00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily your daily
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 dose of space and astronomy news I'm
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 your host Anna and we've got an
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 absolutely packed show for you today
00:00:09 --> 00:00:10 with some incredible developments from
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 across the space sector we'll be diving
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 into Europe's triumphant return to space
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 with the Vega SE rocket launch unpacking
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 NASA's latest timeline adjustments for
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 their ambitious Artemis Moon missions
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 and exploring fascinating new evidence
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 that suggest we might have a mysterious
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 Planet X lurking in the outer reaches of
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 our solar system we've also got some
00:00:31 --> 00:00:32 groundbreaking observations from the
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 Hubble Space Telescope that's given us
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 our closest ever look at aazar plus
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 exciting news about the Curiosity
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 Rover's next mission targeting some
00:00:41 --> 00:00:44 intriguing spiderweb formations on Mars
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 and we'll round things off with crucial
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 findings from NASA's investigation into
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 the Artemis heat shield
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 performance so strap in for another
00:00:52 --> 00:00:53 fascinating Journey Through the latest
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 developments in space exploration and
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 astronomical discoveries first up some
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 good news
00:01:00 --> 00:01:02 Europe's space program has just achieved
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 a significant Milestone with the
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 successful launch of the Vega sea rocket
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 from the Kuru Spaceport in French Guana
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 this marks a triumphant return to flight
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 for the Italian built launcher after a
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 2-year Hiatus following a failed mission
00:01:15 --> 00:01:16 in December
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 2022 the rocket blasted off at 6:20 p.m.
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 local time carrying the Sentinel 1C
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 satellite a crucial component of the
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 European Union's cernus Earth
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 observation program this successful
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 launch represents a critical step in
00:01:31 --> 00:01:32 securing Europe's independent access to
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 space especially important given recent
00:01:35 --> 00:01:36 geopolitical challenges that have
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 limited the continent's launch
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 options the mission's success is
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 particularly noteworthy as Europe has
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 faced several setbacks in its Space
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 Program recently the previous Vega sea
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 failure had grounded the entire fleet
00:01:50 --> 00:01:51 when an anomaly destroyed two Earth
00:01:52 --> 00:01:53 Imaging satellites just 2 and a half
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 minutes into flight this return to
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 service demonstrates the resilience and
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 determination of Europe's space sector
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 looking ahead Vegas SE is set to play an
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 increasingly important role in Europe's
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 Space strategy following Russia's
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 invasion of Ukraine the EU was forced to
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 stop using Russian soyu Vehicles making
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 the successful operation of platforms
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 like Vega SE even more crucial starting
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 from 2025 Italy's Avio will take over
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 the marketing of Vega SE launches
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 marking a new chapter in European space
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 operations The Sentinel 1C satellite now
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 heading to its 700 km orbit will join an
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 impressive constellation of Earth
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 observation satellites expanding our
00:02:34 --> 00:02:37 planet's most extensive radar Imaging
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 Network this system plays a vital role
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 in monitoring our environment from
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 tracking the climate to supporting
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 Disaster Response
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 efforts next some not so good news in a
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 significant announcement today NASA has
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 revealed further delays to its ambitious
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 emis program pushing back the timeline
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 for Humanity's return to the moon the
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 next emis mission which will send
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 astronauts around the Moon without
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 Landing has been rescheduled from
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 September 2025 to April
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 2026 the subsequent Mission aiming to
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 land astronauts on the lunar surface is
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 now targeted for Mid
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 2027 these delays stem from crucial
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 safety considerations particularly
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 regarding the Orion spacecraft's heat
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 shield during the Artemis 1 Test Flight
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 in 2022 the heat shield experienced
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 unexpected cracking and partial erosion
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 while NASA officials stressed that
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 astronauts would have been safe had they
00:03:30 --> 00:03:33 been aboard the agency is taking extra
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 precautions to ensure crew safety for
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 future missions I'll have some more on
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 this shortly also the financial scope of
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 the Artemis program is substantial with
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 estimated costs reaching $93 billion
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 through
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 2025 despite these delays NASA
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 administrator Bill Nelson emphasized
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 that the revised timeline still puts the
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 United States well ahead of China's
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 announced intention to land on the lunar
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 Surface by 2030 maintaining America's
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 leadership in space
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 exploration the technical team has
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 decided to keep the current heat shield
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 designed for the next mission but will
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 modify the capsule's return trajectory
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 to prevent similar issues future
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 missions Beyond Artemis II will feature
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 an upgraded heat shield design while
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 replacing the current heat shield might
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 have provided additional safety margins
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 it would have resulted in an even longer
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 delay of at least a year these setbacks
00:04:27 --> 00:04:28 highlight the complex challenges of
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 modern SpaceX exploration but they also
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 demonstrate NASA's unwavering commitment
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 to crew safety the Artemis program
00:04:36 --> 00:04:37 Remains the flagship American effort to
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 not only return humans to the moon but
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 also to establish permanent lunar bases
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 that will serve as stepping stones for
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 eventual human missions to
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Mars next up are we a step closer to
00:04:49 --> 00:04:53 solving this mystery for decades the
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 idea of an Undiscovered Planet lurking
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 in the outer reaches of our solar system
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 has captured imaginations now exciting
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 new research from Princeton University
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 has significantly boosted the likelihood
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 that this mysterious Planet X actually
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 exists the study's findings suggest we
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 might be closer than ever to confirming
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 one of astronomy's most intriguing
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 possibilities the evidence comes from
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 studying the orbits of objects in the
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 outer solar system specifically trans
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 neptunian objects or Kyper belt objects
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 what makes this research particularly
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 compelling is its expanded scope while
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 previous studies focused on just 11 of
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 the most distant objects the Princeton
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 team's analysis included 51 objects
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 providing a much more robust statistical
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 Foundation the results are striking the
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 team found that there's only a one in a
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 thousand chance that the unusual
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 alignment of these objects orbits is
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 random this strongly suggests the
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 presence of a massive body influencing
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 their movements through gravitational
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 forces think of it like seeing multiple
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 boats all being pulled in the same
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 direction by an unseen current it's a
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 clear sign that something significant is
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 affecting their paths the study also
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 gives us our best picture yet of what
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 Planet X might be like the data suggests
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 it's about 4.4 times the mass of Earth
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 making it either a super Earth or a mini
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 Neptune this hypothetical Planet would
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 follow an elliptical orbit more aligned
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 with the known planets than previously
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 thought though pinpointing its exact
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 location remains challenging
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 since it could be anywhere along its
00:06:31 --> 00:06:35 orbital path the hunt for Planet X isn't
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 just about adding another world to our
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 solar system map if confirmed its
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Discovery would revolutionize our
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 understanding of how our Cosmic
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 neighborhood formed and evolved with the
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 verac Rubin Observatory coming online
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 next year equipped with the world's
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 largest camera for astronomical
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 observations we might be just months
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 away from finally spotting this elusive
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 World in a rem able achievement NASA's
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 Hubble Space Telescope has given us our
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 closest look ever Into the Heart of a
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 quazar peering deeper than ever before
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 into one of the universe's most
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 energetic phenomena the observations
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 focused on quazar
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 3c273 which holds the distinction of
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 being the first quazar ever identified
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 back in
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 1963 what makes this observation truly
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 groundbreaking is Hubble's ability to
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 overcome the intense glare of the quaser
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 imagine trying to to spot an ant
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 crawling on the rim of a car headlight
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 while staring directly into the beam the
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 telescope Space Telescope Imaging
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 spectrograph acted like a Celestial
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 coronograph blocking out the quazar
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 overwhelming brightness much like the
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 moon blocks the Sun during a solar
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 eclipse the resulting images reveal what
00:07:48 --> 00:07:51 scientists describe as weird things in
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 the quazar immediate
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 surroundings within just 16 light
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 years of the central black hole
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 researchers have spotted various
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 mysterious blobs and an L-shaped
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 filamentary structure some of these
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 objects might be smaller galaxies being
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 pulled into the quazer monstrous black
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 hole providing the fuel that powers its
00:08:10 --> 00:08:14 incredible Luminosity the team also made
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 fascinating discoveries about the quazar
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 jet a massive stream of material
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 stretching and astounding 300 light
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 years across space moving at nearly the
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 speed of light by comparing observations
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 taken 22 years apart they found that the
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 jet actually accelerates as it moves
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 farther from the black hole this
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 unprecedented view of
00:08:36 --> 00:08:40 3c273 located 2.5 billion Lighty years
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 away is helping Bridge our understanding
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 between what we see in radio
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 observations and larger scale Optical
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 Imaging it's offering crucial insights
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 into how these Cosmic lighthouses
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 interact with their host galaxies and
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 shape the evolution of the universe
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 around
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 them let's change gears and get a Mars
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 update NASA 's Intrepid Curiosity Rover
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 is gearing up for a fascinating new
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 chapter in its already remarkable
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 mission on Mars after successfully
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 wrapping up its exploration of the G is
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 valis region where it made several
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 significant discoveries including pure
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 sulfur crystals and ancient lake bed
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 formations the Rover is Now setting its
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 sights on something truly
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 extraordinary massive spiderweb like
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 structures that stretch across the
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 Martian surface these peculiar
00:09:26 --> 00:09:29 formations known as the box work span
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 and incredible 6 to 12 miles across and
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 represent one of the most intriguing
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 geological features ever identified on
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 Mars while similar structures exist on
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 Earth in places like Wind Cave National
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 Park in South Dakota they typically only
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 extend a few feet the Martian versions
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 dwarf their terrestrial cousins by
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 orders of magnitude the boxw workk
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 formations are believed to have formed
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 through a process involving mineral Rich
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 water much like their Earth counterparts
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 as ancient Waters carrying dissolved
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 minerals seeped through cracks in the
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 Martian Rock they left behind
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 crystalline deposits over time as the
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 surrounding Rock eroded away these more
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 resistant mineral veins remained
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 creating the distinctive webike pattern
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 we see today what makes these structures
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 particularly exciting for scientists is
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 their potential to reveal new insights
00:10:18 --> 00:10:22 about Mars's watery past the minerals
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 preserved in these ancient formations
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 could tell us not just about the
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 chemistry of Mars's ancient Waters but
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 potentially about whether the
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 environment might have once been
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 suitable for microbial life the mineral
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 composition of these structures could
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 mirror similar environments on early
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 Earth where microorganisms
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 thrived curiosity won't reach these
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 remarkable features until early
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 2025 but the anticipation among the
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 science team is already building this
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 investigation promises to add another
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 fascinating chapter to our understanding
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 of Mars's geological history and its
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 potential for having once harbored
00:11:00 --> 00:11:03 life and now some more Artemis news
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 after extensive investigation NASA has
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 finally uncovered the root cause of the
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 unexpected heat shield damage observed
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 during the Artemis 1 Mission the
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 investigation revealed a fascinating
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 technical challenge that occurred during
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 the spacecraft's Revolutionary skip
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 re-entry maneuver the issue stemmed from
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 gases that built up inside the heat
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 shields protective avcoat material
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 during re-entry normally these gases
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 should have vented and dissipated but
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 they became trapped creating pressure
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 that caused cracking and led to pieces
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 of charred material breaking away in
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 several
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 locations what's particularly
00:11:38 --> 00:11:39 interesting is that this phenomenon
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 wasn't captured in pre-flight testing
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 the ground tests used much higher
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 heating rates than what the spacecraft
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 actually experienced during its return
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 under those more intense conditions the
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 material behaved as expected but the
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 actual gentler heating during Artemis
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 the for's re-entry created a different
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 reaction slowing down the formation of
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 protective Char while still generating
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 gases within the material despite these
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 findings there's good news for future
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 missions the investigation confirmed
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 that even with the unexpected heat
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 shield Behavior the spacecraft's
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 internal temperature remained remarkably
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 stable in the mid 70s Fahrenheit had
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 astronauts been aboard they would have
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 remained perfectly safe throughout the
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 re-entry process NASA's Engineers have
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 already identified solutions for future
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 missions they discovered that areas of
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 the heat shield that were naturally more
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 permeable didn't experience the same
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 cracking issues as the gases could
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 Escape more easily this Insight is
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 driving improvements in the
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 manufacturing process to ensure more
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 consistent permeability in future heat
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 shields these findings represent a
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 perfect example of why we conduct
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 uncrewed test flights they allow us to
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 identify and solve potential issues
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 before putting astronauts at risk
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 ultimately making future crude missions
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 safer and more reliable
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 and that wraps up today's episode of
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 astronomy daily I'm Anna and I want to
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 thank you for joining me on this journey
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 through the latest developments in space
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 exploration and astronomy remember the
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 cosmos never stops amazing us and we'll
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 be back tomorrow with more fascinating
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 stories from the final frontier if you'd
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 like to stay up toate with all things
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 space and astronomy visit us at
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00:14:02 --> 00:14:10 [Music]