- 2 hours ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:11Francis Bourgeois is known for his love of trains.
00:17But since childhood, he's had another love.
00:21Space.
00:22For 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
00:33are opening up space for everyone,
00:36not just to visit, but to work, to live and belong.
00:41And Francis felt now was the time to see if he had what it takes.
00:47Good to miss you, sweetie.
00:48I'll miss you too.
00:49Through his journey so far,
00:51he had been forced to confront some hard truths about his limitations.
00:56What's your application process like?
00:59We don't really have an application process.
01:01Call me!
01:02But Francis is not one to give up easily,
01:04because even dreams, especially the big ones,
01:08sometimes need re-rooting.
01:11Francis, can you hear us?
01:12Sorry, I'm feeling a bit sick.
01:13It's mine and Amy's anniversary, and I haven't spoken to her today.
01:17And with access to the cosmos developing at light speed,
01:21the question that had echoed in Francis' head his whole life
01:25was about to be put to the test.
01:27Can a Trainspotter become an astronaut?
01:36I 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 to test myself,
01:46and I wasn't about to give up.
01:48Before I continued on my mission,
01:51there was something I needed to do,
01:53someone I needed to call.
01:55Hello.
01:58Hello.
01:59I'm currently surrounded here by turkey vultures,
02:02and it sounds like you're surrounded by crows.
02:06I love crows.
02:08Yeah, just want to apologise.
02:11We couldn't speak on our anniversary,
02:14but the main thing is there have been quite a few moments
02:18where I've realised that I suppose this...
02:22I might not be kind of totally cut out for this.
02:25Well, that's all right.
02:26You don't have to be.
02:28It was boring not hearing to be on our anniversary,
02:32but I understand.
02:33I understood that you were probably just busy,
02:35and the time difference.
02:36It was quite a busy day.
02:38I understand.
02:39Thank you so much for the present, darling.
02:41I thought it was so thoughtful.
02:43That's all right.
02:44Well, I hope it reminds you of home,
02:46and reminds you how much I love you.
02:49Love you too.
02:51All right.
02:52Well, bye.
02:53Love you.
02:54Bye.
02:55Love you.
02:56I'd been in the US for almost a month.
02:59I 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, I had struggled.
03:11So I knew if I wanted to go to space,
03:13I had to learn to stay calm
03:15in the most extreme high-stress situations.
03:19So I did some research,
03:21and that's when I found a place in Boston,
03:23a facility where real astronauts are trained
03:26to handle psychological pressure.
03:28It's called Stratus,
03:30a simulation centre that recreates medical emergencies in space.
03:35They work with NASA and private missions
03:37to teach people how to stay calm
03:39when everything goes sideways,
03:41which, if I'm honest,
03:43sounded like something I could use.
03:45I want to understand whether, for me,
03:48I can deal with high-pressure scenarios
03:50in the environment of space
03:52where there are already so many things flying around my head.
03:55We're going to practise a couple of skills
03:58that you may need if you were to go up in space
04:00and be encountering some of these medical emergencies.
04:03And then we're going to put it all together in the afternoon
04:05with a couple of my team members
04:07to practise a scenario where you are going to be in space
04:10dealing with one of these emergencies that come up.
04:12OK.
04:14As missions travel deeper into space
04:17and stretch over many months and even years,
04:20astronauts need to be ready for anything.
04:23This is one version of robotic surgery.
04:26If you start moving your hands now...
04:29Ooh!
04:30You can have an expert on Earth
04:32and the patient could be up in space.
04:35Normally, it takes years to learn
04:37how to respond to medical emergencies,
04:39and I only had a few hours.
04:41So I told myself,
04:43stay calm, focus,
04:44and take this seriously.
04:46Can I actually poke myself in the face?
04:48You can try.
04:49Oh!
04:54Down here on Earth,
04:55we use a lot of tests like X-rays
04:57and CAT scans and MRIs.
04:59Up in space, that's not an option.
05:01One thing that they do have up in space, though,
05:03is ultrasound.
05:04It uses piezoelectric crystals, right?
05:06Exactly.
05:07You got it.
05:07So inside these little probes are little crystals,
05:09and that helps to generate the sound waves.
05:11It's just amazing that it's as simple as that.
05:14Would it be possible for me to try it on you?
05:18It reminds me of a cross-section
05:21of an internal combustion engine.
05:23OK.
05:24Just like the suck-squeeze-bang-blow.
05:26Yeah.
05:27My medical training was going surprisingly well.
05:30Oh!
05:30I was starting to feel vaguely confident
05:33that I could handle a cardiac arrest,
05:35or at the very least, not make it worse.
05:38Oh, manufactured in Pakistan.
05:40Andrew explained to me
05:41that a round trip to Mars
05:43would take two to three years,
05:45and companies are hoping to achieve this by 2030.
05:48Being cut off from other humans
05:50means a crew would need to know
05:52a whole host of medical procedures
05:54to look after each other
05:55should the worst happen.
05:57So Andrew wanted to step up my training
05:59to some more serious medical scenarios.
06:02I was taken into the simulated operating room
06:05where he taught me how to insert a chest tube
06:07into a high-fidelity thoracic mannequin,
06:11which is medical simulation speak
06:13for horrifyingly lifelike.
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 down.
06:25If someone had really bad pneumonia,
06:27we could go suck that out.
06:29If someone had a tumour,
06:30we could go find it and take a sample.
06:33Okay, so this is now into the left lung?
06:36Correct.
06:37Wow.
06:37Well, I feel like I've explored
06:39a totally different profession
06:40that I never imagined myself doing.
06:43You hope that you're not going to need
06:44these skills up in space,
06:45but sometimes you're going to need it unexpectedly.
06:57Oh, wow.
06:59This is called a needle decompression.
07:01If someone's lung collapses,
07:03it can cause air outside of the lung
07:05to push on the healthy lung.
07:07It's something you have to do right away
07:08or the patient can die.
07:10You're just going to go straight up and down.
07:12Oh, okay.
07:13And then we can take the needle part out.
07:15Okay.
07:15This would stay into the patient
07:17until kind of the emergency was over
07:19or if they need another procedure afterwards.
07:21Okay.
07:22Would the patient typically have a laptop on their chest?
07:25Not typically, but for training purposes,
07:27this lets us know if we did it correctly.
07:28Oh, okay.
07:32I felt like I had been a model student,
07:35but now it was time for the part that couldn't be taught,
07:39staying calm when everything goes wrong.
07:54So we've had a chance this morning
07:56to work with Francis on learning a couple different skills,
08:00and now is a time for us to put those skills together
08:03in responding to a medical scenario.
08:05We work on the human factors
08:08that leads to better performance in space
08:11when teams like yourself
08:12have to manage an emergency in space.
08:15Teamwork, effective communication, and leadership.
08:18So the goal, really, of the scenario today
08:20is to give you a little bit of that experience
08:23and stress you a little bit.
08:25My stress levels were rising,
08:27especially now a Harvard professor
08:29was going to be evaluating my performance.
08:31Space crew, you're needed in the sick bay
08:33for a medical emergency.
08:35Alongside Nick and Victoria,
08:37two medical students
08:38who I'd only recently become acquainted with.
08:40Hello? Are you okay?
08:42He's not talking.
08:43So Alex was out on a spacewalk.
08:45He just returned,
08:46and he's reporting shortness of breath
08:48and pain in his chest.
08:49I need you to help assess him
08:51and treat him as soon as possible.
08:52Attach pulse oxometer.
08:53Pulse ox, 88.
08:54His oxygen is quite low.
08:56I want to start a nebulizer treatment,
08:58get the albuterol out of that kit,
09:00get 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 find one of those long needles.
09:10Victoria, can you feel for pulses?
09:12Nick, can you keep an eye on that C-array monitor?
09:15Sorry, Andrew.
09:16What am I looking for again?
09:18There's some orange needles.
09:19To your left, get out one of those needles.
09:21We've got to do it fast.
09:22His oxygen is getting lower.
09:23I feel pulses on both sides,
09:24and they're regular.
09:25Thank you, Victoria.
09:26A middle of that bone there,
09:27and two rib spaces down.
09:29We're going to put that needle straight in.
09:30We've got to do it.
09:32His oxygen is getting lower.
09:33We've got to do it.
09:33Okay, so straight in.
09:34Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go.
09:36Okay, come on, Alex.
09:37Oh, no, sorry.
09:38Push, push, push, push, push, push.
09:39I think it's on his rib.
09:40Okay.
09:42Trying to...
09:43Yep.
09:43Do it the best you can.
09:44We've got to do it.
09:45It's not going into Alex.
09:47I'm really sorry, Alex.
09:48How far down can I go?
09:49As far as it can go.
09:50We've just got to get it done.
09:56Okay, okay, yes.
09:58Come on, Alex.
09:59You're a fighter.
10:00Push, push, push, push, push.
10:01Stay with us, Alex.
10:01Straight in, straight in, straight in.
10:02Yep, it's all the way in.
10:04All right, and take the needle out,
10:05leave the colored part in.
10:08Oh, I 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.
10:16No, no, no, it's off now.
10:17Yeah, I can't see.
10:17Is the catheter in his chest?
10:19Yes, it's in, it's in.
10:20Okay, Alex, how are you doing?
10:22How are you feeling?
10:23It's okay, Alex.
10:24All right, team, that is the end of your scenario.
10:26Please leave everything where it is
10:27and report to the debrief room.
10:31Thank you all for participating in that.
10:33I know it can be a little bit stressful.
10:35Did you feel like you were getting stressed at all?
10:37Yeah, well, especially when the blood oxygen levels
10:40were dropping.
10:40We also experienced a needle malfunction.
10:43Okay.
10:44I thought I was going through,
10:45but I was getting resistance.
10:47Yep.
10:48And then it happened again
10:50and I just thought,
10:51I'm making things worse here.
10:53Alex has already got a collapsed lung
10:55and I'm there poking him with the needle.
10:58And then I ended up pulling the whole needle out.
11:01Yeah.
11:01The time here in the emergency space
11:03is extremely important.
11:05Due to some of the delays in the needle decompression,
11:08the patient, unfortunately, will not survive.
11:12It's a bit of an eye-opener that just a slight misjudgment
11:17of my needle placement
11:21basically meant that Alex wouldn't be able to return home
11:27from the International Space Station.
11:29It's a lot more than just exciting engineering
11:32and loud rockets and G-Force
11:34and, you know, seeing Earth from afar.
11:38Um, and at the moment in my mind,
11:42kind of the scary, daunting, worrying things
11:47are slightly outweighing my excitement, I suppose.
11:52Um, I had trained for the worst,
11:56but still I wasn't ready
11:57because in space,
11:59even the best preparation
12:01can unravel in a heartbeat.
12:02And right in the middle of filming this series,
12:05something happened
12:06that made that reality hit home.
12:25Luckily, this was only a test flight
12:27and nobody died.
12:29But it brought it all home again.
12:32Space is no place for the faint-hearted.
12:45I had just killed a colleague called Alex
12:48in a medical space emergency simulation.
12:51And even though he was made of silicon,
12:53it 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
13:02I'd be leaving behind.
13:04This wasn't a new thought to me.
13:06I had felt it creeping up on me
13:08like a slow-moving freight train.
13:11Which is why,
13:12before I had even left for America,
13:14I met with Dr. Ea Whiteley,
13:16a space psychologist
13:17who works with NASA astronauts
13:19on this very fear.
13:21and I thought it was important
13:22to share with you
13:23a part of our conversation
13:25because there was a very personal reason
13:27why I was struggling
13:28with the idea
13:29of leaving the planet behind.
13:36How do I stop my family
13:39and my girlfriend from worrying?
13:43Well, that's a good question
13:44and we would usually ask
13:47how do you navigate that?
13:48I feel a bit selfish
13:51and I feel like I'm making a decision for myself
13:53that is having an impact on someone who I love.
13:58Amy has a form of epilepsy
14:00and that's been something
14:02that's developed
14:03in the last three years.
14:06So I've gone from
14:07being in a relationship
14:09that is still wonderful
14:10and still blossoming
14:11and still so happy
14:12but in my head
14:14I'm worrying as well.
14:16I don't want to leave that.
14:18I don't want to leave that behind on earth
14:23because I always want to be there for her
14:26and I always want to be by her side
14:29if she needs me.
14:31So one of the things that we do
14:33is that you record a message
14:36in the eventuality
14:37that it's impossible to return home.
14:40Okay.
14:41I don't want to ask you now
14:42but you may wish to do that or not
14:44in terms of thinking
14:45of what you put into that message.
14:47It's up to you.
14:49Yeah.
14:49I think I'd want her to know
14:52that whatever happens
14:55I will be kind of around
14:57in some way or other
15:00like my cat
15:03Makapaka
15:04is in my ring.
15:06Oh.
15:07In what capacity?
15:08His ashes.
15:10Oh.
15:11Sorry.
15:13So I
15:13I feel like he's always with me.
15:17Yeah.
15:17And I hope in some way
15:18that she could do the same
15:19if anything bad would happen.
15:22But yeah.
15:23So my cat always triggers me.
15:27Well thank you for sharing that.
15:29Yeah.
15:35An unexpected part of this adventure
15:38is that I'm inadvertently training myself
15:41to be away from Amy.
15:42Not long ago
15:44two astronauts
15:45Butch Wilmore
15:46and Sonny Williams
15:47launched on what was meant to be
15:49an eight-day mission.
15:50But when their return capsule
15:52ran into serious faults
15:53they were stuck in orbit
15:55for 286 days.
15:58Engineers on Earth
15:59worked around the clock
16:00to bring them home
16:01and they thankfully
16:02made it back safely.
16:03But it was still a reminder
16:05that even now
16:06with all our technology
16:07and ambition
16:08space is still unpredictable.
16:11So I thought
16:12if I could experience
16:13what it's actually like
16:14to be isolated
16:15it might help
16:16straighten my thoughts
16:18about leaving
16:18my loved ones behind.
16:20As part of my research
16:21I was intrigued
16:22by a company called Exolith
16:24that was doing
16:25some exciting work
16:26in the area
16:27of lunar reproduction
16:28building one of the world's
16:30largest replicas
16:31of the moon's surface.
16:33To start off
16:34they wanted to show me
16:35the secret recipe
16:36of how a lunar surface
16:38is made.
16:39This kind of looks like
16:40the set up
16:40for a cooking show.
16:41Exactly, yeah
16:42we say it's like
16:42baking a cake.
16:43Start out with
16:44the anorthosite 250
16:45basalt
16:46bronzite
16:48olivine.
16:49Which is your
16:50favourite component
16:51if you could have
16:52a favourite?
16:53I like the anorthosite
16:54honestly.
16:56I couldn't help
16:57but agree
16:58that the anorthosite
16:59was particularly special
17:00and I was excited
17:02to see it
17:02in its mock lunar
17:03environment.
17:04So this is the
17:05regolith bin
17:06as you can see
17:07yeah over 130 tons
17:09in this bin.
17:10Before I stepped in
17:12I was told
17:12to put on some PPE
17:14as moon dust
17:15is abrasive
17:16and can be hazardous.
17:17It does dry
17:18your hair out
17:19quite a bit.
17:20I already have
17:21a really dry scalp
17:22so this might not
17:22be ideal.
17:24I was suited up
17:25and ready to step
17:26into the regolith bin
17:27a 10 by 10 metre
17:29replica
17:29of the lunar surface.
17:32NASA's Artemis mission
17:33is planning to return
17:35humans to the moon
17:36in 2026.
17:37At Axiom
17:38I had already got up close
17:40with the very suit
17:41that the astronauts
17:42will be wearing
17:42for this mission
17:43and now
17:45for the first time
17:46I wasn't just
17:47imagining the moon
17:51I was walking
17:52on something
17:53that felt
17:53just like it.
18:00Whoa!
18:02That's a crater.
18:03There you go.
18:03Another great.
18:04There you go.
18:07Whoa!
18:08There you go.
18:09That's what we're
18:09talking about.
18:12The team set me
18:13a task
18:14to search
18:14for buried ice
18:15just like
18:16the Artemis crews
18:17eventually will
18:18when they return
18:19to the moon.
18:19Wow.
18:20It really sticks
18:21to the shovel.
18:22It does, yeah.
18:23Because lunar ice
18:24in theory
18:25could be used
18:26to create rocket fuel
18:27which would be
18:28a game changer
18:29for long term
18:30space missions.
18:33There you go.
18:34All right.
18:34Oh, we've found it.
18:35Yeah, we have.
18:37So it was nowhere
18:38near where I was digging.
18:40Well, maybe not.
18:41This has been
18:42such a formative
18:43experience for me
18:44in a way
18:45of understanding
18:45what it's like
18:47on the moon
18:47from a materials
18:49point of view
18:49and how it feels.
18:51It's kind of also
18:52like being in a desert
18:54and another form
18:54of astronaut training
18:55where they have
18:56wilderness survival
18:57and isolation training.
18:59Yeah.
19:00And I was wondering
19:01if perhaps
19:02I could maybe
19:04I don't know
19:04if I need to ask
19:06if it's right
19:07but perhaps
19:08if I could maybe
19:09just
19:11maybe be
19:12here for an
19:13extended period
19:13of time.
19:14Right, okay.
19:14Yeah, yeah.
19:15An extended duration
19:16mission.
19:16Do it.
19:17Oh, yeah.
19:18Yeah, I think so.
19:19I think so, yeah.
19:20Do you have anything
19:21going on
19:21like overnight?
19:23No, we're free.
19:25Sleepover.
19:26Yeah.
19:27If I was ever
19:27going to understand
19:28what space
19:29might take from me
19:30I wanted to feel
19:31what it might be like
19:32to be truly isolated.
19:34I feel like it can add
19:34another element
19:35to the training.
19:37So I asked
19:38the production team
19:39if someone could
19:39kindly pick me up
19:40a tent
19:41so I could pitch up
19:42for the night
19:43on the regolith.
19:43Is that okay?
19:44Yeah.
19:44Do you ever
19:46get regolithy
19:47bogeys?
19:52As night fell
19:53I stepped back
19:54onto the regolith
19:55just me
19:56and a few
19:57billion grains
19:58of synthetic
19:59moon dust.
20:00I wanted to see
20:01if I could handle
20:02the silence
20:02and be left alone
20:04with my own thoughts.
20:06Have a good night
20:07Francis.
20:11As I began
20:12to pitch my tent
20:13I started to think
20:14about my conversation
20:15with Dr. Whiteley.
20:17Camping on a fake moon
20:18felt like the safest place
20:20to try and say
20:21something honest.
20:22I wasn't entirely sure
20:24what was about
20:25to come out of my mouth
20:26so I pointed my phone
20:28camera at my face
20:29which is the setup
20:30I normally use
20:31for recording TikToks
20:32about trains
20:33for my followers
20:34but this was different
20:35as this video
20:36was only meant
20:38for one person.
20:39Hello Amy.
20:42Even though
20:43you're far away
20:47and we're not together
20:49we're not
20:50at Pembroke Lodge
20:52having a chai latte
20:53we're not
20:56going on the Thames Clipper
21:00we're
21:02I'm
21:03I'm still there with you
21:05and
21:06we have each other
21:08and all we've
21:08given each other
21:09in
21:10our experiences
21:12our shared knowledge
21:13and our love
21:15and
21:15what you've given me
21:17is
21:19incredible
21:19and
21:20life changing
21:22I wouldn't be here
21:23where I am now
21:24if it wasn't for you
21:26and
21:27I just want to say
21:28I love you
21:29and
21:30I will always
21:32be with you
21:37Space travel
21:38demands more
21:39than just strength
21:40and science
21:41it asks you
21:42to sever the threads
21:44that tether you
21:44to the people
21:45that you love
21:46and as I lay alone
21:47in a sea of artificial dust
21:49I began to understand
21:51the gravity
21:52of that distance
22:01yeah I think
22:02you might need
22:03to stop
22:04I think we might
22:05just miss it
22:07okay
22:08stop
22:08stop
22:11stop
22:11stop
22:24I have always loved trains
22:26how they move
22:28how they work
22:29how sometimes
22:30it feels like
22:31they're alive
22:32and talking to me
22:33after the setbacks
22:35I'd faced
22:35trying to become
22:36an astronaut
22:37I needed to ground myself
22:39because there was no way
22:40I could come to America
22:41and not see the largest
22:43operational steam locomotive
22:45in the world
22:47a 600 ton monument
22:49to human ingenuity
22:51and the machine
22:52that fuelled my childhood
22:53love for engineering
22:55Union Pacific's
22:56Big Boy
22:57built in the 1940s
22:59only 25 were ever made
23:01each one
23:02132 feet long
23:04designed to haul freight
23:06over the rocky mountains
23:07during world war 2
23:08and today
23:104014
23:11is the only operational
23:13big boy left
23:14in the world
23:15it's not just big
23:17it's historic
23:17and to me
23:18and many other railway
23:19enthusiasts around the world
23:21it's mythic
23:22this is the locomotive
23:24at the top of everyone's list
23:26I've watched clips of it
23:27for years
23:28processed its sounds
23:30dreamt of one day
23:31standing in front of it
23:32and although this wasn't
23:34technically part of my
23:35astronaut journey
23:36I knew that if I was
23:37going to move forward
23:38I had to reconnect
23:39with where it all began
23:40is it behind me
23:42it's the big boy right here
23:43okay
23:53oh my goodness me
23:56wow
24:02I honestly couldn't believe
24:03what I was looking at
24:06even though it was stationary
24:09I could feel its power
24:19it's the big boy right here
24:21you can see the work that we're doing
24:22you can see a little paper tag in there
24:24yeah
24:25so
24:25it's very good
24:27it's cool isn't it
24:34it's totally overwhelmed
24:36just looking at this cylinder
24:38and thinking
24:39the amount of pressure
24:41the amount of energy
24:42and
24:43usually like
24:45my emotional stimulation
24:47comes through noise
24:48and
24:49it's enough of a visual feast
24:51to
24:52provoke
24:54this response
24:55I suppose
24:57for me
24:58coming here
24:59there aren't any
25:00stressful strings attached
25:01that I've been feeling
25:02with
25:02this astronaut training process
25:05I think
25:06not only has this been
25:07great just to see
25:08for my own passion
25:09but
25:11has also been a bit of a point of
25:13almost like a point of realisation
25:15I suppose
25:15like
25:16what do I really want to do with my life
25:19you know
25:19this is so
25:22in my mind
25:23so emotionally uncomplicated
25:26and I can tell my girlfriend
25:28I'm going off to see a train today
25:30and not
25:31I'm going off
25:33to the outer atmosphere
25:38seeing Big Boy
25:39not only was it just
25:40a big bucket list item
25:42but
25:43it's
25:43actually been quite helpful
25:45in understanding
25:46what I really want from this
25:47there is a common ground
25:48of course
25:49between
25:49the railway
25:50and space
25:51and that's engineering
25:53you know
25:53we can still
25:54explore
25:55the space industry
25:56but maybe we can
25:58just
25:58boil it down
26:00to
26:00more of like
26:01an engineering focus
26:03I came to America
26:04with the grand idea
26:06of trying to become an astronaut
26:07but standing in front of Big Boy
26:09I realised something
26:10engineering runs through my veins
26:13maybe I don't need to leave Earth
26:15to 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
26:23who are building launch systems for NASA
26:25and beyond
26:26to see if I could understand
26:28how people like me
26:29might still have a role
26:30in the new space age
26:32right I'm just going to put my helmet away
26:34and I could tell pretty quickly
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 pneumatics
26:46without getting into
26:48Electron pneumatics
26:49it's safe to say
26:51I was in heaven
26:51all the test stand pneumatics
26:54all the stand side
26:55GSE plumbing
26:56propellant valves
26:57nitrogen valves
26:59purge valves
26:59this is Reaver
27:01wow
27:03oh my goodness
27:06wow
27:07is this like the tap-off exhaust then
27:09correct
27:09this is the exhaust
27:10yeah
27:11these engines actually
27:12are the first tap-off cycle engines
27:14to have reached orbit
27:15and that in general
27:16usually increases
27:17the specific impulse
27:19doesn't it
27:19right yes
27:20these engines are very efficient
27:22it's a very reliable design
27:23it's about 45,000 foot-pounds
27:25of thrust
27:26yeah
27:26per Reaver
27:27so
27:27today we'll actually be
27:29trimming the engine in
27:30for flight
27:31my engineering mind
27:33is just like
27:34popping off all over the place
27:35yeah
27:36you'll have a lot of fun today
27:37you're in the right place
27:38what a dream
27:38to work somewhere
27:39like here
27:40the best job in the world
27:41for sure
27:42what's this pooling
27:43at the bottom here
27:44that's a little bit of RP1
27:45on my finger
27:46on your finger
27:47okay
27:47you'll probably want to get some
27:48IPA
27:49clean that off
27:52I've never touched
27:53refined kerosene before
27:57after thoroughly washing my hands
27:59with isopropyl alcohol
28:01I was introduced
28:02to some of the team
28:03who were building
28:04the actual rocket engines
28:06and instantly
28:07I was drawn in
28:09do you have a favourite
28:10kind of weave
28:11a favourite weave
28:12I can't say
28:13you can't say
28:14I'm not allowed to say
28:15what we use here
28:15oh right
28:16but I do
28:16I do have a favourite weave
28:18my favourite weave
28:19is also a secret
28:20we say
28:21the rocket talks to you
28:22are you going to listen
28:24right
28:24and it's serious
28:25the data
28:26the numbers
28:26the vibrations
28:27dynamics
28:27shock
28:28it talks to you
28:28what's it like
28:29working here
28:30it is never boring
28:31it is a roller coaster
28:32every day
28:33what I love about it
28:34is that I can own
28:35like that's mine
28:36when you see it launch
28:37you're just like
28:38it's like your child
28:39you're like
28:39oh there
28:39there they go
28:40you know
28:40it's so beautiful
28:42this hold
28:445500 PSIA
28:45at cryogenic temperatures
28:46it's like you're singing
28:48to me
28:49my brain is receiving
28:51your information
28:52and is being stimulated
28:53in the same way
28:54that I'd listen to music
28:58what you're listening for
29:00is a dull
29:00kind of hollow sound
29:01and that would indicate
29:02that you'd have a void
29:06whoo-hoo
29:09there they're going to pass it
29:10wow
29:10we're just finding
29:11the resonant frequency
29:13we have it
29:13googling it
29:14whoo-hoo
29:18whoo-hoo
29:18whoo
29:19it looks like
29:20a happy whale
29:20yeah
29:21this is cool
29:24I got it
29:29spending time
29:30with the engineers
29:31it just clicked
29:32I felt like
29:34I'd found my people
29:35curious minds
29:36solving big problems
29:38and then
29:39as if things
29:40couldn't get
29:40any more exciting
29:41the team asked me
29:43if I'd like to see
29:44something I'd never
29:45thought I'd witness
29:46in real life
29:47a hot fire
29:48rocket engine test
29:52whoa
29:54oh my god
29:57oh my god
30:23oh my god
30:24it's hard to put into words
30:25right
30:25when you
30:26when you can
30:26when you can feel it
30:27in your soul
30:28I'm in
30:29I'm in shock
30:31that noise
30:32yeah you can hear
30:33the turbo pump
30:34spool up
30:35and then
30:35it just hits you
30:36all at once
30:40that's one of my
30:41new favourite noises
30:42right
30:42alongside with the
30:43Paxman Ruston
30:4616RK3CTs
30:46the job satisfaction
30:48that comes from
30:48actually launching
30:49a rocket
30:50or doing these
30:51types of things
30:51is just unmatched
30:52and look
30:53as I understand
30:54you know
30:54Firefly as a company
30:55is expanding
30:56right
30:56we're growing
30:57pretty exponentially
30:58lunar landers
30:59alpha launch
31:00our medium launch
31:01vehicle Eclipse
31:02yeah
31:04are you looking
31:04for a job
31:06well
31:06I mean
31:07yeah
31:08my
31:08my engineering
31:09kind of
31:10skills
31:11and expertise
31:12it's there
31:12there's your flame
31:13right there
31:14oh nice
31:14yeah
31:15I think I was
31:17just offered a job
31:18but unfortunately
31:19I was distracted
31:20by some afterburn
31:21I've
31:22I've got
31:23the feeling
31:24it's making me realise
31:25that this side
31:27of
31:27kind of
31:28the space industry
31:29is
31:29kind of
31:30where
31:31where the energy
31:32is kind of
31:32pulling me
31:33in a way
31:33like being launched
31:34into space
31:34you know
31:35that's tying
31:36into my sensation
31:37of centrifusions
31:38sensation of
31:40oxygen deprivation
31:41this is just
31:43tying into love
31:44and like passion
31:46for the first time
31:48I started to believe
31:49I might actually
31:50belong
31:51in the world of space
31:53I had failed
31:54my mission
31:54to become an astronaut
31:55but here
31:56amongst my fellow
31:57engineers
31:58perhaps I had
31:59discovered my calling
32:01but then
32:02just as I was
32:03starting to
32:04believe it
32:04everything
32:05changed
32:07so
32:07remember
32:08Matt
32:09Ondela
32:09from
32:10Axion
32:11he's just
32:12sent through
32:14a message
32:15hi Francis
32:16we're in
32:17final preparation
32:18for
32:19AX4
32:20which will be
32:20another historic
32:21mission to the
32:22international space station
32:23and it got me thinking
32:25about our conversations
32:26about your next steps
32:27I know you're serious
32:28about taking your
32:29engineering skills
32:30from the workshop
32:31to orbit
32:31and we want to help
32:33you do that
32:34and talk about our
32:35astronaut training
32:36opportunities
32:38Axiom station
32:38will be in orbit
32:39before we know it
32:40and we're going to need
32:41crew
32:41so look forward
32:42to talking to you
32:43soon Francis
32:43bye
32:48sorry
32:49taking your engineering
32:51skills to orbit
32:52we want to help you
32:53do that
32:53astronaut training
32:54opportunities
32:59this is
33:00he's talking about
33:01Axiom station
33:03like
33:04in orbit
33:05and needing crew
33:10I know you're serious
33:12about taking your
33:13engineering skills
33:13from the workshop
33:14to orbit
33:15and we want to help
33:16you do that
33:17and talk about our
33:18astronaut training
33:19opportunities
33:20we're going to need
33:21crew
33:21so look forward
33:22to talking to you
33:23soon Francis
33:23bye
33:38I had come all this way
33:39to try and get a foot
33:41in the space industry
33:42and now somehow
33:43I'd been offered a place
33:45on an actual
33:46astronaut training program
33:49and I didn't have a clue
33:51what to do
33:52I was messing home
33:53my body ached
33:54and my brain felt like
33:56it was orbiting itself
33:57I needed somewhere
33:58quiet to think
33:59somewhere that reminded me
34:01why I started this journey
34:02in the first place
34:03so I searched for
34:05Space Museum near me
34:06and found the
34:07American 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 heroism
34:17but what I got
34:18was a small bungalow
34:19however
34:20as I'd soon come to realize
34:22sometimes the smallest places
34:24hold the biggest stories
34:26I was hoping
34:27for some quiet reflection
34:28but whilst I began
34:30perusing the various
34:31oddities
34:32a man suddenly appeared
34:34and introduced himself
34:35to me
34:36welcome the American Space Museum
34:38thank you
34:39okay we love having
34:40foreign visitors here
34:42here was Mark Marquette
34:43the museum director
34:45who then unexpectedly
34:46proceeded to give me
34:48a private
34:48and extensive tour
34:50of some of the most
34:51incredible fragments
34:52of history I'd ever seen
34:54and it's no exaggeration
34:56to say that this chance
34:58encounter
34:58influenced the biggest
35:00decision of my life
35:01this is the hatch
35:03of the first Mercury
35:04that was launched
35:05on an Atlas rocket
35:06and it blew up
35:07we've got John Glenn's
35:09hard hat
35:09and pictures of him
35:11wearing it
35:11the world's first
35:12lithium battery
35:13that powers your cell phone
35:15flight manual
35:15from Apollo 11
35:17here
35:17this is the computer
35:19that took us to the moon
35:20the slide rule
35:21this is Leland Melvin
35:23and he likes
35:24Rhodesian
35:25Ridgeback dogs
35:27how do you know that
35:28this person was hearing
35:3020 conversations
35:31going on
35:32at one time
35:33it's so beautifully retro
35:34let me show you this
35:36our newspaper
35:38from 1969
35:40I've got goosebumps
35:41you should have been there
35:43so this launched
35:44over 350
35:45Atlas 2 rockets
35:47and a couple other rockets
35:49on there
35:49flip that emergency control
35:56but we had a gentleman
35:58came in
35:58that was 80 some years old
35:59he walked over to this machine
36:01he looks
36:01oh my gosh
36:02this is my machine
36:03really
36:04I worked on this machine
36:05in 1963
36:081964
36:09I pushed this
36:10start and stop button
36:11so many times
36:12I can't count it
36:13and he stood there
36:14and froze and looked
36:15and I saw tears
36:16welling up in his eyes
36:18and I said
36:19sir what are you thinking about
36:21and he turned to me
36:22Francis
36:22and he said
36:23damn it
36:24I loved everybody
36:26I worked here
36:27I was 27 years old
36:28and we were going
36:29to the moon
36:30his name was
36:31John Borlein
36:32and I go over
36:33to this picture
36:34and I say
36:35do you recognize
36:36anybody in this picture
36:37and his son goes
36:39that's you dad
36:41and that's Jim
36:42and I went to school
36:43with Bob's kids
36:44and Bill died last year
36:46and I mean
36:47I was like
36:48I was like
36:49almost crying
36:50just thinking about this
36:51you know
36:52and then I tell people
36:54this story
36:54and I say
36:55like
36:56they had pride
36:57in their craft
36:58alright
36:59they had pride
37:00in their craft
37:01oh
37:01okay
37:02it gets to you too buddy
37:03sorry I don't know
37:05why I'm getting so
37:06like
37:08that's what we're all about here
37:10my friend
37:11that's
37:11this is
37:12this is like
37:12just pure passion
37:14like
37:14our spirits
37:16at the moment
37:16are just dancing together
37:17absolutely
37:21it's
37:21it's like
37:22it's
37:23it's a sensory overload
37:25the associations
37:26of the stories
37:27with each object
37:30gives me such goosebumps
37:32and kind of
37:33what a
37:35brilliant conduit
37:36for it all
37:37to hear it through
37:38Mark's
37:39kind of
37:40brilliant enthusiasm
37:42I just get passionate
37:43about Francis
37:44because
37:44I grew up with this
37:46as a boy
37:46and I hope other people
37:48have in their lifetime
37:49something that they
37:50truly enjoy
37:51and are passionate about
37:52that they can
37:53share with other people
37:54and that's the cool thing
37:56about this whole thing
37:56you don't have to fly
37:58the spaceship
37:58there's something
37:59for everybody
38:00when it comes to space
38:03it felt like
38:04every nut and bolt
38:05had a story
38:06and every scorch marked
38:08relic
38:08had a soul
38:09everything was real
38:10and analogue
38:11and for someone
38:12who grew up online
38:13it felt refreshingly human
38:15and whilst most
38:16museum guides
38:17wrap up with a gift shop
38:18Mark had other ideas
38:20we do a podcast
38:21called
38:22Stay Curious
38:23to talk to space workers
38:24could you do an interview
38:26with me
38:26oh yeah
38:27yeah
38:27good
38:28I mean
38:28we'll set that up here
38:30I wasn't exactly
38:31in the mood
38:32to be interviewed
38:33but Mark was
38:34just too kind
38:35to refuse
38:36and that looks good
38:38my lights here
38:39our little crude
38:41studio here
38:42I actually
38:43unintentionally
38:44left this tie
38:45in my jacket pocket
38:46I feel like it'd be
38:47suitable for this occasion
38:48but deep down
38:50I knew I had something
38:51I needed to say
38:52not just to Mark
38:54but to myself
38:57today with a special guest
38:59from the UK
39:00Francois Bourgeois
39:01Francois
39:03welcome to our
39:04humble little podcast here
39:06sorry
39:07it's
39:07Francis Bourgeois
39:09I've been calling you
39:10Francis all day
39:11so
39:11just got a little
39:12carried away
39:12with the introduction
39:13tell us a little bit
39:14about yourself
39:15Francis
39:15how'd you get
39:17into this career
39:17this is kind of
39:18my first time
39:19in America
39:20so it's been
39:21a real
39:21learning experience
39:23for me
39:24about what I might
39:25want to do
39:27my interest lies
39:29very strongly
39:30in engineering
39:30but through
39:31a lot of
39:32some of the
39:34training processes
39:36I've been exposed to
39:38it's made me feel
39:39quite anxious
39:40and stressed
39:41and maybe
39:42I'm realizing
39:43that maybe
39:45the astronaut
39:46journey
39:47isn't for me
39:48but
39:49perhaps
39:50my passion
39:51lies elsewhere
39:53in astronautical
39:54engineering
39:55you know
39:55infrastructure
39:57engineering
39:57and
39:58maybe even
40:00just
40:01being a
40:04sorry
40:04maybe even
40:06just
40:06you know
40:07doing shows
40:08like this
40:09to show
40:09how awesome
40:11it is
40:12to be
40:12part of
40:13like the
40:14sort of
40:15the profession
40:16in the space
40:17world
40:17or even
40:18to inspire
40:19those to become
40:20an astronaut
40:20I would not
40:22be discouraged
40:22about your
40:23quest to be
40:24an astronaut
40:25you have your
40:26dreams
40:27you don't know
40:27where your dreams
40:28are going to
40:28take you
40:29in there
40:30there's many
40:31other roles
40:32to assume
40:33you know
40:34I have
40:34I have
40:35beautiful
40:36lovely
40:36girlfriend
40:37Amy
40:37back at
40:37home
40:38my
40:38brilliant
40:39family
40:39and all
40:40my friends
40:40who
40:41you know
40:42I don't have
40:43to worry
40:43about
40:44you know
40:45if I were
40:45to never
40:46see them
40:46again
40:46Amy
40:47gave me
40:48a present
40:48before I
40:49left
40:51oh my
40:51gosh
40:52that's me
40:53and that's
40:53my girlfriend
40:54Amy
40:55wow
40:56she really
40:57loves you
40:58yeah
40:59look at that
41:00that is
41:01awesome
41:01yeah
41:02Amy
41:02something else
41:03there
41:04yeah
41:04she's beautiful
41:05even in
41:05model form
41:06well I hope
41:07that you find
41:08what you're
41:08looking for
41:09in this
41:10journey
41:10of being
41:11an astronaut
41:11thank you
41:12for sharing
41:13your story
41:13here
41:14with our
41:14watchers
41:15and listeners
41:16here on
41:16Stay Curious
41:17until next
41:18time
41:18that I meet
41:19you all
41:19I want to
41:20say I'm
41:20Mark Marquette
41:21and I can't
41:22wait to see
41:23you again
41:24to bridge
41:25the space
41:26between us
41:27thank you
41:28so much
41:29thank you
41:29Mark
41:32was that
41:32was that
41:33okay
41:33I could have
41:34stayed with
41:35Mark all
41:36day
41:36what he'd
41:37built was
41:37extraordinary
41:38not just a
41:39collection
41:39but a
41:40cathedral
41:40of stories
41:41I felt
41:42like I had
41:43touched the
41:43past
41:44and it had
41:44touched me
41:45back
41:45but even
41:46after all
41:47that
41:47I was still
41:48stuck
41:49I had been
41:50offered the
41:50thing I set
41:51out to find
41:51a way into
41:52space
41:53and I didn't
41:54know whether
41:54to say
41:54yes
41:55cheerio
41:56cheerio
41:56see you
41:57later
41:59now there's
42:00somebody that's
42:01going to do
42:01something with
42:02his life
42:02I guarantee
42:03it
42:08so I pedaled
42:09to the coast
42:11there was a rocket
42:12due to launch
42:12that evening
42:13and I thought
42:14maybe watching
42:15someone else
42:16go might help
42:17me work out
42:18if I really
42:19wanted to
42:33wow
42:40oh my god
42:55there are people
42:57on that
43:02oh
43:02oh
43:03that's the
43:05booster returning
43:05wow
43:14hello
43:15hello Matt
43:15thank you
43:16truly
43:17for your
43:17offer
43:18I never
43:19imagined
43:19I'd get
43:19this far
43:20let alone
43:21have someone
43:22like you
43:22and Axiom
43:23believe in me
43:24I came to
43:25America
43:26chasing a
43:26childhood dream
43:27and I found
43:28myself being
43:29violently sick
43:30on a zero
43:31gravity flight
43:31sorry I'm
43:32feeling a bit
43:33sick
43:33accidentally
43:34killing a
43:34medical dummy
43:35in a simulated
43:36space disaster
43:37sorry Alex
43:38starving my
43:39brain of
43:39oxygen in a
43:40hyperbaric
43:40chamber
43:41and singing
43:42an Elton John
43:43classic to a
43:44room full of
43:44very enthusiastic
43:45strangers
43:47and along the
43:48way I met
43:49some of the
43:49kindest and
43:50most brilliant
43:50people I've
43:51ever come
43:51across
43:53but somewhere
43:54between all
43:54of this I
43:55realised something
43:56I don't need
43:58to go to
43:58space to prove
43:59I belong in
44:00it
44:00so I'm going
44:01to have to
44:02bluntly decline
44:02your offer
44:03but only because
44:04this journey
44:05gave me something
44:06even more
44:06valuable
44:07and I'm
44:08leaving with
44:08more than I
44:09ever came
44:10looking for
44:11I'm ready to
44:12go home
44:27so you
44:28plunge
44:29the needle
44:31through
44:32in between
44:33the ribs
44:33and then
44:35you can
44:36re-inflate
44:38the lung
44:39using that
44:40method
44:41how did you
44:42find that
44:42did you enjoy
44:43it
44:43could that
44:44be a future
44:44career
44:46probably not
44:47space is no
44:49longer a
44:49mystery
44:50it's a
44:51marketplace
44:51and in this
44:53new age of
44:53extraordinary
44:54possibility
44:55one must
44:55pause to
44:56ask
44:56who
44:57are we
44:58really
44:58opening
44:59the stars
44:59up to
45:00and for
45:01what
45:01reason
45:02Francis'
45:04journey
45:04had begun
45:05with that
45:05very question
45:06but along
45:07the way
45:08he discovered
45:09that while the
45:10cosmos might
45:10be vast
45:11space within
45:13one's heart
45:14is infinite
45:15as he stood
45:17beside Amy
45:17watching a balloon
45:18fill up with
45:19hydrogen
45:20he knew
45:21that while he
45:21would always reach
45:22for the stars
45:23his home
45:24would forever
45:25be here
45:26amidst the
45:27laughter
45:28joy
45:28and love
45:29of his
45:30earthly
45:30existence
45:31up it goes
45:34wow
45:35so speedy
45:47and as they
45:49watched the
45:49balloon
45:50disappear
45:50into the
45:51blue
45:51Francis
45:52understood
45:53that his
45:54real journey
45:55was not
45:55about escaping
45:56the ties
45:57of earth
45:58but about
45:59appreciating them
46:00for the beauty
46:01of our planet
46:02and the bonds
46:03we cherish
46:04are the true
46:05anchors
46:06of our dreams
46:08obscenium
46:08and the
46:09storm
46:09and the
46:09the
46:09the
46:37each
46:52Transcription by CastingWords
Comments