Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E240
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your ultimate source for the latest in space exploration and astronomical wonders. I'm your host, Anna, and today we're diving into a festive episode as we explore how astronauts celebrate holidays in space and uncover some astounding cosmic discoveries.
Highlights:
- Holiday Traditions in Space : Journey through time from the Apollo 8 crew's historic Christmas broadcast from lunar orbit to modern-day celebrations aboard the International Space Station. Discover how astronauts maintain holiday spirit, from makeshift trees to creative Hanukkah traditions, even in zero gravity.
- Cosmic Water Reservoir Discovery: Learn about an extraordinary find near a distant quasar, revealing a water reservoir vast enough to fill Earth's oceans 140 trillion times, offering insights into the early universe's composition.
- Lunar Dust Challenges: Delve into NASA's ongoing battle with lunar dust as they prepare for the Artemis missions. Explore innovative solutions like the Clothbot and electrostatic experiments crucial for future lunar exploration.
- James Webb's Chiron Discovery: Discover the unique characteristics of Chiron, a centaur with comet-like activity and a mix of ices and gases, as observed by the James Webb Space Telescope.
- December's Launch Schedule: Get updates on a bustling month of space launches, including SpaceX's ambitious Starlink missions, Russia's historic Soyuz launch, and India's private sector breakthrough with the Spadex mission.
- Tracking Santa from Space : Delight in the heartwarming tradition of NORAD's Santa tracking, a festive blend of aerospace technology and holiday magic, tracing its origins to a simple wrong number.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (https://www.astronomydaily.io) . Sign up for our free Daily newsletter to stay informed on all things space. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, Tumblr, YouTubeMusic, and TikTok . Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
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. Have a very happy Christmas wherever you are.
00:00 - In this episode we'll look at how astronauts celebrate Christmas far from Earth
01:07 - The tradition of celebrating holidays in space dates back to 1968
03:47 - December has been an exceptionally busy month for space launches with 24 attempted
05:59 - Astronomers have identified an enormous water reservoir 12 billion light years away
10:42 - The James Webb Space Telescope has made another groundbreaking discovery on Chiron
12:38 - NORAD helps children follow Santa's journey around the globe each Christmas Eve
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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24778805?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:00 [Music]
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to another exciting episode of
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 astronomy daily as we find ourselves in
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 the holiday season today we're taking a
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 fascinating look at how astronauts
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 celebrate special occasions far from
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Earth from the historic Apollo 8 crew
00:00:14 --> 00:00:15 who first spent Christmas circling the
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 moon to today's International Space
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 Station residents finding creative ways
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 to maintain cherished traditions in zero
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 gravity we'll explore how space
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 Travelers keep the holiday spirit alive
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 while orbiting our planet but that's not
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 all we have in store for you today we'll
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 also dive into some remarkable space
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 discoveries including an astronomical
00:00:34 --> 00:00:36 find that would make any ocean seem like
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 a drop in the bucket a massive water
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 reservoir discovered near a distant
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 quazar that contains more water than you
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 could imagine plus we'll look at the
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 challenges NASA faces with lunar dust as
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 they prepare for future Artemis missions
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 to the Moon we've also got updates on
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 December's busy launch schedule the
00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 latest fascinating discoveries from the
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 James web Space Telescope and even a
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 space themed holiday treat about
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 tracking Santa from orbit so stick
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 around as we journey through these
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 Amazing Stories from across the cosmos
00:01:07 --> 00:01:08 here we
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 go the tradition of celebrating holidays
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 in space dates back to 1968 when the
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 Apollo 8 crew became the first humans to
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 Mark Christmas beyond Earth's orbit as
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 Frank Borman James level and William
00:01:21 --> 00:01:22 Anders circled the Moon that Christmas
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 Eve they shared a profound moment with
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 Earth reading the opening verses of
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 Genesis while broadcasting breathtaking
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 images of the lunar surface their
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 historic broadcast reached an estimated
00:01:33 --> 00:01:37 1 billion people across 64 countries
00:01:37 --> 00:01:38 creating one of the most memorable
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 Christmas celebrations in human history
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 5 years later the sky laab 4 crew showed
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 remarkable creativity in bringing
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 holiday cheer to space Gerald Carr
00:01:49 --> 00:01:50 Edward Gibson and William Pogue
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 celebrated not just Christmas but also
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 Thanksgiving and New Year's aboard the
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 station they crafted a makeshift
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 Christmas tree using leftover food
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 container ERS decorated it with colored
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 decals and topped it with a cardboard
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 Comet proving that the holiday spirit
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 can flourish even with limited resources
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 a particularly meaningful celebration
00:02:11 --> 00:02:12 occurred in
00:02:12 --> 00:02:16 1993 when NASA astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 brought Hanukkah to space after
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 completing a space walk during the
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 Hubble Space Telescope servicing Mission
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Hoffman marked the Festival of Lights
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 with a traveling manura and ddal
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 bringing ancient Traditions into the
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 Space Age the arrival of the
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 International Space Station in 2000
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 ushered in a new era of holiday
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 celebrations in orbit the first ISS crew
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 established what would become an
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 enduring tradition reading Goodwill
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 messages to Earth during the holiday
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 season William Shepard the commander
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 even honored a naval custom by composing
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 a poem for the first New Year's entry in
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 the station's log these Traditions
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 continue today with modern crws finding
00:02:54 --> 00:02:55 innovative ways to
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 celebrate just recently Expedition 70
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 astronaut Jasmine MOG Bell's family
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 created a felt manora for her Hanukkah
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 celebration on the station since open
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 Flames aren't allowed in space she
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 marked each night by adding felt lights
00:03:10 --> 00:03:11 to the
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 manur even something as simple as
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 spinning a drele takes on new meaning in
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 microgravity where it will keep spinning
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 until it bumps into something unable to
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 land on any of its four sides for more
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 than two decades now the International
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 Space Station has maintained an unbroken
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 chain of holiday celebrations with at
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 least one American astronaut spending
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 Christmas in space every year since
00:03:35 --> 00:03:38 1999 these celebrations while far from
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 traditional remind us that human
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 traditions and festivities can adapt and
00:03:42 --> 00:03:46 Thrive even in the most extraordinary
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 circumstances December has been an
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 exceptionally busy month for space
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 launches with 24 launch attempts already
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 completed and at least seven more
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 planned before the year ends SpaceX
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 continues its ambitious Pace with
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 multiple missions on their manifest
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 including several starlink satellite
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 deployments and customer payloads while
00:04:06 --> 00:04:07 they're pushing to reach their target of
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 136 launches for the year recent
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 scheduling changes have made achieving
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 this goal increasingly
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 challenging looking at the upcoming
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 launches Russia is preparing for a
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 significant Mission from the bonor
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 cosmodrome their soyu's 2.1b rocket
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 adorned with special decals marking it
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 as the 2000th R7 rocket launch will
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 carry the resour p number 5 Earth
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 observation satellite this Mission
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 continues the legacy of the R7 rocket
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 family which has been serving space
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 exploration since
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 1957 meanwhile India's space program is
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 preparing for an Innovative mission
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 called Spex the space docking
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 experiment this Mission will launch two
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 220 kg satellites designed to
00:04:53 --> 00:04:54 demonstrate autonomous docking
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 Technologies in orbit what makes this
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 launch particularly notable is that it
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 marks the the first time India's private
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Aerospace sector has completely
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 assembled and tested satellites for ISRO
00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 representing a significant shift in
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 their space industry China is also
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 maintaining its presence in space
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 activities with a planned launch from
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 the Jan satellite launch Center their
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 connectica 1 rocket is scheduled to
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 carry an undisclosed payload though
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 details about this Mission remain
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 limited SpaceX will round out the year
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 with several more starlink missions
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 including launches from both Vandenberg
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 space force space and Kennedy Space
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 Center they're also preparing to launch
00:05:33 --> 00:05:36 the asinus from one to many Mission
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 which will deploy four micro Geo
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 satellites designed to provide Broadband
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 services to various regions including
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 the Philippines and services for
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 aircraft and cruise ships this flurry of
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 launch activity demonstrates the growing
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 accessibility and commercialization of
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 space with multiple Nations and private
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 companies working simultaneously to
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 expand Humanity's presence beyond Earth
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 next up in what might be the most
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 remarkable water Discovery ever made
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 astronomers have identified an enormous
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 water reservoir in a distant corner of
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 the cosmos circling a quazar more than
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 12 billion light years away this isn't
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 just any water supply we're talking
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 about enough water to fill Earth's
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 oceans 140 trillion times over this
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 massive Reservoir surrounds a super
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 massive black hole that dwarfs our sun
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 by about 20 billion times the black hole
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 Powers a quazar known as is APM 8279
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 plus
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 5 which releases energy equivalent
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 to a, trillion Suns making it one of the
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 brightest objects we've ever observed in
00:06:40 --> 00:06:41 the
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 universe what makes this discovery
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 particularly fascinating is its location
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 in both space and time at 12 billion
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 light years away we're seeing this water
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 as it existed when the universe was
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 still in its youth the water vapor spans
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 hundreds of Light Years Around the
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 quazar existing in conditions quite
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 different from what we're familiar with
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 on Earth while the gas is considerably
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 thinner than Earth's atmosphere it's
00:07:04 --> 00:07:08 surprisingly warm at- 63 Dees fhe and
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 much denser than what we typically see
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 in normal
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 galaxies according to Matt Bradford from
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 NASA's jet propulsion laboratory this
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 finding demonstrates that water has been
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 a fundamental component of our universe
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 since its earliest days the presence of
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 water vapor along with other molecules
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 like carbon monoxide suggests that this
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 region contains abundant Raw materials
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 feeding the growth of the central black
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 hole this discovery does more than just
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 add to our understanding of water
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 distribution in the cosmos it provides
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 crucial insights into how galaxies
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 formed and evolved in the early Universe
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 the presence of water molecules plays a
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 vital role in how gas clouds cool and
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 collapse to form Stars making it an
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 essential element in the cosmic story of
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 Galaxy
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 formation these observations were made
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 possible through collaborative efforts
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 using multiple observat iies including
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 the California Institute of Technology
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 submillimeter Observatory and the
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 combined array for research in
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 millimeter wave astronomy the findings
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 not only expand our knowledge of the
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 early universe but also demonstrate that
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 the building blocks necessary for Life
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 as we know it have existed for billions
00:08:16 --> 00:08:17 of
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 years now a problem we all understand
00:08:20 --> 00:08:21 and have had to deal with though
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 probably not on this
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 level as NASA prepares for long-term
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 lunar missions through the Artemis
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 program they're facing a deceptively
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 simple yet persistent challenge Moon
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 dust this isn't your ordinary household
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 dust we're talking about lunar regolith
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 as its formally known is incredibly fine
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 electrostatically charged and
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 surprisingly
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 destructive what makes lunar dust
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 particularly problematic is its Jagged
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 nature unlike Earth's sand and dust
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 which has been smoothed by wind and
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 water over Millennia Moon dust particles
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 are sharp and abrasive imagine
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 microscopic shards of glass these
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 particles haven't experienced any
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 weathering in the moon's airless
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 environment leaving their edges razor
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 sharp the dust sticks to everything it
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 touches due to its electrostatic charge
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 causing numerous operational challenges
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 it can scratch helmet visors clog
00:09:14 --> 00:09:18 equipment wear down seals and coat solar
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 panels potentially reducing their
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 efficiency during crucial lunar night
00:09:22 --> 00:09:25 survival periods even more concerning is
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 its potential impact on astronaut Health
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 as these particles can irritate eyes
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 skin and lungs if they make their way
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 inside habitats or space suits to
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 address these challenges NASA is
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 currently developing and testing seven
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 different dust mitigation Technologies
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 these experiments will be evaluated
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 during an upcoming flight test on a blue
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 origin new Shepard rocket one
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 particularly Innovative solution is the
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 cloth bot a compact robot designed to
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 study how dust behaves in pressurized
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 environments mimicking what happens when
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 astronauts return from Moonwalks another
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 fascinating project is the electrostatic
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 dust lofting experiment which examines
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 how lunar dust becomes Airborne when
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 electrically charged this is crucial
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 because in the moon's low gravity
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 environment kicked up dust can remain
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 suspended for extended periods creating
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 visibility and operational
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 hazards these technological solutions
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 aren't just about keeping things clean
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 they're fundamental to the success of
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 establishing a permanent human presence
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 on the moon as Kristen John from NASA's
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 Johnson Space Center points out the
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 challenge is particularly tricky because
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 dust particles can be smaller than the
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 human eye can see making contaminated
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 surfaces appear clean when they're
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 actually
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 not the James web Space Telescope has
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 made another groundbreaking discovery
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 this time focusing its powerful
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 instruments on a fascinating object
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 known as Chiron located in the outer
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 reaches of our solar system between
00:10:54 --> 00:10:58 Jupiter and Neptune this 135 M wide body
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 is what scientists call A Centaur a
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 cosmic hybrid showing characteristics of
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 both asteroids and comets what makes
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 Chiron particularly intriguing is its
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 unique mixture of IES and gases unlike
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 anything we've seen on similar objects
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 web's observations have revealed a
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 surface containing carbon monoxide and
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 carbon dioxide ice while its thin
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 atmospheric coma contains carbon dioxide
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 and methane gas this unusual combination
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 sets it apart from all other centaurs
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 observed so far despite temperatures
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 never Rising above- 220° F The Limited
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 solar heating Chiron receives is enough
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 to cause these ices to sublimate
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 directly from solid to gas this process
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 triggers chemical reactions producing
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 organic compounds like acetylene ethane
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 and propane all of which web detected as
00:11:47 --> 00:11:51 ises on chiron's Surface this Celestial
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 Oddball exhibits other peculiar
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 behaviors too it periodically displays
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 comet-like activity possesses rings of
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 material and and may even have a field
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 of debris orbiting around it scientists
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 are particularly excited about studying
00:12:05 --> 00:12:08 Chiron because it's considered pristine
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 remaining largely unchanged since the
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 solar systems formation 4.5 billion
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 years ago as Chiron continues its
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 50-year orbit around the sun it will
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 gradually move closer and become more
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 active offering scientists an
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 unprecedented opportunity to study how
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 these ancient bodies react to solar
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 heating whether it eventually becomes a
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 short period Comet or gets flung back
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 into the outer solar system chiron's
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 unique properties are helping us better
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 understand the early days of our Cosmic
00:12:38 --> 00:12:40 neighborhood and speaking of tracking
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 objects through space Here's a
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 delightful holiday tradition that
00:12:43 --> 00:12:46 started with a wrong number for nearly
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 70 years NORAD the North American
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 Aerospace Defense command has been
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 helping children follow Santa's Journey
00:12:53 --> 00:12:56 around the globe each Christmas Eve but
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 this heartwarming tradition began
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 entirely by accident ENT back in 1955 a
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 Colorado Springs Sears store printed a
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 newspaper ad inviting children to call
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 Santa however the phone number was
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 misprinted and instead of reaching Jolly
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Old St Nick the calls were connected to
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 the Continental Air Defense command
00:13:13 --> 00:13:16 operations center Colonel Harry shup who
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 received that first misdialed call could
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 have simply explained the error instead
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 he saw an opportunity to spread some
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 Christmas cheer and instructed his staff
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 to provide updates on Santa's location
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 to any children who called today NORAD
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 has turned Santa tracking into a
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 high-tech operation they employ their
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 North warning system radar early warning
00:13:38 --> 00:13:41 satellites and 47 installations along
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 North America's northern border to
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 monitor Santa's Progress children and
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 families can follow along through
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 norad's website mobile app or social
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 media platforms watching in real time as
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 Santa makes his way around the world the
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 tracking begins at 400 a.m. eastern time
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 on Christmas Eve and volunteers staff a
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 special hotline throughout the day last
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 year they fielded countless calls from
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 excited children eager to know when
00:14:05 --> 00:14:08 Santa might reach their homes it's
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 remarkable how a simple wrong number has
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 evolved into a beloved holiday tradition
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 that combines The Wonder of Christmas
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 with the sophistication of modern
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 Aerospace
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 technology this blend of holiday magic
00:14:19 --> 00:14:22 and Space Age capability shows how even
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 the most serious organizations can help
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 keep the spirit of Christmas alive for
00:14:26 --> 00:14:30 children around the world
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 and that brings us to the end of another
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 fascinating episode of astronomy daily
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 from holiday celebrations in space to
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 massive Cosmic water reservoirs lunar
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 dust challenges and web's latest
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 discoveries we've journeyed across the
00:14:43 --> 00:14:45 universe together today I've been your
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 host Anna and I want to remind you that
00:14:47 --> 00:14:49 space exploration never stops and
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 neither does our coverage of it to stay
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 up to dat with all the latest
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 developments in space and astronomy head
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 over to astronomy
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00:15:20 --> 00:15:24 and Tik Tok until next time keep looking
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 up and wondering about the Mysteries
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 that await Us in the cosmos and may I
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 wish you a very happy Christmas no
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 matter where you are this has been
00:15:31 --> 00:15:35 astronomy daily and I'm Anna signing off
00:15:35 --> 00:15:53 [Music]