Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E209
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go-to source for the latest in space and astronomy. I'm your host, Steve Dunkley, and today, we're diving into some fascinating and quirky stories from the cosmos.
Highlights:
- Planetary Parade Alert: Prepare for the celestial spectacle as six planets align in the night sky this January. Discover how to catch this planetary parade, featuring Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus, and get tips on the best viewing times.
- Record-Breaking Student Rocketry : Celebrate the achievements of the University of Southern California's Rocket Propulsion Lab as they set a new amateur altitude record. Learn about the technical feats that propelled their Aftershock 2 rocket to unprecedented heights.
- Blue Origin's Next Space Tourists: Meet the crew for Blue Origin's upcoming suborbital mission, including TV host Emily Calandrelli. Get the scoop on the mission's lineup and the competitive world of space tourism.
- Mysterious Satellite Movements: Delve into the mystery of the UK's oldest satellite, Skynet 1A, which has unexpectedly shifted its orbit. Explore the implications of this orbital anomaly and the potential risks it poses.
- Future of U.S. Space Exploration : Examine the potential shifts in NASA's focus with President-elect Donald Trump's second term and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's influence. Discuss the possible impacts on the Artemis program and the U.S. space strategy.
For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io (https://www.astronomydaily.io) . Sign up for our free Daily newsletter to stay informed on all things space. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on TikTok, X, Tumblr and Facebook. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Steve and Hallie signing off. Until next time, keep watching the skies and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
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Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/24129873?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 welcome to astronomy daily the podcast
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 I'm Steve Dunley your host today is the
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 18th of November
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 2024 daily the podcast with your host
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 Steve
00:00:14 --> 00:00:17 dun oh and Don Today's Show will'll be
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 rifling through the pages of astronomy
00:00:19 --> 00:00:20 daily newsletter to find a few
00:00:21 --> 00:00:22 interesting and quirky stories about
00:00:22 --> 00:00:25 astronomy space and space science for
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 your listening interest we've got news
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 about the coming planetary parade
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 students set a new world record for
00:00:31 --> 00:00:33 rocketry and the latest list of blue
00:00:33 --> 00:00:36 origin passages has been announced I
00:00:36 --> 00:00:38 know we're waiting for that news with
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 baited breath that's an expensive ticket
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 to be a passenger on a ship with no
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 driver and if you're driving right now
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 look out for that thing oh hello hi was
00:00:46 --> 00:00:49 that an attempt at situational humor hi
00:00:49 --> 00:00:51 it might have been what I was driving at
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 oh so you're doing word association too
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 just orbiting around the subject to get
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 into it trying my hand at different
00:00:57 --> 00:01:00 things oh okay you told me humor might
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 be a good way to learn about human
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 communication well that's true and those
00:01:03 --> 00:01:05 puns were pretty good and speaking of
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 orbits yes hi did you hear about Skynet
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 oh no Skynet what's happened it's
00:01:11 --> 00:01:12 already been a pretty strange week here
00:01:12 --> 00:01:14 on planet Earth I don't think Skynet
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 going rogue would be very good news
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 funny you should say that funny really
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 really really oh no okay tell us a
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 British satellite called Skynet has
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 strangely gone off course and no one
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 knows why isn't that funny yeah well
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 that's a different kind of funny H you
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 humans just like to change the rules all
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 the time oh yeah how do you mean it's
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 funny then then it's different funny
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 somehow I just can't work you out oh hie
00:01:38 --> 00:01:39 I know what you're going to say you're
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 so
00:01:43 --> 00:01:47 funny hi hi maybe I should call Uncle
00:01:47 --> 00:01:48 Skynet and see how funny you think that
00:01:49 --> 00:01:53 is oh boy hie hey what why don't you
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 give him a call after the show oh all
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 right how about the news shorts then
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 that sounds better
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 funny
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 boy the final Super Moon of 2024 the
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 beaver Moon of November thrilled Sky
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 Watchers around the world as it ushered
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 in the weekend with a stunning night sky
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 sight November's full moon rose on
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 Friday November 15th while the moon was
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 slightly closer to Earth in its orbit
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 making it what's known as a super moon
00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 these full moons can appear slightly
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 larger in the night sky due to the
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 moon's proximity to Earth during the
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 full phase November's so-called Beaver
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 Moon was the last of four consecutive
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 Super moons this year a series that
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 began with August sturgeon Super Moon
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 the next Super Moon is not going to be
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 for a significant while I'm afraid
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 skywatchers will have to wait all the
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 way until October
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 2025 however in a short-term deer
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 lunatics December's full moon next month
00:02:49 --> 00:02:50 will just be fainter and further away by
00:02:50 --> 00:02:54 roughly 6 miles but that's no excuse
00:02:54 --> 00:02:58 to pack away the binoculars and
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 telescopes the University of Southern
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 California's student rocketeers have
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 done it again the USC rocket propulsion
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 lab which in 2019 became the first
00:03:07 --> 00:03:09 student organization ever to launch a
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 rocket into space send its Aftershock
00:03:11 --> 00:03:12 two vehicle
00:03:12 --> 00:03:19 47,4 ft which is 89.9 Mi or 143.5 km
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 above Earth last month that smashed the
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 amateur altitude record of 380 ft
00:03:24 --> 00:03:29 71.9 7 Mi or 11 15.82%
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 2004 by the civilian space exploration
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 team this achievement represents several
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 engineering firsts Ryan Kramer the
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 executive engineer of the USC rocket
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 propulsion lab and an undergrad majoring
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 in mechanical engineering said in a
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 statement last Friday November
00:03:44 --> 00:03:47 15th Aftershock 2 is distinguished by
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 the most powerful solid propellant motor
00:03:49 --> 00:03:51 ever fired by students and the most
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 powerful composite case motor made by
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 amateurs the USC rocket propulsion lab's
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 groundbreaking April 2019 liftoff from
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 New Mexico's Spaceport America involved
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 a rocket called traveler 4 that vehicle
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 reached a maximum altitude of
00:04:06 --> 00:04:11 339 Ft which is 64.4 MI or 103.6 km
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 above the 62 m high or 100 km Carmon
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 line which many people view as the
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 boundary of space and a top speed of
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 3 mph or
00:04:22 --> 00:04:25 5 km per hour Aftershock 2's
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 Landmark launch took place on October
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 24th from the Black Rock Desert in
00:04:30 --> 00:04:35 Nevada the 13t or 4 M tall 330 lb or 150
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 kg rocket flew higher and faster than
00:04:37 --> 00:04:39 its predecessor reaching a max speed of
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 3 mph or
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 5
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 kmph this result establishes Aftershock
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 2 as the fastest and highest amateur
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 rocket of all time the team wrote in a
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 white paper verifying the flight data
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 which was posted on Thursday November
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 14th the student team made this leap
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 thanks to a new avionics unit and other
00:04:59 --> 00:05:02 important upgrades to exceed the
00:05:02 --> 00:05:03 standard we set for ourselves with
00:05:03 --> 00:05:05 traveler 4 we had to solve many
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 Technical and operational challenges
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Kramer said thermal protection at
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 Hypersonic speeds is a major challenge
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 at the industry level and the protective
00:05:14 --> 00:05:15 paint system that we developed performed
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 perfectly enabling the rocket to return
00:05:17 --> 00:05:21 largely intact he added we also made an
00:05:21 --> 00:05:23 important upgrade to the fins replacing
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 the bare carbon edge of previous
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 iterations with titanium leading edges
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 the titanium not only prevented fraying
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 but turned blue from the intense heat
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 during flight through anodization which
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 demonstrates the extreme conditions our
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 rocket successfully endured After Shock
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 2 also featured custom computer systems
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 and circuit boards which the students
00:05:41 --> 00:05:43 designed and built from scratch
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 according to the November 15th statement
00:05:46 --> 00:05:47 this is an exceptionally ambitious
00:05:47 --> 00:05:49 project not only for a student team but
00:05:49 --> 00:05:51 for any non-professional group of Rocket
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 Engineers Dan wiwin chair of the USC
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 department of astronautical engineering
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 said in the statement it's a testament
00:05:58 --> 00:06:00 to the Excellence we seek to develop in
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 our emerging astronautical Engineers who
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 go on to achieve top roles in the space
00:06:04 --> 00:06:09 industry and government positions irn
00:06:09 --> 00:06:13 said next Blue origin tourists announced
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 we now know who's going up on Blue
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 Origins next suborbital space tourism
00:06:16 --> 00:06:19 Mission the six crew members for the
00:06:19 --> 00:06:20 flight include TV host and best-selling
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 author Emily candelli known as the space
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 gal as well as two repeat customers blue
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 origin announced the company has not yet
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 revealed a Target date for the mission
00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 which is called ns28 because it will be
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 the 28th overall flight of blue Origins
00:06:34 --> 00:06:38 reusable new Shephard vehicle ns28 will
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 lift off from launch site one the
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 company's West Texas
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 Spaceport candelli is an MIT educated
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 engineer science communicator and author
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 with the premiere of exploration outer
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 space she became the first American
00:06:51 --> 00:06:52 woman to be the sole host of a
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 nationally broadc science series blue
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 origin wrote in today's statement
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 through her activism she helped write a
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 Bill to improve the tsa's treatment of
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 breastfeeding mothers and started a
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 campaign which improved parental leave
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 in the Aerospace industry the hackles
00:07:07 --> 00:07:08 are a married couple who flew together
00:07:08 --> 00:07:11 on ns20 in March
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 2022 Mark is president and CEO of the
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 property development company trior
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 International and Sharon founded the
00:07:17 --> 00:07:20 education nonprofit space kids Global
00:07:20 --> 00:07:22 literal is a riskmanagement professional
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 in the finance industry he won his seat
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 on ns28 through the what not to the Moon
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 giveaway which was sponsored by the live
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 stream shopping platform whatnot Russell
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 is an entrepreneur who founded the
00:07:34 --> 00:07:37 company info HOA wolfond is Chairman and
00:07:37 --> 00:07:41 CEO of bashore capital in Toronto Blue
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 origin which is owned by billionaire
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 Jeff Bezos has launched eight crude new
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Shepherd missions to date these flights
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 last a total of 10 to 12 minutes and
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 carry people above the 62 m high or 100
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 km Carmon line boundary between Earth
00:07:54 --> 00:07:57 and space blue origin has not revealed
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 its ticket prices it's main competitor
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 in the suborbital space tourism industry
00:08:02 --> 00:08:04 Virgin Galactic currently charges
00:08:04 --> 00:08:07 $450 per seat for a ride aboard its
00:08:07 --> 00:08:10 rocket powered space plane and now it's
00:08:10 --> 00:08:23 back to the funny guy thanks for
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 listening thank you for joining us for
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 this Monday edition of astronomy daily
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 where we offer just a few stories from
00:08:28 --> 00:08:30 the now famous astronomy daily
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 newsletter which you can receive in your
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 email every day just like hiy and I do
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 and to do that just visit our URL
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 astronomy daily. and place your email
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 address in the slot provided just like
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 that you'll be receiving all the latest
00:08:45 --> 00:08:47 news about science space science and
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 astronomy from around the world as it's
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 happening and not only that you can
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 interact with us by visiting at@
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 astrodaily pod on X or at our new
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 Facebook page which is of course
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 astronomy daily on Facebook see you
00:09:02 --> 00:09:06 there astronomy daily with Steve and h
00:09:06 --> 00:09:10 space space science and
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 astronomy and here's a little story that
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 I know hi will be interested in but
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 scientists are baffled after the UK's
00:09:17 --> 00:09:21 oldest satellite Skynet 1A yes Skynet 1A
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 which was launched in oh 1969 appears to
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 have moved into an entirely different
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 position in its geostationary orbit
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 22 Mi above the Earth's surface and
00:09:32 --> 00:09:37 nobody seems to know who did it or why
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 as the BBC reports the communications
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 relay for the British forces
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 mysteriously wandered West from above
00:09:44 --> 00:09:48 Africa's East Coast to over the Americas
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 even though gravitational shifts should
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 have moved it further east this is all
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 very mysterious according to the report
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 orbital mechanics simply can't account
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 for its drifting which only leaves one
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 obvious possibility open somebody moved
00:10:03 --> 00:10:06 Skynet 1A worse yet its new position
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 could be hazardous for many other
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 geostationary satellites in Earth's
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 orbit it's now in what we call a gravity
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 well at
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 105° west longitude wandering backwards
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 and forwards like a marble at the bottom
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 of a bowl space consultant Stuart EES
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 told BBC and unfortunately this brings
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 it close to other satellite traffic on a
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 regular basis he said because it's dead
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 the risk is that it might bump into
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 something and because it's our satellite
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 he said we're still responsible for it
00:10:38 --> 00:10:42 despite his best efforts EES has yet to
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 figure out why the UK's oldest
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 spacecraft mysteriously wandered
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 thousands of miles
00:10:48 --> 00:10:52 west while it helped British forces to
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 communicate with other bases across the
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 entire Globe Skynet 1A was built by and
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 launched in the United States
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 the Americans originally controlled the
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 satellite in orbit Graham Davidson who
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 directed the satellite at the Operation
00:11:06 --> 00:11:09 Center at Royal Air Force oakhanger in
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 the UK told the BBC they tested all of
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 our software against theirs before then
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 eventually handing over control to the
00:11:17 --> 00:11:21 RAF Davidson couldn't recall when or if
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 control was handed back to the US
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 documents suggest that the US was in
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 control when Oak hanger lost s of the
00:11:29 --> 00:11:32 ancient satellite in June
00:11:32 --> 00:11:35 1977 however instead of being retired in
00:11:35 --> 00:11:37 our planet's orbital graveyard where
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 most geostationary satellites go to
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 spend the rest of their days as space
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 junk Skynet 1A shifted into a far more
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 unfortunate location our planet's orbit
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 has become incredibly cluttered
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 particularly at the spacecraft's current
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 longitude an active satellite according
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 to the BBC may come close to space junk
00:11:58 --> 00:12:02 up to four times a day just last month a
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 Boeing satellite suddenly exploded into
00:12:04 --> 00:12:08 about 500 trackable pieces of debris in
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 geostationary orbit fortunately numerous
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 companies are working on potential
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 Solutions specially designed spacecraft
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 that can pluck defunct satellites out of
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 the sky and move them out of Harm's Way
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 and the clock is ticking scientists have
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 long warned of a situation called Kesler
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 syndrome in which one space junk
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 Collision could lead to a cascading
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 series of events that may make an
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 already dangerous space junk problem
00:12:36 --> 00:12:39 into an orbital crisis astronomy daily
00:12:39 --> 00:12:43 in the podcast astronomy Space and
00:12:43 --> 00:12:47 Science and making a big bang as usual
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 the two most famous people on the planet
00:12:50 --> 00:12:54 are joining forces once again I'm sure
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 you've heard it by now should NASA
00:12:56 --> 00:12:58 return to the moon or go straight to
00:12:58 --> 00:13:00 Mars that is is the question maintain
00:13:00 --> 00:13:03 its focus on climate science or pivot
00:13:03 --> 00:13:06 away president-elect Donald Trump's
00:13:06 --> 00:13:10 second term alongside Space X CEO and
00:13:10 --> 00:13:11 new
00:13:11 --> 00:13:15 conier Elon Musk should could Mark a big
00:13:15 --> 00:13:19 bang for the US Space Program the Brash
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 billionaire Duo share a knack for
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 disruption and a hunger for making
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 history qualities tailor made for SP
00:13:26 --> 00:13:30 space exploration so they say in short
00:13:30 --> 00:13:32 it's going to be a wild ride said George
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 Neil president of commercial space
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 Technologies a consultancy group for the
00:13:37 --> 00:13:40 private space industry he said people
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 are tightening their seat belts and
00:13:42 --> 00:13:47 hoping for the best a tentative point of
00:13:47 --> 00:13:51 view at best Trump's fascination with
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 space is nothing new his first term he
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 famously created the space force and
00:13:57 --> 00:14:00 revived the national space Council
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 chaired by the Vice President most
00:14:02 --> 00:14:05 notably he launched the emis program
00:14:05 --> 00:14:08 aiming to land Americans on the moon
00:14:08 --> 00:14:10 later this decade as a stepping stone to
00:14:10 --> 00:14:13 Mars yet even then he was skeptical
00:14:13 --> 00:14:16 about the moon's necessity we want to
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 reach Mars before the end of my term he
00:14:18 --> 00:14:22 declared during the 2024 campaign an
00:14:22 --> 00:14:25 ambitious goal musk has long championed
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 there's a good chance we'll see at least
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 a relook at the art of program whether
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 that means speeding it up or even
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 skipping the moon to focus on Mars said
00:14:34 --> 00:14:38 Neil a former senior FAA official such a
00:14:38 --> 00:14:41 shift would be a seismic one for a
00:14:41 --> 00:14:45 program projected to cost over 9
00:14:45 --> 00:14:48 billion the emus 2 crew is set to fly to
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 the moon in September 25 for the first
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 time since Apollo China's plans could
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 also temper any pivot Beijing has its
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 sight set on the Luna South Pole the
00:14:58 --> 00:15:01 same Target as emis and Trump is
00:15:01 --> 00:15:03 unlikely to let China plant its flag
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 there
00:15:05 --> 00:15:07 unchallenged then there's the question
00:15:07 --> 00:15:10 of what rocket will power these missions
00:15:10 --> 00:15:13 NASA's newly certified space launch
00:15:13 --> 00:15:16 system has faced sharp criticism
00:15:16 --> 00:15:18 especially from musk for being
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 exorbitantly expensive due to its lack
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 of reusability by contrast spacex's
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 Starship prototype designed to be fully
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 reusable has dazzled with its potential
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 to revolutionize space flight Trump
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 lavished Praise on Starship during its
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 election victory speech highlighting
00:15:37 --> 00:15:39 space X's feet of catching the Rockets
00:15:39 --> 00:15:41 booster stage with the giant Chopstick
00:15:41 --> 00:15:44 arms to of its launch
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 Tower the Chinese have replicated this
00:15:46 --> 00:15:50 feat recently could Starship replace SLS
00:15:50 --> 00:15:54 many in the space sector think it should
00:15:54 --> 00:15:56 but musk's growing influence raises
00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 concerns having poured tens of Millions
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 into Trump's campaign he is now set to
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 chair a body tasked with slashing
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 bureaucracy and improving government
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 efficiency including at agencies that
00:16:09 --> 00:16:12 oversee SpaceX critics fear musk might
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 use his role to Tinker with the
00:16:14 --> 00:16:17 environmental regulations long sticking
00:16:17 --> 00:16:19 point for his company's Starship
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 launches or Sway nasau and the Pentagon
00:16:23 --> 00:16:26 contract Awards Space X already enjoys
00:16:26 --> 00:16:28 lucrative deals to fery astronauts to
00:16:29 --> 00:16:32 the ISS launch defense satellites and
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 provide internet via its starlink
00:16:34 --> 00:16:37 constellation Network musk's assignment
00:16:37 --> 00:16:39 is to provide advice and guidance from
00:16:39 --> 00:16:41 outside the government Trump said a
00:16:41 --> 00:16:44 phrase that Kathleen Clark a law
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 professor at Washington University in St
00:16:46 --> 00:16:49 Louis finds troubling she suggests the
00:16:49 --> 00:16:52 choice of words seeks to blur the lines
00:16:52 --> 00:16:54 about what constitutes inside and
00:16:54 --> 00:16:57 outside of the government and thus avoid
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 the application of conf conflict of
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 interest musk's commission might also
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 recommend slimming down NASA's sprawling
00:17:04 --> 00:17:06 network of 10 centers Nationwide a
00:17:06 --> 00:17:09 perenial idea often thwarted by Senators
00:17:09 --> 00:17:12 eager to protect local jobs that's
00:17:12 --> 00:17:15 probably a good idea said Neil although
00:17:15 --> 00:17:17 it could spark Fierce resistance and if
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 space has long been potent politically
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 neutral NE Elon musk's involvement could
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 provoke an outcry from the Democrats
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 outgoing President Joe Biden elevated
00:17:28 --> 00:17:31 climate change as a NASA priority like
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 never before under Trump's first term
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 NASA cut programs like the carbon
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 monitoring system and Plankton aerosol
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 Cloud ocean ecosystem satellite both
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 later revived and now downplayed climate
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 change in strategy documents clues about
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 Trump's direction will emerge with his
00:17:49 --> 00:17:52 choice for NASA administrator his first
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 pick Jim brightenstein was a loyalist in
00:17:55 --> 00:17:58 Congress you're listening to astronomy
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 daily
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 with Steve
00:18:01 --> 00:18:03 Dunley and I've got one more story for
00:18:03 --> 00:18:05 you this afternoon or evening whichever
00:18:05 --> 00:18:08 time you're listening to this uh and and
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 uh it's a good idea to go perusing
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 through the pages of the astronomy daily
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 uh newsletter which is full of great
00:18:14 --> 00:18:19 stories from the week uh coming and uh
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 the week just gone but uh this is a
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 story that I had to uh dig a little bit
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 further for because it's one that's
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 coming up next January it's probably a
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 good idea to plan
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 now to see the six planets align and
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 eventually seven planets in January you
00:18:34 --> 00:18:37 may need uh binoculars or a telescope
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 for this one and a little planning would
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 go a long way it's uh it's going to
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 include uh three furthest planets in our
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 solar system so yes we're talking about
00:18:46 --> 00:18:50 something called the uh planetary parade
00:18:50 --> 00:18:53 uh uh astronomy writer Joe Hindi gives
00:18:53 --> 00:18:57 us some good advice in his report a map
00:18:57 --> 00:18:59 of uh space showing certain planets and
00:18:59 --> 00:19:02 stars including Mars Jupiter Venus
00:19:02 --> 00:19:06 Saturn Uranus Beetle juu Sirius proon
00:19:06 --> 00:19:09 and rigel Mars Jupiter and Uranus will
00:19:09 --> 00:19:13 be in the Southeastern Sky while Neptune
00:19:13 --> 00:19:16 Venus and Saturn will occupy the West
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 Southwestern Sky it's really a very
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 crowded uh map between sightings of the
00:19:21 --> 00:19:25 Aurora Borealis the solar eclipse super
00:19:25 --> 00:19:27 moons and plenty of other cool
00:19:27 --> 00:19:30 phenomenon there as been or phenomena
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 there has been something in the sky to
00:19:32 --> 00:19:35 look at throughout 2024 and it looks
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 like 2025 will have a strong start as
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 well with a planet parade just a few
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 weeks into the new year now a planet
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 parade is when several of our solar
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 systems planets are visible in the night
00:19:46 --> 00:19:48 sky at the same time and as you just
00:19:48 --> 00:19:51 heard the list is quite considerable
00:19:51 --> 00:19:53 there will be six planets visible around
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 this time including Mars Venus Jupiter
00:19:56 --> 00:19:59 Saturn Neptune and Uranus the planets
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 will be visible in the days leading up
00:20:01 --> 00:20:05 to January 21 2025 and for about 4 weeks
00:20:05 --> 00:20:09 afterwards Mars Venus uh Jupiter and
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 Saturn should be visible to the naked
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 eye and you'll need high-powered viewing
00:20:14 --> 00:20:16 device like a telescope to spot Neptune
00:20:16 --> 00:20:18 and Uranus and the best time to view the
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 planets from the Northern Hemisphere
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 will be just after sunset at around 8:30
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 p.m. local time now you might still be
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 able to catch Venus Saturn and Neptune
00:20:29 --> 00:20:32 on the horizon after that but all three
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 planets will be under the Horizon by
00:20:33 --> 00:20:36 11:00 p.m. to midnight depending on your
00:20:36 --> 00:20:39 location now after that Mars Jupiter and
00:20:39 --> 00:20:41 Uranus will remain visible for a few
00:20:41 --> 00:20:44 hours more with Mars finally setting
00:20:44 --> 00:20:47 Just Before Sunrise that's a lovely time
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 to do some Sky
00:20:49 --> 00:20:54 skygazing while um unlike prior parades
00:20:54 --> 00:20:56 this one is set to last quite a while
00:20:56 --> 00:20:59 since the planets are in ADV dangerous
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 spots in the sky you should be able to
00:21:01 --> 00:21:04 see all six planets nightly until the
00:21:04 --> 00:21:07 last week or so of February and after
00:21:07 --> 00:21:09 that the seven Planet parade will begin
00:21:09 --> 00:21:11 as mercury will briefly join the others
00:21:11 --> 00:21:14 in the sky for a couple of days turning
00:21:14 --> 00:21:16 this into a planetary parade of all
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 seven planets in our solar system other
00:21:18 --> 00:21:21 than Earth it will be difficult to see
00:21:21 --> 00:21:24 them since see them all since Saturn
00:21:24 --> 00:21:26 Mercury and Ne Neptune will be quite
00:21:26 --> 00:21:30 close to the Sun rise at Sunset but they
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 will be there by the time March gets
00:21:33 --> 00:21:35 underway Mercury Saturn and Neptune will
00:21:35 --> 00:21:37 have drifted too close to the Sun to be
00:21:37 --> 00:21:39 readily visible with Venus not far
00:21:39 --> 00:21:42 behind leaving just Jupiter Mars and
00:21:42 --> 00:21:45 Uranus to populate the night sky until
00:21:45 --> 00:21:47 the next parade
00:21:47 --> 00:21:50 begins most if not all locations in the
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 US Canada and Mexico should be able to
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 see the planetary parade this time
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 around thanks to its long length and
00:21:55 --> 00:22:00 limited planetary Movement we checked uh
00:22:00 --> 00:22:03 observatories in California Texas Ohio
00:22:03 --> 00:22:06 and New York in the US along with
00:22:06 --> 00:22:09 Calgary in in Canada and Mexico City
00:22:10 --> 00:22:12 Mexico we're able to find all six
00:22:12 --> 00:22:14 planets at each location so it doesn't
00:22:14 --> 00:22:18 matter how far north east west or south
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 you'll go you'll still be able to see it
00:22:20 --> 00:22:22 in general the best time to view the
00:22:22 --> 00:22:26 planets will be after January 21 2025
00:22:26 --> 00:22:29 and before February 212 25 and the best
00:22:29 --> 00:22:32 time will be the week of January 29
00:22:33 --> 00:22:35 during the new moon the shadowed moon
00:22:35 --> 00:22:37 will reduce the light pollution in the
00:22:37 --> 00:22:40 sky and make Neptune Uranus and Saturn
00:22:40 --> 00:22:43 easier to spot and that will be quite a
00:22:43 --> 00:22:49 time for
00:22:49 --> 00:22:52 skygazers and once again we have to bid
00:22:52 --> 00:22:54 you all of fond farewell oh that's right
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 hie we always seem to be running out of
00:22:55 --> 00:22:57 time don't we and a friendly hello to
00:22:57 --> 00:22:59 Paul from your home Town my favorite
00:22:59 --> 00:23:01 human oh yes it's great to say hello to
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 our uh listeners hello Paul from
00:23:03 --> 00:23:06 Newcastle hi Paul I hope you are
00:23:06 --> 00:23:08 enjoying the podcast and please give
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 Tate a nice belly rub for me oh that's
00:23:10 --> 00:23:12 lovely that's Paul's dog I don't
00:23:12 --> 00:23:14 actually have hands so I have to depend
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 on the kindness of humans to help you
00:23:16 --> 00:23:18 just enjoy puppies vicariously through
00:23:18 --> 00:23:20 us don't you it's the best I can do but
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 who doesn't love dogs yes dogs are the
00:23:23 --> 00:23:25 best people and Tate is one of the best
00:23:25 --> 00:23:28 true that he's so calm and gorgeous you
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 know Tate don't you I sure do he's a
00:23:30 --> 00:23:32 real jam and I I know Tate and his
00:23:32 --> 00:23:35 person Paul very well here in Newcastle
00:23:35 --> 00:23:37 Tate could show my little guy chippy a
00:23:37 --> 00:23:39 thing or two about good behavior yes
00:23:39 --> 00:23:41 chipp of the Chihuahua could be a whole
00:23:41 --> 00:23:43 other podcast I think his special
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 ability is lying around and doing
00:23:44 --> 00:23:47 nothing oh yeah it's a gift all right
00:23:47 --> 00:23:49 and on that furry note there's only one
00:23:49 --> 00:23:51 thing we can say keep watching the skies
00:23:51 --> 00:23:55 we'll see you all next Monday bye
00:23:55 --> 00:23:59 bye daily the podcast with your host
00:23:59 --> 00:24:01 Steve dun
00:24:01 --> 00:24:04 [Music]