- Martian Ice and Frosts: Explore the fascinating world of Martian ice and frost as we delve into how these elements could indicate the presence of liquid brines on the Red Planet. Discover the implications of Dr. Vincent Cheverrier's recent study, which utilizes data from the Viking 2 lander to reveal how seasonal frost melting could create transient brines, potentially supporting life in localized microenvironments.
- - A Richie Black Hole's Disruption: Join us as we examine a rogue intermediate mass black hole disrupting a star in the halo of a distant galaxy. Thanks to the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory, we investigate the mysterious tidal disruption event and what it reveals about the elusive nature of intermediate mass black holes and their role in cosmic evolution.
- - Exoplanets Around L9859: Discover the excitement surrounding the detection of a fifth rocky planet in the L9859 system, a red dwarf star located just 34.5 light-years away. This newly identified Super Earth in the habitable zone offers a unique opportunity for future atmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope, while shedding light on the characteristics of multiplanetary systems.
- - NASA's Student Suits Challenge: Learn about NASA's recent Suits Challenge, where over 100 students showcased innovative designs for future spacesuits and rovers. This hands-on experience at NASA's Johnson Space Center highlights the importance of fostering new talent in space exploration, with students gaining invaluable insights into real-world applications of their designs.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music 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 Steve and Hallie signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Martian Brines Study
[University of Arkansas](https://www.uark.edu/)
Richie Black Hole Discovery
[Hubble Space Telescope](https://hubblesite.org/)
L9859 Exoplanet System
[NASA TV](https://tess.gsfc.nasa.gov/)
NASA Suits Challenge
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Astronomy Daily
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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.