Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the
latest in space and astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna,
and today we've got a packed episode covering everything from
SpaceX missions to solar storms and satellite mishaps. Buckle up,
space enthusiasts, because we're about to embark on a cosmic
journey through today's most exciting developments in the world of
space exploration and astronomical discoveries. After weeks of weather related delays,
SpaceX's Crew eight mission has finally begun its journey back
to Earth. The Dragon spacecraft, aptly named Endeavor, undocked from
the International Space Station yesterday at five five pm Eastern time.
This marked the end of a prolonged stay for the
four astronauts aboard, who had been eagerly awaiting their return trip.
The undocking process went smoothly, as Endeavor separated from the
station while orbiting about two hundred and sixty miles above
the Pacific Ocean. Now, the spacecraft is on a trajectory
that will bring it back to our planet, with a
splash down expected off the coast of Florida early tomorrow
morning around three thirty a m. Eastern time. This return
journey caps off the eighth long duration NASA and roscosmo's
astronaut mission that SpaceX has conducted to the ISS. The crew,
consisting of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominic, Michael Barrett, and Jeannette Epps,
along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gribenkin, launched on March third
and have spent over seven months in space. Their return
was significantly delayed due to poor weather conditions in the
splashdown area, primarily caused by Hurricane Milton. The storm's impact
was so severe that it even led to the temporary
closure of NASA's Kennedy Space Center. For those interested in
watching the splash down live, NASA will be streaming the
event on NASA Plus. Following the touchdown. A post splashdown
news conference is scheduled for later in the morning, where
we'll likely get more details about the mission and the
crew's experiences. While on the subject of trips into space,
China is gearing up for its fourteenth manned mission to
the Tiangong Space Station, with the Shenzho nineteen space craft
set to launch in the near future. The spacecraft and
its long march to f rocket have already been moved
to the service tower at the Juquan Satellite Launch Center
in the Gobi Desert, where they'll undergo final checks before liftoff.
This mission marks another significant step in China's ambitious space program,
as it will be the eighth crew to live aboard Tiangong.
While the names of the astronauts haven't been released yet,
they'll be taking over from the current crew who've been
on board since April. What's particularly interesting about this mission
is the evolving nature of the tasks assigned to the astronauts.
According to Wang Yan'an, chief editor of Aerospace Magazine, the
Shenzho nineteen crew will be undertaking more advanced scientific and
technological experiments than their predecessors. This shift in focus comes
as the astronauts have become more familiar with life on
the station and its systems are now fully operational. The
Tiangong Space Station, completed in twenty twenty two, is a
testament to China's growing space capabilities. Orbiting about four hundred
kilometers above Earth, it's one of the most complex space
structures ever built, consisting of a core module and two
science capsules. As China continues to push the boundaries of
its space exploration. We can expect to see even more
ambitious missions and groundbreaking research coming from the Tiangong Space
Station in the future. And now a look at Boeing's
latest woes. Boeing's CST one hundred star Liner program is
facing yet another setback, as the aerospace giant has announced
a new two hundred and fifty million dollars charge against
earnings in the third quarter. This latest financial hit brings
the total losses on the Starliner project to a staggering
one point eight five billion dollars. The charge is primarily
due to scheduled delays and higher testing and certification costs.
It's a significant blow to Boeing's Defense, Space and Security
business unit, which has been grappling with challenges across several
fixed price programs. Despite these mounting losses, Boeing's new CEO,
Kelly Ortberg, has made it clear that the company won't
be walking away from troubled programs like Starliner. In a
recent earnings call, Ortberg emphasized that abandoning such contracts is
not a viable option for Boeing. Instead, the company is
focusing on improving its risk management and working more closely
with customers to address potential issues before they escalate. Ortberg
acknowledge that there's no quick fix for these challenging contracts,
but stress the importance of seeing them through. This commitment
to the Starliner program comes at a time when Boeing
is also evaluating ways to streamline its business. While the
core commercial, aviation and defense sectors are safe, the company
may consider divesting from some fringe areas to improve efficiency
and focus. As Boeing continues to navigate these choppy waters,
the space industry will be watching closely to see how
the Starliner program evolves and whether the company can turn
the tide on its substantial losses. Now this is a
pretty novel idea. In a fascinating development, researchers have uncovered
a new way to study extreme space weather events by
examining tree rings. This discovery could revolutionize our understanding of
solar storms and their potential impacts on Earth. Solar storms,
while often providing us with beautiful auroral displays, can pose
serious threats to our technology and infrastructure. These events can
disrupt satellite communications, GPS systems, and even power grids. But now,
thanks to the work of a team led by Amy
Hessel from the Everly College of Arts and Sciences. We
have a new tool to study these phenomena. When severe
solar storms occur, they produce energetic particles that interact with
our atmosphere, creating radiocarbon, an unstable radioactive isotope of carbon.
Trees absorb this carbon from the air as they grow,
leaving a record of these events in their annual rings.
The team has identified evidence of several extreme solar storms,
known as miake events, in tree ring records dating back
thousands of years. These findings challenge previous assumptions about how
trees absorb radiocarbon, suggesting a more complex process than initially thought.
This research isn't just academic, It has real world implications
for our safety and preparedness. Understanding the frequency and intensity
of past solar storms can help us better prepare for
future events, potentially saving lives and protecting critical infrastructure. As
we continue to rely more heavily on technology vulnerable to
space weather. This new method of studying solar storms through
tree rings could prove invaluable in our efforts to safeguard
our modern world against the unpredictable moods of our sun.
Next in a fascinating blend of science fiction and reality,
miniature monoliths inspired by the iconic film two thousand and one,
A Space Odyssey, have recently made their journey to space.
These small black slabs, modeled after the mysterious monoliths from
Stanley Kubrick's Masterpiece, hitched a ride on Blue Origin's New
Shepherd vehicle. The mission, known as n S twenty seven,
launched from Blue Origins facility in West Texas. The tiny monoliths,
measuring just zero point four by one point six by
three point five inches, were part of a unique payload
aboard the RSS Carmen Line capsule. This uncrude flight marked
the first mission for Blue Origin's second human rated launch vehicle.
The monoliths were flown for Space Manic, a satellite mission integrator,
in collaboration with Croatian publisher Amaranthine Books. Upon their return
to Earth, these spacefaring replicas will be paired with special
editions of Clark's novel, creating a truly out of this
world collectible for sci fi enthusiasts. But the monoliths weren't
alone on their cosmic journey. The New Shepherd vehicle carried
eleven other payloads, including navigation sensors for Blue Origin's moon
landing program, and student designed postcards. The mission successfully reached
above the Carmen Line, the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space,
before safely returning to Terra Firma. It's worth noting that
this isn't the first time two thousand and one a
space Odyssey has inspired real space missions. Back in two
thousand and one, NASA astronaut Thomas Jones carried a copy
of the book and a miniature monolith aboard the space
Shuttle Atlantis, enting the film's enduring influence on space exploration. Finally, today,
the hits keep coming for Boeing. In a surprising turn
of events, Intelsat has declared its Intelsat thirty three E
communications satellite a total loss following an unexpected breakdown on
October nineteenth. This satellite, which had been in operation for
just seven years, was expected to have a lifespan of
fifteen to twenty years. The sudden failure has left Intelsat
scrambling to move affected customers in Europe, Africa, and parts
of the Asia Pacific region to other platforms. What's particularly
concerning is the debris field created by this incident. The
US Space Force has reported tracking around twenty pieces shortly
after the breakdown, while other tracking companies have observed even
more fragments. Swiss company s TOA Systems noted forty pieces
and US based Exoanalytics Solutions spotted fifty seven fragments. This
sudden increase in space debris poses a potential threat to
other satellites in geostationary orbit. Intelsat is currently working with
the satellite manufacturer Boeing and government agencies to analyze data
and determine the cause of the failure. This isn't the
first time Intelsat has faced satellite issues. The Intelsat thirty
three E had already experienced propulsion system problems that had
reduced its expected operational lifetime. Additionally, its predecessor, Intelsat twenty
nine E, failed after only three years in orbit. As
the investigation continues, this incident serves as a stark reminder
of the challenges and unpredictability of satellite operations. It also
highlights the growing concern over space debris and the need
for improved satellite durability and debris mitigation strategies in our
increasingly crowded orbital environment, and that wraps up our cosmic
journey for today. I hope you've enjoyed this episode of
Astronomy Daily as much as I've enjoyed bringing it to you.
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Keep looking up and I'll catch you next time. For
more exciting news from the final frontierday.
Speaker 2: Star the band The story is Control.