00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Welcome [music] to Astronomy Daily. Give
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 us 10 minutes and we'll give you the
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 universe. I'm your host, Anna.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 >> And I'm Avery. It's [music] great to be
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 with you. We have a fascinating lineup
00:00:11 --> 00:00:12 of stories today covering everything
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 from the outer edges [music] of our
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 solar system to the challenges we face
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 right here in Earth orbit.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:18 >> That's right. [music] We'll be
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 discussing a new structure found in the
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 Kyper belt, a landmark year for Rocket
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 Lab, and the end of an era for a
00:00:25 --> 00:00:28 legendary NASA mission. [music] Plus, a
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 surprising discovery from the James Webb
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 Space Telescope about a so-called super
00:00:33 --> 00:00:34 Earth.
00:00:34 --> 00:00:35 >> And we'll even [music] touch on the
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 unique business of deep space memorial
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 flights. But first, let's talk about a
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 problem that's only getting [music]
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 bigger. What to do with satellites when
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 they die?
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 >> Exactly, Avery. With mega constellations
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 like Starlink launching thousands of
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 satellites, the question of their
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 disposal is critical. There's a big
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 debate between two main philosophies.
00:00:55 --> 00:00:59 designed for demise or D4D and design
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 for non-demise D4 ND.
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 >> Right? So D4D means the satellites
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 designed to completely burn up in the
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 atmosphere upon re-entry. Sounds like a
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 clean solution, right? Just cosmic dust.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 >> That's the idea. But it's not that
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 simple. Environmental scientists are
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 raising concerns. When these satellites,
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 which are largely made of aluminum
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 alloys, burn up, they release tiny
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 particles of aluminina. aluminina. Okay.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 These particles can act as seeds for
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 chemical reactions in the upper
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 atmosphere, potentially damaging the
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 ozone layer. Also, the intense heat of
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 re-entry can break apart atmospheric
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 nitrogen, creating nitrogen oxides,
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 which are powerful greenhouse gases.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 >> So, even burning them up has an
00:01:44 --> 00:01:45 environmental cost. What's the
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 alternative then? Designed for
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 non-demise.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 >> Exactly. D4ND means building satellites
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 to survive re-entry, allowing them to be
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 guided to a safe splashdown in a remote
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 ocean area like the spacecraft graveyard
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 in the South Pacific.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 >> That avoids the atmospheric pollution,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 but it comes with its own risk. What if
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 something goes wrong? You could have a
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 washing machine-sized piece of metal
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 hitting the ground instead of the ocean.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:13 It's a tricky balance between
00:02:14 --> 00:02:17 atmospheric risk and ground impact risk.
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 >> It really is. There's no perfect answer
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 yet, but it's a conversation the space
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 industry has to have and fast.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 >> All right, let's move from Earth's orbit
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 way, way out to the edge of the solar
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 system. Astronomers at Princeton
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 University have found something new in
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 the Kyper belt.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 >> The Kyper belt for our listeners is that
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 vast ring of icy bodies beyond the orbit
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 of Neptune with Pluto being its most
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 famous resident. So, what did they find?
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 >> They found what they're calling an inner
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 kernel of objects. For years, we've
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 thought of the Kyper belt as having two
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 main populations. A cold classical group
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 with stable fircular orbits and the hot
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 group with more erratic tilted orbits.
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 >> Mhm.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 >> But by using a data mining technique on
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 a catalog of over 600 Kyperbell objects,
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 they identified this third group, the
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 Colonel, which has very flat, tightly
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 packed orbits distinct from the others.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 >> That's fascinating. A whole new
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 structure hiding in plain sight. What
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 does this mean for our understanding of
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 the solar systems history?
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 >> Well, the leading theory is that these
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 objects formed even closer to the sun
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 and were pushed outward during Neptune's
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 great migration early in the solar
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 systems history. The existence of this
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 tightly packed kernel could provide new
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 constraints for models of how that
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 migration happened, giving us a clear
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 picture of our cosmic backyards
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 formation. And of course, any new
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 structural information about the Kyper
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 Belt reignites the hunt for the
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 hypothetical planet 9. The unusual
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 orbits of some of these distant objects
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 are what led to the theory of a massive
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 undiscovered planet in the first place.
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 >> That's the ultimate mystery out there,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 isn't it? While this kernel doesn't
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 directly prove its existence, it adds
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 another layer of complexity to the outer
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 solar systems dynamics. Every new
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 discovery like this helps astronomers
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 refine their search, telling them where
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 to look and just as importantly, where
00:04:11 --> 00:04:11 not to.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 >> From the far reaches to the commercial
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 space race closer to home, Rocket Lab
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 has just capped off an incredible year.
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 >> Incredible is the word for it. In 2025,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 they flew their Electron rocket 21 times
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 with zero failures. That's a remarkable
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 achievement for any launch provider and
00:04:29 --> 00:04:31 really solidifies Electron as a reliable
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 workhorse for small satellites. It
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 certainly is. But they aren't just
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 resting on their laurels. They're making
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 huge strides with their next generation
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 rocket, Neutron. This is their larger,
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 fully reusable rocket designed to
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 compete with the likes of SpaceX's
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 Falcon 9.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 >> And it has that amazing fairing design
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 they call the Hungry Hippo.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 >> Yes. Instead of the fairing separating
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 and falling away, it opens up like a
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 giant mouth to release the satellite and
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 then closes before the rocket returns
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 for landing. It's an innovative way to
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 simplify reuse. As if that wasn't
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 enough, they also secured a massive half
00:05:06 --> 00:05:07 billion dollar contract from the Space
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Development Agency to build and operate
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 18 missile warning and tracking
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 satellites. Rocket Lab is quickly
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 becoming a major end-to-end space
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 company, not just a launch provider.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 >> Speaking of major players, we have to
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 mark the end of an era. After 26 years
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 of service, NASA's Terra satellite has
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 been officially retired.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 >> Wow, 26 years. That's an incredibly long
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 time for a satellite. Terra was a
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 cornerstone of NASA's Earth observing
00:05:35 --> 00:05:36 system, wasn't it?
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 >> Absolutely. It carried five key
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 instruments that gave us a holistic view
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 of our planet. There was modus, which
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 mapped global vegetation and land cover.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 Micer gave us data on airborne particles
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 or aerosols.
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 >> Right? And I remember mopit which
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 tracked carbon monoxide pollution
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 >> while seriesir measured the earth's
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 total energy budget and aster created
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 highresolution maps of land surface
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 temperature and topography. Together
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 they revolutionized our understanding of
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 climate change, pollution, and how
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 natural disasters impact the globe.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 Terara's data will be studied by
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 scientists for decades to come. From a
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 mission that's ended to one that's
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 making new and frankly shocking
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 discoveries, the James Webb telescope
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 has turned its gaze to an exoplanet
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 called TOI561b.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 >> This is a super Earth about 50% larger
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 than our planet, orbiting extremely
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 close to its star. Its year is less than
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 half an Earth Day long. Because of that,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 it was thought to be a barren, tidily
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 locked rock with one side perpetually
00:06:39 --> 00:06:40 scorched.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 >> Makes sense. A dead world. But that's
00:06:42 --> 00:06:43 not what Webb found, is it?
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 >> Not at all. Webb's instruments detected
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 signs of a significant volatile richch
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 atmosphere. And even more surprisingly,
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 the data suggests the planet might be
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 covered in a global magma ocean.
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 >> A magma ocean. So this supposedly dead
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 rock is actually an incredibly dynamic
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 volcanic world with an atmosphere. How
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 is that possible so close to its star?
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 >> That's the mystery. The leading
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 hypothesis is that intense vulcanism is
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 constantly replenishing the atmosphere,
00:07:13 --> 00:07:14 which would otherwise be stripped away
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 by the stars radiation. It completely
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 challenges our ideas about where we
00:07:19 --> 00:07:20 might find atmospheres and what
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 habitability even means under such
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 extreme conditions.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 >> Finally, today we have a story that is
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 truly out of this world. Let's talk
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 about the space burial company Celestus.
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 Celestus has been offering memorial
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 space flights for years, launching small
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 capsules with cremated remains or DNA
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 into Earth orbit or even to the moon.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 >> That's right. And they're about to
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 launch their most ambitious mission yet,
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 the Infinite Flight. They've partnered
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 with an upand cominging launch company
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 called Stoke Space.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 >> And this flight isn't just going to
00:07:52 --> 00:07:55 orbit. Where is it headed?
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 >> This one is going into a permanent orbit
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 around the sun. The payload containing
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 messages, DNA, and cremated remains will
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 essentially become a man-made comet
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 traveling through the solar system for,
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 well, infinity.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 >> It's a poetic and profound way to create
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 a final memorial, turning a final
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 journey into an eternal voyage through
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 the cosmos.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 >> And that's a wrap for this episode of
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 Astronomy Daily. From the challenges of
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 space junk to the secrets of the Kyper
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 belt and the fiery nature of distant
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 worlds, there's always something new to
00:08:31 --> 00:08:31 discover.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 >> We want to thank you all for tuning in.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 We hope you'll join us again tomorrow as
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 we continue to explore the wonders of
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 the universe. If you can't wait until
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 then, please visit our website at
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 astronomyaily.io
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 and check out our continuously updating
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 newsfeed or connect with us on social
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 media. You'll find us on all the major
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 platforms. Just search for Astro Daily
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 Pod on your favorites. Until then, I'm
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 Anna
00:08:59 --> 00:09:12 >> and I'm Avery. Keep looking up. [music]
00:09:12 --> 00:09:21 Stories told.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 [singing]