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(Music)

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Launch Commentator: 10, 9, ignition sequence start, six...

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George Diller/Narrator: A rich history.

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President John F. Kennedy: We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,

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not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

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Astronaut Neil Armstrong: That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

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A promising future.

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Launch Commentator: We have liftoff of the Falcon 9. Stage 1.

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George Diller/Narrator: A work force with legendary talent... at a launch complex like no other.

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Launch Commentator: And liftoff of space shuttle Discovery!

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George Diller/Narrator: This is NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

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The drive to explore is a constant. Technology advances -- and missions change.

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Kennedy Space Center is propelled today by the same strengths that have made it the

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nation's most celebrated launch complex for nearly 50 years.

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Hundreds of astronauts and robotic explorers have thundered away from this coastline,

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headed for destinations in low Earth orbit, across our solar system and

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into the reaches of deep space.

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Our skilled team and ground processing capabilities are second to none.

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As the home base of NASA's Launch Services Program, we safely prepare, integrate and

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launch a wide variety of rockets and state-of-the-art spacecraft.

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Another important Kennedy role is readying International Space Station payloads for flight.

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Orbiting 220 miles above Earth, the station serves as a national laboratory

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and as a testbed for long-duration missions that will carry humans far beyond our planet.

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We're modernizing the center to create an adaptable, multipurpose spaceport...

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accommodating an array of advanced spacecraft and new launch vehicles, and

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giving a boost to the commercial space industry and our economy.

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And since Kennedy shares land with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge,

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we're focusing on long-term sustainability, and protecting the delicate balance

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between technology and the environment.

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A great example is the new Propellants North Administrative and Maintenance Facility,

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which generates more energy than it consumes.

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The nation is turning a page, beginning a new chapter in spaceflight as the space shuttle

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flies into the pages of history after three decades of discoveries.

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STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey: And Houston, Discovery. For the final time, wheelstop.

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George Diller/Narrator: Throughout history, exploration has remained an ever-changing adventure.

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But the need to reach beyond our boundaries is timeless.