MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Four astronauts are set to launch tonight on a mission around the moon. It will be the first such mission since the Apollo program more than 50 years ago. The launch is happening at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Central Florida Public Media's Brendan Byrne is covering the launch, and he's with us now. Good morning.
BRENDAN BYRNE, HOST:
Hey. Thanks for having me.
MARTIN: This is a long time in coming, even waiting for this. So does it look like the launch will happen as planned?
BYRNE: It does. Countdown clock is still working towards a lift-off at 6:24 p.m. Florida time. Mission managers say they aren't tracking any issues with the rocket. Weather is cooperating so far. The latest forecast predicts an 80% chance of favorable weather. Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson says they'll also be keeping a close eye on the rocket and only launch when ready.
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CHARLIE BLACKWELL-THOMPSON: But certainly, all indications are right now we are in excellent shape as we get into count.
BYRNE: Now, this is a long time coming, as you mentioned. This follows a series of problems that Blackwell-Thompson and her team had been trying to track down and fix. There was a hydrogen fuel leak during a practice run of the launch in February. That was fixed. An issue with the helium system that pressurized the tanks required the entire rocket to roll back into its hangar for repairs. But that, too, they say, is resolved.
MARTIN: What's the crew doing today?
BYRNE: Yeah. The crew of four - three NASA astronauts and one from the Canadian Space Agency - have quite a busy day, which starts about eight hours before launch. They've been staying in a quarantine facility at Kennedy Space Center for a few days already. In that same facility is the suit-up room where they will get dressed before launch. And as pilot Victor Glover explains, they'll have one important thing to do before they head out to their rocket.
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VICTOR GLOVER: One of the neat things about this is a tradition we started - is our families are outside the building when we walk out. And so that is the moment that I'm going to get to tell them I love them instead of sending a text message or a phone call.
MARTIN: So the mission is 10 days long. The plan is to fly around the moon, but not land on it. So can you say more about that?
BYRNE: Sure. The crew's going to be in a spacecraft called Orion, and it's going to loop around the moon, coming within some 5,000 miles of the lunar surface. This mission is going to help the astronauts prepare for a future moon landing. They're testing critical systems of the spacecraft, like its life support. And the crew will conduct a test of the Orion spacecraft's controls by separating from the service module and literally flying around it. This will test how the spacecraft handles in space and its ability to dock with future landing vehicles. And even though this mission isn't landing, it's not without risk. This is the first time people will be flying in the spacecraft. They are going to deep space. But NASA says it's confident the astronauts will remain safe.
MARTIN: OK. The Apollo missions not only went near the moon - they landed on it. So I think people might be wondering - since they're not landing on it, what is significant about this mission?
BYRNE: It's significant for a number of reasons. It's taking the first woman and first person of color beyond low Earth orbit and taking the first Canadian astronaut, too. To mission specialist Christina Koch, this diversity marks a defining moment in spaceflight history.
CHRISTINA KOCH: We're at a time where we've recognized the importance of if we are not going for all and by all, we aren't truly answering all of humanity's call to explore. That to me is what's worth celebrating.
MARTIN: Speaking of celebrating, you're out there on Florida's Space Coast. Are there expected to be big crowds watching the launch?
BYRNE: Yeah. We're expecting roughly 400,000 people to visit the area to watch this launch. And this is a big rocket. It's quite likely most of Florida, and even places beyond, will be able to see this launch. So we expect a lot of eyes looking east once the countdown clock hits zero.
MARTIN: Well, I'm glad your eyes are among them.
That is Central Florida Public Media's Brendan Byrne covering the launch. He's also the host of the space podcast "Are We There Yet?" Brendan, thank you.
BYRNE: Any time. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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