1 00:00:04,625 --> 00:00:06,875 [Music throughout] 2 00:00:06,875 --> 00:00:10,666 What do a professional basketball player and a NASA engineer have in common? 3 00:00:23,041 --> 00:00:31,250 [Natasha Cloud] My name is Natasha Cloud, I play for the Washington Mystics, and I plan in the WNBA so I play basketball. 4 00:00:31,250 --> 00:00:34,416 In 2019, Natasha Cloud and the Mystics won the WNBA Championship 5 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:40,791 [Nayi Castro] I'm Nayi Castro, and I work at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. 6 00:00:40,791 --> 00:00:46,166 And I'm currently working on OSIRIS-REx project and the MAVEN mission. 7 00:00:46,166 --> 00:00:51,416 On October 20, 2020, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will attempt to sample asteroid Bennu. 8 00:00:51,416 --> 00:00:58,250 How We Prepare: OSIRIS-REx and WNBA 9 00:00:58,250 --> 00:01:04,708 [Mission Announcer] T-minus one minute and counting 10 00:01:04,708 --> 00:01:08,875 No issues with the range, everything continues to be go 11 00:01:08,875 --> 00:01:15,291 25. Status check. Go Atlas. Go Centaur. Go OSIRIS-REx 12 00:01:15,291 --> 00:01:16,750 Everyone is go. 13 00:01:16,750 --> 00:01:22,583 [Natasha Cloud] We knew where we wanted to be at the end of the season, we got to that point, and now it is just about finishing and believing in each other. 14 00:01:22,583 --> 00:01:29,708 [Mission Announcer] 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 15 00:01:31,250 --> 00:01:34,458 and lift-off of OSIRIS-REx 16 00:01:37,083 --> 00:01:42,500 [Natasha Cloud] We go into every season thinking tat we're going to win a championship. 17 00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:45,666 And just because we won doesn't mean that we're going to be handed a championship. 18 00:01:45,666 --> 00:01:48,958 Once we go into this season, everything is erased and we're starting anew. 19 00:01:48,958 --> 00:01:52,625 Countless hours of dedicated practice propelled Natasha Cloud and her teammates to victory in the 2019 WNBA Championships. 20 00:01:55,791 --> 00:02:00,916 [Nayi Castro] We almost have to reset during every phase because everything has been kind of a different mini mission. 21 00:02:00,916 --> 00:02:03,750 Just approach was, you know, a mission of itself 22 00:02:03,750 --> 00:02:06,250 Trying to learn how to navigate around Bennu 23 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:08,833 What kind of gravity environment was at Bennu 24 00:02:08,833 --> 00:02:10,833 Would we be in a very stable orbit? 25 00:02:10,833 --> 00:02:14,708 Nayi Castro and her teammates have practiced flight operations at Bennu for the past two years, 26 00:02:14,708 --> 00:02:18,166 bringing the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft within meters of the surface. 27 00:02:18,166 --> 00:02:19,708 [Nayi Castro] But it's always really rewarding like 28 00:02:19,708 --> 00:02:22,375 even when you saw the first, you know, approach picture to Bennu 29 00:02:22,375 --> 00:02:24,083 It's like, oh my gosh, that's our target 30 00:02:27,333 --> 00:02:29,875 [Natasha Cloud] It takes a lot of practice, a lot of hours in the gym 31 00:02:29,875 --> 00:02:31,625 a lot of perfecting your craft 32 00:02:32,791 --> 00:02:35,875 [Nayi Castro] So it's a constant learning process to be an engineer 33 00:02:35,875 --> 00:02:40,000 being open, and knowing that there is a lot of education that you can continue to do 34 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:41,875 I feel like I learn something new every day 35 00:02:43,541 --> 00:02:46,375 [Natasha Cloud] So you go into it, you have nerves, you have anxieties 36 00:02:46,375 --> 00:02:48,166 obviously it is kind of do or die time, 37 00:02:48,166 --> 00:02:50,500 but you just prepare as if it is any other game 38 00:02:54,083 --> 00:02:56,416 [Nayi Castro] Despite all the challenges that are ongoing, 39 00:02:56,416 --> 00:02:59,541 we really can lead successful operations 40 00:03:02,458 --> 00:03:04,625 [Natasha Cloud] Especially for young women, there's going to be a lot of people 41 00:03:04,625 --> 00:03:06,333 who tell them they can't do it 42 00:03:06,333 --> 00:03:09,333 there's going to be a lot of roadblocks, if you will 43 00:03:09,333 --> 00:03:14,916 and for me as a female athlete, it is important for them to see a role model 44 00:03:17,833 --> 00:03:20,458 [Nayi Castro] I hope I can serve as a reminder to girls 45 00:03:20,458 --> 00:03:25,250 that they should be emboldened to pursue engineering as I have.