Source:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/s03e142-spacex-s-falcon-9-returns-nasa-crew-reshuffle-and-black-hole-imaging-breakthroughs--61221030
Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: 31 August 2024
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest in space exploration and Astronomy. I'm your host, Anna. Today, we've got some fascinating stories lined up for you. From SpaceX receiving the green light to fly their Falcon 9 rocket again after a recent mishap, to NASA's strategic crew adjustments on their SpaceX flights, there's a lot to cover. We're also diving into groundbreaking advancements with the Event Horizon Telescope that promise to reveal clearer images of black holes than ever before. And we'll take a closer look at how New Zealand's rapidly growing space sector is grappling with sustainability challenges. So let's dive right into the latest updates and breakthroughs.
Highlights:
- SpaceX Falcon 9 Cleared for Launch: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given SpaceX the green light to restart its Falcon 9 launches following an investigation into a recent mishap. Despite a first stage booster tipping over and exploding while attempting to land on a drone ship, the mission successfully delivered 21 Starlink Internet satellites into orbit. This incident marked an end to a streak lasting over three years of successful booster landings. The FAA has allowed the Falcon 9 to return to flight operations, demonstrating SpaceX's resilience and adaptability.
- NASA's Crew Dragon Flight Adjustments: NASA has announced changes to its upcoming SpaceX Crew Dragon flight, reassigning astronauts to make room for the crew from Boeing's Starliner capsule. This decision ensures seamless coordination with Roscosmos and maintains collaborative efforts on the International Space Station (ISS). The Crew-9 flight, now set for September 24, will be captained by Nick Haig, with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbanov joining as the mission specialist.
- Event Horizon Telescope Advancements: The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team has made significant strides in improving the resolution of black hole images. Collaborating with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and other facilities, the EHT team achieved an astonishing level of observational detail. These advancements promise to reveal more detailed properties around black holes, potentially uncovering both predicted and unexpected phenomena.
- New Zealand's Aerospace Sector and Sustainability: New Zealand's aerospace sector is experiencing rapid growth with ambitious goals for the global space industry. However, this growth brings pressing sustainability issues to light. Balancing economic expansion with sustainable practices is crucial as the global community becomes more aware of space debris and other environmental concerns. New Zealand's aerospace strategy includes a bilateral agreement with the United States and policies on space debris removal, but critics argue that more proactive measures are needed.
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily I'm your host
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 Anna today we've got some fascinating
00:00:04 --> 00:00:05 stories from the world of space
00:00:05 --> 00:00:08 exploration and astronomy from SpaceX
00:00:08 --> 00:00:10 receiving the green light to fly their
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 Falcon 9 rocket again after a recent
00:00:12 --> 00:00:14 mishap to NASA's strategic crew
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 adjustments on their space X flights
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 there's a lot to cover we're also diving
00:00:19 --> 00:00:20 into groundbreaking advancements with
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 the Event Horizon telescope that
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 promised to reveal clearer images of
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 black holes than ever before and we'll
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 take a closer look at how New Zealand's
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 rapidly growing space sector is
00:00:31 --> 00:00:34 grappling with sustainability challenges
00:00:34 --> 00:00:35 so let's dive right into the latest
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 updates and breakthroughs fortunately
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 this didn't take long given the
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 potential problems as we highlighted
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 yesterday the Federal Aviation
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 Administration FAA has given the green
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 light for SpaceX to restart its Falcon 9
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 launches following an investigation into
00:00:51 --> 00:00:54 a rare mishap earlier this week a first
00:00:54 --> 00:00:56 stage booster tipped over and exploded
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 while attempting to land on a drone ship
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 off the Florida coast despite this
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 setback the mission was deemed a success
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 as it successfully delivered 21 starlink
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 internet satellites into orbit this
00:01:08 --> 00:01:09 incident marked the end of a streak
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 lasting over 3 years with hundreds of
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 successful booster Landings Landing the
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 booster is usually a secondary objective
00:01:15 --> 00:01:17 for SpaceX and no lives or public
00:01:17 --> 00:01:20 property were at risk however the mishap
00:01:20 --> 00:01:21 highlighted The crucial role of
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 reusability in spacex's business model
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 and the trust that both the US
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 government and Private Industry place in
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 the Falcon 9 rocket the FAA stated that
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 the Falcon 9 could return to flight
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 operations even as the investigation
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 remains open given that all other
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 license requirements are met typically
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 the Rocket's first stage fires its
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 thrusters to achieve a precise upright
00:01:43 --> 00:01:46 Landing this webcast however showed it
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 tilting and blowing up on the Drone ship
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 a rare occurrence for SpaceX which
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 Prides itself on its reusable rocket
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 technology the Falcon 9 was briefly
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 grounded back in July due to a second
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 stage engine anomaly that caused another
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 of starlink satellites to burn up upon
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 re-entry yet the quick resolution of
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 these issues demonstrates the resilience
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 and adaptability of spacex's engineering
00:02:08 --> 00:02:12 teams as the Workhorse of spacex's Fleet
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 the Falcon 9 continues to be pivotal for
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 Missions involving satellite and
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 Astronaut deployments ultimately this
00:02:19 --> 00:02:21 incident underscores the inherent risks
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 and complexities of rocket science but
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 also showcases spacex's commitment to
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 continuous Improvement and Innovation
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 ensuring the future of reusable rocket
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 technology remains bright next up today
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 NASA has recently announced changes to
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 its upcoming SpaceX crew Dragon flight
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 marking a significant shift in astronaut
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 assignments originally the mission was
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 set to include crew n Commander Zena
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Cardman and Veteran astronaut Stephanie
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 Wilson however the agency has decided to
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 reassign these two astronauts to make
00:02:51 --> 00:02:53 room for the crew from Boeing Starliner
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 capsule this decision is part of NASA's
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 broader strategy to ensure a seamless
00:02:57 --> 00:02:59 coordination with roscosmos and and
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 maintain the collaborative efforts on
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 the International Space Station
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 I so what led to this reshuffling well
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 the Boeing Starliner which was launched
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 back in June for an 8-day test flight
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 ran into some technical issues including
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 helium leaks and Thruster problems to
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 play it safe NASA decided to keep
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 starliners Commander Barry Butch Wilmore
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 and co-pilot Sunita Williams on the ISS
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 longer than initially planned their
00:03:23 --> 00:03:27 mission now extending to 262 days
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 necessitated their return on board the
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 crew Dragon instead as a result now set
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 for its launch on September 24th the
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 crew n flight will be captained by Nick
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 ha an experienced astronaut who has
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 spent 203 days in space during a
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 previous Mission heg originally was
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 cardan's co-pilot but has since stepped
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 up to the role of mission Commander
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 Russian cosmonaut Alexander goranov will
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 join hay as the mission specialist but
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 as he is not trained to Pilot the crew
00:03:54 --> 00:03:57 Dragon the responsibility Falls solely
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 on hag this mission is not just fairing
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 astronauts it's also about ensuring the
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 constant presence of both NASA and
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 Russian crew members aboard the ISS this
00:04:07 --> 00:04:08 collaborative Arrangement aims to
00:04:09 --> 00:04:11 mitigate any potential risks such as if
00:04:11 --> 00:04:13 an emergency requires one of the fairy
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 ships to make an unplanned return to
00:04:15 --> 00:04:16 Earth the decision for This Crew
00:04:16 --> 00:04:18 reshuffle ultimately came from NASA's
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 Chief astronaut Joe akaba who
00:04:20 --> 00:04:21 acknowledged the difficulty and
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 importance of the decision akaba
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 expressed his confidence in the crew's
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 ability to adapt to these lastminute
00:04:27 --> 00:04:31 changes stating while we've changed crew
00:04:31 --> 00:04:33 before for a variety of reasons
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 downsizing crew for this flight was
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 another tough decision to adjust to
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 given that the crew has trained as a
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 crew of four I have the utmost
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 confidence in all our crew interestingly
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 this shuffling is part of a larger
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 complex orchestration of upcoming
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 missions to the ISS for instance the
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Russians are planning to send two
00:04:51 --> 00:04:52 cosmonauts along with NASA astronaut
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 Donald Pettit to the ISS on September
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 11th then a trio of cosmonauts and one
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 NASA astronaut will return to Earth on
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 September 23rd just one day before the
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 crew 9 launch this sequence ensures a
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 consistent rotation and presence of crew
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 members on the ISS further cementing the
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 international collaboration that space
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 exploration
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 necessitates now let's turn our
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 attention to outer space The Event
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 Horizon telescope or EHT team has taken
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 a giant leap forward in our
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 understanding of black holes they
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 recently conducted successful tests
00:05:25 --> 00:05:26 aimed at improving the resolution of
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 black hole images a huge Endeavor with
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 the goal of seeing these enigmatic
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 Celestial Giants more clearly than ever
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 before collaborating with the Atacama
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 large millimeter submillimeter array
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 known as Alma and several other
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 facilities the EHT team achieved an
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 astonishing level of observational
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 detail imagine being able to see a
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 bottle cap on the moon from the earth
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 that's the kind of precision we're
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 talking about here so how did they
00:05:52 --> 00:05:54 manage to do it well the team worked at
00:05:54 --> 00:05:56 an incredibly High radio frequency of
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 354 GHz which is way higher than than
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 what they've typically used this allowed
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 them to capture details as fine as 19
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 microarc seconds the highest resolution
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 ever achieved from the Earth's surface
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 although there aren't any images from
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 these tests yet the initial observations
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 showed strong light signals from the
00:06:15 --> 00:06:18 centers of distant galaxies even using
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 just a few
00:06:19 --> 00:06:21 antennas with these new techniques
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 scientists believe they can sharpen the
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 images of black holes by about 50%
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 compared to previous observations
00:06:28 --> 00:06:29 remember those first ground breing
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 images of m87 black hole in our own
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 Galaxy Sagittarius A they looked pretty
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 amazing but there was always room for
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 improvement Alexander Raymond from the
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 jet propulsion laboratory who co-led the
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 observation mentioned that these new
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 sharper images will reveal more detailed
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 properties around black holes some
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 predicted and perhaps some entirely
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 unexpected Shephard dolman the founding
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 director of the EHT made an interesting
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 comparison he said it's like moving from
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 black and white to color vision by
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 observing the surroundings of black
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 holes at different wavelengths
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 scientists aim to unravel the mysteries
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 of how these Cosmic Giants attract and
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 consume matter and how they manag to
00:07:09 --> 00:07:12 launch powerful Jets of particles across
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 vast Galactic distances the EHT operates
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 like an earth-sized virtual radio
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 telescope instead of building one
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 colossal dish it links multiple radio
00:07:21 --> 00:07:23 dishes around the globe a technique
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 called very long Baseline interferometry
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 for this test they expanded the
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 wavelength range and refined the
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 instrumentation to capture these higher
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 resolution images the ultimate goal is
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 even more ambitious they want to create
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 High Fidelity movies of The Event
00:07:37 --> 00:07:40 Horizon showing the behavior of material
00:07:40 --> 00:07:41 swirling around these enormous
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 gravitational Wells imagine watching the
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 incredibly Dynamic environment around a
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 black hole almost in real time there are
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 plans to revisit the super massive black
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 holes in m87 and the Milky Way with the
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 enhanced Imaging capabilities these
00:07:56 --> 00:07:58 observations will offer a more precise
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 measurement of the black hole sizes
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 shapes and even their spins the EHT
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 Consortium comprising over 400 members
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 is geared up to push the boundaries
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 giving us the most detailed radio images
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 of the mysterious entities that sit at
00:08:12 --> 00:08:14 the heart of most
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 galaxies it's a thrilling time for Black
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 Hole research and thanks to these
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 advancements we're closer than ever to
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 peeling back the layers of these Cosmic
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 Mysteries stay tuned for more
00:08:23 --> 00:08:26 Revelations from the EHT team and
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 finally today let's shift our Focus to a
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 land down under no not that one the
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 other smaller one New Zealand's
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 Aerospace sector is experiencing rapid
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 growth with an ambitious goal of
00:08:37 --> 00:08:39 significantly impacting the global space
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 industry like the rest of the world New
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 Zealand is striving to be part of the
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 thriving space economy which aims to
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 reach a value of $1 1.8 trillion Us by
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 2035 however this growth brings to light
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 several pressing sustainability issues
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 one of the main challenges for the New
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 Zealand space agency is balancing the
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 drive for economic expansion with the
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 urgent need for sustainable
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 practices as the global Community
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 becomes more aware of space debris and
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 other environmental concerns striking
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 this balance has never been more crucial
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 New Zealand's Aerospace activities took
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 off following rocket lab USS decision to
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 launch rockets from the Mahia Peninsula
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 this move led to the creation of the New
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 Zealand space agency a unit within the
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 ministry of business Innovation and
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 employment which now regulates launch
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 payloads and helps commercial Ventures
00:09:27 --> 00:09:30 access funding a key component of the
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 country's Aerospace strategy is its
00:09:32 --> 00:09:34 bilateral agreement with the United
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 States allowing the launch of American
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 payloads on Rocket Labs electron vehicle
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 this cooperation is pivotal in reaching
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 the target of generating 10 billion New
00:09:44 --> 00:09:48 Zealand dollar in annual revenue by 2030
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 however this dual role as both regulator
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 and promoter creates a conflict of
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 interest especially when it comes to
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 sustainable development current budget
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 constraints further complicate the
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 situation making it difficult for the
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 space agency to fulfill both its
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 economic and environmental
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 responsibilities simultaneously there is
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 a clear need for transparency and
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 defined roles to ensure sustainability
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 doesn't fall by the wayside Industries
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 and companies are looking to the
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 government for incentives to prioritize
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 sustainability such as monitoring
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 emissions from launches the space agency
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 has made strides with policies on Space
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 debris removal but critics argue these
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 measures are not proactive enough given
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 the growing number of Market entrance
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 Minister for space Judith Collins has
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 stated that her office works with
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 various environmental authorities and
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 Industry representatives to Monitor and
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 mitigate potential harms however these
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 commitments lack quantifiable details
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 leaving a gap in accountability to
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 address these challenges New Zealand
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 needs clear guidelines and a balanced
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 approach that involves both public and
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 private sectors looking at other
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 Industries with strong sustainability
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 initiatives could offer valuable
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 insights into creating a more
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 responsible Aerospace sector in summary
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 while New Zealand's a space sector is
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 poised for significant growth it must
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 navigate the complex terrain of
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 sustainability achieving this balance
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 will require robust leadership clear
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 policies and a collaborative approach to
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 ensure that Economic Development does
00:11:12 --> 00:11:16 not come at the expense of our
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 planet that's it for today's episode of
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 astronomy daily thank you for tuning in
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 don't forget to visit our website at
00:11:22 --> 00:11:25 astronomy daily. for the latest space
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00:11:39 --> 00:11:47 Anna signing off keep looking up
00:11:47 --> 00:12:00 [Music]
00:12:00 --> 00:12:04 stories told