WEBVTT

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[dramatic percussion music]

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- HEY, AND WELCOME
TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST, ALICIA SEARS.

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SO YOU ALL HAVE HEARD OF MARS,
THE RED PLANET,

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OUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR,
IF YOU WILL.

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THIS PLANET
IS FULL OF MYSTERIES.

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SOME SCIENTISTS
EVEN BELIEVE THAT MARS

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USED TO BE A LOT LIKE EARTH
BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO.

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IT ONCE HAD RIVERS AND LAKES

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AND POSSIBLY EVEN SUPPORTED
SOME FORM OF LIFE.

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BUT HOW DO YOU TEST
IDEAS LIKE THOSE

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ON A PLANET THAT IS
MILLIONS OF KILOMETERS AWAY?

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WELL, WHERE DO SCIENTISTS
DO THEIR BEST RESEARCH WORK

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HERE ON EARTH?

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IN THE LAB, RIGHT?

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SO WHY NOT SEND
A LABORATORY TO MARS?

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AND THAT'S JUST WHAT NASA
HAS PLANNED.

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THE GROUNDBREAKING
MARS SCIENCE LABORATORY

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IS ALSO KNOWN
AS THE "CURIOSITY" ROVER,

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AND IT'S GOING TO TAKE SCIENCE

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TO THE SURFACE
OF THE RED PLANET

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LIKE NOTHING WE'VE EVER SEEN
BEFORE ON MARS

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OR ANY OTHER PLANET
BEYOND EARTH.

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LET'S TALK
WITH ASHWIN VASAVADA,

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DEPUTY PROJECT SCIENTIST
FOR MSL,

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TO GET A LITTLE MORE INSIGHT
INTO THIS ENORMOUS MISSION.

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- THE PRIMARY SCIENTIFIC GOAL
OF THE "CURIOSITY" ROVER

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IS TO FIND EVIDENCE
FOR A HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT

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ON THE SURFACE OF MARS.

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WE HAVE LOTS OF DATA
FROM ORBITERS.

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WE HAVE PICTURES
SHOWING PLACES

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THAT LOOK LIKE WATER
WAS FLOWING IN THE PAST.

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OUR LANDING SITES
THAT WE'RE CHOOSING FROM

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ALL CONTAIN
THAT SORT OF MINERALOGICAL

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AND GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
FOR A HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT.

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AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO PUT
A ROVER ON THE GROUND

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TO REALLY CONFIRM
THAT THAT WAS THE CASE.

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WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY
LOOKING FOR LIFE,

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BUT WE'RE LOOKING
FOR PLACES ON MARS

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THAT WE CAN SORT OF CONFIRM

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THAT THIS IS A FRIENDLY
ENVIRONMENT TO LIFE,

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WHETHER IT EVER
TOOK HOLD THERE OR NOT.

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SO THIS ROVER IS DESIGNED
TO DRIVE MULTIPLE MILES

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AROUND A SPECIFIC LANDING SITE

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THAT WE DETERMINE FROM ORBIT
LOOKS LIKE ONE

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OF THESE POTENTIALLY
HABITABLE ENVIRONMENTS,

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AND THEN IT'S DESIGNED TO TAKE
LOTS OF IMAGES OF THAT AREA

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BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY TO SAMPLE
THE ROCKS AND SOIL

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TO DIRECTLY LOOK FOR EVIDENCE
THAT WATER EXISTED IN THE PAST,

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THAT CERTAIN CHEMICALS
WERE THERE THAT LIFE USES,

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AND THEN ALSO TO LOOK
FOR THE HAZARDS TO LIFE.

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- "CURIOSITY" WILL CARRY
THE MOST ADVANCED PAYLOAD

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OF SCIENTIFIC GEAR
EVER USED ON MARS' SURFACE,

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A PAYLOAD
MORE THAN TEN TIMES AS MASSIVE

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AS THOSE
OF EARLIER MARS ROVERS.

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TO CARRY A BIG PAYLOAD,

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NASA'S GOING TO NEED
A BIG ROVER.

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AND THE ROVER IS THE SIZE
OF A SMALL CAR.

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BUT LANDING SOMETHING THAT BIG
ON ANOTHER PLANET

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HAS NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.

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- WE HAVE A GIANT ROVER.
IT'S A 2,000-POUND ROVER.

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IT'S THE BIGGEST THING

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WE'VE EVER SENT
TO ANOTHER PLANETARY SURFACE.

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AND JUST LANDING THAT
ON A PLANET WITH AN ATMOSPHERE

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IS ONE
OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES.

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- WHEN THE SPACECRAFT CARRYING
"CURIOSITY" ARRIVES AT MARS,

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IT WILL BEGIN ITS DESCENT
INTO THE MARTIAN ATMOSPHERE,

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AND THE CRAFT WILL BE GUIDED
BY SMALL ROCKETS

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AS IT MAKES ITS WAY
TOWARD THE SURFACE.

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A HUGE PARACHUTE
WILL THEN DEPLOY

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TO FURTHER SLOW THE SPEED
OF THE DESCENDING SPACECRAFT.

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THE SPACECRAFT WILL OPEN,

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AND THE ROVER
WILL EVENTUALLY SEPARATE

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FROM ITS FINAL DELIVERY SYSTEM,
THE SKY CRANE.

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LIKE A CRANE ON EARTH,

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THE SKY CRANE TOUCHDOWN SYSTEM
WILL LOWER MSL

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UNTIL IT ACHIEVES
A SOFT LANDING ON THE SURFACE.

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THE BEST PART OF ALL OF THIS:
WE'LL GET TO SEE IT.

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- ONE OF THE MORE EXCITING
THINGS WE'RE DOING IS,

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WE'RE ACTUALLY TAKING A MOVIE
AS WE'RE DESCENDING

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THE FINAL FEW MILES
IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

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THIS IS MOSTLY
JUST FOR THE PUBLIC

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TO SHARE THIS EXPERIENCE

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OF ARRIVING AND LANDING
ON A PLANETARY SURFACE.

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- I'LL DEFINITELY BE TUNING IN
TO WATCH THAT.

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SINCE "CURIOSITY" IS CARRYING
SO MANY INSTRUMENTS,

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THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME REALLY
EXCITING SCIENCE TAKING PLACE.

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- SO THE MSL ROVER
IS MORE COMPLEX THAN ANYTHING

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MOSTLY BECAUSE IT HAS
TEN SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS.

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AND NOT ONLY THAT,
BUT HAS ALSO A LOT OF EQUIPMENT

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TO ENABLE THE SCIENCE
TO BE DONE.

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WE HAD TO DESIGN A SYSTEM

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THAT COULD DRILL
INTO SOLID ROCK

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AND TURN THAT ROCK INTO POWDER

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THAT YOU THEN COULD FEED
TO A CHEMISTRY LABORATORY

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WHICH IS LOCATED
INSIDE THE ROVER.

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ANOTHER REALLY CLEVER INSTRUMENT
THAT WE HAVE ON THIS ROVER

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IS A WAY OF REMOTELY DETECTING

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THE CHEMISTRY OF THE ROCKS
AND SOILS AROUND THE ROVER.

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AND THIS IS AN INSTRUMENT

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THAT'S MOUNTED UP ON THE MAST
NEAR THE CAMERAS.

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IT ACTUALLY IS A TELESCOPE
THAT FIRES A LASER,

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AND SO WE CAN FIRE A LASER
AT A ROCK AND SOIL TARGET

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UP TO ABOUT 20 FEET
AWAY FROM THE ROVER,

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AND THEN WE IMAGE
THE COLOR OF THAT SPARK,

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AND THE COLOR ACTUALLY TELLS US
WHAT THE CHEMISTRY IS,

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WHAT CHEMICAL ELEMENTS
ARE PRESENT,

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AND THEN FROM THAT,
WE CAN SORT OF PUT TOGETHER

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A PICTURE OF WHAT MINERALS
ARE PRESENT.

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AND SO THIS IS KIND OF NEAT.

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WE CARRY A LITTLE LASER RAY GUN
WITH US

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AND CAN ZAP THINGS
AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S AROUND US.

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- AND MSL LOOKS TO BE GEARING UP
FOR THE LONG HAUL.

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- YEAH, THE MSL MISSION
IS DESIGNED

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TO LAST TWO YEARS
ON THE MARTIAN SURFACE.

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WE THINK, IN ORDER TO REALLY
CHARACTERIZE THIS LANDING AREA,

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WE NEED TO TAKE
SEVERAL DOZEN SAMPLES,

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AND THAT'S JUST GOING TO TAKE
THE FULL TWO YEARS

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TO DRIVE AROUND
AND TO PUT THE SAMPLES

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THROUGH OUR
SAMPLE PROCESSING SYSTEM,

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ANALYZE IT IN OUR INSTRUMENTS,
AND SEND THAT DATA BACK.

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THE LAST SET OF ROVERS
WERE DESIGNED FOR 90 DAYS,

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BUT THEY'VE NOW LASTED
SIX YEARS.

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NOW WE HAVE TO BEAT THE RECORD
SET BY THE PREVIOUS ROVERS,

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SO WE'RE DESIGNED
FOR TWO YEARS,

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AND WE HOPE WE LAST, YOU KNOW,
MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

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- SO WHAT WILL MSL TEACH US

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ABOUT THE CHEMISTRY
AND GEOLOGY OF MARS?

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WHAT NEW QUESTIONS
WILL SCIENTISTS HAVE

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AFTER THEY LEARN
THIS NEW INFORMATION?

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WHAT NEW INSTRUMENTS
ARE ENGINEERS GOING TO NEED

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TO ANSWER THE NEW ROUND
OF QUESTIONS?

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HMM.

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"CURIOSITY" MIGHT JUST BE
THE BEST NAME

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FOR THIS NEW ROVER
AFTER ALL.

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THAT'S IT
FOR THIS EPISODE.

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I'M ALICIA SEARS.

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CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."