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Welcome to Space to Ground, I'm Leah Cheshier.

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Summer time might be coming to an end,
but astronauts on the space station

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still have palm trees on their mind, and
in the lab.

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As we look to go forward to the moon

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and on to Mars with Artemis,  
researchers are interested in learning

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more about how plants germinate in a
microgravity environment.

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The United Arab Emirates Palm Tree Growth Experiment observes and documents root development

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of the Date Palm while in space. Evidence
of healthy plant tissue grown in

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microgravity may support possibility of
future explorers growing plants for consumption and other purposes.

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Meanwhile
on terra firma, three crew members are

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finishing up final preparations prior to
launch.

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After completing ceremonial activities
and mission briefings the Expedition 61

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crew of Jessica Meir, Oleg Skripochka, and
Hazzaa Ali Almansoori departed the

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Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in
Star City Russia and arrived at the

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Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Here
they'll finalise pre-launch training

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before beginning their journey to the
space station, with a liftoff on the

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Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft scheduled for
September 25th.

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This week's question is from Sohan, who asks how the space station is protected against radiation and debris.

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Space Station modules are
made from an outer layer of aluminum,

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an insulation layer, a debris shield layer
similar to Kevlar, and a second debris

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shield layer of aluminum. This amounts to
protection against debris,

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micrometeoroids and radiation as well as it
reflects the intense sunlight.