Highlights:
- Historic Moon Landing Attempt: Join us as we track the significant moon landing attempt by Japanese company Ispace with their Resilience lander, set to touch down on June 5th. This mission represents a second chance for Ispace after a previous failure, and if successful, Resilience will become only the second private spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.
- Russia's AI Integration into the ISS: Discover Russia's plans to integrate their homegrown AI system, Gigachat, into the International Space Station. This AI will assist cosmonauts in processing satellite imagery, enhancing their capabilities as Russia continues its participation in the ISS until 2028.
- Groundbreaking Discovery of Water Ice: Explore the exciting discovery made by the James Webb Space Telescope, which detected crystalline water ice around the young star HD181327. This finding provides direct evidence of water's role in planetary formation and offers insights into how our own solar system may have developed.
- Update on SpaceX's AXE 4 Mission: Get the latest on the delayed AXE 4 mission to the ISS, now scheduled for June 10th. This mission will feature a historic crew, including astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking a significant milestone for international collaboration in space exploration.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) . Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube Music, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
Chapters:
00:00 - Welcome to Astronomy Daily
01:10 - Historic moon landing attempt by Ispace
10:00 - Russia's AI integration into the ISS
15:30 - Discovery of water ice around HD181327
20:00 - Update on SpaceX's AXE 4 mission
✍️ Episode References
Ispace Resilience Mission Details
[ISPACE]( https://ispace-inc.com/ (https://ispace-inc.com/) )
Russia's Gigachat AI Information
[Roscosmos]( https://www.roscosmos.ru/ (https://www.roscosmos.ru/) )
James Webb Space Telescope Findings
[NASA JWST]( https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html (https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html) )
AXE 4 Mission Updates
[Axiom Space]( https://www.axiomspace.com/ (https://www.axiomspace.com/) )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )
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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/27465521?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily,
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 your source for the latest news and
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 discoveries from the cosmos. I'm Anna
00:00:06 --> 00:00:07 and I'm thrilled to have you join me
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 today as we explore some fascinating
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 developments in space exploration and
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 astronomy. Coming up on today's episode,
00:00:14 --> 00:00:15 we'll be tracking a historic moon
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 landing attempt as Japanese company i
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 Space prepares its resilience lander for
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 touchdown on the lunar surface. Then
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 we'll look at Russia's plans to
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 integrate their homegrown AI system into
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 the International Space Station. We've
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 also got an incredible discovery from
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 the James Webb Space Telescope. And
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 finally, we'll get an update on SpaceX's
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 upcoming AX4 mission. So much to cover
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 today, so let's get started with our
00:00:39 --> 00:00:40 cosmic
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 journey. Tomorrow could mark a
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 significant milestone in the history of
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 private space exploration as Japanese
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 company iSpace attempts to land their
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 resilient spacecraft on the moon. This
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 mission scheduled for Thursday, June 5th
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 at 3:24 PM Eastern time, represents a
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 second chance for iSpace following their
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 first attempt that unfortunately ended
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 in failure last April. The Resilience
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 Lander, also known as Hakuto R mission
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 2, has been on quite a journey since its
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 January 15th launch aboard a SpaceX
00:01:11 --> 00:01:14 Falcon 9 rocket. Unlike some lunar
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 missions that take a direct path,
00:01:16 --> 00:01:17 Resilience followed what's called a low
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 energy transfer route to reach the moon,
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 which is more fuel efficient, but adds
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 months to the journey. After this
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 lengthy voyage, the spacecraft finally
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 entered lunar orbit on May 6th and is
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 now ready for its landing attempt. The
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 target landing site is in Margorus or
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 the Sea of Cold, located in the northern
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 hemisphere of the moon's near side. It's
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 worth noting that this is the same
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 general region where iSpace tried to
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 land during their previous mission in
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 2023. However, the company has backup
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 plans in place with three alternative
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 landing sites should conditions change,
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 each with different landing dates and
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 times. For those of you interested in
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 watching this historic event live,
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 iSpace will be broadcasting the landing
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 attempt on their YouTube channel. The
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 live stream begins at 2:10 p.m. Eastern
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 time, about an hour before the scheduled
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 touchdown. They'll actually be offering
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 broadcasts in both English and Japanese,
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 so you can choose your preferred
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 language. What makes this mission
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 particularly significant is that if
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 successful, Resilience would become only
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 the second private spacecraft to
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 accomplish a soft landing on the lunar
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 surface. The first was achieved by
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 Intuitive Machines Odysius lander back
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 in February. though that landing was
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 somewhat precarious when one of its legs
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 failed to deploy properly. The timing of
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 the landing is especially challenging
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 because of the 1.3 second communication
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 delay between Earth and the moon. This
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 means the spacecraft must handle the
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 most critical landing maneuvers
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 autonomously, adjusting to the lunar
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 terrain in real time without direct
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 human control. Once resilience
00:02:58 --> 00:02:59 successfully touches down on the lunar
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 surface, it'll begin a relatively short
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 but intense mission. The lander is
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 designed to operate for about 2 weeks,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 essentially one lunar day before the
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 harsh lunar night brings operations to
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 an end. But don't let that short time
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 frame fool you. There's a lot packed
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 into this mission. Perhaps the most
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 exciting payload is the tenacious
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 microwver built by Icepace's European
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 subsidiary. If all goes according to
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 plan, this small rover will deploy from
00:03:27 --> 00:03:28 the lander and begin exploring the
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 immediate surroundings. It's equipped
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 with a camera and a sample collection
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 shovel that will test capabilities for
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 future sample return missions. The rover
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 is also carrying something rather
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 unusual for a lunar mission, a work of
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 art called Moonhouse, which is a small
00:03:43 --> 00:03:44 red house designed by Swedish artist
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 Mikail Genberg. And in a nod to pop
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 culture, Resilience is also bringing
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 along a commemorative plate with an
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 inscription based on the Charter of the
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 Universal Century from the popular
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 Japanese Gundam
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 series. In some rather interesting news
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 today from Russia, the country plans to
00:04:03 --> 00:04:04 integrate its homegrown artificial
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 intelligence model called Gigachot into
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 the International Space Station's IT
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 systems. Ruscosmos chief Dmitri Bachenov
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 announced that the next mission to the
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 ISS this northern autumn will deliver
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 everything needed for the AI to function
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 in space. This isn't just about having a
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 space-based chatbot though. The Jigat
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 model will have practical applications
00:04:26 --> 00:04:28 specifically helping cosminauts process
00:04:28 --> 00:04:31 satellite imagery. According to Pakanov,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 it'll increase the maximum resolution
00:04:33 --> 00:04:36 from 1 meter per pixel to half a meter
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 per pixel, which he described as direct
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 assistance for the
00:04:40 --> 00:04:43 cosmonauts. Gigachot was developed by
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 Spurbank, Russia's largest bank and
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 represents one of the country's flagship
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 large language models. It's part of
00:04:50 --> 00:04:51 Russia's broader efforts to catch up
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 with the United States and China in what
00:04:54 --> 00:04:57 many are calling the global AI race. The
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 timing is interesting, too, as Russia
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 has confirmed it will continue
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 participating in the ISS until 2028,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 even as they develop their own new space
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 station. They're planning to launch the
00:05:07 --> 00:05:08 first two modules of that independent
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 station in 2027. The next Russian
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 spacecraft mission to the ISS is
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 scheduled for November 27th, which is
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 likely when this AI technology will make
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 its way to orbit.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 Now to what might be one of the most
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 exciting astronomical discoveries of the
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 year. Scientists have detected
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 crystalline water ice around a young
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 sunlike star for the very first time.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 This groundbreaking observation made
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 possible by the James Webb Space
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 Telescope gives us direct evidence of
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 something astronomers have long
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 theorized but never directly observed
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 before. The star in question is called
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 HD
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 181 and it's located about 155
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 lighty years away from us. What makes
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 this discovery so fascinating is that
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 this star is essentially a baby version
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 of our own sun, just 23 million years
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 old compared to our sun's mature 4.6
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 billion years. And unlike our solar
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 system, HD
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 181 is still surrounded by what's
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 called a protolanetary debris disc.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 basically a ring of dust and ice that
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 hasn't yet formed into
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 planets. Using Web's near infrared
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 spectrograph, researchers from John's
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 Hopkins University were able to identify
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 crystalline water ice in this debris
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 disc. This is the same type of water ice
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 found in Saturn's rings and in icy
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 bodies within our own Kyper belt.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 According to the study's lead author,
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Chenzee, this water ice plays a vital
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 role in planetary formation and could
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 eventually be delivered to terrestrial
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 planets that might form in this system
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 over the next couple hundred million
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 years. What's particularly interesting
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 is the distribution of this ice. The
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 JWST data shows that over 20% of the
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 debris ring's mass consists of water ice
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 mixed with dust particles, what
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 astronomers colorfully call dirty
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 snowballs.
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 This composition is remarkably similar
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 to our own Kyper belt. And there's a
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 clear pattern. The closer you get to the
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 star, the less ice you find. At the
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 discs halfway point, ice makes up only
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 about 8% of the material. And near the
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 center, there's virtually none. This
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 pattern likely exists because
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 ultraviolet radiation from the star
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 vaporizes ice in the inner regions. It's
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 essentially giving us a snapshot of how
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 water might have been distributed in our
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 own solar system during its formative
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 years, potentially helping explain how
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 Earth and other rocky planets eventually
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 obtain their water. Looking at the
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 distribution of this water ice in more
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 detail, we're seeing a fascinating
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 pattern that tells us a lot about how
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 planetary systems
00:07:45 --> 00:07:49 develop. The JWST data shows this ice
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 isn't evenly spread throughout the disc.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 It's heavily concentrated in the outer
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 regions, similar to how our own Kyper
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 belt contains most of the icy bodies in
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 our solar system. What's really
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 interesting about this finding is how it
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 supports our understanding of planetary
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 form. In the outer regions where it's
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 cold enough for ice to remain stable, we
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 see these dirty snowballs forming,
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 mixtures of dust and ice that can
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 eventually clump together into larger
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 bodies. This process is likely how the
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 ice giants like Uranus and Neptune
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 formed in our own system. But the
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 pattern also helps explain one of the
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 biggest questions in planetary science.
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 How did Earth get its water? Since Earth
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 formed in a region that was probably too
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 hot for water ice to exist initially,
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 scientists have long theorized that
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 water was delivered here later by comets
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 and asteroids from the outer solar
00:08:41 --> 00:08:46 system. This observation of HD
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 181 gives us a sort of snapshot of
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 what that early delivery system might
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 have looked like with icy bodies from
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 the outer regions potentially migrating
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 inward and bringing water to the forming
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 terrestrial
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 planets. Finally, today a small update.
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 The launch of the AX4 mission to the
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 International Space Station has been
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 pushed back again. Axiom Space announced
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 just yesterday that they're now
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 targeting next Tuesday, June 10th, at
00:09:11 --> 00:09:15 8:22 a.m. Eastern time for liftoff. This
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 is actually the second delay for this
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 mission in recent weeks, as it was
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 originally scheduled for May 29th before
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 being moved to June 8th, and now it's
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 been pushed back another 2 days. This
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 private astronaut mission will fly
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 aboard a brand new SpaceX Crew Dragon
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 capsule launching on a Falcon 9 rocket
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 And I've got to say, the crew lineup for
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 this mission is particularly noteworthy.
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 The four-person team is led by Commander
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 Peggy Witson, who's honestly a space
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 legend at this point. She's a former
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 NASA astronaut who holds the American
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 record for most time spent in space. Now
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 she serves as Axiom's director of human
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 space flight, and this will add even
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 more spaceflight experience to her
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 impressive resume. What makes this
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 mission truly historic, though, is the
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 rest of the crew. The pilot is Shubansu
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 Shukla of India and the mission
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 specialists are Slov Usnansski from
00:10:08 --> 00:10:12 Poland and Tibbor Kapu from Hungary.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 This marks the first time that anyone
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 from any of these three countries,
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 India, Poland or Hungary will live
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 aboard the International Space Station.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 So we're looking at multiple space
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 firsts happening simultaneously with
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 this single mission. Once they reach the
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 station, the crew won't just be
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 sightseeing. They have a packed schedule
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 with approximately 60 different science
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 experiments planned during their twoe
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 stay. After completing their mission
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 aboard the ISS, they'll return to Earth
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 in the same Dragon capsule splashing
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 down in the Pacific
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 Ocean. Well, what an exciting collection
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 of space stories we've covered today.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 From iPac's second attempt at making
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 history with their resilience moon
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 landing to Russia's plans to bring AI
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 aboard the ISS to that fascinating
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 discovery of water ice around a young
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 star that gives us a glimpse into how
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 our own solar system may have formed and
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 finally the upcoming AX4 mission that
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 will make history for three different
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 countries at once. This has been
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna. Thanks so
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 much for listening. For all our previous
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 episodes, head over to
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 astronomydaily.io. io where you can
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 catch up on anything you might have
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 missed. And if you enjoy the show,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 please subscribe on Apple Podcasts,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 your podcast. Until tomorrow, keep
00:11:30 --> 00:11:42 looking up.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 Stories told.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:51 [Music]