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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
A crane lowers the steel reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23 into position Dec. 18 on a 65-foot-high (20-meter) platform above the antenna’s pedestal that will steer the reflector. Panels will be affixed to the structure create a curved surface to collect radio frequency signals.NASA/JPL-Caltech After the steel framework of the Deep Space Station 23 reflector dish was lowered into place on Dec. 18, a crew installed the quadripod, a four-legged support structure that will direct radio frequency signals from deep space that bounce off the main reflector into the antenna’s receiver.NASA/JPL-Caltech Deep Space Station 23’s 133-ton reflector dish was recently installed, marking a key step in strengthening NASA’s Deep Space Network.
NASA’s Deep Space Network, an array of giant radio antennas, allows agency missions to track, send commands to, and receive scientific data from spacecraft venturing to the Moon and beyond. NASA is adding a new antenna, bringing the total to 15, to support increased demand for the world’s largest and most sensitive radio frequency telecommunication system.
Installation of the latest antenna took place on Dec. 18, when teams at NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, installed the metal reflector framework for Deep Space Station 23, a multifrequency beam-waveguide antenna. When operational in 2026, Deep Space Station 23 will receive transmissions from missions such as Perseverance, Psyche, Europa Clipper, Voyager 1, and a growing fleet of future human and robotic spacecraft in deep space.
“This addition to the Deep Space Network represents a crucial communication upgrade for the agency,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program. “The communications infrastructure has been in continuous operation since its creation in 1963, and with this upgrade we are ensuring NASA is ready to support the growing number of missions exploring the Moon, Mars, and beyond.”
This time-lapse video shows the entire day of construction activities for the Deep Space Station 23 antenna at the NASA Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, on Dec. 18. NASA/JPL-Caltech Construction of the new antenna has been under way for more than four years, and during the installation, teams used a crawler crane to lower the 133-ton metal skeleton of the 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) parabolic reflector before it was bolted to a 65-foot-high (20-meter-high) alidade, a platform above the antenna’s pedestal that will steer the reflector during operations.
“One of the biggest challenges facing us during the lift was to ensure that 40 bolt-holes were perfectly aligned between the structure and alidade,” said Germaine Aziz, systems engineer, Deep Space Network Aperture Enhancement Program of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This required a meticulous emphasis on alignment prior to the lift to guarantee everything went smoothly on the day.”
Following the main lift, engineers carried out a lighter lift to place a quadripod, a four-legged support structure weighing 16 1/2 tons, onto the center of the upward-facing reflector. The quadripod features a curved subreflector that will direct radio frequency signals from deep space that bounce off the main reflector into the antenna’s pedestal, where the antenna’s receivers are housed.
In the early morning of Dec. 18, a crane looms over the 112-foot-wide (34-meter-wide) steel framework for Deep Space Station 23 reflector dish, which will soon be lowered into position on the antenna’s base structure.NASA/JPL-Caltech Engineers will now work to fit panels onto the steel skeleton to create a curved surface to reflect radio frequency signals. Once complete, Deep Space Station 23 will be the fifth of six new beam-waveguide antennas to join the network, following Deep Space Station 53, which was added at the Deep Space Network’s Madrid complex in 2022.
“With the Deep Space Network, we are able to explore the Martian landscape with our rovers, see the James Webb Space Telescope’s stunning cosmic observations, and so much more,” said Laurie Leshin, director of JPL. “The network enables over 40 deep space missions, including the farthest human-made objects in the universe, Voyager 1 and 2. With upgrades like these, the network will continue to support humanity’s exploration of our solar system and beyond, enabling groundbreaking science and discovery far into the future.”
NASA’s Deep Space Network is managed by JPL, with the oversight of NASA’s SCaN Program. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on the Deep Space Network and Near Space Network, including supporting astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitoring Earth’s weather and the effects of climate change, supporting lunar exploration, and uncovering the solar system and beyond.
For more information about the Deep Space Network, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/communicating-with-missions/dsn
News Media Contact
Ian J. O’Neill
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-354-2649
ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov
2024-179
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Last Updated Dec 20, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
A method for evaluating thermophysical properties of metal alloys
Simulation of the solidification of metal alloys, a key step in certain industrial processes, requires reliable data on their thermophysical properties such as surface tension and viscosity. Researchers propose comparing predictive models with experimental outcomes as a method to assess these data.
Scientists use data on surface tension and viscosity of titanium-based alloys in industrial processes such as casting and crystal growth. Non-Equilibrium Solidification, Modelling for Microstructure Engineering of Industrial Alloys, an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, examined the microstructure and growth of these alloys using the station’s Electromagnetic Levitator. This facility eliminates the need for containers, which can interfere with experiment results.
European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Alexander Gerst is shown in the Columbus module of the International Space Station during the installation of the Electromagnetic Levitator.ESA/Alexander Gerst Overview of techniques for measuring thermal diffusion
Researchers present techniques for measuring thermal diffusion of molecules in a mixture. Thermal diffusion is measured using the Soret coefficient – the ratio of movement caused by temperature differences to overall movement within the system. This has applications in mineralogy and geophysics such as predicting the location of natural resources beneath Earth’s surface.
A series of ESA investigations studied diffusion, or how heat and particles move through liquids, in microgravity. Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument-Influence of VIbrations on DIffusion of Liquids examined how vibrations affect diffusion in mixtures with two components and SODI-DCMIX measured more-complex diffusion in mixtures of three or more components. Understanding and predicting the effects of thermal diffusion has applications in various industries such as modeling of underground oil reservoirs.
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins works on Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument Experiment Diffusion Coefficient Mixture-3 (SODI) DCMix-3 installation inside the station’s Microgravity Science Glovebox.JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency)/Takuya Onishi Research validates ferrofluid technology
Researchers validated the concept of using ferrofluid technology to operate a thermal control switch in a spacecraft. This outcome could support development of more reliable and long-lasting spacecraft thermal management systems, increasing mission lifespan and improving crew safety.
Überflieger 2: Ferrofluid Application Research Goes Orbital analyzed the performance of ferrofluids, a technology that manipulates components such as rotors and switches using magnetized liquids and a magnetic field rather than mechanical systems, which are prone to wear and tear. This technology could lower the cost of materials for thermal management systems, reduce the need for maintenance and repair, and help avoid equipment failure. The paper discusses possible improvements to the thermal switch, including optimizing the geometry to better manage heat flow.
A view of the Ferrofluid Application Research Goes Orbital investigation hardware aboard the International Space Station. UAE (United Arab Emirates)/Sultan AlneyadiView the full article
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By NASA
Mars: Perseverance (Mars 2020) Perseverance Home Mission Overview Rover Components Mars Rock Samples Where is Perseverance? Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Mission Updates Science Overview Objectives Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Perseverance Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 3 min read
Perseverance Blasts Past the Top of Jezero Crater Rim
This SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) mosaic shows part of the target “Duran,” observed on Sol 1357 near the top of Jezero crater’s rim. It was processed using a color-enhancing Gaussian stretch algorithm. NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP. I have always loved the mountains. Growing up on the flat plains of Midwestern USA, every summer I looked forward to spending a few days on alpine trails while on vacation. Climbing upward from the trailhead, the views changed constantly. After climbing a short distance, the best views were often had by looking back down on where we had started. As we climbed higher, views of the valleys below eventually became shrouded in haze. Near the top we got our last views of the region behind us; then it disappeared from view as we hiked over the pass and started down the other side. Approaching the summit held a special reward, as the regions beyond the pass slowly revealed themselves. Frequent stops to catch our breath during our ascent were used to check the map to identify the new peaks and other features that came into view. Sometimes the pass was an exciting gateway to a whole new area to explore.
This ever-changing landscape has been our constant companion over the last five months as Perseverance first climbed out of Neretva Vallis, then past “Dox Castle,” and “Pico Turquino.” We stopped at “Faraway Rock” on Sol 1282 to get a panorama of the crater floor. More recently, we could see many more peaks of the crater rim. As Perseverance crested the summit of “Lookout Hill,” half a mile (800 meters) above the traverse’s lowest point, we got our first views beyond the crater rim, out into the great unknown expanse of Mars’ Nili Planum, including the upper reaches of Neretva Vallis and the locations of two other candidate landing sites that were once considered for Perseverance. As the rover crested the summit, Mastcam-Z took a large panoramic mosaic, and team members are excitedly poring over the images, looking at all the new features. With Perseverance’s powerful cameras we can analyze small geological features such as boulders, fluvial bars, and dunes more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) distant, and major features like mountains up to 35 miles (60 kilometers) away. One of our team members excitedly exclaimed, “This is an epic moment in Mars exploration!”
While Curiosity has been climbing “Mount Sharp” for 10 years, and Spirit and Opportunity explored several smaller craters, no extraterrestrial rover has driven out of such a huge crater as Jezero to see a whole new “continent” ahead. We are particularly excited because it is potentially some of the most ancient surface on the Red Planet. Let’s go explore it!
Perseverance is now in Gros Morne quad, named for a beautiful Canadian national park in Newfoundland, and we will be naming our targets using locations and features in the national park. For the drive ahead, described in a video in a recent press release, our next destination is on the lower western edge of the Jezero crater rim at a region named “Witch Hazel Hill.”
Perseverance made more than 250 meters of progress over the weekend (about 820 feet) and is already at the upper part of Witch Hazel Hill, a location called “South Arm.” Much of the climb up the crater rim was on sandy material without many rocks to analyze. Witch Hazel Hill appears to have much more exposed rock, and the science team is excited about the opportunity for better views and analyses of the geology directly beneath our wheels.
Written by Roger C. Wiens, Principal Investigator of the SuperCam instrument, Purdue University
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Last Updated Dec 19, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
Members of NASA Glenn Research Center’s Office of Communications gather for a photo after the Public Relations Society of America’s Cleveland Rocks Awards ceremony. Credit: Tim Phillis NASA Glenn Research Center’s Office of Communications earned top honors — including Best in Show — during the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s Cleveland Rocks Awards on Nov. 19. During the event, the PRSA Greater Cleveland chapter recognized outstanding campaigns and tactics developed in 2024 by leading public relations and communications professionals in the Northeast Ohio community.
The Best in Show award is presented to the top scoring submission across all categories and subcategories. NASA Glenn’s Solar Eclipse Campaign entry scored the highest out of more than 75 entries in the Cleveland/Akron area. The Glenn team took home the prestigious red guitar for their outstanding effort.
WKYC’s Betsy Kling assisted in presenting the following awards to NASA Glenn:
Integrated Communications Campaign (Public Affairs and Government Category)
· 2024 Solar Eclipse – In the Path of Totality Campaign – Gold
· Spaceplane Stacked and Shaken at NASA Glenn Test Facility – Silver
Events (Public Affairs and Government Category)
· Total Solar Eclipse Fest 2024 (NASA Glenn and Great Lakes Science Center) – Gold
Tactic – Best Use of X (Formerly Twitter)
· Congrats, “Passtronaut” Josh Dobbs! – Gold
Best in Show
· 2024 Solar Eclipse – In the Path of Totality Communications Campaign
NASA Glenn Research Center’s Office of Communications Director Kristen Parker, holding a guitar, poses with Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Greater Cleveland Board of Director’s Cleveland Rocks Chair Kristin Pohlig. The guitar symbolizes PRSA’s Cleveland Rocks Best in Show award. Credit: Tim Phillis Return to Newsletter Explore More
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By NASA
Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near the headquarters building of the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.NASA/Ben Smegelsky As NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida wraps up a year that will see more than 90 government, commercial, and private missions launch from Florida’s Space Coast, a look to 2025 shows the missions, partnerships, projects, and programs at the agency’s main launch site will continue innovating, inspiring, and pushing the boundaries of exploration for the benefit of humanity.
“The next year promises to be another exciting one at Earth’s premier spaceport,” said Kennedy Center Director Janet Petro. “We have an amazing workforce, and when we join forces with industry and our other government partners, even the sky is no limit to what we can accomplish.”
New Year, New Missions to Space Station
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP), based out of Kennedy, and its commercial partner SpaceX plan two crew rotation missions to the International Space Station: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 and Crew-11. This also means the return of the Crew-9 mission and later Crew-10 during 2025. CCP continues working with Boeing toward NASA certification of the company’s Starliner system for future crew rotations to the orbiting laboratory.
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 members stand between Falcon 9 first-stage boosters at SpaceX’s HangarX facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos, Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), along with NASA astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers. SpaceX “Operations in 2025 are a testament to NASA’s workforce carefully planning and preparing to safely execute a vital string of missions that the agency can depend on,” said Dana Hutcherson, CCP deputy program manager. “This is the 25th year of crewed operations for the space station, and we know that with every launch, we are sustaining a critical national asset and enabling groundbreaking research.”
NASA also plans several Commercial Resupply Services missions, utilizing SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, and the inaugural flight of Sierra Space’s cargo spaceplane, Dream Chaser. The missions will ferry thousands of pounds of supplies, equipment, and science investigations to the crew aboard the orbiting laboratory from NASA Kennedy and nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, Nov. 4, on the company’s 31st commercial resupply services mission for the agency to the International Space Station. Liftoff was at 9:29 p.m. EST. SpaceX In addition to the agency’s crewed flights, Axiom Space’s fourth crewed private spaceflight mission, Axiom Mission 4 – organized in collaboration with NASA through the International Space Station Program and operated by SpaceX – will launch to the orbital outpost.
Reestablishing Humanity’s Lunar Presence
Preparations for NASA’s Artemis II test flight mission are ramping up, with all major components for the SLS (Space Launch System) hardware undergoing processing at Kennedy, including the twin solid rocket boosters and 212-foot-tall core stage. Teams with EGS (Exploration Ground Systems) will continue stacking the booster segments inside the spaceport’s VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building). Subsequent integration and testing of the rocket’s hardware and Orion spacecraft will continue not only for the Artemis II mission, but for Artemis III and IV. Technicians also continue building mobile launcher 2, which will serve as the launch and integration platform for the SLS Block 1B configuration starting with Artemis IV.
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems transport the agency’s 212-foot-tall SLS (Space Launch System) core stage into High Bay 2 at the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. The one-of-a kind lifting beam is designed to lift the core stage from the transfer aisle to High Bay 2 where it will remain while teams stack the two solid rocket boosters on top of mobile launcher 1 for the SLS core stage.NASA/Kim Shiflett “Looking ahead to 2025, teams will embark on a transformative year as we integrate the flight hardware for Artemis II, while simultaneously developing the foundation for future Artemis missions that will reestablish humanity’s presence on the Moon,” said Shawn Quinn, EGS program manager.
A key part of the Artemis campaign, NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative will continue leveraging commercial partnerships to quickly land scientific instruments and technology demonstrations on the Moon. Firefly Aerospace’s first lunar CLPS flight, Blue Ghost Mission 1, will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the lunar surface, including the Electrodynamic Dust Shield, a technology built by Kennedy engineers. Intuitive Machines, meanwhile, will embark on its second CLPS flight to the Moon. Providing the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the lunar surface, IM-2 will carry the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1), which features The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain from Honeybee Robotics, as well as the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations built by Kennedy. Both flights are targeted to lift off from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A during the first quarter of 2025.
As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon’s near side.Firefly Aerospace In development for Artemis IV and beyond, Gateway will be a critical platform for developing a sustained human presence beyond low Earth orbit. Deep Space Logistics (DSL) is the Gateway Program project office at Kennedy responsible for leading the development of a commercial supply chain in deep space. In 2025, DSL will continue developing the framework for the DSL-1 mission and working with commercial provider SpaceX to mature spacecraft design. Upcoming milestones include a system requirements review and preliminary design review to determine the program’s readiness to proceed with the detailed design phase supporting the agency’s Gateway Program and Artemis IV mission objectives.
Science Missions Studying Our Solar System and Beyond
NASA’s Launch Services Program (LSP), based at Kennedy, is working to launch three ambitious missions. Launching early in the year on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) is a space telescope to survey the universe using visible and near-infrared light, observing more colors than ever before and allowing astronomers to piece together a three-dimensional map of the universe with stunning accuracy. Launching with SPHEREx, NASA’s PUNCH (Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission will study how the mass and energy of the Sun’s corona transition into the solar wind.
NASA’s SPHEREx space observatory was photographed at BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in November 2024 after completing environmental testing. The spacecraft’s three concentric cones help direct heat and light away from the telescope and other components, keeping them cool. BAE Systems IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe), scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral in late 2025, will help map out thethe heliosphere – the magnetic environment surrounding and protecting our solar system. Carrying 10 instruments to make its observations, the IMAP mission is targeting the L1 Lagrange Point, an area between Earth and the Sun that is easy for spacecraft to maintain orbit, along with two Sun observing rideshare missions – NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s SWFO-L1 (Space Weather Follow-On at L1). Also launching in late 2025 on a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg is the second of two identical satellites, Sentinel-6B, which will monitor global sea levels with unprecedented precision. Its predecessor, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, has been delivering crucial data since it launched in 2020, and Sentinel-6B will ensure the continuation of this mission through 2030.
“Our missions launching next year will include groundbreaking technologies to help us learn more about the universe than ever before and provide new data for researchers that will have positive benefits here on Earth,” said LSP’s Deputy Program Manager Jenny Lyons.
NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) identical dual spacecraft are inspected and processed on dollies in a high bay of the Astrotech Space Operations Facility near the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. As the first multi-spacecraft orbital science mission to Mars, ESCAPADE’s twin orbiters will take simultaneous observations from different locations around the planet and reveal the real-time response to space weather and how the Martian magnetosphere changes over time.NASA/Kim Shiflett The program’s support for small satellite missions next year includes several missions to monitor the Sun, collect climate data, and more. NASA’s ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission to explore Mars’ magnetosphere will lift off from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36 on NASA’s inaugural flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket. Some of these small satellite missions are part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, which offers the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technologists a unique opportunity to conduct scientific research and develop and demonstrate novel technologies in space.
Building the Spaceport’s Future
Teams expect a busy year of construction projects to accommodate new missions, hardware, and milestones. In preparation for Artemis IV, mobile launcher 2 construction and modifications in the VAB’s High Bays 3 and 4 for the larger SLS Block 1B configuration will ramp up. Teams also will upgrade the spaceport’s Converter Compressor Facility (CCF) to meet the helium needs of its commercial launch partners and the Artemis campaign, increasing efficiency, reliability, and speed of pumping helium to rockets. Upgrades to the CCF’s internal infrastructure are also part of Kennedy’s plan to earn the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, joining nine other Kennedy facilities in achieving that rating.
Photographers at NASA capture the sunset on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, near Vehicle Assembly Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The iconic Vehicle Assembly Building, currently used for assembly of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket for Artemis missions, remains the only building in which rockets were assembled that carried humans to the surface of another world. NASA/Ben Smegelsky “Kennedy’s spaceport will continue to see its launch cadence grow, and we have to meet our program and commercial partner needs in the most efficient way possible,” said Sasha Sims, deputy director of Kennedy’s Spaceport Integration and Services Directorate. “Process improvements and integrated approaches should improve the speed at which government and commercial construction takes place while also improving Kennedy’s infrastructure so that it’s robust, sustainable, and able to support America’s future in space.”
Driving down acquisition costs, increasing competition, and using innovative contracting mechanisms for construction are just some of the initiatives to maximize efficiency and reliability in 2025. The center’s “Critical Day” policy prohibits certain types of work during launches requiring full flight range support but will no longer apply to commercial launches where minimal flight range support is required, training events, static fires, exercises, tests, rehearsals, nor other activities leading up to or supporting launches. This policy change is expected to create more flexibility and free up over 150 days annually for construction, maintenance, and other essential work needed to keep the spaceport running smoothly.
Finally, Kennedy will continue carrying Apollo’s legacy through Artemis. Seeds that traveled aboard the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis I mission will be planted at the spaceport, honoring the legacy of the original Moon Trees that grew from seeds flown on Apollo 14. The Florida spaceport will become one of the select locations across the country where the “new generation” of Moon Trees will take root and provide living testimony to the agency’s continuing legacy of lunar exploration.
“With so many missions and initiatives on the horizon, I’m looking forward to another banner year at Kennedy Space Center,” Petro said. “We truly are launching humanity’s future.”
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