Astronomy Daily - January 14, 2026 Episode Nuclear Moon Power, Mars Ocean Evidence, and Brains in Space Episode Description Join hosts Anna and Avery for an action-packed episode covering six major space stories! We explore NASA's ambitious plan to put a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, get the latest on tomorrow's historic ISS medical evacuation, examine compelling new evidence for an ancient Martian ocean, discover how spaceflight literally shifts astronauts' brains, learn about a revolutionary privately-funded space telescope, and find out how scientists finally solved the mystery of the Moon's two faces. Episode Duration: 17 minutes Episode Highlights ⚛️ NASA Commits to Lunar Nuclear Reactor by 2030
NASA and DOE sign memorandum of understanding
President Trump's executive order drives ambitious timeline
Nuclear power essential for permanent lunar bases
Building on 50+ years of space nuclear collaboration
🚀 Crew-11 Cleared for Wednesday Departure
First-ever medical evacuation from ISS proceeds on schedule
Undocking set for 5:05 PM EST Wednesday, January 15
Splashdown off California coast at 3:41 AM Thursday
Station will operate with skeleton crew of three
🌊 Ancient Martian Ocean Evidence Discovered
River delta features identified in Valles Marineris
Ocean covered half of Mars 3+ billion years ago
High-resolution orbital imagery reveals ancient coastline
Major implications for Mars' past habitability
🧠 Spaceflight Shifts Astronaut Brains Inside Skulls
MIT study reveals brains move "backward, upward and tilted"
Changes persist up to 6 months after return to Earth
Brain displacement linked to post-flight balance issues
Critical for planning longer Moon and Mars missions
🔭 $500M Private Space Telescope to Launch in 3-5 Years
Eric Schmidt funds Lazuli Space Observatory
"Move fast" philosophy applied to flagship telescope
Designed to catch transient events like gravitational waves
Will test technology for future NASA missions
🌙 Moon's Two-Faced Mystery Finally Solved
Chang'e-6 samples reveal impact chemistry differences
Ancient collision reshaped Moon's internal structure
Evidence of hemisphere-wide mantle convection
First hard evidence from lunar far side
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Hello everyone and welcome to Astronomy
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 Daily. I'm Anna
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 >> and I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 this Tuesday, January 14th, 2026. We've
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 got a fantastic lineup of space news for
00:00:13 --> 00:00:14 you today.
00:00:14 --> 00:00:16 >> We really do. We're covering everything
00:00:16 --> 00:00:19 from nuclear reactors on the moon to
00:00:19 --> 00:00:22 ancient Martian oceans, plus some
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 fascinating discoveries about how space
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 flight affects astronaut brains. And
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 we'll be talking about a major ISS
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 update, a new privately funded space
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 telescope, and scientists finally
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 solving a six decade old mystery about
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 the moon's two faces.
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 >> It's going to be an exciting episode.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 So, let's dive right in.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 >> Anna, let's start with some big news
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 from NASA and the Department of Energy.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 The United States is getting serious
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 about putting a nuclear reactor on the
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 moon by 2030.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 >> That's right, Avery. This isn't just
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 talk anymore. Last week, NASA
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 Administrator Jared Isaacman and US
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 a memorandum of understanding that
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 reaffirms their commitment to meet that
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 ambitious deadline.
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 >> And this comes on the heels of President
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Trump's executive order from December
00:01:14 --> 00:01:15 calling for construction to begin on a
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 lunar base by 2030 with a nuclear
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 reactor ready to launch by that same
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 year. Isacman said something really
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 interesting in the announcement. He
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 said, "Achieving this future requires
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 harnessing nuclear power. This agreement
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 enables closer collaboration between
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 NASA and the Department of Energy to
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 deliver the capabilities necessary to
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 usher in the golden age of space
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 exploration and discovery.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 >> It makes sense when you think about it.
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 Nuclear power can generate electricity
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 continuously for years without
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 refueling. And it's not affected by the
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 moon's two week long nights or changing
00:01:53 --> 00:01:54 weather conditions like solar panels
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 would be. And this isn't the first time
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 NASA and the Department of Energy have
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 worked together on space nuclear
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 systems. They've been collaborating for
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 more than half a century.
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 >> Right. Many of NASA's deep space robotic
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 explorers have used radioisotope
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 thermmoelect electric generators or RTGs
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 as a power source. We're talking about
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 missions like the Cassini Saturn orbiter
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 and the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 rovers.
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 >> But this lunar reactor would be
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 something different entirely. It would
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 be designed to power one or more bases
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 on the lunar surface as part of NASA's
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 Aremis program. Secretary Wright made a
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 connection to America's historic
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 achievements. He said, "History shows
00:02:37 --> 00:02:39 that when American science and
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 innovation come together, from the
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 Manhattan Project to the Apollo mission,
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 our nation leads the world to reach new
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 frontiers once thought impossible. This
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 agreement continues that legacy." For
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 NASA's Aremis program, having a
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 reliable, long-term power source on the
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 moon is absolutely critical. If we're
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 going to establish a permanent presence
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 there and use it as a stepping stone to
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 Mars, we need infrastructure that can
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 operate reliably for years.
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 >> And the 2030 timeline is really
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 aggressive. We're talking about just
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 over 4 years from now. That's incredibly
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 fast for a project of this magnitude.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 >> It is. But with the renewed focus on
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 lunar exploration and the competition
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 with other space fairing nations,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 particularly China, there's definitely
00:03:27 --> 00:03:30 motivation to move quickly.
00:03:30 --> 00:03:31 >> Speaking of space developments, we have
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 an important update on the crew 11
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 situation at the International Space
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 Station. Mission managers have
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 officially given the go for the crew's
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 return to Earth tomorrow.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 >> That's right. NASA astronauts Zena
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 Cardman and Mike Fininky along with Jaxa
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 astronaut Kimya Yu and Ross Cosmos
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 cosminaut Oleg Platonov are scheduled to
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 undock from the Harmony module at 5:05
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 >> And they're coming home aboard the
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft with
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 Cardman commanding and finy piloting.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 The weather forecast is looking
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 excellent for their parachute assisted
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 splashdown off the coast of California,
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 which is scheduled for 3:41 a.m. on
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 Thursday. Yesterday, the crew spent most
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 of their time preparing for departure.
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 They packed cargo, reviewed return to
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 Earth procedures, and transferred
00:04:24 --> 00:04:26 hardware. Hardman and her crew mates
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 also trained on how to use respirators
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 during unlikely emergency events like
00:04:32 --> 00:04:35 anemmonially. NASA is planning extensive
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 coverage of the event. NASA Plus will
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 begin live coverage at 3 p.m. on
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 Wednesday when the crew enters the
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 Dragon spacecraft and says goodbye to
00:04:44 --> 00:04:45 the remaining crew on the station.
00:04:45 --> 00:04:49 >> Coverage continues at 4:45 p.m. for the
00:04:49 --> 00:04:53 actual undocking, then returns at 2:15
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 a.m. Thursday for the descent, and
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 finally at 5:45 a.m. for the post
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 splashdown news conference. You can
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 watch all of this on NASA Plus, Amazon
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 Prime, or NASA's YouTube channel.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 >> As we discussed yesterday, this is the
00:05:08 --> 00:05:12 first medical evacuation in ISS history.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 The crew was originally scheduled to
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 stay until after crew 12 arrived in
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 midFebruary, but an undisclosed medical
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 condition affecting one of the four crew
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 members prompted NASA to bring them home
00:05:23 --> 00:05:27 early. After crew 11 leaves, expedition
00:05:27 --> 00:05:30 74 will be commanded by Rosscosmos
00:05:30 --> 00:05:33 cosminaut Sergey Kuds Ferkov, leading
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 flight engineers Sergey Mikv and NASA's
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 Chris Williams. That's a skeleton crew
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 of just three people running the entire
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 station. Yesterday, Kutz Virkoff and
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 Mikv participated in a study assessing
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 how crews make decisions and work
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 together in space, which is especially
00:05:52 --> 00:05:53 relevant given they'll be operating with
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 a reduced crew for a while.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 >> BASA is still evaluating whether they
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 can move up the crew 12 launch date to
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 replenish the station crew sooner than
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 originally planned.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 >> Now, let's talk about Mars. Anna,
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 there's exciting new evidence that an
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 ancient ocean once covered half the
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 planet. This is really fascinating
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 research, Avery. A team led by Ignatius
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 Argadestia, a PhD student at the
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 University of Burn, has identified
00:06:21 --> 00:06:25 features in Mars' Val Marinys that look
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 remarkably similar to river deltas here
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 on Earth.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 >> Val Marinys is that massive canyon
00:06:32 --> 00:06:33 system on Mars. Right. The largest in
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 the solar system.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 >> Exactly. Along with Olympus Mons, it's
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 one of Mars' most defining features.
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 This research focused specifically on
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 the southeast part of a subc canyon
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 called Capradus Chazma.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 >> The researchers used images from
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 multiple orbital cameras, CTX and
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 high-rise on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 Orbiter and CASSIS
00:06:59 --> 00:07:03 on the ESA/ Rosscosmos trace gas
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 orbiter. They also worked with digital
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 elevation models to examine what they
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 call scarp fronted deposits.
00:07:10 --> 00:07:14 >> These scarp fronted deposits or SFDs are
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 fan-shaped sediment deposits that form
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 where a river empties into a body of
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 standing water. The team identified
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 three of these features in Capraatus
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 Chazma and they're almost identical to
00:07:26 --> 00:07:29 river deltas we see on Earth.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 >> Professor Fritz Schlunger put it really
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 clearly. He said, "The structures that
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 we were able to identify in the images
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 are clearly the mouth of a river into an
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 ocean.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 >> What's particularly compelling is that
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 all three SFDs are at the same
00:07:43 --> 00:07:46 elevation. That suggests they were all
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 deposited at the same water level,
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 essentially marking an ancient
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 coastline." The researchers believe
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 these deposits were formed sometime
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 between the late Hisperian period and
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 the early Amazonian period. That's
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 roughly between 3.7 billion and 3
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 billion years ago.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 >> Reed author Argodestia said something
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 interesting in the press release. He
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 said, "When measuring and mapping the
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 Martian images, I was able to recognize
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 mountains and valleys that resemble a
00:08:15 --> 00:08:18 mountainous landscape on Earth. However,
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 I was particularly impressed with the
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 deltas that I discovered at the edge of
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 one of the mountains." Previous research
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 had suggested Mars had a large ocean,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 but this study provides much more
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 concrete evidence. Slungjugger noted
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 that earlier claims were based on less
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 precise data and sometimes indirect
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 arguments.
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 >> But their reconstruction of the sea
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 level is based on clear evidence of an
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 actual coastline thanks to these
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 highresolution images. The paleo
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 shoreline they identified extends from
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 Val Marinus all the way to the northern
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 lowlands. Argadestia summed it up
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 nicely. With our study, we were able to
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 provide evidence for the deepest and
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 largest former ocean on Mars to date. An
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 ocean that stretched across the northern
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 hemisphere of the planet. This has huge
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 implications for Mars's past
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 habitability. As the authors write,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 their findings will impact research on
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 the evidence for potential life on Mars.
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 Since this represents a period when Mars
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 had the highest water availability,
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 >> it's amazing to think that billions of
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 years ago, Mars might have looked very
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 different from the cold, dry desert we
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 see today.
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 >> Speaking of things changing, Avery,
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 let's talk about a fascinating new study
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 on how spaceflight literally changes
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 astronauts brains.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 >> This is wild, Anna. A team led by Rachel
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 Sidler at MIT took MRI scans of 26
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 astronauts and 24 non-stronaut
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 participants and they found that
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 spaceflight causes astronauts brains to
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 shift position inside their skull. The
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 study was published just yesterday. The
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 researchers found a consistent pattern
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 of the brain shifting backward and
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 upward and rotating upward after time in
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 microgravity. And here's the kicker.
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 Some of these positional changes were
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 still detectable months after astronauts
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 returned to Earth.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 >> Instead of looking at the brain as one
00:10:15 --> 00:10:19 whole unit, they divided it into 130
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 separate regions and examined each one
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 individually. This regional analysis
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 showed many areas with significant
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 displacement across two spatial axes.
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 >> The data set included astronauts with
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 different mission lengths, roughly 2
00:10:33 --> 00:10:36 weeks, 6 months, and one year. They
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 found significant positional shifts
00:10:38 --> 00:10:41 across large portions of the brain with
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 some displacements measured as high as
00:10:44 --> 00:10:48 2.52 mm in subjects with the most time
00:10:48 --> 00:10:49 in space.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 >> To put that in perspective, that's about
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 a tenth of an inch. It might not sound
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 like much, but when we're talking about
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 the brain inside your skull, that's
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 actually quite significant. The
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 researchers also compared astronauts
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 with people who participated in a long
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 duration headdown tilt bed rest
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 experiment which is used to simulate
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 some effects of microgravity on Earth.
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 >> And they found some interesting
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 differences. Astronauts showed stronger
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 upward movement while the bed rest
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 participants showed stronger backward
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 movement. Only some of the brain shape
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 changes observed after space flight
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 appeared in the bed rest group. This
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 tells us that head down bed rest, while
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 useful, doesn't perfectly replicate what
00:11:32 --> 00:11:34 happens to the brain in actual
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 microgravity, there are unique effects
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 that only real space flight produces.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 >> One of the most important findings was
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 the connection to balance problems. The
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 study found that displacement affecting
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 sensory related brain regions correlated
00:11:48 --> 00:11:50 with larger declines in astronauts
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 balance after space flight.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 >> Right? We know that when astronauts
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 return from space, they often experience
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 balance issues because their inner ears
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 sense of direction isn't immediately
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 restored. This study helps explain why
00:12:05 --> 00:12:06 that happens.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 >> And while astronauts normally find their
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 footing within a week or so, the
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 physical shifts in their brains
00:12:12 --> 00:12:15 persisted for up to 6 months post space
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 flight. That's quite remarkable. The
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 authors note that this underscores the
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 longlasting effects of spaceflight on
00:12:22 --> 00:12:25 neuroanatomy. They recommend future
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 studies with larger astronaut crews on a
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 broad range of mission lengths to better
00:12:30 --> 00:12:32 understand how quickly these shifts
00:12:32 --> 00:12:35 begin and how they evolve.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:37 >> This research is crucial as we plan
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 longer missions to the moon and
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 eventually to Mars. Understanding how
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 extended space flight affects the brain
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 will help us better prepare astronauts
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 and develop countermeasures. Avery,
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 let's shift gears and talk about a
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 really exciting development in space
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 telescope technology. There's a new
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 privately funded observatory called
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 Lazuli that could change how we build
00:12:58 --> 00:13:01 flagship class telescopes. This is
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 fascinating, Anna. The Lazuli Space
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 Observatory is being funded by Eric
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, and
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 his wife Wendy through their
00:13:09 --> 00:13:11 philanthropic organization Schmidt
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 Sciences. We're talking about a $500
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 million investment. The whole premise is
00:13:17 --> 00:13:19 applying the new space philosophy to
00:13:19 --> 00:13:22 space telescopes. You know that Silicon
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 Valley mindset of move fast and don't
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 break things. The idea is to prove that
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 you don't need decades and billions of
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 dollars to build a flagship level space
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 observatory.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 >> Right? Compare this to the James Webb
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 Space Telescope which cost 10 billion or
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 Telescope which is on track for $3
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 billion. These huge costs come from
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 using completely derisked flight proven
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 technology to ensure taxpayer dollars
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 don't literally go up in flames. But
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 Schmidt has a $ 36 billion fortune. So
00:13:55 --> 00:13:58 even if Lzulli fails, he can afford the
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 loss. And that's kind of the point. This
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 is an experiment to see if the approach
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 even works for expensive flagship level
00:14:05 --> 00:14:07 observatories.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 >> To keep costs down, up to 80% of the
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 telescope will use off-the-shelf
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 components. and operating under Schmidt
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 Sciences alleviates a lot of the
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 bureaucratic and political
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 decision-making that inevitably delays
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 government- funded programs.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:23 >> So, where does Lazuli fit in the bigger
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 picture? Web is obviously already
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 operational, sending back spectacular
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 images. Roman is next, scheduled to
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 launch in May 2027, but both have
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 weaknesses when tracking transient
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 phenomena.
00:14:36 --> 00:14:39 >> Exactly. Events like kilon nove or
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 gravitational wave producing black hole
00:14:41 --> 00:14:43 mergers happen on time scales of hours
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 not days. They require almost immediate
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 response from observatories to catch
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 them before they end.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 >> And web just can't slew. That's the term
00:14:52 --> 00:14:54 for rotating to a new target fast
00:14:54 --> 00:14:56 enough. It captures extremely
00:14:56 --> 00:14:59 highresolution images, but it takes too
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 long to get into position. On the other
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 hand, Roman is a survey telescope that
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 looks at white swaps of sky, but doesn't
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 have the resolution to examine
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 individual systems like Lazuli will.
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 >> So, Lazil's sweet spot is target of
00:15:14 --> 00:15:16 opportunity tracking. It's designed to
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 slew within an hour and a half to
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 observe short-lived events. It'll work
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 in concert with groundbased
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 observatories like LIGO, the
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 gravitational wave detector. But it has
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 the advantage of being in space, so no
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 cloud cover or daylight to worry about.
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 Lazuli will also have a wild field
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 context camera with 23 separate SEMOS
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 sensors, kind of like Roman, to detect
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 things like exoplanet transits.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 >> And here's something really cool. It
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 should be able to directly image
00:15:46 --> 00:15:48 exoplanets using a vector vortex
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 coronagraph along with deformable
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 mirrors to suppress starlight by up to
00:15:52 --> 00:15:55 10 million times. This same technology
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 is planned for NASA's Habitable Worlds
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 Observatory, which won't launch for
00:15:59 --> 00:16:02 decades. So, Lazuli will actually serve
00:16:02 --> 00:16:04 as a technology demonstration platform
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 well before the taxpayer funded mission.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 Perhaps the most impressive aspect is
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 the timeline. Schmidt Sciences is
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 planning a 3 to 5ear development cycle
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 for this massive space observatory.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 That's exponentially faster than any
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 comparable government-led system. Though
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 to be fair, new space leaders do have a
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 tendency to underestimate timelines.
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 Even if it takes twice as long, though,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:30 we'd still get another flagship level
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 observatory within a decade.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 >> And here's something amusing. If Schmidt
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 just leaves his remaining $ 36 billion
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 in an S&P 500 index fund, he'd make back
00:16:40 --> 00:16:43 around 40 times what the entire project
00:16:43 --> 00:16:45 cost over a 5-year period. So,
00:16:45 --> 00:16:47 financially, this is barely a blip for
00:16:47 --> 00:16:50 him. Either we get an amazing new space
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 telescope or we get a $500 million
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 lesson in what can go wrong when
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 applying speed to large-scale
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 astrophysics projects. Either way, the
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 scientific community learned something
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 valuable.
00:17:01 --> 00:17:04 >> For our final story today, Avery,
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 scientists may have finally solved a
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 mystery that's puzzled them for over 60
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12 years. Why does the moon look so
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 different on its near and far sides?
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 This is based on analysis of dust
00:17:17 --> 00:17:19 collected from the lunar far side by
00:17:19 --> 00:17:22 China's Chong A6 mission which returned
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 the first ever samples from the moon's
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 hidden hemisphere in 2024.
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 >> The material came from the south pole
00:17:29 --> 00:17:32 8kin basin which is believed to be the
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 site of the largest impact in the solar
00:17:34 --> 00:17:37 system. This colossal crater spans
00:17:37 --> 00:17:41 nearly a quarter of the lunar surface. A
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 team letter by Hangi Tan from the
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted
00:17:45 --> 00:17:48 isotopic analysis of potassium and iron
00:17:48 --> 00:17:51 found in the farside dust and compared
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 it with samples from the moon's near
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 side collected during the Apollo
00:17:54 --> 00:17:57 missions and by China's Chang A5
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 spacecraft.
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 >> The results showed a significant
00:18:00 --> 00:18:03 difference. Nearside samples contained
00:18:03 --> 00:18:06 more light isotopes while the far side
00:18:06 --> 00:18:10 material was richer in heavier isotopes.
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 particularly of potassium.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 >> This type of isotopic separation
00:18:14 --> 00:18:16 couldn't be explained by normal volcanic
00:18:16 --> 00:18:19 activity. Instead, the researcher
00:18:19 --> 00:18:22 suggest the south pole akin impactor
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 generated such extreme heat that lighter
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 isotopes were vaporized and lost,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 leaving behind a heavier chemical
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 fingerprint. The researchers wrote,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 "This feature most likely resulted from
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 potassium evaporation caused by the
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41 South Pole 8kin basin forming impactor,
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 demonstrating the profound influence of
00:18:43 --> 00:18:47 this event on the moon's deep interior.
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 >> What's particularly interesting is that
00:18:49 --> 00:18:51 the study suggests the impact may have
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 punched through the crust and into the
00:18:53 --> 00:18:55 mantle, permanently changing the moon's
00:18:55 --> 00:18:58 inner composition. The sample analysis
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 revealed that potassium isotopes on the
00:19:01 --> 00:19:04 far side appear to originate from a
00:19:04 --> 00:19:06 mantle source distinct from that of the
00:19:06 --> 00:19:09 near side. This implies widespread
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 internal melting and chemical
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 redistribution.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:15 >> The team even proposes that the impact
00:19:15 --> 00:19:17 might have triggered hemispherewide
00:19:17 --> 00:19:20 mantle convection, a process that could
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 reshape a planet's crust and inner
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 layers over time. As they noted in their
00:19:25 --> 00:19:28 study, this finding also implies that
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 largecale impacts are key drivers in
00:19:31 --> 00:19:34 shaping mantle and crustal compositions.
00:19:34 --> 00:19:37 >> So, planetary impacts leave far more
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 than just visible craters. They can set
00:19:39 --> 00:19:42 off longlasting internal transformations
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 that remain detectable billions of years
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 later.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:49 >> Hang Ton summed it up nicely. With our
00:19:49 --> 00:19:51 study, we were able to provide evidence
00:19:51 --> 00:19:54 for the deepest and largest former ocean
00:19:54 --> 00:19:57 on Mars to date. Wait, that's the wrong
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 quote.
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 >> Wrong planet, Anna.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 >> Oh my goodness. Let me get that right.
00:20:02 --> 00:20:06 Pan said, "With the Chang A6 samples,
00:20:06 --> 00:20:08 scientists now have their first hard
00:20:08 --> 00:20:11 evidence from the moon's far side, an
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 area once entirely out of reach." This
00:20:14 --> 00:20:17 discovery is particularly timely as
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 multiple nations gear up for lunar
00:20:19 --> 00:20:21 exploration missions, including NASA's
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 Aremis program and China's continuing
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 Chang missions. Understanding the moon's
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 geological history and internal
00:20:29 --> 00:20:32 structure will be crucial as we plan to
00:20:32 --> 00:20:35 establish permanent bases there. Each
00:20:35 --> 00:20:38 new sample and discovery helps us piece
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 together the story of how our nearest
00:20:40 --> 00:20:43 celestial neighbor formed and evolved.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:45 Well, that brings us to the end of
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 today's episode of Astronomy Daily. What
00:20:47 --> 00:20:50 an incredible day of space news. From
00:20:50 --> 00:20:53 nuclear reactors on the moon and the
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 Crew 11 undocking tomorrow to ancient
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 Martian oceans and shifting astronaut
00:20:59 --> 00:21:02 brains, plus a privately funded space
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 telescope and solving the moon's
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 two-faced mystery. We've covered a lot
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 of ground today. If you enjoyed today's
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 episode, please subscribe to Astronomy
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 Daily wherever you get your podcasts.
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 And don't forget to leave us a review.
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 It really helps other space enthusiasts
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 discover the show. You can find us on
00:21:19 --> 00:21:22 social media and at our website for more
00:21:22 --> 00:21:25 space news and updates. On the socials,
00:21:25 --> 00:21:28 search for astroaily pod and our website
00:21:28 --> 00:21:32 can be found at astronomyaily.io.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:34 Thanks so much for listening everyone.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 >> Until next time, keep looking up.
00:21:36 --> 00:21:40 >> Clear skies. Sunny day
00:21:40 --> 00:21:48 stories told
00:21:56 --> 00:21:59 stories