WEBVTT FILE

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[Sounds of satellite construction clean room]

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Nastasoiu: Our team right now is getting ready to deploy the solar array.

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We had to remove it from the spacecraft to get through thermal vacuum.

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And now we're doing the final flight installation.

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It's gonna stay on from here on out until we launch.

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Jordan: That's significant because it's really
the last major activity that we're doing,

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the last powered test that we're doing on JPSS-2

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before we put it in the shipping container and send it to the launch site.

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Capehart: We've deployed the array several times on the JPSS-2 spacecraft

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so that's not novel, but what's unique here is this is a milestone it's,

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it's a culmination of really seven years of work on this program.

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And establishes that we're ready for launch.

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Nastasoiu: So we need to do one last deployment
to make sure that it functions properly

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properly after getting through all of the tough
environmental testing and that it's ready to go.

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Our solar array is like one arm sticking out the side of the satellite.

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It has five panels. I think 2000 cells.

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They fold up like an accordion and they need to be held in place to make sure

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place to make sure they don't accidentally release during
all of the shaking that happens on the launch vehicle.

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Scott: So what we did was powered up the satellite
and actually commanded the array to be deployed.

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So the actual firing of the hold and release mechanisms,
the array folds out naturally -- it's spring loaded.

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They were monitoring, checking and inspecting to make sure
that each of the panels folded out and locked in place.

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The next time this will happen will be in space.

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Capehart: a test like today where we do the solar array deployment,
that's fun. That's fun to see that work.

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Seeing this deployment on the ground helps
visualize what will be going on in space.

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This is just an inkling of things to come.