LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Thursday afternoon, via satellite, Col. Randy Bresnik joined WHAS11 to talk about his missions, Kentucky's contributions to the space program, and the coolest and hardest parts about living in outer space.
First, he described being in orbit and watching the earth spinning below you.
"It's amazing," Colonel Bresnik said. "It really is indescribable. It's beautiful, peaceful, amazing, you wish everyone could see it. It really changes you and how you feel about the people on earth with you."
Next, he talked about some of the companies that contribute to space programs. In a news release we received from NASA, they say three Kentucky companies are "helping build NASA's backbone for deep space exploration."
American Synthetic Rubber Co. is the only U.S. manufacturer of a liquid polymer that serves as the glue in the Space Launch System (SLS) propellant that powers the rocket boosters. Eckart produces the aluminum powder used in the SLS propellant. Parker Hannifin's O-ring and Engineered Seals Division provides elastomer sealing for the SLS boosters and the Mars 2020 Rover.
"We have folks in all 50 states contributing to our space program," Colonel Bresnik said. "The companies that are interested, the people interested--it's awesome."
He then commented on how significant our technological advances across the world are, and how those successes and working together brought this massive achievement.
"We as a species have done the engineering, design and manufacture so well at this point in our history that we can manufacture something in Italy, Russia or Kentucky, we can fly it to the space station and the first time it is assembled, it fits and works the way we designed it," Colonel Bresnik said. "That is astounding. That's what will make the International Space Station one of the most amazing technological achievements we have ever done."
Colonel Bresnik was born in Ft. Knox, Kentucky. A member of a military family, he lived here for two weeks before his family moved on to another military community.