00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 brings you the universe one story at a time.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 I'm your host, Anna.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 Avery: And I'm Avery. Today we'll be looking at a
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 huge success for Blue Origin's new Glenn
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 rocket. A dramatic planned return to Earth
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 for three Chinese astronauts and a comet that
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 decided to put on a show by breaking apart
00:00:21 --> 00:00:22 right in front of our telescopes.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:26 Anna: And to top it all off, we're coming back down
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 to Earth to explore a, um, massive
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 10 year old crater discovered in
00:00:31 --> 00:00:31 China.
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 So let's get started. Avery, why don't you
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 kick us off with Blue Origin?
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 Avery: Absolutely. This is big news in the
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 commercial space race. Blue Origin just had a
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 landmark success with the second launch of
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 its new Glenn rocket. It wasn't just a
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 launch. It was a complete mission profile
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 success. They deployed a, uh, NASA science
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 mission that's now on its way to Mars.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 Anna: Which is a major achievement in itself.
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 But that wasn't the main event everyone was
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 watching, was it?
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 Avery: Not at all. The real nail biter and the part
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 that had everyone glued to their screens was
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 the landing. For the first time, they
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 successfully landed the massive new Glenn
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 first stage booster on one of their
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 autonomous drone ships out in the ocean. And
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 we have to emphasize how difficult that is.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 You're essentially trying to land a
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 skyscraper on a moving target in the middle
00:01:23 --> 00:01:24 of the sea.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 Anna: That's the holy grail of modern rocketry.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 Proving reusability is the key to bringing
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 down the cost of access to SpaceX
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 has been the dominant player there. But this
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 proves Blue Origin is officially in the game.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 And, um, then some. It's an incredible feat
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 of engineering. The guidance systems have to
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 account for wind, ocean currents, the
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 rocket's own fuel sloshing around. The
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 margins for error are razor thin. So this
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 isn't just a win. It's a demonstration of
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 some serious precision technology.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 Avery: Exactly. And New Glenn is a beast of a
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 rocket designed for heavy lift missions. With
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 this successful landing, they've demonstrated
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 a capability that's crucial for future
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 contracts, especially high value government
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 payloads and the big lunar missions planned
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 for the Artemis program. The competition is
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 definitely heating up. Mhm.
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 Anna: It's an exciting development that benefits
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 the entire industry.
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 Avery: It's not just about competition though.
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Having multiple reliable heavy lift rockets
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 is a game changer for science and
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 exploration. It opens up the possibility for
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 more ambitious missions, larger space
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 telescopes, and even the construction of
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 orbital infrastructure.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 Anna: Now, speaking of missions in orbit, our next
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 story involves a situation that was a little
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 less smooth. It concerns three
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 astronauts aboard the Tiangong Space
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 Station.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 Avery: Right. This has Been a tense situation. They
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 were scheduled to return to Earth, but there
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 was a problem with their right home. The
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 Chenzu 20 spacecraft.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 Anna: That's right. During routine checks,
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 tiny cracks were discovered in one of the
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 porthole windows. The suspected culprit
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 is a micrometeoroid or a small
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 piece of space debris. It's a stark reminder
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 of the constant hazards of living and working
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 in low Earth orbit.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 Avery: Even a sand sized piece of debris can cause
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 catastrophic damage at orbital velocities. So
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 they couldn't risk re entry in a compromised
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 vehicle. What was the solution?
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 Anna: Fortunately, the replacement crew was already
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 on its way. The new Shenzhou 21
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 spacecraft had just arrived at the station.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 So the stranded crew will be able to return
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 to Earth aboard that new undamaged
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 ship. And, and the plan is to bring them back
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 to Earth sometime today. The China Manned
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 Space Agency, or CMSA M said
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 in a statement. We wish them well in the
00:03:46 --> 00:03:47 return journey.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Avery: That's a relief. And what happens to the
00:03:50 --> 00:03:51 damaged Shenzhou 20?
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 Anna: Well, there's a fascinating silver lining.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 The damaged ship will remain docked to the
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 station for now. It presents a unique
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 opportunity for researchers to study the long
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 term effects of space debris impacts on
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 spacecraft materials without having to bring
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 it back to Earth.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 Avery: Turning a near disaster into a valuable
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 scientific experiment. I love it.
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 From human drama to cosmic drama, our
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 next story is about a comet that has been
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 putting on quite a show. We're talking about
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 Comet C 2025 K1,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 also known as Atlas.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 Anna: Right. This Comet had a very close encounter
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 with the sun back in October and it seems the
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 experience was a bit too much for it.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 Avery: A bit too much is an understatement. The
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 intense heat and gravitational forces caused
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 it to fragment. Astronomers, uh, at the
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 Asiago Observatory in Italy and the
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 Virtual Telescope Project have captured
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 incredible footage showing the comet has
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 broken into at least three distinct pieces.
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 Anna: It sounds destructive, but for scientists
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 this is actually a fantastic event. Why is
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 that?
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 Avery: It's because Comet C 2025
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Atlas is a pristine object. A
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 visitor from the Oort Cloud in the outermost
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 reaches of our solar system.
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 Anna: Mhm. A cosmic time capsule.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 Avery: Exactly. It's made of the same ancient
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 ice and dust that formed the planets
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 billions of years ago. When it breaks apart,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 it's like cracking open a, uh, geological
00:05:22 --> 00:05:23 treasure chest.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 Anna: So by studying the light from these
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 fresh fragments before they have a chance
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 to change, scientists can get a uh, much
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 clearer picture of the raw ingredients and
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 that built our solar system. It's an
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 incredible unexpected opportunity.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 Avery: It's certainly a positive way to look.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 Anna: At it and for our final story, we are
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 coming home to planet Earth for a discovery
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 that looks back thousands of years.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 Geologists in southern China have confirmed
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 the discovery of a massive impact crater
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 named the Jinlin Crater.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 Avery: And when you say massive, what are we talking
00:05:59 --> 00:05:59 about?
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 Anna: It's nearly a kilometer wide.
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 Analysis shows it was formed by a meteorite
00:06:05 --> 00:06:06 impact within the last. Last
00:06:06 --> 00:06:09 11 years during
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 the Holocene epoch, which is our current
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 geological period. The energy released
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 was equivalent to about 40 atomic
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 bombs. Wow.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 Avery: That's incredible. And it's the largest
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 crater ever found from this recent of a time
00:06:24 --> 00:06:24 period. Right.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 Anna: That's what makes it so significant. Finding
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 relatively young craters is extremely rare
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 on Earth. Processes like erosion,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 vegetation growth, and human activity
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 quickly erase the evidence.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 Avery: Right. Especially in a wet, subtropical
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 climate like southern China, you'd expect the
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 crater to be filled in and overgrown very
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 quickly. It's amazing it was identifiable
00:06:49 --> 00:06:49 at all.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 Anna: Exactly. Discoveries like the Jinlin
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 Crater are crucial for planetary defense
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 scientists. They help us build a more
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 accurate model of how frequently medium
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 sized asteroids hit our planet. Each new
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 crater we find refines our understanding of
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 the potential risks and helps us better
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 prepare for the future.
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 Avery: And, um, that's a wrap on our news Roundup
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 for today. From Blue Origin's reusable
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 rocket success and a dramatic astronaut
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 rescue to a fragmenting comet and a
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 massive ancient crater here.
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 Anna: On Earth, it just goes to show that there is
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 always something new and exciting happening
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 both out in the cosmos and right here at
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 home. Thank you for joining us on Astronomy
00:07:30 --> 00:07:31 Daily.
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 Avery: Um, until next time, keep looking up.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 Stories are told.
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 Stories.