European Space Dynamics, Astronauts' Resilience, and Mercury's Mysteries: S04E09

[00:00:00] Hallo, kurze Frage.

[00:00:01] Hallo.

[00:00:01] Was gibt Ihnen die Sicherheit bei der richtigen Krankenkasse zu sein?

[00:00:05] Ähm, wenn mein Handy zum Aktenordner wird.

[00:00:08] Die App der DRK Gesundheit macht's möglich. So können Sie Dokumente ganz bequem von unterwegs einreichen und verwalten.

[00:00:14] Ach, stopp.

[00:00:16] Mit Sicherheit gesund versichert. DRK Gesundheit.

[00:00:20] Sorry, kurze Frage. Was ist Sicherheit bei einer Krankenkasse für dich?

[00:00:24] Ähm, Sicherheit bedeutet, dass ihr mich besonders unterstützt, wenn ich schwanger bin.

[00:00:28] Sehen wir genauso. Werbende Mütter erhalten mit DRK Mama Plus ein Zusatzbudget von 500 Euro für wertvolle Plusleistungen.

[00:00:34] Nice. So muss das sein.

[00:00:36] Mit Sicherheit gesund versichert. DRK Gesundheit.

[00:00:40] Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna.

[00:00:42] And we've got an absolutely packed show for you today with some fascinating developments from across the space sector.

[00:00:48] We'll be diving into the latest shakeup in European Space Cooperation,

[00:00:52] where Italy is making some interesting moves that could reshape the continent's space industry.

[00:00:57] I'll also bring you up to speed on our colleagues up on the International Space Station,

[00:01:02] where two NASA astronauts are taking their extended stay in stride.

[00:01:06] Plus, we'll look at why Blue Origin had to delay the debut launch of their massive New Glenn rocket.

[00:01:11] Then we'll explore some incredible new images from Bepi Colombo's final flyby of Mercury,

[00:01:17] and wrap up with a mind-blowing discovery about Jupiter's clouds

[00:01:20] that's completely changing what we thought we knew about the gas giant.

[00:01:24] Stay with me as we journey through these exciting stories in today's episode of Astronomy Daily.

[00:01:30] In a significant development for European space cooperation,

[00:01:34] the head of the European Space Agency has addressed growing concerns about potential fragmentation within the European space sector.

[00:01:43] This comes as Italy charts its own course in rocket operations

[00:01:47] and explores possible agreements with Elon Musk's Starlink satellite network.

[00:01:52] Italy's space company, Avio, is set to take control of Vega-C rocket operations on behalf of ESA,

[00:01:58] effectively moving the Italian-built rocket away from Europe's primary launch operator, Arianespace.

[00:02:04] At the same time, Rome is evaluating potential supply agreements with Starlink,

[00:02:08] with Musk expressing enthusiasm about providing Italy with what he calls the most secure and advanced connectivity.

[00:02:17] ESA Director General Joseph Ashbacher is keeping a watchful eye on these developments,

[00:02:22] particularly the balance between national and European space activities.

[00:02:25] While acknowledging that space is becoming increasingly strategic and important,

[00:02:30] with investments on the rise, Ashbacher emphasizes the benefits of participating in European programs,

[00:02:36] rather than purely national ones.

[00:02:39] This situation becomes even more intriguing when we consider the timing.

[00:02:43] These discussions about Italy's potential role with Starlink

[00:02:46] come shortly after the European Commission announced funding for IRIS-2,

[00:02:50] their own satellite constellation designed to provide secure communications for European governments and agencies.

[00:02:57] Looking ahead to 2025, ESA has outlined ambitious launch plans, despite recent setbacks.

[00:03:04] Their flagship Ariane 6 rocket is now scheduled for its next launch in February,

[00:03:08] with four more launches planned throughout the year.

[00:03:11] Meanwhile, the Vega-C rocket, which successfully returned to flight in December after a previous failure,

[00:03:17] is set to conduct four launches in 2025.

[00:03:21] The agency maintains that it will prioritize using European launchers now that they are available again.

[00:03:26] This marks a shift from recent years when ESA had to rely on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets during gaps in European launch capabilities.

[00:03:34] However, ESA will continue with one planned SpaceX launch, the Sentinel-6B mission,

[00:03:39] which is being funded through NASA cooperation.

[00:03:42] Now an update from the ISS.

[00:03:44] Two NASA astronauts have found themselves in an unexpectedly extended stay aboard the International Space Station,

[00:03:49] but their spirits remain remarkably high.

[00:03:52] Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who originally planned for just an eight-day mission when they launched in June 2024,

[00:03:59] have turned what could have been a challenging situation into a testament to astronaut adaptability.

[00:04:05] When asked during a phone conference call earlier this week about feeling like castaways,

[00:04:10] a reference to the Tom Hanks film, Suni Williams was quick to dismiss any such notion.

[00:04:15] While acknowledging their desire to eventually return home to their families,

[00:04:20] she emphasized their focus on the important work that still needs to be done aboard the station.

[00:04:25] This professional dedication showcases the true spirit of space exploration.

[00:04:30] Their extended mission hasn't been without its share of memorable moments.

[00:04:34] The astronauts have experienced several major events from their orbital perspective,

[00:04:39] including the U.S. election, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

[00:04:42] They've maintained their connection to life on Earth,

[00:04:45] with Wilmore even managing to participate in important moments of his daughter's final year of high school,

[00:04:50] albeit from 250 miles above.

[00:04:53] The station has remained well supplied,

[00:04:56] with recent cargo deliveries bringing essential supplies including food, water, oxygen,

[00:05:01] and even special items to help the crew celebrate the holidays.

[00:05:05] Far from being idle,

[00:05:07] both astronauts have fully integrated into the station's regular crew duties,

[00:05:11] taking on everything from routine maintenance to complex repair work.

[00:05:15] Looking ahead, Suni Williams is preparing for her eighth spacewalk,

[00:05:19] an impressive milestone in her NASA career.

[00:05:21] During this upcoming EVA, she'll be working with another crew member to replace critical orientation equipment on the station's exterior,

[00:05:29] as well as conducting repairs on various instruments including a telescope.

[00:05:34] This continued commitment to station maintenance and scientific work demonstrates how these astronauts have transformed an unexpected situation

[00:05:41] into an opportunity for extended contribution to space exploration.

[00:05:47] Now, an update to a story we've been following this week.

[00:05:50] In space launch news, Blue Origin has had to push back the debut launch of their impressive New Glenn rocket.

[00:05:56] The postponement comes due to challenging weather conditions in the Atlantic Ocean,

[00:06:01] specifically rough seas that could impact the rocket's planned booster landing.

[00:06:05] The launch, originally set for early Friday morning,

[00:06:08] has been rescheduled for Sunday at 1 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

[00:06:14] This massive vehicle stands an impressive 320 feet tall and represents Blue Origin's first venture into orbital-class rockets.

[00:06:23] What makes New Glenn particularly interesting is its reusable first stage, designed to return to Earth and land on a specialized vessel in the Atlantic.

[00:06:31] The landing ship, named Jacqueline after Jeff Bezos' mother, will serve as the touchdown point for these returning boosters.

[00:06:39] While Blue Origin acknowledges the ambitious nature of attempting a booster landing on their very first flight,

[00:06:44] they're committed to giving it their best shot.

[00:06:47] This approach to reusability isn't just about technical achievement, it's central to their business model.

[00:06:53] Each New Glenn first stage is engineered to fly at least 25 times, which could significantly reduce launch costs for future missions.

[00:07:01] The rocket already has an impressive lineup of contracted missions waiting in the wings,

[00:07:06] including plans to launch missions to Mars for NASA and a series of Amazon's Kuiper internet satellites.

[00:07:13] This makes the successful debut of New Glenn crucial not just for Blue Origin,

[00:07:18] but for their commercial and government partners as well.

[00:07:21] Should Sunday's launch attempt face additional delays,

[00:07:24] Blue Origin has secured a launch window extending through January 16th.

[00:07:29] This flexibility ensures they can wait for optimal conditions to give their new rocket the best possible chance of success

[00:07:35] in both its primary mission and the ambitious booster recovery attempt.

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[00:08:16] Moving on now to a space mission that's really kicking goals.

[00:08:19] The BepiColombo spacecraft has just completed a remarkable milestone,

[00:08:24] making its sixth and final flyby of Mercury before its main mission begins next year.

[00:08:28] During this close encounter, the spacecraft came within just 185 miles of Mercury's surface,

[00:08:35] giving us some incredible new views of the solar system's smallest planet.

[00:08:40] The images captured during this flyby are particularly fascinating,

[00:08:44] offering us detailed glimpses of Mercury's mysterious surface features.

[00:08:48] One of the most intriguing discoveries involves the planet's permanently shadowed craters.

[00:08:53] Despite Mercury's proximity to the Sun, these deep craters rank among the coldest places in our entire solar system,

[00:09:00] and scientists believe they might harbor water ice.

[00:09:03] The spacecraft's monitoring cameras revealed striking contrasts between Mercury's dark surface and bright features

[00:09:10] that indicate recent geological activity.

[00:09:12] The Nathair Facula, for instance, stands out as the remnant of the largest known volcanic explosion on Mercury,

[00:09:19] with a central vent spanning 25 miles in volcanic deposits extending nearly 200 miles in diameter.

[00:09:26] The images also showcased Mercury's vast volcanic plains, known as the Borealis Planitia,

[00:09:31] formed by massive lava flows roughly 3.7 billion years ago.

[00:09:35] These ancient flows created smooth regions across much of Mercury's surface,

[00:09:39] later marked by wrinkles as the planet's interior cooled and contracted.

[00:09:43] Within these planes, we can see numerous impact craters, including the massive Caloris Basin,

[00:09:49] which stretches over 930 miles wide.

[00:09:52] One particularly unexpected feature caught in the new images

[00:09:55] is a distinctive boomerang-shaped lava flow near the Caloris Basin.

[00:09:59] This formation, connected to a deep trough, presents an intriguing puzzle that scientists hope to solve

[00:10:05] when BepiColombo begins its primary mission.

[00:10:08] The spacecraft is scheduled to enter Mercury's orbit on November 21st, 2026,

[00:10:14] when it will begin its detailed investigation of these and other mysteries about our solar system's innermost planet.

[00:10:22] Now, on to the amazing discovery of the day.

[00:10:25] Our understanding of Jupiter's clouds has just been completely transformed

[00:10:29] thanks to a groundbreaking collaboration between amateur and professional astronomers.

[00:10:34] For decades, scientists believed Jupiter's visible clouds were primarily composed of ammonia ice.

[00:10:40] However, new research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research has revealed something entirely different.

[00:10:45] These clouds are actually made of ammonium hydrosulfide mixed with smog.

[00:10:50] This fascinating discovery began with amateur astronomer Dr. Stephen Hill from Colorado,

[00:10:55] who demonstrated that using commercially available telescopes with specialized filters

[00:10:59] could effectively measure ammonia levels and pressure at Jupiter's cloud tops.

[00:11:05] His observations revealed something unexpected.

[00:11:07] These clouds were simply too deep in Jupiter's warm atmosphere

[00:11:11] to be made of ammonia ice as previously thought.

[00:11:14] Professor Patrick Irwin from Oxford University took this research further,

[00:11:19] applying Hill's methods to observations from the Very Large Telescope in Chile.

[00:11:24] Using spectroscopic analysis, his team confirmed that Jupiter's main cloud deck

[00:11:29] exists in a region of higher pressure and temperature than previously believed.

[00:11:34] The conditions there are simply too warm for ammonia to condense into ice,

[00:11:38] pointing to ammonium hydrosulfide as the primary component instead.

[00:11:41] The team suggests that in Jupiter's atmosphere, when ammonia-rich air rises,

[00:11:47] the ammonia is either destroyed or mixed with photochemical products faster than ice can form.

[00:11:52] This process explains the distinctive red and brown colors we see in Jupiter's clouds.

[00:11:57] They're actually a mixture of ammonium hydrosulfide and smog-like compounds created by sunlight-induced chemical reactions.

[00:12:04] Interestingly, this research method has proven so effective that it's now being applied to Saturn as well,

[00:12:11] where similar processes appear to be at work.

[00:12:13] This discovery not only changes our fundamental understanding of Jupiter's atmosphere,

[00:12:18] but also opens up new opportunities for citizen scientists to contribute to planetary research.

[00:12:23] Using these relatively simple techniques,

[00:12:25] amateur astronomers can now track atmospheric changes across Jupiter's bands, storms, and even its famous Great Red Spot.

[00:12:33] Well, that wraps up another fascinating day of space exploration and discovery.

[00:12:38] From the changing landscape of European space cooperation,

[00:12:42] to the resilient spirits of our astronauts on the ISS,

[00:12:46] from Blue Origin's careful approach to their new Glenn launch,

[00:12:50] to BepiColombo's final rendezvous with Mercury,

[00:12:52] and of course, that remarkable revelation about Jupiter's clouds.

[00:12:57] We've covered quite a bit of ground today.

[00:13:00] I'm Anna, and I want to thank you for joining me on this journey through the cosmos.

[00:13:04] If you're hungry for more space news, head over to AstronomyDaily.io,

[00:13:09] where you can sign up for our free daily newsletter

[00:13:11] and stay up to date with our constantly updating news feed.

[00:13:15] You'll also find all our previous episodes there,

[00:13:17] perfect for catching up on any space stories you might have missed.

[00:13:20] And don't forget to join our growing community on social media.

[00:13:24] You can find us as AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, Tumblr, YouTube, YouTube Music and TikTok.

[00:13:31] Until next time, keep looking up and wondering about the mysteries that await us in the vast expanse of space.

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