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[upbeat music]

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- EVER STOP
AND LOOK AT A SUNSET?

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WONDER WHY
THERE'S SO MANY COLORS

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WHEN, THE REST OF THE DAY,
THE SKY'S JUST BLUE?

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IT ALL HAS TO DO WITH LIGHT.

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LIGHT FROM THE SUN LOOKS WHITE,

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BUT IT'S REALLY MADE UP OF
ALL THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW.

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YOU MAY HAVE SEEN SUNLIGHT

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SPARKLING THROUGH A SPRINKLER
IN THE YARD

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OR A FOUNTAIN IN THE PARK,
AND A RAINBOW SUDDENLY APPEARS.

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THE WATER HELPS TO SEPARATE
THE SUNLIGHT

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INTO DIFFERENT COLORS,

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BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO
WAIT FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

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TO SEE ALL THOSE COLORS,
TAKE A PRISM--

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A SPECIALLY SHAPED CRYSTAL--

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AND SHINE LIGHT THROUGH IT.

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WHEN A RAY OF LIGHT
ENTERS THE PRISM,

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THE LIGHT SLOWS DOWN AND BENDS.

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DIFFERENT COLORS OF LIGHT
BEND DIFFERENT AMOUNTS.

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SO THE LIGHT WILL SEPARATE
INTO ALL ITS COLORS.

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ALL LIGHT TRAVELS
IN A STRAIGHT LINE

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UNLESS SOMETHING GETS IN THE WAY
AND REFLECTS IT LIKE A MIRROR,

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BENDS IT LIKE A PRISM,

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OR SCATTERS IT
LIKE THE MOLECULES OF THE GASES

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IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

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SUNLIGHT REACHES
THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE

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AND IS SCATTERED
IN ALL DIRECTIONS

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BY THE GASES AND THE PARTICLES
IN THE AIR.

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BLUE LIGHT SCATTERS MORE
THAN THE OTHER COLORS

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BECAUSE THE BLUE WAVES
ARE SHORTER AND SMALLER.

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THAT'S WHY WE SEE BLUE SKIES
MOST OF THE TIME.

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SO WHY DO SUNSETS SOMETIMES
LOOK YELLOW AND ORANGE AND RED?

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WELL, AS THE EARTH TURNS AND
THE SUN GETS LOWER IN THE SKY,

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THE LIGHT FROM THE SUN HAS TO
TRAVEL THROUGH MORE ATMOSPHERE

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TO REACH YOUR EYES.

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THIS MEANS THERE'S MORE TIME
FOR THE LIGHT TO SCATTER.

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EVEN MORE OF THE BLUE LIGHT
IS SCATTERED,

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BUT THE REDS AND THE YELLOWS,
WHICH TRAVEL IN LONGER WAVES,

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DON'T SCATTER AS MUCH.

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SO MORE OF THOSE COLORS PASS
STRAIGHT THROUGH TO YOUR EYES.

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BUT WHY IS IT
THAT NO TWO SUNSETS LOOK ALIKE?

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LET'S TALK TO SOMEONE FROM NASA
WHO'S STUDYING SUNSETS

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AND WHAT THOSE COLORS
CAN TEACH US

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ABOUT OUR ATMOSPHERE.

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- AS THE SUN SETS,

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THE ATMOSPHERE ABSORBS
CERTAIN WAVELENGTHS,

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AND IT ALSO SCATTERS
CERTAIN WAVELENGTHS.

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SO WHAT YOU CAN TELL FROM
THAT ABSORPTION AND SCATTERING

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IS HOW MUCH OF CERTAIN GASES
OR AEROSOLS OR DUST YOU HAVE,

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BECAUSE AS IT SETS,
YOU'RE FOLLOWING IT

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THROUGH THE THIN PART
OF THE ATMOSPHERE

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DOWN TO THE VERY THICK PART
OF THE ATMOSPHERE

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WHERE WE ALL LIVE AND BREATHE.

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AND SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE
A BEAUTIFUL PROFILE

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OF AEROSOLS AND GASES,
WATER VAPOR,

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YOU KNOW, AND OZONE,

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SO YOU CAN TELL
WHERE IN THE ATMOSPHERE

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THOSE ARE MOST PREVALENT
OR MOST--

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YOU KNOW, THE GREATEST AMOUNT
OF THAT RESIDES.

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- SAGE STANDS FOR STRATOSPHERIC
AEROSOL AND GAS EXPERIMENT.

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IT MEASURES OZONE, AEROSOLS,
AND OTHER PARTICLES AND GASES

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IN THE ATMOSPHERE.

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THE SAGE INSTRUMENT
MAKES ITS MEASUREMENTS

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BY USING THE SUN OR THE MOON
AS ITS LIGHT SOURCE

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AND SEEING ALL OF THE PARTICLES

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IN BETWEEN IT
AND THE LIGHT SOURCE.

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SO WHEN SAGE IS LOOKING
AT THE SUN OR THE MOON

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AS ITS LIGHT SOURCE,
THE WAY YOU WOULD BE LOOKING

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AT A SUNRISE OR A SUNSET
OR A MOONRISE OR A MOONSET,

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WE SEE THE COLORS,
BUT SAGE SEES GAPS

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WHERE PARTICLES ARE BLOCKING OUT
THE LIGHT.

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AND THAT'S HOW IT KNOWS
WHAT IS THERE

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AND HOW MUCH OF IT.

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- HERE ON EARTH, YOU ONLY GET

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ONE SUNRISE AND ONE SUNSET
EVERY DAY.

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SO THERE ARE ONLY TWO TIMES

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YOU CAN MAKE
THAT KIND OF MEASUREMENT

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WITH AN INSTRUMENT ON EARTH.

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BUT A BIG PART OF SCIENCE

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IS GETTING A LOT
OF REPEATED MEASUREMENTS

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AND TAKING THOSE MEASUREMENTS
OVER TIME.

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SO HOW DOES NASA PLAN
TO GET A LOT OF MEASUREMENTS?

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THE ANSWER IS UP THERE,

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WITH A RIDE ON
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

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- SO THE ISS ORBIT
IS ONLY 90 SO MINUTES.

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SO YOU'RE GOING AROUND THE EARTH
A LOT IN ONE DAY.

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SO WE CAN GET SEVERAL SUNRISE
AND SUNSET EVENTS IN ONE DAY,

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'CAUSE YOU'RE SEEING THE SUN
EACH TIME YOU COME AROUND.

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SO YOU CAN SEE THE SUN RISING
ON ONE SIDE

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AND SEE THE SUN SETTING

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EACH TIME
YOU'RE GOING AROUND THE EARTH.

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THE REASON THAT THE ISS ORBIT
IS IDEAL FOR SAGE

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IS BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE A LARGE
PORTION OF THE EARTH,

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SO FROM THE EQUATOR UP AND DOWN,

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YOU CAN SEE
ALMOST THE WHOLE EARTH

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AS YOU GO AROUND INSTEAD OF
JUST ONE SPOT ON THE EARTH.

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- WE WANT TO HAVE
THESE SAGE MISSIONS

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BECAUSE WE WANT TO BE ABLE
TO LEARN MORE

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ABOUT THE AIR THAT WE BREATHE

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AND BE ABLE TO TAKE BETTER CARE
OF OUR ATMOSPHERE AND OUR EARTH.

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THESE SAGE MISSIONS
ARE CONTINUOUS

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OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME,

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AND HAVING THAT LONG
PERIOD OF DATA

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ABOUT OZONE AND AEROSOLS
GIVES US A BETTER UNDERSTANDING

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OF THE BIG PICTURE.

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THIS IS ONE PIECE
IN THE PUZZLE

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OF UNDERSTANDING
OUR ATMOSPHERE.

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- SO NOW YOU KNOW WHY SUNSETS
CAN BE SO COLORFUL

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AND HOW NASA IS USING SAGE III

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AND THE INTERNATIONAL
SPACE STATION

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TO HELP US LEARN EVEN MORE
ABOUT OUR WORLD.