Ground test. While its disappointing, it also can be a real gift to the final design. Reporter the company embraced its failures. To be totally frank, if it hasnt been some hardware on the test end, i dont think you tested it hard enough. Thats the reality. I think sometimes the Aerospace Industry shies away from failure in the development phase. Reporter gwen shot well is space xs president , musks right hand. It looks bad politically, its tough and the media certainly makes a lot out of failures. But candidly, thats the best way to learn, is to push your systems to the limit, learn where youre weak and make things better. Lift off. Reporter spacex is armed with an escape system. If the rocket falters, its engines can push away the capsule, landing the crew safely in the ocean. And we have splash down. Reporter you genuinely believe if something goes wrong, youve got options . Absolutely. We focus on reminding folks there are people on the pointed end of the rocket ship. Thats important to us. Theres another aspect of it, we are kind of an extension of what theyre trying to accomplish. Thats really their goal, is to safely fly humans. So i think we kind of bring that home as we kind of walk through the plant. Reporter this launch shapes up as space xs pivotal test yet. Succeed and back into space launching businessness. Fail. Launching its own astronauts into space again will be setback irn definitely. My heart is sitting right here. And i think be its going to stay there until we get bob and doug safely back from the International Space station. Reporter nine years ago this july, american astronauts last left planet earth from american soil. All three engines up and burning. 2. 1. 0. And lift off. Reporter the final mission of the Space Shuttle era carried a special pay load, a small american flag. The crew is intending to leave that flag on the International Space station. Reporter its been a sentimental fixture floating above earth ever sense. So it was a good way to say, hey, next time somebody flies something from the united states, this flag is going to be up there waiting for them. Reporter but no one knew how and when. Astronaut doug hurley piloted that last shuttle flight. Did you think then that the person who might bring that flag home could be you . No, absolutely not. I mean, i didnt think i was going to fly again necessarily, let alone be potentially the guy that goes up and gets it. Reporter hurley and astronaut bob will make history when they blast off from floridas Kennedy Space center. Liftoff. Reporter theyll climb aboard a spacex rocket and launch into an era of human commercial space flight. I think the most exciting thing about this mission for both doug and i is bringing that capability and inspiring hopefully another generation of engineers and scientists to challenge themselves and to try to do great things like our nation does. Reporter when the shuttle retired in 2011 the Space Shuttle pulls into port for the last time. Its voyage at an end. Reporter nasas astronauts had only one way to get to space. And liftoff. Reporter hitching a ride on a russian rocket. The partnership is strong, but we dont want dependency. Reporter nasa administrator, jim bridenstein. Some of it is american pride. Prestig, i think prestige. They want to launch their own rockets into space. Reporter in 2014 nasa hired boeing and elon musks spacex to be their uber and lyft to the space station. For nasa its more costeffective and allows the agency to focus on the science of exploring deep space. [ cheers and applause ] spacex beat out boeing in being first to fly. Its design has a back to the future feel and flashy new technology throughout. Its been described as a flying iphone. I remember that comment. Its a pretty big iphone. Three touch screens in front of you. At least give it credit to be an ipad. Reporter spacex has a track record bringing cargo to the space station. This time for the first time, the reusable rockets capsule will carry people. Do you have any reservations flying for a company that has never actually put someone into space before . I dont think reservations are the right word. I think what we really concern ourselves with as Test Pilot School graduates, whats the plan look like . Tell me the buildup were going to march through. Lets look at the details of that. When all those things are done appropriately, well be ready to fly on it from a human perspective. Reporter does it mean something to you guys in this new age to be the first . After you come back and its successful, you know, bob and i can go hang out someplace and have a beer and maybe then we can reflect on, you know, all those things. But its kind of youre just so hyper focused on getting to that point and making it a success. Reporter landing the modern spacex capsule back on earth will have a more retro approach, a splash down like the apollo moon shots of the 1960s and 70s. And it has potential, then, to really be a means for bridging differences and bringing people together. Reporter margaret widekamp is a space historian at the Smithsonian National air and space museum. She hopes this new era of exploration may help unite our polarized country just as apollo 11 did at the height of vietnam. There is always something that stirs the heart in a different way when you know that you are watching something through the eyes of a fellow human being. I think it puts us sitting in their seat. We imagine ourselves looking through their eyes. Reporter and after months of covid misery and fatigue, experiencing that feeling of wonder, riding the rocket along with benhken and hurley. After years of training, the astronauts arrived at Kennedy Space center on wednesday. They were greeted by a maskwearing jim bridenstein. Something in all the years of preparation no one could have ever predicted. I think right nowth midst of this pandemic where people are struggling with maybe even just simple motivation, maybe people are concerned about the future, what nasa is so amazing at doing is bringing people together and inspiring them for a future that is brighter than today. That was Mark Strassmann reporting. Well have more on the spacex laun motorcycle riders love the open road. And geico loves helping riders get to where theyre going, so to help even more, geico is giving new and current customers a fifteen percent credit on their motorcycle policies with the geico giveback. And because were committed for the long haul, the credit lasts your full policy term. The geico giveback. Helping riders focus on the road ahead. Thats a zzzquil pure zzzs sleep. The geico giveback. Our gummies contain a unique botanical blend, while an optimal melatonin level means no nextday grogginess. Zzzquil pure zzzs. Naturally superior sleep. pirate girl ahoy excited squeal, giggling panting gotcha man ah girl nooooooooooooo man nooooo girl nooooo. vo quick, the quicker picker upper bounty picks up messes quicker, and is two times more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand. man and pirate girl ahoy laughing vo bounty, the quicker picker upper. The planned launch of the Spacex Falcon 9 rocket this afternoon will carry astronauts bob and doug to the International Space station. Theyll meet up with fellow astronaut Chris Cassidy who has been in command of the iss since last month. Tony dokoupil spoke with cassidy about this historic mission. Reporter all right, commander Chris Cassidy. Were on the brink of a major milestone in space flight in the history of space flight up until right now. Only countries have put a capsule into orbit and then brought it back, and now we could have a company do it, spacex with two of your colleagues, two american astronauts on board. How big of a deal is this mission . Oh, its a gigantic deal. We retired the shuttle for very sound reasons when that decision was made, with aims to move towards the future. And now the future is here. Reporter one of the questions when nasa teamed up with commercial companies to try to do Something Like this was, how will the culture of safety at nasa match up with the corporate ambition of a company like spacex. So how confident are you that as your friends get into that capsule theyre going to arrive ere safely . T spacex all with motivation to do the same thing, thats fly missions effectively and safely. I think its been healthy for both the commercial guys who faster, faster and cheaper, and nasa with a more decadesbased of safety culture, i think it is of been healthy for the growth of both organizations. Reporter are you worried about coronavirus as these additional astronauts arrive . Well, certainly were worried about it. We have confidence in the testing of the program and the regime that the medical folks are putting bob and doug through and the protections that they have will mitigate that as low of a probability as we can. I was joking around with my colleague, my crew mates last night. Maybe we should have them come in through the hatch and make a hard left and well isolate them here in the corner for a couple weeks before well treat them to a meal. Reporter all right. Well, we wish everybody luck, and i have to say, commander cassidy, as i say goodbye. As a florida boy who grew up watching the Space Shuttle and the space program, it is a joy to talk to you. I enjoyed my time at cbs. Cbs coverage of the historic launch the simple act of riding a horse can be a lifechanging event for children with special needs, but the pandemic has kept most of our equine friends in the barn. As don dahler reports, some families are working to make sure their kids will be able to saddle up again. Reporter there is an unlikely you taupe i can unlikely utopia in new york city gallop nyc where people with special needs learn to overcome fear with an 800 pound helper. She rode a horse for the first time. Her mother lisa said it changed real. Lyirives as been. Reporter do you think it gives her a certain confidence in dealing with the word . 100 . Yes. She just said yes. It just puts a calming effect onto all my children. Reporter but due to the shutdown, this is gallop nyc today. Normally on a day like this, this place would be bustling with kids and horses and activity. Instead, its almost a ghost town. Most of the two dozen therapy horses that live here have been sent away. There would probably be 20, 25 people here, right. Wed have a handful of students riding, three or four students riding at a time. Reporter executive director james wilson. Its cheaper to take care of them upstate. Reporter theyre out to pasture. Theyre out to pasture. Also we wanted to minimize the number of horses we have here in case we had staff get sick. Reporter the cost of maintaining the horses and staff at their two locations in new york is more than 100,000 a month. With no people coming, revenues plummeted. From South Carolina to california and around the world, over 800 equine therapy organizations are struggling to survive. But in new york, the families whose lives have been touched by these animals are making sure theyre cared for. Over 300 contributed to a gofundme effort. If this drags on through the summer, are you guys going to be okay . Yeah, yeah, we are going to be okay, absolutely. Im committed, our entire network is committed, our entire community is committed for us to be okay. These people are amazing. Theyre like family to us there. Reporter if i can ask, do you love horses . Yes. We all say there is some magic connection with the children and the horses. Reporter and some day, the children and the horses will be reunited. Don dahler, cbs news, new york. And thats the overnight news for this wednesday. For some of you, the news continues. For others, check back later for cbs this morning. And follow us online any time at cbsnews. Com. Reporting from the nations capital, im chip reid. Captioning sponsored by cbs y ce officers fired. Odonnell breaking news tonight, four Police Officers fired. Shocking video shows a white officer kneeling on the neck of a black man for several minutes. I cant breathe. Odonnell the man dies in custody, and now the f. B. I. Is investigating. Tonight, protests forming in minnesota. The u. S. Death toll nearing 100,000 on hopes of a new vaccine and economic recovery, the stock market rallies. Trading returned to the New York Stock Exchange but with temperature checks, no hand shakes, and fewer workers. Well tell you which states are seeing cases rise. And apple makes a major announcement. Confrontation in central park. The video that has sparked a national conversation
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