host: we will go on to charles in north carolina. charles, when did you serve? caller: i'm doing alright. i would like to talk about the v.a. -- i've used the v.a. since i was discharged, and [inaudible] got issues from the burn pits and all that. i would take towels, rags, underwear, no matter what, and stuff it around where i was living at. i was still getting smoke in my little sectioned out >> the nasa space x dragon group

is about to arrive at the international space station. live nasa coverage on c-span.

the crew had called out during their approach. just to make sure that everything is here during the final approach. there is a view of dragon. this will make initial contact with the international space station. ground will be commending resume shortly. retreat and breakup are not permitted. one final note, we do anticipate

that we have some less than favorable lighting conditions. >> i think we will be happy with this. >> spacex copies. we will be resuming immediately. we are going to resume an approach for final docking. it looks like at three meters they will get a bit more favorable lighting conditions.

>> if there were an abort scenario, it would need to be done autonomously by dragon. >> that soft capture makes initial contact. once it does, effectively pulls the dragon into place for the hard capture hooks to drive into place. there are 12 of them in total. they are fastened around the circle. >> here is another one. you can commence monitoring. >> thank you.

you can see the firing of the engine. there are 16 of them on the dragon. they will continue to fire for any type of micro-adjustments necessary. there are green and red navigation lights on the outside of dragon as well. also, that centralized camera in the middle. >> dragon is just under 14 meters from the international space station. making that slow and methodical approach to the international docking adapter.

>> copy 10. >> just under eight meters from

the international space station. >> this is what dragon is seeing. you can see a lot of lines around that frontmost rain. that is where that capture drives into place. right in the center of that is the docking target. the docking target is what helps navigated toward the international space station.

soft capture confirmed. >> contact. contact confirmed at 3:32

pacific time as the international space station and endurance were flying 253 statute miles above the eastern caribbean. >> dragon is securely attached to the space station. in progress. that should complete in about four minutes. two minutes after that, the hard capture sequence will start. this is where the 12 hooks around the outer ring will drive themselves into place. this should be complete in about 10 minutes from now. >> they will drive six at a time. that will form that hard made between dragon and the international space station.

>> those pedals are part of the soft capture ring. that is what made contact with the international space station. they are being pulled back into the dragon. because it is attached, the dragon is getting closer and closer. it looks like we have a handover. very soon. this is mission control, hawthorne. we are working in control with johnson space center in houston. we are bringing the crew through the international space station.

>> contact was confirmed at 3:32 p.m. pacific time. that as they were flying 200 cc three statute miles above the eastern caribbean. >> one hard capture is -- once hard capture is created, dragon is affixed to the international space station but they are not able to exit the dragon just yet. the vestibule's unpressurized right now. there were folks inside dragon. >> that is right. we have what is called a soft capture. we won't have hard capture until

those hooks are fully driven. >> i am sure that the ru is superego to get out of dragon and enjoy the international space station. start their work. they have been in space for about 21.5 hours. >> the international space station crew has also been

helping out there as well. monitoring dragon's approach and making sure they are doing any type of prep work to get that hatch open and welcome new members to the international space station. >> know that the ring retraction is complete, they will begin driving those hooks. those are 12 hooks that will drive to form that hard mate between dragon and the international space station. >> dragon will be powered by umbilical's. as part of that hard capture sequence, they will plug this into the dragon.

>> proceeding with hook driving now. we will officially have a hard mate between endurance and the international space station. >> this procedure takes about four minutes. it is underway right now. we will move onto the pressurization right behind you. i am sure there will be lots of smiles and hugs as the crew answers -- enters the international space station. three of them for the first time. we have three people who have flown for the first time today. >> they still have those suits on right now. they will be able to take those off as they flow through the hatch to say hook to the crew members.

this will be their home for the next six months. >> we really beat the timeline in a sense. the crew woke up a little early. we did not have any holds. we have favorable lighting for that soft capture. it has been a really great and really smooth operation. >> we are standing by as that hard capture sequence is underway. the first set of hooks are underway.

>> part of why the docking sequence has moved into two phases is the design of the soft capture ring. those pedals allow you other more margin when you're docking. we have a lot of features that are looking for that hard mate. we will be listening on the big loop with everyone else here on that exciting news.

>> the first set of six hooks have driven. a second set will start now. the first set of six have driven. >> this is a great view. this is a live view.

>> on the left-hand side of your screen, he is the commander. to his right is thomas washburn. he is the pilot of this mission. not on-screen. we did not get too many views of them. kayla baron is the mission specialist. the other mission specialist is with ts mauer -- matias mauer. this is their first spaceflight. their first time writing the dragon. it is super exciting.

>> we have confirmation that the hard capture is complete. crew dragon endurance made it to the international space station. a handful of texts before we are able to open the hatch. >> that is right. things will be picking up inside the station. they are ready to be opened.

more on what is ahead now that dragon is officially docked. >> it has been a very exciting moment for all of us in mission control following dragons docking. this taste -- this may station was flying 255 miles over the caribbean. that includes nasa's mark vanda hi. -- mark. now that endurance is docked to

the space station, mark will move right into hatch operations. first he will open the large hatch, having him access to the pressurized meeting. this was exposed to the vacuum of space prior to docking. he will need to fill it with pressure to make sure that it is nearly equal to that of the international space station and the dragon. they use a small valve on the station to introduce it into the vestibule. >> the docking sequence is complete. welcome to the international space station. >> i am happy to be here at the

iss. >> ground will be enabling hardline power. we will take the cameras external shortly. >> taking the cameras external. >> good read back. >> you could see that excitement by the crew inside endurance as they are officially welcomed to their home in space for the next next months. they will take off their spacesuits in preparation for an open hatch. before we get to that point, there are some steps that need to be worked through on the international space station side.

inside space station. >> inside, the cameras are external. >> dragon spacex is on the big loop. the cameras are external. >> dragon, we have you good for

the cabin check. -- mic check. >> do you want to leave that on? >> that is affirmative. leave them both in that configuration. >> part one will be step one and two. >> we will pick that up.

>> affirmative. >> those words between nasa astronaut, mark and josh, mark will introduce air into the stabile. we expect it to take about two hours to get everything pressurized and check out before we open up the hatchet. he has already deployed umbilical's to do this in anticipation for hatch open.

>> that view that you see on the center of your screen here in mission control houston is on

the international space station side. in a short time, we will see that hatch open up and we will see the cruise float through. however, there are some procedures that need to be stepped through at that point.

if you are just joining us, the crew three astronauts have successfully docked to the international space station after launching from launchpad 39 a at the kennedy space center in photo. the crew docked to the orbital

output today at 5:32 p.m. central time. we are tracking a hatch opening to begin shortly after 7:00 p.m. central time with a welcoming ceremony approximate 35 minutes after. here is the view of nasa astronaut mark vande hei. he is beginning to work through that proceeding.

we did jesse the nasa astronaut, -- just see nasa astronaut, mark vande hei open the hatch. >> the forward hatch is open. >> copy. go to continue to step -- step two. >> fantastic, thanks.

>> endurance, spacex on the big loop. >> we cut out halfway through the transition. do you want us to monitor something? >> repeating my call. you can monitor some of the vestibule pressure action.

>> on the right-hand side of

your screen is a view of mission control in hawthorne. dragon will be configured for a long duration stay aboard the space station now that it has successfully docked. it will remain there for six months.

>> step two. the time is 11:58. >> copy. we will call you when the leak check is complete. >> vande hei has successfully opened up the large hatch. giving him access inside the pressurized mating adapter.

he is working to pressurize the vestibule. because this was exposed to the vacuum of space prior to docking, he will need to fill it with air to make sure the pressure is equal to that of the international space station. and dragon. he is introducing air into the vestibule. just making sure that everything is leak three -- free before we get ready to open up the hatches. we will likely hear some of those calls from the ground to the space station as the vestibule continues.

>> [indiscernible] >> suit is connected to umbilical's. >> copy that. i have started a one hour timer. one request well in this configuration for tom, if you are able to inspect your umbilical, the side that meets to your suit as well as the suit umbilical and see if there is any -- anything off nominal.

just trying to do more troubleshooting. >> copy that. >> copy, thanks.

>> mark vande hei has -- on vestibule. this to pressure was brought up to five pounds per square inch. a check is now being performed.

>> we have been lucky with our external camera views so far. this is from the japanese facility pointing toward the space station where the dragon is docked with the astronauts aboard.

>> we have inspected the suit side and the other ports as well. the o-ring is intact. the electrical pins as well. we do not see any damage to those. to describe a little better what -- the time when i lean forward when we were having the problem, i felt the wind. the sound cut out. i pressed on the umbilical mate on my right side, and that went away. i did not file click or any change, but it did go away at that moment. >> copy, tom. you inspected all of the umbilical pins and a rings and identified nothing off nominal? when you lean forward to -- your umbilical to your security.

that is when the noise went away and when you got back, the noise was confirmed to go away. is that a good read back? >> yes. i lean forward, it cut out for a second which clued me into the potential area of the problem. when i pressed on it, it went away and no one else could hear the wind. >> copy, tom. thank you for that. that is all the troubleshooting we have you doing for right now. i will let you know if we have any other thoughts. >> copy, thanks. >> dragon, full awareness, since the suits are dry, you have a go for steps -- sections 1-3 of 4.400.

i recommend you provide as many details about the remaining water bothers -- water bottles and meals in your bag at your discretion. just make sure we have a good count of that before you guys hopped out on station. >> b copy. -- we copy. >> thank you, endurance. >> that call begetting some views back inside the crew dragon endurance as the crew has removed their spacesuits and has them in a configuration as they wait to come aboard the space station.

still tracking hatch opening, about an hour from now with a welcoming ceremony approximately 35 minutes after hatch opening.

>> we just had a great shot of mark vande hei as he continues to step through procedures before hatch opening.

>> directly in the center of your screen, below those cargo bags, is the hatch where we will eventually see the crew float through as they come aboard their home on the international space station for the next six months.

>> work continues to pressurize the vestibule which is the small space between the space station and the dragon. because this was exposed to the vacuum of space, the crew needs to fill it with hair and make sure it's pressure is nearly equal with the pressure on the dragon and the space station. vande hei is using a hatch to slowly introduce air into the vestibule. flight controllers in houston are monitoring and verifying pressure readings to make sure everything is leak free before we open the hatches.

>> following vestibule

pressurization, leak checks will be performed. if all goes smoothly, vande hei will open the hatch. once that is open, he will be able to see their crew inside endurance. there is a small window on dragon where he can see the crew from. his job will be to configure the station site hatch, which is currently configured with a docking target, which is a small rod with an x on the end which provided guidance to dragon on its approach to dock with station. he will provide padding to allow safe entry for the astronauts into the space station.

>> vande hei now working to configure those cargo bags. >> no reply needed, just be advised we are configuring hardlines. we will be down big loop audio

for a few minutes.

>> work anticipation of hatch opening. it looks like mark vande hei was configuring some lights in anticipation of a welcoming ceremony they will have once the astronauts come aboard the station.

>> if you are just tuning in, crew-3 astronauts have successfully docked after takeoff from launch 39-a kennedy space center in florida. the crew of kayla barron, raja chari and tom marshburn successfully docked.

inside the space station, mark vande hei is making incremental steps toward hatch opening. now slated for little under an hour from now. >> as part of those procedures, he is going to install padding around the hatch. it looks like there is some floating there that he will install shortly.

>> we have reconfigured for hard-line audio, requesting a calm check. let's go with endurance first. how do you hear? >> endurance has you loud and clear. houston: houston hears you loud and clear as well. >> everyone is 555 on hard-line big loop. >> space with, station and endurance on the 555 big loop.

sandra: work the vestibule. -- work continues to pressurize the vestibule. it needs to be pressurized before the crew of endurance can float through the hatch. you can see the hatch, the and roger is -- androgynous periphery assembly system surrounded by cargo bags. pretty much a dead center, may be a little below on your screen. eventually, we will see that open and the crew will float

aboard the space station. >> there is also a hatch on the dragon itself which will be opened. and shortly, we may be getting video back inside the endurance vehicle.

>> permission to come back on board with cameras when able. >> space x dragon, standby. >> no rush. just wanted to check in. >> throughout our coverage, we will be taking questions live. if you have a question, use #asknasa.

steve wants to know which area of earth docking will take place. as you can see, endurance is already docked. the docking took place at 5:32 central time. while the space station was flying over the eastern caribbean sea. sandra: if you are wondering where the international space

station is currently flying, it is over australia. velocity, 17,500 miles per hour. that means the space station orbits the earth every 90 minutes and sees a sun rise or sun set every 45 minutes.

houston: station, we have a good check and we are ready for you to pick up dragon pressurization part two. >> that is in works. >> all i have you near mowbray are getting ready for dragon hatch open. looking downlink, if you could zoom in slightly, a touch of zoom on the node two camera and i think we will be set.

>> taking a look. >> that is perfect. thank you. sandra: with those words, we got confirmation there was a good link check. next, pressure will be equalized to that of the pressure inside the space station. sandra: additionally, we heard about slight camera adjustments for an upcoming welcoming ceremony.

>> you are free to come back on board. >> copy that. we will put that in work and let you know when we are back on board.

sandra: astronaut mark vande hei has completed thorough pressurization. pressure was brought up to about

five pounds per square inch where a leak check was performed. everything checked out smoothly, so the pressure is now being brought up to equalize it between that of the pressure inside the station. once pressure is equalized and after a couple of more checks, vande hei will be given the go to open the hatch. once that is open, he will be able to see the crew inside endurance. his main job then will be to configure the station side hatch, which is configured with a docking target. it is a small rod that provides guidance for the dragon during its approach to dock with the space station. he will remove that target and allow padding for safe entry of the crew-three astronauts into the space station. we are targeting a hatch opening after 7:00 p.m. central time as well as a welcoming ceremony to

happen approximately 35 minutes after hatch opening.

>> we are in a brief handover between satellites but will regain communication shortly. as a reminder, we are taking your questions. if you have one, send it our way using #asknasa. carrie wants to know if they get to watch tv shows or movies on their down time? this is a great question. yes. crew members do get to watch tv and movies. they can be sent up from teams on the ground. last night, mark vande hei stayed up a little past his bedtime so he could watch his crewmates launch to the space station. if you were watching last night, you are watching alongside an astronaut. crew members have successfully arrived at the space station and we are looking for hatch open in

less than an hour.

>> dragon, no response required, but cameras are internal. >> endurance copy.

>> with that call, we may be getting internal views shortly. the crew has taken off their spacesuits, as they are no longer needed since they have arrived at the international space station. >> for tracking purposes endurance, we are partway through section five -- sorry four. zero, and 400 we are working on section three now. houston: copy that. i have you the same. i see about 18 minutes left on my timer, then you guys are working through section three.

>> confirm 3.2, take out all of the bottles and everything? when it talks about the packing plan, 3.1, you are still talking about the sf plan? >> affirmative. that is the packing plan on your tablet.

>> on board, astronaut mark vande hei continues to work through procedures in anticipation of hatch opening. he is configuring cargo bags in order to be able to open the hatch shortly.

>> if you are just joining us, the crew-3 astronauts have successfully docked with the international space station after launching from nasa's kennedy space center in florida. the crew of raja chari, kayla barron and matthias marshburn

docked successfully this evening. inside the international space station -- >> the apex hatch is open. >> copy. hatch open, no condensation. >> now that the hatch is open we are one step closer to welcoming the crew to the international space station.

astronaut mark vande hei should now be able to see his new crewmates aboard the space x endurance vehicle. >> you can see their spacesuits there. towards the middle of your screen is astronaut and commander of endurance raja chari. first-time spaceflight for him. to the right of your screen is european space agency astronaut matthias maurer.

along with their crewmates kayla barron and tom marshburn, they are continuing through hatch opening. we are expecting a brief handover period between satellites but we will maintain communication shortly. >> as preparations on both sides continue, the astronauts are getting things configured on their end and we will join the three-person crew on board station. astronaut mark vande hei. and cosmonaut anton scupper off.

that will bring the total cream embers on station to seven. . upon hatch opening, we will see shared camaraderie, and then we will all be looking forward to seeing the welcome ceremonies, slated to begin approximately 35 minutes after hatch opening. still tracking hatch opening shortly after 7:00 central time this evening. >> it looks like astronaut mark vande hei is getting cargo bags ready. possibly working to get some of the padding configured for hatch opening.

>> sound check. >> endurance, i have you. i would say four by five. >> i hear you loud and clear. some inventory notes when you are ready to copy. >> i am ready to copy. >> we worked on replenishing the

daily bags. we took one bag of disinfectant wipes from bag 107 and moved it to bag 110. we took one large outer bag packed from bag 108 and moved it to bag 110. >> disinfected white from 107 to 110, and one bag from 108 to 110. >> copy. >> those words between the ground and nasa astronaut kayla barron as they were to make sure

everything is configured properly before hatch opening. on your screen now to the left lower portion is cosmonaut anton -- who is working to ask -- to assist astronaut mark vande hei in procedures as they prepare for hatch opening shortly.

>> as we continue to move towards a hatch opening shortly after 7:00, let's look at the milestones that nasa astronaut mark vande hei has already worked through. mark vande hei completed through equalization of the best of wheel between dragon and station.

the pressure was brought to five pounds per square inch where a leak check was performed. everything checked out smoothly, so the pressure was brought up and equalized to that of the space station. with pressure equalized and after checks, vande hei was given the go to open the station side hatch. now that that is open, he should be able to see the crew inside endurance. there is a small window on dragon where he can see the crew from. his main job is to be configuring the station side hatch which is configured with a docking target. it is a small rod that provided guidance for the dragon during its approach. he will remove that and provide padding to provide for safe entry for the crew-3 astronauts into the international space station.

as astronaut mark vande hei continues to configure the hatch for opening, we will likely see him taking photographs. part of that is a procedure to survey the hatch itself and inspects for any foreign object debris. >> matthias, i am ready for inventory. >> we have an update on locations 11 and 12. location 11, bags 301, we have two primary -- two utensils and a bag of huggies. 302 is empty.

>> bags 309 -- both empty. bag 310, breakfast and utensils. copy. >> ok, i copy that. bag 301 has two lunches, utensils and huggies. bag through two is empty. bag 309 and 311 are empty. bag 310, 2 lunches, two breakfasts and two utensils. copy. >> great reback. thank you. >> [indiscernible] >> nowhere is. -- no worries.

ican get crowded with the suits. >> we continue to take your asked nasa questions. we will answer them live on air. if you have a question, send it to us with #asknasa. we've got a question asking if you can see the international space station when you look up. you can see the international space station when you look up. check out the website spotthestation. nasa.gov, you

can enter your location and see when the space station is flying over you. it is needs to see it and i recommend checking it out. shit -- >> showing these backs out and working on stowing the suits in the storage bags. >> copy that. i am with you.

>> we are waiting for the crew to come aboard. we are still tracking catch opening shortly after 7:00 p.m. eastern time this evening.

>> standby for equalization.

>> the equalization process has started. >> a little more detail on that timing. we are about eight minutes away. >> those words stating it will take about eight minutes for that equalization process.

preparations continue to go smoothly on the endurance side and the international space station side. once the hatch is open, the group members inside endurance will immediately come on board. they will have to work through a couple of more procedures.

>> they are off. >> copy that. we see the same. >> we have not opened any new bags. >> copy that.

it's

>> can you go external with the cameras? >> copy that, endurance. we will let you know when the cameras are external. >> cameras are external.

>> if you are just joining us, the crew of three astronauts has successfully docked at the international space station. the crew successfully docked to the international space station. at this hour, we are awaiting the hatch to open so the crew members can join the others on board the international space station.

about 35 minutes after hatch opening, we will have a welcome ceremony where all seven of the crewmates will be able to hug and welcome their new crewmates aboard. we will hear some comments from leaders from each of the space agencies.

>> we are taking your ask nasa

questions on the broadcast this evening. if you have a question for us, send it our way we have received a question asking what are the objectives for the dragon crew during the next six months. this is a very good question. over the last 21 years, cruise aboard the space station have created over 3000 scientific experiments. they are prepared to add to that growing number. once they arrive, they will spend the next six months working in the orbital laboratory. having more crew members on boards expands the amount of research that can be conducted. not only will they be contributing to hundreds of experiments, they will be bringing some of them on the crew dragon. it is now successfully docked to the space station. they will document the effects of dietary improvements and

immune function. and if those improvements can help cruise better -- crews better adapt to spaceflight. it can improve diet and health. they are carrying or than 400 pounds of nasa cargo. this includes equipment for additional scientific investigations.

>> we are getting a response. >> that is expected as we are just getting through some stuff. we have you loud and clear. >> letknow when you are ready. we will give you the rest of the water inventory. >> another experiment is a smart phone video guidance system. it was created as a collaboration between nasa and

the florida institute of technology. it is a low commercial off-the-shelf implementation. >> it has been the configured on dragon. we can continue our calls on the big loop for the inventory. section five has been completed. >> is an implementation designed

for automated rendezvous. >> they are completely empty. >> copy. working through inventory nine and 10. >> to learn more about these and thousands of research projects that have taken place aboard the space station, go to nasa.gov.

>> those bags are completely empty. >> copy that.

>> with that we will button up the panels. >> you can follow along with us as we configure dragon. >> we are following alone.

-- along.

>> preparations continue in

anticipation of an upcoming hatch opening. >> you have a go for hatch opening. followed by remaining actions. >> copy the go for hatch opening. >> we are monitoring here on the ground.

>> great news with that go for hatch opening. we should be seeing the crew float aboard the international space station here shortly. they are working to open up the hatch on the endurance side. >> the hatch is open. >> copy, we see the same. >> dragon hatch is now open.

we can start to see the crewmembers inside endurance. that hatch we have been waiting for to open is now open. taking place just a couple of seconds ago. the crew will need to work through a few more steps before they can ingress the international space station. >> the hatch opening occurring

at 7:25 p.m. central >> you are go for hatch crossing. >> first through the hatch. some hugs. you can hear the claps. next up is a european space agency astronaut. and now we have nasa astronaut tom marshburn.

and nasa astronaut. lots of hugs and smiles here. seven crewmembers now a part of expedition 66. you can see the excitement on the cruise phases. looks like they're posing for some photos now.

>> you guys look great in that photo. >> if you are just now joining us, the astronauts have successfully docked and entered aboard the international space station. they launched yesterday. they completed a 22 hour lunch to docked to the international space station. docking occurred this evening at

5:32 p.m. central time and the hatch was open just a few minutes ago. nasa astronauts raja chari, thomas marshburn, kayla barron, and matthias maurer have reached the international space station and we see a pretty special moment happening right now for kayla barron, first-time space flyer, as she is being pinned an official flown nasa astronaut. next up is the european space agency astronaut tom marshburn,

also a first-time flyer. excuse me, that is european space agency astronaut matthias maurer being pinned by nasa astronaut tom marshburn. lots of smiles and thumbs up. an exciting moment. and the third first-time space flyer, commander of the spacex endurance vehicle, raja chari, getting his pin.

>> checking for the time. >> just about to hand over. get you on the others. -- other side.

>> and we're in a brief expected handover between our satellites we will regain communications here shortly. crew 3 has successfully arrived at the international space station after docking at 5:32

p.m. central time and floated inside the space station at 7:25 p.m. central. >> houston, looks like we are going to target top of the hour for the event. we're go for the voice check at your convenience whenever it works. >> ok. i will call you back in about 26 minutes and do the voice check shortly. >> copy that. >> and endurance crew, calm check -- comcheck on round two.

spacex endurance hears you loud and clear. >> i just want to see everyone here was clapping pretty hard as soon as we saw everybody cross the threshold, a lot of smiles. but we have a few more steps in procedure, if you are able to do that. jump back into section six. our main what is going to be sealing up that bio cube. and section 102. >> yes. we will jump into section six and get working on the bio. >> just for awareness, we are looking to get that done before the pao event before the top of the hour.

>> we are now targeting a welcome ceremony to begin at 8:00 p.m. central time this evening.

>> if you are just joining us this evening, the crew three astronauts have not only successfully docked to the international space station after launching at 8:03 p.m. central time yesterday from launch pad 39a at nasa's kennedy space center at florida, but they have also floated -- >> go for activation. >> houston, copy. >> crew three successfully floated through the space

station hatch at 7:25 p.m. central time. following a dock at 5:32 p.m. central time. at this time, we're waiting on a welcoming ceremony to begin at 8:00 p.m. central time. the crew on board the international space station is going to complete a scene and voice check to make sure everything checks out on the ground before the welcoming ceremony takes place. >> houston, open location 23. >> we copy. stand by.

>> this is station. i am ready for the seen invoice checks. >> copy. we're ready for the voice. for the scene, looks like we are going to zoom out just a little bit so we can get seven folks in there. >> endurance, this is houston.

raja, you are go for 6.0. go to open location 23. >> copy. go to open location 23. >> affirmative, 6.3. then houston, for mark, we're back with you and ready for the voice checks. >> this is the voice check. one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.

>> station for mark, we're all set, ready to go. we'll kick it off at the top of the hour. >> copy. thumbs up. >> and we had a successful scene and voice check. we're still targeting the welcoming ceremony to begin at 8:00 p.m. central time this evening.

on your screen, you can see in the bottom right is nasa astronaut mark. he did a lot of preparations ahead of hatch opening. to the left of him is cosmonaut dubrov and european space agency astronaut and member of crew three who just arrived to the international space station, matthias maurer. this is his first time in space. and to the right of him is the current space station commander, cosmonaut anton. >> copy, all.

>> station, concerning t2 harnesses. >> go ahead. >> may i put the harnesses for the crew three folks next to t2 this morning, except i did not find the harness for marshburn. can you tell me where to find that? >> we're checking on that now. not sure we're going to have that asap, but we're asking the question. >> we've got plenty of time. just have to have it before his first t2 session. >> thanks.

>> we're now just 15 minutes away from a welcoming ceremony. on your screen you see veteran astronaut tom marshburn flooding back through the hatch from the endurance vehicle, which docked to the international space station at 5:30 p.m. central time this evening. and there's the view of it docked to the international

space station. the crew onboard is working on some final procedures to get everything squared away before the welcoming ceremony begins at 8:00 p.m. central time this evening.

we're about 12 minutes out from our welcome ceremony to begin. if you have any more ask an astronaut questions, send them our way and we will answer them before the welcoming ceremony begins.

and if you are just joining us, the crew three astronauts have successfully docked to the international space station after launching at 8:03 p.m. central time yesterday from launch pad 39a at nasa's kennedy space center in florida. the crew of raja chari, kayla barron, tom marshburn, and european astronaut matthias maurer docked at 5:32 p.m. central time this evening. then they floated aboard at 7:30

p.m. central time, officially welcoming them as members of the crew. there are now seven human beings of ink and working aboard the international space station, including the four crew three astronauts as well as nasa astronaut mark and two cosmonauts.

>> as a reminder, we are taking your nasa questions, so if you have one, send it our way. we are just a few minutes away from the welcoming ceremony to begin at 8:00 p.m. central time, but we got a question about the zero g indicator for endurance, asking what the name of the zero g indicator was and what the zero g indicator was. it has been a tradition for crew dragon vehicles and crewmembers to select a zero g indicator. for this vehicle the crew three astronauts selected a turtle as

there is zero -- as their zero g indicator. it pays tribute to european space agency astronaut matthias maurer, who is from germany, a s well as pays tribute to the turtle class. >> -- at your convenience. >> go ahead on two. >> i will get to you in 20 seconds on the others of the handover. -- other side of the handover. >> while there is a brief handover, that pays tribute to the turtle class. each astronaut has a class. this one has several turtles flying on board distaste -- the space station.

>> mark, we found an answer. his harness flew up on crew three, it is on dragon. it is going to be unpacked on saturday. if you need it before that, can grab it. it is step five in the unpack message. >> ok. thanks a bunch.

>> and we are just about five minutes away from our welcoming ceremony where we will hear some remarks from nasa leadership as well as the leadership from the european space agency. still tracking a start time for the welcoming ceremony at 8:00 p.m. central time this evening. >> houston, no reply needed, but we are four minutes out from the pao event.

>> great shot of the crew four astronauts as they prepare for the welcoming ceremony slated to begin about one minute from now. >> from left to right, nasa astronaut tom washburn, kayla baron, roger tarry, and matisse

mauer. floating into the frame now is nasa after net mark vander heim. >> this is houston. are you ready for the event? >> we are not quite ready for the event. we have to get the space station commander. >> no problem. standing by.

>> houston, this is station. we are ready for the event. >> copy, station. please call the international space station for a voice check. >> hello. can you hear me? >> yes ma'am, we can hear you. greetings. >> greetings.

are we ready to go? >> let's do it. not sure if we are supposed to talk first or if you are. >> i will get started and then you guys can follow. hey. tonight's docking was a perfect way for us to finish up what has been our 10 year anniversary year for the commercial crew program. i don't know about you guys. it feels like the last two weeks have been being -- have been pretty crazy for me. i know you guys are happy to be out of crew quarters. i told norm last night we were rescuing him from crew quarters with this launch. i know market, you were waiting patiently for them to come. enjoying a few days of a little bit of quiet before the next round of folks coming up.

boy, it's good to see you. so i'm hearing that you are here, leading the turtle. if you have the turtle there. as you know, i'm so happy in particular to see you there after all your work doing the joint testing. when you come back, it will be good to hear how the vehicle operated for you with all the work that you did. it is so fantastic to see you all there. safely. we can't wait to see all the work you're going to accomplish. i'm looking forward to many more amazing experiences to come over the next six months while you are there. thank you again for your service. i love what roger said yesterday. you were getting ready for launch as you said, we were hoping for a halloween launch.

it's even cooler right now to be able to launch and dock on veterans day. it's a great way for us to honor our veterans. thank you. >> thanks to all the space experts. it was great to get to work on the vehicle. we all loved the ride up there. it was way smoother than we could have imagined. that feeling of going to the second stage was awesome. a beautiful ride that was neat to see and feel. the engines responded, seeing the displays. we would not have been complete without testing out the system, seeing if we could go from landing to launch another 48 hours. kudos to the entire team that pulled that off. we drove norm crazy but we had a pretty, we are happy to be here now.

we are ready to work. >> hi. i'm very proud to be commander of the great team. we are proud to fly together. i know in the future, we will have beautiful days in orbit together. we will work together and collect together. >> i can't tell you how happy i am to see the smiling faces. all seven of us are friends and we will become better friends as time goes on. we have a lot of work to do to do all the experiments. i learned that at this moment, we've got 60 experiments in progress. by the time we finish our time up here, we will have

participated in many more experiments than that. we have many -- a lot of work to do. exciting times coming up. it's an honor to be up here at a time when these folks are able to help out, not just with doing science that will help out humanity on the earth right now, but also to help the human race be better able to explore further away from our home planet. >> thank you. we now welcome the director general. please call space -- station for a voice check. >> how do you hear me? >> 555.

>> fantastic. really happy to see you, happy to see all of you. it's amazing to see your smiling faces. i think it must be a great feeling, experiencing weightlessness, life for the first time for you. i think it's just fantastic. for you, it's fascinating. both recover for him but also to engage in post-mission scientific activities. the science that you will continue in the coming six months. i can only tell you that we are so proud of you and excited to see you at the space station.

we wish you the best of luck. you have a lot of science and experiments ahead of you. including work on the robotic arm. we look forward to seeing you working in nasa and russian spacesuits. i hope that you have some time to enjoy the stunning views of our beautiful planet earth from the coppola. your message to planet earth, to all of us down here, will be exciting. it's just beautiful. very warm welcome to all of you. on behalf of the space agency. i'm so excited and happy to see you up there smiling. have a very good day. >> my thanks. many thanks to all of our

colleagues who helped me to find a way up here into space. it was an interesting ride yesterday. just minutes before we started this event, michael gave me the honor of opening the coppola shutters. it's an amazing view. if the view that i was dreaming about for years. after this event, i will go back and indulge that. yes. we have a lot of sign six permits ahead. i'm happy to continue what thomas started. after six months, i will hand over to samantha and it will be the longest european presence in face, 1.5 years without interruption. yes. we strive to provide. thank you very much. >> thank you.

very warm greetings from all of us here. pinkish and. >> [speaking non-english language] >> this is used in acr. that concludes the event. >> thank you for your participation in the welcome ceremony. we are now resuming normal operational audio communications. >> what an incredible few hours it has been.

it is great to see the crew three astronauts on board. they were welcomed by leaders from each of the space agencies that represent the crewmembers of endurance. first we heard from kathy leaders, the associate administrator of space operations, mission director. we heard remarks from joe shish -- from the european space agency director general. each of them talked about what it took to get to this moment, to welcome for new astronauts to the international space station, bringing the current population of the space station to seven human beings. it's been an incredible 24 hours for crew three and we are thrilled he's -- to see them safely on board. we've been with you from the very beginning, starting with the crew suiting up in the suit up room at the onc building. the crew then headed to the launchpad and made their way up the surface structure. we had an on-time lift off

yesterday. the first stage separated and came back to earth while dragon separated from the second stage. we had a good nosecone deploy in five major burns took place as dragon made its way to the space station. endurance and its crew docked to the international space station at 5:32 p.m. central time and the crewmembers floated through the hatch at 7:25 p.m. central time. officially bringing them to their new home for the next six weeks -- six months in space. it's been an incredible 24 hours watching this mission and on behalf of spacex and nasa, thank you for watching it all unfold with us. the third crew mission has reached the international space station and will spend a proximally six months docked at the space station until it's time for the crew to return home. the crew three has successfully arrived at the international space station. follow nasa and spacex on social

media for real-time updates throughout their mission. thanks again for watching our coverage. go nasa, go spacex, and go crew three. this is mission control houston. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2021] >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> you think this is just a community center? no. it is more than that. >> comcast is partnering with community centers to create so students from low income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. >> comcast support c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. ♪ get c-span on the go. watch the day biggest political offense live or on-demand anytime, anywhere on our new mobile video app. c-span now.

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