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>> THE SOLAR PANELS THAT

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WE ARE-ARE CREATING THAT

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WE ARE DEVELOPING ARE ACTUALLY

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THE THICKNESS OF A HUMAN HAIR

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OR LESS.

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[ MUSIC ]

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HERE AT NASA, WE'RE WORKING ON

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THIN FILM SOLAR ARRAYS

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FOR OUR SPACECRAFT.

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AS THE NAME SUGGESTS,

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THEY'RE VERY THIN,

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VERY LOW MASS, VERY LOW VOLUME.

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SO THESE THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS,

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TO DATE WE'VE MADE THEM ALL

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BY HAND.

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WE CALL IT TOUCH LABOR, UM,

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WHICH, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,

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GETS VERY EXPENSIVE,

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AND IT'S HARD TO DO

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IN-IN VERY LARGE AREAS.

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SO THIS PROJECT, WE CALL IT

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PAPA-- PRINT-ASSISTED

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PHOTOVOLTAIC ASSEMBLY.

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AND OUR THOUGHT WAS, UH,

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CAN WE USE ROBOTICS, UM,

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AND 3D PRINTING

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TO GO AND ASSEMBLE

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THESE THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS

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TO BOTH LOWER COSTS,

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GET RID OF ALL THAT

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TOUCH LABOR, UH, AND ENABLE

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VERY LARGE SCALE PRODUCTION?

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THE IDEA REALLY CAME FROM

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WORK IN SOLAR SAILS--

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UH, S-A-I-L.

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SO SOLAR SAILS ARE

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VERY LARGE SCALE, VERY THIN,

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VERY LIGHTWEIGHT MEMBRANE

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THAT WE ACTUALLY USE TO, UH,

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PROPEL SPACECRAFT.

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WE ACTUALLY SAIL, UH,

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OFF OF THE MOMENTUM OF PHOTONS

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REFLECTING OFF OF THE SURFACE.

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OKAY, AND AS WE WERE WORKING ON

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THESE SOLAR SAILS, WE REALIZED

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WITH ADVANCEMENTS IN THIN FILM

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SOLAR CELLS, NOW C-E-L-L,

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UH, THAT THERE WAS

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A NATURAL MARRIAGE THERE,

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THAT WE COULD EMBED

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THESE THIN, FLEXIBLE SOLAR CELLS

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ONTO THESE VERY LARGE SCALE

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THIN SOLAR SAILS AND MAKE,

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UH, A VERY LARGE,

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COMPLETELY THIN FILM, LOW MASS

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SOLAR PANEL FOR OUR SPACECRAFT.

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IN THE BEGINNING, THIS WAS

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JUST AN IDEA.

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AND WE'RE SORT OF TAKING A STEP

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INTO THE UNKNOWN, SOMETHING

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THAT HASN'T BEEN DONE BEFORE,

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AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF

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EXPERIMENTATION TO REALLY

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GET IT UP AND RUNNING.

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AND THIS WAS A FRIDAY PROJECT.

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WE SET EVERY FRIDAY ASIDE

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TO COME AND WORK ON IT,

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AND IT BECAME A FUN THING

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TO COME AND DO.

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AND YOU KNOW, EACH FRIDAY

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IT FELT LIKE WE, YOU KNOW--

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KINDA ONE OF THOSE TWO STEPS

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FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK,

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TWO STEPS FORWARD,

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ONE STEP BACK.

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UM, BUT SLOWLY BUT SURELY

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WE-WE STARTED WORKING THROUGH

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EACH OF THE PROBLEMS AND, UH,

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EVENTUALLY CAME OUT

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THE OTHER SIDE.

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TWO REALLY MAIN ADVANTAGES

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OF THESE THIN FILM

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SOLAR PANELS COME AT TWO ENDS

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OF THE SPECTRUM.

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SO IF YOU GO TO THE VERY SMALL,

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UH, SMALL SPACECRAFT, YOU KNOW,

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SATELLITE THE-THE SIZE OF

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A LOAF OF BREAD,

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AND YOU THINK ABOUT PUTTING

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THICK FILM SOLAR PANELS ON IT,

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UM, YOU CAN'T FIT A LOT

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ON THERE.

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BY THE TIME YOU FOLD 'EM UP,

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PUT 'EM INTO THE VOLUME,

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YOU'VE EATEN UP ALL OF YOUR

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RESOURCES AND DON'T HAVE MUCH

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FOR THE PAYLOAD, THE-THE THING

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YOU WANNA GO AND DO.

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SO, UH, BY SHRINKING

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THAT SOLAR PANEL-- LOWER MASS,

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LOWER VOLUME-- IT ENABLES US

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TO GO AND DO MORE

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FROM THESE SMALL SPACECRAFT.

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NOW, COMING TO THE OTHER END,

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THE VERY, VERY LARGE,

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WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT MAKING

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A SOLAR PANEL, UH, YOU KNOW,

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WE CAN DREAM A LITTLE BIT

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AND SAY THE SIZE OF

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A FOOTBALL FIELD, OR TEN

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FOOTBALL FIELDS, RIGHT--

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UH, DOING THAT WITH THICK FILMS

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BECOMES STRUCTURALLY

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VERY DIFFICULT.

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I THINK RIGHT NOW WE'RE STILL

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IN, UH, THE R&D PHASE.

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WE'VE COME OUT WITH

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OUR FIRST WORKING ASSEMBLIES.

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UH, THESE ARE FULLY PRINTED,

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FULLY AUTOMATED, UM,

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ASSEMBLED AND THEN TAKEN OVER

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TO A SOLAR SIMULATOR, TESTED,

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CONFIRMED WORKING.

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WE FOLDED 'EM UP, UNFOLDED 'EM,

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TESTED 'EM AGAIN, UH,

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WITHOUT ANY DEGRADATION.

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AND WE'VE STARTED PUTTING 'EM

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INTO SOME THERMAL SHOCK.

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UH, WITH ALL THESE MATERIALS

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LAID UP ON EACH OTHER,

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WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT

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COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL

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EXPANSION-- THAT THERE'S

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NOTHING, UH, THAT'S GONNA

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DELAMINATE, PEEL, CRACK, BREAK.

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UM, AND THEY SURVIVED

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THROUGH THAT THERMAL SHOCK.

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WE CURRENTLY HAVE SAMPLES

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GOING UP TO THE INTERNATIONAL

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SPACE STATION, UH, WHICH

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WILL ESSENTIALLY BE PUT

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OUTSIDE OF THE INTERNATIONAL

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SPACE STATION FOR A YEAR,

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EXPOSED TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

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THEY'LL COME BACK DOWN

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AND WE'LL STUDY HOW DID THEY

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DEGRADE, AND DID THEY ACT

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AS WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD?

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I THINK THIS LAYS

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THE GROUNDWORK, UH, FOR WHAT

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COULD BE REALLY REVOLUTIONARY,

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AND THAT'S IN-SPACE

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MANUFACTURING OF SOLAR PANELS.

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AND SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE USING

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COTS, OR COMMERCIAL

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OFF THE SHELF, THIN FILM

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SOLAR CELLS IN OUR PROCESS.

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SO WE BUY THE SOLAR CELLS

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FROM A-A TERRESTRIAL COMPANY,

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AND WE'RE ACTUALLY USING

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A ROBOTIC ARM TO INCORPORATE

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THEM INTO OUR PROCESS.

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UM, WHAT WOULD BE VERY POWERFUL

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IS IF WE COULD THEN

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GO AND ACTUALLY PRINT

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THAT SOLAR CELL.

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SO RIGHT NOW, WE'RE PRINTING

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ALL THE STUFF AROUND A COTS

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SOLAR CELL.

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IF WE COULD ACTUALLY PRINT

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THAT SOLAR CELL ITSELF, THEN

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WE HAVE A FULLY PRINTED

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SOLAR PANEL THAT WE COULD,

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SAY, IF WE'RE ON A LUNAR BASE,

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OR WE HAVE OUR MISSION TO MARS,

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OR EVENTUALLY DEEPER INTO SPACE,

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WE CAN PRINT STUFF ON DEMAND.

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YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE A SOLAR

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PANEL THAT GETS DAMAGED,

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UH, WE NEED MORE POWER

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FOR-FOR SOME OTHER EXPERIMENT,

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UH, OR JUST SIMPLY PUT,

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WE'RE JUST UP THERE LONG ENOUGH

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WHERE WE'RE STARTING TO DEGRADE

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IN A SPACE ENVIRONMENT.

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WE COULD ON DEMAND, THEN,

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PRINT, UH, A NEW SOLAR PANEL

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TO-TO ACCOMMODATE

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THOSE EXTRA POWER NEEDS.

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UM, AND I THINK THAT COULD BE