Page 4 - Pre Launch News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Minutes for the launch. the second hold on this launch lifted now. commander hadfield, i don't want to jinx anything, because other questions could come up between now and then, but this is progress. tell us the significance of that, and does it look likely that the launch will go off? >> whenever you see a hold that's at an even number, like 15 minutes, then you know it's a planned hold. what they were waiting for, just like for my two space shuttle launches, you have to wait for the closeout crew to get back in their vehicle and get away so that if the rocket explodes, they'll be safe. you c...

I felt butterflies. what are the butterflies like in a launch? >> they take you over. i felt so aware and so excited. i had gotten over the fear part of it years before. this was a thing i was definitely going to do, now my job was to get good at it. on that moment you're hyper aware. you know the moments in your life when something really significant is happening and you're on super record mode because everything you think about, none of them are thinking about paying their taxes or their car insurance or what they're going to do a week from tuesday. right now their whole existence is the nex...

What's happening right now, i think you can see it there in this shot, is the tower connection to the capsule, to the rocket, is being pulled back. these are all part of the rocket's built-in checks and steps pre launch, again as we approach just about 1:30 here. commander hadfield, what's happening inside that capsule right now as these final checks go into place? >> all eight eyeballs have -- this is for real now. this is no longer talking about it. this is opening night. so everybody is watching that and recognizing, wow, i've got one minute left on earth. hopefully everything is about to g...

On board the international space station, a japanese billionaire preparing to fly to orbit. we're seeing this rush of this new era of space tourism. >> no question. we're watching the crew get ready. it's called a shelter room there. we are just passing 30 minutes to launch time all these steps are key. they had to take off the little booties over your shoes. you want to keep, i would imagine, the capsule clean from dirt or dust. commander hadfield, can you explain how important these final little prep steps are because, again, space is hard, and you don't want to get anything in the way of a ...

Space. i'm really with him mentally. what a cool experience for such a guy. >> your buddy bill, for folks just joining us, you two go back a little ways. you communicated as you were up at the iss. you were texting leading up to this launch. he said he's a little terrified. he's comfortable, but uncomfortable. how do you think he's feeling in this moment? >> if he wasn't uncomfortable and slightly terrified, then he just wouldn't know what was going on. what's really about to happen is an enormous bomb is going to ignite underneath him, but it's a bomb that we've learned how to control so that...