>> we didn't get the first hint of it until pete conrad said it. he said, and this was after we had at least gotten the power restored back -- >> you were either on orbit or close to it by that time? >> yeah -- well, no. because actually this thing happened about, as i recall, about 50 seconds or so after lift-off. and in only two minutes we had the fuel cells back online that provided the power to the spacecraft. incidentally, made on a call by a young flight controller named john aaron who i think at the time was 23 years old. so we had -- it didn't take us long to get the power restored. we did have systems that were still offline, but we at least had lights again and all of that. and so it didn't take too long and then kind of in a quiet part there, pete said something like, i don't know what happened. i'm not sure we didn't get hit by lightning. and later we found out, even after they got on orbit, that he saw a flash. you know, there was a boost protective cover over the windows while the launch escape tower was still on there, so you couldn'

and we've met buzz aldrin, neil armstrong, john glenn, scott carpenter, pete conrad used to come here. owen garriott back from the early period, john young and the first crew for the first space shuttle mission. eileen collins has been here and pam melbourne, the two commanders of the shuttle mission. and again in may, we had astronauts who had just returned from the international space station. so whenever they come to washington, they like to come here too. many of them spent hours here when they were children. and they say that this museum was partly responsible for their love of aviation and their passion to become astronauts. >> let me just make the point, for those of you listening on c-span radio, of course watching on c-span3's american history tv, we are live at the national air and space museum in washington, d.c. our next caller is john joining us from new hampshire with valerie neal. go ahead, please. >> good evening. i just want to ask if you're going to show -- during the program. i know other people involved in the restoration. and i've been looking forward to seeing it

and we've met buzz aldrin, neil armstrong, john glenn, scott carpenter, pete conrad used to come here. owen garriott back from the early period, john young and the first crew for the first space shuttle mission. eileen collins has been here and pam melbourne, the two commanders of the shuttle mission. and again in may, we had astronauts who had just returned from the international space station. so whenever they come to washington, they like to come here too. many of them spent hours here when they were children. and they say that this museum was partly responsible for their love of aviation and their passion to become astronauts. >> let me just make the point, for those of you listening on c-span radio, of course watching on c-span3's american history tv, we are live at the national air and space museum in washington, d.c. our next caller is john joining us from new hampshire with valerie neal. go ahead, please. >> caller: good evening, ms. neal. i just want to ask if you're going to show the -- during the program. i know other people involved in the restoration. and i've been lookin