The Science of the Red Planet
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MARS NEWS 50th Anniversary of the First Mission to the Moon This month will see the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8, the first human mission to slingshot around the Moon and return to Earth. Terraforming? Bah Humbug! A new paper has come out in Nature Astronomy saying that terraforming Mars is impossible with existing technologies. The MAVEN mission has studied the polar ice caps and has revealed that the frozen CO2 in the caps is not enough to warm up the planet enough for liquid water to become stable on the surface. Also, the scientists Bruce Jakosky of the MAVEN mission and Christopher Edwards of Northern Arizona University have surveyed the amount of CO2 locked in Mars' surface and the total is not enough to warm the planet to an Earth-life-sustaining surface temperature. As for me, I have high hopes we can terraform Mars if we wanted to but that could just be from my addiction to the "Terraforming Mars" board game. Terraforming: to make a planet habitable like Earth References: https://www.space.com/ Sorry, but Mars will never be as big as the Full Moon This August saw the closest Mars as been to Earth since 2016. However, it only got as close as 35.8 million miles. Despite the rumors, Mars has not and never will be as big as the full moon in our night sky. References: Asbury Park Press, August 26, 2018 Issue Yay! Mars is back on Nat Geo! In 2016, the National Geographic Channel fantasized humanity's first mission to Mars. Now, it is time to go again. The new second season of National Geographic's Mars will air on Monday, November 12th AT 9:00 pm ET. Don't miss it! References: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/mars/ Alien Martian Extremophiles Under Mars' Surface? New research suggests that briny, acidic water under Mars' surface could support sponge-like alien creatures. Extremophiles: creatures that thrive in habitats poisonous to humans. References: https://www.foxnews.com/science/ Mars-like Super Earth discovered 6 light years away Around Barnard's Star, around 6 light years from Earth, astronomers have found a dying, frozen, Mars-like Super-Earth type exoplanet, little more than three times the mass of Earth. They called it Barnard's Star b. Super-Earth: a rocky exoplanet larger than Earth Exoplanet: a planet orbiting a star other than Earth's Sun. References: https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/14/world/super-earth-discovery-barnards-star/index.html NASA's Next Mars Rover NASA is planning a new rover mission, set for 2020 (In fact, the name of the Rover is the "Mars 2020 Rover"), that retrieve rock samples from the Martian surface. The mission will cost 2.4 billion dollars and scientists at NASA are debating over the landing site of the rover. Three sites are recommended: Columbia Hills, Jezero Crater, and Northeast Syrtis Major. References: https://mars.nasa.gov/news/ https://www.nature.com/news/ What About Opportunity? A planet-wide dust storm has hit Perseverance Valley on May 30, halting Opportunity's operations. Opportunity has lasted longer than intended, bringing back more data, but will it survive this dust storm? No word yet on Opportunity's status. References: https://mars.nasa.gov/news/ Inflatable Space Stations Bigelow Aerospace is building an inflatable habitat that can be used as a space station or moon base. It can be launched by an unmanned rocket and inflated upon reaching its destination. However, it raises the question with the crowding of low-Earth-orbit space: How many space stations does Earth really need? References: https://www.nytimes.com/ Replanning an ISS mission After a failed mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on October 11, space agencies (including NASA) are rescheduling a mission to the ISS set in December. The failed Soyuz spacecraft caused astronaut Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin to make an emergency landing in Kazakhstan. References: https://www.space.com/ President Trump's Space Force We have all heard about Trump's "Space Force" on the news but how is it coming along? The Pentagon presented six recommendations to Trump on this issue including:
References: https://www.defensenews.com/space/ Stockton University's Mission 12 My college, Stockton University, has sent an experiment up to the International Space Station and it has just come back to Earth. The purpose of the experiment was to create and experiment with anti-cancer drugs in zero-gravity. References: http://www.stockton.edu/ One Day on Mars In celebration of the Mars InSight Lander landing Monday, November 26, 2018, the Robert J. Novins Planetarium presented One Day on Mars, a Canadian-produced planetarium show touring the surface of Mars, its climate, its night sky, its moons, and more (This was a limited engagement and One Day on Mars is no longer playing at the Robert J. Novins Planetarium). As for Mars InSight, the purpose of the mission is to look inside the planet Mars. I am happy to report that the Mars InSight lander landed safely on Mars. Along with the lander, there are also MarCO Cubesat satellites in communication with Mars InSight, allowing for relay response times that used to take anywhere from 4 to 22 minutes to take only seconds. These are two briefcase-sized satellites launched with the probe in geosynchronous orbit over the Mars InSight landing site. Now, we can finally look inside the planet. More on this mission as it develops. Geosynchronous: an orbit timed with an area on a planetary body so as to constantly in orbit above it. This Month's Topics 58 Years of Martian Exploration To start off my "Mars: The Science of the Red Planet" blog, I would like to review the exploration of Mars so far. We have not sent humans yet (boo). All exploration of Mars has been done with robotic probes. The first probe sent by the Soviet Union in 1960 was unsuccessful. Since then, about half of the probes ever sent there have failed. In my lifetime, I have seen the failures of the Beagle 2, the Mars Climate Orbiter, and the Mars Polar Lander. I used to have toy models of the two latter probes. Shame! Get a little boy's hopes up and crash! (NASA, I don't blame you. I know how difficult landing on Mars is.) The first successful probe to reach Mars was Mariner 4, sent by the U.S. in 1965. Later, Mariners 6 and 7 reached Mars in 1969 (while we were sending humans to the moon). These probes sent back images from Mars showing a moon-like cratered planet with a little wind to blow the dust around, dashing hopes of finding life on Mars. Mariner 9 was the first probe to orbit Mars in 1971. Its pictures showed Mars' dried-up riverbeds and close ups of Mars' moons. Vikings 1 and 2 were the first probes to successfully land on Mars in 1976. Viking 1 landed in Chryse Planitia and Viking 2 landed in Utopia Planitia. There were chemistry sets on board the landers to search for life but yielded no conclusive results. The probes are named after the Viking sailors who explored the world in the Early Middle Ages. I am a huge fan of the Viking Explorers but that's another story. The Mars Global Surveyor and Pathfinder Probes reached Mars in 1997. Pathfinder dispatched the first Mars rover, Sojourner. In 2004, the twin Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars. They explored Gusev Crater and Meridiani Planum. The twin rovers explored the geology of Mars to look for past signs of water. The Mars Express spacecraft entered Mars orbit in 2003. This is the spacecraft that carried the Beagle 2 lander, but, as I had mentioned earlier, the Beagle 2 probe was lost. In spite of this, the Mars Express continues to bring back stunning images of Mars. The Phoenix Mars Lander landed in the northern ice cap of Mars in 2008. I still remember watching the landing like it was yesterday. It was the first probe to confirm water ice underneath the surface. The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (MAVEN) which arrived at Mars orbit in 2014 was sent to investigate the origin of gases in Mars' atmosphere Including the presence of methane in the summer. Now, methane gas can be caused by biological processes indicating the possibly of subsurface life on Mars. other recent orbiting Mars probes include the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the 2001 Mars Odyssey. The latest probe to explore the surface of Mars was the Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) Rover which reached Mars in 2012. Armed with a Swiss Army Knife of geological tools and scientific instruments, this rover will send back more data on Mars' geological history and the possibility of Martian life than ever before! The Planets of Star Wars This blog is usually about Mars specifically. However, since this site also reviews science fiction, I decided to do a post on the planets in the original Star Wars trilogy (episodes IV through VI) and compare them to analogues in our own solar system. Now, I am a trekkie. I know, I'm a hypocrite. But the other day, I saw "The Empire Strikes Back" and I was looking at Bespin and I was like, "Hey, I know that planet!" Bespin is a gas giant planet orbiting in the habitable zone of its home star. Scientists have found gas giant planets orbiting around other stars. These planets typically orbit closer to their stars than the planet Mercury does from our sun. But Bespin orbits so that people can walk in its atmosphere (it has no solid surface) without a spacesuit. However, the planet that Bespin is most like, at least in our own solar system, is the planet Jupiter. In Star Wars, Bespin is mined for its gases. In the future, astronauts may do the same for Jupiter. Jupiter has gases like hydrogen and helium which can be used for rocket fuel, power stations, or for terraforming other planets (Mars included). The desert world of Tatooine most resembles the subject of this blog: Mars. Long ago, Tatooine lost its water. The same thing happened on Mars as the planet's atmosphere was stripped away. The surface water evaporated into space. A similar thing happened on Venus. However, the water vapor, along with other gases, caused a runaway greenhouse effect that caused the planet to become a pressure cooker. Unlike Mars or Venus, Tatooine retained its habitable atmosphere as the water evaporated. Moisture farmers on Tatooine harvest the water vapor in Tatooine's atmosphere. In the future, astronauts may do the same on Mars. There is still a few mists of water vapor left in certain deep places on Mars. The ice planet Hoth resembles the icy moons of Jupiter. Their names are Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. One moon, Ganymede, is larger than the planet Mercury. Therefore, if Ganymede were in its own orbit, it would be considered a planet, just like Hoth. Hoth is also like the icy dwarf planet Pluto. In the Star Wars galaxy, there is lots of forest worlds like Dagobah and the moon of Endor. However, there is only one planet in our solar system covered in forest: Earth. Throughout Earth's history, Earth has resembled some of the forest worlds of Star Wars. The swamp forest of Dagobah resembles the Earth in the Carboniferous period. On the other hand, Endor, with its pine trees, resembles Earth in the Eocene epoch. Game Reviews Terraforming Mars This board game, created by Jacob Fryxelius, is an experiment in making Mars habitable to humans. The game cost me about $50 but it was the best $50 I ever spent. It shows how over 100 generations, the red planet could get warmer (from an average of -30 degrees Celsius to an average of 8 degrees Celsius, the temperature of Iceland on Earth), 9 percent of the surface could become covered in water, and the oxygen content in the atmosphere could be raised to 14 percent (the air content at the highest elevations that humans can live on Earth). Then, it would be possible to live on the surface of Mars without a spacesuit. This game does not stop with Mars. No, the terraforming process involves the whole solar system from Mars' moon, Phobos, and the asteroid belt to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. There are expansions to this game. The one I own is called "Venus Next". Here, you get to terraform Venus as much as you can since it is harder to terraform than Mars is. You also get to work in the Inner Solar System. There is also a prelude game and another game board "Hellas and Elysium", which allows you to terraform other parts of the planet Mars. You can play this game alone or with friends. For ages 12 and up. Book Reviews Vostok by Steve Alten From the author of The Meg books that inspired the recent movie, The Meg, Vostok is mostly about extinct Miocene and Mesozoic animals surviving in a lake under Antarctica. However, there are aliens involved with this story. The Nordic-type aliens are trying to save extinct animals using submarines and anti-freeze machines from when Antarctica was free of ice (which happens to be the subject of the book Fingerprints of the Gods). The Nordics are also trying to warn mankind about a coming extinction in which "all that breathes air will perish." I was thinking this book was just about extinct species. I now know that it combines two of my interests: paleontology and astronomy. This book was a pleasant surprise. Artemis by Andy Weir Andy Weir of The Martian fame has done it again. This book follows the struggle of a young labor-class woman living in the first city on the moon. Artemis explores the backstreets and slums of a lunar colony, international relations with Kenya, and the discovery of a new mineral resource that will change Earth and the solar system forever. Old Mars and Old Venus by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois Remember the good old days? When the planets of our solar system were living worlds? When our neighboring planets were home to all manner of exotic life forms? If you are a member of my generation, you probably don't because these worlds existed before the Space Age. In any event, George R.R. Martin, the creator of Game of Thrones, takes you back to those long lost civilizations of Mars and Venus. I can relate to George R.R. Martin grew up in New Jersey, like me. As for the books, Martin populates Mars with fierce warrior tribes and monsters living on a dying rock crisscrossed with water-bearing canals and Venus with frog-headed aliens, talking pterosaurs (Pterosaurs: extinct flying reptiles from the Age of Dinosaurs, also called "Pterodactyls"), and nature-loving Earthlings gone native. These are the type of books I would read again and again and again. How to Live in Space by Colin Stuart This book gives the ins-and-outs of living in space and future destinations in our solar system for astronauts. How to Live in Space is your typical space exploration reference book, though it is good for beginners to the topic. Star Wars: The Rebel Files by Daniel Wallace This book was written in response to the new Star Wars films. Star Wars: The Rebel Files ties the cartoon Star Wars Rebels series and Rogue One with the original trilogy (Episodes IV to VI). This book is geared towards children. Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald Luna: New Moon tells of the struggle for control of the Helium-3 industry on the Moon. The contenders in this battle are Mackenzie Metals and Brazilian lunar colonist, Adriana Corta. I found this book to be relatively good but I wouldn't rush to read it again. Killing Titan by Greg Bear Second in the War Dogs series, Killing Titan is the lament of a Martian soldier who gets contaminated from the "Ice Moon Tea" and his quarantined trip to Saturn's moon, Titan. This book is also about our solar system locked in civil war, one which Mars has won, and of the discovery of a shattered moon under the surface of Mars. Take Back The Sky by Greg Bear The sequel to Killing Titan and third in the War Dogs series, Take Back The Sky follows the travels of the Martian soldier with the extraterrestrial affliction to the edges of our solar system. Also, this book introduces a nerdy "Bird Girl" character with glasses. Alienology (Ology Sreies) Last book in the Ology series, Alienology examines the UFO phenomenon in a whole new light. It explores the UFOnauts' home planets, their anatomy and biology, and how they travel through space and time with their advanced technology. This book is meant for children but I still find it entertaining. The true author is never revealed in the Ology series (sorry but that's how they hook young readers). Spaceships: An Illustrated History of the Real and Imagined by Ron Miller Spaceships is an illustrated catalog of spacecraft in both fiction and fact, from the earliest notions of space travel in the Renaissance to the realities of space travel today. This book showcases spacecraft beyond our wildest dreams and were never put into practice along with the history of the Space Age and the race for space. As a kid, I used to draw all kinds of spaceships. Spaceships is a dream made a reality for me, a person who appreciates art in books. Massacre of Mankind by Stephen Baxter Set 14 years after H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds, the Martians are back and this time, they won't be stopped by a puny Earth virus. Even though they are fought in the air (using flying machines reverse engineered from Martian technology) and at sea, the Martian horde continues to advance on Earth. The Martians claim their hold on Earth with a symbol. As dusk falls on mankind, it seems the only thing that can stop them is passages through sewer tunnels, stone age weaponry, and intervening Jovians (people from Jupiter). This book also speculates about life on the planets of our solar system. It seems that younger civilizations are closer to the sun, like on Venus, where the Martians have already invaded, and older civilizations are further away, like on Jupiter. Venus may even have its own Christ. Also, this book introduces terraforming attempts by the Martians to make Earth more like Mars. 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke This is an older book, admittedly. 2010 is the story about the search for the Discovery after its disappearance. The Leonov is a UN ship searching in Jupiter Orbit while the Chinese Tsien searches around Saturn. While they are searching, the crew of the Leonov finds life on Jupiter's moon, Europa. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster It is a little late but this is my kind of book. Star Wars is a novelization of the movie Star Wars: the Force Awakens. This book introduces new characters like BB-8, Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren and new planets like the desert world of Jakku, the dying ice world-turned-interstellar weapon of D'Qar, and the forest world of Takodana. The book includes two bonus short stories: The Perfect Weapon and Bait. What can I say? I am a Star Wars fan now. May the Force be with you! The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey The aliens knew exactly where to hit us. The 5th Wave tells the story of a post-apocalyptic Earth ravished by aliens. There is no redeeming mankind in this book. After the natural disasters and diseases the aliens, known simply as the Others, they use their final weapon: the humans turning on each other (which just so happens to be the plot of the Twilight Zone episode The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street). The 5th Wave was a better book than I thought it would be. Can't wait to read the sequel The Infinite Sea! Ultima by Stephen Baxter The sequel to Stephen Baxter's Proxima, Ultima tells the story of an alternate universe where the Romans have discovered wormholes to travel to the stars. There are many ancient cultures in this book like the Mongols, the Norse, the Incas, and Xin China. This book combines two of my interests: archaeology and astronomy. Galileo's Dream by Kim Stanley Robinson Kim Stanley Robinson of the Mars trilogy fame has done it again. In Galileo's Dream, the famed astronomer, Galileo Galilei, is transported forward in time to the year of our lord 3020 to resolve a civil war between colonies on Jupiter's moons. Along the way, he dives into Europa's ocean and risks being burned at the stake by the church. Apes and Angels by Ben Bova I am a huge fan of Ben bova. His books illustrates man's exploration of the cosmos and wherever we go, we find life. It is no different when the starship Odysseus goes to the Mithra star system, orbiting a red dwarf star two hundred light-years from Earth. On the fourth planet, Mithra Gamma, there are Paleolithic humanoids with an odd mythology which suggests an ancient interstellar war. However, the main reason for going to this planet is to protect it's Inhabitants from the "death wave" of gamma radiation emanating from the galaxy's core, killing every world in its path. Survival by Ben Bova With the help of the alien machine "Predecessors", the crews of the starships Sagan and Intrepid try to protect an inhabited world from the "Death Wave" spreading throughout the galaxy mentioned in Apes and Angels. However, the discovery of hominids on the planet led the crews to suspect that the "Predecessors" have a different agenda than simply protecting intelligent life. Solo: A Star Wars Story by Mur Lafferty Solo is a novelization of the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. Solo tells the backstory of Han Solo, his upbringing in the backstreets of Corellia, his joining the Empire and his subsequent desertion from it, his freeing of Chewbacca and his girlfriend, Qi'ra, from slavery, and his winning of the starship Millennium Falcon from Lando and his pilot droid, L3-37. The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey This book was not as good as The 5th Wave. The only redeeming qualities about the book are the planets mentioned and Zombie's two alien pets. By the way, this book was told from Zombie's point of view as opposed to Cassie's in The 5th Wave. Alien Worlds by David A. Aguilar This book compares alien worlds based on actual planets that astronomers have found orbiting other stars. It also speculates what alien life would be like on those worlds. This book may be for children but I find it entertaining, thought-provoking, and inspiring. Mr. Aguilar is a prominent writer for National Geographic of children's books about astronomy. 3001: The Final Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 3001 is about a changed solar system. Frank Poole, the astronaut from 2001: A Space Odyssey, comes back from flying with the Firstborn, a race of spaceship-like aliens, to find that Jupiter has turned into a second sun (now called Lucifer), the moons of Jupiter scattered about the solar system, and Venus terraformed. Also, there is a supernova in N Scorpio. This book with the returning hero and interplanetary and interstellar travel sounds like this could be the inspiration for the movie Interstellar. Red Moon by Kim Stanley Robinson China has conquered the moon! It is thirty years in the future and the moon is Chinese territory. Red Moon tells of the American astronaut Fred Frederick who finds himself fleeing for his life and then trapped in prison on the moon after a murder. In addition to human astronauts, the Chinese-controlled moon also has a menagerie of exotic land and sea animals. Red Moon also explores quantum computers, helium-3 (a recurring theme in lunar science fiction), and artificial gravity. Written by the author of the Mars Trilogy, Kim Stanley Robinson has done it again! I would read this book again and again. First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen This is a biography of the late Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, inspired by the recent First Man film. First Man explores Neil's life from his days as a plane pilot to the days of Projects Gemini and Apollo to the exploration Neil did during the last years of his life. Godspeed Neil, we'll miss you! Knight Errant: Star Wars Legends by John Jackson Miller Set millennia before Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, in a galaxy controlled by both Sith and Jedi, Knight Errant tells the story of Kerra, a Jedi knight who infiltrates Sith Space to free some of the Sith's slaves and of Sith Lords Daiman and Odion who persecute Jedi students. Lord Daiman sees himself as a god who created the galaxy and all who live in it. Knight Errant also has some bonus content about other books in the Star Wars series. This book also examines life in a triple-star system and different planets, as well as, describe the properties of the planets and stars in detail. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Ray Bradbury takes us, through a series of stories, into the 2030s to the colonization of Mars as humans flee a dying Earth. The settlers discover they are not alone on the red planet. The natives, who call their planet Tyrr, are dark, short, golden-eyed and don't breathe oxygen: a truly alien civilization. As humans colonize Mars, the Martians are pushed back as disease and persecution dwindle their numbers, like Native Americans during the colonization of America. My dad hates The Martian Chronicles but I enjoy it. This is my second time reading this and it had me at "Hello". William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher We have all seen the movie but have you heard it in the original Shakespeare? William Shakespeare's Star Wars tells the classic science fiction tale in a play written in Elizabethan English. Star Wars: Dark Disciple by Christie Golden In this book, a Jedi Master and a former Sith apprentice have to team up to defeat Count Dooku (aka Lord Tyranus). This book takes our heroes to the city planet of Coruscant, the lava-world of Mustafar, and beyond, and the Jedi Master is persuaded into betrayal of the Jedi Order. Star Wars: Aftermath and Star Wars: Aftermath: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig
William Shakespeare's Jedi the Last by Ian Doescher Ian Doescher has done it again! He has put the latest Star Wars film into Elizabethan English. This is a nice twist on the new movie and a great addition to the William Shakespeare's Star Wars Saga. Luke refuses to train Rey and the Resistance is in chaos. Can hope prevail in this dark time for the galaxy? Also, be sure to look about for those cute little Porg aliens. Apollo: Expeditions To The Moon: The NASA History by Edgar M. Cortright Cortright puts the mechanics for the Apollo missions in layman's terms, overviews the history of the Apollo program, and fills his pages with vivid color paintings and photographs. Apollo brings the Moon missions alive for readers. The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. This is an classic planetary romance featuring interplanetary civil war, life on Mars and Mercury, interstellar travel to Betelgeuse, and one man's trip, starting with a religious sect, and touring around the solar system with Saturn's moon, Titan, as the final destination. All this outlines the quest for the beautiful but elusive Sirens of Titan. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Emperor Quill I admit it! I'm a real nerd! I like my comic books as well as my novels. I like the artwork in the comics. In the Guardians of the Galaxy series, the galaxy is under new management. Peter Quill (the smuggler formerly known as "Star Lord") is elected king of the planet Spartax. New characters, including the Thing from The Fantastic Four, team up with the Guardians when Spartax is under attack by a Kree accuser and Quill is forced to face his past in order to save the galaxy...again! My family loves the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. That's how I came across these comics. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers When Iron Man is picked up in space by the Guardians, they must team up to protect Earth from alien intervention as a new Spartaxian law says that no aliens can touch Earth. Can the Guardians save Earth without breaking the law? Cosmic Avengers also features an alternative origin story for Peter Quill that is different from the movies. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: Angela While Iron Man and the Guardians save Earth, they come across a fallen angel who's job it is to protect Earth. Now, the angel Angela is breaking the no-alien-invasion Spartaxian law from Cosmic Avengers! Marvel's Star Wars: Skywalker Strikes Picking up right after the destruction of the Death Star, Luke Skywalker frees slaves from an imperial base on a garbage moon and Skywalker must go back to Tatooine in order to find a relic from Obi-Wan Kenobi's treasury meant to be inherited by Skywalker. meanwhile, Darth vader makes a pact with Jabba the Hutt. Marvel has done a good job with adding to the Star Wars saga. Happy Thanksgiving! Winner, Winner, Turkey Dinner! Yay Turkey Sandwiches!
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Ryan Knipple
"In our time, we have sifted the sands of Mars, established a presence there, and fulfilled a century of dreams." Archives
December 2019
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