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>> THE THING THAT'S ALWAYS

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DRIVEN AND EXCITED ME

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IS EXPLORATION IN GENERAL.

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SO I THINK I'VE ALWAYS

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BEEN ATTRACTED TO

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THESE EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS,

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PLACES WHERE FEWER PEOPLE

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HAVE BEEN, WHERE CONDITIONS

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ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE HARSH,

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A LITTLE BIT MORE RARE

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AND REALLY EXTREME IN GENERAL.

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I WENT TO THE ANTARCTIC

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FIVE TIMES.

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FOUR TIMES WAS FOR

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MY PhD RESEARCH.

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AND THE WORK THAT WE WERE

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PURSUING THEN, IN THE ANTARCTIC

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WAS LOOKING AT

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THE DIVING PHYSIOLOGY

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OF EMPEROR PENGUINS.

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THEY USE THIS REALLY BIG DRILL

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TO CREATE A WHOLE IN THE ICE.

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AND SO YOU ENTER THE WATER

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THROUGH THAT HOLE IN THE ICE.

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THE FIRST TIME YOU GO DIVING

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THROUGH THE SEA ICE HOLE,

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YOU REALLY NEVER FORGET

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THE FEELING.

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THE WATER DOWN THERE IS

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A CONSTANT NEGATIVE 2 CELSIUS,

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SO 28 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

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AND YOU CAN SEE RAYS OF LIGHT

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COMING IN FROM ANY CRACK OR HOLE

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ANYWHERE AROUND THE AREA.

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AND THAT'S WHERE YOU START

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REALIZING ALL OF THE COLOR

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AND THE BEAUTY IN

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THE ANTARCTIC IS.

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IT'S JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY

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EXPERIENCE, AND THE THINGS

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THAT I SAW UNDERWATER THERE

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IS DEFINITELY THE MOST

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REMARKABLE AND EXCEPTIONAL

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DIVING I'VE EVER HAD.

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ONE OF THE THINGS THAT

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WE USE FOR TRAINING FOR

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SPACEFLIGHT FOR ASTRONAUTS

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FROM ALL OF OUR PARTNER AGENCIES

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IS TRAINING IN ANALOGS.

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SO IF YOU TRY TO THINK

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WHAT-WHAT ARE USEFUL TRAINING

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PLATFORMS ON THE EARTH?

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HOW DO WE REPLICATE

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ALL OF THE CHARACTERISTICS

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OF A SPACE MISSION?

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ONE OF THE ANALOGS THAT

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THE EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY

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DEVELOPED IS CALLED CAVES,

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AND IT'S A TECHNICAL

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CAVING MISSION.

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SO THE CAVES TRAINING MISSION

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WAS IN THIS VERY EXTRAORDINARY

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CAVE IN SARDINIA.

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SO YOU WOULD SOMETIMES

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BE CRAWLING THROUGH A HOLE

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THAT WHEN YOU SEE IT IN

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THE DISTANCE, YOU DON'T THINK

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THERE'S NO WAY THAT YOU CAN

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EVEN FIT THROUGH THAT.

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YOU KNOW, ONE AT A TIME,

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WE WOULD TAKE OFF OUR PACKS

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AND SORT OF SHIMMY

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LIKE A SNAKE THROUGH

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THESE TINY, TINY LITTLE HOLES.

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AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,

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YOU WOULD COME OUT INTO

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THIS ROOM, THIS CATHEDRAL,

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WITH A 100 METER GRANITE WALL.

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AND IT WAS REALLY

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JUST EXTRAORDINARY.

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AND THEN WE WOULD GO

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ON DAILY EXCURSIONS,

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DOING SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS,

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EXPLORING, MAPPING THE CAVE.

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SO ALL REALLY SIMILAR THINGS

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THAT WE WOULD DO WHEN WE FINALLY

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GET TO THE POINT OF EXPLORING

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ANOTHER PLANET, FOR EXAMPLE,

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AS ASTRONAUTS.

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AND THEN ALSO EMPHASIZING

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ALL THE OTHER SKILLS

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THAT WE USE ON

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THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.

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THE OTHER CONNECTION THAT'S

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REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME IS

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THAT ALL OF THESE ENVIRONMENTS

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INVOLVE NATURAL PHENOMENON

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ON OUR PLANET, SO IT ALL GOES

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BACK TO MY INTEREST IN BIOLOGY,

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LOOKING AT THIS REMARKABLE

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DIVERSITY IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

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WITH MY PREVIOUS RESEARCH,

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EXPLORING ALL OF THESE AMAZING

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LANDSCAPES AND ECOSYSTEMS

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ON OUR PLANET.

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AND THEN EVENTUALLY,

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WHEN I HAVE THE MOST

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EXTRAORDINARY OF ANY VIEW,

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WHEN I'LL BE ON

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THE SPACE STATION

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IN A COUPLE MONTHS,

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LOOKING DOWN AND SEEING

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THIS MAGNIFICENT PLANET EARTH

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AND SEEING THE BEAUTY

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OF OUR PLANET AND REALLY

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UNDERSTANDING HOW SPECIAL IT IS

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AND HOW FRAGILE IT IS

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AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

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TO PROTECT IT, TO TAKE

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GOOD CARE OF OUR HOME PLANET,

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TO PROTECT OUR OCEANS,

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TO PROTECT THE LAND,

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AND TO BE REALLY A GOOD STEWARD

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IN OUR UNIVERSE.

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[ MUSIC ]

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I'M JESSICA MEIR.

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I'M A SCIENTIST

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AND A NASA ASTRONAUT.

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[ MUSIC ]