Flying the MOST COMPLEX Machine Ever Created

I will forever have a soft spot for the shuttle. Seeing an airplane shaped spacecraft go into space and land like an airplane was and will always be the ultimate thrill.

The only problem with this interview is that it was too short!! Great to hear about the shuttle experience from a pilot's perspective! Thanks!

As a kid I always dreamed of being an Astronaut and going to space. As an adult I still dream of space but instead of becoming a pilot/astronaut, I became an acft mechanic. Which I thoroughly enjoyed. Keep up the great videos Hasard!

I was blessed to have worked 20 years with the shuttle program. I witnessed over 100 launches. I spoke with many crew members, but I never asked what it was like to fly shuttle or land. Love that program that was one job that I never had a bad day!!!!! One big family, one mission!!!!

I've never flown a shuttle, but I did fly in NASA's Vertical Motion Simulator that all shuttle commanders trained on, and landed the shuttle 15 times at airports around the world. An amazing experience.

Terrific to hear Terry Virts' description of re-entry. Having been an engineering intern in TPS at Downey 35 years ago, his description was excellent. This is one of the best interviews of an STS CDR or PLT that I've heard in a long-time. Thanks so much for making this video. I know folks who spent decades working on the orbiter. We love this program and the crews who flew her.

He seemed really excited to be able to talk to someone who could understand and appreciate the nuance. Very cool to hear.

I built a model of the space shuttle Enterprise, I think, on a 747 before they ever launched one as an elementary school kid. I watched every shuttle launch I could no matter the time of day. And after the last landing I had something in my eyes😢. Excellent interview.

The shuttle is an awesome space craft and even cooler aircraft. I love hearing stories like this from people who were there and especially about aviation whether it be some shenanigans on the ground or some serious stuff in the air it always amazes me to know that the person is right in front of you.

I worked on the shuttle program for a short while after Columbia Return To Flight. Seeing the shuttle for the first time stacked in the VAB (literally standing just off to the side of the main engines) and at the 195' (ish) level out at the pad, it made me pause and really get my head around the insane engineering that it was. It really deserves to be one of the great wonders of the world.

Super cool info about the control inputs being sensitive to pitch and sluggish on roll. Thanks Hasard

when I was a kid in gradeschool in the 80s, if the space shuttle was launching, the whole school would stop, we would gather in the gymnasium, a television would be wheeled in, and we would watch the launch. It was that big of a deal back then. And all of us kids dreamed of being an astronaut.

This is a lovely warm and informative interview. Enthusiastic person talking about something we all know about but have never done. And he communicates so well and clearly and with a little humour too.
Nice work by the interviewer who asked perfect questions. And he idn't interrupt the answers, and was smart enough to just nudge things along with the right amount of to and fro between him and the person he was interviewing.
Well edited too.
Super!

Very interesting video. The shuttle has always fascinated me ever since I visited the US Space & Rocket Center at Huntsville, Ala. I remember buying some sort of a simplified pilot's manual for the shuttle which I gave to my nephew. And I still have the stickers in memory of the tragic Challenger accident. Thank you for posting this video.

There will always be a place in my heart for this marvel of engineering. I grew up in California's Antelope Valley where shuttles were born. I had the pleasure of watching the Enterprise (the original test flight mock-up vehicle) being moved along the surface streets from the Palmdale assembly plant to the Edwards Air Force Base mating jig which was used to attach Enterprise to the top of a 747. I watched several of the glide to landing tests as well and treasure the many photographs (actually 35mm slides) I took at these events. Little did I know then what successes, failures, and tragedies the program would be asked to endure, all of which were unimaginable while standing in awe of what I was witnessing in those moments. Great job Hasard and Terry for bringing this to us- things I didn't know until today.

I can honestly say, hand on heart, that this has been the most ‘down to Earth’ (pun intended) interview of an astronaut I’ve ever listened to. He comes across as a safe pair of hands whom you could feel confident in if things went south on a mission. It was one experienced test pilot talking to another experienced test pilot. I have a saying, “I love it when I’m talking to an intelligent and knowledgeable person. I don’t have to explain anything.”

I got to see the shuttle discovery launch in 2007 and it remains a highlight of my life to this day. The kind of power that looks like a fast sunrise as rattles your insides from several miles away. IMO, there are two things everyone should see before they die…a total solar eclipse and a rocket launch.

Thank you both so much and God bless you for your service. Great interview about the shuttle and its functions. Incredible craft. I remember when I was in the 4th grade and at school watching the launch of the Challenger shuttle, such a horrific day, i remember as a kid i was worried about what happened and when Reagan spoke he said things in a way that made me feel everything was going to be ok. I hope we get to see more of our neighboring planets and to see real time landing and first steps of humans on Mars in our lifetime. ♥️🇺🇸💪

This is a really awesome video, its hard to comprehend just how complex the shuttle really is

Having watched the entire shuttle program, from the Enterprise test flights, first launch of Columbia in 1981, the tragedies, etc until the very end of the program, you get used to seeing a lot of clips and TV interviews from inside the vehicle when it is in space. It's amazing to see how truly small it is inside compared to how it looks on TV. It always seemed so much roomier when they were doing the interviews!

One of the best descriptions of how it felt to be in the shuttle I’ve ever heard!! Thank you! Love it!

Always been a huge NASA fan, I remember where I was when Neil Armstrong made his “Giant Leap”, as a pre-teen. Was fortunate enough to witness the very last shuttle launch with my son, what a colossal thrill!

Very nice one, sir! And the combination of expertise, serenity and modesty Terry shows makes him a true Astronaut and yeah, a Hero. It always touches me if I see an interview with one of them. They're just a special kind even if they won't admit it (in public at least ;-)

Now THAT is how you share an extraordinary experience with others! From his point-of-view explanations, I could really grasp (as much as possible) the experiences he was describing. I could listen to his stories all day long.

Another excellent episode in your "what the ordinary person doesn't know" category. I always learn something from these insights Hasard. Thanks again!

There will never be another space shuttle...but we will have Starship!
Amazing tour. Love everything to do with the shuttle. Absolutely fascinating.

The shuttle program was a part of my childhood and its epic.
SpaceX is the best there is and evef have been.
Im glad to be alive to witness all these achievements

Pure badassery, if that’s a word. I remember when the first one went up. I stood on the beach in Ft Lauderdale trying to catch a glimpse thinking we’d see a lot more than we could. I’ve watched a lot from here and my roof, but you couldn’t see much. The best we’re at night. The best view of one was also the worst view of any, just a lot of smoke in a Y shape on a freezing cold day. I’m still shocked they launched on such an oddly cold day.

Enjoyed seeing fellow USAFA 1989 Aero Major grad Terry Virts in his element here! As humble a soul as he always was…I remember him as a complete wizard in our aero classes! Congrats Terry…well done👏👏👏

I had the unique experience to have a flightline badge at Edwards AFB when the shuttle used to land there. Saw it land a few times from maybe 200 yards away. It was super cool to have had that honor. The shuttle is much smaller than what I expected. Seeing it piggy back out on a jet was pretty awesome as well.

My wife and I and our two kids, ages 8 and 12, were at DisneyWorld in Orlando Florida, floating on innertubes on the Lazy River of a waterpark and we watched in awe the big white contrail of the Space Shuttle as it rose into the stratosphere. I only wish we could’ve been at the Cape to witness that personally, but at least we got to see that big, beautiful, white plume, and we were never so proud!

As a young engineer I had an opportunity to work on the shuttle main engines for SLS Artemis and it was such an honor working alongside the engineers who put their heart into this project for over 30 years.

What a cool guy. Incredibly accomplished and humble. He knows and understands the opportunity he had and he is grateful. A valuable lesson for all of us.

Great interview! Best look I’ve had of cockpit. I went to FL as a kid in the time frame between Enterprise gliding of a 747, but before the first actual launch. Incredible bravery by each crew. Especially after Challenger and then again after Columbia where we learned and re-learned that space flight was still very difficult and dangerous.

This is amazing it sucks that it has been shut down. I guess me and many others would love to be able to experience going to space on the shuttle. Hopefully commercialized spaceflight becomes a thing for people like me.

Had the opportunity to chat with Colonel Virts maybe 10 years ago as a undergraduate. He generously gave his time and wisdom about engineering, career and just - life. I’ll always appreciate that memory.

Where was this filmed? While I'm not an engineer or astronaut, I worked at NASA on the last two shuttle missions and had to do work in the MCC during each mission. Fun stuff.

In case anyone is wondering, they are in the “Shuttle Full Fuselage Trainer” (not one of the flying shuttles) in the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

My cousin, also an ERU grad, was a propulsion systems engineer for United Space Alliance, contracted to NASA at JSC as a propulsion systems trainer. He trained four STS crews from 1998 to 2002. I'll have to ask him if he ever worked with Terry!

This is a treat. Pilot swagger, humanity, humor and humility all in a great and informative video. I had the pleasure and honor of meeting the Canadian Astronaut and Pilot Chris Hadfield a few years ago, and he had these same qualities in abundance. Thanks for a superb video. Just subscribed. Looking forward to more of your video tours and insights into aviation and space subject matter.

OK, this was as cool as any aviation video I've watched. This guy has it all...the talent and bravery to fly all the latest stuff, plus such a gift for detail in common language. So good, I had to watch over to really understand the comments. Who the heck would take off their protective glove and touch a windshield that had golden glowing plasma passing over it ? This guy. Respect.

I personally met General Kevin Chilton (Space Shuttle Pilot) many years ago had the opportunity to learn more about the Space Shuttle and space program What an amazing career. Go Air Force!

Awesome video thanks for sharing. As far back as I can remember I have lived on the flight path to LAX. I can remember being six years old seeing four engine turbo props flying over my house and I still remember the four engine jets. I’ve always been fascinated with aviation and in 1978 I got my private pilots license and since then I’ve been to about a dozen air shows. In 2006 I was an electrical crew foreman for so cal edison, I was working a tornado that took down about a hundred poles and we have them here, there rare but we occasionally have one roll through. I was listening to the local am news radio and at about one o’clock in the morning I heard that there was a space shuttle in bound for Edwards AFB. I saw it when it was white hot and as it passed overhead it slowly turned orange and in just a couple of minutes it disappeared over the horizon. Live in So Cal every once in a while we would hear the double sonic boom it was amazing. When they were building the shuttle’s in Palmdale they had a a five man crew building the power lines two where the shuttle’s were being built, they had to have a security clearance and only those five on the crew were allowed to work near the plant. Just before I topped out as a journeyman lineman they would have a two man service crew go ahead of the shuttle’s to raise the wires so the shuttle could pass, they gave each crew a jacket as a thanks for the effort. Unfortunately a telephone lineman was electrocuted while working on the move. I lived in Downey growing up and North American Rockwell was one of the big companies that built was involved in the space craft that would eventually take man to the moon, they would place a capsule on display in front of their assembly plant and I can remember driving past the capsule on Imperial blvd. Ever since I was old enough to recognize what was flying over my head I’ve been fascinated with aviation and aerospace. Thanks again for your video, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 😃

Even though we left the shuttle behind us, it's great to see so much of the tech and hardware still in use on the Orion/Artemis program. There are newer design shuttles being built now because we still need something that can easily and quickly be brought down from ISS directly to their landing destination.

Thanks for your service gentlemen. I'm grateful to all who serve and have in the past. Great video, Hasard

I was a little girl when the Shuttle first launched and from that moment on, I loved anything to do with space. Oh, how I wanted to be an astronaut and see the Earth from the Shuttle! Or at the very least, see a launch with my own eyes.
Although my space dreams never came true, I STILL love seeing anything to do with space, and I'll always love the Shuttles - what a fantastic feat of engineering that captured the imagination of so many.
Thank you so much for the video Hasard, and thank you both for your service ❤
From a new subscriber and wishful thinking astronaut!

Some of the coest things ive ever seen is a shuttle night launch. The sls one was a close second. I keep telling people the sls and spacex starliner launches that will be upcoming, take your kids out and go see it. Seeing that and the historical event they be, will be simply one of the best memories you can experience in your lifetime.

Good upload! Most folks don't realize how much credit the STS system deserves. And IT WAS MOSTLY REUSABLE!!!

The washroom bit was actually very informative. Had no idea how complicated it was to go to the bathroom and the technology and thought process involved to create the facility. The world's most expensive RV!!!!!

1:32 Considering today's date (31-Jan), the first view of the flight deck actually brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for the outstanding video.

Amazing interview! When I saw the video length, I thought "too long?"
Then watching it, when it finishes I was more like "Oh, already?!?"
Pilots are amazing people, humble and super smart!

The very first shuttle STS-1 Columbia launched on the day I turned 16 years old. About a week later I got my driver's licence and motorcycle licence.
Being an aircraft nerd from a very young age after watching a couple Apollo Saturn-V rockets get their candles lit. 1981 was a year ill never forget. You could say I earned my wings for 2 and 4 wheels launching my freedom to "go where this kid has never been before".
Watched almost every launch including the first disaster live on TV. That was heart breaking.
Great video, thank you.

This guy knows his stuff, how awesome becoming a pilot and then an astronaut!!!

What an incredible and humble man. The way he talks about everything you can tell he's a polymath.

Hell yeah that was so cool thank you to everyone involved as a kid the shuttle program was the coolest/ most devastating thing I remember as a child of the 90’s

really cool story, such a humble intelligent man! I grew up in the 80s and 90s fascinated by the space shuttle

I am so glad I found you channel. I would have given anything if the interview would have been a live stream. Like so many others I worked on shuttle missions as well. On the ground with my employer. I was part of the ISS as well. I am your newest subscriber and I very much look forward to your next video.

Love that pilot - made me want to be an astronaut all over again.

Wow, that was THE best explanation and over I've ever seen on flying the Shuttle. Brilliant 👏👏👏

GREAT Video Hasard Lee...Im really proud of the STS program, still obsessed. My mom was head of procurement for all the STS orbiters until the year 2000. She worked for every single contract holder starting w Rockwell and ending w United Space Alliance... She was responsible for all the exterior components (tiles, fiberglass blankets, windows etc). We used to have some of these on display as she worked closely w Dow Corning (where they formulated a LOT of those proprietary compounds). The tiles were made onsite at the cape in forms. The fiberglass blankets (white part of the shuttle) were also made onsite. My mom has been on the pad to inspect shuttles w engineers, and has been inside the shuttle ON the pad (she didnt like, its REALLY tight inside). She also got to see inside the US ISS module before it went to space. Ive personally seen TWO orbiters together in a hangar and was able to walk underneath them at the cape. We also got to meet Neil Armstrong in 89 and when John Glenn went up? My mom can be seen in the airstream footage before he went to the pad before liftoff. To this day, she still doesnt know how John Glenn went up in that thing at his age at the time. He was a BADASS! GREAT VIDEO!🙌🙌

Thank you for sharing this expierience with us. I think you need really big balls of steel to fly a Space Shuttle especially the landing.

Great interview Hazard. I appreciate the subjects you choose for your videos. They’re both aeronautical and scientific and those are my kryptonite.

Playing the simulator for PC, I still remember spending 45 minutes looking up every switch I needed once in orbit just to continue after launch. Fixing the Hubble was a pain in the butt. Landing was wonderful. Sadly the disasters make me think something fundamental had changed at NASA - something which we never got back.

Very humble, very instructive, seems like a great guy !

Awesome video, how on earth did you get to tour the shuttle like this? It’s a dream of mine.

Probably the greatest most complex piece of engineering we have created, i remember watching discovery when i was little.

Thanks for sharing this experience. One of the most captivating explanation of re-entry en watched so far!

This was by far one of the most interesting videos on Clip-Share. Great! Thanks!

Well worthwhile to watch this video. I’m curious to know how much they flew the T-38 in their astronaut training. Probably more time was spent in the sim. Suppose that is covered in his book.

I wanted to fly it so bad… sad that it was abandoned.
“It’s a nice Seattle day..”
I felt that.

Wow very interesting! I am always amazed by how much though went into the design of these machines.

Wow!! Clip-Share recommended me something AWESOME for a change!! Thanks for making this video and sharing, I'll sub and check out your other videos too :) I miss the Army, best time of my life!!!

Hasard Lee... bloody hell, what a badass name. Can't imagine you being anything other than a fighter pilot for the USAF. Awesome vid, glad the algorithm threw this my way!

This is the coolest video and the coolest man I've ever seen. You're runner up for making this happen ;) seriously though thanks for this video. This is so seriously cool. Probably the closest I'll get to knowing what it's like!

Hasard might have to be one of the coolest names I’ve ever heard… the man was basically destined to do a badass job like being a fighter pilot

what an awesome video. what a guy, thank you so much for your sharing, it's an honor to have you telling us all these wonderful experiences

I could listen to this guy talk about his experience for ever. The ultimate dude to have a few drinks with.

One thing I’ve always wanted to ask those guys.. what study tips to you have?? The amount of procedures and information they need to instantly recall and remember is up there with cardio surgeons.

An amazing insight into the shuttle and told really well, glad I clicked :)

What a humble and down to earth man! Great interview!

It is incredible to hear an actual astronaut describe the inner workings of the shuttle in such vivid detail. Pilot myself, I appreciate this interview because I too wanted to know how the shuttle behaved in flight and in space.
Thank you for this video!

The more humble you appear to be, the more respect I have for you. And yes, that is quite a Club to be in.

This man was as passionate about cleaning the shitter as he was about flying the shuttle. A true team player!

Oh brilliant, I only saw at the end that the pilot is plugging his book at the end, I will definitely be getting hold of that if possible! Thanks Hasard for posting.

I always wonder what gets you chosen to go to space, and expect its talent in many areas. Hearing actual astronauts talk through things is so interesting. To lose a crew to an accident is super tragic and they had to face that every day. What a crazy mix of fun and danger at the same time.

Thanks for your courageous service to the world. Great video.

Thank you for your service ... and for sharing your outstanding videos !!

I was lucky once to be a USAF Major that got invited to do some training script validations for NASA Astronaut instructor Susan Crippen in the Space Shuttle Full Motion Simulator at JSC. Basically, she needed warm bodies in the seats to react to MALS to ensure the astronaut crew get correct indications like when she failed one of the SSME’s during launch. Three options available depending on when it happens and how much energy you have: RTLS, Abort once around, or abort to orbit. During the landing phase, the CDR and/or PLT reach up on the glare shield and push two tiles to deselect auto roll and pitch to manually fly. From there it’s energy management to keep the pipper inside the box in the HUD. Normally a typical ILS approach is 3 degrees. Shuttle glides more like a streamlined safe. Like he said in the video I was surprised at how nimble the Shuttle was, especially with pitch input. It was so many years ago but I think we crossed the runway threshold at 250 kts? It was back in the 80’s so I may have remembered some of the facts wrong.

This still boggles my mind: Rolling into final at a 20° down angle. That´s insane. I´ve seen different cockpit videos. It´s nuts.

love the space shuttle; had so many simulators for them on my laptop.

April 1981, watching Young, and Crippen, launch into earth orbit, was exhilarating to say the least... saw it land at Edwards..

That's the training orbiter that all the astronauts trained on before going to space.
It's at Boeing in Seattle Washington. I got to go in it and it's amazing! The one thing you don't realize how small it is until you get inside🤯

I got to land the motion simulators at both JSC and Ames. One of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life.

@Hasard Lee, the Shuttle is a marvel of engineering, I ♥the Shuttle & this was a great video. I appreciate both of you gentleman & your service. I wish I could've flown on the Shuttle myself or even watched a launch in person. Sadly I saw the Shuttle Challenger explosion as a child in school nearly 40 years ago, yesterday being the anniversary... Teachers were given the option to take class time to tune into the launch, of course all of us expecting a better outcome. And then the disaster occurred and they turned off the TV's. Teachers were trying to calm some students. We turned off the lights and we just sat in silence, some putting their heads down/crying. I remember staring out the window at the sky, crying... It was obviously so impactful because we knew those were people's "moms and dads" etc., and of course the school teacher Christa...
In spite of the tragedies and the cost, I miss the Shuttle. It effectively assembled the Space Station, it put Hubble into space, it was reusable, could carry up to 7 crew, had an enormous payload bay and could land under it's own power which was basically gliding in... Several years ago I was blessed with a trip to Mission Control Houston as part of winning a "challenge" sponsored by NASA & OSU where I met with 4 Astronauts and retired Astronaut Will McArthur and his wife where we had dinner, photo ops etc... I spent a little time touring facilities and vehicles including the life-sized Shuttle sim, it really is complicated in the cockpit. I also saw the toilet and cargo area. It was funny seeing the "wall bed" where you would strap yourself to the wall and sleep, lol. I also toured life-sized replicas of some of the Space Station modules.
As part of another 2-phase opportunity prior to that, I was flown to Marshall where a prototype Orion shell was present. It was stripped down & they were preparing it for fitment and testing. There were several different facilities we toured. There was one facility where the floor is within +/- 0.003" perfectly level. They simulate some movements of spacecraft in the lab. One facility we visited housed a vacuum chamber for various testing procedures. Another facility housed a large area where they were actively testing infrared cameras and software designed to record and mimic Astronaut movements which could be translated to robotic movements to carry out various tasks.
We also had a chance to visit the on-site store where you can purchase various souvenirs. I picked up a poster, shirt and then I wanted to get something special for my nieces and I discovered they had some freeze-dried ice cream like Apollo Astronauts would've used. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is onsite as well which was closed at the time but it has the life-sized Shuttle, boosters and fuel tank sort of in the wooded area. They also had an A-12 Blackbird there and you definitely can't miss the life-sized Saturn V rocket.

When you hear someone flying the space shuttle saying that the most difficult part was the poop thing, then you know for sure that he was the right guy for the job! Kudos!

holy cow that cockpit looks terrifyingly complex 😦

After all these years, this was the first time I've ever seen the toilet on the shuttle. Pretty interesting stuff....and yes, I've wondered if anyone has "done it" in space. Lol I can only imagine how that could be a very different experience, not to mention it would be interesting to know how a human's body would react in zero grav from a scientific point of view.

Great video....as a pilot too, really enjoyed it!!!!

very interesting! I've seen maany documentaries and interviews about shuttle and is always nice to find something new like his experience during reentry.

Great video and interview very interesting! They don’t show us enough of the inside of the space shuttle