DCSIMG
Skip Global Navigation to Main Content
Videos

Private Space Flight in America

15 March 2012

This video was produced by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs. The speakers are Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of Xprize Foundation; Bob Marks, director of supply chain for The Spaceship Company; Kirstin Grantham, director of communications for SpaceX; Jeff Greason, CEO and co-founder of Xcor Aerospace; Keith Colmer, a test pilot with Virgin Galactic; Michael Moses, vice president of operations for Virgin Galactic; and manager Aleta Jackson of Xcor Aerospace.

 01:00:02.250,01:00:07.375
PETER DIAMANDIS: A lot of people say the space shuttle program
is over, and it's the end of space in America. They're wrong. 

01:00:07.375,01:00:11.000
[TEXT: Peter Diamandis, Chairman and CEO Xprize Foundation]
 This is the beginning of the most exciting period
of human space flight ever.
 
01:00:11.000,01:00:16.792
BOB MARKS: There's a lot imagination out there. There's a hole out there.
People are hungry for space flight.
 
01:00:16.792,01:00:19.000
[TEXT: Bob Marks, Director of Supply Chain, The Spaceship Company]
And entrepreneurs are going to make this thing happen next.
 
01:00:19.000,01:00:23.042
[TEXT: Private Space Flight in America]
 
01:00:23.042,01:00:25.333
[TEXT: Kirstin Grantham, Director of Communications, SpaceX]
GRANTHAM: We build rockets that carry payloads to orbit
 
01:00:25.333,01:00:29.208
[TEXT: SPACECRAFT]
and we have the spacecraft that is going to carry
astronauts and cargo.
 
01:00:29.208,01:00:31.833
[TEXT: ROCKETS]
JEFF GREASON: We develop rocket engines and 
 
01:00:31.833,01:00:34.792
[TEXT: Jeff Greason, CEO and Co-founder, Xcor Aerospace]
all of the other pieces that make a propulsion system.
 
01:00:34.792,01:00:38.000
[TEXT: Keith Colmer Test Pilot Virgin Galactic]
KEITH COLMER: We're really about providing
the average person
 
01:00:38.000,01:00:39.958
[TEXT: FLIGHT]
the ability to go into space.
 
01:00:39.958,01:00:43.542
Five to 10 seconds, you're going to be going Mach 1 supersonic.
 
01:00:43.542,01:00:46.708
Thirty seconds later you're going to be going
through Mach 2 or Mach 3 —
 
01:00:46.708,01:00:49.167
basically going straight uphill. It's going to be quite a ride. 
 
01:00:49.167,01:00:52.000
We’re really breaking new ground.
 
01:00:52.000,01:00:56.208
DIAMANDIS: True innovation means an ability to take extraordinary risk.
 
01:00:56.208,01:00:59.667
GREASON: It depends on freedom — the freedom to fail,
 
01:00:59.667,01:01:03.167
the freedom to reap the rewards of your investment if it's
successful.
 
01:01:03.167,01:01:06.333
GRANTHAM: The U.S. government and private companies are working together.
 
01:01:06.333,01:01:10.250
With the experience that NASA has, and this innovative business culture, 
 
01:01:10.250,01:01:13.917
we'll see a real advancement that we haven't seen in decades.
 
01:01:13.917,01:01:16.917
DIAMANDIS: There is a culture here in the United States that says,
 
01:01:16.917,01:01:19.583
"If I have a dream, I can go make it happen."
 
01:01:19.583,01:01:22.083
MICHAEL MOSES: To go off and just apply technology to whatever
 
01:01:22.083,01:01:27.083
[TEXT: Michael Moses V.P. of Operations Virgin Galactic]
you dream it to be — it’s a pretty cool thing to be able to do.
 
01:01:27.083,01:01:32.083
GRANTHAM: People who want to participate in this industry don’t do it 'cause
it’s easy.  Space is tough.
 
01:01:32.083,01:01:34.958
GREASON: The reason we are in the industry is to see that the industry
happens.
 
01:01:34.958,01:01:36.667
[TEXT: Aleta Jackson Manager Xcor Aerospace]
JACKSON: We cheer each other on.
 
01:01:36.667,01:01:41.417
When Spaceship 1 flew, we had the world's largest tailgate party here
in the hangar.
 
01:01:41.417,01:01:45.000
And it was in celebration of what they were doing.
 
01:01:45.000,01:01:50.583
DIAMANDIS: Space is ultimately the future of humanity. These
entrepreneurs take huge risks.
 
01:01:50.583,01:01:54.792
And because of that, we're really going to have a revolution in space
 
01:01:54.792,01:01:59.667
and making it possible for all of us to do it repeatedly, cheaply
and safely.
 
01:01:59.667,01:02:03.417
MOSES: Once those people get to go into space and see the earth from above
 
01:02:03.417,01:02:06.083
their boundaries expand, their visions expand.
 
01:02:06.083,01:02:08.875
It really will change your view of life here on Earth.
 
01:02:08.875,01:02:13.000
MARKS: Mach 3 straight up? You know you want to do it.
 
[TEXT: Continue the Conversation at
http://www.facebook.com/StateDepartmentOES
 
Produced by the U.S. Department of State]