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New Robot On The International Space Station Comes With 'Tude

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Rachel Martin, and this is Simon.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SIMON: Closing the current procedure.

MARTIN: Simon is a German robot who has been living on the International Space Station with Commander Alexander Gerst. But as demonstrated in a video, Simon can get a little testy. At one point in the demonstration, Gerst asks the robot to play some music - no problem. But when Gerst asked him to stop, Simon refuses. Then, the emotional manipulation sets in. And Simon asks...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SIMON: Don't you like it here with me?

MARTIN: There are high-maintenance friends in space, too. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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