(00:00:00) Astronomy Daily podcast features the latest news from across the cosmos
(00:00:35) SpaceX scrubbed the launch of their Transporter 15 mission on Wednesday
(00:02:45) SpaceX scrubbed its B1062 booster due to unspecified issue
(00:04:26) Scientists used data from a spacecraft orbiting Mars to predict comet's path
(00:05:42) Improved trajectory means telescopes and other spacecraft can track comet with greater accuracy
(00:07:57) NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled for launch in 2027
(00:10:14) NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two cosmonauts set for Thanksgiving mission
(00:11:09) South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket successfully launched on November 26th
(00:12:13) Astronomy Daily features the best of what's happening in space today
In this episode of Astronomy Daily, hosts Avery and Anna bring you the latest cosmic news, including a last-minute launch scrub for SpaceX's Transporter 15 mission, innovative tracking of interstellar visitors using Mars data, and exciting updates about NASA's upcoming Roman telescope. They also discuss a Thanksgiving Day launch to the International Space Station and a successful flight of South Korea's Nuri rocket. Tune in for an insightful journey through the universe!
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast
00:00:02 --> 00:00:04 that brings you the latest news from
00:00:04 --> 00:00:07 across the cosmos. I'm Avery.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 >> And I'm Anna. On the docket today, a
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 lastminute launch scrub for SpaceX's
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 massive ride share mission, a new way to
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 track interstellar visitors using data
00:00:17 --> 00:00:20 from Mars, and a look at how NASA's
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 upcoming Roman telescope is already set
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 to exceed expectations.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 Plus, we'll cover a Thanksgiving Day
00:00:26 --> 00:00:28 launch to the International Space
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 Station and a successful flight for
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:35 Let's get right into it. Anna, what
00:00:36 --> 00:00:37 happened with SpaceX?
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 >> Well, it looks like a huge fleet of tiny
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 satellites will have to wait a little
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 longer to get into orbit. On Wednesday,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 SpaceX scrubbed the launch of their
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 Transporter 15 mission.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 >> Oh, that's a shame. How close did they
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 get? They were very close. The call came
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 just over 15 minutes before the planned
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 liftoff from Vandenberg Space Force Base
00:01:00 --> 00:01:01 in California.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 >> Any word on why technical issue?
00:01:04 --> 00:01:04 Weather.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 >> SpaceX hasn't disclosed a specific
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 reason for the delay. But during the
00:01:09 --> 00:01:11 live commentary, a spokesperson
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 emphasized their cautious approach.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:13 >> Right.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:15 >> They said, and I'm quoting here, there
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 are a thousand ways that a launch can go
00:01:18 --> 00:01:20 wrong and only one way that it can go
00:01:20 --> 00:01:23 right. So if the team sees anything that
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 looks even slightly off, they'll stop
00:01:25 --> 00:01:26 the countdown.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:27 >> That's a very good point. Better safe
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 than sorry, especially with a payload
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 that large. How many satellites were on
00:01:32 --> 00:01:32 ward again?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 >> A staggering
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 140 satellites. It's a ride share
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 mission, so it's an eclectic mix of
00:01:39 --> 00:01:42 customers. For example, Planet Labs has
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 36 of their small superdub satellites on
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 board, plus two of their larger Pelican
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 satellites. Wow, that's a lot of eyes on
00:01:50 --> 00:01:50 Earth.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 >> Exactly. The European Space Agency also
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 has a pair of satellites to monitor
00:01:55 --> 00:01:57 Earth's water cycle. And there are
00:01:57 --> 00:02:00 dozens more from companies and agencies
00:02:00 --> 00:02:03 all over the world from Taiwan to Italy.
00:02:03 --> 00:02:04 There's even a spacecraft from the
00:02:04 --> 00:02:06 company Varta, which launches
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 experiments that can return to Earth in
00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 re-entry capsules.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:11 >> And this was on one of their veteran
00:02:12 --> 00:02:13 boosters, wasn't it?
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 >> It was. The first stage of this Falcon 9
00:02:16 --> 00:02:19 has already flown 29 times before. The
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 plan was and still is for it to land on
00:02:22 --> 00:02:23 the drone ship Of course I Still Love
00:02:24 --> 00:02:25 You in the Pacific to be prepped for its
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 30th flight.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 >> Incredible. So, when is the next
00:02:29 --> 00:02:30 attempt?
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 >> The next launch opportunity is Friday,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 November 28th at 1:19 p.m. Eastern time.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 We'll be keeping our fingers crossed for
00:02:38 --> 00:02:39 them.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 >> 30 flights for a single booster is
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 astounding. It really speaks to the
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 maturity of their reusability program.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 You mentioned the company's cautious
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 approach. Is there any speculation on
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 the specific nature of the issue that
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 caused the scrub? Was it related to the
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 vehicle, the payload, or ground systems?
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 >> SpaceX maintains a tight lid on the
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 details of these holds, but sources
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 familiar with the operation suggest it
00:03:05 --> 00:03:07 was likely a sensor reading on the
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 ground support equipment that was
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 trending out of its expected range. It
00:03:11 --> 00:03:12 could be something as simple as a
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 temperature or pressure reading in a
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 propellant line. The automated countdown
00:03:17 --> 00:03:19 system is designed to halt for any
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 anomaly, no matter how small, to give
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 engineers time to evaluate the data.
00:03:24 --> 00:03:25 It's a philosophy that has served them
00:03:25 --> 00:03:28 well, preventing potential failures.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 >> That makes sense. And with a veteran
00:03:30 --> 00:03:34 booster like B1062, which has 29 flights
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 under its belt, are there additional
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 checks and balances in place? I imagine
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 there's a lot of focus on potential
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 metal fatigue or wear on components that
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 have been through dozens of launch and
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 landing cycles.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 >> Absolutely. That's a huge part of the
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 refurbishment process. Between each
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 flight, the booster undergoes extensive
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 non-destructive testing, including
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 ultrasonic and X-ray inspections to
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 check for microscopic cracks in the
00:04:00 --> 00:04:03 structure and welds. They also swap out
00:04:03 --> 00:04:07 highear components like engines and grid
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 fins on a regular schedule long before
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 they are expected to fail. Each flight
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 provides a wealth of data that refineses
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 their understanding of the vehicle's
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 life cycle, allowing them to confidently
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 push the boundaries of what these
00:04:20 --> 00:04:23 reusable rockets can do.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 >> Absolutely. From keeping things on the
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 ground to tracking things flying through
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 deep space, our next story is an update
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 about the third interstellar object ever
00:04:32 --> 00:04:36 detected. Three I/ATLS.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 >> Right. These are fascinating. Visitors
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 from beyond our solar system. The big
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 challenge is always figuring out where
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 they came from and where they're going.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:48 >> And getting an accurate trajectory is
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 key. Astronomers just got a huge boost
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 in that department thanks to a very
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 innovative approach using data from a
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 spacecraft orbiting Mars.
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 >> Mars? You mean the ExoMars trace gas
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 orbiter?
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 >> That's the one. Until October, we could
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 only track three I/ATLS
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 from Earthbased telescopes. But as it
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 flew past Mars, the TJO and Mars Express
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 orbiters got to see it from a completely
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 different angle.
00:05:18 --> 00:05:20 Ah, so they could triangulate its
00:05:20 --> 00:05:22 position. That makes sense.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 >> Exactly. And it was a huge success. By
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 combining the data from Mars with the
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 observations from Earth, they improved
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 the prediction of the comet's path by a
00:05:32 --> 00:05:34 factor of 10. This is actually the first
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 time data from a spacecraft orbiting
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 another planet has been used to do this.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 >> That's a fantastic milestone. So, where
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 is 3/ATLS
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 now? It just made its closest pass to
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 the sun on October 30th and is now
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 blazing out of the solar system at
00:05:52 --> 00:05:56 speeds up to 250 km per hour.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 >> Wow. And it's not coming anywhere near
00:05:59 --> 00:06:00 us, right?
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 >> Not at all. It'll pass Earth on December
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 19th at a very safe distance of 270
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 million km. That's almost twice the
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 distance between the Earth and the Sun.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:13 But this improved trajectory means
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 telescopes in other spacecraft can now
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 track it with much greater accuracy to
00:06:17 --> 00:06:18 learn more about it.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 >> And there's a bigger picture here, too.
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 This isn't just about this one object.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 This entire exercise served as a
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 valuable test for planetary defense.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 >> A kind of rehearsal.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 >> Yes. And the implications of this
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 improved accuracy are significant. A
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 more precise trajectory allows
00:06:38 --> 00:06:40 astronomers to more confidently trace
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 the object's path backward in time,
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 helping to narrow down its potential
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 origin among the nearby stars. It's like
00:06:48 --> 00:06:50 cosmic detective work, trying to find
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 its home address. This also allows for
00:06:53 --> 00:06:54 much more efficient follow-up
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 observations from other telescopes,
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 including space-based assets like the
00:06:59 --> 00:07:02 James Web Space Telescope, which can now
00:07:02 --> 00:07:04 be pointed with greater certainty. And
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 what are they hoping to find with those
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 powerful telescopes? Is there anything
00:07:08 --> 00:07:12 particularly unusual about three I/ATLS
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 composition compared to the comets born
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 in our own solar system?
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 >> That is the milliondoll question. So
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 far, from a distance, it appears to be a
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 fairly typical water icer comet. But
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 that in itself is a profound discovery.
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 It suggests that the chemical makeup of
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 planet forming discs might be quite
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 similar across the galaxy. The detailed
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 spectroscopic analysis that will now be
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 possible will break down the light from
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 its coma to identify the specific ratios
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 of different ices, organic molecules,
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 and dust. This is our only way of
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 directly sampling the raw ingredients
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 from another solar system.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 >> It's great to see these capabilities
00:07:55 --> 00:07:58 being tested and proven. All right,
00:07:58 --> 00:08:00 moving from the solar system to the
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 stars themselves. Our next story is
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 about a telescope that hasn't even
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 launched yet.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 >> You must be talking about NASA's Nancy
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 Grace Roman Space Telescope. It's
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 scheduled for launch between 2026 and
00:08:13 --> 00:08:17 2027, but it's already making waves. I
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 know it's designed to study dark matter
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 and dark energy, but new findings
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 suggest it's going to do much more,
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 especially when it comes to the stars
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 that host exoplanets.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 >> That's right. According to a new paper
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 in the Astrophysical Journal, Roman's
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 capabilities in astrocismology could be
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 a gamecher.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 >> Astroismology,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 that's the study of star quakes, right?
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 The seismic waves that ripple across a
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 star surface.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 >> Precisely. and Roman is uniquely
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 equipped for it. Its fielder view is 100
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 times broader than Hubble's. This will
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 allow it to observe a staggering number
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 of stars in incredible detail and detect
00:08:57 --> 00:09:00 those subtle seismic waves on over
00:09:00 --> 00:09:02 300 red giants.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 >> And by studying those waves, we can
00:09:04 --> 00:09:07 learn about the stars interior.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:10 >> We can determine its mass, size, and age
00:09:10 --> 00:09:13 with unprecedented accuracy. As the
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 study's leader, Trevor Weiss put it,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 "That information will give us a lot of
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 insight on exoplanets themselves."
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 Understanding the host star is crucial
00:09:21 --> 00:09:24 to understanding its planets, their
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 potential for habitability, and the
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 future of that planetary system.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 >> This ties into one of Roman's main
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 missions, right? The Galactic Bulge Time
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 domain survey.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 >> It does. That survey will use
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 gravitational microlensing to find
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 exoplanets. But this added astroismic
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 data means we'll get a complete picture
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 of not just the planets but the entire
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 system. And since the galactic bulge
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 contains some of the oldest stars in our
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 galaxy, studying them will also give us
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 profound insights into our galaxy's
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 history and evolution.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:58 >> So Roman will basically be a time
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 machine looking back at the history of
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 star formation in our galaxy. What an
00:10:03 --> 00:10:04 incredible instrument.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 >> It really is. The data it collects will
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 be the largest astroseismic data set
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 ever compiled.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 >> Okay, let's bring it back closer to home
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 for our final stories of the day. We
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 have a crew launch and the successful
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 rocket flight to cover. First up, a very
00:10:19 --> 00:10:22 timely trip to the International Space
00:10:22 --> 00:10:22 Station.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 >> That's right. One NASA astronaut and two
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 Ros Cosmos cosminauts are counting down
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 to liftoff on Thanksgiving Day from the
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 Bikenor Cosmo Drrome in Kazakhstan.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 They're about to begin an eight-month
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 mission aboard the station. Who's
00:10:36 --> 00:10:39 flying? NASA astronaut Chris Williams
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 along with Rose Cosmo's cosminauts
00:10:41 --> 00:10:45 Sergey Kudkov and Sergey Mikv. Their
00:10:45 --> 00:10:49 Soya's MS28 spacecraft is set to launch
00:10:49 --> 00:10:53 at 4:27 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday.
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 And it's a quick trip, right? Very
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 quick. They'll orbit Earth just twice
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 before docking with the Rasfitit module
00:10:59 --> 00:11:03 at 7:38 a.m. Eastern, just over 3 hours
00:11:03 --> 00:11:05 after launch. They'll expand the
00:11:05 --> 00:11:09 Expedition 73 crew from 7 to 10 members.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:11 >> What a way to spend Thanksgiving. And
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 while they're getting ready to launch,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 another country just had a big success.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 >> Yes, South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket
00:11:19 --> 00:11:21 has flown for the fourth time, and it
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 was another success. The rocket lifted
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 off from the Naro Space Center on
00:11:25 --> 00:11:27 November 26th.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 >> That's great news for their space
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 program. What was the payload?
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 >> The main payload was an Earth
00:11:33 --> 00:11:37 observation satellite called CASS5003,
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 which will study Auroras and another
00:11:39 --> 00:11:42 atmospheric phenomenon called Airglow.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 It also carried a dozen smaller ride
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 share cube sets for various companies
00:11:46 --> 00:11:48 and research institutions.
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 This launch was significant for a couple
00:11:51 --> 00:11:53 of other reasons too, wasn't it?
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 >> It was the first launch since the
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 establishment of the Korea Aerospace
00:11:56 --> 00:12:00 Administration or CASA back in May. It
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 was also the first time that a private
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 system integration company was in charge
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 of the rocket's production and assembly,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 marking a big step towards
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 commercialization for South Korea's
00:12:10 --> 00:12:11 launch industry.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:14 >> Fantastic to see that progress. And that
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 brings us to the end of another busy day
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 in space news.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 >> From launch scrubs on Earth to
00:12:18 --> 00:12:21 interstellar tracking from Mars and a
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 successful flight for South Korea, it's
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 been quite the day. Thanks so much for
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 tuning in to Astronomy Daily.
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 >> Be sure to subscribe wherever you get
00:12:28 --> 00:12:30 your podcast so you don't miss an
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 episode. Until next time, I'm Avery
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 >> and I'm Anna.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:39 >> Keep looking up.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:47 told
00:12:47 --> 00:12:55 stories.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:58 Stories were told.