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>> Sreenivasan: FROM SATELLITE

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LAUNCHES TO NEW SPACE

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EXPLORATION, IT'S BEEN A BUSY

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YEAR IN SPACE SO FAR.

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LOREN GRUSH IS SENIOR SCIENCE

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REPORTER AT "THE VERGE" AND IS

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HERE WITH ME NOW TO DISCUSS

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IT ALL.

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SO, MOST OF US WERE PAYING

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ATTENTION TO IOWA POLITICS, BUT

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YOU WERE PAYING ATTENTION TO A

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VERY BUSY WEEK IN ALL

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SPACE-RELATED NEWS.

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>> RIGHT.

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>> Sreenivasan: IT STARTED OUT

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WITH CHRISTINA KOCH, ASTRONAUT,

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COMING BACK.

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SHE'S GOT A COUPLE OF RECORDS.

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BUT WHAT SHE'S DONE IN SPACE IN

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ALL THAT TIME THAT SHE SPENT IS

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PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

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>> RIGHT.

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SHE SPENT A TOTAL OF 328 DAYS--

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SO, NEARLY A YEAR-- UP IN SPACE.

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AND WHILE SHE WAS THERE, SHE

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MADE HISTORY WITH HER BEST

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FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, JESSICA

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MUIR.

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THE TWO OF THEM ARE CREDITED

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WITH DOING THE FIRST ALL-FEMALE

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SPACEWALK IN HISTORY, IN

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SPACEFLIGHT HISTORY.

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I MEAN, THAT'S PRETTY

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INCREDIBLE.

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AND THEY DID THREE TIMES.

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SO, I THINK SHE'S DEFINITELY HAS

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QUITE A LOT OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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UNDER HER BELT WHEN SHE COMES

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HOME.

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>> Sreenivasan: AND NOW, I

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MEAN, YOU SEE THESE IMAGES OF

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HER RETURNING TO EARTH AND KIND

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OF ACCLIMATING, AND SHE WAS

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PSYCHED.

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I MEAN, SHE TOOK THE HELMET OFF,

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SHE'S LIKE, "ARRRGH!"

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>> I ACTUALLY SAID TO MY FRIEND,

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I THINK I KIND OF WANT TO GO TO

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SPACE JUST SO THAT I CAN HAVE

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THAT FEELING OF COMING BACK TO

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EARTH BECAUSE IT'S GOT TO BE

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EXHILARATING.

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>> Sreenivasan: YEAH.

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SO, LATER IN THE WEEK, WE ALSO

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HAD KIND OF AN UPDATE TO SOME OF

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THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WERE

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FIGURING OUT ABOUT THE STARLINER

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PROJECT.

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WHAT WAS HAPPENING?

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>> RIGHT.

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SO, RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE TWO

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COMPANIES THAT ARE CREATING

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THESE NEW VEHICLES TO TAKE

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ASTRONAUTS TO AND FROM THE

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INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND

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THEY'RE GETTING REALLY CLOSE TO

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ACTUALLY PUTTING PEOPLE ON THOSE

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VEHICLES.

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BUT BEFORE THEY DO THAT, THEY

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HAVE TO DO THESE UNCREWED FLIGHT

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TESTS.

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AND BOEING DID ITS UNCREWED

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FLIGHT TEST IN DECEMBER, AND IT

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DIDN'T REALLY GO ACCORDING TO

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PLAN AT THE TIME.

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A SOFTWARE GLITCH PREVENTED THE

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CAPSULE FROM GETTING INTO THE

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RIGHT ORBIT.

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SO, IT DIDN'T ACTUALLY GO TO THE

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INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION LIKE

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IT'S SUPPOSED TO.

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BUT NOW, WE'RE LEARNING THAT

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THERE WAS ACTUALLY A SECOND

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SOFTWARE GLITCH THAT WAS

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CORRECTED AT THE TIME.

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BUT IF IT HADN'T BEEN CORRECTED,

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IT COULD HAVE BEEN A

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CATASTROPHIC FAILURE FOR THE

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SPACECRAFT, AND IT COULD HAVE

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MAYBE BEEN DESTROYED WHEN IT

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RE-ENTERED EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE.

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WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE,

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FORTUNATELY, THEY FIXED IT.

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BUT IT IS KIND OF HIGHLIGHTING

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THAT BOEING IS HAVING THESE--

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THESE CODING PROBLEMS, AND NASA

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IS REALLY DOING A DEEP

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INVESTIGATION INTO THAT.

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>> Sreenivasan: AS THE

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STARLINER PROJECT IS HAPPENING,

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YOU ALSO HAVE THE SPACE-X

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PROJECT THAT'S KIND OF WORKING

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IN PARALLEL, AND THAT IS

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PLANNING ON PUTTING PEOPLE INTO

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ORBIT.

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>> RIGHT.

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SO, INITIALLY, WHEN THEY CHOSE

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THESE TWO PROVIDERS, IT WAS

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SUPPOSED TO SPARK COMPETITION.

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AND, MAN, SINCE THEN, THAT

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COMPETITION HAS REALLY HEATED

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UP.

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THEY DEFINITELY ARE CONSTANTLY

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GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH ONE

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ANOTHER AND TRYING TO PROVE AND

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BEAT OUT THE OTHER-- THE

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PROVIDER.

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SO FAR, I MEAN, SPACE-X HAS HAD

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ITS OWN PROBLEMS.

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LAST YEAR, ONE OF ITS "CREW

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DRAGON" CAPSULES EXPLODED

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DURING A TEST ON THE GROUND.

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BUT SINCE THEN, THEY'VE KIND OF

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OVERCOME THAT FAILURE.

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THEY DID A REALLY CRUCIAL TEST

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THIS JANUARY WHERE THEY TESTED

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OUT THE EMERGENCY ABORT SYSTEM

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ON THE "CREW DRAGON," WHICH IS

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A REALLY CRUCIAL PIECE OF

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HARDWARE THAT'S NEEDED TO SAVE

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THE LIVES OF ASTRONAUTS IN CASE

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THERE'S AN EMERGENCY DURING THE

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LAUNCH.

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AND THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVE THAT

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SYSTEM SUPERBLY.

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IT WENT, YOU KNOW, EXACTLY AS

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PLANNED.

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SO, NOW, WE'RE KIND OF IN THIS

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WAITING PERIOD OF, OKAY, WHEN

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WILL ASTRONAUTS BOARD THE "CREW

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DRAGON"?

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AND THAT COULD COME IN THE

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SECOND QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.

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THAT'S WHAT SPACE-X C.E.O.'S

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ELON MUSK HAS SAID.

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>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT.

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TWO OTHER THINGS-- IF THAT

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WASN'T ENOUGH THIS WEEK, TWO

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OTHER THINGS THAT WERE

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HAPPENING.

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ONE COMPANY HAD PUT UP, WHAT,

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ANOTHER 30 MORE SATELLITES?

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>> 34 SATELLITES.

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>> Sreenivasan: 34 MORE

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SATELLITES.

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>> RIGHT.

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>> Sreenivasan: IN ONE LAUNCH,

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AND THEY'RE PLANNING TO PUT OUT

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MORE AND MORE SATELLITES EVERY

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COUPLE OF MONTHS TO DO WHAT?

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>> SO, THIS IS THE YEAR OF

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LAUNCHING LOTS AND LOTS OF

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SATELLITES TO CREATE INTERNET

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FROM SPACE.

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SO, THE COMPANY IS ONEWEB, AND

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THEY HAVE THIS VISION OF

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LAUNCHING OVER 600 SATELLITES TO

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CREATE THIS KIND OF GLOBAL

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CONSTELLATION TO BEAM INTERNET

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COVERAGE DOWN TO THE EARTH

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BELOW.

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AND THEY NEED THAT MANY

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SATELLITES BECAUSE THEY'RE

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PUTTING THEM INTO, LIKE, A LOW-

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TO MID-EARTH ORBIT SO THAT THEY

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CAN-- THE LATENCY BETWEEN THE

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SIGNALS IS VERY LOW, BUT YOU'LL

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NEED A LOT OF SATELLITES SO THAT

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THEY CAN COVER THE ENTIRE GLOBE.

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>> Sreenivasan: AND FINALLY,

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WHAT COULD BE THE MOST

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INTERESTING THING-- AND WE WILL

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HAVE TO WAIT YEARS TO SEE IF

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THIS PLAYS OUT-- BUT IS A LAUNCH

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THAT'S HAPPENING TOMORROW, A

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SOLAR ORBITER.

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WE'RE SENDING A SATELLITE.

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NOW, WE HAVE HAD-- SENT

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SATELLITES BEFORE TO KIND OF

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LOOK AT THE SUN.

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WHAT'S THIS SATELLITE THAT WE'RE

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SENDING TOMORROW GOING TO DO

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THAT'S DIFFERENT?

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>> SO, THIS SATELLITE IS GOING

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TO GO TO A PLACE AND SEE A

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VANTAGE OF THE SUN THAT WE JUST

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REALLY HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.

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IT'S THE SUN'S POLAR REGIONS.

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SO, JUST LIKE ON EARTH, THE SUN

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HAS POLES, TOO.

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BUT, NORMALLY, WHEN WE SEND

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SPACECRAFT TO GO STUDY THE SUN,

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THEY ORBIT IN LINE WITH THE

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PLANETS.

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SO, THE PLANETS ALL ORBIT IN THE

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SAME PLANE, LIKE A FLAT DISK.

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BUT GETTING TO THE POLES IS

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REALLY HARD BECAUSE THEY'RE, YOU

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KNOW, AT AN ANGLE.

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SO, THIS-- THIS PARTICULAR

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SPACECRAFT IS GOING TO GET IN

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THE-- IN THAT ANGULAR ORBIT AND

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REALLY GET THE FIRST UPCLOSE

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LOOK OF THE POLES THAT WE'VE

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EVER SEEN ON THE SUN.

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>> Sreenivasan: LOREN GRUSH

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FROM "THE VERGE," THANKS SO MUCH

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FOR JOINING US.

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>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.