WEBVTT

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[dramatic percussion music]

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- HEY, THERE.
WELCOME TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST, AMBER WHALEN.

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WHAT'S THE FASTEST SPACECRAFT
TO LEAVE EARTH'S ORBIT?

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NOPE, NOT THE SPACE SHUTTLE.

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THAT'S FAST, MOVING ALONG

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AT ABOUT
28,000 KILOMETERS AN HOUR,

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BUT IT STAYS IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

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AND IT'S NOT
THE APOLLO MISSIONS EITHER.

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HERE'S A HINT:

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THE SPACECRAFT LAUNCHED
ON JANUARY 19, 2006.

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GIVE UP?

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IT'S THE NEW HORIZONS
SPACECRAFT,

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HEADING FOR PLUTO
AND THE KUIPER BELT.

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WHEN IT LEFT EARTH'S ORBIT,

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IT WAS TRAVELING AT AN AMAZING
57,600 KILOMETERS PER HOUR,

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MORE THAN TWICE THE SPEED
OF THE SHUTTLE.

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HOW FAST IS THAT?

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WELL, TO PUT IT
INTO PERSPECTIVE,

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THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS
TRAVELED FROM EARTH TO THE MOON

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IN ABOUT THREE DAYS.

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IT ONLY TOOK NEW HORIZONS
ABOUT NINE HOURS FROM LAUNCH

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TO PASS OUR MOON.

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BUT WHAT IS NEW HORIZONS?

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WHERE IS IT GOING?

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WHAT'S ITS MISSION?

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WELL, HERE'S ALLEN LUNSFORD,

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NASA TECHNOLOGIST
ON THE NEW HORIZON MISSION,

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TO GIVE US THE SCOOP.

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- NEW HORIZONS
IS OUR MISSION TO PLUTO.

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FOR YEARS,
NASA AND OTHER GROUPS

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HAVE TRIED TO GET A MISSION
FUNDED TO GO TO PLUTO,

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BECAUSE AT THE TIME,

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IT WAS THE FURTHEST BODY
THAT WAS KNOWN.

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WELL, WE'VE DISCOVERED
SOME FURTHER OUT NOW.

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BUT WE KNOW A LOT
ABOUT PLUTO

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BECAUSE WE'VE OBSERVED IT
FOR MANY YEARS,

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BUT WE'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE
TO REALLY OBSERVE IT UP CLOSE,

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SO THERE'S A LOT OF GAPS
IN OUR KNOWLEDGE.

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SO WE PUT THE NEW HORIZONS
MISSION TOGETHER.

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- COOL, RIGHT?

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WELL, ACTUALLY,
THE TEMPERATURE ON NEW HORIZONS

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DOES HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED.

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THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPUTERS

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AND SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS
ON BOARD,

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AND THOSE FUNCTION BEST
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.

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THAT COULD BE
A PRETTY TOUGH TASK

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AS THE SPACECRAFT
IS HURLING

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THROUGH THE FRIGID EXPANSES
OF SPACE.

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BUT NEVER FEAR.

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NASA SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS
THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING,

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AND THE INSTRUMENTS ARE KEPT
AT THE TEMPERATURE THEY NEED.

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IN ALL, THERE ARE SEVEN
SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

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ABOARD NEW HORIZONS.

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THERE'S THE RALPH INSTRUMENT,

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WHICH IS A VISIBLE
AND INFRARED IMAGER

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AS WELL AS A SPECTROMETER.

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THEN THERE'S ALICE,

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WHICH IS THE ULTRAVIOLET
IMAGING SPECTROMETER;

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REX,
THE RADIO SCIENCE EXPERIMENT,

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WHICH MEASURES ATMOSPHERIC
COMPOSITION AND TEMPERATURE;

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LORRI, THE LONG RANGE
RECONNAISSANCE IMAGER,

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WHICH IS A TELESCOPIC CAMERA

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THAT OBTAINS ENCOUNTER DATA
AT LONG DISTANCES,

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MAPS PLUTO'S FAR SIDE,

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AND PROVIDES HIGH-RESOLUTION
GEOLOGIC DATA.

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SWAP, THE SOLAR WIND
AROUND PLUTO,

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IS A SOLAR WIND SPECTROMETER

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THAT MEASURES THE ESCAPE RATE
OF THE ATMOSPHERE.

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PEPSSI IS THE PLUTO

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ENERGETIC PARTICLE SPECTROMETER
SCIENCE INVESTIGATION,

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AND IT'S THE ENERGETIC
PARTICLE SPECTROMETER

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THAT MEASURES THE COMPOSITION
AND DENSITY OF PLASMA IONS

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ESCAPING
FROM PLUTO'S ATMOSPHERE.

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AND THEN THERE'S THE SDC,
OR STUDENT DUST COUNTER,

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WHICH MEASURES THE SPACE DUST
ENCOUNTERED BY NEW HORIZONS.

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AND GUESS WHAT.

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THE SDC ACTUALLY WAS BUILT
BY STUDENTS

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AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO.

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OKAY, SO ALL OF THAT
IS ON NEW HORIZONS,

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AND IT'S HEADING
TOWARDS PLUTO.

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WELL, THAT'S
A REALLY LONG DISTANCE,

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AND ALONG THE WAY,

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THERE ARE SOME PRETTY EXCITING
THINGS TO SEE.

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FOR EXAMPLE, AS NEW HORIZONS
COMPLETED ITS SLINGSHOT

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PAST JUPITER
IN EARLY 2007,

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IT WAS ABLE TO UTILIZE
ITS INSTRUMENTS

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TO GATHER NEW INFORMATION
ABOUT THE PLANET AND ITS MOONS.

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FOR ONE THING, NEW HORIZONS
SCOPED OUT THE MOON IO

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AND SAW 11 DIFFERENT
VOLCANIC PLUMES,

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THREE OF WHICH
HAD NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE,

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AND ONE WAS
A 320-KILOMETER-HIGH ERUPTION

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THAT ALLOWED
THE UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY

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TO TRACK THE MOTION
AND STRUCTURE OF THE PLUME

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AS IT CONDENSED
AT A HIGH ALTITUDE

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AND FELL BACK
TO THE MOON'S SURFACE.

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NEW HORIZONS' FLIGHT
DOWN JUPITER'S MAGNETOTAIL

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GAVE IT A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN LOOK
AT THE HUGE REGION

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AFFECTED BY THE PLANET'S
STRONG MAGNETIC FIELD.

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THE NEW HORIZONS
PARTICLE DETECTORS

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SAW EVIDENCE
THAT TONS OF THE MATERIAL

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FROM IO'S VOLCANOES

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MOVE DOWN THE TAIL IN LARGE,
DENSE, SLOW-MOVING BLOBS.

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BY ANALYZING THIS INFORMATION,
NEW HORIZONS SCIENTISTS

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ARE EXPLORING
HOW THE VOLCANIC GASES FROM IO

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ARE IONIZED,
TRAPPED, AND ENERGIZED

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BY JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD,

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THEN ULTIMATELY EJECTED
FROM THE SYSTEM.

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AND THERE'S A LOT MORE
NEW INFORMATION

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THAT NEW HORIZONS GATHERED
ABOUT JUPITER,

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EVEN AFTER OTHER MISSIONS

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HAVE ALREADY VISITED THE PLANET
AND ITS MOONS.

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BUT REMEMBER,
THAT'S NOT EVEN

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THE PRIMARY FOCUS
FOR NEW HORIZONS.

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IT'S GOT ITS EYES SET
ON PLUTO.

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IMAGINE HOW MUCH NEW INFORMATION
WE'RE GOING TO FIND OUT.

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YOU KNOW, I REALLY THINK ALLEN
SAID IT BEST.

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- THERE'S SO MUCH
THAT EVERY TIME IN HISTORY

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THAT WE THINK WE KNOW,
YOU KNOW,

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SOME BIG PART OF EVERYTHING,

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WE LEARN THAT WE REALLY DON'T
KNOW AS MUCH AS WE THOUGHT.

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I MEAN,
WHEN WE DISCOVERED PLUTO,

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THAT WAS AN AMAZING DISCOVERY.

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AND FOR YEARS, 50, 60 YEARS,

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THAT WAS THE EDGE
OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM

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UNTIL WE STARTED LOOKING--
BEING ABLE TO LOOK CLOSER

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AT WHAT'S OUT THERE
BEYOND PLUTO,

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AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN,

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WE DISCOVER NEW THINGS
OUT THERE.

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THERE'S ALWAYS THINGS
TO DISCOVER.

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EVEN JUPITER,
WHICH IS REALLY BIG

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AND REALLY WELL-STUDIED,

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WE CONTINUE
TO SEND MISSIONS THERE

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AND CONTINUE
TO SURPRISE OURSELVES

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ABOUT WHAT PROCESSES
ARE AT WORK THERE.

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WE JUST DISCOVERED
SOMETHING NEW.

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THERE'S ALWAYS NEW STUFF
TO DISCOVER

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ACROSS THE WHOLE RANGE
OF SCIENCES.

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- IT'S GOING TO TAKE A WHILE

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FOR NEW HORIZONS
TO GET TO PLUTO.

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IT'S NOT SCHEDULED
TO ARRIVE UNTIL 2015.

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AND IN THE MEANTIME,

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IT GOES
INTO ELECTRONIC HIBERNATION

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TO REDUCE WEAR AND TEAR

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FOR ABOUT TEN MONTHS
OUT OF EVERY YEAR,

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JUST WAKING UP
FOR SYSTEM CHECKOUTS

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AND INSTRUMENT CALIBRATIONS.

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THAT WAY, BY THE TIME
IT GETS TO PLUTO,

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IT'LL BE WELL-RESTED
AND READY TO GATHER INFORMATION.

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AND WHO KNOWS?

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BY THAT TIME,
YOU MIGHT EVEN BE ABLE TO HELP

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ANALYZE ALL THE DATA.

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WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW.

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FOR "NASA LAUNCHPAD,"
I'M AMBER WHALEN.

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WE'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME.