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00:00You
00:10Francis Bourgeois is known for his life.
00:15The love of trains.
00:17But since childhood, he's had...
00:20And another love.
00:22Space.
00:23For the first time in history...
00:25Space travel isn't just for elite pilots or lifelong professionals.
00:30We are living through a moment where private companies are opening up space...
00:35For everyone.
00:36Not just to visit, but to work, to live, and build.
00:40And Francis felt now was the time to see...
00:45If he had what it takes.
00:46I'm going to miss you, sweetie.
00:48I'll miss you too.
00:50Through his journey so far, he had been forced to confront some hard truths about his...
00:55Limitations.
00:56What's your application process like?
00:59We don't really have an app...
01:00Call me!
01:01But Francis is not one to give up easily.
01:05Because even dreams, especially the big ones, sometimes need...
01:10Rerouting.
01:11Francis, can you hear us?
01:12Sorry, I'm feeling a bit sick.
01:13It's mine and Amy's anniversary.
01:15And I haven't spoken to her today.
01:17And with access to the cosmos developing at least...
01:20Light speed?
01:21The question that had echoed in Francis's head his whole life...
01:25...was about to be put to the test.
01:27Can a Trainspotter become an...
01:30Astronaut.
01:35I was halfway across the world trying to become an astronaut.
01:40But so far, things hadn't exactly gone to plan.
01:43But I'd come to America...
01:45...to test myself.
01:46And I wasn't about to give up.
01:49Before I...
01:50...continued on my mission.
01:51There was something I needed to do.
01:53Someone I needed to call.
01:55Hello.
01:56Hello.
01:57Hello.
01:58Hello.
01:59I'm...
02:00Currently surrounded here by turkey vultures.
02:03And it sounds like you're surrounded...
02:05...by crows.
02:06I love crows.
02:07I love crows.
02:08Yeah.
02:09Just want to...
02:10...apologise.
02:11We couldn't speak on...
02:13...on our anniversary.
02:14But...
02:15The main thing is...
02:16...there have been quite...
02:17...quite a few moments...
02:18...where I've realised that...
02:20...I suppose this...
02:22...I might not be kind of totally cut out for this.
02:26Well that's alright.
02:27You don't have to be.
02:28It...
02:29...it was boring.
02:30You're not here to be...
02:31...on our anniversary.
02:32But I understand.
02:33I understood that you're probably just busy.
02:35...and the time difference.
02:36It was quite a busy day.
02:37I understand.
02:38Thank you so much.
02:40...for the present darling.
02:41I thought it was so thoughtful.
02:43That's alright.
02:44Well I hope it...
02:45...reminds you of home.
02:46It reminds you how much I love you.
02:48I love you.
02:50I love you too.
02:51Alright.
02:52Well...
02:53Bye.
02:54Love you.
02:55Bye.
02:55Bye.
02:56Bye.
02:57I'd been in the US for almost a month.
02:59I can't...
03:00I came out here to manifest an opportunity.
03:02But it was becoming clear I still had work to do.
03:05Before I was truly ready to realise my dream.
03:08Under pressure.
03:09Under pressure.
03:10I had struggled, so I knew if I wanted to go to space, I had to learn to stay calm.
03:15In the most extreme high-stress situations.
03:20So I did some research, and that's when I found a place in Boston, a facility
03:25where real astronauts are trained to handle psychological pressure.
03:29It's called...
03:30Stratus, a simulation centre that recreates medical emergencies in space.
03:35They work with NASA and private missions to teach people how to stay calm when...
03:40everything goes sideways.
03:41Which, if I'm honest, sounded like something I could use...
03:45I want to understand whether, for me, I can deal with...
03:50pressure scenarios in the environment of space where there are already so many things flying around.
03:55We're going to practice a couple of skills that you may need if you're...
04:00to go up in space and be encountering some of these medical emergencies.
04:03And then we're going to put it all together.
04:05in the afternoon with a couple of my team members to practice a scenario where you are going to be...
04:10in space dealing with one of these emergencies that come up.
04:12Okay.
04:15As missions travel deeper into space and stretch over many months and even years...
04:20astronauts need to be ready for anything.
04:23This is one...
04:25This is the first version of robotic surgery.
04:27If you start moving your hands now...
04:29Oh!
04:30You can have an expert on Earth and the patient could be up in space.
04:35Normally, it takes years to learn how to respond to medical emergencies.
04:40And I only had a few hours.
04:42So I told myself,
04:43Stay calm.
04:44Focus.
04:45And take this seriously.
04:46Can I actually poke myself in the face?
04:48You can try.
04:49Oh!
04:50Oh!
04:51Oh!
04:52Oh!
04:53Oh!
04:54Down here.
04:55Here on Earth, we use a lot of tests like X-rays and CAT scans and MRIs.
04:59Up and...
05:00Up in space.
05:01That's not an option.
05:02One thing that they do have up in space though is ultrasound.
05:05It uses piezoelectric crystals, right?
05:07Exactly.
05:08You got it.
05:09So inside these little probes are little crystals...
05:10That helps to generate the sound waves.
05:11Yeah.
05:12It's just amazing that it's as simple as that.
05:14Would it be possible...
05:15for me to try it on you?
05:17Um...
05:18It reminds me...
05:20of a cross section of an internal combustion engine.
05:23Okay.
05:24Just like the...
05:25suck squeeze bang blow.
05:26Yeah.
05:27My medical training was going surprisingly well.
05:30I was starting to feel vaguely confident that I could handle a cardio...
05:35cardiac arrest.
05:36Or at the very least, not make it worse.
05:38Oh.
05:39Manufactured in Pakistan.
05:40Andrew explained to me that a round trip to Mars would take two to three years...
05:45and companies are hoping to achieve this by 2030.
05:49Being cut off...
05:50from other humans means a crew would need to know a whole host of medical procedures to
05:54look after...
05:55each other...
05:56should the worst happen.
05:57So Andrew wanted to step up my training...
05:59to some...
06:00more serious medical scenarios.
06:02I was taken into the simulated operating...
06:05room...
06:06where he taught me how to insert a chest tube into a high fidelity thoracic...
06:10manikin.
06:11Which is medical simulation speak for horrifyingly...
06:15life-like.
06:16It blinked.
06:17It breathed.
06:18And I'm pretty sure it was judging me.
06:20So this is an endoscopic camera.
06:23So we can put that...
06:25down.
06:26If someone had really bad pneumonia...
06:27Yeah.
06:28We could go suck that out.
06:30If someone...
06:30had a tumor...
06:31we could go find it...
06:32and take a sample...
06:33Okay.
06:34So this is now...
06:35going to...
06:36the left lung?
06:37Correct.
06:38Wow.
06:39Well I feel like I've explored...
06:40a total...
06:40totally different profession...
06:41that I never imagined myself doing.
06:43You hope that you're not going to need these skills...
06:45up in space...
06:46but...
06:47sometimes...
06:48you're going to need it unexpectedly.
06:50I'm sure...
06:51It's safe and frustrating to help and keep pushing the
07:18kind of the emergency was over or if they need another procedure afterwards okay would the patient
07:23have a laptop on their chests not typically but for training purposes let us know if we did it
07:28correctly okay
07:33it felt like I had been a model student but now it was time for the part that couldn't be taught
07:38staying calm when everything goes wrong
07:43you
07:48you
07:53so we've had a chance this morning to work with Francis on
07:58learning a couple different skills and now is a time for us to put those skills together
08:03in responding to a medical scenario we work on the human
08:08factors that leads to better performance in space when teams like yourself have to
08:13manage a emergency in space teamwork effective communication and leadership
08:18so the goal really of the scenario today is to give you a little bit of that experience and
08:23stress you a little bit my stress levels were rising especially now
08:28our harvard professor was going to be evaluating my performance
08:31space crew you're needed in the
08:33Bay for medical emergency. Alongside Nick and Victoria, two medical students
08:38who I'd only recently become acquainted with.
08:41Hello, are you okay? He's not talking.
08:43So Alex was out on a spacewalk. He just returned and he's reporting shortness of breath.
08:48And the pain in his chest, I need you to help assess him and treat him as soon as possible.
08:52Attach Pulse Oxxamon.
08:53Pulse Oxxamon is 88.
08:54His oxygen is quite low. I want to start a nebulizer treatment.
08:58Get the albuterol out of that kit. Get the oxygen kit out.
09:01Francis, can you find that surgical kit?
09:03He may have collapsed one of his lungs.
09:05We need to do a needle decompression.
09:07So I want you to...
09:08Find one of those long needles. Victoria, can you feel for pulses?
09:11Nick, can you keep an eye on that...
09:13See your rain monitor.
09:14So, sorry. Sorry, Andrew.
09:16Uh, what am I looking for again?
09:18There's...
09:18Some orange needles to your left.
09:20Get out one of those needles.
09:21We got to do it fast. His oxygen is getting lower.
09:23I feel pulses on both sides, and they're regular.
09:25Thank you, Victoria.
09:25A middle of that bone there, and two rib space...
09:28Is down. We're going to put that needle straight in.
09:30Okay.
09:30We got to do it.
09:31Alex.
09:32His oxygen is getting lower.
09:33We got...
09:33How do you do it?
09:33Okay, so straight in.
09:34Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
09:36Hey, come on, Alex.
09:37Oh, no, sorry.
09:38Push, push, push, push, push, push, push, push.
09:39I think it's on his rib.
09:40Okay, um, trying to...
09:43Yep.
09:43Do it the best you can.
09:44We got to do it.
09:45It's not going into Alex.
09:47I'm really sorry, Alex.
09:48How...
09:48How far down can I go?
09:49As far as it can go.
09:50We just got to get it done.
09:53Yeah, he has bilateral pulses, but they're pretty crazy.
09:56Okay.
09:57Okay, yes.
09:58Come on, Alex.
09:59You're a fighter.
09:59Push, push, push, push, push.
10:00Stay with us, Alex.
10:01Straight in, straight in, straight in.
10:02Yep, it's all...
10:03All right, and take the needle out and leave the colored part in.
10:08I took it out.
10:09No, I took the whole...
10:10No, I took the whole thing out.
10:13Okay, that's back in.
10:14You can get another one if you need to.
10:15No, no, no, it's off now.
10:16Yeah, I can't see is the cat...
10:18...that are in his chest.
10:19Yes, it's in, it's in.
10:20Hey, Alex.
10:21How are you doing?
10:22How are you feeling?
10:23It's okay, Alex.
10:24All right, team.
10:25That is the end of your scenario.
10:26Please leave everything where it is and report...
10:28...to the debris from.
10:32Thank you all for participating.
10:33I know it can be a little bit stressful.
10:35Did you feel like you were getting stressed at all?
10:37Yeah, well, I...
10:38...especially when the blood oxygen levels were dropping.
10:40We also experienced a needle malfunction.
10:43Okay.
10:44I thought I was going through, but I was getting resistance.
10:47Yep.
10:47Uh...
10:48And then it happened again, and I just thought...
10:50...I'm making things worse here.
10:53Alex has already got a collapsed lung, and I'm there poking him with the needle...
10:58...and then I ended up pulling the whole needle out.
11:00Yeah.
11:01The time here in the emergency space...
11:03...is extremely important due to some of the delays in the needle...
11:08...the patient, unfortunately, will not survive.
11:13A bit of an eye-opener, but just a slight misjudgment of my...
11:18...needle placement basically meant that...
11:23...Alex wouldn't be able to return home from the international...
11:28...space station.
11:29It's a lot more than just exciting engineering and loud rockets.
11:33And G-Force and, you know, seeing Earth from afar.
11:38And at the moment, in my mind, kind of...
11:43...the scary, daunting, worrying things.
11:48Slightly outweighing my excitement, I suppose.
11:53Uh...
11:54I had trained for the worst.
11:56But still, I wasn't ready.
11:58Because in space, even the best preparation can unravel in a heartbeat.
12:02And...
12:03Right in the middle of filming this series, something happened...
12:06...that made that reality hit home.
12:08Yeah.
12:10Yeah.
12:11Yeah.
12:12Yeah.
12:13Yeah.
12:13I'm going to go to the place next to the best.
12:18I'm going to go to the place next to the best.
12:23Luckily, this was only a test flight.
12:28And nobody died.
12:30But it brought it all home again.
12:33There's no place for the faint-hearted.
12:35I'm going to go to the place next to the best.
12:51And even though he was made of silicon, it was a harsh reminder that going to space
12:56could very easily be a one-way ticket.
12:58And whilst I wasn't frightened of that,
13:01I was worried for the people I'd be leaving behind.
13:04This wasn't a new thought to me.
13:06I had felt it creeping up on me like a slow-moving freight train.
13:11Which is why, before I had even left for America, I met with Dr. Ea Whitely.
13:16A space psychologist who works with NASA astronauts on this very fear.
13:21And I thought it was important to share with you a part of our conversation, because there was a...
13:26very personal reason why I was struggling with the idea of leaving the planet behind.
13:31...
13:36How do I stop my family and my girlfriend from worrying?
13:41Well, that's a good question and we would...
13:46I usually ask, how do you navigate that?
13:48I feel a bit selfish.
13:50Mm-hmm.
13:51And I feel like I'm making a decision for myself that is having an impact on someone.
13:56Who I love.
13:57Amy has a form of epilepsy.
13:59Mm-hmm.
14:00And...
14:01And that's been something that's developed in the last three years.
14:05Mm.
14:06So, I've gone from being in a relationship that is still wonderful and still...
14:11blossoming and still so happy.
14:12Mm-hmm.
14:13But in my head, I'm worrying as well.
14:15Mm.
14:16I don't want to leave that.
14:18I don't want to...
14:19I don't...
14:20I don't...
14:21I don't...
14:21I don't want to leave that behind on Earth because I always want to be there for her.
14:26Yeah.
14:27And I always want to be by her side if she needs me.
14:30Mm-hmm.
14:31So, one of the things that we do is that you record a message.
14:35Mm-hmm.
14:36In the eventuality that it's impossible to return home.
14:39Okay.
14:40I don't...
14:41I don't want to ask you now, but you may wish to do that or not, in terms of thinking
14:45of what you put into it.
14:46that message.
14:47It's up to you.
14:48Yeah.
14:49I think I'd want...
14:51I don't want her to know that whatever happens, I will be...
14:56kind of around in some way or other.
14:59Mm-hmm.
15:00Like my...
15:01my cat.
15:02Mm-hmm.
15:03Um...
15:04Makapaka...
15:05is in my ring.
15:06Oh.
15:06Oh.
15:07In what capacity?
15:08And...
15:09His ashes.
15:10Oh.
15:11Um...
15:11Sorry.
15:12So, I...
15:13Um...
15:14I thought he's always...
15:16Yeah.
15:17And I hope in some way that she could do the same if anything bad would happen.
15:21But yeah.
15:23So my cat always triggers me.
15:27Well, thank you for sharing that.
15:29Yeah.
15:36The unexpected part of this adventure is that I'm inadvertently training myself to-
15:41Not long ago, two astrodots, Butch Wilmore and-
15:46And Sonny Williams launched on what was meant to be an eight-day mission.
15:50But when they-
15:51Their return capsule ran into serious faults.
15:54They were stuck in orbit for 200 and-
15:5686 days.
15:58Engineers on Earth worked around the clock to bring them home.
16:01And they thankfully made it back safely.
16:04But it was still a reminder that even now-
16:06With all our technology and ambition, space is still unpredictable.
16:11So I thought, if I could experience what it's actually like to be isolated, it-
16:16It might help straighten my thoughts without leaving my loved ones behind.
16:20As part of my-
16:21With all my research, I was intrigued by a company called Exolith that was doing some exciting work-
16:26In the area of lunar reproduction, building one of the world's largest replicas.
16:31Of the moon's surface.
16:33To start off, they wanted to show me the secret recipe-
16:36Of how a lunar surface is made.
16:38This kind of looks like the setup for a cooking show.
16:41Exactly.
16:42Yeah.
16:43We say it's like baking a cake.
16:44Start out with the anorthosite 250.
16:45The salt.
16:46Bronzite.
16:47Bronzite.
16:48Olivine.
16:49Which is your favorite component?
16:51If you could have a favorite-
16:53I like the anorthosite, honestly.
16:56I couldn't help but agree that the anorthosite was particularly special.
17:01And I was excited to see it in its mock lunar environment.
17:04So, this is the regolith bin.
17:06As you can see, yeah, over 130 tons in this bin.
17:10Before-
17:11Before I stepped in, I was told to put on some PPE.
17:14As moon dust is abrasive.
17:16And can be hazardous.
17:17It does dry your hair out quite a bit.
17:20I already have a really-
17:21dry scalp.
17:22So, this might not be ideal.
17:23Uh-oh.
17:24I was suited up and ready to...
17:26step into the regolith bin.
17:28A 10x10 meter replica of the lunar surface.
17:31NASA's Artemis mission is planning to return humans to the moon in...
17:362026.
17:37At Axiom, I had already got up close with the very suit-
17:41that the astronauts will be wearing for this mission.
17:44And now, for the first time...
17:46I wasn't just imagining the moon.
17:47I wasn't just imagining the moon.
17:48I wasn't just imagining the moon.
17:51I was walking on something that felt just like it.
17:54I was walking on something that felt just like it.
17:56Oh!
17:57Oh!
17:58Oh!
17:59Oh!
18:01That's a proton.
18:03There you go.
18:06That's what we're talking about.
18:09Yeah.
18:11The team set me a task to search for buried ice, just like...
18:16...like the Artemis crews eventually will when they return to the moon.
18:19Wow, it really sticks...
18:21...next to the shovel.
18:22It does, yeah.
18:23Because lunar ice, in theory, could be used...
18:26...to create rocket fuel, which would be a game-changer for long-term space missions.
18:31There you go.
18:33Alright.
18:34Oh, we've found it.
18:35Yeah.
18:36Yeah, we have.
18:38So it was nowhere near where I was digging?
18:40Well...
18:41Maybe not.
18:41This has been such a formative experience for me.
18:44Yeah.
18:45In a way of understanding...
18:46...what it's like on the moon, you know, from a materials point of view.
18:49Yeah.
18:50And how it feels.
18:51It's kind of also like being in a desert and another form of astronaut training.
18:56Where they have wilderness survival and isolation training.
18:59Yeah.
19:00And I was...
19:01I was wondering if perhaps I could maybe...
19:03I don't know if...
19:04I...
19:05I need to ask.
19:06But...
19:07If it's alright.
19:08But...
19:09Perhaps if...
19:10Like, I could maybe just...
19:11Maybe be...
19:12Be here for an extended period of time.
19:14Right.
19:15Okay.
19:16Yeah.
19:17Yeah.
19:18An extended duration mission.
19:16Do it.
19:17Oh, yeah.
19:18Yeah.
19:19I think so.
19:20I think so, yeah.
19:21Do you have anything going...
19:21Like, overnight?
19:22No.
19:23We're...
19:24We're free.
19:25Sleepover.
19:26Yeah.
19:26If I was ever going to understand what space might take from me, I wanted to...
19:31Feel what it might be like to be truly isolated.
19:34Feel like it can add another element to the kind of...
19:36the training.
19:37So I asked the production team if someone could kindly pick me up a tent.
19:41So I could pitch up for the night on the regular...
19:43Is that okay?
19:44Can we do it?
19:45Yeah.
19:46Do you have a gu...
19:46Regolithy bogeys?
19:47Do you have a gu...
19:48Regolithy bogeys?
19:49Do you have a gu...
19:51As night fell, I stepped back onto the Regolith.
19:55Just...
19:56Just me...
19:57And a few billion grains of synthetic moondust.
20:00I wanted to see...
20:01If I could handle the silence...
20:03And be left alone with my own thoughts.
20:06Have a good night, Francis.
20:11As I began to pitch my tent, I started to think about my conversation with Dr. White...
20:16Exactly.
20:17Camping on a fake moon felt like the safest place to try and say something...
20:21something honest. I wasn't entirely sure what was about to come out of my mouth.
20:26So I pointed my phone camera at my face, which is the setup I normally use.
20:31for recording TikToks about trains for my followers, but this was different.
20:36This video was only meant for one person.
20:39Hello, Amy.
20:41Even though you're far away.
20:46Um, and we're not together. We're not.
20:51Pembroke Lodge having a chai latte. We're not.
20:56You know, going on the Thames Clipper.
20:59We're.
21:01Yeah, I'm, I'm still there with you and.
21:06And we have each other and all we've given each other in.
21:11Our experiences, our shared knowledge and our love.
21:15And.
21:16What you've given me is incredible and life.
21:21It's all changing.
21:22I wouldn't be here where I am now if it wasn't for you.
21:26And I just want to say, I love you and.
21:31I will always be with you.
21:36Space travel demands more than just strength and science.
21:41It asks you to sever the threads that tether you to the people that you love.
21:46And as I lay alone in a sea of artificial dust, I began to understand.
21:51The gravity of that distance.
21:56The gravity of that distance.
22:16You
22:21I have always loved trains.
22:26How they move, how they work, how sometimes it feels like they're...
22:31...alive and talking to me.
22:34After the setbacks I'd faced, trying to become an...
22:36...an astronaut, I needed to ground myself because there was no way I could come to America.
22:41And not see the largest operational steam locomotive in the world.
22:46A 600 tonne monument to human ingenuity.
22:51And the machine that fueled my childhood love for engineering.
22:55Union Pacific.
22:56Built in the 1940s, only 25 were ever made.
23:01Each one, 132 feet long, designed to haul freight over the...
23:06...rocky mountains during World War II.
23:08And today, 4-0-1-4...
23:11...is the only operational big boy left in the world.
23:15It's not just big...
23:16...it's historic.
23:17And to me and many other railway enthusiasts around the world, it's...
23:21...mythic.
23:22This is the locomotive at the top of everyone's list.
23:25I've...
23:26...watched clips of it for years, processed its sounds, dreamt of one day standing...
23:31...in front of it.
23:32And although this wasn't technically part of my astronaut journey, I knew...
23:36...that if I was going to move forward, I had to reconnect with where it all began.
23:40Is it...
23:41...behind me?
23:42It's the big boy right here.
23:43Okay.
23:46How up?
23:47How up?
23:48How up?
23:49How up?
23:51Oh my goodness me. Wow.
23:56Oh my goodness me.
24:01I honestly couldn't believe what I was looking at.
24:06Even though it was stationary, I could feel its power.
24:11Oh my goodness me.
24:16I'm tired.
24:18I got a new spring in here.
24:20Chickens.
24:21Do you see the work that we're doing?
24:22Do you see that little paper tag in there?
24:24Yeah.
24:25See?
24:26It's very good.
24:27It's cool, isn't it?
24:31I'm totally overwhelmed.
24:36Just looking at this cylinder and thinking the amount of pressure, the amount of...
24:41energy and usually like my emotional stimuli...
24:46circulation comes through noise and it's enough of a visual feast.
24:51to provoke this response, I suppose.
24:56For me, coming here, there aren't any stressful strings attached that...
25:01I've been feeling with this astronaut training process.
25:04I think not only...
25:06has this been great just to see for my own passion, but has also been...
25:11a bit of a point of...
25:13almost like a point of realisation, I suppose.
25:15Like...
25:16what do I really want to do with my life?
25:18You know, this is so...
25:21in my mind, so emotionally uncomplicated.
25:26And I can tell my girlfriend, I'm going off to see a train today.
25:29Yes.
25:30And not...
25:31I'm going off to the outer atmosphere.
25:36Seeing Big Boy, not only was it just a big bucket...
25:41list item, but it's actually been quite helpful in understanding what I really...
25:46want from this.
25:47There is a common ground, of course, between the railway and space and that...
25:51that's engineering.
25:52You know, we can still explore the space industry.
25:56But maybe we can just boil it down to more of like an engineering...
26:01focus.
26:02I came to America with the grand idea of trying to...
26:06become an astronaut.
26:07But standing in front of Big Boy, I realised something.
26:10Engineering...
26:11runs through my veins.
26:13Maybe I don't need to leave Earth to be part of space.
26:16Perhaps I could help build the future from here.
26:19So I reached out to Firefly...
26:21a Texas-based rocket manufacturer who are building launch systems for NASA and beyond.
26:26to see if I could understand how people like me might still have a role in the new space.
26:31Right, I'm just gonna put my helmet... away.
26:33And I could tell pretty quickly...
26:35I was...
26:36I was surrounded by my kind of people.
26:38We have our pneumatic systems.
26:40So...
26:41this accumulator here...
26:43will be...
26:44all the...
26:45GN2 pneumatic.
26:46Without getting into a lecture on pneumatics, it's safe to say I was in heaven.
26:51Um...
26:52all the test stand pneumatics...
26:53so...
26:54all the stand side GSE plumbing...
26:56propellant valves...
26:57nitrogen valves...
26:58purge valves...
26:59This is Reaver.
27:00Wow!
27:01Oh...
27:02Oh my goodness...
27:03Oh my goodness...
27:06Wow!
27:07Is this like the tap-off exhaust then?
27:09Correct.
27:10This is the exhaust, yeah.
27:11These engines...
27:11actually are the first tap-off cycle engines to have reached orbit?
27:14I'm not...
27:15in general...
27:16usually increases the specific impulse, doesn't it?
27:19Right, yes.
27:20These engines are very...
27:21efficient.
27:22It's a very reliable design.
27:23It's about 45,000 foot-pounds of thrust...
27:25Yeah.
27:26...per...
27:26reaver.
27:27So...
27:28today we'll actually be trimming the engine in for flight.
27:31My engineering mind is just...
27:33like popping off all over the place at the moment.
27:35Yeah...
27:36have a lot of fun today.
27:37You're in the right place.
27:38What a dream to work somewhere...
27:39like here.
27:40The best job in the world.
27:41For sure.
27:42What's this pooling at the bottom here?
27:44That's a little bit of RP1.
27:45I think...
27:46on your finger.
27:47Okay.
27:48You'll probably want to get some IPA, clean that off.
27:51I've never touched refined kerosene before.
27:56After thoroughly washing my hands with isopropyl alcohol...
28:01I was introduced to some of the team...
28:03who were building the actual rocket engines.
28:06and instantly...
28:07I was drawn in.
28:08Do you have a favourite kind of weave?
28:11I can't say.
28:12You can't say?
28:13I'm not allowed to say what we use here.
28:14Oh right, okay.
28:15But I do...
28:16I do have a favourite weave.
28:17My favourite weave is also a secret.
28:19We say...
28:20The rocket...
28:21talks to you.
28:22Are you going to listen?
28:23Right?
28:24And it's serious.
28:25The data, the numbers...
28:26the vibrations, dynamics, shock.
28:27It talks to you.
28:28What's it like working here?
28:29It is never boring.
28:30It is a real...
28:31roller coaster every day.
28:32What I love about it is that I can own...
28:34Like, that's mine.
28:36When you see it launch, you're just like...
28:38It's like your child.
28:39You're like, oh, there...
28:40There they go.
28:41You know, it's so beautiful.
28:41This holds 5500 PSIA at cryogenic temperature.
28:46It's like you're singing to me.
28:48My brain is receiving your information.
28:51And it's being stimulated in the same way that I'd listen to music.
28:56What you're listening for is a dull, kind of hollow sound.
29:01And that would indicate that you'd have a void.
29:05Woo!
29:06Woo!
29:09Take a composite.
29:10Wow!
29:11This is fun.
29:11You're recording the resonant frequency.
29:12We have it calculated.
29:13Woo-hoo!
29:14Woo-hoo!
29:16Woo-hoo!
29:17Woo!
29:18It looks like a happy whale.
29:19Yeah.
29:20This is cool.
29:21I got it.
29:24I got it.
29:26I got it.
29:29Spending time with the engineers.
29:31It just clicked.
29:32I felt like I'd found my people.
29:35Curious minds.
29:36Solving big problems.
29:37And then, as if things couldn't get any more exciting.
29:41The team asked me if I'd like to see something I'd never thought I'd witnessed in real life.
29:47A hot fire rocket engine test.
29:49.
29:51Whoa!
29:56Whoa!
30:01Whoa!
30:03Whoa!
30:06Whoa!
30:08Whoa!
30:10Whoa!
30:11Whoa!
30:13Whoa!
30:15Whoa!
30:16Whoa!
30:18Whoa!
30:20Whoa!
30:21Oh my god!
30:23It's hard to put into words, right?
30:25When you can...
30:26When you can feel it in your soul.
30:28I'm in shock.
30:30That no...
30:31Yeah, you can hear the turbo pump spool up and then it just hits you all up.
30:36That's one of my new favourites.
30:41Right.
30:42Alongside with the Paxman Ruston 16RK3CTs.
30:46The job satisfaction that comes from actually launching a rocket or doing these types of
30:50things is just...
30:51just unmatched.
30:52And look, as I understand, you know, Firefly as a company is expanding, right?
30:56We're growing pretty exponentially.
30:58Lunar Landers, Alpha Launch, our medium launch vehicle.
31:01Eclipse.
31:02Yeah.
31:03Are you looking for a job?
31:05Well...
31:06I mean, yeah, my engineering kind of skills and...
31:11expertise.
31:12It's there.
31:13There's your flame right there.
31:14Oh, nice!
31:15Yeah.
31:16I think I'm...
31:16I was just offered a job.
31:18But unfortunately I was distracted by some afterburn.
31:21I've...
31:22I've...
31:23I've got the feeling.
31:24It's making me realise that this sound...
31:26the whole side of kind of the space industry is kind of where the...
31:31energy is kind of pulling me in a way like being launched into space.
31:34You know, that...
31:35that's tying into my...
31:36my sensation of centrifusions, sensation of oxygen deprivation.
31:41This is just tying into love and, like, passion.
31:46For the first time, I started to believe I might actually belong in the world.
31:51of space.
31:52I had failed my mission to become an astronaut.
31:55But here...
31:56amongst my fellow engineers, perhaps I had discovered my calling.
32:01But then...
32:02just as I was starting to believe it...
32:04everything changed.
32:06So...
32:07I remember Matt Ondela from Axiom.
32:11He's just...
32:12uh...
32:13sent through a...
32:14message.
32:15Hi Francis.
32:16We're in final preparation for our AX4.
32:19Which will be another historic mission.
32:21to the International Space Station.
32:22And it got me thinking about our conversations about your...
32:26next steps.
32:27I know you're serious about taking your engineering skills from the workshop to...
32:31it.
32:32And...
32:33we want to help you do that and...
32:34talk about our astronaut training opportunities.
32:36Axiom Station will be in orbit before we know it and we're going to need crew.
32:41So...
32:42look forward to talking to you soon, Francis.
32:43Bye.
32:44Bye.
32:46Bye.
32:47Bye.
32:48Bye.
32:49Bye.
32:50Bye.
32:51Bye.
32:52Bye.
32:53Bye.
32:54Bye.
32:55Bye.
32:56Bye.
32:57Bye.
32:58Bye.
32:59Bye.
33:00Bye.
33:01Bye.
33:02Bye.
33:03Bye.
33:04Bye.
33:05Bye.
33:06Bye.
33:07Bye.
33:08Bye.
33:09Bye.
33:10Bye.
33:11Bye.
33:12Bye.
33:13Bye.
33:14Bye.
33:15Bye.
33:16Bye.
33:17Bye.
33:18Bye.
33:19Bye.
33:20Bye.
32:56This is
33:00He's talking about
33:01Axiom station
33:03like
33:04in orbit
33:05and needing crew
33:06I know you're
33:11serious about
33:12taking your
33:13engineering skills
33:13from the workshop
33:14to orbit
33:15and we want to
33:16help you
33:16do that
33:17and talk about
33:18our astronaut
33:19training opportunities
33:20we're going to
33:21need crew
33:21so look forward
33:22to talking to you
33:23soon Francis
33:23bye
33:26you
33:31you
33:36I had come
33:39all this way
33:39to try and get a foot
33:41in the space
33:41and
33:41you
33:41and
33:42now
33:43somehow
33:43I'd been offered
33:44a place
33:45on an actual
33:46astronaut
33:46you
33:46training program
33:47and I didn't
33:50have a clue
33:51what to do
33:51I was messing
33:53home
33:53my body ached
33:54and my brain
33:55felt like it was orbiting
33:56itself
33:57I needed somewhere
33:58quiet to think
34:00somewhere that
34:01reminded me
34:01why
34:01I started
34:02this journey
34:02in the first place
34:03so I searched
34:05for space museum
34:06near me
34:06and found the
34:08American Space Museum
34:09which was conveniently
34:10near me
34:11I was expecting
34:13something grand
34:14like a gleaming
34:15NASA style
34:16hall of
34:16f***
34:16heroism
34:17but what I got
34:18was a small bungalow
34:19however
34:20as I'd soon
34:21come to realise
34:22sometimes the
34:23smallest places
34:24hold the biggest
34:25stories
34:26I was hoping
34:27for some quiet
34:28reflection
34:28but whilst I began
34:30perusing the various
34:31auditions
34:31a man suddenly
34:33appeared
34:34and introduced
34:35himself to me
34:36welcome
34:37the American Space Museum
34:38thank you
34:39ok
34:39we love having
34:40foreign visitors
34:41here
34:42he was Mark Marquette
34:43the museum director
34:45who then
34:46unexpected
34:46proceeded to give me
34:48a private
34:48and extensive
34:49tour
34:50of some of
34:51the most
34:51incredible
34:51fragments of
34:52history
34:53I'd ever
34:53seen
34:54and it's
34:55no exaggeration
34:56to say
34:57that
34:57this
34:57chance
34:58encounter
34:58influenced
34:59the biggest
35:00decision
35:01of my life
35:01this is the hatch
35:03of the first
35:03mercury
35:04that was launched
35:05on an atlas rock
35:06and it blew up
35:07we've got
35:08John Glenn's
35:09hard hat
35:10and pictures
35:10of him wearing
35:11it
35:11the world
35:11the world's first
35:12lithium battery
35:13that powers
35:14your cell phone
35:15flight manual
35:15from Apollo 11
35:16here
35:17this is the computer
35:19that took us
35:19to the moon
35:20the slide rule
35:21this is Leland Melvin
35:23and he likes
35:24Rhodesian
35:25Ridgeback
35:26dogs
35:27how do you know
35:28that
35:28this person
35:29was hearing
35:3020 conversations
35:31going
35:31on
35:32at one time
35:33it's so beautifully
35:34retro
35:35let me show you
35:35this
35:36our newspaper
35:38from 1969
35:40okay
35:41you should have
35:42been there
35:43so this
35:43launched
35:44over 350
35:46outlets
35:46two rockets
35:48and a couple
35:48other rockets
35:49on there
35:49flip that
35:50emergency control
35:51you
35:51oh
35:52oh
35:52oh
35:53oh
35:54oh
35:55oh
35:56oh
35:56But we had a gentleman came in that was 80-some years old.
36:00He walked over to this machine, he looks, oh my God.
36:01Gosh, this is my machine.
36:04Really?
36:04I worked on this machine in 19...
36:06...1963, 1964.
36:09I pushed this start and stop button.
36:11So many times I can't count it.
36:13And he stood there and froze and looked and I saw tears.
36:16Welling up in his eyes.
36:18And I said, sir, what are you thinking about?
36:21And he...
36:21He turned to me, Francis, and he said, damn it, I loved everybody I worked.
36:26I was 27 years old and we were going to the moon.
36:30His name was John Borg.
36:31And I go over to this picture and I say, do you recognize anybody?
36:36And his son goes, that's you, Dad.
36:41And that's...
36:41Jim and I went to school with Bob's kids and Bill died last year.
36:46And I mean, I was like, I was like almost crying now, just thinking about this.
36:51And then I tell people this story and I say, like...
36:56They had pride in their craft, all right?
36:59They had pride in their craft.
37:01Okay, well, it gets to you too, buddy.
37:04Sorry, I don't know why I'm getting so, like...
37:06That's what we're all about here, my friend.
37:11That's...
37:11This is, like, just pure passion.
37:14Like, our spirits at the moment...
37:16They're just dancing together.
37:18Absolutely.
37:21Yes.
37:21It's like a...
37:23It's a sensory overload.
37:26The association...
37:26The connections of the stories with each object gives me...
37:31Such goosebumps.
37:32And, kind of, what a brilliant conduit.
37:36To hear it through Mark's, kind of, brilliant enthusiasm.
37:41I just get passionate about Francis because I grew up with this as a boy.
37:46And I hope other people have, in their lifetime, something that they truly enjoy in a...
37:51That they're passionate about, that they can share with other people.
37:54Yeah.
37:55And that's the cool thing about this whole thing.
37:56You don't have to fly the spaceship.
37:59There's something for everybody when it comes to space.
38:01It felt like every nut and bolt had a story, and...
38:06Every scorch-marked relic had a soul.
38:09Everything was real and analog.
38:11And for someone who grew up online, it felt refreshingly human.
38:15And whilst most music...
38:16Museum Guides wrap up with a gift shop, Mark had other ideas.
38:20We do a podcast...
38:21...called Stay Curious to talk to space workers.
38:25Could you do an interview with me?
38:26Okay.
38:26Oh, yeah.
38:27Yeah.
38:27Good.
38:28I mean...
38:28We'll set that up here.
38:30I wasn't exactly...
38:31...in the mood to be interviewed.
38:33But Mark was just too kind to refuse.
38:36And that looks good.
38:38My lights here are a little crude...
38:41I've...
38:41I've...
38:41...stu...
38:41...studio here.
38:42I actually unintentionally left this tie in my jacket pocket.
38:46I feel like it'd be suitable for this occasion.
38:49But deep down, I knew I had something I needed...
38:51...to say...
38:52...not just to Mark, but to myself.
38:56Today with a special guest from the UK, Francois Bourgeois.
39:01Francois, welcome to our humble little podcast here.
39:06Sorry, it's Francis Bourgeois.
39:09I've been calling you Francis all day.
39:11Yeah.
39:11Just...
39:11...got a little carried away with the introduction.
39:14Tell us a little bit about yourself, Francis.
39:16Yeah.
39:16How'd you...
39:16How'd you get into this career?
39:18This is kind of my first time in America.
39:20So it's been a real...
39:21sort of learning experience for me
39:24about what I might want to do.
39:26My interest lies very strongly in engineering, but...
39:31through a lot of, you know, some of the...
39:34the training processes I've been...
39:36you know, it's made me feel quite anxious and stressed and...
39:41you know, maybe, you know, I'm realising that, you know, maybe the astronaut...
39:46journey isn't for me, but perhaps my passion lies elsewhere.
39:51in astronautical engineering, you know, in...
39:56infrastructure engineering, and maybe even just...
40:01being a...
40:02being a...
40:04sorry...
40:05maybe even just...
40:06and, you know, doing shows like this to show...
40:10how awesome...
40:11it is to be...
40:12part of, like, the...
40:13the...
40:14the...
40:15the...
40:16profession...
40:16in the space world, or even...
40:18to inspire those to become an astronaut.
40:21I would not be discouraged about your quest to be an astronaut.
40:25You have your...
40:26your dreams...
40:27you don't know where your dreams are going to take you...
40:28Yeah.
40:29in there...
40:30there's many...
40:31other roles to assume...
40:32you know, I...
40:33I have my...
40:34beautiful...
40:35lovely...
40:36girlfriend Amy...
40:37back at home...
40:38my...
40:39brilliant family...
40:40and all my friends...
40:41who...
40:41you know, I...
40:42I don't have to worry about...
40:43you know...
40:44if I were to never see them again.
40:46Amy...
40:47gave me a present before I left.
40:50Oh my...
40:51gosh!
40:52That...
40:53that's me...
40:54and that's my girlfriend Amy.
40:55Wow!
40:56she really loves you!
40:58Yeah!
40:59Look at that!
41:00That is awesome!
41:01Yeah!
41:02Amy...
41:03something else there!
41:04Yeah, she's beautiful...
41:05even in model form.
41:06Well, I hope that you find what you're looking for...
41:09and this journey of being an astronaut...
41:11thank you for sharing your story here...
41:13with our watchers and listeners here on State...
41:16I'm very curious.
41:17Until next time...
41:18that I meet you all...
41:19I want to say...
41:20I'm Mark Marquette.
41:21and I can't wait to see you again...
41:23to bridge the space between us.
41:27Thank you so much.
41:28Thank you, Mark.
41:31Was that...
41:32Was that okay?
41:33I could have stayed with Mark all day.
41:36What he'd built was extraordinary.
41:38Not just a collection...
41:39but a cathedral of stories.
41:41I felt like I had touched the past...
41:43and it had touched me back...
41:45but even...
41:46after all that...
41:47I was still stuck.
41:48I had been offered the thing I set out to find...
41:51away into space...
41:52and I didn't know whether to say yes.
41:54Cheerio!
41:55Cheerio!
41:56Cheerio!
41:57Cheerio!
41:58See you later!
41:59Now there's somebody that's going to do something...
42:01with his life.
42:02I guarantee it.
42:06So I peddled to the coast.
42:09There was a...
42:10There was a...
42:11rocket due to launch that evening...
42:13and I thought...
42:14maybe watching someone else go...
42:16might help me work out...
42:18if I really wanted to.
42:21When I boiled it so fast...
42:22It wasn't...
42:23it was!
42:25I don't know!
42:26I was also...
42:27a cup of water.
42:28It's okay.
42:29I'm sorry...
42:30I'm sorry...
42:31So nothing.
42:32I'm sorry.
42:33How do you feel?
42:34I'm sorry.
42:35I'm sorry.
42:36A cup of water.
42:37I'm sorry.
42:38I'm sorry.
42:39How do you feel?
42:40I'm sorry.
42:41I've got to go...
42:42I'm sorry.
42:43I'm sorry.
42:44I'm sorry.
42:45You can't see me.
42:46I'm sorry.
42:47I had to leave a camp.
42:48I'm sorry.
42:49I'm sorry.
42:50I could have to leave any more time...
42:51I don't know.
42:56People are mad.
43:01Oh, that's the booster returning.
43:06Wow!
43:11Hello, Matt.
43:16Truly, for your offer.
43:18I never imagined I'd get this far, let alone have...
43:21...someone like you and Axiom believe in me.
43:24I came to America chasing a...
43:26...a childhood dream, and I found myself being violently sick on a zero-gravity flight.
43:31Sorry, I'm feeling a bit sick.
43:33Accidentally killing a medical dummy in a simulated space...
43:36...disaster.
43:37Sorry, Alex.
43:38...starving my brain of oxygen in a hyperbaric chamber.
43:41And singing an Elton John classic to a room full of very enthusiastic strangers.
43:46And along the way, I met some of the kindest and most brilliant people I've ever...
43:51...come across.
43:52But somewhere between all of this, I realised something.
43:56I don't need to go to space to prove I belong in it.
44:00So I'm going to have...
44:01...to bluntly decline your offer.
44:03But only because this journey gave me something even more...
44:06...valuable.
44:07And I'm leaving with more than I ever came looking for.
44:11I'm ready to go home.
44:16I'm ready to go home.
44:26So you plunge the needle through.
44:31Yeah.
44:32In between the ribs.
44:34And then you can kind of...
44:36Re-inflate the lung in using that method.
44:41How did you find that?
44:42Did you enjoy it?
44:43Could that be a future career?
44:45Probably.
44:47Space is no longer a mystery.
44:50It's a marketplace.
44:51And in this new age of extraordinary possibility, one must pause to ask...
44:56Who are we really opening the stars up to?
45:00And for what...
45:01No reason?
45:02Francis's journey had begun with that very question.
45:06But along the way, he discovered that while the cosmos might be vast...
45:11The space within one's heart is infinite.
45:16When he stood beside Amy, watching a balloon fill up with hydrogen, he knew that while he...
45:21Would always reach for the stars, his home would forever be here.
45:26Amidst the laughter, joy and love of his earthly existence.
45:31Oh my gosh!
45:32Up it goes!
45:33Wow!
45:34Haha!
45:35Haha!
45:36So speedy!
45:37So speedy!
45:41As I know...
45:46And as they watched the balloon disappear into the blue...
45:51Francis understood that his real journey was not about escaping...
45:56...the ties of Earth, but about appreciating them.
46:00For the beauty of our...
46:01...the bonds we cherish are the true anchors of Earth.
46:06Our dreams.
46:11Here is a lemon...
46:17...the stars sabemos...
46:25...it remains early, but the stars know it.
46:32So unlike...
46:16You
46:21You
46:26You
46:31You
46:36You
46:41You
46:46You
46:51You
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