00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily your daily
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 dose of space and astronomy news today
00:00:05 --> 00:00:06 we're going to explore some big
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 developments in space exploration and
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 research we'll be diving into space X's
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 latest lunar Mission that's carrying
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 both a private Lander and a NASA Orbiter
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 to hunt for water on the moon we'll also
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 look at Australia's historic
00:00:19 --> 00:00:20 preparations for their first orbital
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 launch attempt and discover how NASA
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 Technologies are revolutionizing life
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 here on Earth plus we'll explore some
00:00:27 --> 00:00:28 fascinating new findings about
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 mysterious dwarf Galaxy
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 check in on NASA's Lucy spacecraft as it
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 approaches its next asteroid Target and
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 uncover new insights into some of the
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 most magnetic objects in our universe
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 magnetars let's get started with today's
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 space
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 news in a spectacular Sunset launch from
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 NASA's Kennedy Space Center spacex's
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 Falcon 9 rocket successfully carried two
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 lunar bound spacecraft into space the
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 primary payload the Athena lunar lander
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 built by intuitive machines is now on
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 its way to explore the moon's South Pole
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 region in search of water ice
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 deposits this marks intuitive machine's
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 second mission to the Moon following
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 their historic First Landing earlier
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 this month Athena carries 10 NASA
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 science instruments with its main
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 package being prime one which includes a
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 drill called Trident that can reach 3T
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 below the lunar surface and a mass
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 spectrometer to analyze the collected
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 samples for water and other compounds
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 but Athena isn't traveling alone the
00:01:29 --> 00:01:30 mission also includes an Innovative
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 Hopper robot named Grace that will
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 explore nearby craters through a series
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 of controlled jumps and a small Rover
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 called map that will test the moon's
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 first cellular network these tools will
00:01:42 --> 00:01:43 work together to study areas that have
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 remained largely unexplored including
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 permanently shadowed craters where
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 scientists believe significant deposits
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 of water ice may exist sharing the ride
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 is NASA's lunar Trailblazer Orbiter
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 which will map water ice deposits from
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 lunar orbit complimenting Athena's
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 ground-based
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 observations this coordinated approach
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 will give scientists an unprecedented
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 view of lunar Water Resources critical
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 for NASA's Artemis program and future
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 human settlements on the moon the
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 mission represents a significant step
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 forward in commercial NASA Partnerships
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 with intuitive machines leading the way
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 in delivering scientific payloads to the
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 lunar surface if successful Athena will
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 touch down in the mons muton region
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 where it will operate for about 10 Earth
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 days Gathering crucial data about
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 potential resources that could support
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 future lunar missions and potentially
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 even sustain human presence on the
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 moon next up one for our listeners down
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 under Australia is about to Mark a
00:02:45 --> 00:02:46 historic milestone in its space
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 exploration Journey Gilmore space an
00:02:49 --> 00:02:50 Australian company that's been
00:02:50 --> 00:02:53 developing rocket technology since 2015
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 has announced its first orbital launch
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 attempt scheduled for March 15th from
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 the Bowen orbital Spaceport in Northern
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 Queensland land their rocket named AIS
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 stands an impressive 82 ft tall and
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 represents years of Australian
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 Innovation and Engineering this
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 three-stage hybrid propulsion rocket is
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 designed to carry payloads of up to 474
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 pounds to a sun synchronous orbit 310
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 mies above Earth's surface after
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 securing the necessary approvals from
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 Australia's civil aviation Safety
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 Authority late last year the company is
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 now ready to attempt this groundbreaking
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 launch CEO Adam Gilmore has been careful
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 to manage expectations noting that first
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 launches are notoriously challenging
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 even SpaceX needed four attempts before
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 achieving its first successful orbital
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 launch the team emphasizes that whether
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 they make it off the pad reach maximum
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 aerodynamic pressure or achieve orbit
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 every second of flight will provide
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 valuable data to improve future launches
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 with more than 200 employees and backing
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 from various private investors and
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 superannuation funds Gilmore space has
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 grown from a small startup to a
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 significant player in Australia's
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 emerging space sector the company isn't
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 just focused on Rockets they're also
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 developing satellite platforms with the
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 ultimate goal of making space access
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 more affordable while the team remains
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 optimistic they acknowledge that various
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 factors including weather conditions and
00:04:17 --> 00:04:20 technical issues could lead to delays
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 safety remains their top priority and
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 they've made it clear they'll only
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 proceed with the launch when all
00:04:25 --> 00:04:29 conditions are optimal if successful
00:04:29 --> 00:04:30 this Mission will will Mark the first
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 time an Australian designed and built
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 rocket reaches orbit from Australian
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 soil opening a new chapter in the
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 country's space exploration history and
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 may we be reporting that Australia has a
00:04:41 --> 00:04:45 Happy Gilmore shortly sorry I couldn't
00:04:45 --> 00:04:47 resist let's take a look now at some of
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 the great work NASA's been doing NASA's
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 latest spin-off publication has revealed
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 some remarkable ways that space
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 technology is revolutionizing life here
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 on Earth for nearly 25 years of
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 supporting AST in low earth orbit NASA
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 has developed technologies that are now
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 finding incredible applications in our
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 daily lives one of the most fascinating
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 developments involves a platform that
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 allows commercial Industries to conduct
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 space station experiments scientists
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 have successfully grown higher quality
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 human heart tissue knee cartilage and
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 pharmaceutical crystals that can be used
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 to develop new Medical Treatments right
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 here on Earth The Innovation doesn't
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 stop at Medical breakthroughs remember
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 those challenges of watering plants in
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 zero gravity the solution NASA developed
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 has evolved into electrostatic sprayer
00:05:35 --> 00:05:39 technology now being used in sanitation
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 Agriculture and food safety and those
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 specialized treadmills designed to keep
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 astronauts fit in space they've been
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 adapted into anti-gravity treadmills
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 that are helping people with various
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 conditions exercise more
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 effectively even the nutritional
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 supplements originally created to keep
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 astronauts healthy during long space
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 missions are now available for everyday
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 use but perhaps most exciting are the
00:06:03 --> 00:06:06 developments in construction technology
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 companies are using NASA's 3D printing
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 techniques initially designed for
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 building structures on the moon to print
00:06:12 --> 00:06:15 large buildings here on Earth there's
00:06:15 --> 00:06:16 even Research into growing buildings
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 from fungus a concept first explored for
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 lunar construction that's now being
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 adapted for earth-based housing quality
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 control systems on assembly lines are
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 getting smarter thanks to artificial
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 intelligence originally developed to
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 help navigate Mars and in the energy
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 sector NASA's expertise in liquid
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 hydrogen Rocket Fuel is helping pave the
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 way for hydrogen-based Energy Solutions
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 with over 40 NASA originated
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 Technologies now in commercial use and
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 More in development these Space Age
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 Innovations are quietly transforming
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 Industries and improving lives across
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 our
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 planet astronomers have recently made a
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 fascinating discovery about the
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 universe's smallest and faintest
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 galaxies known as Ultra diffuse galaxies
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 or GS while studying 30 of these
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 mysterious Cosmic entities in the Hydra
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 Galaxy cluster located more than 160
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 million light years from Earth
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 researchers found something completely
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 unexpected about how these galaxies move
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 about half of the udgs they observed
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 showed peculiar rotational patterns in
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 their Stars movements that simply don't
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 align with our current theories about
00:07:21 --> 00:07:25 how these faint galaxies form and evolve
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 this discovery is particularly
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 significant because these Galaxies have
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 only been known to science since 2015
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 and they've been puzzling astronomers
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 ever since with their unusually
00:07:35 --> 00:07:38 elongated shapes and Ultra faint nature
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 the research team made these
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 observations using the Muse integral
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 field spectrograph on the very large
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 telescope in Chile one udg in particular
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 designated as UD g32 proved especially
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 interesting this dwarf Galaxy was found
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 at the end of a gas filament connected
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 to a much larger spiral galaxy called
00:07:55 --> 00:07:59 NGC 3314a
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 what makes this finding so intriguing is
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 that UD g32 is location doesn't appear
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 to be mere coincidence the stars in UD
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 g32 are younger than those in other udgs
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 in the cluster yet surprisingly they
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 contain more heavy elements or Metals in
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 astronomical terms this suggests these
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 stars formed from gas and dust that was
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 originally part of the larger
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 neighboring Galaxy supporting the theory
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 that some udgs might form when gas is
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 pulled away from larger galaxies through
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 gravitational interaction
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 actions these findings are more than
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 just interesting space facts they're
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 helping us piece together the complex
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 puzzle of how galaxies form and evolve
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 the research team's results have
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 effectively doubled our knowledge of
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 these mysterious galaxies providing the
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 first comprehensive view of how these
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 faint systems exist within a still
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 forming Galaxy cluster it's a reminder
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 that even in our Modern Age of astronomy
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 the universe still has plenty of
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 surprises in store for
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 us Lucy NASA's ambitious asteroid
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 exploring spacecraft has just reached an
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 exciting milestone in its Mission by
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 capturing its first images of asteroid
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 Donald Johansson currently appearing as
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 just a tiny point of light 45 million
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 miles away this 2m wide Space Rock will
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 be Lucy's next close encounter scheduled
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 for an April 20th flyby at a distance of
00:09:18 --> 00:09:22 just 596 mil this upcoming visit follows
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 Lucy's fascinating encounter last
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 November with asteroid dinkes and its
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 companion Moon Salam which turned out to
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 be quite the surprising Duo Salam
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 revealed itself to be what scientists
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 call a contact binary essentially two
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 separate objects touching each other
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 held together by their Mutual
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 gravitational pull the origin of this
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 unusual pairing remains a mystery though
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 researchers suspect Salam might have
00:09:47 --> 00:09:50 formed from Material ejected from dinkes
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 due to the effects of solar heating over
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 millions of years while Donald Johansson
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 currently appears as nothing more than a
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 distant spec Lucy won't get a detail
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 look at the asteroids features until the
00:10:01 --> 00:10:03 day of the close approach but this
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 encounter is just one stop on Lucy's
00:10:06 --> 00:10:09 packed itinerary in 2027 the spacecraft
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 will reach its first Trojan asteroid
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 urbies which sits in a vast swarm of
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 asteroids sharing Jupiter's orbit after
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 visiting several more Trojans Lucy will
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 swing back by Earth in 2030 for a
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 gravitational boost before heading to
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 explore even more of these ancient solar
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 system
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 remnants interestingly the asteroid
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 Donald Johansson's name has a direct
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 connection to Lucy's Own It honors
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 Donald Johansson the paleoanthropologist
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 who discovered the famous 3.2
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 million-year-old human ancestor fossil
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 nicknamed Lucy just as that ancient
00:10:42 --> 00:10:43 skeleton helps us understand human
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 evolution the asteroids Lucy is studying
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 are like fossils from our Solar System's
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 birth offering crucial clues about how
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 our Cosmic neighborhood came to
00:10:52 --> 00:10:56 be to wrap things up today in a
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 fascinating new study published in
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 nature astronomy scientist have finally
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 begun to unravel one of astronomy's most
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 perplexing Mysteries how magnetars
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 generate their incredibly powerful
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 magnetic fields these extraordinary
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 neutron stars have magnetic fields up to
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 a thousand times stronger than typical
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 neutron stars which are already among
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 the most magnetic objects we know of the
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 Breakthrough came from studying what
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 scientists call low field
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 magnetars these Cosmic Oddities present
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 an interesting puzzle because while
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 their Baseline magnetic fields are
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 relatively weak they somehow manag to
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 produce intense bursts of X-rays and
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 gamma rays that should require much
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 stronger magnetic fields through
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 detailed computer simulations
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 researchers have identified a likely
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 culprit a process known as the tailor
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 sprute Dynamo this Dynamo effect occurs
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 because of the way these Stars rotate
00:11:47 --> 00:11:50 unlike a solid object spinning uniformly
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 different parts of these Stars rotate at
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 slightly different speeds this
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 differential rotation particularly
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 strong in their cores creates the
00:11:58 --> 00:12:00 conditions needed to to amplify magnetic
00:12:00 --> 00:12:03 fields to extraordinary levels the
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 process appears to be kicked off during
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 the violent Supernova that creates the
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 magnetar when angular momentum is
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 transferred into the core of the dying
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 star for low field magnetar specifically
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 this mechanism explains how they can
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 temporarily boost their magnetic field
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 strength to produce those powerful
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 radiation bursts we observe it's a
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 different story from traditional magners
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 which likely generate their consistently
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 strong feel through other
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 means this discovery not only helps us
00:12:33 --> 00:12:35 understand these extreme objects better
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 but also provides crucial insights into
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 the complex physics at play in some of
00:12:40 --> 00:12:44 the universe's most extreme
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 environments and that's all for today's
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 episode of astronomy daily thanks for
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 joining me on this Cosmic Journey
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 Through the latest developments in space
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 exploration and astronomical discoveries
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 I'm Anna and if you want to stay up
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 toate with all the latest space and
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 astronomy news
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 head over to astronomy
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 daily. where we have a constantly
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 updating Newsfeed and all our previous
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 episodes available for listening you can
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00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 Tumblr and Tik Tok until next time keep
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 looking up and wondering about the
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 mysteries of our universe see you
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 tomorrow
00:13:27 --> 00:13:34 [Music]
00:13:34 --> 00:13:38 oh the St the
00:13:38 --> 00:13:45 [Music]