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]