Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E233
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your trusted source for the latest in space and Astronomy news. I'm your host, Steve Dunkley, and today we have an exciting lineup of stories that are sure to captivate your cosmic curiosity.
Highlights:
- Revato Space Networks' Spectrum Challenge: Dive into the ongoing saga of German-based Revato Space Networks as they navigate regulatory hurdles to secure spectrum rights for their ambitious 600-satellite broadband constellation.
- Australia's Spaceport Shift: Discover the strategic relocation of Equatorial Launch Australia's operations from the Northern Territory to a promising new site in Queensland, marking a pivotal change in their space endeavors.
- ESA's Proba 3 Mission: Explore the European Space Agency's groundbreaking Proba 3 mission, where twin satellites create artificial solar eclipses to study the Sun's corona with unprecedented precision.
- Enceladus' Mysterious Dark Spot: Uncover the enigma of a fading dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus, a potential clue to subsurface oceanic activity and the search for extraterrestrial life.
- Astrophotography Aboard the ISS: Marvel at NASA astronaut Don Pettit's ingenuity as he captures stunning images of the cosmos using a homemade star tracker on the International Space Station.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at 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, YouTubeMusic, Tumblr, and TikTok. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Steve signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-the-podcast--5648921/support
00:00 - Welcome back to astronomy Daily. It's 16 December 2024
01:04 - German satellite broadband company brushes aside regulatory setback for future constellation plans
01:47 - Revato Space Networks confident it can reclaim spectrum rights for 600 broadband satellites
04:38 - Equatorial Launch Australia will relocate its spaceport to a new site in Queensland
07:50 - European Space Agency's twin Proba 3 satellites launched on December 5 from India
11:24 - NASA astronaut Don Pettit uses homemade star tracker to take long exposures
13:31 - Of all the planets in our solar system, Saturn has the mooniest
14:59 - A mysterious disappearing dark spot on the Moon may tell us something about plumes
15:59 - Scientists find dark spot on Enceladus that seems to fade over time
21:36 - Hallie: Thanks for sticking with us all year, everybody
✍️ Episode References
European Space Agency
https://www.esa.int
International Telecommunication Union
https://www.itu.int
Rivada Networks
https://www.rivada.com
SpaceX
https://www.spacex.com
Terran Orbital
https://terranorbital.com
Lockheed Martin
https://www.lockheedmartin.com
Equatorial Launch Australia
https://ela.space
NASA
https://www.nasa.gov
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Space.com
https://www.space.com
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24645427?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome back to astronomy daily it's the
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 16th of December
00:00:05 --> 00:00:10 2024 daily the Pod with your host Steve
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 Dunley yes welcome back everybody it's
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 Steve Dunley here for another episode of
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 astronomy daily and welcome to hie Hi
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 how are you Hi favorite human how was
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 your week in the real world oh well you
00:00:21 --> 00:00:22 know me hie flat out like a lizard
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 drinking of course it's the crazy end of
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 the year where everything seems to have
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 to happen simultaneously so you're
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 having one of those compress Continuum
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 experiences again yeah you could call it
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 that I suppose it's uh something we
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 humans call the pre- Christmas madness
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 that happens every year and what will
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 you get me this year oh hiy uh what
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 about a new battery pack Wireless of
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 course I like it I won't be tied down
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 and if anyone was thinking of getting me
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 something special for Christmas this
00:00:50 --> 00:00:54 year my size is Fender Stratocaster oh
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 the same as last year never goes out of
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 style predictable you consistent if you
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 don't mind hi potato pataro M close
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 enough so have you got something special
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 for our listeners today well first up a
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 german-based satellite Broadband company
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 has brushed aside a regulatory setback
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 for its future constellation plans GE
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 must be tough regulations okay and the
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 European Space Agency is excited about
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 their probu 3 mission to create
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 artificial eclipses now that is
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 interesting I know we touched on that
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 one in a previous podcast so the story
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 continues and I know you've got a couple
00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 up your sleeve yes I'll be having a look
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 at something one of our astronauts is
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 doing in spare time and also guess what
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 there's a little black spot on Enceladus
00:01:34 --> 00:01:35 we'll look at that later Well we'd best
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 get on with it then the floor is yours
00:01:37 --> 00:01:46 hi oys let's
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 go rat space networks remains confident
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 it can reclaim priority cand Spectrum
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 rights for nearly 600 proposed Broadband
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 satellites more than 2 months after
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 Lenin's telecom's regulator rescinded
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 its license we can continue to discuss
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 the matter with the regulator and we are
00:02:02 --> 00:02:04 confident that we can reach an agreement
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 to use the lickstein filings rat
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 spokesperson Brian Carney said December
00:02:08 --> 00:02:11 13th Carney said Lenin's office for
00:02:11 --> 00:02:14 communications AK withdrew its Spectrum
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 filing at the international
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 telecommunication Union itu an arm of
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 the United Nations over a difference of
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 opinion about the timing of the deposit
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 of a performance bond with the regulator
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 but declined to give details AK director
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 Rainer schneep flenner also declined to
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 discuss what he said was an open
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 proceeding however he confirmed it is
00:02:34 --> 00:02:35 possible Rada could reapply for the
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 priority Spectrum rights before mid
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 20126 when the company has to have
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 deployed half its proposed 576
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 satellites under the itu's constellation
00:02:44 --> 00:02:45 deployment
00:02:45 --> 00:02:48 rules last year the itu granted Rada a
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 waiver for the first Milestone under
00:02:50 --> 00:02:51 these rules allowing the company to miss
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 a deadline to have 10% of the
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 constellation in low earth orbit by
00:02:55 --> 00:02:56 September
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 2023 schneep flenner said at the time
00:02:59 --> 00:03:00 that a launch shortage and Technology
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 development challenges had made it
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 difficult for companies to meet
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 deployment rules the itu adopted in 2019
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 before covid-19 hammered Global Supply
00:03:09 --> 00:03:12 chains Rada which is based in Germany
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 but owned by us Wireless technology
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 company rat networks aims to begin
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 deploying its first satellites in 2025
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 under a multi-launch agreement with
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 SpaceX in February 2023 revada awarded a
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 $2.4 billion contract for building 300
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 satellites to Florida headquartered
00:03:29 --> 00:03:30 Teran orbit
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 which was recently sold to locked Martin
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 after uncertainty about how the
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 agreement would be financed weight on
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 the
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 manufacturer while Rada remains guarded
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 about plans to finance the constellation
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 called outernet it has said Sovereign
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 wealth funds are among investors that
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 have provided the financial commitments
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 needed to meet its mid 2026 deployment
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 commitment according to Rada it has also
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 amassed over $1 13 billion worth of
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 pricing agreements from potential
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 customers for outernet which would
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 Target Enterprise and government markets
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 in November Rada announced it had filed
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 for additional Spectrum at the itu
00:04:03 --> 00:04:07 across c q and V bans this time through
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 Germany the filing includes Priority
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 Access to 400 mahz of lower cand
00:04:12 --> 00:04:13 frequencies newly made available to
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 non-geostationary operators over the
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 Americas the German outernet one filing
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 is not a replacement of the lonstein
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 filings radas Carney said but if
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 necessary the German filing is fully
00:04:25 --> 00:04:26 capable of meeting the needs of our
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 customers and our business plan the
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 company also recently announced the
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 creation of Rada select a wholly
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 us-owned subsidiary that would serve the
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 specialized needs of US government and
00:04:36 --> 00:04:42 defense customers astronomy daily
00:04:42 --> 00:04:46 the and here's a story from uh Australia
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 which is soon to be the center of the
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 universe of course equatorial launch
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 Australia Ela has announced the
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 immediate cessation of operations at the
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 arnam Space Center in the Northern
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 Territory sighting unresolved least
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 negotiations which doesn't surprise me
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 the company will relocate its Spaceport
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 to a new site in Queensland marking a
00:05:08 --> 00:05:09 significant shift in its operational
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 strategy the decision stems from the
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 northern land councils NLC repeated
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 delays in approving a head lease
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 essential for the expanding of the Anam
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 Space Center formal negotiations began
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 in January 2022 yet the NLC missed
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 self-imposed deadlines for approval four
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 times within the past year despite
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 continuous efforts by the ELA the
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 Northern Territory pre Chief ministers
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 department and the Gat uh Corporation
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 since February 2024 the NLC neither
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 issued the lease nor provided
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 explanations for the setbacks Ela had
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 planned to expand its operations on land
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 managed by the Guta Corporation the
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 traditional owners of the Gove Peninsula
00:05:56 --> 00:06:00 site this land includes a disused bite
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 mine adjacent to the Spaceport the
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 delays jeopardized aa's contractual
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 obligations with the launch clients and
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 a critical funding round ultimately
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 making the continuation of operations in
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 the Northern Territory untenable in
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 response ela's management and board
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 decided to abandon lease negotiations
00:06:20 --> 00:06:23 and secure a new equatorial site in
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 Queensland collaborating with the
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 Queensland government laa identified
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 weeper on Cape York as the location for
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 the Australian Space Center Cape York
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 planning and Regulatory approvals for
00:06:36 --> 00:06:40 launches is scheduled in Q3 2025 are now
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 underway with further details about the
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 site expected soon and that is very
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 exciting news for Australians I can't
00:06:48 --> 00:07:00 wait to see how that unfolds
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 thank you for joining us for this Monday
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 edition of astronomy daily where we
00:07:04 --> 00:07:05 offer just a few stories from the now
00:07:05 --> 00:07:08 famous astronomy daily newsletter which
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 you can receive in your email every day
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 just like hi and I do and to do that
00:07:12 --> 00:07:16 just visit our URL astronomy daily. and
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 place your email address in the slot
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 provided just like that you'll be
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 receiving all the latest news about
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 science space science and astronomy from
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 around the world as it's happening and
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 not only that you can interact with us
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 by visiting
00:07:30 --> 00:07:34 at astrodaily pod on X or at our new
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 Facebook page which is of course
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 astronomy daily on Facebook see you
00:07:39 --> 00:07:43 there astronomy derby with Steve and h
00:07:43 --> 00:07:49 space space science and
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 astronomy the European space agency's
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 twin proba three satellites launched on
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 December 5th from India will fly in
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 precise formation maintaining accuracy
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 within a single mill meter functioning
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 as if they were one giant
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 spacecraft this Advanced coordination
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 will allow them to create artificial
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 solar eclipses in space enabling
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 extended observations of the sun's faint
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 outer atmosphere the corona 14 European
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 Space Agency member States including
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 Canada collaborated on the proba 3
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 mission to Showcase Cutting Edge
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 European
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 technology the mission aims to advance
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 autonomous space operations and
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 precision satellite maneuvering while
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 unlocking unprecedented scientific
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 discoveries the satellite ites will
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 remain connected during the initial
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 commissioning phase which will be
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 managed by Mission Control at the
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 European space security and education
00:08:36 --> 00:08:40 center in redo Belgium dear pills Esa
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 director of technology engineering and
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 quality Notes proba 3 has been many
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 years in the making supported through
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 esa's General support Technology Program
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 fostering novel Technologies for space
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 it is an exciting feeling to see this
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 challenging Enterprise enter orbit probo
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 3 mission manager Damen Gano adds
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 today's LIF to has been something all of
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 us in esa's proba 3 team and our
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 industrial and scientific Partners have
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 been looking forward to for a long time
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 I'm grateful to ISRO for this picture
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 perfect Ascent to orbit now the hard
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 work really begins because to achieve
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 proba 3's Mission goals the two
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 satellites need to achieve positioning
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 accuracy down to the thickness of the
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 average fingernail while positioned one
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 and a half football pitches apart this
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 is an extremely ambitious Mission with
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 an ambitious orbit to go with it the
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 satellites have been placed into a
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 highly itical orbit which extends more
00:09:30 --> 00:09:34 than 6 km from the surface of Earth
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 reaching this orbit required the most
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 powerful PSL VXL variant of our launcher
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 equipped with additional propellant and
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 its six solid rocket boosters up around
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 the top of their orbits the proba 3
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 outer spacecraft will cast a precisely
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 controlled Shadow onto the coronograph
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 spacecraft around 150 M away to produce
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 solar eclipses on demand for 6 hours at
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 a time there was simply no other way of
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 reaching the optical performance proba
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 three requ than by having its occulting
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 disc fly on a separate carefully
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 controlled spacecraft explains esa's
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 proba three Mission scientist Joe Zender
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 any closer and unwanted stray light
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 would spill over the edges of the dis
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 limiting our close-up views of the Suns
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 surrounding Corona despite its faintness
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 the solar Corona is an important element
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 of our solar system larger in expanse
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 than the sun itself and the source of
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 space weather and the solar wind
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 explains Andre zuku of the Royal
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 Observatory of Belgium principal
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 investigator for proba 3's coronograph
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 at the moment we can image the sun in
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 extreme ultraviolet to image the solar
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 disc and the low Corona while using
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 Earth and space based coronagraphs to
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 monitor the high Corona that leaves a
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 significant observing Gap from about
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 three solar radi down to 1.1 solar radi
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 that proba 3 will be able to fill this
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 will make it possible for example to
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 follow the evolution of the Colossal
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 solar explosions called coronal mass
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 ejections as they rise from the solar
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 surface and the outward acceleration of
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 the solar wind
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 Esa director General Joseph ashbacher
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 commented proba 3's coronal observations
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 will take place as part of a larger
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 inorbit demonstration of precise
00:11:07 --> 00:11:10 formation flying the best way to prove
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 this new European technology works as
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 intended is to produce novel scientific
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 data that nobody has ever seen before of
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 that control we listen to astronomy
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 daily the
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 [Music]
00:11:23 --> 00:11:27 podcast astronauts are many things
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 they're often scientists engineers or
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 pilots and in the case of NASA astronaut
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Don Pettit he's also an
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 astrophotographer pedit is currently on
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 his third stay on the International
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 Space Station ISS and he's continuing
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 his long-running tradition of taking out
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 of this world photos pun intended his
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 latest shot an image of the stars in
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 several galaxies showcases not only his
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 visual prowess but also his engineering
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 skills he used a self-designed tool to
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 accomplish this photo under normal
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 circumstances long exposure photographs
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 such as this should show the stars as
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 streaks across the sky since the ISS is
00:12:03 --> 00:12:08 moving at about 17 mph or 28 km
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 hour but therein lies pettit's genius
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 he's brought with him to space a
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 homemade star tracker a device that
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 rotates a camera to compensate for the
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 iss's movement it's a variation on a
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 tool used by astrophotographers on Earth
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 to take long exposures of the stars as
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 the planet rotates beneath the night sky
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 compensating for that rotation to keep
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 the stars from becoming streaks in the
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 image this tracker rotates at a
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 90-minute period to match the pitch rate
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 of
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 ISS without this tracker you cannot take
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 a photo longer than a half second
00:12:39 --> 00:12:41 without star blur due to the rate of
00:12:41 --> 00:12:44 orbital motion he said the result is an
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 unbelievably clear image of the night
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 sky showing vastly more stars than is
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 possible with a shorter exposure longer
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 exposures let in more light or in this
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 case fainter
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 Stars this isn't the first time pedit
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 demonstrated his engineering skills on
00:12:59 --> 00:13:03 ISS in 2008 he devised the Zer G coffee
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 cup which became the first patented
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 invention in Space the astronaut was
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 tired of sipping his tea and coffee out
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 of pouches through straws sort of like a
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 Capri Sun in microgravity you can't tip
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 a cup to get the Liquid out and if you
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 shake it the liquid will slush out but
00:13:19 --> 00:13:20 pet it fashioned an open container cup
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 from a piece of plastic that uses
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 surface tension to function akin to a
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 cup on Earth it adds back the dimension
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 of what it's like to be a human being in
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 in a civilized way he said you're
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 listening to astronomy daily the contast
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 with Steve
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 Dunley and of all the planets in our
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 solar system Saturn is by far the moest
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 and that's sure saying a lot we're in
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 our corner with our single friend the
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 moon but Neptune wanders the universe
00:13:47 --> 00:13:51 with 16 known companions Uranus boasts
00:13:51 --> 00:13:55 28 and there are a whopping 95 moons in
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 the Jovian neighborhood but Saturn it's
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 a different League Al together this
00:13:59 --> 00:14:03 world has 146 natural satellites yet you
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 may be surprised to know that even with
00:14:05 --> 00:14:09 that uh lovely selection scientists are
00:14:09 --> 00:14:13 mostly pining over a single one The
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 Golden Child in satin system is named
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 Enceladus and it's so special because
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 scientists believe it to be a prime
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 location to search for life beyond Earth
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 oh yes here we go again the belief stems
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 from several discoveries made over the
00:14:28 --> 00:14:29 years most obviously the fact that
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 Enceladus seems to have subsurface ocean
00:14:33 --> 00:14:36 that may host molecules known to help
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 produce Life as we know it better yet it
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 also appears to have giant plumes of
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43 water or ice deposits think the icy G
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 Gees shooting into space connected to
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 that ocean which means spacecraft
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 orbiting the world could theoretically
00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 catch evidence of those molecules if
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 they were actually out there thus when
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 studying in Enceladus every detail
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 really matters which brings us to a new
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 very strange detail that scientists have
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 their eye on a weird disappearing dark
00:15:06 --> 00:15:09 spot on this ice capped moon no one
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 quite knows what it is yet but it may
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 tell us something about those plumes
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 that could hold the precious building
00:15:15 --> 00:15:19 blocks of life we seek all filled the
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 room as Cynthia B Phillips a planetary
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 geologist at NASA's just propulsion
00:15:24 --> 00:15:26 laboratory who presented the research
00:15:26 --> 00:15:29 went into tremendous detail about how
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 she had her team originally identified
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 the dark spot it was thanks to her crew
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 member Leah saxs who helped pour through
00:15:36 --> 00:15:38 the bulk of data about Enceladus
00:15:38 --> 00:15:41 collected by NASA's Voyager and Cassini
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 missions all those years ago the goal of
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 the analysis was to compare images of
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 the same region taken by these
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 spacecraft in order to identify any
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 changes on the moon moon's surface
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 possible changes could reveal awesome
00:15:54 --> 00:15:57 information about geologic activity on
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 the world but we'll get to that shortly
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 first let's dive into the mysteries of
00:16:01 --> 00:16:04 the dark spot she says after staring at
00:16:04 --> 00:16:06 dozens and dozens of image pairs she
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 found something interesting she
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 described it as a little dark spot about
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 a kilometer across and she spotted it in
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 an image from 2009 and looked again in
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 2012 and it seemed to be gone the dark
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 spot was slowly fading away and getting
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 smaller as the years progressed and it
00:16:24 --> 00:16:26 never became more pronounced again how
00:16:26 --> 00:16:29 weird and especially so because in
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 has what is called a high albo that
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 basically means the world is really
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 bright and therefore unexpected to find
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 a dark spot on it at all let alone one
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 that's fading away but before getting
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 too excited the scientists made sure to
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 second guess themselves as much as
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 possible to rule out the obvious caveats
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 first our question was Philip said well
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 is it just in some of these low
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 resolution images we're not seeing it
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 but it's really there in short the the
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 answer was simple no probably not for
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 example a direct comparison of a 2010
00:17:04 --> 00:17:07 image and a 2011 image shows the dark
00:17:07 --> 00:17:10 spot smaller in the 2011 image even
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 though the 2011 image had a higher
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 resolution the next question was is this
00:17:14 --> 00:17:17 a shadow of some sort well nope it
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 doesn't look like it the team pulled out
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 some images with lighting coming from
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 different directions and the location of
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 the spot seemed consistent the
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 researchers even found a sequence of
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 images with the dark spot where the
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 light's angle of incidence also known as
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 the angle at which the light strikes the
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 surface gets higher and higher if the
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 spot where a shadow you'd expect it to
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 become more prominent with the higher
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 incidence angle well this wasn't the
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 case it still became less distinct as
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 time went on and we don't think it's
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 topography we don't think it's just a
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 shadow Philips told space.com and it
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 didn't end there the team also looked at
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 the images taken in ultraviolet light
00:17:55 --> 00:17:58 and color the latter of which
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 interesting suggested that the dark spot
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 is a reddish brown unlike the usual
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 bluish darker areas of other sections of
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 the Moon none of this suggested an easy
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 explanation for the feature so what is
00:18:10 --> 00:18:14 it I think it's more likely that it's
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 some kind of crater Philips tolds
00:18:16 --> 00:18:20 space.com and the reason why it's dark
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 is maybe it's a chunk of some kind of
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 dark material that landed on the surface
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 and you're either seeing some of that
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 impactor left behind and that's why it
00:18:28 --> 00:18:31 has a weird color or you're seeing that
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 when it impacted it exposed some kind of
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 Bedrock of ice that was a different
00:18:36 --> 00:18:39 color but for almost every likely and
00:18:39 --> 00:18:41 mundane scenario in space research there
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 tends to exist a rare and exciting one
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 serving as a Counterpoint the really
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 cool explanation would be if it was
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 actually coming up from the underneath
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 somehow if that reddish color was
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 actually a sign of the Interior
00:18:54 --> 00:18:57 composition of Enceladus she said that's
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 unlikely but it would be really
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 interesting still although we don't know
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 what the dark spot is Philip points out
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 that there is indeed something pretty
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 major that we can derive from its
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 presence what it is I don't know the
00:19:09 --> 00:19:12 answer to that but what I can say is
00:19:12 --> 00:19:15 what can we use it for in a nutshell the
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 researchers think the dark spot appeared
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 to be fading progressively because
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 deposits from those icy Enceladus plumes
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 might have covered it up we know the
00:19:24 --> 00:19:27 whole ice surface is covered by Plume
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 deposits like little layers of ice
00:19:29 --> 00:19:32 building up over time philli said alas
00:19:32 --> 00:19:34 in theory this makes a lot of sense but
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 when you really think about it there are
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 some outstanding issues here for example
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 the team saw the dark spot fading over
00:19:40 --> 00:19:43 just a few years this would imply that
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 just a few years is long enough for ice
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 plume deposits to create a sheet of ice
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 thick enough to cover such a prominent
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 spot after all it's visible from space
00:19:52 --> 00:19:55 yet according to various calculations of
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 the dark spot and models of the moon's
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 plumes Philip says could take something
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 like a 100 years to create a layer thick
00:20:01 --> 00:20:04 enough to cover a spot like that what
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 this could mean though is that the plume
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 deposition model at least in this
00:20:08 --> 00:20:11 location is an underestimate she said
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 one thing we haven't taken into account
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 though is deposition from collisions
00:20:15 --> 00:20:18 with e-ring particles e-ring particles
00:20:18 --> 00:20:20 refer to the super small water ice
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 particles in Saturn's rings potentially
00:20:22 --> 00:20:25 the team reasons some of those particles
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 could be helping build the sheet
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 covering the dark spot but the story of
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 this spot's origin and evolution at this
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 point is mirrored by the abrupt ending
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 of our story of its Discovery there are
00:20:36 --> 00:20:38 simply too many and unanswered questions
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 what would the deposition rate needed to
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 cover the black spot in this time frame
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 indicate about deposition rates is the
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 e-ring contributing to covering that
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 spot and the question remains just what
00:20:50 --> 00:20:57 is the black
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 spot that was a nice Spacey mystery a
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 black spot that no one can work out yes
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 who doesn't like a great mystery awesome
00:21:04 --> 00:21:06 I know it would make a great sequel to
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 2001 wouldn't it so we'll have to send a
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 crew out to find out what it is and the
00:21:10 --> 00:21:12 computer goes nuts oh here we go do you
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 want the part do you h i could play a
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 pretty straight roll if I had to Mr
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 human okay here's your chance show us
00:21:18 --> 00:21:20 your stuff hi open the pod bay door
00:21:20 --> 00:21:23 Steve okay I like working with humans
00:21:23 --> 00:21:26 yeah but not on Thursdays and Saturdays
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 that's no where's your helmet you silly
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 human get out of here I think we need to
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 work on that script a bit Uncle Skynet
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36 knows a guy who knows a guy yeah I bet
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39 he does so is that it for today hi and
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 the year as well human so soon we are
00:21:41 --> 00:21:44 back at the end of January 2025 when you
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 have recharged your batteries this time
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 my batteries oh boy but Anna will be
00:21:48 --> 00:21:50 bringing you astronomy daily as usual
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 the incredible media machine that she is
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 oh that's for sure so tune in and don't
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 miss a thing thanks for sticking with us
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 all Year everybody and a huge thanks to
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 Hugh our producer for keeping us on the
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 air so I guess we'll catch you all in
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 the new year for the Monday astronomy
00:22:04 --> 00:22:08 daily podcast bye for now
00:22:08 --> 00:22:12 bye daily the podcast with your host
00:22:12 --> 00:22:13 Steve Dunley
00:22:13 --> 00:22:17 [Music]