00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your essential
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 guide to the cosmos. I'm Anna.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Avery: And I'm Avery. We're the podcast that brings
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 you the day's biggest news in space and
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 astronomy from our solar system and beyond.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 Anna: We have a packed show for you today. Our
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 top story, NASA's Aerospace Safety
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 Advisory Panel is sounding the alarm warning
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 that the Artemis 3 mission to land humans on
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 the moon is at high risk of delay.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 Avery: Plus, we'll check in on the extended mission
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft, celebrate the
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 recovery of a rare meteorite in Europe, and
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 explore a potential gold rush for asteroid
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 manners targeting Earth's mini moons.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Anna: And later, we'll have a few quick updates on
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 SpaceX, growing tea on the moon, and
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 finding the history of our galaxy right here
00:00:46 --> 00:00:46 on Earth.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 Let's get started. All right, our main story
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 today comes from a public meeting at the
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 Johnson Space Center. NASA's Aerospace Safety
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 Advisory Panel, or ASAP, issued a stark
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 warning on September 18th regarding the
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 timeline for the Artemis 30.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 Avery: Um, and this all centers on the human landing
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 system, which is SpaceX's Starship. Right?
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 The vehicle that's supposed to actually take
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 the astronauts down to the lunar surface.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 Anna: Exactly. The panel is concerned that Starship
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 will likely not be ready to support the
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 mission in late 2026 as currently
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 scheduled. They cited two key.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 SpaceX needs to get the vehicle flying
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 successfully, and it needs to demonstrate
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 propellant transfer in orbit.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 Avery: That first one is a pretty big hurdle. The
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 first integrated test flight back in April
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 failed a few minutes after liftoff, and,
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 well, it completely obliterated its own
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 launch pad.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 Anna: It certainly did. SpaceX has made
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 repairs and upgrades, but they are still
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 awaiting an updated launch license from the
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 Federal Aviation Administration for their
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 next test flight. The chair of the
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 panel, Patricia Sanders, was very direct,
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 stating the current schedule has a high risk
00:01:59 --> 00:02:00 of delays, and.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 Avery: It'S not just a safety panel. We've heard
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 similar rumblings from senior NASA officials,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 though they've also mentioned concerns about
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 the development of new spacesuits and other
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 lander systems. But Starship seems to be the
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 longest pole in the tent.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 Anna: It is. And that second point, propellant
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 transfer, is critical. Starship needs to
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 be refueled in orbit for a lunar mission, and
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 transferring cryogenic propellants on that
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 scale has never been done before.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 Avery: So what's the backup plan if the lander has
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 problems? Is there a contingency?
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 Anna: That's the other issue Sanders raised. NASA's
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 Gateway, the planned outpost in lunar orbit,
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 could serve as a safe haven for astronauts,
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 but the gateway itself won't be ready for
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 Artemis 3. It really puts all the pressure on
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 starship performing as planned and on
00:02:46 --> 00:02:47 schedule.
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 Avery: It sounds like a very high stakes
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 development. We will certainly be watching
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 for news on the next test flight moving from
00:02:54 --> 00:02:55 the moon to the asteroids.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 Let's talk about a mission that has already
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 proven to be a great successJapan's
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 Hayabusa2.
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 Anna: Of course, the mission that returned a
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 pristine sample from the asteroid ryugu back
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 in 2020. What's next for the spacecraft?
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 Avery: It's on an extended mission heading to a new
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 target called asteroid, uh, 1998
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 KY26. And this new destination
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 is a very different kind of space rock.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:20 Anna: Different how?
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 Avery: For starters, it's very small with a diameter
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 of only 30 meters. It's also a fast
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 rotator, spinning on its axis once every
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 10.7 minutes.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 Anna: That is incredibly fast. That must give
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 it a very low gravitational field, making
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 any kind of landing or contact extremely
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 difficult.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 Avery: You're exactly right. Because of that,
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 Hayabusa2 will not be collecting a sample
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 this time. Instead, it will study the
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 asteroid from a distance when it arrives in
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 July 2031.
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 Anna: It's just fantastic that they can get more
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 science out of an already completed mission.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 This extended mission will allow scientists
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 to study a completely different type of
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 asteroid and learn more about the early days
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 of our solar system. A great example of
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 mission efficiency.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 Well, from visiting asteroids, we now turn
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 to an asteroid that visited us
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 after two years. Scientists have recovered a
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 very special meteorite from a fireball that
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 exploded over Europe in February
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 2023.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 Avery: I think I remember seeing videos of that one
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 online. It was seen by thousands of people.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 Anna: It was. The recovered meteorite has been
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 named Bliskvika, which is polish for
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 lightning. And it's a rare type of meteorite
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 known as an Aubrite.
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 Avery: An Aubrite. What makes that type of meteorite
00:04:41 --> 00:04:41 special?
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 Anna: They're thought to originate from the main
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 asteroid belt and are made of a very distinct
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 light colored rock. But. But what makes the
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 Bliskavica meteorite so important is that
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 it's the first abrite ever to be recovered
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 from a fireball that was observed by so many
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 people and captured on so many
00:05:00 --> 00:05:00 cameras.
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Avery: So all those dash cams and doorbell cameras
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 actually contributed to the science
00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 immensely.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Anna: It allowed scientists to precisely
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 calculate the meteorite's trajectory. And
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 this is the crucial part, determine its pre
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 impact orbit. They have actually traced
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 this specific rock back to its likely
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 origin point in the asteroid belt.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 Avery: That's incredible. So they don't just have
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 the rock, they have its return address?
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 Anna: Essentially, yes. It's being called a major
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 coup for planetary science. It provides a
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 unique opportunity to study a rare
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 meteorite with a known origin story
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 which can tell us some so much more about the
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 formation of our solar system.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 Avery: Speaking of getting our hands on space rocks,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 our next story sounds like something straight
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 out of science fiction. Apparently Earth's
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 next mini moon could create a gold rush for
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 asteroid miners.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 Anna: A mini moon? Are we talking about a permanent
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 second moon?
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 Avery: Sort of, but temporary. The official term
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 is a temporarily captured object or
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 tco. These are asteroids that are
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 captured by Earth's gravity, orbit, uh, our
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 planet for a few months or even years and
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 then get ejected back into space.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 Anna: Okay, so they're transient visitors.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 Where does the gold rush come in?
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 Avery: A new study has found that a TCO with a
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 diameter of just a few meters could
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 contain billions of dollars worth of precious
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 metals. The authors of the study propose a
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 mission concept called a T class mission to
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 to go out, collect the sample and bring it
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 back to Earth.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 Anna: Billions of dollars in value. But
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 surely the mission to retrieve it would cost
00:06:43 --> 00:06:44 just as much.
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 Avery: That's the most exciting part. The study
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 suggests such a mission could be launched for
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 as little as $10 million.
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 Because these TCOs are so much closer and
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 easier to reach than main belt asteroids,
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 they are far cheaper targets.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 Anna: That's incredible. So the authors believe
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 these TCOs could be a game changer for the
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 asteroid mining industry.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 Avery: They do. They say TCOs could provide a
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 regular, accessible and much cheaper supply
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 of precious metals to Earth. It turns these
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 fleeting visitors into potential orbiting
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 treasure chests.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 Alright, let's wrap up with a few quick
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 updates from around the cosmos. First up, it
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 was another Busy Sunday for SpaceX.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 Anna: Let me guess, more Starlink satellites?
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 Avery: You got it. A Falcon 9 rocket launched
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 another 22 Starlink spacecraft from Cape
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 Canaveral. The first stage booster
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 successfully landed for its 17th time. This
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 marked the 65th orbital mission of the year
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 for SpaceX. Just an incredible launch
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 cadence.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 Anna: It really is.
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 Now from low Earth orbit to the lunar
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 surface, could future astronauts grow their
00:07:50 --> 00:07:50 own tea?
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 Avery: It seems so. A new study found that it is
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 possible to grow tea plants in a simulant of
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 lunar soil. The plants were able to germinate
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 and grow and they even produced catechins,
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 the antioxidant compounds that make tea
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 healthy.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 Anna: Being able to grow their own food, even
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 something as simple as tea for a comforting
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 drink, would be a huge logistical and
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 psychological advantage for astronauts on
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 long term space missions.
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 Avery: Absolutely. And for a final story, we're
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 going from the small scale to the galactic
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 new research suggests that signs of our
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 galaxy's spiral arms may be trapped in some
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 of Earth's crystals.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 Anna: How is that possible?
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 Avery: A study in the journal Nature analyzed
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 ancient crystals from our planet's crust.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 They found traces of heavy elements like gold
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 and platinum, which are thought to be
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 produced in the supernova of massive stars.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 These supernovae are much more common in the
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 spiral arms of galaxies.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 Anna: So the theory is that as our solar system
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 passed through these dense star forming
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 spiral arms over billions of years, the Earth
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 picked up this stardust which which then got
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 trapped in the crust.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 Avery: Exactly. The crystals act as a geological
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 record of our planet's epic journey through
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 the Milky Way.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Anna: And that is our cosmic journey for today.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 From potential delays for our return to.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 Avery: The Moon to finding galactic history
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 right here in the ground beneath our feet.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Thank you for joining us on Astronomy Daily.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 Anna: You can find our show wherever you get your
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 podcasts. Please be sure to subscribe so you
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 don't miss an episode and subscribe. And if
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 you would like even more space and astronomy
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 news from around the globe, please visit our
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 website at astronomydaily IO.
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 You'll find all our back episodes there as
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 well, plus our latest blogs. See you
00:09:39 --> 00:09:39 tomorrow.
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 Avery: Until next time, keep looking up.