Exploring Mars Oceans, Fastest Asteroids, and ISS Evacuations
In this captivating episode of Space Nuts , hosts Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson delve into the latest astronomical discoveries and intriguing space news. Join them as they explore new evidence suggesting that Mars once boasted vast oceans, the astonishing characteristics of the fastest spinning asteroid ever recorded, and the unprecedented evacuation of the International Space Station due to a medical issue.
Episode Highlights:
- Mars’ Ancient Oceans: Andrew and Fred discuss groundbreaking research revealing that Mars may have once had oceans comparable in size to Earth's Arctic Ocean. They explore the implications of this discovery and what it means for the search for life on the Red Planet.
- The Fastest Spinning Asteroid: The hosts introduce the asteroid 2025 MN45, which spins at an incredible rate of one rotation every 1 minute and 53 seconds. They discuss the significance of this finding and what it reveals about the asteroid's composition and history.
- ISS Medical Evacuation: Andrew and Fred provide insights into the first-ever crew evacuation from the International Space Station, prompted by a medical issue. They discuss the implications of this event and the protocols in place for astronaut safety.
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Stay curious, keep looking up, and join us next time for more stellar insights and cosmic wonders. Until then, clear skies and happy stargazing.
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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/31150495?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 Hi there. Thanks for joining us on
00:00:01 --> 00:00:03 another episode of Space Nuts. Great to
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 have your company. My name is Andrew
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Dunley, your host, and hope you can
00:00:07 --> 00:00:08 stick around because we've got a
00:00:08 --> 00:00:12 jam-packed show. We're once again going
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 to Mars because they've looked at some
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 new evidence that uh does suggest Mars
00:00:18 --> 00:00:22 oceans may have been vast. That is
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 really exciting news. We're also going
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 to look at the fastest spinning asteroid
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 yet discovered. This one's uh really in
00:00:28 --> 00:00:31 a in a spin. It's making everybody
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 dizzy. And the evacuation of the
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 International Space Station uh due to
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 ill health. We'll see if we can uh get
00:00:38 --> 00:00:39 some news on that because that's
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 actually happening as Fred and I are
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 recording today. That's all coming up on
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 this edition of Space Nuts.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:52 >> 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 10 9
00:00:52 --> 00:00:54 Ignition sequence start.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 >> Space Nuts. 5 4 3 [music] 2
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 >> 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 >> space nurse
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 >> astronauts reported feels good
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 >> and he's back again to furnish us with
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 his knowledge. He is Professor Fred
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 Watson, astronomer at large. Hello Fred.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 >> Hello Andrew. I was just doing a quick
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 calculation there for a number that I
00:01:14 --> 00:01:17 want to use um later in the chat.
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 >> Ah okay. Now, I I need to apologize in
00:01:20 --> 00:01:22 advance because they're working across
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 the road and I think they're using uh
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 dynamite because it's pretty [laughter]
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 it's pretty noisy.
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 >> Um but hopefully it won't mess me up too
00:01:32 --> 00:01:33 much. I can hear it, but I don't know if
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 it's coming through the system. It's got
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 all sorts of filters, but um you know,
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 some things you can't stop. Um, now
00:01:41 --> 00:01:42 Fred, I I did want to actually mention a
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 couple of things before we start on our
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 topics because uh I I meant to do this
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 last week for our first show back of the
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 year just to highlight some of the
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 things that are coming up in 2026 that
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 we can look forward to and that you and
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 I will probably talk about.
00:01:57 --> 00:02:01 >> The Arteimus 2 launch is slated. Uh
00:02:01 --> 00:02:02 whether or not it'll be delayed again
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 remains to be seen, but um that will see
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 a crew doing a lap around the moon. Uh,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 and that'll be the first time humans
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 have been back uh in orbit around the
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 moon since the 70s, which uh is exciting
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 and probably too long, but u that'll be
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 good. Um, this one I know will excite
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 you. The Grace Roman Space Telescope is
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 going to be launched. That one um is is
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 going to u open so many doors for us, I
00:02:29 --> 00:02:33 suspect. Um the Plato mission uh which
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 will be searching for rocky planets. Uh
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 it'll be doing a lot more than that, but
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 that's that's one of the things that
00:02:38 --> 00:02:42 it's being sent out to do. Uh China is
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 to launch its own space telescope as
00:02:44 --> 00:02:48 well um in the hunt for dark matter and
00:02:48 --> 00:02:49 dark energy.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 And there's another mission that's going
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 to be studying uh the moon and Mars.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 Well, several missions, not just one.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 More Chinese and Japanese missions
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 involved there. And I think this is one
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 you and I have talked about before. The
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 smile mission, uh, which will be
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 studying Earth's magnetic field and how
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 the sun interacts with our atmosphere,
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 uh, is due to be launched this year as
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 well. I'm sure there's a lot more going
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 on than that, but there's some of the
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 highlights of 2026.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 So, uh, we'll have a lot to talk about.
00:03:19 --> 00:03:19 Fred,
00:03:20 --> 00:03:21 >> could I add a couple more as well?
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 >> Oh, go for it. Um, we've just uh heard
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 that the Pandora spacecraft has entered
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 orbit uh which I think is a spacecraft
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 uh again looking at um looking at
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 exoplanets [clears throat] uh to try and
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 sort of tell us a bit more about how
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 their atmospheres might reveal stuff. Um
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 China has just filed for 200
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 satellites constellation with the
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 International Telecommunications Union.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 >> Which is Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's not the
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 biggest yet. The biggest was back in
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 2020 when the Rwanda government filed
00:03:53 --> 00:03:57 for over 300. Um, uh, since then
00:03:57 --> 00:03:59 they've launched one cube set, I think.
00:03:59 --> 00:04:02 So, um, that looked like a a filing that
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 was more getting your foot in the door.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 Uh, and just turning to nature, we've
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 got some interesting events coming up.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 Uh, March the 3, total eclipse of the
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 moon, visible certainly from our
00:04:13 --> 00:04:16 hemisphere in Australia, not sure about
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 North America and Europe. Um there's uh
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 uh towards the end of the year and this
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 will happen twice uh which is great
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 because you can see it on different
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 sides of the earth. I think it's October
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 sometime in October and sometime in
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 November there will be an occultation of
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 the planet Jupiter by the moon. That
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 means the moon will pass in front of
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 Jupiter. And certainly for us in
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 November here in Australia it will be
00:04:40 --> 00:04:41 during the daytime. So get your
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 binoculars out during the daytime and
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 check out the moon and watch for Jupiter
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 disappearing. Ooh, that'll be good. I
00:04:49 --> 00:04:50 Yeah, that'd be good one for a backyard
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 telescope, wouldn't it?
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 >> Absolutely. Perfect. Yes.
00:04:54 --> 00:04:58 >> Awesome. Um I I had my six-year-old
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 granddaughter here uh the other day and
00:05:00 --> 00:05:03 uh the moon was was out in the east and
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 um it was still daytime, but it was
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 pretty prominent. So I grabbed the
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 telescope and gave her a look and uh I
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 tried to explain to her what craters
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 were and she struggled with the concept
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 but she eventually I think figured it
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 out but uh yeah I took a couple of
00:05:18 --> 00:05:19 photos of her looking through the
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 telescope. She was very excited
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 >> when she sent to me. It was uh lovely to
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 see. Yeah. Yeah. Lovely lovely shots. A
00:05:27 --> 00:05:28 youngster looking through a telescope
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 with granddad in the background. It's
00:05:30 --> 00:05:30 great.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 >> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, she's got blonde hair
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 and blue eyes and her brothers and
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 sisters are all brownhaired and
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 browneyed. So,
00:05:38 --> 00:05:39 >> okay. [laughter]
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 >> She she seems to have picked up Judy's
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 side of the family jeans because Judy's
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 blondie blonde with blue eyes. But, um,
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 >> yeah, she's the only one in the in the
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 family that's that's gone that that way.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 [laughter] It happens though, doesn't
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 it? It's just the way it is. That's DNA.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 Uh, okay, Fred, let's uh let's get stuck
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 into it because uh we're heading off to
00:06:01 --> 00:06:05 Mars and we're doing this because of a
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 study that's just been published uh in
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 fact in the last uh week or two about
00:06:11 --> 00:06:15 observations of Mars that suggest that
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 its oceans were once vast. Now, we
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 always knew there was probably surface
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 water, but we didn't really know whether
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 they were, you know, pockets or separate
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 oceans or or what, but now they're
00:06:27 --> 00:06:31 thinking this the oceans might have been
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 enormous.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:35 Uh yes, that's right. And I mean, you
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 know, we we re we revisit this story
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 probably on average once every month or
00:06:40 --> 00:06:44 two. Uh the last time we covered this
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 and I wrote it wrote it up actually in
00:06:46 --> 00:06:49 Australian Geographic article um not
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 that I did the research but this is
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 other people's research and that was
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 pointing in the same direction Andrew it
00:06:54 --> 00:06:58 was um a group that looked at the way um
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 rivers ancient rivers on Mars meandered
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 uh because you can learn something from
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 the meandering about the size of the
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 body of water that they're emptying into
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 uh and they came to the same conclusion
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 the the river meanders tell you that
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 there was a large body of water at the
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 end of it at the mouth of these rivers
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 uh rather than just a few puddles or a
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 few lakes and things of that sort. Uh
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 and this new uh piece of work um whilst
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 it's a different uh you know it's got a
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 different emphasis comes up with exactly
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 the same answer. Uh and it's scientists
00:07:32 --> 00:07:36 uh who have looked uh at the if I
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 remember rightly there in uh in
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 Switzerland. Yeah. University of Burn.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 Uh it's scientists who have looked at
00:07:42 --> 00:07:47 the region around uh Val's Marinaris.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:51 You know that great huge chasm in the uh
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 in the surface of Mars near Mars's
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 equator. Uh something that makes the
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 Grand Canyon look like a bit of a
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 scratch on the on the surface of the
00:07:59 --> 00:07:59 Earth.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 >> Yeah. Is it right that the Grand Canyon
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 would fit into one of its tributaries or
00:08:03 --> 00:08:03 something?
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 >> That's right. I think that's correct.
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 Yeah. Amazing.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 >> Um, so they've been looking in that
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 region and certainly on the northern
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 side and the northern flanks there are
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 valleys that um sort of open out onto
00:08:15 --> 00:08:19 the plains of Mars because that valley
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 Marinaris is kind of right at the start
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 of the highland areas of the southern
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 hemisphere of Mars. Mars has got this
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 dichotomy. The northern hemisphere is
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 flat and low. southern hemisphere 3
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 kilometers higher on average full of
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 craters, mountains and all the rest of
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 it. So um um what they've done is
00:08:35 --> 00:08:39 they've looked at uh regions where you
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 know where there's this transition from
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 the mountainous highlands of the south
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 to the lowlands of the north and they've
00:08:47 --> 00:08:50 looked very carefully from at data from
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 uh several orbiting spacecraft. Um I
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 guess Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is one
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 and some of the other ones um actually
00:08:57 --> 00:09:03 even um uh uh um ESOS uh Exom Mars Trace
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 Gas Orbiter uh Mars Express another issa
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 sorry not issa uh European space agency
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 another um uh orbiting spacecraft
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 they've taken the data from these looked
00:09:15 --> 00:09:19 at the the height the topography and
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 looked at the geomorph let me get it gem
00:09:22 --> 00:09:27 ofological um um features that they can
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 find. Um what have they spotted? They've
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 spotted uh a whole succession of ancient
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 river deltas. Um this is to say regions
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 where a river mouth opened into what
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 they are calling now an ocean uh and
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 deposited its um its sediments. the
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 sediments out of the river fall down to
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 the floor uh of the ocean and build up
00:09:51 --> 00:09:54 uh the the the basically a rock form uh
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 which is preserved today. It's a kind of
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 fossilized river delta. There's
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 something similar going on uh as you and
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 I have spoken about many times at Jezro
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 Crater which is why um Perseverance is
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 there because there's a a river delta
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 there. But I think these are on a much
00:10:08 --> 00:10:12 larger scale. And um the great thing is
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 that when you look at them, they they
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 sort of define a shoreline um because
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 they're you know these are all occurring
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 at the same topographical height in
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 Mars's geography. And so they basically
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 uh define a shoreline and that shoreline
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 tells you that um there would have been
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 a lot of water in Mars's northern
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 hemisphere for the water level to reach
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 the height that we find those deltas at.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 Uh so really yeah really nice piece of
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 work uh done with characteristic Swiss
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 precision I think uh that's been widely
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 reported. Um there's several articles on
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 the on the science news feeds um which
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 basically support this idea. Very nice
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 uh piece of research indeed.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 >> And they think it was as big as the
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 Arctic Ocean on Earth just by
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 comparison. And how big is the Arctic
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 Ocean? It's 14 million square kilometers
00:11:09 --> 00:11:13 or 5 12 million square miles
00:11:13 --> 00:11:13 >> big
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 >> uh in size. So that's that's a lot of
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 water on Mars and it's a lot of it's
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 still there, Fred.
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 >> Yeah, that's right. With um we know from
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 uh particular the Phoenix mission that
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 just scraped the surface in the Martian
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 Arctic and sure enough there was
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 perafrost underneath. Uh so a lot of
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 it's still there. There's still water
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 locked up in the in the two ice caps of
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 Mars. Um but probably not. Well, I don't
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 know. It's actually really interesting.
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 I do remember reading quite some time
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 ago that if you thawed out this even
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 just the Antarctic ice cap of Mars,
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 you'd cover the whole planet to a depth
00:11:44 --> 00:11:48 of several meters. Um now whether that
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 still holds good with what we've
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 discovered since then. That was quite an
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 old I think that was probably 20 years
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 15 years ago or so that that comment was
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 made. It would be interesting to know
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 how we evaluate that now. But I think
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 it's still true uh that a lot of that
00:12:01 --> 00:12:05 water is is still there. Yeah, it is a
00:12:05 --> 00:12:07 fascinating story.
00:12:07 --> 00:12:08 >> Water means life.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 >> Yes. Well, we Yes. Yes. We've said that
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 many times. And you just don't know, do
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 you?
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 >> You don't.
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 >> Although the uh the mission to retrieve
00:12:17 --> 00:12:21 those um cylinders that contain
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 potential evidence of that
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 >> has been scotched. So, it's just going
00:12:25 --> 00:12:29 to sit in obeyance for um an indefinite
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 period. Sorry.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:34 >> Yeah. I I think um so so this is news
00:12:34 --> 00:12:37 that um the Senate have um basically
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 agreed with the White House in saying
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 that um the Miles sample return mission
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 uh should be cancelled. Uh and so that
00:12:44 --> 00:12:46 will probably go through. It's not been
00:12:46 --> 00:12:49 voted on yet, I don't think. But um and
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 so that means yes, we've got these
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 canisters on Mars uh carefully dropped
00:12:53 --> 00:12:57 by Perseverance. Uh but with with a
00:12:57 --> 00:13:00 joint European Space Agency NASA mission
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 to retrieve them uh which whose cost has
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 blown out uh we've talked about this
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 before. Uh and not perhaps surprising
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 that it's now had a line drawn under it.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 Now that's
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 bad news because we really would like to
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 get hold of these samples. there's one
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 in particular that may contain actually
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 fossilized microbes. Uh you know um so
00:13:21 --> 00:13:24 it's um there's every keenness to do
00:13:24 --> 00:13:28 that. Uh um and I think I think it will
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 will there'll certainly be a revisiting
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 of this idea. I think is still going
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 ahead with their half of the bargain
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 which was I think to build the orbiter
00:13:36 --> 00:13:38 which would actually bring the samples
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 back to Mars. NASA's part was gathering
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 them up on the surface and sending them
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 up to orbit around Mars. Uh, so I, you
00:13:45 --> 00:13:48 know, it's it's it's it's bad news.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:50 There's a bright side to it, though, in
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 that the money that's being saved will
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 probably go to some of the other
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 missions that are that are being
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 planned. So, name your favorite planet.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 You might get some good news out of
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 this. I know your favorite, and probably
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 mine, too, is Mars. Uh, but um anyway,
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 we'll see what happens. I I I wouldn't
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 write uh the Mars sample return off
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 altogether. in my flights of fantasy
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 last night while [sighs and gasps] my uh
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 respiratory tract infection was making
00:14:16 --> 00:14:19 me cough all night. I was thinking maybe
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 the Chinese could bring them back
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 >> because I think they're planning a
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 sample return mission as well. So maybe
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 we do a deal there which would be
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 fabulous international cooperation.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 >> It would. It would indeed. Of course we
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 could all always start the conspiracy
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 and say what does NASA and the US
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 government know that they're not telling
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 us?
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 [sighs and gasps] It's not no return.
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 >> Be careful what you what you say,
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 Andrew. [laughter]
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 >> No, look, I'm just kidding around. But,
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 uh,
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 >> it's just money, isn't it? That's that's
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 the thing.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:50 >> It's all about money. That's right. It's
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 not about finding something with legs
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 that you don't want anybody to know
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 about. [laughter]
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 >> Yes. That's been done in a lot of
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 science fiction films.
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 >> Yeah, it has. And Yes.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 >> All right. Great story about the oceans
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 of Mars, though. If you'd like to check
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 it out, it's on the fizz phys.org. org
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 website or you can read the paper that's
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 been published in the journal NPJ Space
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 Exploration. This is Space Nuts with
00:15:15 --> 00:15:20 Andrew Dunley and Professor Fred Watson.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 >> Roger. Here also
00:15:22 --> 00:15:27 >> Space Nuts to our next story, Fred. And
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 this is uh a really good one for a
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 couple of reasons. It's something we
00:15:31 --> 00:15:32 haven't seen before, but it also
00:15:32 --> 00:15:36 involves the uh Reuben Observatory,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:40 which u has already uh done things that
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 uh other observatories have not been
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 able to do and promises to do so much
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 more. This is the fastest spinning
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 asteroid yet discovered. And a couple of
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 headlines I've read suggested, why
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 hasn't it thrown itself to pieces?
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 because of the speed at which it's
00:15:56 --> 00:15:58 rotating.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:01 >> Um and and and the rate is is rather
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 high when you look at what the average
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 asteroid does.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 >> Yeah, it's so that the the it is a
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 record breaker. It's the the fastest
00:16:09 --> 00:16:13 spinning asteroid for its size
00:16:13 --> 00:16:15 because I think smaller things can spin
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 faster than this. It's uh 710 m long,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:23 nearly 3/4 of a kilometer. Uh so it's
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 not a small asteroid at all. This is
00:16:25 --> 00:16:29 quite a large one. Uh and it spins at
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 the rate of one rotation every 1 minute
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 53 seconds.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:38 >> Uh so that is one heck of a spin. So
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 that's its day length. Andrew, if you
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 were standing on it, your day will be 1
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 minute 53 seconds.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:48 >> Night and day, not 24 hours. Um but uh
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 you're right. You're absolutely right. I
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 think it's interesting for two reasons.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 One is exactly as you've said. It uh
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 underlines just how powerful the Reubin
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 Observatory is going to be. Uh these the
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 observations of this object were made
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 during the sort of commissioning period
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 for the telescope's instruments which
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 was earlier uh last year, April and May
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 2025.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:14 uh and um that you know that um as you
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 probably remember I think they released
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 uh uh information saying they got they
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 discovered more than a thousand
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 asteroids in 10 hours of observing which
00:17:22 --> 00:17:25 is pretty fantastic. Uh the telescope's
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 capabilities will allow it to survey the
00:17:27 --> 00:17:31 entire southern sky every three nights
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 uh with an 8 mclass telescope. That is
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 an astonishing achievement and that that
00:17:36 --> 00:17:40 we we must find something incredible.
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 >> Yeah, we will. Yeah, that kind of things
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 that come out of the woodwork. Uh it's
00:17:45 --> 00:17:49 what we call um uh sort of timesensitive
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 astronomy or transient astronomy. You're
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 looking for things that either move or
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 change in the sky and it's going to be
00:17:55 --> 00:17:58 so good at finding them. And um yeah, so
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 the the real the real observing uh
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 campaign, the large synoptic survey uh
00:18:03 --> 00:18:07 will start uh sometime this year uh sort
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 of when they're ready to hit the the go
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 button. Uh but I think everybody at the
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 Reubin is pretty happy with the way
00:18:12 --> 00:18:15 things are going. Um and just to uh sort
00:18:15 --> 00:18:19 of highlight that you know to to it's a
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 a telescope with this kind of capability
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 to make many observations over a short
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 period of time of the same area of sky
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 that has allowed uh the scientists to
00:18:29 --> 00:18:33 discover the very rapid rotation of this
00:18:33 --> 00:18:35 asteroid because what you have to
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 produce uh to look at the way an
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 asteroid rotates is what's called a
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 light curve. you look at the way its
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 brightness changes uh because it's most
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 asteroids are quite asymmetric. They're
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 either shaped like a potato or a
00:18:46 --> 00:18:49 dumbbell. Uh very few are anything
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 remotely spherical. Um uh this
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 particular one is I think quite
00:18:53 --> 00:18:57 elongated and so as it as it rotates uh
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 it you know different sides of it catch
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 the sunlight and you get a variation in
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 the light that we see from it. Uh and so
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 that uh has allowed because it's you
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 know it's only one minute 53 seconds for
00:19:08 --> 00:19:11 one complete revolution that has allowed
00:19:11 --> 00:19:13 the scientists to to determine that
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 fact. Um so to the asteroid itself
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 you're right it's interesting it
00:19:18 --> 00:19:22 rejoices in the name of 2025 MN45 a
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 classic asteroid name. Um and it's in
00:19:25 --> 00:19:28 the main asteroid belt. That's a good
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 place for it to be between Jupiter and
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 Mars where most of the asteroids are. Uh
00:19:34 --> 00:19:37 but it's uh its rotation is what
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 highlights the um you know the unusual
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 nature of it because as you and I have
00:19:42 --> 00:19:45 spoken about before many asteroids are
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 basically what we call rubble piles.
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 They're just piles of debris which stick
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 together loosely under their own under
00:19:51 --> 00:19:55 their own uh gravity. um little little
00:19:55 --> 00:19:58 uh Demorphos uh and Diddimos, the two uh
00:19:58 --> 00:20:01 objects that NASA did the the dart test
00:20:01 --> 00:20:03 on a few years ago. They are probably
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 rubber piles. They've got the
00:20:04 --> 00:20:06 characteristic rubber pile shape, which
00:20:06 --> 00:20:10 is like two cones uh on back to back. Uh
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 this if it was a rubber pile, it would
00:20:12 --> 00:20:16 have flown apart gazillions of years ago
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 uh when it with that short period of
00:20:18 --> 00:20:22 rotation, 1 minute 53 seconds. So, um,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:25 uh, and when you look at the size of it
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 and, uh, interpret what the rotation
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 means, it tells you it's probably made
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 of absolutely solid rock. This is
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 something that is, um, going to be hard
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 to pull apart, uh, to rotate for for it
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39 to be that big, rotate at that speed.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:42 It's got to be solid rock. Um, making
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 it, you know, in some ways even more
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 interesting because we think the rubble
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 piles are perhaps the more common uh,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:50 asteroids that we see. Do we do we have
00:20:50 --> 00:20:52 any idea what would make it different?
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 Why it would be different? Is it a piece
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 of a a destroyed planet? Thea.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 [laughter]
00:20:57 --> 00:20:59 >> Well, yeah, could be. Uh might be part
00:20:59 --> 00:21:03 of the one that created the moon uh
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 after after it collided with the Earth.
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 It's more likely. You're you're right.
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 It's probably um you know, maybe part of
00:21:10 --> 00:21:14 the the outer mantle of what would have
00:21:14 --> 00:21:17 been a protolanet uh in the early solar
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 system. These things were the building
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 blocks of planets. They collided and
00:21:20 --> 00:21:22 sometimes they blasted each other apart.
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 Sometimes they uh they stuck together to
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 form what we see in the solar system
00:21:28 --> 00:21:31 today. Um and uh I think some of the
00:21:31 --> 00:21:32 collisions that would have happened in
00:21:32 --> 00:21:36 the early solar system uh may well have
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 set an object like this spinning very
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 rapidly. In fact, it might have, you
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 know, initially been spinning even more
00:21:41 --> 00:21:43 rapidly than it is now because we're
00:21:43 --> 00:21:45 looking at probably several billion
00:21:45 --> 00:21:48 years ago when when whatever happened to
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 it happened. So, uh an object of some
00:21:51 --> 00:21:55 interest and um one that I I'm sure will
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 be studied uh in greater detail. We we
00:21:57 --> 00:21:59 might want to know things like um you
00:21:59 --> 00:22:01 know the infrared signature of its
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 surface which gives you an idea of what
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 the surface is like, how rough it is,
00:22:05 --> 00:22:07 whether it's a
00:22:07 --> 00:22:09 whether it's a smooth surface, what
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 materials are likely to be uh found on
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 its surface. That can all come from
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 spectroscopy and also the science of
00:22:15 --> 00:22:17 polarime
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 to to know whether something's highly
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 reflective or or rather rough and
00:22:20 --> 00:22:23 diffuse. So yeah, um I think there's
00:22:23 --> 00:22:27 lots to learn about uh 2025 MN45.
00:22:27 --> 00:22:30 >> Indeed. Uh so it's in the asteroid belt
00:22:30 --> 00:22:34 between Mars and Jupiter. Um people
00:22:34 --> 00:22:37 probably imagine that to be just a a
00:22:37 --> 00:22:39 wall of rocks that how do we get through
00:22:39 --> 00:22:41 it? But it it's it's quite sparse, isn't
00:22:41 --> 00:22:41 it?
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 >> It is. Yeah. Yeah. It's uh it's it's you
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 know, it's sparse enough that um several
00:22:46 --> 00:22:48 spacecraft have actually gone through it
00:22:48 --> 00:22:50 unscathed.
00:22:50 --> 00:22:52 Um, so yes, it's
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 >> Well, I have never heard of a spacecraft
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 actually running into anything out
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 there.
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 >> Not that there have been that many that
00:22:58 --> 00:22:59 have gone through, but that's
00:22:59 --> 00:23:02 >> that's right. But it but you know, as um
00:23:02 --> 00:23:05 uh was it Douglas Adams? Space is big.
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 Yes.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 >> Yes.
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 >> You might think it's a long way down to
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 the chemist at the corner of the street,
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 but that's nothing compared with space.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:16 I think that was what he said.
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 >> Yes, indeed. Uh so if you would like to
00:23:18 --> 00:23:21 learn more about what the Vera C rubin
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 Observatory has discovered, you can do
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26 that at the universitytoday.com
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 website or you can read the paper in the
00:23:28 --> 00:23:31 astrophysical journal letters which was
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 uh only published on January the 7th. So
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 they're getting down to business early
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 this year, aren't they? This is space
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 with
00:23:38 --> 00:23:38 >> sorry
00:23:38 --> 00:23:40 >> I was just going to say um we always get
00:23:40 --> 00:23:44 a really um good crop of news stories at
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 this time of year because it's right at
00:23:45 --> 00:23:47 the beginning of January that the
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 American Astronomical Society has its
00:23:50 --> 00:23:52 has its annual meeting
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 and um so there's always some great
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 stories. So, you know, that's why it was
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 uh you know it was published last week.
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 I'm sure that's
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 >> it's actually it's actually very clever
00:24:01 --> 00:24:03 because as someone who worked in the
00:24:03 --> 00:24:08 media for 40 years and um had to work a
00:24:08 --> 00:24:11 lot of Christmases and New Year's, you
00:24:11 --> 00:24:13 quite often find you're struggling.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:13 >> Yeah.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:15 >> For stories because everything's shut
00:24:15 --> 00:24:17 down. So, you're not getting the
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 information that you normally get. So to
00:24:20 --> 00:24:22 actually be in a position to do stories
00:24:22 --> 00:24:25 like this at this time of year is um
00:24:25 --> 00:24:29 yeah and it it's it's well positioned as
00:24:29 --> 00:24:31 we would say. Uh you can read all about
00:24:31 --> 00:24:35 it of course and uh we uh will certainly
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 be keeping a very close eye on what the
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 Ver Rubin Observatory is going to be
00:24:39 --> 00:24:43 doing um from now on because it's uh
00:24:43 --> 00:24:46 it's it's it's all up and running and uh
00:24:46 --> 00:24:49 already doing some remarkable things.
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 This is Space Nuts with Andrew Dunley
00:24:50 --> 00:24:54 and Fred Watson
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 and I feel
00:24:56 --> 00:24:58 >> space nuts. Now Fred, uh by the time
00:24:58 --> 00:25:00 people hear us talking about this story,
00:25:00 --> 00:25:03 things will have uh changed a bit, but
00:25:03 --> 00:25:07 as we speak, uh we understand that the
00:25:07 --> 00:25:11 Crew Dragon spacecraft is docking at the
00:25:11 --> 00:25:13 International Space Station to do the
00:25:13 --> 00:25:16 first ever crew evacuation. Now, after
00:25:16 --> 00:25:19 25 years, I'm surprised this is the
00:25:19 --> 00:25:21 first time this has happened, but uh
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23 there's been a medical issue. They won't
00:25:23 --> 00:25:25 elaborate on who or what. Uh but it's
00:25:25 --> 00:25:28 got to be serious if somebody's um if
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 they're bringing the whole crew back.
00:25:29 --> 00:25:32 It's a crew of four. There's seven on
00:25:32 --> 00:25:33 board at the moment, but they're
00:25:33 --> 00:25:35 bringing four back. Correct. That's
00:25:35 --> 00:25:38 right. So, uh there is a crew of three
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 uh now. So, as we speak, I think um I
00:25:40 --> 00:25:43 think they've probably undocked the Crew
00:25:43 --> 00:25:45 Dragon spacecraft from the International
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 Space Station. I think that happened an
00:25:46 --> 00:25:50 hour ago. uh and um they will then
00:25:50 --> 00:25:53 re-enter and bring the crew back in a
00:25:53 --> 00:25:56 pretty routine fashion uh landing in a
00:25:56 --> 00:25:59 few hours from now. Um so you're right,
00:25:59 --> 00:26:04 it's uh crew 11 uh the SpaceX uh um
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 what's what's called the SpaceX crew 11
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 because they're the ones that go up and
00:26:07 --> 00:26:09 down in the crew dragon uh rather than
00:26:09 --> 00:26:11 the Soyots which is the space vehicle
00:26:11 --> 00:26:13 that will bring the other the remaining
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 three astronauts down when the their
00:26:15 --> 00:26:18 time comes to an end. Uh you're right.
00:26:18 --> 00:26:20 It's a medical evacuation. That crew,
00:26:20 --> 00:26:22 Crew 11, consists of um if I remember
00:26:22 --> 00:26:27 rightly, two NASA uh astronauts, one uh
00:26:27 --> 00:26:31 Russian cosmonaut and uh a Japanese uh
00:26:31 --> 00:26:33 astronaut as well. Uh so they're coming
00:26:33 --> 00:26:36 home. Uh they're coming home something
00:26:36 --> 00:26:39 like a month early and we are told as
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 exactly as you've said that this is
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 because of a medical issue which
00:26:42 --> 00:26:45 apparently is not uh an emergency. It's
00:26:45 --> 00:26:47 not urgent, but it's thought to be
00:26:47 --> 00:26:48 something that is going to be much
00:26:48 --> 00:26:51 better dealt with on Earth. Uh we don't
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 know which of the astronauts has the
00:26:53 --> 00:26:56 issue. Um I saw a picture of them posed
00:26:56 --> 00:26:58 just before they evacuated the
00:26:58 --> 00:27:02 spacecraft uh um last night and they all
00:27:02 --> 00:27:05 looked fairly cheerful. Uh but um so you
00:27:05 --> 00:27:09 know you can't really read um
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 read read from people's faces how
00:27:10 --> 00:27:13 they're feeling. um which is just as
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 well cuz I feel pretty croo at the
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 moment.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:19 So that's because of my uh upper resp
00:27:19 --> 00:27:21 respiratory tract infection. Sorry to
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 keep hopping on about it. Anyway, going
00:27:23 --> 00:27:26 back to the more important story,
00:27:26 --> 00:27:27 >> it's a good thing you're not in the
00:27:27 --> 00:27:29 International Space Station feeling like
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 that.
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 >> Well, that's right. Else you you'd have
00:27:30 --> 00:27:34 the same thing, too. Uh so yeah so um uh
00:27:34 --> 00:27:36 interesting but your comments well made
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 you know the fact that it's the first
00:27:38 --> 00:27:43 time in the 25 year history of the ISS
00:27:43 --> 00:27:47 of the ISS being permanently occupied um
00:27:47 --> 00:27:50 the first time this has happened and I
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 think it was Jared Isaacman the the
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 newly appointed NASA administrator the
00:27:54 --> 00:27:58 boss of of NASA who made the comment it
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 might be somebody else but it's one of
00:28:00 --> 00:28:03 the one of the you high-ups in NASA made
00:28:03 --> 00:28:05 the comment that they when they planned
00:28:05 --> 00:28:07 the ISS and they were working towards
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 it, they expected that there would be
00:28:09 --> 00:28:11 something like this happening every 3
00:28:11 --> 00:28:14 years. Uh so they've done pretty well to
00:28:14 --> 00:28:16 get through 25 years without um needing
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 to bring people home because of a
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 medical issue.
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 >> Yeah. Look, while you've been talking,
00:28:21 --> 00:28:23 Fred, I've just been looking online to
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 see where things are up to, and I found
00:28:25 --> 00:28:29 a um they did a live stream of the Crew
00:28:29 --> 00:28:31 Dragon docking at the International
00:28:31 --> 00:28:34 Space Station through uh I think it's
00:28:34 --> 00:28:36 NASA's YouTube channel.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 >> Mhm.
00:28:36 --> 00:28:39 >> And you can you can actually log on and
00:28:39 --> 00:28:42 and watch what happened and uh and see
00:28:42 --> 00:28:44 the whole process. It's quite incredible
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 what we can do now, isn't it, with um
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 live coverage from space as as things
00:28:48 --> 00:28:52 unfold. It's it's a far cry from those
00:28:52 --> 00:28:54 times back in the 60s and 70s when we
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 were looking at those really fuzzy black
00:28:55 --> 00:28:59 and white pictures off the moon
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 >> which was miraculous in its day.
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 >> Oh, it was in itself. Yes. Yes.
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 >> Yeah.
00:29:04 --> 00:29:06 >> I actually I am watching Crew Dragon
00:29:06 --> 00:29:08 detach as we speak. So that happened
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 probably
00:29:09 --> 00:29:13 >> 30 minutes ago, give or take our time.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:15 >> Yeah. Um it's it's like a slow motion
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 ballet, isn't it? Can they
00:29:17 --> 00:29:21 >> uh things in spacecraft up there?
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 >> Well, you don't want to bang into
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 anything.
00:29:23 --> 00:29:25 >> Yeah. Anyway, I hope all is well with
00:29:25 --> 00:29:28 the uh individual involved. I'm I'm not
00:29:28 --> 00:29:31 sure we'll ever find out what exactly
00:29:31 --> 00:29:33 the issue is, that's that's subject to
00:29:33 --> 00:29:35 privacy from what I understand. But the
00:29:35 --> 00:29:39 fact that they've been able to go up
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 there, get them bring them back and deal
00:29:40 --> 00:29:43 with the problem is is extraordinary
00:29:43 --> 00:29:46 because, you know, go back to the 70s
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 when Skylab was was in orbit. If someone
00:29:48 --> 00:29:51 got sick or or injured in that
00:29:51 --> 00:29:54 situation, I don't know if we would have
00:29:54 --> 00:29:58 been able to do much in a hurry.
00:29:58 --> 00:30:00 Um, yeah, maybe not. I mean, there would
00:30:00 --> 00:30:03 have been contingency plans in in place.
00:30:03 --> 00:30:08 Uh it's um I I think some of the things
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 that might have brought somebody home
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 from Skyab might be things that could
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 have been fixed on the International
00:30:13 --> 00:30:15 Space Station because there is quite a
00:30:15 --> 00:30:17 you know a fair a fair amount of medical
00:30:17 --> 00:30:19 expertise up there and some of the kit
00:30:19 --> 00:30:21 but you don't want people taking
00:30:21 --> 00:30:23 appendices out and things like that in
00:30:23 --> 00:30:23 space.
00:30:23 --> 00:30:25 >> No, not really.
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 >> Have to wipe down the walls afterwards
00:30:26 --> 00:30:28 and that's not fun.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:28 >> [laughter]
00:30:28 --> 00:30:31 >> Although I I should um counter it by
00:30:31 --> 00:30:33 saying we did recently have a situation
00:30:33 --> 00:30:35 where a a crew got stuck on the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:37 International Space Station for very
00:30:37 --> 00:30:40 unusual reasons due to uh incompatible
00:30:40 --> 00:30:42 space suits because of a failure in the
00:30:42 --> 00:30:44 Boeing Star Liner.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:46 >> So you know [laughter]
00:30:46 --> 00:30:48 >> that wasn't a quick rescue that one but
00:30:48 --> 00:30:50 it didn't involve illness or injury. So,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:53 it wasn't as urgent, but uh sometimes it
00:30:53 --> 00:30:56 it it can be a slow process. But, um uh
00:30:56 --> 00:30:58 yeah, but NASA's been very quick to
00:30:58 --> 00:31:00 point out that this has got nothing to
00:31:00 --> 00:31:03 do with an operational issue. It's um
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 it's a personal issue, nothing to do
00:31:04 --> 00:31:07 with an injury or accident on board.
00:31:07 --> 00:31:09 They want to make that pretty clear.
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 >> Um so, uh yeah, we wish them well.
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 They're on their way back as we speak,
00:31:13 --> 00:31:15 and by the time you hear this podcast,
00:31:15 --> 00:31:18 they will have returned, no doubt.
00:31:18 --> 00:31:21 Um, that's it, Fred. Well, gosh, we got
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 through that in a mighty hurry, didn't
00:31:22 --> 00:31:23 we?
00:31:23 --> 00:31:25 >> Um,
00:31:25 --> 00:31:29 yes, I think we we gave it due due
00:31:29 --> 00:31:31 recognition. [laughter] We've been
00:31:31 --> 00:31:35 talking for well over an hour, Andrew.
00:31:35 --> 00:31:37 >> Oh, have we? [laughter]
00:31:38 --> 00:31:41 >> Doesn't feel like it. Um, but no. Um,
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 Pardon? 38 minutes. I'm sorry. I'm I'm
00:31:44 --> 00:31:46 misreading my my clock. You're right.
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 >> That's okay. Well, we got through that,
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 you know,
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 >> you're probably you're probably reading
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 a Mars clock because we talked about
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 that recently. That's it's going a bit
00:31:53 --> 00:31:56 faster.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:58 >> Um, now if you were to follow up those
00:31:58 --> 00:32:00 stories, I've I've told you where to go
00:32:00 --> 00:32:02 and look for them, but uh you can also
00:32:02 --> 00:32:04 read the show notes on our website,
00:32:04 --> 00:32:08 spacenutspodcast.com or spacenuts.io.
00:32:08 --> 00:32:10 And while you're there, uh you might
00:32:10 --> 00:32:13 like to um check out all the uh all the
00:32:13 --> 00:32:17 tabs and uh links on our on our website,
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 uh the astronomy daily feed. You can
00:32:18 --> 00:32:20 subscribe for your daily dose of
00:32:20 --> 00:32:23 astronomy and space science news. Uh
00:32:23 --> 00:32:25 don't forget reviews. We really do
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 appreciate your reviews. The more
00:32:26 --> 00:32:29 reviews, the more we get noticed. The
00:32:29 --> 00:32:31 more we get noticed, the more people
00:32:31 --> 00:32:33 listen and then, you know, we can buy
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 ourselves an ice cream at the end of the
00:32:35 --> 00:32:39 day. Uh, you can also send questions or
00:32:39 --> 00:32:41 comments in through the AMA link and so
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 on and so forth. And don't forget to
00:32:43 --> 00:32:45 visit the Space Nuts shop. Uh, that's
00:32:45 --> 00:32:48 one thing that Hugh um did some years
00:32:48 --> 00:32:51 ago and it's been very popular. All the
00:32:51 --> 00:32:53 Space Nuts memorabilia if you if you
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 want to get hold of it. I've got I've
00:32:54 --> 00:32:56 got my Space Nuts cup here somewhere.
00:32:56 --> 00:32:59 Here it is. Look. Look at this.
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 >> There it is.
00:32:59 --> 00:33:02 >> I never I never got one of those.
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 [laughter]
00:33:02 --> 00:33:06 >> Um I I had to buy it.
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 That'll be good. That's [laughter] good.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 I'm too stingy.
00:33:09 --> 00:33:11 >> But we got shirts, we've got hoodies,
00:33:11 --> 00:33:13 we've got uh all sorts of bits and bobs
00:33:14 --> 00:33:16 at the Space Nuts shop uh at our
00:33:16 --> 00:33:18 website. Uh thank you, Fred. We'll leave
00:33:18 --> 00:33:20 it there. We'll catch you on the next
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 episode.
00:33:21 --> 00:33:22 >> Look forward to it, Andrew. See you
00:33:22 --> 00:33:23 soon.
00:33:23 --> 00:33:25 >> Professor Fred Watson, astronomer at
00:33:25 --> 00:33:27 large. And thanks to Hugh in the studio
00:33:27 --> 00:33:29 who couldn't be with us today. He had to
00:33:29 --> 00:33:32 be evacuated after attempting a Michael
00:33:32 --> 00:33:35 Jackson moonwalk. Not good at his age.
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 No. And from me, Andrew Dunley, thanks
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 for your company. We'll catch you on the
00:33:38 --> 00:33:42 next episode of Space Nuts. Bye-bye.
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 >> Space Nuts.
00:33:43 --> 00:33:45 >> You've been listening to the Space Nuts
00:33:45 --> 00:33:47 podcast,
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