WEBVTT

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[dramatic percussion music]

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- HEY, WELCOME
TO "NASA LAUNCHPAD."

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I'M YOUR HOST, SCOTT BEDNAR.

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NOW, YOU KNOW
NASA HAS A WIDE REACH,

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NOT JUST OUT INTO SPACE
BUT HERE ON EARTH TOO.

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ASIDE FROM THE NASA CENTERS
ACROSS THE COUNTRY,

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NASA RESEARCH IS DONE
AT A VARIETY OF SITES

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ALL OVER THE PLACE.

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OUT IN ARIZONA, WE RECENTLY
CAUGHT UP WITH DR. DRAKE DEMING,

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SENIOR SCIENTIST
FOR EXOPLANET RESEARCH

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FROM NASA GODDARD
SPACE FLIGHT CENTER.

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WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH
WAS HE UP TO OUT THERE?

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LET'S LET HIM EXPLAIN.

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- WELL, WE'RE HERE AT KITT PEAK
NATIONAL OBSERVATORY

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USING THE TWO-METER TELESCOPE

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TO LOOK AT STARS,
RELATIVELY NEARBY STARS,

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THAT EACH HOST
A GIANT PLANET.

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AND IN THE CASE
OF THESE SYSTEMS,

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THIS PLANET
NOT ONLY ORBITS THE STAR,

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BUT, AS SEEN
FROM OUR VANTAGE POINT,

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IT PASSES IN FRONT OF THE STAR
ONCE IN ITS ORBIT,

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WHICH IS, FOR THESE PLANETS,
EVERY FEW DAYS.

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WHEN IT PASSES
IN FRONT OF THE STAR,

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OR TRANSITS THE STAR,

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WE SEE A DECREASE
IN THE LIGHT OF THE STAR

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DUE TO THE SHADOW
OF THE PLANET.

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SO WE'RE MEASURING
SHADOWS OF PLANETS.

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- WAIT. WAIT. WAIT.
WAIT. WAIT.

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THAT SOUNDS FAMILIAR, RIGHT?

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WELL, IT SHOULD.

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IT'S A VERY SIMILAR PROCESS
TO THE KEPLER MISSION,

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WHICH WE COVERED
HERE ON "LAUNCHPAD."

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GO BACK AND CHECK OUT THE
SEGMENT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.

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NOW, DR. DEMING AND HIS TEAM
ARE MEASURING TRANSITS

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TO STUDY EXOSOLAR PLANETS.

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THOSE ARE PLANETS
NOT IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

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BUT WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN WHAT KEPLER'S DOING

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AND THE RESEARCH THAT THE TEAM
IS DOING OUT AT KITT PEAK?

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- THIS IS LIKE KEPLER
IN THE SENSE

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THAT WE'RE LOOKING
FOR TRANSITS OF PLANETS.

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HOWEVER, KEPLER
IS IN SEARCH MODE.

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IT'S LOOKING AT STARS NOT KNOWN
TO HOST A TRANSITING PLANET,

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AND IT'S IN PARTICULAR
LOOKING FOR VERY SMALL PLANETS.

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WE ARE IN FOLLOW-UP MODE.

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WE'RE LOOKING AT STARS

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THAT ALREADY HAVE
A GIANT TRANSITING PLANET.

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AND WE ARE LOOKING
FOR THE SIGNATURES

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OF SMALLER PLANETS
IN THE SYSTEM

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THAT MAY PERTURB
THE GIANT PLANET,

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SO WE'RE DOING
A KIND OF FOLLOW-UP WORK.

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- NOW, WE KNOW THAT FROM EARTH,

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WE CAN SEE THE TRANSITS
OF MERCURY AND VENUS

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AS THEY PASS
IN FRONT OF OUR OWN SUN.

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DR. DEMING IS LOOKING
FOR GIANT PLANETS

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IN FAR-OFF SOLAR SYSTEMS

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AS THEY TRANSIT
THEIR OWN HOST STAR.

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NOW, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER
ANOTHER "LAUNCHPAD" SEGMENT

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WHERE WE TALKED
ABOUT THE OBSERVATORIES

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ON MAUNA KEA IN HAWAII.

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WHY NOT DO THIS WORK THERE

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OR ANYWHERE ELSE,
FOR THAT MATTER?

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WHAT MAKES KITT PEAK,
SOUTHWEST OF TUCSON, ARIZONA,

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THE PLACE FOR DR. DEMING'S
EXOSOLAR STUDY?

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ARE WE TALKING ABOUT LOOKING
AT CERTAIN STARS

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THAT CAN ONLY BE SEEN
FROM THIS LOCATION?

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- THE REASON FOR THIS LOCATION
IS, FIRST OF ALL,

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THE TELESCOPE AND THE INSTRUMENT
ARE VERY SUITABLE FOR THIS WORK,

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AND THE OBSERVATORY
HAS GOOD WEATHER

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AND GOOD ASTRONOMICAL
OBSERVING CONDITIONS.

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SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.

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VIRTUALLY ALL OBSERVATORIES
ON THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH,

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AT APPROPRIATE LATITUDES,

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WOULD BE ABLE TO OBSERVE
THESE SAME TRANSITING SYSTEMS.

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BUT ONE OF THE REASONS
WE'RE HERE IS THE INSTRUMENT.

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THE OTHER REASON WE'RE HERE

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IS THAT MORE TIME
IS AVAILABLE HERE

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THAN IT WOULD BE
AT SOME OTHER OBSERVATORIES

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FOR OUR PARTICULAR PROGRAM.

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- SO HERE'S SOMETHING
TO CONSIDER.

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AS THE RESEARCHERS
ARE MEASURING THEIR TRANSITS,

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IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THEM

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TO GET FINELY TUNED,
ACCURATE RESULTS.

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AND LIGHT'S
A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT.

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SO HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT
MAKING SURE

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YOU CAN CORRECTLY INTERPRET
THE INFORMATION YOU'RE GETTING?

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WELL, CALIBRATION
IS YOUR ANSWER.

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- SO THAT GIANT WHITE SPOT
IS USED FOR CALIBRATION.

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AND IT'S NOT JUST
FOR OUR OBSERVATIONS,

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BUT MANY ASTRONOMERS
COME HERE.

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WHEN THEY USE
THIS INSTRUMENT,

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THEY USE THAT WHITE SPOT
FOR CALIBRATION.

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AND THE WAY IT WORKS IS THAT
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO RELATE

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THE SENSITIVITY
OF ONE PIXEL IN THE DETECTOR

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TO ANOTHER PIXEL
IN THE DETECTOR.

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SO WE NEED TO IMAGE SOMETHING

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THAT WE KNOW
HAS A UNIFORM INTENSITY.

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AND THEN WHEN WE SEE CHANGES,
WE CAN USE THAT

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TO CALIBRATE THE RESPONSE
OF THE DETECTOR

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THAT DIFFERS
FROM PIXEL TO PIXEL.

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SO WE POINT THE TELESCOPE
AT THAT GIANT WHITE SPOT

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AND TAKE IMAGES
OF A BLANK FIELD,

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AND THOSE IMAGES
ARE USED FOR CALIBRATION.

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- ANOTHER IMPORTANT
CONSIDERATION

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FOR THE RESEARCHERS

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IS THE TEMPERATURE
OF THE INSTRUMENT.

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LIKE THE INFRARED TELESCOPE
FACILITY ON MAUNA KEA,

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THE TWO-METER TELESCOPE

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USED BY DR. DEMING'S TEAM
HERE IN ARIZONA

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ALSO OBSERVES
INFRARED WAVELENGTHS.

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UNNECESSARY HEAT OR LIGHT,
KNOWN AS THE THERMAL BACKGROUND,

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CAN INTERFERE
WITH OBSERVATIONS

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FROM THESE SENSITIVE
INSTRUMENTS.

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SO TO MAKE SURE
THE HEAT SIGNATURE

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OF THE INSTRUMENT ITSELF
DOESN'T AFFECT THE RESULTS,

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ENGINEERS KEEP THE TELESCOPE
AT A VERY COOL TEMPERATURE.

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AND HOW DO THEY DO THAT?

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WELL, LIQUID NITROGEN
IN A SPECIALLY DESIGNED CHAMBER

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TO KEEP THE TELESCOPE OPERATING
AT EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES.

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BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INFRARED
SIGNATURES IN THE BRIGHT SKY?

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DOESN'T THAT AFFECT
THEIR RESULTS?

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WELL, SURE, IT COULD.

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BUT THESE RESEARCHERS
HAVE COME UP WITH THE ANSWER,

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AND IT'S CALLED
THE NIGHT-SHIFT.

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- IN PRINCIPLE,
IF WE WERE TO WORK

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AT A LONGER
INFRARED WAVELENGTH,

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WE COULD DO THIS
IN THE DAYTIME.

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BUT WE'RE AT A SUFFICIENTLY
SHORT INFRARED WAVELENGTH

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THAT THE SKY IS BRIGHT.

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LONG INFRARED WAVELENGTHS,
THE SKY WOULD BECOME DARKER.

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BUT IN OUR WAVELENGTH,
IT'S STILL BRIGHT,

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SO WE WOULD GET
TOO MUCH BACKGROUND FROM THE SKY

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TO DO IT IN THE DAYTIME,
SO WE HAVE TO DO IT AT NIGHT.

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WE'VE DEFINITELY BECOME
NIGHT OWLS.

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WE BEGIN WORK AT 8:00 P.M.,
AND WE'RE DONE AT 4:30 A.M.

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USUALLY WE GET UP AT, LIKE--

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YOU KNOW, WE SLEEP FROM, LIKE,
5:00 A.M. TO 11:00 A.M.,

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AND THEN WE GET UP,
HAVE LUNCH,

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AND WORK
ON THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S DATA

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AND GET READY
FOR THE NEXT OBSERVATIONS.

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- JUST GOES TO SHOW YOU,

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NASA ISN'T ALWAYS
A NINE-TO-FIVE JOB.

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SO, YOU OUT THERE

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THINKING THAT YOU LIKE
TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT,

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MAYBE THIS IS FOR YOU.

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ANYWAY, WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL?

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WHY SHOULD YOU CARE

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ABOUT ALL THE RESEARCH
THAT'S BEING DONE?

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- ONE REASON THAT THIS
IS OF AN INTEREST TO EVERYONE,

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TO ALL CITIZENS
OF THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD,

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IS THAT WE'RE LOOKING
FOR EARTHLIKE PLANETS,

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ULTIMATELY,
THAT ORBIT OTHER STARS.

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IMAGINE THAT WE FOUND
A REAL EARTHLIKE PLANET,

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YOU KNOW, A HABITABLE PLANET
LIKE THE EARTH,

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ONE THAT EVEN MIGHT CONTAIN
FORESTS AND OCEANS,

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AND IT'S A POTENTIALLY
VERY EXCITING POSSIBILITY,

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TO FIND ANOTHER WORLD.

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- COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT
BETTER MYSELF.

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WELL, THAT'S IT FOR NOW.
THANKS FOR WATCHING.

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I'M SCOTT BEDNAR,

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AND WE WILL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
HERE ON "NASA LAUNCHPAD."