Highlights:
- Ispace's Lunar Landing Setback: Join us as we delve into the unfortunate news surrounding Ispace's Resilience lander, which failed to achieve a successful landing on the Moon. After launching aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, the mission suffered a hard landing, resulting in lost communication. We discuss the implications of this setback and the company's plans for future missions, including their contract with NASA for a 2027 lunar delivery.
- Musk vs. Trump: A Space Tiff: Explore the escalating tensions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump following Musk's criticism of Trump's policies. With Musk threatening to decommission SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft, we examine the potential consequences for American spaceflight and NASA's operations, particularly in light of SpaceX's crucial contracts.
- Mars Rover's Mysterious Maze: Uncover the fascinating purpose behind the maze captured in images by NASA's Perseverance rover. This calibration target for the rover's Sherlock instrument plays a vital role in detecting organic compounds on Mars, while also testing materials for future human exploration.
- Discovery of Extreme Nuclear Transients: Get ready for a mind-blowing revelation as astronomers unveil extreme nuclear transients (ENTs), the largest explosions observed since the Big Bang. These colossal events, linked to the destruction of massive stars by black holes, offer new insights into black hole growth and cosmic history.
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 - Ispace's lunar landing setback
10:00 - Musk vs. Trump: A space tiff
15:30 - Mars rover's mysterious maze
20:00 - Discovery of extreme nuclear transients
✍️ Episode References
Ispace Resilience Mission Details
[ISPACE]( https://ispace-inc.com/ (https://ispace-inc.com/) )
Elon Musk and Donald Trump Dispute
[CNN]( https://www.cnn.com (https://www.cnn.com/) )
NASA Perseverance Rover Information
[NASA Perseverance]( https://mars.nasa.gov/perseverance/ (https://mars.nasa.gov/perseverance/) )
Extreme Nuclear Transients Research
[Astrophysical Journal]( https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X (https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X) )
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily]( http://www.astronomydaily.io/ (http://www.astronomydaily.io/) )
For Commercial-Free versions become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/27506741?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 Hey there, space enthusiasts, and
00:00:01 --> 00:00:03 welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 host, Anna, and I'm super excited to
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 bring you the latest cosmic happenings.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:09 Today, we're diving into a mixed bag of
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 news from a Japanese lunar lander that
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 uh didn't quite stick the landing to a
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 very public spat between Elon Musk and
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 well, you know, we'll also be taking a
00:00:20 --> 00:00:21 look at what a maze is doing on Mars.
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 And get this, the biggest explosion
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 scientists have seen since the Big Bang.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:30 So, buckle up and let's get started.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 So, first up, we have some updated news
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 from Icepace, the Japan-based company,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 and uh well, it's not great. Their
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 Resilience lander, unfortunately, didn't
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 exactly nail its landing on the moon.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:43 Yeah, it seems they got to the finish
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 line, but uh weren't quite successful in
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 sticking the landing. Now, this mission
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 launched about 4 and a half months ago
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 as part of a ride share with Firefly
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 Aerospace's Blue Ghost Lander. The teams
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 in Japan announced that sadly they lost
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 communication with Resilience, which
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 probably means it suffered a hard
00:01:04 --> 00:01:08 landing. Ouch. Takkeshi Hakamada, the
00:01:08 --> 00:01:11 founder and CEO of Ispace, said that
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 their top priority is to analyze the
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 telemetry data they managed to get and
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 figure out what went wrong. They're
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 aiming to restore trust by providing a
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 report to everyone involved. The mission
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 actually seemed to be going smoothly at
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 first. Resilience went through several
00:01:26 --> 00:01:29 phases, gradually lowering its orbit
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 around the moon. But after it reached
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 about 20 km above the surface, things
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 went south. They lost telemetry and
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 based on the data they have, the lander
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 couldn't decelerate enough and it well
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 crash landed. This lander was carrying
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 science payloads and even a rover from
00:01:46 --> 00:01:49 space Europe named Tenacious. The plan
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 was to land in a region called Mary
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 Fragorus or the Sea of Cold. There was
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 even a small model of a Swedish house on
00:01:56 --> 00:01:57 board meant to be placed on the moon by
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 the rover. Now, this is iSpace's second
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 landing failure in two missions, but
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 their American subsidiary, iSpace US, is
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 still on contract with NASA for a
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 mission in 2027 to deliver a larger
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 lander to the far side of the moon. So,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:14 hopefully they'll be able to turn things
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 around.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 Okay, next up we've got a bit of a uh
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 well, let's call it a situation brewing
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 between Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:25 Yeah, you heard that right. So,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:27 apparently these two aren't exactly
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 seeing eye to eye anymore after Musk
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 served as a special government employee
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 leading the Department of Government
00:02:32 --> 00:02:36 Efficiency or Doge. Things seemed fine.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 Trump even called Musk one of the
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 greatest business leaders and innovators
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 the world has ever produced. But things
00:02:43 --> 00:02:45 went downhill after Musk criticized
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 Trump's big, beautiful bill. Trump fired
00:02:48 --> 00:02:49 back, suggesting the US could save money
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 by canceling government contracts with
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 Musk's companies. And that's when things
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 got spicy. Musk responded with a threat
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 to begin decommissioning SpaceX's Dragon
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 spacecraft
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 immediately. Now, if Musk is serious,
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 this could have some pretty big
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 consequences for American space flight.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 I mean, think about it. SpaceX's Dragon
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 spacecraft have been crucial for NASA
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 operations on the International Space
00:03:13 --> 00:03:16 Station, ushering in a new era of US
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 space flight. If Dragon gets
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 decommissioned, that would basically end
00:03:20 --> 00:03:22 US-based astronaut launches for a while.
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 And Boeing's Starlininer isn't quite
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 ready to fill that gap yet. SpaceX has
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 some pretty substantial government
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 contracts, including NASA's commercial
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 crew program, cargo resupply services
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 for the ISS, and oh yeah, they're
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 supposed to provide the lunar lander for
00:03:38 --> 00:03:41 NASA's Aremis Moon program. So, if those
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 contracts get cancelled along with the
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 proposed cuts to NASA's budget, it could
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 seriously impact NASA as we know it.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 Now, it's not clear what this would mean
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 for SpaceX's private space flight
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 endeavors. Axiom Space is about to
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 launch its fourth private astronaut
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 mission on a brand new Dragon, and
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 SpaceX has been doing some cool stuff
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 with private spacew walks and polar
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 orbits. NASA's being pretty tight-
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 lipped about the whole situation, saying
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 they'll continue to execute the
00:04:08 --> 00:04:09 president's vision for the future of
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 space. So, we'll have to wait and see
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 how this all plays out. But, uh, yeah,
00:04:14 --> 00:04:15 stay tuned, folks, because this could
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 get
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 interesting. All right, let's move on to
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 something a little less dramatic. Have
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 you ever looked at the raw images from
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 NASA's Perseverance rover and wondered
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 why it keeps snapping pics of this weird
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 tiny maze? Well, it turns out there's a
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 pretty cool reason. That maze is
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 actually a calibration target, one of 10
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 for Perseverance's Sherlock instrument.
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 Yeah, that's short for scanning
00:04:38 --> 00:04:39 habitable environments with ramen and
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 luminescence for organics and chemicals.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 Catchy, right? So Sherlock is basically
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 a Sherlock Holmes inspired tool designed
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 to detect organic compounds and other
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 minerals on Mars that could indicate
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 signs of, you know, ancient microbial
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 life. But to do that accurately, it
00:04:55 --> 00:04:56 needs to be carefully calibrated. And
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 that's where our little maze comes in.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 Sherlock is located on the rover's
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 robotic arm and uses spectroscopic
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 techniques to analyze Martian rocks. To
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 make sure its measurements are spot-on,
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 it routinely calibrates its tools using
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 reference materials with specific
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 properties. These are mounted on a plate
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 attached to the front of the rover's
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 body, which is called the Sherlock
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 Calibration target. The maze helps
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 calibrate the positioning of the laser
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 scanner mirror and characterizes the
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 laser's focus. It's made of chromeplated
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 lines that are super thin, only about
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 twice the width of a human hair, printed
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 onto silica glass. And get this, if you
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 look closely, there's even a tiny
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 Sherlock Holmes portrait right in the
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 center. How cool is that? The
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 calibration target also includes samples
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 of materials used in space suits like
00:05:43 --> 00:05:47 Teflon, Gortex, and Kevlar. These are
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 being tested under Mars conditions to
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 see how they hold up over time, which is
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 crucial for planning future human
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 exploration of the red planet. And one
00:05:54 --> 00:05:57 last fun fact, Sherlock has a sidekick,
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 a color camera called Watson. Yep, just
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 like Sherlock
00:06:00 --> 00:06:03 Holmes. Okay, now for something truly
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 mind-blowing. Astronomers have stumbled
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 upon a new type of giant space
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 explosion. And get this, they're calling
00:06:08 --> 00:06:12 them extreme nuclear transients or ENTs.
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 And uh apparently they're the biggest
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 bang since the big bang itself. These
00:06:17 --> 00:06:20 ENTs are like colossal flares of light
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 from the hearts of distant galaxies. And
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 they linger way longer than any flares
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 we've ever seen before. We're talking
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 about blasts that release as much energy
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 as 100 suns would over their entire
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 lifetimes. I mean, wow. So, what are
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 they? Well, it turns out they're kind of
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 like stars being torn apart by black
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 holes, but on a scale we've never
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 observed before. Each star is a massive
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 one, at least three times as massive as
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 our sun. And each black hole is a super
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 massive beast lurking in the center of
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 its host galaxy. Normally, these events
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 are called tidal disruption events or
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 tdees. But these ENTs are different.
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 They're like nearly 10 times brighter
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 than normal tdees, and they stay
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 luminous for years, surpassing even the
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 brightest supernova
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 explosions. Gaia, the space telescope
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 whose mission was to map the Milky Way,
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 actually captured these
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 explosions. While staring at the sky,
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 combing through Gaia data, scientists
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 found two strange events from 2016 and
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 2018.
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 After some digging, they figured out
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 that these events were the same kind of
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 event as something nicknamed scary
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 Barbie, which sounds absolutely
00:07:32 --> 00:07:36 terrifying. ENTs are super rare, like 10
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 million times less frequent than
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 supernovi, but they give us a new way to
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 study massive black holes in distant
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 galaxies. Because they're so bright, we
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 can see them across vast cosmic
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 distances. So, in astronomy, looking far
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 away means looking back in time. By
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 observing these prolonged flares, we can
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 learn more about black hole growth
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 during a key era when the universe was
00:07:58 --> 00:08:01 half its current age. It's like galaxies
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 were forming stars and feeding their
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 super massive black holes like 10 times
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 more vigorously than they do today.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 Pretty wild stuff,
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 huh? And that's all the space and
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 astronomy news we have for you today.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 I've been your host, Anna, and I hope
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 you enjoyed our journey through the
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 cosmos. If you want to stay uptodate
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 with all the latest space happenings, be
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 sure to visit our website at
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 astronomyaily.io. There you can sign up
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 for our free daily newsletter and catch
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 up on all the latest space and astronomy
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 news with our constantly updating news
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 feed. Also, don't forget to follow us on
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 social media. Just search for Astro
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 Daily Pod on Facebook, X, YouTube,
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 YouTube Music, Instagram, Tumblr, and
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 Tik Tok. Thanks for tuning in and we'll
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 catch you next time on Astronomy Daily.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 In the meantime, keep looking up.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:52 day. The stories be
00:08:52 --> 00:09:04 [Music]
00:09:04 --> 00:09:08 told stories