. So, in order to achieve the
44:34
Diplomatic goals and the, the Strategic goals of our country,
44:40
to have our International partners with us, in a coalition
44:43
of Nations, to go to the Moon. To stay in order to achieve that
44:47
we have to have credibility in our programs.
44:50
And right now, the one program that we need the most
44:53
credibility in. The fastest is the commercial
44:56
crew program and SpaceX is a big part of that.
44:59
So I think those are all important takeaways.
45:02
I mean it is important to just get these are just sorta Koufax.
45:07
It's not a statement. Of fact, it was SpaceX Bush crew
45:12
program is within 1% of the budget.
45:14
What? So it's right on budget as Jim
45:18
was first learning to the NASA request for commercial crew.
45:22
For several years was substantially reduced by
45:25
Congress. And I think in some cases by
45:27
50%, it's pretty hard to stay on schedule.
45:32
If you've got half as much money but we didn't spend more money.
45:35
It just got some take longer and, you know, the same years
45:41
that it's commercial crew was Dramatically underfunded some
45:47
other unmentioned programs were overfunded and this they are so
45:53
very larger. Point is we're going to get this
45:59
done. I really get done soon, I'm
46:00
going to get done right. Hi Grant, Blaisdell co-creator,
46:08
Kaepernick space. This is a question that alludes
46:11
to two things that both of you touched.
46:14
There's gonna be a lot of sensitive valuable IP being
46:17
shared between you guys, but also the future collaborations
46:20
you brought up Russia. For example, and we've seen that
46:24
NASA recently, begin engaging with new tech, like blockchain
46:27
technology seemingly mainly to a prey improve data related, trust
46:31
and security mr. Musk and interested in this type
46:34
as well. My question is, is NASA and this
46:37
collaboration further looking to use this sort of tech to not
46:41
only securely transfer and collaborate around this valuable
46:45
IP. But also to use it to better
46:48
commercialize, this IP on the private Market.
46:51
As the market continues to digitize the privatized
46:54
especially for NASA. I think that's what being cool
46:56
and also funding, I also how this relates to allowing the
47:00
American public fund NASA property that it is for a
47:03
reason. It is Because we have to make
47:05
sure that we are safely flying people because there is nothing
47:10
more precious to us than the cargo of our, which is our
47:13
astronauts so that has to be. I think a keen awareness for us,
47:19
if SpaceX learned something with parachutes, if they learn
47:23
something with a launch abort system, if it's a materials
47:26
issue, we need to be able to share that.
47:29
And and SpaceX has been fantastic about allowing us to
47:32
do that without getting Bring up, you know, design
47:36
specifications. Actually, I want to be clear.
47:38
It is NASA can share all of our p, with all of our IP with
47:43
anyone else. Wants to go is not at all with
47:49
anyone, but to the extent ultimately the and we appreciate
47:55
that. That's, that's very meaningful.
47:57
Yeah. But but there is IP, that is in
48:01
the interest of the nation, then we cannot be sharing with people
48:06
or countries. That would not have our
48:08
interests at heart and that's when it comes to To making sure
48:11
that we have our information technology, secure and we have
48:15
all the capabilities necessary to protect some very valuable
48:18
technology. Thank you.
48:21
We have time for one more question and he's quick,
48:27
follow-up because you'd mention that you would spend near fully
48:30
informed by the and that's a program manager.
48:34
Yeah. You're working one percent.
48:36
Only great. That's cool.
48:38
We we've spent actually, I took quite a lot more than expected.
48:44
Probably on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars
48:48
more. Yeah.
48:52
So, for the contracts, I mean it's based on Milestone payments
48:55
and when Milestones are achieved payments were made and of course
49:00
our contractors make proposals and then we award based on those
49:04
proposals. So, all of that was agreed to
49:07
upfront. It is absolutely true that there
49:10
were certain years in early early on that set us back
49:13
because we weren't adequately funded.
49:15
We're past that we are now focused like a laser on the
49:19
right things to achieve the ends.
49:21
Paint and we both desire which is American astronauts launching
49:23
on American Rockets. I know this is the last question
49:26
and I just want to say a few more things in close it and that
49:29
is this. I want I want to be, I want
49:32
people to make no mistake. That NASA has an interest in
49:36
seeing Starship be successful. We have been a partner on
49:41
Starship a non exchange of funds kind of partner when it comes to
49:46
aerodynamics and when it comes to testing and test Certainly
49:52
when it comes to how we do, think about the future, where
49:57
maybe the Starship will be flying in deep space outside of
50:00
Earth's orbit. And if that day comes, they're
50:03
going to have to communicate back to Earth.
50:04
So, we have been working with SpaceX to enable and test deep
50:09
space communication capability, using NASA's deep space Network.
50:13
We, in fact are using our resources at Mars right now, we
50:17
have orbiters around Mars, we have a Lander.
50:20
We Have a Rover on Mars. We passed those resources to
50:24
find. Where would be the best?
50:26
Places? Should Starship be successful in
50:29
going to Mars? Where would be the best places
50:31
to go? Where they would have resources
50:33
Institute of resource utilization available to them?
50:37
That's another capability that NASA has been working to support
50:41
SpaceX on on Starship and and just this week might have been
50:45
last week. I don't know the date
50:46
specifically. But we did award to SpaceX a
50:50
contract. What we call a Tipping Point
50:52
contract, that enables, we will enable Starship to use NASA
50:57
resources and NASA, more money, to figure out how to transfer
51:01
fuel in orbit. That's, that's a capability that
51:06
is in the National interest of the nation, but it's also a
51:09
capability that enables NASA to go further.
51:12
And we want partners that are willing and able to invest in
51:15
that to partner with us, which is what Tipping Point is all
51:18
about. And they were awarded a contract
51:20
for that. So it We believe We believe
51:24
there is a day coming, whether it's the first to be clear, we
51:29
want commercial crew to happen as the earliest possible Point
51:33
make no mistake. I hope I've been very clear on
51:36
that but we also want all of our commercial Partners, all of our
51:41
partners to be successful in, going further and doing more.
51:45
Under an idea where NASA would be one customer of many
51:49
customers Drive. Been down our cost and
51:52
increasing our Access One. Customer of many customers with
51:56
numerous providers that are competing on cost and Innovation
52:00
again driving down cost and increasing access.
52:04
So that all of us is the nation can do more and some of our
52:07
partners our Starship as I just talked about some of our
52:12
partners, our SLS, and Orion and all of us as a nation, we will
52:17
be able to do more in pain and they make each other better.
52:21
And that's a positive thing but we want all of our partners to
52:25
be successful and we are working towards that area.
52:28
All right thank you for the support this is.
52:31
Yeah for sure. Dragon and and if your crew
52:35
dragon is absolutely the overwhelming priority and you
52:39
know, as I said publicly is very pipe.
52:43
Scent of SpaceX resources on a Starship.
52:48
We do think it's something that will be incredibly valuable.
52:51
Old to NASA in the future. And to really anyone who wants
52:56
to know, if we're very important for the future of humanity and
53:01
space. This is so, and we are
53:07
transitioning into the face. Of course, very, very close to
53:11
transitioning to face where we are in series production with
53:15
the crew Dragon spacecraft, which means that the engineering
53:18
team and then work on a new vehicle with it without any
53:25
design and development. And then you transition plan
53:28
development to to production and operations at.
53:32
Then this design and development team should do something new.
53:36
This is not a conflict. It's just different teams and
53:39
that's what we'll be doing. As we complete.
53:43
The testing of crew dragon is transitioning the development
53:46
team to Starship So thanks again for your support, it's an honor,
53:50
thank you for having us. And I want to say to all the
53:52
maybe here covering this, thank you.
53:55
We need to create an environment and SpaceX has been amazing at
53:59
it. Create an environment where the
54:01
American public and in fact the world gets enthusiastic about
54:05
returning to deep space. I am the first NASA
54:09
administrator and history. Well, at least since we've gone
54:13
to the Moon, I'm the first NASA administrator that doesn't have
54:15
a memory of where he was or she When we landed on the moon
54:21
because I wasn't alive yet me neither, and yeah, right?
54:24
Yeah, and I'm 44 years old, we cannot allow another generation
54:28
go by without people like casting a vision that we can in
54:32
fact have a sustainable presence on the moon and we can in fact
54:36
get to Mars. Yeah.
54:37
Because of the media here and all of your coverage of this and
54:41
and other events that we're going to be doing in the future,
54:43
we're going to be able to do this and I just want to thank
54:46
you for having me at this event. It's and look forward to again
54:50
launching American astronauts on American Rockets from American
54:53
soil. Thank you SpaceX for being a
54:56
great partner.