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now the international space station by

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design is meant to involve scientists

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from all over the world in doing

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research on this unique asset

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in the 15 years of continuous human

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habitation of the station more than 1700

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experiments have been done by

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researchers representing 83 different

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countries

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one of the organizations behind those

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numbers is the center for the

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advancement of science in space or cases

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and this morning we're joined by dr

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michael roberts the deputy chief

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scientist at cases to learn more thanks

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for joining us thank you man you can

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push the button and we'll thank everyone

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here to be here today

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cases was chosen by nasa back in 2011 to

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manage the international space station

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national laboratory

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quickly tell me what a national

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laboratory is but but how is cases

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working to fulfill that mission

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so national laboratories are facilities

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that are designed to support research

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and technology development interests of

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the united states there are several that

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operate here on the ground but there's

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only one that operates in low earth

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orbit that's the international space

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station national lab

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cases role in supporting that is that we

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help to manage and provide access to

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that national laboratory for any

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us-based investigator that can benefit

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from the unique environment of space

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the i've checked the website your

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website it says that cases is

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responsible for inciting the imagination

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of entrepreneurs and scientists

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while creating awareness of the national

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lab research

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give us a couple of examples of how you

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go about doing that certainly so one of

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the goals in creating and designating

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the us operating segment of the

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international space station as a

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national laboratory was to enable access

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for new communities of users so nasa

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obviously continues to support research

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and technology development on the

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station but cases has a portfolio which

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is slightly different than that of

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nasa's we seek out

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cust companies that have reasons for

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performing research in that unique

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environment that can benefit product

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development

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we also support companies such as

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pharmaceutical companies that utilize

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the unique aspects of living in

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microgravity

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in addition to affecting the crew

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the life living in in that environment

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also affects model organisms so there

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are opportunities for pharmaceutical

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companies to study drugs

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that combat can combat some of the

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effects of living in space environments

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such as muscle atrophy and bone mineral

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density laws things that translate as

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human diseases here on earth

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to get you to expand on that that phrase

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of model organisms we're talking about

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organisms that are being used to stand

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in for people absolutely right so there

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are some types of experiments that

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humans don't like to be test subjects

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for

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and they're also organisms that have

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much faster life cycles than humans do

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so that they can undergo a much longer

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term exposure to the microgravity

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environment in terms of their life cycle

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so we frequently use fruit flies worms

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and things like that so that we can

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learn about the effects of the life in

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microgravity environment on the biology

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of the system and those organisms

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although they're not extremely closely

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related to humans they do have genes and

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systems that behave in the same way

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and you were mentioning some of the

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different kinds of organizations that

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cases is working with a lot of that is

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commercial businesses people who are

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wanting to use the space station to

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improve their products that's exactly

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right so we

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we approach a very uh broad swath of

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interest in the united states

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we work with companies who have products

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and development or have interest in

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fundamental research and technology

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development utilizing both the shirt

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sleeve environment inside the station as

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well as access to the external

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environment outside the station we also

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have in our portfolio

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investigators who are sponsored by other

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government agencies so department of

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defense department of energy national

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institutes of health a variety of other

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government agencies who operate their

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own national labs here in the united

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states

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see the value in having access to the

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space flight environment and they simply

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can't recreate that environment in the

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national laboratories that they operate

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here on the ground a part of cases job

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is to help these people

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physically get their stuff to space

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right it is it is so

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part of our mission is enabling that

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access and we do that

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by facilitating communication between

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the researchers who are typically new to

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space they're used to being able to do

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research in the laboratory down the

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hallway

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so we put them in contact with

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implementation partners who can

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describe for them and share their

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experiences and how to do science in the

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harshness of space if they're working

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outside the station or how to package

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their biology if they want to work

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inside the station we also work closely

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with the launch providers in order to

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maximize that access to the station

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along with working with these companies

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and and the variety of different

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experiments there's an educational

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outreach component of cases his mission

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too tell me about that there is pat and

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that's one of the most exciting parts of

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our mission so every principal

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investigator that we bring on board

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through cases to have access to that

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national lab

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is also charged with helping us to

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develop a stem mission stem mission so

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we certainly recognize and acknowledge

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the excitement of working in space and

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that's a great great way to reach out to

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a new community of investigators who may

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be in kindergarten

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elementary school high school or already

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working at a university

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so we participate in a variety of formal

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education programs such as the student

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base space flight experiments program

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we work with one of the commercial

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providers nanoracks who has a very

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robust education program for middle

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school and high school level and then

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again we also engage with the companies

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the commercial entities that we bring on

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board to help them develop and support a

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stem mission because most of the

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companies we work with are truly

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interested not only in

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improving the quality of the research

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and technology development that's of

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interest to them and their product

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development they're also genuinely

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interested in being able to reach out to

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the youth and show that there are

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varieties of opportunities in that space

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environment for them as well

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is it hard to get

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these scientists or these businesses

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interested in using the space station

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it's really not that that first phone

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call uh that first communication is

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sometimes an interesting one because

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some of the uh some of the customers

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that we developed weren't aware that we

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had an international space station or

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that there was an opportunity for them

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to have access to that environment but

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once they understand what the

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capabilities are and the investments

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that we as a nation have made in

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building that laboratory and

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and completing it so that it can now

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operate truly as a national laboratory

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they become engaged very fast and

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typically it starts as a slow burn and

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then begins to grow to a big fire

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once everyone in the company realizes

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the opportunities that are available to

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them

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what's on the horizon for cases now

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it's all very good so we're certainly

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i'm glad to be here with you today on

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the anniversary of zaria you know it's

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it's hard to imagine that only 17 years

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ago the

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the first shiny object that became the

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international space station was launched

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into space but the horizon i think is

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very bright we're actively engaged with

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a variety of companies and other

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government agencies as well as academic

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institutions there's a lot of interest

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now in partnering across each of those

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diverse communities to do science in the

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international space station national lab

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good luck and and thanks for bringing us

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up to date on it thank you very much

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matt dr michael roberts is the deputy

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chief scientist for the uh for cases the