- James Webb Space Telescope's First Exoplanet Discovery: In this episode, we celebrate a monumental achievement by the James Webb Space Telescope as it successfully images its first exoplanet, TWA 7B. This discovery, detailed in the journal Nature, showcases Webb's advanced capabilities in probing the atmospheres of alien worlds, revealing a young planetary system hidden within a swirling disc of dust and debris.
- Axiom Space's Ax-4 Mission: We discuss the historic docking of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission with the International Space Station, marking a significant milestone for private spaceflight. Commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, this mission features an international crew and over 60 planned science experiments, setting a new record for Axiom missions.
- Fast Radio Burst Traced to NASA Satellite: A surprising development in astronomy as scientists trace a fast radio burst back to NASA's defunct Relay 2 satellite. This unexpected source challenges previous assumptions about these mysterious signals and opens new avenues for studying cosmic events and monitoring defunct satellites in Earth's orbit.
- SpaceX's Rebuilding Efforts: We delve into SpaceX's extensive rebuilding efforts following an anomaly during a static fire test of Starship 36. Despite significant damage at their Massey test stand, SpaceX remains optimistic about their progress on new infrastructure and plans for future launches.
- Nicer X-Ray Telescope Update: NASA engineers are working to resolve issues with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer (Nicer) X-ray telescope, which has temporarily halted its tracking capabilities. We explore the telescope's crucial role in studying neutron stars and other extreme cosmic phenomena, despite its operational challenges.
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, 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 signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - James Webb Space Telescope's first exoplanet discovery
10:00 - Axiom Space's AXE4 mission
20:00 - Fast radio burst traced to NASA satellite
30:00 - SpaceX's rebuilding efforts
40:00 - Nicer X-ray telescope update
✍️ Episode References
James Webb Space Telescope
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Axiom Space Ax-4 Mission
[Axiom Space](https://www.axiomspace.com/)
Fast Radio Burst Research
[International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research](https://www.icrar.org/)
SpaceX Updates
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
Nicer X-ray Telescope Information
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. Your go to source
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 for the latest updates from across the
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 cosmos. I'm, um, your host, Anna. And today
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 we're diving into some truly groundbreaking
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 discoveries and significant developments in
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 space exploration and astronomical research.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 From the Webb Telescope's first exoplanet
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 discovery, to private astronauts docking with
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 the International Space Station, and even a
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 fast radio burst traced back to a defunct
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 NASA satellite. We have a lot to cover,
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 so get ready to explore the universe with us.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 The James Webb Space Telescope, or jwst,
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 has just hit an incredible new milestone.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 Since beginning its science operations in
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 July 2022, Webb has primarily
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 been busy probing the atmospheres of known
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 alien planets, looking for signs of
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 habitability. But now, for the very first
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 time, Webb has made its own discovery,
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 directly imaging and finding a brand new
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 exoplanet. This groundbreaking find
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 reveals a young system hidden within a
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 swirling cloud of dust and debris. And the
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 planet itself is the lightest one imaged so
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 far. A truly remarkable accomplishment made
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 possible by Webb's advanced capabilities.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 This recent discovery, detailed in the
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 journal Nature, opens up an exciting new
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 window into hidden Saturn like worlds.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 Now you might wonder, how exactly does Webb
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 manage to see a planet that's so close to its
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 incredibly bright parent star? It's a
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 challenge because planets are many orders of
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 magnitude fainter than their stars, and from
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 our perspective, they appear incredibly close
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 to them. Anne Marie Lagrange, research
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 director at the French National Centre for
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 Scientific Research and lead author of the
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 paper, explained that when you look at a
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 planet, you mostly just see the star.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 To overcome this issue, her team used a
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 special attachment for Webb's M mid infrared
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 instrument called a coronagraph. Think of it
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 like recreating a tiny solar eclipse. Within
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 the telescope itself, the coronagraph
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 blocks out the overwhelming light from the
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 star, making its much fainter surroundings
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 and any orbiting planets far more visible.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 Using this ingenious technique, scientists
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 spotted a young planetary system only a few
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 million years old, named TWA7.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 This system has three distinct rings, with
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 one being particularly narrow and surrounded
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 by two areas that are almost devoid of
00:02:17 --> 00:02:20 matter. In Webb's image, something lies
00:02:20 --> 00:02:23 right at the heart of that narrow ring. And
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 the scientists concluded that this something
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 is indeed an exoplanet. This
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 newly discovered exoplanet, now dubbed um,
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 TWA 7B, is more massive than
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 Neptune, but about 30% less massive than
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 Jupiter, making it quite similar in mass to
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 Saturn. TWA 7b orbits
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 a star that formed approximately 6.4 million
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 years ago. And it maintains a significant
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 distance from its star, about 52
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 astronomical units, which is 52
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 times the average distance between Earth and
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 the Sun. Lagrange noted that this is
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 also the first planet found that perfectly
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 explains the gaps observed in a
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 protoplanetary disc. Planets are born from
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 the leftover material from a star's birth
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 which forms a swirling disc of matter.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 Previous observations of these protoplanetary
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 discs and have shown ring like structures and
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 gaps which scientists believed were telltale
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 signs of unseen planets. Until now,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 however, there were no direct observations of
00:03:22 --> 00:03:25 those planets. The mass and orbital
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 characteristics of TWA7B
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 precisely match the predicted properties of
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 an exoplanet that would have formed in the
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 gap between the first and second rings of
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 this disc. By using Webb to observe
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 these young faint planets, scientists have
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 truly unlocked a new doorway into the
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 discovery of alien worlds. As Lagrange
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 puts it. In terms of imaging, this opens up
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 the possibility of imaging Saturn like
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 planets in the future. It will allow us
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 to characterise the atmospheres of these
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Saturn like planets that aren't heavily
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 irradiated by their stars, providing
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 invaluable insights into their composition.
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 It's a huge step forward and helps us
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 understand the complexities of searching for
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 very light planets in these early stages of
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 planetary system formation.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 In other exciting space news, a quartet of
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 private astronauts has successfully reached
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 the International Space Station. Houston
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 based Axiom Space launched its fourth crewed
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 mission to the ISS known as AXE 4,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 lifting off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 mission began early Wednesday morning, taking
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 off at 2:31am M. Eastern Daylight Time
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 after what was described as a particularly
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 long orbital chase. More than 24 hours
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 between launch and rendezvous. The crew
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 aboard the new SpaceX Crew Dragon, aptly
00:04:45 --> 00:04:48 named Grace, successfully docked with the
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 space station on Thursday morning. Commanding
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 the AXE 4 mission is none other than former
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 NASA astronaut and Axiom's director of human
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 space flight, Peggy Whitson. Peggy
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 holds the impressive record for cumulative
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 days spent in space by an American, a number
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 that continues to climb with this mission.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 Joining her is a trio of international crew
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 members. Shubanshu Shukla from India
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 serving as mission pilot. Polish mission
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 specialist Slawos Usnanski of the European
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Space Agency and Tibor Kapu of Hungary,
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 also a mission specialist. Upon their
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 arrival, these three became the very first
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 from their respective countries to journey on
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 a mission to the ISS. Marking a truly
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 historic moment, the AXE4
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 astronauts are set to spend about 14 days
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 aboard the orbiting lab where they will
00:05:36 --> 00:05:37 complete a record number of science
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 investigations and stem, that's science,
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 technology, engineering and math outreach
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 events. In total, they have over 60
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 experiments planned more than any previous
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 Axiom mission to date. Their return date will
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 largely depend on the weather conditions at
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 Dragon's splashdown zone in the Pacific
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 Ocean. This will be SpaceX's second West
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 coast crew recovery, a shift from previous
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 Atlantic Ocean or Gulf recoveries.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 Now for a fascinating and rather surprising
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 development in the world of astronomy. Fast
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 radio bursts, or FRBs, have been
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 a persistent mystery to astronomers ever
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 since the first one, known as the Lorimer
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 Burst, was detected in 2007.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 These quick, intense bursts typically last
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 for mere nanoseconds, although some have been
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 observed for up to three seconds. While their
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 precise cause remains unknown, scientists
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 have recently traced some FRBs back to their
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 source, often finding them originating from
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 neutron stars, leading to the theory that
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 these bursts are caused by compact cosmic
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 objects. However, a recent discovery has
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 added a completely unexpected twist to this
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 cosmic puzzle. On June 13,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 2024, scientists at the Australian Square
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 Kilometre Array Pathfinder detected a
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 potential fast radio burst that lasted for a
00:06:51 --> 00:06:54 minuscule 30 nanoseconds. This pulse,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 with a bandwidth strong enough to temporarily
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 eclipse all other radio signals in the sky,
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 led scientists to initially speculate that it
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 must have come from a distant cosmic source,
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 as is typically the case with these powerful
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 signals. But in a recent study, a team of
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 astronomers and astrophysicists made a
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 startling determination. This particular
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 FRB did not come from a distant astronomical
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 source at all. Instead, it was traced back to
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 something much closer to home, NASA's
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 Pathfinder 2 mission, a uh, now defunct
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 satellite orbiting Earth. The study was led
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 by Clancy James, an associate professor
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 with the International Centre for Radio
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Astronomy Research, or icrar, joined by a
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 collaborative team from various institutions.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 The satellite in question, Relay 2, was
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 launched way back in 1964
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 as part of a series of early American
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 satellites designed to test communications
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 technologies. While its predecessor,
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 Relay1, famously provided the first American
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 television transmissions across the Pacific,
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Relay 2 conducted radio transmissions for
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 about a year before ceasing operations in
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 1967 when its transponders
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 failed. When the FRB was detected
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 last year, the assumption was naturally a
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 distant cosmic origin. However,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 subsequent analysis pointed to a source much
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 closer to Earth. The team then used the
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 Skyfield Python module, an astronomy
00:08:21 --> 00:08:22 programme that computes the positions of
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 stars, planets and satellites in orbit.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 This programme revealed that the Relay 2
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 satellite was precisely within the observed
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 FRB's time frame and position. The
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 distance calculated between the ASCAP
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 Telescope and Relay 2 at the time of
00:08:37 --> 00:08:38 observation was was
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 4 kilometres,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 which was remarkably consistent with the
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 estimated distance of the burst. The signal
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 was so Strong because the satellite was
00:08:48 --> 00:08:49 passing directly over the ASCAP when the
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 burst occurred, explaining its surprising
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 clarity. As for what caused this burst
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 from a long dead satellite, the team quickly
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 ruled out the possibility that Relay 2 had
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 somehow temporarily come back online.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 Instead, they attributed it to electrostatic
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 discharge, also known as esd, a UH
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 phenomenon observed with satellites in the
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 past. This happens when electrostatic charges
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 build up on a spacecraft until they discharge
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 in a large sudden burst.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 Another intriguing possibility is that the
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 burst was caused by a charged plasma cloud
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 resulting from a micrometeorite collision.
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 These groundbreaking results could lead to
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 new tools for studying FRBs and other
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 signals, potentially even new techniques for
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 monitoring the vast array of defunct
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 satellites orbiting our planet. They also
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 suggest that radio observatories searching
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 for cosmic rays could now be capable of
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 identifying nanosecond scale FRBs, helping
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 future surveys distinguish between genuine
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 cosmic events and interference from local
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 objects. It's truly a testament to how even
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 the oldest space junk can still hold
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 scientific surprises.
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 Now let's turn our attention to some
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 significant developments from SpaceX, where
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 they're facing extensive rebuilding efforts
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 following a recent anomaly, while also making
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 impressive progress on new infrastructure at
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 their Massey's test stand. SpaceX is
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 undertaking considerable repair work after a
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 major incident involving Starship 36.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 During an attempted six engine static fire
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 test, an anomaly occurred causing substantial
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 damage to the facility. The immediate focus
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 was on making Massey safe, and M crews have
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 since been busy assessing the damage and
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 cleaning up debris while larger pieces of
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 Starship 36 have been removed. Cleaning the
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 trench itself might take longer due to the
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 static fire stand still being in the way. The
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 damage at Massey's is quite extensive. The
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 gantry that held the ship Quick Disconnect is
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 a tangled mess along with the liquid oxygen
00:10:46 --> 00:10:49 and liquid methane piping. All the vaporizers
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 used to pressurise the methane tanks are
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 destroyed, and at least one methane pump
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 appears damaged. The static fire stand
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 structure itself seems okay, but all its
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 clamps and piping will need replacing. Inside
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 the trench, the aft section and raptors are
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 likely to have caused damage to the flame
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 deflector. One of the items that will take
00:11:08 --> 00:11:11 the longest to replace is the control bunker,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 which was completely burned out. This
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 structure is essential for operating the
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 methane tank farm and the static fire stand.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 Additionally, a storage tent and shipping
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 containers nearby were also destroyed by the
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 fireball. Pieces of ship 36
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 are scattered across Massey's for analysis.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 According to SpaceX's updates, the initial
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 failure mode seems to be a composite
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 overwrapped pressure vessel that was holding
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 nitrogen in the payload Bay. The root
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 cause is still under investigation and it
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 could take some time to determine precisely
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 what happened. It's fortunate this occurred
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 on the ground, making the investigation much
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 more feasible than if it had happened in
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 space. As a result, no static fire
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 testing of ships or flights are likely to
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 occur until the root cause is identified and
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 Massey's is repaired. Despite this
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 setback, SpaceX is known for its resilience
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 and they anticipate this will only cause a
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 short term stand down. They hope to fly the
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 last two block two ships by the end of the
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 year. In parallel with these repairs,
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 SpaceX is also making steady progress on new
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 hardware and infrastructure elsewhere at
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 their Sanchez site, work continues on
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 components for launch Pad B, including
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 booster quick disconnect hardware that might
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 be sent to the launch site within the next
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 month or two. Progress on Pad B is moving at
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 a consistent pace. A new assembled flame
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 diverter ridge is also visible, likely
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 destined for LC39A, which will need it
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 in the coming months. While there was talk of
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 a new gigabay foundation for a new building,
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 that process hasn't started yet.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 Over at the launch site, incredible progress
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 has been made on Pad B. The launch mount is
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 installed along with the final two water
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 plate manifolds and some booster quick
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 disconnect hardware. There's also significant
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 progress on the ground support equipment
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 structure known as the gantry, which houses
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 the high pressure electrical and main
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 cryogenic propellant lines. The flame
00:13:06 --> 00:13:09 trench for Pad B is also seeing rapid
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 development, with crews installing steel
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 plates that will form its floor and ramps up.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 This design means there will be no exposed
00:13:15 --> 00:13:18 concrete to damage, allowing SpaceX to fix
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 cracks and damage by simply replacing plates
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 or welding cracks on the walls. This pad is
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 designed to use a massive amount of water,
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 around 450 gallons per launch,
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 flowing through the mount and flame
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 deflectors to protect hardware from the heat
00:13:33 --> 00:13:36 of 33 Raptor engines during liftoff. This
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 will ensure quick turnaround times between
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 launches. To achieve this, SpaceX is
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 using a different pressurisation system than
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 at Pad A or Massey's, utilising 9
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 methane and oxygen turbopumps to vaporise
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 liquid nitrogen before pumping it into the
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 tanks, which then force water through the
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 pipes. They've also begun digging the trench
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 for the propellant lines that will connect to
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 the tower. Recently, testing of the eight
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 liquid oxygen pumps already installed for Pad
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 B's tank farm began it including flowing
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 liquid nitrogen through them for operational
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 checks and leak detection on the subcoolers.
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 This marks a significant step towards getting
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 Pad B fully operational. As for
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 Pad A, it's currently sitting unused,
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 awaiting either Booster 152 for a static
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 fire or Flight 10 following the loss of
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 ship.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 36 Moving on
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 NASA engineers are currently working to fix
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 an issue with the Neutron Star Interior
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 Composition Explorer, or Nicer X Ray
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 Telescope. This vital instrument, mounted
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 on the International Space Station, has
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 temporarily halted its ability to track
00:14:40 --> 00:14:42 celestial objects due to a bad motor.
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 NASA paused its operations on June 17 when
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 the degradation in its tracking ability
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 became apparent, though they haven't
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 specified when it might resume. This isn't
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 the first challenge for Nicer, which has been
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 in use since 2017. Back in
00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 May 2023, it developed a light
00:14:59 --> 00:15:02 leak when several thin thermal shields were
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 damaged, rendering it useless during daylight
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 hours. Astronaut Nick Haig installed nine
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 patches in January to fix the worst areas,
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 but some light interference continued.
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 Closer inspection revealed smaller cracks and
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 holes, prompting engineers to reconfigure the
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 telescope's measurement power unit, allowing
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 it to resume normal operations on March 12.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 However, additional damage to at least one
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 thermal shield forced NASA to minimise
00:15:28 --> 00:15:30 daytime observations again in late May.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 Despite these setbacks, Nicer remains a
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 crucial tool. It measures neutron stars,
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 identifies black holes, active galaxies, and
00:15:38 --> 00:15:40 other phenomena, and even helps map routes
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 for future Mars missions. X ray telescopes
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 like Nicer enable scientists to study and
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 better understand extreme radio events in
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 space. For instance, observations from
00:15:50 --> 00:15:53 Nicer, along with the Nuclear Spectroscopic
00:15:53 --> 00:15:55 Telescope Array, were instrumental in
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 assessing a rapid burst of radio waves from a
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 Magnetar in 2020, an event that
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 released as much energy in a fraction of a
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 second as our sun does in an entire year,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 producing a laser like beam instead of an
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 explosion. Scientists used these same
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 telescopes to observe another burst from that
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 magnetar in October 2022.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 That's all the exciting news from the cosmos
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 for today's episode of Astronomy Daily. Thank
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 you for tuning in and exploring the universe
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 with us. This episode was hosted by me,
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 Anna, and we hope you enjoyed our look at the
00:16:28 --> 00:16:31 latest in space exploration and astronomical
00:16:31 --> 00:16:34 discoveries. For more out of this World
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