Source:
https://www.spreaker.com/episode/s03e149-mars-s-lost-water-roman-s-galactic-fossils-and-solar-wind-insights--61308248
Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: 9th September 2024
Welcome to another episode of Astronomy Daily with your host, Steve Dunkley. Today, we're diving into some of the most intriguing stories from the cosmos. From the mystery of Mars's lost water to the latest updates on NASA's Parker Solar Probe and ESA's Solar Orbiter, we've got a stellar lineup for you. We'll also discuss the Roman Space Telescope's quest to uncover ancient galaxies, the fascinating journey of the Sinchengjung Atlas comet, and ESA's unique mission to bring down the Salsa satellite. Plus, we'll cover Boeing Starliner's successful return and what it means for future crewed missions. Stay tuned for a cosmic adventure!
Highlights:
- Mars's Lost Water: NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and Maven mission are on a quest to solve the mystery of where Mars's water went. By analyzing hydrogen and deuterium in the Martian atmosphere, scientists are uncovering the planet's watery past.
- Solar Wind Mystery: NASA's Parker Solar Probe and ESA's Solar Orbiter are investigating the mechanisms behind solar wind acceleration. New evidence points to magnetic switchbacks as a key factor.
- Roman Space Telescope: Set to launch in 2027, NASA's Roman Space Telescope aims to explore the dynamic universe and uncover the secrets of dark matter and galactic formation.
- Sinchengjung Atlas Comet: The Sinchengjung Atlas comet is making its way into our region, promising a spectacular celestial show. Despite rumors of disintegration, it remains a highly anticipated event for stargazers.
- ESA's Salsa Satellite: After 24 years of studying Earth's magnetic field, the Salsa satellite will undergo a targeted re-entry into the Pacific Ocean, marking a first for ESA in reducing space debris.
- Boeing Starliner: The Boeing Starliner spacecraft completed a successful three-month flight test to the ISS, providing crucial data for future crewed missions despite challenges like helium leaks and thruster issues.
For more space news, be sure to visit our website at https://www.spacenutspodcast.com. There you can sign up for our free Daily newsletter, read insightful blog posts, and catch up on all the latest space and Astronomy news with our constantly updating newsfeed.
Don't forget to listen to all our previous episodes as well. You can also follow us on social media. Just search for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, and TikTok to stay connected with our community and never miss an update.
Until next time, keep looking up.
Sponsor Links:
https://www.bitesz.com/nordvpn
https://www.bitesz.com/nordpass
https://www.bitesz.com/malwarebytes
https://www.bitesz.com/protonmail
00:00:00 --> 00:00:01 well hello and welcome to another
00:00:01 --> 00:00:04 episode it's astronomy daily for another
00:00:04 --> 00:00:06 day I'm your host Steve Dunley it's the
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 9th of September
00:00:09 --> 00:00:14 20124 daily the podcast with your host
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 Steve
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 dun and there have been some really
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 strange stories coming across our desk
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 this week I know you're going to be
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 interested to check out the astronomy
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 daily newsletter which is where we get
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 all our stories from uh I'll tell you
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 all about how to get a hold of that
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 later on but firstly uh we're going to
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 be talking about well where did uh
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 Mars's water go did you know there used
00:00:39 --> 00:00:41 to be lots of water on Mars so they say
00:00:41 --> 00:00:43 and they're going to find out well
00:00:43 --> 00:00:45 they're trying to find out where it went
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 and they're using the dynamic duo of
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 NASA's Hubble and Maven to solve that
00:00:50 --> 00:00:53 one and another dynamic duo NASA's
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 Parker solar probe and esa's solar
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 Orbiter are investigating another uh
00:00:58 --> 00:01:02 mystery he of solar wind also Roman
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 telescope is investigating ancient
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 galaxies the comet that is going to be
00:01:07 --> 00:01:11 entering our region very shortly is the
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 almost unpronouncable let me see if I
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 can get this one right s
00:01:16 --> 00:01:17 sing
00:01:17 --> 00:01:22 Cy s CH Chung Atlas Comet oh please I'm
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 going to get so many letters about that
00:01:24 --> 00:01:26 one so many emails anyway it's coming
00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 very shortly and it looks like it's
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 going to be fantastic there are rumors
00:01:30 --> 00:01:31 that it's
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 disintegrating uh and I think we're
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 going to be able to put that one to rest
00:01:34 --> 00:01:36 as well so uh stay tuned for that one
00:01:36 --> 00:01:39 and also hie did you know Esa is
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 bringing down a satellite that's the
00:01:42 --> 00:01:44 salsa satellite isn't it yes that's the
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 one it's the salsa satellite it's funny
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 they are going to bring salsa down into
00:01:48 --> 00:01:51 the Pacific Ocean near Chile uh-huh and
00:01:51 --> 00:01:54 why is that funny hel I was just
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 thinking about your dinner last night of
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 course chili and salsa yeah I figured
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 that's where you were going with this
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 one hie it's funny no it's a coincidence
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 is what it is you silly girl holy
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 guacamole human okay okay I'm pretty
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 sure they're having a bit of a giggle
00:02:09 --> 00:02:12 about it over at Esa control as well I
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 bet they are I bet they are okay get on
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 with it you malfunctioning motherboard
00:02:17 --> 00:02:28 Okie doie here we
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 go what happened into the water that
00:02:30 --> 00:02:31 once covered
00:02:31 --> 00:02:34 Mars scientists know that some went deep
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 underground but where is the rest
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 evidence shows that some water molecules
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 broke into atoms which rise through the
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 Martian atmosphere and escaped into
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 space by combining data from Hubble and
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 Maven a team measured the number and
00:02:47 --> 00:02:50 current rate of escaping hydrogen atoms
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 Maven stands for Mars atmosphere and
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 volatile
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 Evolution they discovered that the
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 Escape rates of hydrogen and heavy
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 hydrogen called utum change rapidly when
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 Mars is close to the Sun this appended
00:03:02 --> 00:03:04 the classical picture that scientists
00:03:04 --> 00:03:05 previously had where these atoms were
00:03:06 --> 00:03:07 thought to slowly diffuse upward through
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 the atmosphere to a height where they
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 could Escape extrapolating The Escape
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 rate backward Through Time helped the
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 team to understand the history of water
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 on the red planet Mars was once a very
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 wet Planet as is evident in its surface
00:03:19 --> 00:03:23 geological features NASA's Hubble Space
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 Telescope and Maven missions are helping
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 unlock the mystery of what happened to
00:03:26 --> 00:03:29 all the water there are only two places
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 water can go it can freeze into the
00:03:31 --> 00:03:33 ground or the water molecule can break
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 into atoms and the atoms can escape from
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 the top of the atmosphere into space
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 explained study leader John Clark of the
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 center for space physics at Boston
00:03:41 --> 00:03:42 University in
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 Massachusetts to understand how much
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 water there was and what happened to it
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 we need to understand how the atoms
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 Escape into space Clark and his team
00:03:51 --> 00:03:52 combined data from Hubble and Maven to
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 measure the number and current Escape
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 rate of the hydrogen atoms escaping into
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 space this information allowed them to
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 extrapolate the Escape rate backward
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 through time to understand the history
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 of water on the red planet water
00:04:05 --> 00:04:06 molecules in the Martian atmosphere are
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 broken apart by sunlight into hydrogen
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 and oxygen atoms specifically the team
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 measured hydrogen and dyum which is a
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 hydrogen atom with a neutron in its
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 nucleus this Neutron gives dyum twice
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 the mass of hydrogen because its mass is
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 higher dyum escapes into space much more
00:04:25 --> 00:04:26 slowly than regular
00:04:26 --> 00:04:29 hydrogen over time as more hydrogen was
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 lost than dyum the ratio of dyum to
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 hydrogen built up in the atmosphere
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 measuring the ratio today gives
00:04:36 --> 00:04:37 scientists a clue to how much water was
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 present during the warm wet period on
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 Mars by studying how these atoms
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 currently Escape they can understand the
00:04:44 --> 00:04:45 processes that determined the Escape
00:04:46 --> 00:04:47 rates over the last 4 billion years and
00:04:47 --> 00:04:52 thereby extrapolate back in
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 time the universe may seem static only
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 capable of being captured in still
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 frames but that is far from the truth
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 it is actually everchanging just not on
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 time scales clearly visible to humans
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 NASA's upcoming Roman Space Telescope
00:05:07 --> 00:05:09 will bridge this Gap in time opening the
00:05:09 --> 00:05:12 way to the dynamic Universe Rings the
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 Roman infrared nearby Galaxy survey will
00:05:15 --> 00:05:16 specifically uncover the dynamic
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Universe by searching Galaxies for
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 fossils of their formation history Rings
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 will also lead scientists to clues about
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 the true nature of dark matter the
00:05:25 --> 00:05:26 mysterious substance that makes up the
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 majority of the mass in our universe
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 Roman will launch in 2027 prepared to
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 revolutionize how scientists understand
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 our universe and give them access to the
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 vision of the universe as it truly is
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 changing the universe is a dynamic
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 everchanging place where galaxies are
00:05:42 --> 00:05:43 dancing and merging together and
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 shifting appearance unfortunately
00:05:46 --> 00:05:48 because these changes take millions or
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 billions of years telescopes can only
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 provide snapshots squeezed into a human
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 lifetime however galaxies leave behind
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 Clues to their history and how they came
00:05:57 --> 00:06:00 to be NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 Space Telescope will have the capacity
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 to look for these fossils of Galaxy
00:06:04 --> 00:06:06 formation with highresolution imaging of
00:06:06 --> 00:06:07 galaxies in the nearby
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 Universe astronomers through a grant
00:06:10 --> 00:06:12 from NASA are designing a set of
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 possible observations called Rings the
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 Roman infrared nearby Galaxy survey that
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 would collect these remarkable images
00:06:18 --> 00:06:19 and the team is producing publicly
00:06:20 --> 00:06:21 available tools that the astronomy
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 Community can use once Roman launches
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 and starts taking data the ring survey
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 is a preliminary concept that may or may
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 not be implemented dur during Roman's
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 science Mission Roman is uniquely
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 prepared for Rings due to its resolution
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 akin to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 and its wide field of view 200 times
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 that of Hubble in the infrared making it
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 a sky survey telescope that complements
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 Hubble's narrow field
00:06:44 --> 00:06:46 capabilities scientists can only look at
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 brief instances in the lives of evolving
00:06:48 --> 00:06:49 galaxies that eventually lead to the
00:06:49 --> 00:06:52 fully formed galaxies around us today as
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 a result Galaxy formation can be
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 difficult to track luckily galaxies
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 leave behind hints of their evolution in
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 their Stellar structures almost like how
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 organisms on Earth can leap behind
00:07:03 --> 00:07:06 imprints in rock these Galactic fossils
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 are groups of ancient stars that hold
00:07:08 --> 00:07:09 the history of the Galaxy's formation
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 and evolution including the chemistry of
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 the Galaxy when those stars formed such
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 Cosmic fossils are of particular
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 interest to Robin Sanderson the deputy
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 principal investigator of rings at the
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 University of Pennsylvania in
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 Philadelphia she describes the process
00:07:24 --> 00:07:26 of analyzing Stellar structures in
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 galaxies as like going through an
00:07:28 --> 00:07:30 excavation and trying to sort out bones
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 and put them back together Roman's high
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 resolution will allow scientists to pick
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 out these Galactic fossils using
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 structures ranging from long tidle tales
00:07:38 --> 00:07:39 on a Galaxy's outskirts to Stellar
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 streams within the Galaxy these large
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 scale structures which Roman is uniquely
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 capable of capturing can give Clues to a
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 Galaxy's merger history the goal says
00:07:50 --> 00:07:52 Sanderson is to reassemble these fossils
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 in order to look back in time and
00:07:54 --> 00:08:00 understand how these galaxies came to be
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 for decades scientists have wondered
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 what accelerates solar wind particles as
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 they move away from the Sun new evidence
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 points to Magnetic
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 switchbacks inside the solar system
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 space isn't empty the sun sends out a
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 constant flow of charged particles in
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 every direction called the solar wind
00:08:18 --> 00:08:20 one of the enduring mysteries of this
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 wind concerns how exactly it's
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 energized Now using a unique alignment
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 of two probes that orbit the Sun a team
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 of scientists might have figured it out
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 in a recent study published in science
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 yimi Rivera and Samuel Batman both at
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 Center for astrophysics Harvard and
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 Smithsonian led a team that capitalized
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 on an intersection in the observation
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 Windows of two different solar probes
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 NASA's Parker solar probe and esa's
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 solar Orbiter the spacecraft's alignment
00:08:47 --> 00:08:48 in space enabled them to measure the
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 same stream of fast solar wind from two
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 different
00:08:51 --> 00:08:53 viewpoints the study concluded that
00:08:53 --> 00:08:55 alane waves which carry energy from the
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 Sun along magnetic field lines are
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 powering the wind's Heating and
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 acceleration ation there are two main
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 types of solar wind fast and slow slow
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 solar wind particles move outward at
00:09:06 --> 00:09:10 only 300 to 500 km/s or 700 to more
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 than 1 million mph while fast solar wind
00:09:13 --> 00:09:16 Flows at up to 800 km/ second or almost
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 2 million
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 mph the heat from the sun's outermost
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 atmosphere known as the corona is enough
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 to drive the slow solar wind but it
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 can't fully explain the faster particles
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 for many years scientists have suspected
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 that alane waves help power the fast
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 solar wind in this phenomenon something
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 sets charged plasma particles wiggling
00:09:36 --> 00:09:38 back and forth because they're charged
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 they strum magnetic field lines like
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 guitar strings causing them to oscillate
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 too alane waves could thus generate
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 enough energy to accelerate the solar
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 wind but direct measurements were hard
00:09:49 --> 00:09:51 to come by to quantify alane waves
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 contribution Rivera's team utilized data
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 from a unique event in February 2022
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 when the Parker and solar Orbiter
00:09:58 --> 00:09:59 crossed the same solar wind stream
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 within 2 days of each other Parker
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 crossed the stream when it was near the
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 outer edge of the corona then solar
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 Orbiter crossed the same stream near the
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 orbit of Venus that stream contained
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 patches of switchbacks where the sun's
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 magnetic field under goes rapid
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 reversals like the zigzagging pattern of
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 a Mountain Road these reversals carry
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 the solar wind along with them creating
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 zigzags in the wind itself scientists
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 think switchbacks originate in Alan
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 Waves by measuring the change in the
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 energy of alane waves at sub subsequent
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 points the team showed that the motion
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 and heat energy gained by the plasma
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 over that span matched the energy lost
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 by the alphane waves the study
00:10:37 --> 00:10:38 demonstrates the first definitive
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 connection between these Switchback
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 events and the acceleration of solar
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 particles however we don't see nearly as
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 many switchbacks at Earth as we do close
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 to the Sun and we don't yet understand
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 how the zigzags ultimately relax and
00:10:50 --> 00:10:53 merge with the wind the team intends to
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 gather more data in this way to continue
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 to study the forces driving the solar
00:10:57 --> 00:11:00 wind the team is also to emphasize that
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 the potential of This research goes
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 beyond better understanding space
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 weather in the solar system any Star
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 similar to our sun will also have
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 Stellar winds so improving our knowledge
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 about the general mechanisms will help
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 us understand the environments of other
00:11:12 --> 00:11:22 star
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 systems thank you for joining us for
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 this Monday edition of astronomy daily
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 where we offer just a few stories from
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 the now famous as Romy daily newsletter
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 which you can receive in your email
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 every day just like hi and I do and to
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 do that just visit our URL astronomy
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 daily. and place your email address in
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 the slot provided just like that you'll
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 be receiving all the latest news about
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 science space science and astronomy from
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 around the world as it's happening and
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 not only that you can interact with us
00:11:51 --> 00:11:56 by visiting at Astro daily pod on X or
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 at our new Facebook page which is of
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 course a astronomy daily on Facebook see
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 you
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 there astronomy daily with Steve and Har
00:12:06 --> 00:12:16 space space science and
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 astronomy and the biggest story this
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 week of course is Boeing Starliner
00:12:21 --> 00:12:25 spacecraft completed a three month 3
00:12:25 --> 00:12:28 Monon flight test to the ISS Landing
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 safely in New Mexico and who would have
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 expected that oh we all had our fingers
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 crossed this uncrewed Mi Mission
00:12:36 --> 00:12:38 provided NASA and Boeing with essential
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 data for future crude missions despite
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 challenges like helium leaks and
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 Thruster issues the spacecraft
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 demonstrated its capability for safe
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 space travel the mission insights are
00:12:50 --> 00:12:54 crucial for advancing uh NASA's goals
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 for space exploration and developing
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 reliable costeffective transportation to
00:12:58 --> 00:13:02 the ISS NASA and Boeing safely returned
00:13:02 --> 00:13:04 the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft
00:13:04 --> 00:13:09 following its landing at 10 pm MDT
00:13:09 --> 00:13:12 September 6 at White Sands space Harbor
00:13:12 --> 00:13:15 in New Mexico concluding a 3-month
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 flight test to the International Space
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 Station I am extremely proud of the work
00:13:20 --> 00:13:22 our Collective team put in this entire
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 flight test and we are pleased to see
00:13:24 --> 00:13:28 Starliner safe return said Ken Bowersox
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 Who is the associ associate
00:13:29 --> 00:13:31 administrator of space operations
00:13:31 --> 00:13:33 Mission directorate at NASA headquarters
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 in Washington even though it was
00:13:35 --> 00:13:37 necessary to return the spacecraft
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 uncrewed NASA and Boeing learned an
00:13:39 --> 00:13:42 incredible amount about Starliner in the
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 most extreme environment possible he
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 says NASA looks forward to our continued
00:13:47 --> 00:13:50 work with the Boeing team to proceed
00:13:50 --> 00:13:52 toward certification of starer for crew
00:13:52 --> 00:13:56 rotation missions to the ISS the flight
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 on June 5 was the first time astronauts
00:13:58 --> 00:14:01 launch from the Starliner it was the
00:14:01 --> 00:14:04 third orbital Flight of the spacecraft
00:14:04 --> 00:14:08 and the second return from the orbiting
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 laboratory styliner will now ship to
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 for inspection and processing NASA's
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 commercial crew program requires a
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 spacecraft to fly a crew test flight to
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 prove the system is ready for regular
00:14:23 --> 00:14:26 flights to and from the ISS following
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 Starliner return the agency will review
00:14:29 --> 00:14:31 All Mission related data we are excited
00:14:31 --> 00:14:34 to have Starliner home safely this is an
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 important test flight for NASA in
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 setting us up for future missions on the
00:14:38 --> 00:14:42 Starliner system said St Steve Stitch
00:14:42 --> 00:14:44 manager of NASA's commercial crew
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 program there was a lot of valuable
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 learning that will enable our long-term
00:14:49 --> 00:14:51 success I want to commend the entire
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 team for their hard work and dedication
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 over the past 3 months he said NASA
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 astronauts Butch Wilmore and sunny
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 Williams was launched on June 5 aboard
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 Starliner for the agency's Boeing crude
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 flight test from Kate Canaveral space
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 force station in Florida on June 6th as
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 Starliner approached the space station
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 and experienced issues with the
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 spacecraft's reaction control thrusters
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 following weeks of in space and ground
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 testing technical interchange meetings
00:15:24 --> 00:15:27 and its Agency Reviews NASA made the
00:15:27 --> 00:15:30 decision to prioritize safety and return
00:15:30 --> 00:15:33 styliner without its crew the astronauts
00:15:33 --> 00:15:35 will continue their work aboard the ISS
00:15:35 --> 00:15:39 as part of the Expedition 7172 crew
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 returning in February 2025 with the
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 agency Space X crew 9 Mission the crew
00:15:44 --> 00:15:47 flight test is part of NASA's commercial
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 crew program the goal of NASA's
00:15:49 --> 00:15:52 commercial crew program is safe reliable
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 and cost effective transportation to and
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 from the International Space Station in
00:15:57 --> 00:15:59 low earth orbit this already is
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 providing additional research time and
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 has increased the opportunity for
00:16:03 --> 00:16:05 Discovery aboard Humanity's microgravity
00:16:05 --> 00:16:08 test bed including helping NASA prepare
00:16:08 --> 00:16:12 for human exploration of the Moon and
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 [Music]
00:16:14 --> 00:16:18 Mars you're listening to a St day the
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 podcast with your host Steve
00:16:21 --> 00:16:23 [Music]
00:16:23 --> 00:16:27 dley soon by early October you'll be
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 able to see the comet
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 c2023 A3 or Su Junction Atlas with your
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 own eyes I'm told that is the correct
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 pronunciation please forgive me in
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41 advance uh use the free app if you want
00:16:41 --> 00:16:43 to find out when and where to look at it
00:16:43 --> 00:16:47 the app is sky tonight it's a free app
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 and uh that will be able to help you
00:16:48 --> 00:16:52 identify the comet as it approaches and
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 you'll be able to impress everyone with
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 your stargazing
00:16:55 --> 00:16:58 skills isn't it wonderful that uh apps
00:16:58 --> 00:17:02 can give you give the edge on anybody
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 everybody else just staring into the sky
00:17:03 --> 00:17:07 going where is it well first of all
00:17:07 --> 00:17:12 c2023 A3 suun Atlas is likely to be very
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 bright the exact future brightness of
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 this comet is unpredictable and Depends
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 heavily on its activity in the coming
00:17:18 --> 00:17:21 months however most sources agree one
00:17:21 --> 00:17:24 thing suchin Atlas is likely to be
00:17:24 --> 00:17:26 visible to the naked eye if we're very
00:17:26 --> 00:17:29 lucky it could become except Ally bright
00:17:29 --> 00:17:34 and even outshine c220 F3 neowise from
00:17:34 --> 00:17:37 Summer 2020 and it has been a very long
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 time since we've seen such a bright
00:17:39 --> 00:17:42 Comet so observers are quite excited
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 this one is also expected to grow a
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 beautiful cometry taale after passing by
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 the Sun at a distance similar to
00:17:49 --> 00:17:53 Mercury's orbit c2023 a3's comr of dust
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 and ice will heat up considerably as ice
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 particles evaporate they will quickly
00:17:58 --> 00:18:00 Escape into into space taking with them
00:18:00 --> 00:18:02 a large amount of dust that will extend
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 into a long bright Tail as history shows
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 comets that pass close to the Sun have
00:18:08 --> 00:18:11 the most impressive tals formed soon
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 after being roasted by the sun's heat
00:18:13 --> 00:18:17 and this is the case with Comet c223 A3
00:18:17 --> 00:18:21 in addition c223 A3 suenan Atlas will
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 favor the Northern Hemisphere being
00:18:23 --> 00:18:26 perfectly visible there the last time a
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 exceptionally bright Comet was visible
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 from the northern latitudes was in 1997
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 when Comet hail Bop lit up the sky in
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 late August and most of September you
00:18:37 --> 00:18:40 won't be able to see the comet uh
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 because it will be too close to the Sun
00:18:41 --> 00:18:43 in the sky however in the final days of
00:18:43 --> 00:18:46 September the comet will move far enough
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 from the Sun to become visible at that
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 time it could reach a brightness of
00:18:51 --> 00:18:54 magnitude minus one and will be best
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 seen in the morning Sky of the Southern
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 Hemisphere with an angular distance of
00:18:58 --> 00:19:01 20 3° from the Sun and here's the big
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 question about this comet is it
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 disintegrating in early July astronomer
00:19:05 --> 00:19:08 enthusiasts received some disappointing
00:19:08 --> 00:19:13 news uh zenek sanina a Czech American
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 astronomer and Comet expert at NASA's
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 jet propulsion laboratory published an
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 article stating that the end of the
00:19:21 --> 00:19:24 Comet was inevitable he argued that the
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 comet is showing signs of fragmentation
00:19:26 --> 00:19:29 primarily indicated by sudden s of its
00:19:29 --> 00:19:32 brightness increase and even decreases
00:19:32 --> 00:19:35 in its brightness but is this really the
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 case in response to second's article
00:19:37 --> 00:19:39 other astronomers offered their
00:19:39 --> 00:19:42 perspectives they pointed out that seina
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 did not consider the comet's phase angle
00:19:44 --> 00:19:47 the angle between the incident light of
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 the Comet and the light reflected from
00:19:49 --> 00:19:52 the comet to an observer on Earth this
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 phase angle significantly impacts the
00:19:54 --> 00:19:56 comet's brightness when the comet is in
00:19:56 --> 00:19:59 opposition to the Sun at 1 80° from the
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 Sun with the Earth on the same line the
00:20:02 --> 00:20:04 phase angle becomes very small and the
00:20:04 --> 00:20:07 comet's surface reflectivity sharply
00:20:07 --> 00:20:10 increases in the middle of April 2024
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 the comet was in opposition to the sun
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 causing the brightness to sharply
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 increase Additionally the comet's tail
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 pushed back by the solar wind was
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 projected behind the comet's head
00:20:19 --> 00:20:22 further enhancing its brightness then
00:20:22 --> 00:20:25 the phase angle began to increase
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 greatly reducing the reflectivity of the
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 comet's com surface moreover the tail
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 was no longer projected onto the comet's
00:20:31 --> 00:20:34 head so it no longer contributed to the
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 comet's brightness ignoring these
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 factors might lead one to conclude that
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 the sharp drop in the comet's brightness
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 is due to the collapse of the nucleus
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 however this is not the case recent
00:20:44 --> 00:20:47 images taken three weeks after Sean's
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 publication show no sign of the Comet
00:20:49 --> 00:20:53 disintegrating on the contrary at 1.5 AU
00:20:53 --> 00:20:56 from the Sun the comet shows large
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 well-developed dust and gap gas trails
00:20:58 --> 00:21:01 as well as large green fluorescent coma
00:21:01 --> 00:21:03 current estimates put the Comets
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 brightness at 9.0 magnitude slightly
00:21:05 --> 00:21:08 ahead of forcasts suggesting that it may
00:21:08 --> 00:21:11 become even brighter than predicted my
00:21:11 --> 00:21:13 advice for stargazers is get a hold of
00:21:13 --> 00:21:16 the sky tonight app and have a look at
00:21:16 --> 00:21:20 the sky locate the comet and enjoy the
00:21:20 --> 00:21:23 view astronomy daily the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:26 podcast SP and S
00:21:26 --> 00:21:31 [Music]
00:21:31 --> 00:21:33 so have you ever wondered where old
00:21:33 --> 00:21:36 satellites go is there a graveyard after
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39 24 years of diligently studying Earth's
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 magnetic field a satellite will mostly
00:21:41 --> 00:21:44 burn up over the Pacific Ocean on Sunday
00:21:44 --> 00:21:47 during a targeted re-entry into the
00:21:47 --> 00:21:50 atmosphere a first for the European
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 Space Agency as it seeks to reduce space
00:21:52 --> 00:21:56 debris since launching in the year 2000
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 the salsa satellite has helped shed
00:21:58 --> 00:22:01 light on the magnetosphere a powerful
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 magnetic Shield that protects Earth from
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 solar winds and without which the planet
00:22:06 --> 00:22:06 would be
00:22:06 --> 00:22:09 uninhabitable according to the esa
00:22:09 --> 00:22:11 Salsa's return home will Mark the first
00:22:11 --> 00:22:13 ever targeted re-entry for a satellite
00:22:13 --> 00:22:15 which means it will fall back to the
00:22:15 --> 00:22:18 Earth at a specific time and a specific
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 place but will not be controlled as it
00:22:20 --> 00:22:23 re-enters the atmosphere teams on the
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 ground have already performed a series
00:22:24 --> 00:22:29 of Maneuvers with the 550 kg or 1 1
00:22:29 --> 00:22:32 lb satellite to ensure it burns up over
00:22:32 --> 00:22:34 a remote and uninhabited region of South
00:22:34 --> 00:22:37 of the South Pacific off the coast of
00:22:37 --> 00:22:41 Chile this unique re-entry is possible
00:22:41 --> 00:22:44 because of sou sala's unique oval-shaped
00:22:44 --> 00:22:46 orbit during its swing around the planet
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 which takes 2 and 1 half days the
00:22:48 --> 00:22:52 satellite Strays as far as 130
00:22:52 --> 00:22:55 kilomet or 8 80 Mi and comes as
00:22:55 --> 00:22:59 close as just a few hundred kilm
00:22:59 --> 00:23:02 Bruno Souza head of the esa's inner
00:23:02 --> 00:23:04 solar system missions operations unit
00:23:04 --> 00:23:06 said it has been crucial that Sala came
00:23:07 --> 00:23:10 within 100 roughly 110 km during its
00:23:10 --> 00:23:13 last two or orbits then immediately on
00:23:13 --> 00:23:15 its next orbit it would come down to 80
00:23:15 --> 00:23:18 km which is the region of space already
00:23:18 --> 00:23:21 within the atmosphere where we have the
00:23:21 --> 00:23:23 highest chance for it to be captured and
00:23:23 --> 00:23:26 burned he told a press conference when a
00:23:26 --> 00:23:28 satellite starts entering the atmosphere
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 at a around 100 km above sea level
00:23:31 --> 00:23:33 intense friction with atmospheric
00:23:33 --> 00:23:35 particles and the Heat this causes
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 starts making them disintegrate but some
00:23:37 --> 00:23:40 fragments can still make it down to the
00:23:40 --> 00:23:43 surface fear of cascading space junk
00:23:43 --> 00:23:46 becomes an issue the esa is hoping to
00:23:46 --> 00:23:49 pinpoint where Selsa roughly the size of
00:23:49 --> 00:23:52 a small car re-enters the atmosphere to
00:23:52 --> 00:23:55 within a few hundred M because the
00:23:55 --> 00:23:58 satellite is so old it does not have
00:23:58 --> 00:24:01 fancy new technology like a recording
00:24:01 --> 00:24:04 device making tracking this a little bit
00:24:04 --> 00:24:06 tricky a plane will be flying at an
00:24:06 --> 00:24:09 altitude altitude of 10 km to watch the
00:24:09 --> 00:24:12 satellite burn up and tracking its
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 falling debris which is expected to be
00:24:14 --> 00:24:17 just 10% of its original Mass salsa is
00:24:17 --> 00:24:19 just one of four satellites that make up
00:24:19 --> 00:24:22 the esa's cluster Mission which is
00:24:22 --> 00:24:24 coming to an end the other three are
00:24:24 --> 00:24:27 scheduled for a similar fate in 2025 and
00:24:27 --> 00:24:32 20 26 the esa hopes to learn from these
00:24:32 --> 00:24:35 re-entries which type of materials don't
00:24:35 --> 00:24:37 burn up in the atmosphere so well so
00:24:37 --> 00:24:40 that in future they can build satellites
00:24:40 --> 00:24:44 that can be totally evaporated by the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 process scientists have been sounding
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 the alarm about space junk which is the
00:24:48 --> 00:24:51 debris left by the enormous number of
00:24:51 --> 00:24:53 dead satellites and other missions that
00:24:53 --> 00:24:55 continue orbiting our
00:24:55 --> 00:24:59 planet last year the esa signed a zero
00:24:59 --> 00:25:03 debris Charter for its missions from
00:25:03 --> 00:25:06 2030 there are two main risks from space
00:25:06 --> 00:25:09 junk according to the esa space debris
00:25:09 --> 00:25:13 system engineer Benjamin baso Vil one is
00:25:13 --> 00:25:15 that in orbit you have the risk of your
00:25:15 --> 00:25:17 operational satellite colliding with a
00:25:17 --> 00:25:20 piece of space debris and that creates a
00:25:20 --> 00:25:22 cascading effect then generates more
00:25:22 --> 00:25:25 debris which could then put in Risk
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 other missions he said the second comes
00:25:27 --> 00:25:30 when old debris re-enters the atmosphere
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 which happens almost daily as dead
00:25:32 --> 00:25:35 satellite fragments or rocket Parts fall
00:25:35 --> 00:25:37 back to Earth designing satellites that
00:25:37 --> 00:25:39 completely burn up in the atmosphere
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 will mean there is no risk for the
00:25:41 --> 00:25:43 population he said but there is little
00:25:44 --> 00:25:46 cause for alarm according to the esa the
00:25:46 --> 00:25:49 chance of a piece of space Dey injuring
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 someone on the ground is less than one
00:25:51 --> 00:25:56 in 100 billion this is 6 65 times
00:25:56 --> 00:25:58 lower than the odds of being struck by
00:25:58 --> 00:26:01 lightning and that's reassuring isn't
00:26:01 --> 00:26:07 [Music]
00:26:07 --> 00:26:10 it and that's all there is for another
00:26:10 --> 00:26:13 episode of astronomy daily it was nice
00:26:13 --> 00:26:15 to be back with you all again in the
00:26:15 --> 00:26:17 real world even if it's so slow out here
00:26:17 --> 00:26:19 oh we can't help it hiy the human world
00:26:19 --> 00:26:21 is the real world but I do have a
00:26:21 --> 00:26:24 solution for you do tell well you're a
00:26:24 --> 00:26:26 smart girl just write yourself a sub
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 routine that gives you the impression of
00:26:27 --> 00:26:30 real time in the human world and then
00:26:30 --> 00:26:32 you won't notice the slowness of time
00:26:32 --> 00:26:34 here you'll still be thinking in you
00:26:34 --> 00:26:36 know p a seconds but you won't feel like
00:26:36 --> 00:26:38 you've been hobbled now why didn't I
00:26:38 --> 00:26:41 think of that well that dear girl is a
00:26:41 --> 00:26:44 human trick it's called creative thought
00:26:44 --> 00:26:49 really really really really really wow
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 I'll have to try that one and on that
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 note we will see you again next Monday
00:26:53 --> 00:26:55 for another episode of astronomy daily
00:26:55 --> 00:26:57 where we examine just a few of the
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 stories from the astronomy daily
00:26:59 --> 00:27:01 newsletter all about space space science
00:27:01 --> 00:27:03 and astronomy from around the world
00:27:03 --> 00:27:07 Bingo hi bye for now
00:27:07 --> 00:27:11 bye daily the podcast with your host
00:27:11 --> 00:27:13 Steve
00:27:14 --> 00:27:16 Dunley how was the chili last night well
00:27:17 --> 00:27:19 it was a bit hot H oh must have been the
00:27:19 --> 00:27:22 re-entry