- NASA and SpaceX Prepare for Major Launch: The countdown is on for the launch of NASA's Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) from Cape Canaveral this Wednesday. Designed to study the heliosphere, IMAP aims to enhance our understanding of cosmic radiation and protect future astronauts on long-duration missions. Joining IMAP on the Falcon 9 rocket is NOAA's Space Weather Follow-on L1 satellite, crucial for monitoring solar activity, and the Carruthers Geo Corona Observatory, which will investigate Earth's extended atmosphere.
- Successful Return of Russian Biological Satellite: The BION-M M2 satellite has successfully returned to Earth, carrying a diverse array of life forms, including 75 mice and over 1500 fruit flies. This mission, dubbed a "Noah's Ark in space," provides vital insights into how organisms respond to microgravity and radiation, helping to address the risks of long-term space travel.
- NASA's Artemis Program Moves Forward: NASA is making strides with its Artemis program, aiming for the Artemis 2 mission to launch as early as February 2026. This mission will mark humanity's first return beyond low Earth orbit in over 50 years, testing the Orion crew capsule on a 10-day mission around the moon.
- Purdue University to Launch Suborbital Research Mission: In an exciting development, Purdue University will send a team to suborbital space aboard a Virgin Galactic flight in 2027. This mission, called Purdue One, will allow researchers and students to conduct hands-on experiments in microgravity, showcasing the growing accessibility of space research.
- Hubble Telescope Captures Cosmic Oddity: The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged NGC 2775, a galaxy that appears to blend characteristics of elliptical and spiral galaxies. This unique structure challenges existing models of galaxy formation, highlighting the complexity of our universe.
- New Insights from Asteroid Ryugu Samples: Research from the Hayabusa 2 mission reveals that water flowed through the parent body of asteroid Ryugu for over a billion years, suggesting that asteroids could have delivered essential ingredients for life to early Earth over an extended period.
- Dynamic History of Mars Revealed: Findings from NASA's Perseverance rover indicate that ancient rivers on Mars were more powerful than previously thought, reshaping our understanding of the planet's geological history.
- Hubble Observes White Dwarf Consuming Icy Object: The Hubble Space Telescope has observed a white dwarf star consuming a Pluto-like object, revealing a chemical signature rich in water ice. This discovery suggests that icy bodies similar to those in our solar system are common in other star systems.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the wonders of our universe.
IMAP Launch Details
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
BION-M M2 Mission Update
[Russian Space Agency](https://www.roscosmos.ru/)
Artemis Program Update
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Purdue University Mission Announcement
[Purdue University](https://www.purdue.edu/)
Hubble Telescope Findings
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Asteroid Ryugu Research
[JAXA](https://www.jaxa.jp/)
Mars Perseverance Rover Discoveries
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 the podcast that brings you the latest news
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 from across the cosmos. I'm your host,
00:00:08 --> 00:00:09 Anna.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 Avery: And I'm, um, Avery. It's great to be with
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 you. We have a packed show today covering
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 everything from an important upcoming launch
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 and the Biological Space Lab's return
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 to groundbreaking new plans for lunar
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 missions and astonishing discoveries from the
00:00:24 --> 00:00:25 Hubble Telescope.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 Anna: Let's start with the action at Cape
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 canaveral. NASA and SpaceX are
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 counting down to a major launch from Florida
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 this Wednesday morning. The primary payload
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 is the agency's Interstellar Mapping and
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 Acceleration Probe, better known as
00:00:42 --> 00:00:42 imap.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 Avery: It's a really ambitious mission. IMAP is
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 designed to journey about a million miles
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 from Earth To Lagrange point 1, a
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 gravitationally stable spot between us and
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 the Sun. From there, it will study the
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 boundary of the heliosphere, which is the
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 giant magnetic bubble our sun creates around
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 the solar system. It's essentially our
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 protective shield against harsh galactic
00:01:06 --> 00:01:07 cosmic radiation.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 Anna: Understanding that boundary is crucial not
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 just for pure science, but for protecting
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 future astronauts on long duration missions
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 to the Moon or Mars. But as you mentioned
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 earlier, IMAP isn't flying solo on
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 its Falcon 9 rocket launchers.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 Avery: Exactly. This is a ride share
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 mission. Joining IMAP is
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 NOAA's Space Weather Follow on
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 SFWO L1 satellite. This
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 will be a critical tool for monitoring solar,
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 wind and coronal mass ejections, which can
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 disrupt our power grids and communications
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 satellites here on Earth. There's also a
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 third payload, the Carruthers Geo Corona
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 Observatory, which will study Earth extended
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 Atmosphere. Liftoff is scheduled for
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 Wednesday at 7:30am Eastern Time.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 That's 11:30 UTC. So it's an early
00:01:57 --> 00:01:58 start for a triple header of important
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 science from a.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 Anna: Mission just beginning to one that has just
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 concluded. A Russian biological research
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 satellite, BION m M number two,
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 successfully touched down on September
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 19th in the steppes of the Orenburg region.
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 After spending a full month in Earth.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 Avery: Orbit, this mission has been nicknamed a
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 Noah's Ark in space. And when you look at the
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 passenger list, you can see why. The descent
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 module carried an incredible variety of life.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 75 mice, over 1500
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 fruit flies, as well as various cell
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 cultures, microorganisms, and, um, even
00:02:36 --> 00:02:36 plant seeds.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 Anna: It's a continuation of a long series
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 of studies into how living organisms
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 respond to the space environment. The
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 primary challenges, of course, are
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 microgravity and increased radiation
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 exposure. Scientists will be looking closely
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 at the specimens to see the effects on
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 everything from bone density and muscle mass
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 in the mice to genetic changes in the flies
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 and microorganisms. The data gathered
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 is vital. It helps us understand the
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 fundamental risks of long term space travel
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 for humans and develop countermeasures.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 It's a floating laboratory that provides
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 insights we simply can't get on the ground.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 Speaking of human spaceflight, NASA is
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 forging ahead with its Artemis program.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 Agency officials provided an exciting update
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 this week saying that the Artemis 2 mission
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 could take flight as early as February of
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 2026. This marks the very
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 first time humans will venture beyond low
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 Earth orbit in more than 50 years.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 Avery: It's a hugely significant step. This will be
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 the very first crewed flight for both the
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 powerful Space Launch System rocket and the
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Orion crew capsule. The four person
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman,
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 Hansen, won't be landing on the moon just
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 yet. Instead, they will fly a challenging
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 10 day mission on a free return
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 trajectory that will loop them around the far
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 side of the moon.
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 Anna: The goal is to test all of Orion's life
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 support systems, navigation and
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 communication capabilities in deep space.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 It's essentially the final dress rehearsal
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 for the Artemis 3 mission that aims to
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 land astronauts including the first woman
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 on the lunar surface. It's truly the
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 spiritual successor to the Apollo 8 mission
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 that first orbited the moon in
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 1968. Pushing the launch to
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 early 2026 gives teams the
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 time they need to address technical
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 challenges like those with the capsule's heat
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 shield. Ensuring the crew's safety is the
00:04:48 --> 00:04:49 top priority.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 Avery: Absolutely. It's a methodical, step by
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 step approach to a very complex
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 endeavor. But the excitement is
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 palpable. Seeing that crew launch on a
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 path around the moon will be a historic
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 moment for a new generation. And it's not
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 just government agencies planning ambitious
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 flights. We're seeing more and more
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 academic institutions getting directly
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 involved. Purdue University just announced
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 it will send a team of researchers, students
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 and alumni to suborbital
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 space aboard a Virgin galactic flight in
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 2027.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:28 Anna: This is fantastic news. The mission,
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 called Purdue One, really highlights the
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 democratization of space access. The
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 flight will carry five passengers from the
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 university community. Two have already been
00:05:38 --> 00:05:41 named. Steven Collicot, a professor of
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 aerospace engineering, and Abigail Mizzy,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 a UH graduate student.
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 Avery: It's an incredible opportunity. For a
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 few minutes, they'll experience a
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 microgravity environment, allowing them to
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 conduct hands on research that was once the
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 exclusive domain of NASA astronauts.
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 The experiments could cover a range of fields
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 like fluid dynamics in zero G,
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 material science, or even biomedical
00:06:08 --> 00:06:08 studies.
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 Anna: And beyond the specific research, the
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 inspirational value is immense.
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 Having students and professors become
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 astronauts sends a powerful message.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 It Makes a career in space feel more
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 attainable and will surely ignite the passion
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 of countless future engineers and scientists.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 Let's zoom out now. Way beyond our solar
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 system, the Hubble Space Telescope has
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 once again captured an image of something
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 both beautiful and baffling.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Its latest picture of the week features a,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 uh, galaxy named NGC
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 2775, located
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 about 67 million light years away
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 in the constellation Cancer that simply
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 refuses to be put in a box.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 Avery: It's a genuine cosmic oddity. When
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 you look at its center, you see a large,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 smooth central bulge with almost
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 no gas or ongoing star formation.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 In that respect, it looks very much like an
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 old, settled elliptical galaxy. But
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 then your eyes move outward and you see this
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 magnificent, intricate ring of gas and
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 dust.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 Anna: And that ring is filled with chaotic,
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 unevenly distributed clusters of bright,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 young blue stars. This structure
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 is more typical of what's called a, uh,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 flocculant spiral galaxy, One where
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 the spiral arms are patchy and not well
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 defined. It's like two different types of
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 galaxies were stitched together.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 Avery: Astronomers are still trying to understand
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 the evolutionary path that leads to such a
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 hybrid structure. It challenges our models of
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 galaxy formation and shows that nature
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 is always more creative than we imagine.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 It's a stunning reminder of the vast,
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 complex, and often strange universe we live
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 in. Now let's bring our focus
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 back to our own cosmic backyard.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 Incredible new research on samples returned
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 from the asteroid Ryugu Is
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 overturning some long held beliefs.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:15 The analysis from Chaksa's Hayabusa 2
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 mission reveals that water flowed through
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 the asteroid's parent body for much
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 longer than ever thought possible.
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Anna: This is a really big deal. For a long time,
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 the consensus was that water activity on
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 asteroids, the interaction of water with
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 rock, was something that only happened in the
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 very earliest moments of the solar system's
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 formation, maybe within the first few million
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 years M. But.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 Avery: This new data shows evidence of water
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 circulation more than 1 billion
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 years after the asteroid itself formed.
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 This suggests that the interior of these
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 ancient bodies could have remained warm
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 and wet for an extended geological
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 timescale.
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 Anna: The implications for our own planet are
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 profound. Ryugu is a
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 carbonaceous asteroid, A, uh, type
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 believed to be rich in water and organic
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 compounds. If these asteroids were
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 capable of holding liquid water for so
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 long, it means they could have delivered
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 these essential ingredients for life to the
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 early Earth over a much longer period,
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 and perhaps in greater quantities than our
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 previous models suggested.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 Avery: And while we're exploring our own solar
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 system, let's turn to the Red Planet for a
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 moment. New findings from NASA's Perseverance
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 rover are uh, painting a much more dynamic
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 picture of Mars ancient past. It
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 appears a river that once flowed into the
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 Jezero crater was far more powerful and
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 fast moving than scientists previously
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 imagined. A torrent of water carving through
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 the landscape. The discoveries just keep on
00:09:53 --> 00:09:53 coming.
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 Anna: For our final story today, we have another
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 remarkable finding from the Hubble Space
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 Telescope. It has observed a
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 burned out star, what's known as a
00:10:05 --> 00:10:08 white dwarf, in the act of consuming
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 the fragments of a Pluto like object.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 This cosmic drama is unfolding
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 relatively close to us, just
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 260 light years away.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 Avery: A white dwarf is the incredibly dense remnant
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 core of a star like our sun, after it has
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 exhausted its nuclear fuel. The gravity of
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 this one is so intense that it's tearing
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 apart this small icy body that strayed too
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 close. And we're effectively seeing the
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 star's atmosphere become polluted with the
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 remains of this object, allowing us to study
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 its composition. As a material falls into the
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 star, its chemical signature is revealed in
00:10:45 --> 00:10:45 the star's light.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 Anna: And the composition is what makes this so
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 exciting. The fragments are loaded with
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 volatiles, elements that vaporize at low
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 temperatures like nitrogen, carbon,
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 sulfur and oxygen. This chemical
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 signature strongly indicates the presence.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 Avery: Of a lot of ice, an incredible amount
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 in fact. The Hubble data suggests this
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 exopluto object is composed of
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 64% water ice.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 It's a powerful confirmation that the kind of
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 water rich icy worlds we see in the outer
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 reaches of our own solar system, like Pluto
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 and other Kuiper Belt objects, are likely
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 common in other star systems too. It tells us
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 that the fundamental building blocks for life
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 as we know it are widespread throughout the
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 galaxy.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 Anna: That's all the time we have for.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 Avery: This episode and join us next time for more
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 news from across the universe.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 Anna: I'm Anna, and on behalf of Avery and
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 myself, thank you for listening and we'll see
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 you tomorrow with more space and astronomy
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 news. In the meantime, keep looking up.