SpaceTime Series 28 Episode 39
The Astronomy, Space and Science News Podcast
Moon's Oldest Impact Crater Dated, NASA's Punch Mission Launches, and Europe's First Orbital Rocket Countdown
In this episode of SpaceTime, we reveal groundbreaking findings that pinpoint the age of the Moon's oldest and largest impact crater, the Aitken Basin. Recent analysis of lunar regolith collected by China's Chang'e 6 mission indicates that this massive structure was formed approximately 4.25 billion years ago by a colossal asteroid impact. We discuss how this discovery enhances our understanding of the Moon's geological history and its role in the solar system's evolution.
NASA's Punch Mission
We also cover the successful launch of NASA's Polarimeter to Unify the Corona and Heliosphere (PUNCH) mission, which is now in orbit and entering its commissioning phase. This innovative mission aims to make 3D observations of the Sun's corona and its transformation into solar wind, providing vital data to improve space weather predictions and protect our technology from solar storms.
Countdown for Europe's First Orbital Rocket Launch
Additionally, we discuss the countdown for mainland Europe's first orbital rocket launch, a significant milestone for the European space economy. The launch of the Spectrum rocket by ISA Aerospace from Norway's Andoya spaceport is poised to mark a new era in European space exploration, especially following recent setbacks due to geopolitical challenges and delays in existing launch systems.
00:00 Space Time Series 28 Episode 39 for broadcast on 31 March 2025
00:49 Dating the Moon's Aitken Basin
06:30 Analysis of lunar samples from Chang'e 6 mission
12:15 Overview of NASA's Punch mission and its objectives
18:00 Implications of solar wind studies for space weather prediction
22:45 Countdown for Europe's first orbital rocket launch
27:00 Summary of recent space exploration developments
30:15 Discussion on the impact of microplastics on photosynthesis
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✍️ Episode References
National Science Review
https://www.nature.com/nsr/ (https://www.nature.com/nsr/)
NASA
https://www.nasa.gov (https://www.nasa.gov/)
ISA Aerospace
https://www.isa-aerospace.com/ (https://www.isa-aerospace.com/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/26366822?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 this is Spaceime Series 28 episode 39
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 for broadcast on the 31st of March
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 2025 coming up on Spaceime determining
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 the date of the moon's oldest and
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 largest impact crater NASA's Punch
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 mission safely in orbit and the
00:00:16 --> 00:00:18 countdown's underway for mainland
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 Europe's first orbital rocket launch all
00:00:21 --> 00:00:25 that and more coming up on Spaceime
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 welcome to Spaceime with Stuart Garry
00:00:29 --> 00:00:36 [Music]
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 scientists have finally put a date and
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 consequently an age on the moon's oldest
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 and largest impact crater the new
00:00:51 --> 00:00:52 findings reported in the journal
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 National Science Review suggested the
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 giant lunar south pole akin basin was
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 created by a massive asteroid impact
00:00:59 --> 00:01:03 some 4.25 billion years ago the new
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 findings are based on lunar regalith
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 collected by China's Changi 6 sample
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 return mission which visited the moon's
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 far side last year
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 astronomers have long sought to
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 determine the age of the ancient Atkin
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 Basin the largest and oldest known
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 impact structure on the lunar surface
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 the basin is a vast impact structure
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 spanning the moon's south pole far side
00:01:25 --> 00:01:30 it's roughly 2 km wide and up to 8.2
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 km deep making it one of the largest
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 impact structures in our solar system
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 it's believed to have been formed during
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 a period of intense asteroid bombardment
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 that shaped much of the solar system
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 within its first few hundred million
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 years despite its significance the exact
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 age of the basin has remained elusive
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 hindering efforts by astronomers to
00:01:51 --> 00:01:52 understand its role in lunar and
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 planetary history previous estimates of
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 the basin's age have varied widely
00:01:58 --> 00:01:59 highlighting the need for direct
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 analysis based on actual geological
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 samples the Changi 6 mission's return of
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 lunar samples from the basin has allowed
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 a scientific research team led by Chen
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 Yi from the Chinese Academy of Sciences
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 to be given an opportunity to resolve
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 this mystery they focused on impact melt
00:02:16 --> 00:02:17 rocks within the samples which provide
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 crucial clues about the basin's
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 formation chen says the collision
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 generated a massive sheet of impact melt
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 to accurately determine the basin's age
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 the authors first needed to identify the
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 products of this milk within the Changi
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 6 samples so Chen and colleagues
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 meticulously analyzed some 1600
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 fragments from two soul samples
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 identifying 20 Norite class with
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 textures minology and geochemical
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 signatures that were consistent with an
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 impact origin using a lead dating system
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 for sironium bearing minerals within
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 these classs they uncovered evidence of
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 two distinct impact events dated at 3.87
00:02:54 --> 00:02:58 87 billion and more importantly 4.25
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 billion years ago the older norites
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 dated at 4.25 billion years exhibited
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 structural and compositional features
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 suggesting that they crystallized at
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 various depths within a common impact
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 melt sheet produced by the Atkin basin
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 forming event so the studies provided
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 the first direct samplebased evidence
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 that the moon's largest impact basin was
00:03:18 --> 00:03:21 formed just 320 million years after the
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 actual birth of our solar system
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 consequently it serves as a critical
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 anchor point for refining lunar
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 cratering chronology and reconstructing
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 the timeline of the moon's early
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 evolution this is spaceime still to come
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 NASA's punch mission safely in orbit and
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 the countdown underway for mainland
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 Europe's first orbital rocket launch all
00:03:43 --> 00:03:50 that and more still to come on Spaceime
00:03:50 --> 00:03:59 [Music]
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 now safely in orbit NASA's polarometer
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 to unify the corona and heliosphere or
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 punch constellation is now undergoing a
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 90-day commissioning period undertaking
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 a series of in-flight checkouts prior to
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 commencing its 2-year mission the force
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 spacecraft will make global
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 three-dimensional observations of the
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 sun's upper atmosphere the corona this
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 will allow astronomers to better
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 understand how it transforms into the
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 constant stream of charged particles
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 known as the solar wind which bathes the
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 earth and the rest of our solar system a
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 key part of punch is the United States
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 Naval Research Laboratory's narrow field
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 imager a compact externally occulted
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 chronograph it blocks direct sunlight
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 from entering the main optical aperture
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 which views the coroner and starfield
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 around the sun using a compound lens
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 system by imaging the transition of the
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 corona into the solar wind astronomers
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 will better understand exactly how the
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 sun generates the space plasma
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 environment and that will help
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 scientists make better predictions about
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 space weather events like solar flares
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 and coronal mass ejections which can
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 fling powerful geomagnetic storms
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 towards the earth it's these solar
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 storms which trigger the spectacular
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 northern and southern lights the Aurora
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Borealis and Aurora Arralis but they can
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 also damage and even destroy spacecraft
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 by shorting out delicate electronics or
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 by causing the Earth's atmosphere to
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 wobble and expand like jello that
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 increases atmospheric drag on satellites
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 resulting in orbital decay and the need
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 to use up more fuel in order to maintain
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 operational altitude these geomagnetic
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 storms also interfere with
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 communications and navigation systems
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 and they can overload terrestrial
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 electricity transmission grids on the
00:05:41 --> 00:05:44 ground causing blackouts over wide areas
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 they also increase radiation exposure
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 for crews operating in space and even
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 for people on high altitude aircraft so
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 this narrow field imager aboard punch
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 marks a significant step forward in
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 science's ability to understand the
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 dynamic processes that drive space
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 weather events by imaging the transition
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 of the sun's atmosphere into the solar
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 wind they can gain crucial insights that
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 will ultimately improve their ability to
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 predict and mitigate the impacts of
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 these powerful events especially now as
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 the sun reaches solar max the climax of
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 its 11-year solar cycle a time when the
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 star is especially violent in fact just
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 over the past week another geomagnetic
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 storm hit the Earth and a massive
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 coronal hole has opened up in the Sun's
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 atmosphere sending even more streams of
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 charged particles towards Earth noah
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 America's National Oceanographic and
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 Atmospheric Administration issued a G2
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 geomagnetic storm warning for the event
00:06:39 --> 00:06:42 just like tropical cyclones geomagnetic
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 storms follow a fivepoint severity scale
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 it's a logarithmic scale with G2 class
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 storms considered moderate in strength
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 but they could cause minor technological
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 disruptions such as radio blackouts GPS
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 malfunctions and an increased chance of
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 aurora at lower latitudes and those are
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 exactly what has
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 happened g2 strength geomagnetic storms
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 hit planet Earth on around 360 days over
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 each 11-year solar cycle and the space
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 weather prediction center issued an
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 extended storm warning because of the
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 detection of this coronal hole facing
00:07:15 --> 00:07:18 the earth coronal holes are cooler
00:07:18 --> 00:07:19 darker regions of the corona that are
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 less dense than normal allowing
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 high-speed charged particles to gush
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 outwards into space and currently one of
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 these escaped high-speed streams is
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 pointing directly at the Earth
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 astronomers now think the sun reached
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Solar Max in October last year that's
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 because since then there's been some
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 evidence of polarity reversal in
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 magnetic filaments extending out from
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 sunspots it's a process that will
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 continue for several more months as the
00:07:45 --> 00:07:48 sun's magnetic poles continue to flip
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 and just to further underline the point
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 a massive 1.1 class solar flare and
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 simultaneous coronal mass ejection
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 erupted out of the sun's southeastern
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 quadrant on Saturday sending a gigantic
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 blast of plasma and solar particles deep
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 into space in fact the events been
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 described by spaceweather.com as one of
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 the most beautiful and significant
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 eruptions in recent memory but the
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 website also points out that Earth
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 dodged an extreme geomagnetic storm
00:08:17 --> 00:08:20 nevertheless a strong R3 radio blackout
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 centered on the Caribbean did develop
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 from the blast if the eruption had been
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 directed directly towards the Earth a
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 Carrington level geomagnetic storm could
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 well have developed within 30 hours
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 luckily the explosion was directed
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 towards Jupiter but the sunspots which
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 triggered the blast remain active and
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 are now rotating towards facing the
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 Earth in the next week or so ultimately
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 if this magnetic filament channel
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 refills again over the next week it's
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 possible that we could see a big solar
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 storm launched and this time crossing
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 through the Earth's strike zone region
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 to put it simply if all the power from
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 this one eruption could be harnessed it
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 would probably power our entire planet
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 for over 100 billion years far exceeding
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 the remaining lifespan of the sun
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 predicting the impact of space weather
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 from minor fluctuations to major coronal
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 mass ejections requires a comprehensive
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 understanding of the solar wind and
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 while originating at the sun these
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 events nevertheless evolve significantly
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 during their journey towards the earth
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 especially within the sparsely imaged
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 region between the solar corona and the
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 inner heliosphere posing a significant
00:09:28 --> 00:09:31 scientific challenge by capturing the
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 evolution of coronal mass ejections and
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 solar flares Punch will provide
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 scientists with new data on their
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 formation and
00:09:38 --> 00:09:42 propagation this report from NASA TV
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 punch is an acronym it stands for
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 polarimeter to unify the corona and
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 heliosphere the corona is the outer
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 atmosphere of the sun it's the part that
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 is no longer gravitationally bound to
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 the sun and it has so much energy that
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 it flows outwards filling our solar
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 system and pushes against the
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 interstellar medium making a bubble and
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 that is the heliosphere and this system
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 of how the corona turns into the
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 heliosphere is what punch is trying to
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 study so punch is fundamentally four
00:10:13 --> 00:10:16 cameras that work together to make
00:10:16 --> 00:10:19 composite movies we have a narrow field
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 imager that views the space close to the
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 sun and then we have three separate wide
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 field imagers each of which has a large
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 squareish field of view that looks way
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 off to the side out to 45° away from the
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 sun that allows us to do something that
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 no other mission has been able to do
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 which is routinely track coronal mass
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 ejections space storms all the way
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 across the solar system as they approach
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 the Earth by better understanding these
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 storms and better understanding how they
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 propagate on their way to the Earth
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 we'll be able to inform our partners on
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 how to better forecast these events in
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 the future and that's really important
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 for protecting our astronauts our
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 satellites and our power grids once we
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 start producing images you'll be able to
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 look at punch data directly and see the
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 kind of science we're engaged in you'll
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 be able to see things that are present
00:11:11 --> 00:11:14 in the sky right now and you just you're
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 not aware of them because they're washed
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 out by the the brightness of the sky
00:11:17 --> 00:11:21 itself we are poised to do tremendous
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 science with punch because it provides
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 this global context of what is happening
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 in the corona and what is happening
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 throughout the inner solar system so
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 that we can connect the details to the
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 bigger picture you might say that punch
00:11:34 --> 00:11:36 is the next chapter in the study of
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 helopysics as we bring imaging and
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 crosscale understanding out so that we
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 can develop a coherent understanding of
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 the entire system that starts at the
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 corona and extends out to envelop the
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 planets
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 themselves and in that report from NASA
00:11:54 --> 00:11:57 TV we heard from Punch mission scientist
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 Nicolen Vol from NASA as well as Punch
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 principal investigator Craig DeForest
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 from the Southwest Research Institute in
00:12:04 --> 00:12:08 San Antonio Texas this is Spacetime
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 still to come the countdown underway for
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 the first orbital rocket launch from
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 mainland Europe and later in the science
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 report a new study warns that
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 microlastics are now affecting the
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 ability of plants to carry out
00:12:20 --> 00:12:23 photosynthesis all that and more still
00:12:23 --> 00:12:30 to come on
00:12:30 --> 00:12:37 [Music]
00:12:40 --> 00:12:42 Spaceime high winds and bad weather as
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 Force mission manages to scrub what
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 should have been the first ever orbital
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 rocket launch from mainland Europe the
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 launch by Munich based ISA aerospace
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 involves its new spectrum rocket which
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 will launch from Norway's Andoya
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 spaceport on the Arctic Circle the test
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 flight is seen as a key step in the new
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 European space economy until now all
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 European orbital rockets have been
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 launched from the European Space Ay's
00:13:07 --> 00:13:11 Crew Spaceport in French Gana and until
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 recently there have been ongoing delays
00:13:13 --> 00:13:15 in the development of the new Aran 6
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 heavy lift rocket and the Vega E light
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 launcher had been suspended from flight
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 following an upper stage component
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 failure while both now have flight
00:13:24 --> 00:13:26 status the delays have been long and
00:13:26 --> 00:13:29 costly compounding the problem is the
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 fact that Europe also lacked access to
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 Russian spaceports and launches since
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 2022 following the West's embargo of
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 Moscow in relation to the Kremlin's
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 invasion of Ukraine isa Aerospace's new
00:13:40 --> 00:13:43 28 m tall two-stage spectrum rocket is
00:13:43 --> 00:13:45 designed to carry payloads of around
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 1 kg into low Earth orbit and 700 kg
00:13:48 --> 00:13:51 into suns synchronous orbits its first
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 stage is powered by nine Aquilla propane
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 and liquid oxygen rocket engines
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 spectrum's upper stage is equipped with
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 a single Aquilla propane and liquid
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 oxygen engine designed for multiple
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 ignitions thereby allowing it to be shut
00:14:04 --> 00:14:06 down and reignited on numerous occasions
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 as needed eliminating the need for an
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 additional kickstage spectrum will
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 become the first privately financed
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 European launch system to reach orbit of
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 course Britain's Richard Branson and his
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 Virgin Orbit have done it from the
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 United States using air launched rockets
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 fired from a modified Boeing 747
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 airliner that had taken off from a
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 conventional runway but they appear to
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 have shut down operations following a
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 failed 2023 attempt to air launch a
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 rocket from the 747 which had taken off
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 earlier from Cornwell norway's Andoya
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 and Swalban rocket ranges together with
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 the Estrange Spaceport in neighboring
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 Sweden have already undertaken over a
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 thousand suborbital launches flying
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 sounding rockets on primarily scientific
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 missions and this new launch is being
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 seen as an extension of those
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 capabilities
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 this is
00:14:56 --> 00:15:02 [Music]
00:15:02 --> 00:15:05 spacetime and in the late update to that
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 story Spectrum finally launched late
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 yesterday however shortly after liftoff
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 it began veering off course during its
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 planned rollover maneuver 18 seconds
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 into the flight resulting in a
00:15:15 --> 00:15:18 catastrophic failure we'll have a full
00:15:18 --> 00:15:21 report in next week's show this is
00:15:21 --> 00:15:24 Spaceime
00:15:24 --> 00:15:37 [Music]
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 and time now to take a brief look at
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 some of the other stories making news in
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 science this week with a science report
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 a new study has found that microlastics
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 are now affecting the ability of plants
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 to carry out photosynthesis
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 the findings reported in the journal the
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 proceedings of the National Academy of
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 Sciences PNAS demonstrates the critical
00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 threat these pollutants cause to Earth's
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 primary production and food security
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 microlastics are defined as plastic
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 debris smaller than 5 mm it's now found
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 to be contaminating environments from
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 deep sea sediments up to tall mountain
00:16:10 --> 00:16:13 glaciers the study's authors evaluated
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 the relationship between microplastic
00:16:15 --> 00:16:17 exposure and photosynthesis across
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 terrestrial marine and freshwater
00:16:19 --> 00:16:22 ecosystems despite the growing awareness
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 of this hazard the effects of
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 microlastics on photosynthesis in the
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 ecosystem have remained unclear until
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 now by analyzing
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 3 records using metadata analysis
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 and machine learning techniques the
00:16:34 --> 00:16:36 authors have shown that microlastics
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 have decreased photosynthetic efficiency
00:16:38 --> 00:16:42 by 7.05 05 to 12.12% across terrestrial
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 plants marine algae and freshwater algae
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 these reductions translate to estimate
00:16:47 --> 00:16:51 annual global losses of between 4.11 and
00:16:51 --> 00:16:55 13.52% for key staple crops such as rice
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 wheat and maze in aquatic ecosystems
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 microlastic induced photosynthesis
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 inhibition is projected to cause net
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 primary productivity losses of between
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 0.31 and
00:17:06 --> 00:17:10 7.24% annually
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 a new study has found that ditching
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 butter in your diet and replacing it
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 with plant-based oils could help protect
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 you from cancer and heart disease a
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 report in the Journal of the American
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 Medical Association looked into the
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24 diets of over 220 people finding
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 that those who ate a larger amount of
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 butter were far more likely to die of
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 cancer compared to those who consumed
00:17:30 --> 00:17:32 little or none they also found that
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 people who consumed higher levels of
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 safflower soybean corn canola and olive
00:17:36 --> 00:17:39 oils were less likely to die from cancer
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 or heart disease now while this kind of
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 study can't prove that butter directly
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 affects your chances of survival the
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 authors say the study adds to a growing
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 body of evidence that you really should
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 be swapping out animal fats for
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 plant-based ones that's if you want to
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 live a longer healthier
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 life sharks have been recorded actively
00:17:57 --> 00:18:00 producing sounds for the first time the
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 findings reported in the journal of the
00:18:02 --> 00:18:04 Royal Society Open Science involved
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 recordings of New Zealand rig sharks
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 which showed that they were deliberately
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 making short sharp clicks when they were
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 handled underwater the authors suggest
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 that based on the clicks acoustic
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 characteristics they're being created by
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 the sharks by forcibly snapping their
00:18:17 --> 00:18:20 flattened teeth together they believe
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 the sharks are doing this in response to
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 a disturbance or distress but further
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 research is needed to determine other
00:18:26 --> 00:18:30 uses and their biological significance
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 well transport for London have been kept
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 busy they've been asked to search their
00:18:33 --> 00:18:36 records for sightings of ghosts spirits
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 schools poltergeists and banshees on the
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 London Underground and as Tim Mum from
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 Australian Skeptics explains despite an
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 intensive search they found only one
00:18:45 --> 00:18:48 single solitary case this is a very
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 interesting story actually it it starts
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 off being sort of totally trivial but
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 actually becomes implications someone
00:18:53 --> 00:18:56 put in a freedom of information request
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 to the people who run the London
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 Underground which is Transport for
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 London and what they wanted to know was
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 if there was any evidence of the
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 paranormal that was sort of in in their
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 record so the Transport of London
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 thought that was interesting they
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 probably never been asked that question
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 before so they did a word search into
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 all the reports they had and what the
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 words they searched for were ghost
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 spirits ghouls poltergeists and banshee
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 which is what the people were asking for
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 they're only looking for information for
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 about the last two or so years so they
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 weren't going back to the 1800s that
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 might be a bit hard to search anyway
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 those documents but never mind transport
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 for London came back to them and said
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 "Yep we've done this word search and
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 this is what it is." And what we found
00:19:30 --> 00:19:33 was that there was so many references to
00:19:33 --> 00:19:36 spirits and ghosts and the only one that
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 actually wasn't saying I'm in good
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 spirits or I'm intoxicated by drinking
00:19:40 --> 00:19:43 spirits was a 15-year-old boy who was
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 distressed possibly lost in King's Cross
00:19:45 --> 00:19:48 station in December 2023 who mentioned
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 that he had seen ghosts now this search
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 or this request was partially inspired
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 by someone trying to find out if there's
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 any activity near Oldgate East station
00:19:56 --> 00:19:59 because Old Gate East station is where
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 Jack the Ripper not the station itself
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 but the area is where Jack the Ripper
00:20:02 --> 00:20:05 had his way back in the late 1800s yes
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 so he killed at least five people
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 possibly more but anyway they wanted to
00:20:08 --> 00:20:10 see if therefore the ghosts of these
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 people were haunting the underground
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 stations uh or the railways generally i
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 don't know why surely there are other
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 areas other buildings around there they
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 could have haunted why just the
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 undergrounds i don't know maybe they're
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 wide ranging ghosts who knows maybe
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 they're gunsels they're what gunzels
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 you've never heard the term guns i have
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 never heard a term gun the term actually
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29 comes from the Maltese Falcon movie
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 starring Humphrey Bogart directed by
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 John Houston yes in that movie a Gunzel
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 was a young thug carrying a gun he was
00:20:36 --> 00:20:40 looking in the film a Gunzel is a a
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 young thug carrying a gun but in
00:20:41 --> 00:20:45 Australian r enthusiast terms a gunel is
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 someone who is basically what Brits call
00:20:48 --> 00:20:50 an anorak who hangs around the end of
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 platforms photographing trains train
00:20:52 --> 00:20:54 spotters train spotter carrying a camera
00:20:54 --> 00:20:57 instead of a gun yeah that's a gun um
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 who who was a bus spotter or a branch of
00:21:00 --> 00:21:02 gunsel I think there yeah I know he he
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 photographed the front of the bus with
00:21:03 --> 00:21:06 the group number anyway back to gate so
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 reason for this with this study was to
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 try and find there examples of ghosts
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 etc that had been reported poltergeist
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 of any s whatever and the only thing
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 they came up with was this 15-year-old
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 boy and I'm sure the transport for
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 London sort of issued this report a
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 little bit tongue and cheek they were
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 the ones who mentioned that when they
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 said this spirit was half the time it
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 was about alcohol spirit that someone
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 was intoxicated on the train or whatever
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 hopefully not the drivers but anyway so
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 there there was one reference to a
00:21:28 --> 00:21:30 15-year-old boy that was suddenly picked
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 up everywhere by the saying that the
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 transport for London had found an
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 example of the paranormal on his
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 underground and this 15-year-old boy
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 became famous yeah but the case is
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 famous even though it was issued as a
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 tongue-in-cheek report though there was
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 never any actual proof of a ghost that
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 this kid saw he was distressed that's
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 really surprising isn't it you think
00:21:47 --> 00:21:49 there'd be more considering what
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 London's got what 10 12 million people
00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 who used the tube and and the
00:21:53 --> 00:21:55 underground on a regular basis every day
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 some of these some of these tube lines
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 of course also ran through uh plague
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 pits and cemeteries so they actually had
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 to remove bodies to put the tube lines
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 through well they had to do that at
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 Central in Sydney as well
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 because everywhere apparently it's not a
00:22:08 --> 00:22:10 nice thing to remove a plague pit
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 because if you're talking about bubonic
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 plague or something yeah it's quite
00:22:12 --> 00:22:15 fascinating that a non-story becomes a
00:22:15 --> 00:22:17 story hey what's new in in the world of
00:22:17 --> 00:22:19 reporting that's Tim Mendum from
00:22:19 --> 00:22:22 Australian Skeptics
00:22:22 --> 00:22:36 [Music]
00:22:36 --> 00:22:39 and that's the show for now spacetime is
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00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 you've been listening to Spacetime with
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00:23:34 --> 00:23:39 quality podcast production from byes.com