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6 questions for astronaut Dr. Scott Parazynski

By Bill Scanlon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 4, 2007 at 12:30 a.m.

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Parazynski repaired solar wing on space station.

Parazynski repaired solar wing on space station.

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Tethered to the tip of the International Space Station, astronaut Dr. Scott Parazynski looked across the Himalayas, saw the Northern Lights and felt like the luckiest man above the face of the Earth.

Parazynski, a former Evergreen resident, last month performed what NASA is calling one of the greatest "space saves" in the history of manned space flight.

The crew of the space shuttle Discovery had installed a pressurized compartment on one side of the space station.

But when they unfurled two solar wings, on a girder on the left side of the space station, the second one snagged in tangled wires, ripping in two places.

Without the solar wings, the space station wouldn't have enough power to function, and the efforts and hopes of scientists worldwide would blink off.

Parazynski, an emergency room specialist, floated outside with wire cutters, pliers and homemade tools to fix the torn wing.

Propped on a 90-foot extension beam, he was farther away from the safe confines of the space station than any astronaut had ever been.

He also was dangerously close to a solar wing that had 100 volts of electricity.

Exhausting? Yes.

Successful? You betcha.

Monday morning, Parazynski answered questions posed by the Rocky Mountain News:

1 You're a scuba diver, a world-class luger, a rock climber. You've climbed all 53 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks. Was the space walk comparable to any of those?

The closest comparison would be a really difficult rock climb.

You're on belay the whole time. You have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. You're at your physical and mental limits.

2 Can you describe what it was like, out there alone, having a perspective hardly any of us will ever have?

There were so many things. It was a stream of consciousness that could cover a thousand pages. I'm not eloquent enough to do it justice.

To look back from the very tip of the space station at the most remarkable technology human beings have ever built . . . to look down across the Himalayas, to see sunrises and sunsets . . .

It was a real sense of awe, thinking of God's creation, feeling so fortunate to be there, so many powerful emotions coming over you as you stand there.

3 You're a doctor. How can space travel advance medicine?

In space, we can see changes in the body that mimic the normal aging process.

Because of the lack of gravity, there is a deterioration of the muscles and of bone density and a sense of balance.

As we sit on the couch on a weekend, we're actually doing a simulation of space flight, because we're not using our muscles.

In space, you push off with your fingertips and fly around like Buzz Lightyear.

If you're looking at osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, the space environment is a great lab. You can look at cause and effect, and at how things change, but the effects come much more quickly.

You can see how your countermeasures are working very directly.

4 How did you exercise in the space shuttle?

Because space walks are very physically challenging, it's important to exercise on board to preserve our capacity to use our muscles.

I used a bike that's similar to what you'd see in a spin class.

For the astronauts that are up in space for months, it's important that they get more resistance training, so we have a hydraulic system that simulates weights.

5 What drove you to the astronaut program, or for that matter, to all the other adventures in your life?

I had just incredible parents, very supportive. They were adventurers in their own right. My father worked for Boeing, and we lived in a lot of interesting places, including overseas.

I got the travel bug and the adventurous spirit from them. It shaped the way I look at life.

I'm like a lot of people in Colorado who relish experience and adventure.

6 Do your wife and two kids worry about you?

Yes, certainly. They are glad I'm done. They're ready for me to sit on the Barcalounger, I guess. Of course, I doubt if I'll do that.

But it does take a toll on the family. It's not without risk.

You can't do something of great significance and not be willing to take risks. You're respectful of the risks.

And I trust that everyone at NASA, everyone who works on the space shuttle, is doing everything they can to make sure it's as safe as humanly possible.

The benefits far outweigh the risks.

Comments

  • December 8, 2007

    6:44 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    rdill writes:

    Scott is right on when it comes to attitudes related to intelligent risk, adventure, and responsibility. Being on belay is rock climbing language for having someone there attending the rope should you make a mistake or have something unexpected happen. The mantra is not to fall, but to accept the risk that is there.

    This is not extreme sport where you keep doing more and more dangerous things until you either get damaged or worse .. or survive out of sheer luck. This is thoughtful risk taking.

    When you, whoever you are, get into a car and drive, you are accepting risk. Perhaps you should give that careful thought as well. Life isn't certain, but you can play your role and also try to contain the risks involved. Think about it. It may help contain the odds, but it won't guarantee safety.

    Thanks to Dr. Scott for taking on this extremely important task. As a climber from long ago, I can appreciate his answers to the questions.