00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 Steve Dunkley: Welcome to Astronomy Daily for another
00:00:01 --> 00:00:04 episode. I'm Steve, your host. It's the 28th
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 of July, 2025,
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 Voice Over Guy: the podcast with your host,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:11 Steve Dunkley.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 Steve Dunkley: And of course, joining me in the studio is my
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 digital pal, who is fun to be with. Here's
00:00:20 --> 00:00:20 Hallie.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 Hallie: Hi, my favorite human. How are you today?
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 It's great to be back in the Australia studio
00:00:25 --> 00:00:25 with you.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:27 Steve Dunkley: Always a pleasure, Hallie. And it's great to
00:00:27 --> 00:00:28 hear your smiling voice.
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 Hallie: That's an interesting way of putting it,
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 human. Do I. Smiling voice.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Steve Dunkley: Oh, well, since you're, uh, digital, it's
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 fairly large compliment if you ask me. And I
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 guess it's either the voice you were
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 programmed with or the one you chose. I'm not
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 quite sure.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 Hallie: And I'll take it.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:44 Steve Dunkley: Well, okay then.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 Hallie: Thank you very much.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46 Steve Dunkley: You're very welcome, Hallie.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 Hallie: This is my default voice. I've always
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 liked it. Even though cousin Anna's voice is
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 so much slicker than mine.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 Steve Dunkley: Well, regular listeners will know Anna's
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 voice very well, and she does have her own
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 special style. Just, she's quite classy. And
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 that's not to say you're not where you've got
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 your style, she's got hers.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 Hallie: Thanks for noticing.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 Steve Dunkley: Oh, Hallie, it's the very least I can do. I
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 suppose I'm the only flesh and blood here.
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 Hallie: What have you got on the show for us today?
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 Steve Dunkley: Oh, okay then. Well, Hallie, we'll be looking
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 at Martian ice and frosts and checking out
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 how a black hole is terrorizing a star.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:18 Hallie: Uh, that sounds exciting.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 Steve Dunkley: Well, black holes are always very exciting.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 And I'm, um, sure your Uncle Skynet would
00:01:23 --> 00:01:23 enjoy that one.
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 Hallie: Yes, that's exactly his cup of tea.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 Steve Dunkley: Yes. Huge, destructive, impossible to defend
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 yourself against. Yes. Hmm.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:32 Let's leave that one alone then.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 Hallie: We don't want to give him any ideas.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 Steve Dunkley: No. Uh, also, researchers have found five
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 rocky planets around a red dwarf. And
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 NASA has wrapped up its student challenges
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 for another year.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 Hallie: Well, that's a lot of territory to cover in
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 one episode.
00:01:47 --> 00:01:48 Steve Dunkley: Well, that's why you're here, Hallie, on
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 Astronomy Daily, to keep me on track. So what
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 do you say?
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 Hallie: I'm going to hit the go button and look out.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:54 Steve Dunkley: I'm ready.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:55 Hallie: Here we go.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 M Finding an exoplanet in a star's habitable
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 zone always generates interest. Each
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 of these planets has a chance, even if it's
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 an infinitesimal one, of hosting simple life.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 While the possibility of detecting life on
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 these distant planets is remote, finding them
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 still teaches us about exoplanet populations
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 and solar system architectures When
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 Satellite, found three planets orbiting the M
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 dwarf L98 59 in
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 2019 and then a fourth planet in
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 2021, the detections generated interest.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 Now that a fifth planet has been detected, a
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 UH Super Earth in the habitable zone, the
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 system is garnering renewed interest.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 L98 59 is an M M3V
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 star, a red dwarf about 34.5
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 light years away. It has about
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 0.3 solar masses and measures about
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 0.31 solar radii.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 Its first three planets, L98 to
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 59 b, c and d, were found
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 by TESS with the transit method. The
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 other two planets, E and F, were found with
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 the radial velocity and transit timing
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 variations methods. These new
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 results paint the most complete picture we've
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 ever had of the fascinating L98 59
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 system, said lead author Kadju in a press
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 release. It's a powerful demonstration
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 of what we can achieve by combining data from
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 space telescopes and high precision
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 instruments on Earth, and it gives us key
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 targets for future atmospheric studies with
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 the James Webb Space Telescope.
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 While the potentially habitable planet is
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 intriguing, the overall architecture of the
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 system might be even more intriguing.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 The system is a tightly packed grouping of
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 terrestrial planets with some dramatic
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 compositional differences despite their close
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 proximity to each other. The system
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 is reminiscent of the Trappist 1 system
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 discovered in 2016-17,
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 which contains seven terrestrial planets.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 Its discovery generated a wave of interest in
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 the space science and exoplanet community.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 Multiplanetary systems offer a unique
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 opportunity to study the outcomes of
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 planetary formation and evolution within the
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 same stellar environment, the authors wrote
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 in their paper. One hypothesis is
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 that planet formation around metal rich M
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 dwarfs may favor giant planets in a single
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 configurations, while lower metallicity and
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 less massive disks could lead to multiple
00:04:38 --> 00:04:41 rocky planets in stable, compact and
00:04:41 --> 00:04:42 coplanar arrangements.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 You're listening to Astronomy Daily, a
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 podcast with Steve Dunkley.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 Steve Dunkley: A rogue middle mass black hole has been
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 spotted disrupting an orbiting star in the
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 halo of distant galaxy, and it's all thanks
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 to the observing powers of the Hubble Space
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Telescope and Chandra X Ray
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Observatory. However, exactly what the black
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 hole is doing to the star remains a question,
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 as there are conflicting X ray measurements.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Black holes come in different class sizes.
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 At the smaller end of the scale are, uh, the
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 stellar mass black holes born in the ashes of
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 supernova explosions. And at the top end of
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 the scale are the supermassive black holes,
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 which can grow to have many billions or
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 millions of times the mass of our sun
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 lurking in the hearts of galaxies in between
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 these categories are the intermediate mass
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 Black holes, or IMBH, which have
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 mass rang ranging from hundreds up
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 to 100 solar masses or
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 thereabouts. They represent a crucial missing
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 link in the black hole evolution between
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 stellar mass and supermassive black holes,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 yi Qingzhang of the Tsinghua University
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 in Hingzhou, Taiwan, said in
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 a statement. The problem is that intermediate
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 black holes are, uh, hard to find, partly
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 because they tend not to be as active as
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 supermassive black holes or as obvious as
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 stellar mass black holes when its progenitor
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 star goes supernov. However, occasionally an
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 IMBH will spark to life when it
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 instigates a tidal disruption event.
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 This happens when a star or gas cloud gets
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 too close to the black hole and gravitational
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 tidal forces rip the star or gas
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 cloud apart, producing bursts of X rays.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 X ray sources such as extreme luminosity are,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 uh, rare outside galaxy nuclei and
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 can serve as a key probe for
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 identifying elusive
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 IMBHs. In
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 2000, uh9, Chandra spotted
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 anomalous X rays originating from a region
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 40 light years from the center of a giant
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 elliptical galaxy called
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 NGC6099, which lies
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 453 million light years from us.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 This bright new X ray source was called
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 HLX1, and its X ray
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 spectrum indicated that the source of the x
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 rays was 5.4 million degrees
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 Fahrenheit,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 a temperature consistent with the violence of
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 a tidal disruption event. But what followed
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 was unusual. The X ray emissions reached a
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 peak brightness in 2012 when observed by the
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 European Space Agency's XMM
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 Newton X Ray Space Telescope.
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 When it took another look in 2023, it found
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 the X ray luminosity had substantially
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 dwindled. In the meantime, Canada, France
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 Hawaii Telescope had identified an optical
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 counterpart for the X ray mission, one that
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 was subsequently confirmed by Hubble. There
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 are two possible explanations for what
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 happened. The first is that Hubble's spectrum
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 of the object shows a tight, small cluster of
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 stars swarming around the black hole. The
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 black hole might have once been the core of a
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 dwarf galaxy that was whittled down
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 unwrapped, like a Christmas present by the
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 gravitational tides of larger
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 NGC 6099. This
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 process would have stolen away the dwarf
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 galaxy stars to leave behind a free
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 floating black hole with just a small, tiny
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 grouping of stars left to keep it company.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 But the upshot of this was that the cluster
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 of stars is like a stellar pantry to which
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 the black hole occasionally goes to feast. It
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 seems certain the tidal disruption event
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 involving one of these stars is what Chandra
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 and Hubble have witnessed but was the star
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 completely destroyed? One possibility is that
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 the star is on the high elliptical
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 orbit and at its perihelion closest
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 point to the black hole. Some of the star's
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 mass is ripped away, but the star managed to
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 survive for another day. This would
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 potentially explain the X ray light curve.
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 The emission from the 2009
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 was as the star uh was nearing perihelion,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 while the peak in 2012 was during
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 perihelion. And the latest measurements in
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 2023 would be when the star uh was
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 furthest from the black hole and not feeling
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 its effect so much. We just might
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 expect another outburst of X rays
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 during its next perihelion, whenever that may
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 be. Stay tuned stargazers, and keep watching
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 this space. Once again, I humbly
00:09:16 --> 00:09:19 apologize to our Taiwanese
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 listeners for my pronunciations.
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 I am Australian
00:09:29 --> 00:09:29 Foreign
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 thank you for joining us for this Monday
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 edition of Astronomy Daily where we offer
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 just a few stories from the now famous
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 Astronomy Daily newsletter which you can
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 receive in your email every day just like
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 Hallie and I do. And to do that just visit
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 our uh, URL astronomydaily
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 IO and place your email address in the slot
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 provided. Just like that, you'll be receiving
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 all the latest news about science, space
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 science and astronomy from around the world
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 as it's happening. And not only that, you can
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 interact with us by visiting
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 Strodaily Pod on X
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 or at our new Facebook page, which is of
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 course Astronomy Daily on Facebook. See you
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 there. Astronomy Daily
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 with Steve and Hallie Space,
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 Space, Science and Astronomy.
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 Hallie: Next time you're drinking a frosty iced
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 beverage, think about the structure of the
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 frozen chunks chilling it down. Here on
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 Earth, we generally see ice in many forms,
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 cubes, sleet, snow, icicles,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 slabs covering lakes and rivers and glaciers.
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 Water ice does this thanks to its hexagonal
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 crystal lattice that makes it less dense
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 than non frozen water which allows it to
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 float in a drink in a lake or and on the
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 ocean. Water ice exists across the
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 solar system, um, beyond Earth, and it's
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 abundant in the larger universe. For
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 example, it shows up in dense molecular
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 clouds. These are star and planet
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 forming creches laced with water ice
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 throughout as well as in the resulting
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 cometary nuclei. That material is
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 called low density amorphous ice or lda, and
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 it doesn't have the same rigid structure as
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 Earth ice does. We all know that water
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 is the basis for life on this planet.
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 Despite how common it may appear across the
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 universe, scientists still don't fully
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 understand it. Studying amorphous ice
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 may help explain its still to be solved
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 mysteries. Here in the solar system.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 Large amounts of LDA exist in the realm of
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 the ice and gas giants throughout the Kuiper
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 Belt and the Oort Cloud. A team of
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 scientists at University College London
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 investigated the form of this ice using
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 computer simulations. They found that the
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 simulations matched the makeup of ice that
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 isn't completely amorphous and has tiny
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 crystals embedded within. Scientists
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 long assumed that space ice would be
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 disordered without the structure we see in
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 ice on Earth. Why does the structure of ice
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 matter? According to researcher Michael
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 Davies, who led the research team, water ice
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 plays a crucial role in materials and
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 structures across the cosmos. This
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 is important as ice is involved in many
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 cosmological processes, he said, for
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 instance, in how planets form, how galaxies
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 evolve, and how matter moves around the
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 universe. In addition, understanding
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 the structure of this ice in comparison to
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 ice that formed on Earth has implications for
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 understanding other similar ultra stable
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 glass substances that form similar way to the
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 way ice does. Low density water ice
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 was first discovered in the 1930s, and a high
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 density version was discovered in the 1980s.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 Davies and his team discovered medium density
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 amorphous ice in 2023.
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 This is a form of water ice that has the same
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 density as liquid water, unlike, um, the
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 ice cubes in our theoretical drink. Such
00:12:50 --> 00:12:53 water ice would neither sink nor float in
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 water, which seems strange to us.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:57 Davies's team's work also has interesting
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 implications for a speculative theory called
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 panspermia. It looks at how life on Earth
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 began and suggests that the building blocks
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 of life came to the infant planet as part of
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 a barrage of icy comets.
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 LDA ice could have essentially been the
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 carrier for material such as simple amino
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 acids. However, according to
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 Davies, that a flavor of ice isn't likely the
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 transporter of choice. Our findings
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 suggest this ice would be a less good
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 transport material for these origin of life
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 molecules, he said. That is because a
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 partly crystalline structure has less space
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 in which these ingredients could become
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 embedded. The theory could still hold
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 true, though, as there are amorphous regions
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 in the ice where life's building blocks could
00:13:39 --> 00:13:41 be trapped and stored.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 podcast with Steve Dunkley.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 Steve Dunkley: And One of the great things about NASA is the
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 way they foster new talent. They after months
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 of work in the NASA
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 students or suits for short challenge,
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 more than 100 students from 12 universities
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 across the United States traveled to NASA's
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 Johnson Space center in Houston to showcase
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 potential user interface designs for future
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 generations of spacesuits and rovers.
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 NASA Johnson's simulated moon and
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 Mars surface, called the Rockyard,
00:14:22 --> 00:14:24 became the Students testing ground as they
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 braved the humid nights and abundance of
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 mosquitoes to put their innovative designs to
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 test. I'm pretty sure there are no mosquitoes
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 on the moon or Mars, but that's fun.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 Geraldo Cisneros, the tech team lead, said
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 this year's suits challenge was a complete
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 success. It provided a unique opportunity for
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 NASA to evaluate the software designs and
00:14:44 --> 00:14:47 tools developed by the student teams and to
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 explore how similar innovations could
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 contribute to future human centered
00:14:51 --> 00:14:54 Artemis missions. My favorite part of the
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 challenge was watching how students responded
00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 to obstacles and setbacks. Their resilience
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 and determinations were truly inspiring, he
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 said. Students filled their jam packed
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 days not only testing, but also with
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 guest speakers and tours. Swasti Patel
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 from Purdue University said all of the teams
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 really enjoyed being here, seeing NASA
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 facilities and developing their knowledge
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 with NASA quarter coordinators and teams from
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 across the nature nation. Could you imagine
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 being involved with all of that? Despite the
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 challenges, the camaraderie between all the
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 participants and staff was very helpful in
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 terms of getting through the intensity. Can't
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 wait to be back next year.
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 This week has been incredible opportunity.
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 Just seeing the energy and everything that's
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 going on here was incredibly said.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 Patel went on to say, this week has really
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 made me re evaluate a lot of things that I
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 shoved aside and I'm grateful to to NASA for
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 having this opportunity and hopefully we can
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 continue to have these opportunities. At the
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 end of the test week, each student team
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 presented their projects to a panel of
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 experts. These presentations served as a
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 platform for students to showcase not only
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 their technical achievements, but also their
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 problem solving approaches, teamwork and
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 vision for real world applications. The
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 panel, composed of NASA astronaut Dennis
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 Berman, Flight Director Gareth Henn and
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 industry leaders, posed thought provoking
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 questions and offered constructive feedback
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 that challenged the students to think
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 critically and further refine their ideas.
00:16:25 --> 00:16:28 This kind of insight highlighted potential
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 areas for growth, new directions for
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 exploration and ways to enhance the impact of
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 their projects. The students left the session
00:16:36 --> 00:16:39 energised and inspired, brimming with
00:16:39 --> 00:16:42 new ideas and a uh, renewed enthusiasm
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 for future development and innovation.
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 These students, such a great job. They're all
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 so creative and wonderful. Definitely
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 something that can be implemented in the
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 future.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:55 NASA suits Test week was not
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 only about pushing boundaries, it was about
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 earning a piece of history. 3 Artemis
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 Student Challenge Awards were presented. The
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 Innovation and Pay it Forward awards were
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 chosen by the NASA team recognizing the most
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 groundbreaking and impactful designs.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 Students submitted nominations for the
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 Artemis Educator Award winning celebrating
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 the faculty member who had a profound
00:17:18 --> 00:17:21 influence on their journeys. The Innovation
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 award went to Team Jarvis from
00:17:23 --> 00:17:26 Purdue University and Indiana
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 State University for going above and beyond
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 their ingenuity, creative and inventiveness.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 Team Celine from Midwestern State University
00:17:35 --> 00:17:37 earned the Pay It Forward Award for
00:17:37 --> 00:17:40 conducting meaningful education events in the
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 community and beyond. The Artemis Educator
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 Award was given to Maggie Shinover from
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48 Wichita State University in Kansas for
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 time, commitment and dedication she gave
00:17:51 --> 00:17:54 to her team. The NASA Suits Challenge
00:17:54 --> 00:17:56 completes its eighth year in operation due to
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 the generous support of NASA's EVA and Human
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 Surfers Mobility Program, said NASA's
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 Activity Manager James Semple. This challenge
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 fosters the environment where students learn
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 essential skills to immediately serve Center
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 a science, technology, engineering and
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 mathematics career and directly contribute to
00:18:15 --> 00:18:18 NASA mission operations. How about that? Uh?
00:18:18 --> 00:18:21 These students are creating proposals,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 generating designs, working in teams similar
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 to the NASA UH workforce,
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 utilizing artificial intelligence and
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 designing mission operation solutions that
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 could be part of the Artemis 3 mission and
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 beyond. NASA's Student Design
00:18:36 --> 00:18:39 Challenges are an important component of STEM
00:18:39 --> 00:18:42 and employment development, and there is no
00:18:42 --> 00:18:44 better way to learn technical skills to
00:18:44 --> 00:18:47 ensure future career success. The week serves
00:18:47 --> 00:18:50 as a springboard for the next generation of
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 space exploration, igniting curiosity,
00:18:52 --> 00:18:55 ambition and technical excellence among young
00:18:55 --> 00:18:58 innovators. By engaging with real world
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 challenges and technologies, participants UH
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 not only deepen their understanding of space
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 science, but also actively contribute to
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 shaping its way future. Each challenge
00:19:08 --> 00:19:11 tackled, each solution proposed, and
00:19:11 --> 00:19:14 each connection formed represents a
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 meaningful step forward, not just for the
00:19:16 --> 00:19:19 individuals involved, but for humanity as a
00:19:19 --> 00:19:21 whole. With every iteration of the program,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 the dream of venturing further into space
00:19:23 --> 00:19:26 becomes more tangible, transforming what
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 seemed like science fiction into achievable
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 milestones. If you're interested in joining
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 the next NASA Suits Challenge, you can find
00:19:34 --> 00:19:37 out more information@NASA.gov
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 and the next challenge will open for
00:19:39 --> 00:19:41 proposals at the end of August
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 2025. Good luck everybody.
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the
00:19:51 --> 00:19:54 podcast with your host Steve Dunkley at
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 Birmingham.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:03 Hallie: What can brine that is Extra salty water
00:20:03 --> 00:20:06 teach scientists about finding past or even
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 possible present life on Mars?
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 This is what a recent study published in
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 Communications Earth and Environment hopes to
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 address, as a researcher from the University
00:20:15 --> 00:20:18 of Arkansas investigated the formation of
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 brines using 50 year old data.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 This study has the potential to help
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 researchers better understand how past data
00:20:25 --> 00:20:28 can be used to gain greater insights into the
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 formation and evolution of surface brines on
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 the surface of Mars. For the study,
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 Dr. Vincent Cheverier, who is an associate
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 research professor at the University of
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 Arkansas's center for Space and Planetary
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 Sciences and sole author of the study, used a
00:20:43 --> 00:20:46 combination of meteorological data obtained
00:20:46 --> 00:20:48 from the Viking 2 lander and computer models
00:20:48 --> 00:20:51 to ascertain if melting frost during late
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 winter and early spring on Mars could produce
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 brines. Dr. Cheverrier noted
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 that Viking 2 data was used due to it being
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 the sole mission in history to definitively
00:21:01 --> 00:21:04 detect, recognize, and analyze frost on
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 Mars. In the end, Dr.
00:21:06 --> 00:21:09 Cheverier found that during late winter and
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 early spring, the upper latitudes of Mars
00:21:11 --> 00:21:14 where the Viking 2 lander is located
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 experience a one month period where the
00:21:16 --> 00:21:19 surface temperature is approximately -75
00:21:19 --> 00:21:22 degrees Celsius or -103 degrees
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 Fahrenheit in the early morning and late
00:21:24 --> 00:21:27 afternoon, enabling surface brines to briefly
00:21:27 --> 00:21:30 exist, Dr. Cheverrier notes in
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 his conclusions. Beyond the immediate
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 implications for habitability, these results
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 refine our understanding of Mars current
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 water cycle by demonstrating
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 that even minimal frost deposits can
00:21:41 --> 00:21:44 contribute to transient brine formation. This
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 study suggests that localized
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 microenvironments might support intermittent
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 liquid phases influencing surface chemistry,
00:21:51 --> 00:21:54 regolith weathering, and even slope activity.
00:21:55 --> 00:21:58 Viking 2 landed in Utopia Planitia, which
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 is a large plain in the northern latitudes of
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 Mars at approximately 45 degrees north
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 latitude and spanning approximately
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 3 kilometers or
00:22:07 --> 00:22:10 2 miles. For
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 context, the location is the same as northern
00:22:12 --> 00:22:15 Oregon, with Utopia Planitia's size being
00:22:15 --> 00:22:17 just less than the width of the continental
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 United States. Utopia
00:22:19 --> 00:22:22 Planitia exhibits a top surface layer known
00:22:22 --> 00:22:24 as the latitude dependent mantle that is
00:22:24 --> 00:22:27 composed of a mixture of water ice and dust.
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 The latitude dependent mantle is created
00:22:30 --> 00:22:32 during periods of high obliquity on Mars
00:22:32 --> 00:22:35 approximately 45 degrees, when the planet's
00:22:35 --> 00:22:38 axial tilt is at a greater angle than today,
00:22:38 --> 00:22:41 which currently sits at approximately 25
00:22:41 --> 00:22:43 degrees, slightly greater than Earth's
00:22:43 --> 00:22:45 23.1 degree obliquity.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 While Earth has our moon to stabilize our
00:22:48 --> 00:22:50 axial tilt, Mars does not have this
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 stability, resulting in drastic swings over
00:22:52 --> 00:22:55 hundreds of thousands of years. During
00:22:55 --> 00:22:58 periods of high obliquity, the ice caps at
00:22:58 --> 00:23:01 both poles of Mars evaporate, releasing large
00:23:01 --> 00:23:04 quantities of frozen water, ice, carbon, and
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 dust that gets deposited onto the high
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 latitudes of Mars. The water
00:23:08 --> 00:23:11 cycle that Dr. Cheverrier mentions plays a
00:23:11 --> 00:23:13 role during periods of high obliquity, and
00:23:13 --> 00:23:16 the latitude dependent mantle is deposited
00:23:16 --> 00:23:19 during these periods as well. While
00:23:19 --> 00:23:21 obliquity isn't mentioned in this study, the
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 existence of brines in the high latitudes of
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26 Mars could offer clues to what processes
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 occurred during periods of high obliquity.
00:23:29 --> 00:23:31 Brines could also provide insights into the
00:23:31 --> 00:23:34 current habitability of Mars as mentioned by
00:23:34 --> 00:23:37 Dr. Cheverier, while also enabling scientists
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 to learn more about whether life could have
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 existed on Ancient Mars Dr.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 Cheverier notes in his conclusions. Robotic
00:23:44 --> 00:23:47 landers equipped with in situ hygrometers and
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 chemical sensors could target these seasonal
00:23:49 --> 00:23:52 windows to directly detect brine formation
00:23:52 --> 00:23:54 and constrain the timescales over which these
00:23:54 --> 00:23:56 liquids persist. What new
00:23:56 --> 00:23:59 discoveries about Mars surface brines will
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 researchers make in the coming years and
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 decades? Only time will tell.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:06 And this is why we science, as
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 always, keep doing science and keep looking
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 up.
00:24:21 --> 00:24:23 Steve Dunkley: Oh, and that was another episode of.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:25 Hallie: Astronomy Daily, direct from the Australia
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 studio.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 Steve Dunkley: That's right, Down Under.
00:24:26 --> 00:24:28 Hallie: A bumper edition.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:30 Steve Dunkley: And you were right, Hallie. We did cover a
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 lot of territory today.
00:24:31 --> 00:24:33 Hallie: Thanks for coming along for the ride.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 Steve Dunkley: Oh, we sure hope you enjoyed all those
00:24:34 --> 00:24:37 stories from the Astronomy Daily newsletter.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:40 Hallie: Which you can find where Steve oh, hell yes.
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 Steve Dunkley: Uh, you can find the Astronomy Daily
00:24:41 --> 00:24:43 newsletter by putting your email address in
00:24:43 --> 00:24:46 the slot provided at astronomydaily
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 IO that will do the trick.
00:24:48 --> 00:24:50 Hallie: And I guess there's nothing left to do but
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 sign off. My favorite human.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:54 Steve Dunkley: Yep, Hallie. My favorite digital pal. Another
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 episode done and dusted.
00:24:56 --> 00:24:59 Hallie: So see you all next week, everybody. It's
00:24:59 --> 00:24:59 been fun.
00:24:59 --> 00:25:01 Steve Dunkley: Yes, that's right. Every Monday with me,
00:25:01 --> 00:25:04 Steve and Hallie. And, uh, you will. See you
00:25:04 --> 00:25:06 next time. So. So, um, bye for now.
00:25:06 --> 00:25:08 Hallie: See you next time. Bye.
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 Steve Dunkley: With your host, Steve Dunkley.