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[Whirring, people talking,
metal clinking]

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"Engineering for Mars
Behind the Scenes 360"

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"2020 Rover Descent
Stage Assembly"

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"Use headphones
and look around

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for the most immersive
experience."

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Hi, my name is Emily Howard and
I'm a mechanical engineer for

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the Mars 2020 rover...

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which is the next rover
we're sending to Mars

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in the year 2020.

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Once on Mars, this
rover will

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seek out signs of
ancient life,

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and capture samples for
possible return

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by future missions.

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It will also help us prepare
for human missions to Mars.

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Right now we're working
on the Descent Stage

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of the Mars 2020 rover.

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We're in High Bay One in the
Spacecraft Assembly Facility at

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NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, California.

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All of the emblems you see
on the wall represent

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missions that were
assembled here.

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Missions to
Venus, Mars, Jupiter,

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Saturn and beyond.

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I'm right here!

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Just kidding. That's
"High Bay Bob."

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"High Bay Bob" is there to show
off the current gowning state

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in the High Bay, based on the
project that's in there.

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Sometimes it's just smocks

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but right now we're
in the full "bunny suit."

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"High Bay Bob" does not
celebrate "Casual Fridays."

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We're wearing "bunny suits,"
protective clothing to minimize

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particles and bacteria from
getting on sensitive equipment

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and optics also we don't want
microbes jumping off of us onto

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the spacecraft, hitching a ride
to Mars, then us thinking

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we discovered life there.

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I'm right here.

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On the table here we're
measuring the different parts,

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weighing them and
then putting them back in

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Amerstat bags in preparation
for the installation.

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The Descent Stage AKA the "Sky
Crane" is a really cool part of

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how the rover actually
lands on Mars.

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It's part of the complex Entry,
Descent and Landing system in

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which the rover enters the
Martian atmosphere guided

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towards a specific landing point
on the surface of Mars.

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When it reaches a certain height
above the landing site, it will

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stop, hover, and lower the rover
suspended on cables

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to the surface.

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Once the rover is safely on
the surface of Mars,

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the cables are detached and the
Descent Stage will fly off,

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crash landing thousands of feet
away from the rover.

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The Descent Stage weighs
about 1500 pounds.

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That's about the same
weight as a dairy cow.

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When it's built, the
rover will be mated

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underneath the Descent
Stage for its trip to Mars.

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It's vital to the success
of the mission.

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So, once our work
here is done,

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we'll be testing
it for the next

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three years before launch.

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Hope you enjoyed
your tour of

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the Spacecraft
Assembly Facility.

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Thanks for stopping by!

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[Whoosh]

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[NASA LOGO / Jet
Propulsion Laboratory /