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[music, sound effects] Countdown voice: Two...one...zero. [rocket launching]
[music] Narrator: You've probably
heard the word "engineering" before, and you've probably been told it's pretty important.
But what exactly is engineering, and who exactly is
an engineer? Engineers are people who design and build things that we use 
every day. However, they don't just go building the first thing that comes to mind.
They work hard to make something we NEED, and they want to do a good job of it.
So, how do engineers decide what they need to build? Well, in most cases, they
start with a question. Here's an example: Say you live on a space station,
and something outside breaks. Obviously, you need to go outside
and fix it, but how exactly do you do that? That's a 
great question for engineers. Once they've got a good handle
on things, they'll start imagining ways to solve the problem. They'll
come up with all kinds of ideas, and some that might even seem a little...
...crazy! That's important because sometimes the craziest idea
is the one that works best. After coming up with these ideas, they'll
pick a few that make the most sense. Next, they'll start drawing a plan.
Depending on the idea, the plan can be very simple...
...or very complicated. But the important part is the plan itself.
A good plan helps engineers focus on what they're making--and most
importantly, why. Now, the engineers
get to have some real fun. They get to create something.
It's important to stick to the plan, though, so the idea doesn't go too far off-course.
Once they've built it, then they have to test it! Experimentation
is very important because it's here that engineers learn
what works, and, well...what doesn't. And while it's great when something
goes right on the first try, it's actually good when things don't,
because that gives engineers a chance to go back and improve on their original idea.
And improve they will...until they've solved the problem. So, the next time
you've got a problem to solve, whether simple or complicated, there's probably
a team of engineers ready to create something to solve it. And
nobody solves engineering problems quite like NASA.
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