The Astronomy, Space and Science News Podcast
Earth's Climate Shaped by Orion, New Insights into Mars' Red Color, and NASA's Europa Clipper Mission Update
In this episode of SpaceTime, we explore a groundbreaking study suggesting that Earth's climate may have undergone significant changes around 14 million years ago due to our solar system's journey through the Orion star-forming region. Researchers propose that this passage may have compressed the heliosphere, increasing interstellar dust influx and potentially impacting Earth's climate and geological records.
Revisiting Mars' Iconic Hue
We also discuss new findings that challenge previous assumptions about why Mars is red. Recent research indicates that the planet's rusted appearance may be linked to a wetter history, with liquid water playing a crucial role in the formation of iron oxides. This revelation reshapes our understanding of Mars' habitability and environmental conditions in its ancient past.
NASA's Europa Clipper Mission
Additionally, we provide an exciting update on NASA's Europa Clipper mission, which has successfully completed a close gravity assist flyby of Mars. This maneuver not only altered the spacecraft's trajectory towards Jupiter but also allowed mission managers to test its radar instrument and thermal imager, setting the stage for its upcoming encounters with the icy moon Europa.
00:00 Space Time Series 28 Episode 28 for broadcast on 5 March 2025
00:49 Impact of the solar system's journey through Orion on Earth's climate
06:30 Details on the Radcliffe Wave and its significance
12:15 New insights into Mars' red color and history of water
18:00 Analysis of iron oxides and implications for Martian habitability
22:45 Overview of NASA's Europa Clipper mission and its flyby of Mars
27:00 The importance of gravity assists in space missions
30:15 Health implications of screen time on children's vision
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/)
www.bitesz.com (https://www.bitesz.com/)
🌏 Get Our Exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.bitesz.com/nordvpn (https://www.bitesz.com/nordvpn) . Enjoy incredible discounts and bonuses! Plus, it’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee! ✌
Check out our newest sponsor - Old Glory - Iconic Music and Sports Merch and now with official NASA merchandise. (https://www.bitesz.com/oldglory) Well worth checking out...
Become a supporter of this Podcast for as little as $3 per month and access commercial-free episodes plus bonuses: https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/about (https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/about)
✍️ Episode References
NASA
https://www.nasa.gov (https://www.nasa.gov/)
Nature Communications
https://www.nature.com/ncomms (https://www.nature.com/ncomms)
Astronomy and Astrophysics
https://www.aanda.org/ (https://www.aanda.org/)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/25902477?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 this is spacetime series 28 episode 28
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 for broadcast on the 5th of March
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 2025 coming up on SpaceTime how our
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 solar systems journey through Orion may
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 have altered earth's climate have
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 scientists been wrong all along about
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 why the red planet Mars is red and
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 NASA's Europa Clipper Mission swoops
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 past the red planet on its way to
00:00:22 --> 00:00:26 Jupiter all that and more coming up on
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 SpaceTime welcome to SpaceTime with
00:00:29 --> 00:00:45 steart
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 Gary a new study suggested planet
00:00:48 --> 00:00:49 Earth's climate may have undergone
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 profound changes 14 million years ago
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 when our solar system migrated through
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 the Orion star forming region located
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 some 1 light years away the Orion
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 Nebula Messier 42 is still the largest
00:01:03 --> 00:01:06 nearby Stellar Nursery to the Earth and
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 it's easily visible in the Orion
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 constellation with the uned eye looking
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 like a fuzzy Middle star in a ryion
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 sword Now new research reported in the
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 journal astronomy and astrophysics
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 suggest that the solar system Traverse
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 the Orion star forming complex a
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 component of the Radcliff wave Galactic
00:01:23 --> 00:01:26 structure about 14 million years ago now
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 the idea is this journey through such a
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 dense region of space could have
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 compressed the heliosphere the sun's
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 protective atmospheric bubble around our
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 solar system in the process it would
00:01:37 --> 00:01:38 have increased the influx of
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 Interstellar dust and that potentially
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 could have influenced earth's climate
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 even leaving traces in the planet's
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 geological records the study's lead
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 author epim Marone from the University
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 of Vienna says the solar systems Journey
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 Through the Milky Way takes it through
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 very Galactic environments sort of like
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 a ship sailing through varying
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 conditions at Sea buty says the Sun
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 would have encountered a region of high
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 gas density as it passed through the Red
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 Cliff wave in the Orion constellation
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 using data from the European space
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 agency's guia mission combined with
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 spectroscopic observations Marcone and
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 colleagues pinpointed the Solar System's
00:02:14 --> 00:02:15 Passage through the redcliff wave in the
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 Orion region to roughly 14 million years
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 ago the redcliff wave is a vast thin
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 structure of interconnected star forming
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 regions including the renowned Orion
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 complex Marney says we passed through
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 the Orion region just as well-known star
00:02:30 --> 00:02:35 clusters like NGC 1977 ngc1 1980 and NGC
00:02:35 --> 00:02:39 1981 were forming and the increased dust
00:02:39 --> 00:02:40 from this Galactic encounter would have
00:02:40 --> 00:02:43 had several effects it may have
00:02:43 --> 00:02:44 penetrated the Earth's atmosphere
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 potentially leaving traces of
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 radioactive elements from Super nurve in
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 the geological records the Research
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 indicates the solar systems Passage
00:02:52 --> 00:02:54 through the Orion region occurred
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 between approximately 18.2 and 11.5
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 million years ago with the most likely
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 time being between 14.8 and 12.4 million
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 years ago now this time frame aligns
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 well with the middle myos scene climate
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 transition that represented a
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 significant shift from a warm variable
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 climate to a cooler climate and it led
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 to the establishment of a continental
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 scale prototype Antarctic ey sheet
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 configuration while the underlying
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 processes responsible for the middle
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 meene climate transition are not
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 entirely identified the available
00:03:25 --> 00:03:26 reconstructions do suggest that a
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 long-term decrease in atmospheric
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 greenhouse gas carbon Dio side
00:03:30 --> 00:03:31 concentrations is the most likely
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 explanation although with large
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 uncertainties however this new study
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 highlights that Interstellar dust
00:03:38 --> 00:03:39 related to the crossing of the Red Cliff
00:03:39 --> 00:03:42 wave might have impacted earth's climate
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 as well and potentially played a role
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 during this climate
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 transition but the thing is to alter
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 earth's climate the amount of
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 extraterrestrial dust that fell on the
00:03:51 --> 00:03:52 Earth would have needed to be much
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 bigger than what the data suggest so far
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 Marone says future research will need to
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 explore the significance of its cont
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 contribution now it's crucial to note
00:04:02 --> 00:04:03 that this past climate transition and
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 current climate change which we're going
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 through now are not comparable since the
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 middle meos climate transition unfolded
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 over time scales of several hundred
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 thousand years now in contrast the
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 current global warming evolution is
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 happening at an unprecedented rate over
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 decades to centuries and it's due to
00:04:20 --> 00:04:24 human activity this is spacetime still
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 to come have ssts been wrong all along
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 about why the red planet Mars is red and
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 NASA's Europa Clipper Mission swoops
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 past the red planet on its way to its
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 encounter with Jupiter all that and more
00:04:36 --> 00:04:53 coming up on
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 SpaceTime a new study suggest that the
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 red planet's iconic Rusty Red Dust has a
00:04:58 --> 00:05:00 much wetter history than previously
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 thought a new report in the journal
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 Nature Communications claims Mars rusted
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 earlier in the planet's ancient past
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 when liquid water was far more
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 widespread the new findings are based on
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 a combination of European space agency
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 and NASA spacecraft data with new
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 laboratory experiments on replica
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 Martian regolith Mars is easily
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 identified with a naked eye in the night
00:05:22 --> 00:05:26 sky by its prominent red Hue now thanks
00:05:26 --> 00:05:27 to a flet of spacecraft that have
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 studied the red planet over the last few
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 decades we know that this red color is
00:05:31 --> 00:05:34 due to rusted iron minerals in the dust
00:05:34 --> 00:05:36 that is the iron bound up in Mass's
00:05:36 --> 00:05:39 rocks has it some point reacted with
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 liquid water or water and oxygen in the
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 air which is similar to how rust forms
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 here on Earth over billions of years
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 this Rusty material ion oxide is being
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 broken down into dust and spread all
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 around the planet by winds a process
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 which is continuing today but the thing
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 is Ion oxides come in many different
00:05:57 --> 00:05:58 flavors and the exact chemistry of the
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 Martian dust has been intensely debated
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 because how it Formed is a window into
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 the planet's environmental conditions at
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 the time and of course closely linked to
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 all that is the question of whether Mars
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 was ever habitable cius know was once a
00:06:13 --> 00:06:16 warm wet world but after it lost its
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 magnetic field and consequently its
00:06:18 --> 00:06:20 atmosphere the planet cooled down to
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 become the freeze-dried desert it is
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 today previous studies of the ion oxide
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 component of the Martian dust based on
00:06:27 --> 00:06:29 spacecraft observations alone didn't
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 find any evidence of water contained
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 within it researchers therefore have
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 concluded that this particular type of
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 iron oxide must have been hematite which
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 forms under dry surface conditions
00:06:39 --> 00:06:40 through reaction with the Martian
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 atmosphere over billions of years and
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 well after the planet's early wet period
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 however the new analysis of spacecraft
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 observations in combination with novel
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 laboratory techniques are showing that
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 Mar's red color is better matched with
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 ion oxides containing water known as
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 fery hydrides fery hydrides typically
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 form quickly the process of cool water
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 and so must have formed while Mass still
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 had water on its surface the FY hydrate
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 has kept its watery signatur to the
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 present day despite being ground down
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 and spread across the planet since its
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 formation the study's lead author adomus
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 valentinus from Brown University says
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 the team were trying to recreate a
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 replica of Martian dust in the
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 laboratory using different types of iron
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 oxides they found Fair hydrite mixed
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 with bassal or volcanic rock best fitted
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 the minerals seen by the spacecraft at
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 Mars
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 now the major implication of this is
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 that because fairy hydrate could only
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 aform when water was still present on
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 the Martian surface Mars must have
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 rusted far earlier than previously
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 thought other Studies have also
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 suggested that FY hydrate might be
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 present in the Martian dust but
00:07:45 --> 00:07:46 valentinis and colleagues have provided
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 the first comprehensive proof through a
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 unique combination of space mission data
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 and Laboratory Testing they created the
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 replica Martian dust using an advanced
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 grinder machine to achieve a realistic
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 dust grain size equivalent to just one/
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 100th of a human hair they then analyz
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 their samples using the same techniques
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 as orbiting spacecraft in order to make
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 a direct comparison finally identifying
00:08:09 --> 00:08:12 fa hydrite as the best match is's Mars
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 Express Orbit's analysis of the dust's
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 minerology helped show that even highly
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 Dusty regions of the red planet contain
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 water-rich materials and thanks to the
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 Mars Trace gas Orbit's unique orbit it
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 allowed the scientists to see the same
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 region under different illumination
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 conditions and angles thereby allowing
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 them to disentangle particle size and
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 composition which is essential for
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 recreating the correct dust size in the
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 laboratory and data from NASA's Mars
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 reconnaissance Orbiter together with
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 groundbased measurements from NASA's
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 Mars rovers curiosity Pathfinder and
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 opportunity also help make the case for
00:08:47 --> 00:08:51 fery hydrates this is spacetime still to
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 come NASA's Europa Clipper has
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 successfully completed a close gravity
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 assist flyby over the red planet Mars as
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 it continues its Journey to the Solar
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 System's life largest planet Jupiter and
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 later in the science report new
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 researchers found that just an hour
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 spent in front of screens can increase
00:09:07 --> 00:09:09 your child's risk of developing myopia
00:09:09 --> 00:09:27 all that and more still to come on
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 SpaceTime n's Europa Mission has
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 successfully completed its close gravity
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 assist flyby of the red planet Mars as
00:09:34 --> 00:09:36 it continues its Journey towards the
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 Solar System's biggest planet Jupiter
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 the spacecraft stre just 884 km above
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 the Martian surface traveling at some 24
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 and A2 km/s and using the planet's
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 gravity to slingshot itself on the next
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 critical leg of its long journey to the
00:09:52 --> 00:09:55 Jian system the maneuver changed the
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 probe's trajectory in speed and also
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 offered Mission managers an opportunity
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 to test Clipper's radar instrument in
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 thermal imager a day prior to closest
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 approach Mission managers began
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 calibrating the thermal imager resulting
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 in a multicolored image of the red
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 planet which will be sent to Earth in
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 the next few months and processed and
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 during its close approach they used the
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 probe's radar to perform a test of its
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 operations the first time all the
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 Radar's components have been tested
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 together see the radar antennas are so
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 massive and the wavelength they produce
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 is so long that it simply wasn't
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 possible for engineers to test them
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 before launch as the the spacecraft left
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 Mars its velocity slowed slightly to 22
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 1/2
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 km/s but the maneuver set Europa Clipper
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 up for its second gravity assist a close
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 flyby encounter with the Earth slated
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 for December
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 2026 that'll increase its velocity again
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 sending it to the outer solar system and
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 it's encounter with Jupiter and its icy
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 Moon Europa in April 2030 Europa Clipper
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 launched from the Kennedy Space Center
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 in Florida on October the 14th last year
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 a SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 embarking on a 2.9 billion kilm journey
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 to Jupiter which is five times further
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 away from the Sun than the Earth without
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 the gravity assists from Mars and Earth
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 the 6 kg spacecraft would require
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 additional propellant which adds weight
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 and cost or alternatively it would have
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 needed to take a much longer more
00:11:17 --> 00:11:20 secuest route Mission managers sent the
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 spacecraft on an initial trajectory
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 which left some buffer around Mars so
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 that if anything went wrong in the weeks
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 after launch Europa Clipper wouldn't
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 risk impacting the red planet
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 they then use the spacecraft's engines
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 to ve closer to Mars in what are called
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 trajectory correction Maneuvers or TCMS
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 fishion controllers performed three TCMS
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 to set the stage for the MS gravity
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 assist one in early November another in
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 late January and the third back on
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 February the 14th they'll conduct
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 another TCM around the middle of this
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 month in order to ensure the
00:11:50 --> 00:11:52 spacecraft's on track and are likely to
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 conduct additional ones upwards of 200
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 throughout the mission which is likely
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 to last until 2034
00:11:59 --> 00:12:02 this report from Messa TV everywhere on
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 Earth that there's water there's life we
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 have several ocean worlds in our solar
00:12:09 --> 00:12:13 system and by exploring Europa we're
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 getting a taste of what these ocean
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 worlds are like Europa is one of the
00:12:17 --> 00:12:20 moons of Jupiter it's about the same
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 size as our own Moon a little bit
00:12:21 --> 00:12:25 smaller but it's so much different it's
00:12:25 --> 00:12:29 an ice World Europa probably has beneath
00:12:29 --> 00:12:33 its icy surface a global ocean of
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 water we think there are thermal vents
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 in this vast subsurface ocean there may
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 be primitive organisms there similar to
00:12:42 --> 00:12:45 the original primitive organisms on
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 Earth from which we all evolved when we
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 first discovered hydrothermal vents on
00:12:49 --> 00:12:52 our sea floors on the earth we also
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 discovered life there was no sunlight
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 that was penetrating down that deep but
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 yet there was life living there on
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 Europa we're not looking for life itself
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 we're just looking for an environment in
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 which life could Thrive I just love
00:13:05 --> 00:13:07 europa's surface I think it's one of the
00:13:07 --> 00:13:09 most complex surfaces in our solar
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 system typically when you look at
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 another planetary surface it's covered
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 with craters just like our moon there
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 are very few shockingly few impact
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 craters that means something is going on
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 to erase the craters just like happens
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 here on Earth and on Earth we call that
00:13:24 --> 00:13:27 geology one of the key questions right
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 now that we have about Europa is whether
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 or not there's plume activities plumes
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 are one way that you can definitely get
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 Ocean material to the surface we really
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 need a spacecraft in the system that's
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 watching Europa to see when those plumes
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 are happening if they're happening the
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 Europa Clipper Mission will be the first
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 indepth
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 exploration of an ocean
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 World Europa Clipper is orbiting Jupiter
00:13:52 --> 00:13:56 and it's performing 49 flybys of Europa
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 and the main reason it's doing that is
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 to stay mostly outside of Jupiter's
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 really intense radiation belts each time
00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 we make a flyby we turn on all of the
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 instruments at once most of us know
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 about cameras because that's what our
00:14:11 --> 00:14:14 eyes see but there is a whole slew of
00:14:14 --> 00:14:17 other instruments on board Europa
00:14:17 --> 00:14:20 Clipper that expands our vision we have
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 four different instruments that we're
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 really using to take images of europa's
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 surface we have the visible wavelength
00:14:26 --> 00:14:28 the near infrared the far infrared and
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 the UV the ultraviolet we're hoping to
00:14:30 --> 00:14:33 see evidence of change new cracks new
00:14:33 --> 00:14:35 Surface colors uh that indicate
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 different materials maybe have moved
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 around or come up from the
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 subsurface we have an instrument that
00:14:41 --> 00:14:45 can sniff the very thin atmosphere the
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 gases and determine the composition with
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 extreme Precision we're looking for
00:14:50 --> 00:14:53 signs of Organics at Europa are there
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 materials that contain carbon and
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and we
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 have another instrument that can tell us
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 the composition of dust particles we're
00:15:03 --> 00:15:06 pretty sure there are salts on europa's
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 Surface and those salts may have come
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 out of the ocean we want to understand
00:15:09 --> 00:15:11 what are those salts we have a
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 magnetometer and a plasma instrument
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 that are going to be studying that
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 magnetosphere environment that Europa is
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 sitting in and and Jupiter's
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 magnetosphere
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 environment the magnetic field of Europa
00:15:22 --> 00:15:25 in turn can tell us about the properties
00:15:25 --> 00:15:28 of the ocean how thick is it and how
00:15:28 --> 00:15:32 salty is it and then we have this novel
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 ice penetrating radar that will try to
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 get below the ice
00:15:36 --> 00:15:40 shell last but not least we have a
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 gravity experiment using the
00:15:41 --> 00:15:45 communication system of the spacecraft
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 and from that we can get essentially a
00:15:47 --> 00:15:50 map of the gravity field we can get the
00:15:50 --> 00:15:52 shape understand you know what's
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 underneath maybe even get some
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 information on the depth of the ocean
00:15:55 --> 00:15:58 it's really a sophisticated payload so
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 there really has not been a mission uh
00:16:00 --> 00:16:02 like Europa Clipper the pictures that we
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 are going to get back are going to be
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 just fantastic the legacy of Europa
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 Clipper will be just a treasure Trove of
00:16:08 --> 00:16:11 knowledge about this this world just to
00:16:11 --> 00:16:13 find an environment that is similar to
00:16:13 --> 00:16:16 the one from which life arose on Earth
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 would really be groundbreaking it would
00:16:17 --> 00:16:20 be awesome I have no idea what we are
00:16:20 --> 00:16:22 going to detect beneath europa's icy
00:16:22 --> 00:16:24 surface but all I know is it's going to
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 be wonderful we do this work of
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 exploration for the the Next Generation
00:16:30 --> 00:16:32 we don't know if Earth is the only place
00:16:32 --> 00:16:35 that life got started or if it's really
00:16:35 --> 00:16:38 common and a really important way to get
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 at that is to understand is there life
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 elsewhere in our solar
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 system and in that report from Nessa TV
00:16:46 --> 00:16:48 we heard from Europa Clipper project
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 scientist Robert papal Europa Clipper
00:16:50 --> 00:16:52 Deputy project scientist Bonnie baratti
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 europ e clippa staff scientist Kate
00:16:54 --> 00:16:56 Croft from the John's Hopkins Applied
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 Physics laboratory europ e clippa staff
00:16:58 --> 00:17:00 science scientist eron Leonard and
00:17:00 --> 00:17:02 Europa Clipper investigative scientist
00:17:02 --> 00:17:19 Shan Brooks this is
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 spacetime and time now to take another
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 brief look at some of the other stories
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 making news in science this week with a
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 science report a new study warns that
00:17:28 --> 00:17:30 the world's strongest ocean current the
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 Antarctic circumpolar current is
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 projected to slow down and that slowdown
00:17:34 --> 00:17:36 could completely change the Dynamics of
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 the Great Southern Ocean throwing off
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 weather patterns and changing life for
00:17:40 --> 00:17:43 fish and other animals more than four
00:17:43 --> 00:17:45 times stronger than the Gulf Stream the
00:17:45 --> 00:17:47 Antarctic circumpolar current plays a
00:17:47 --> 00:17:50 huge role in the global climate system
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 but now new Australian research is
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 suggesting that under future climate
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 scenarios the strength of the current is
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 likely to decline by around 20% by 2 50
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 in response to Antarctic ice melt the
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 study reported in the journal
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 Environmental Research letters shows
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 that as ey sheets in the Antarctic
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 continue to melt it creates an influx of
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 fresh water in the ocean which changes
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 the water density and consequently
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 circulation patterns the research
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 follows previous work which shows that
00:18:17 --> 00:18:20 the same processes are also slowing the
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 circulation of nearby deep ocean water
00:18:22 --> 00:18:25 known as Antarctic bottom
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 water new research suggest that it might
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 be time to reassess the current
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 treatment of prostate cancer a report in
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 the British medical journal looked at
00:18:34 --> 00:18:36 different kinds of mutations in braa 1
00:18:36 --> 00:18:41 and 2 ATM and cdk12 genes among some 450
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 prostate cancer patients bracka 2 was
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 identified as the predominant Gene in
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 prostate cancer progression being
00:18:48 --> 00:18:50 involved in 11% of metastic cases that's
00:18:50 --> 00:18:52 where the cancer travels elsewhere in
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 the body on the other hand bracka 1
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 variants didn't seem to be a major
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 contributor to disease initiation or
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 progression
00:18:59 --> 00:19:01 currently bracka 1 and braa 2 are often
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 grouped together when researching and
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 treating prostate cancer but the
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 researchers say if there results are
00:19:07 --> 00:19:09 confirmed with further research it might
00:19:09 --> 00:19:11 be time to start treating and analyzing
00:19:11 --> 00:19:14 these mutations somewhat
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 differently well it looks like that old
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 person's tell that too much screen time
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 can give you square eyes may contain a
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 grain of Truth new researchers found
00:19:22 --> 00:19:24 that an hour spent in front of screens
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 increases a kid's risk of myopia or
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 shortsightedness by 21%
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 the findings reported in the Journal of
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 the American Medical Association claims
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 that scientists pulled together 45
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 studies looking over 3 kids they
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 found the risk of myopia increased
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 significantly between 1 and 4 hours of
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 daily screen time and then Rose more
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 gradually after 4
00:19:46 --> 00:19:49 hours Amazon has unveiled its new
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 generative AI infused Alexa with the
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 details we're joined by technology
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 editor Alex saharov Roy from Tech advis
00:19:55 --> 00:19:58 start life Amazon has completely
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 revamped it's Alexa assistant now it's
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 going to launch in the next few weeks in
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 the US and in waves in the coming months
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 in the rest of the world and it will
00:20:05 --> 00:20:10 start with the Echo Show 8 10 15 and 21
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 and it's called Alexa plus they're
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 saying it's the next generation of Alexa
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 so I think of it is Alexa 2.0 they say
00:20:15 --> 00:20:18 she is smarter more conversational more
00:20:18 --> 00:20:21 capable it engages in natural flowing
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 conversations that feel genuine making
00:20:23 --> 00:20:26 it more similar to chat GPT that's the
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 goal standard and it understands context
00:20:28 --> 00:20:30 meaning creating seamless interactions
00:20:30 --> 00:20:33 with no precise Alexa language so you
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 know it's free flowing it's personalized
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 so learns from you and obviously the
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 more you use it the more personalized it
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 gets it understands everything from your
00:20:41 --> 00:20:43 favorite entertainment to your family's
00:20:43 --> 00:20:46 dietary preferences allergies and weekly
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 Traditions you can get things done it
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 can handle things for you like date
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 planning or gift shopping or travel
00:20:50 --> 00:20:53 Arrangements study help so this is the
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 long awaited upgrade and there are 600
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 million Alexa devices now there in the
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 marketplace that can take advantage of
00:21:01 --> 00:21:04 this so this will come pretty soon and
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 finally the promise of the artificial
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 assistants Siri and Alexa and Google
00:21:09 --> 00:21:12 Assistant that we sort of thought was
00:21:12 --> 00:21:14 being launched a decade ago well a
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 decade later it's it's finally happening
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 that's Alex Sahara Roy from Tech advice.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:34 life
00:21:34 --> 00:21:37 and that's the show for now SpaceTime is
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 available every Monday Wednesday and
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 Friday through Apple podcasts iTunes
00:21:42 --> 00:21:44 Stitcher Google podcast pocketcasts
00:21:44 --> 00:21:48 Spotify acast Amazon music bites.com
00:21:48 --> 00:21:51 SoundCloud YouTube your favorite podcast
00:21:51 --> 00:21:54 download provider and from SpaceTime
00:21:54 --> 00:21:57 with Stewart gary.com space time's also
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 broadcast through the national Science
00:21:58 --> 00:22:01 Foundation on science own Radio and on
00:22:01 --> 00:22:04 both iHeart radio and TuneIn radio and
00:22:04 --> 00:22:06 you can help to support our show by
00:22:06 --> 00:22:08 visiting the SpaceTime store for a range
00:22:08 --> 00:22:11 of promotional merchandising goodies or
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 by becoming A Spacetime Patron which
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 gives you access to Triple episode
00:22:14 --> 00:22:17 commercial free versions of the show as
00:22:17 --> 00:22:18 well as lots of bonus audio content
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 which doesn't go to air access to our
00:22:20 --> 00:22:23 exclusive Facebook group and other
00:22:23 --> 00:22:25 rewards just go to SpaceTime withth
00:22:25 --> 00:22:28 Stewart gary.com for full details you've
00:22:28 --> 00:22:30 been listening to SpaceTime with Stuart
00:22:30 --> 00:22:33 Gary this has been another quality
00:22:33 --> 00:22:37 podcast production from bites.com