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♪ Music

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Narrator: On Earth,

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it's easy to take for granted

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the most basic things

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we need to live.

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But in space--air, water,

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and food--

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the ingredients of life--

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must be transported from Earth.

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As we do research aboard

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the International Space Station

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and go further into space,

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we learn more about life

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and how it's changed

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by spaceflight, and the

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knowledge we gain improves

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the way we live on Earth.

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Richard Hieb: It's important

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to remember our journey

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begins right here on Earth

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with the work we do at NASA, in

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the Space Biosciences Division.

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Narrator: Life support in space

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means we have to supply

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astronauts with sustainable

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sources of air, water, and food

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as well as finding ways

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to turn waste back into products

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that can be used

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again and again.

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In space, the air quickly

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becomes polluted by our own

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breath in the form of CO2.

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At high levels,

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CO2 can become deadly.

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We're working on ways to remove

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poisonous carbon dioxide from

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the cabin, pressurize it,

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and convert it back

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to pure oxygen.

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The same concept

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works for water.

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We treat wastewater

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and transform it

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into pure drinking water.

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Onboard a spacecraft,

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every inch is vital.

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The trash astronauts create

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would fill the entire station

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in no time.

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So we've developed a tool to

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compact solid waste, using heat

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that melts it into a brick

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the size of a Frisbee.

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This doesn't just work

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in space--heat melt compactors

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can be used for trash on Earth

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to prevent ocean dumping

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and huge landfills.

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Scientists at NASA's

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Omega Project are studying

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the use of algae

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to clean up wastewater.

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As the algae grows, it can be

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harvested to provide a food

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source or to provide

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aviation biofuel.

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This discovery not only

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presents huge possible benefits

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for air travel,

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it's being tried in waste

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treatment plants on Earth to

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help clean up the environment.

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At NASA we pride ourselves on

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the ability to invent solutions

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using tools, hardware,

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and ingenuity,

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but some of our most ingenious

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tools don't involve wrenches.

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NASA scientists are building

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synthetic biological systems

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to help meet the demands

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for recycling waste while

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generating useful resources

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like clean air and water,

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and new materials

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for construction.

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By combining products made by

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engineered bacteria, with dust

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and rock on the moon and Mars,

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astronauts could one day make

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building materials for landing

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pads and shelter

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from extreme environments.

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For tens of thousands of years,

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human beings have thrived

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while living with the consistent

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force of gravity on Earth.

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But in space, people experience

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a variety of gravity levels--

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from the rocket launch

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to floating in a spacecraft

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orbiting Earth

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to walking on other worlds.

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The centrifuge helps us

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understand how the human body

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responds to these changes

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in gravity.

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This knowledge helps us develop

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countermeasures to ensure

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astronauts come home healthy.

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NASA is also developing tools

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that can monitor the health of

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astronauts in space,

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including medical equipment

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like the portable Ultrasound

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imaging device onboard the ISS.

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Ultrasound techniques

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developed by NASA

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for soft tissue imaging

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and next generation science

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experiments are also used

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to help diagnose injuries

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and broken bones in

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remote medical clinics where

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X-ray machines are unavailable.

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The further out into

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space we go, the more we need

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to explore the science of

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life itself.

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As we study how the lack

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of gravity and higher levels of

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radiation affect life in space,

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we begin to understand why bones

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and muscles weaken, how plants

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grow differently, and why

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microbes become more infectious.

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We research how human cells

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respond to long periods of

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low gravity and perform

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experiments on fruit flies

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to help scientists better

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understand infectious diseases.

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New systems being developed at

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NASA are enabling further

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breakthroughs in science.

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Biological experiments

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involving mice on the

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International Space Station

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are telling us how animals

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change and adapt to being in

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space for weeks and months.

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What we learn will keep

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astronauts healthy and strong

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during their long journeys

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into space.

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Beyond the safe embrace

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of Earth, the men and women

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who journey to deep space

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must be protected from

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extremes of heat and cold,

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from the invisible but deadly

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effects of solar radiation,

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and from the lack of gravity,

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air, water, and food.

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Richard Hieb: It's important

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to remember our journey

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begins right here on Earth

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with the work we do at NASA.

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Narrator: Our work enables us

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to support long-term

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human space exploration,

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and the discoveries we make

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will have profound impacts

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on our journey through space