Flying the MOST COMPLEX Machine Ever Created

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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!

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!!!!

This is one of the best shuttle pilot interviews I have ever seen. Terry Virts provides a straightforward, unpretentious, and informative explanation and description of space shuttle operations.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 happened to work at a company making one of those million parts in the late 70s. I’ve always like to say that my fingerprints have been in space on several different shuttles. I took all my grandchildren, nieces, and nephews to see the STS 133 lunch . I think that is the most memorable thing I’ve seen in my 66 years.

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

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.

Terry and I were soaring instructors together when we were cadets at USAFA. It's good to see one of the bros still at it!

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 ;-)