Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for all
the latest in space and astronomy news. I'm your host Anna.
Today we have a fantastic lineup of stories that will
ignite your curiosity and expand your understanding of the cosmos.
We'll start with SpaceX's ambitious plans to land and recover
its starship rocket off the coast of Australia, a move
that could mark a significant milestone in international space collaboration.
We'll also delve into NASA's recent groundbreaking insights into near
Earth asteroids thanks to the high resolution images captured during
the Dart mission.
Speaker 2: On top of that, we have some.
Speaker 1: Intriguing news from the United Launch Alliance's latest mission, where
a top secret payload for the US Space Force was
successfully launched. And last, but not least, we'll touch on
the upcoming repair mission for NASA's Nicer X ray telescope
on the International Space Station, an essential fix that promises
to restore its stellar research capabilities. So stay tuned and
let's dive into the cosmos together. SpaceX is making waves
with its latest ambitious plan to land and recover its
starship rocket off the coast of Australia. Discussions are underway
between SpaceX and officials in both the United States and Australia,
signifying a monumental step forward in SpaceX's quest to expand
its operations globally. This initiative highlights the strengthening of security
ties between the two nations, positioning Australia as a crucial
partner in future space endeavors. The first successful controlled splashdown
of a Starship rocket happened just last June in the
Indian Ocean. This milestone has emboldened SpaceX to extend its
testing campaign. The recovery and successive landings of the Starship
boosters are pivotal in enhancing the development of this enormous
reusable rocket, one design not only to launch satellites, but
also to land astronauts on the Moon. The current plan
involves launching the Starship from a facility in Texas and
landing it in the sea off Australia's coast. From there,
the rocket would be recovered on Australian territory. Requires the
loosening of US export controls on sophisticated space technologies, a
process that President Joe Biden's administration has already started to
facilitate within the Aucue Security Alliance, which includes the United States,
Australia and Britain. Although SpaceX, the US Space Force, and
the Australian Space Agency have yet to comment officially, unnamed
sources reveal that towing Starship to a port on Australia's
western or northern coasts could be an ideal recovery method. However,
specific plans and locations are still under discussion. These conversations
reflect the US determination to bolster Australia's military capabilities as
a countermeasure to China's increasing assertiveness in the region. The
collaboration would signify a heightened level of trust in Australia,
which has long sought to enhance its space defense program
and build stronger civil and military ties with the United States.
The ongoing discussions primarily focus on the regulatory challenges of
bringing a record covered starship booster ashore in a foreign country,
making the timing of any landing still uncertain for SpaceX,
The proposed test landings in Australia could be the initial
phase of a broader initiative that may eventually include launching
from a facility on the continent, or even achieving land
based recoveries. A similar incremental approach was employed in the
development of the Falcon nine rocket, which is now SpaceX's
workhorse and has executed hundreds of successful landings. Standing at
a towering four hundred feet, Starship is designed to be
fully reusable. This next generation rocket system has the capability
to launch large satellite batches into space, facilitate lunar missions,
and could potentially be utilized for rapid military cargo deliveries
around the globe in as little as ninety minutes.
Speaker 2: The successful test flight.
Speaker 1: In June, where Starship managed a soft splash down in
the Indian Ocean while its booster landed in the Gulf
of Mexico, marked a signalificant progression for the program. Prior
tests had ended with disintegration before achieving a safe landing.
This achievement has propelled SpaceX into a new phase of
more complex landing tests, reinforcing the potential military applications envisioned
by the US Air Force Research Laboratory's Rocket Cargo program.
Under a one hundred two million dollars Pentagon contract, SpaceX
has been studying point to point delivery using Starships since
twenty twenty one, with plans to move into a more
advanced prototype phase next year. This capability could revolutionize logistics
by reducing the time needed to deliver cargo across the
world to a fraction of the current twelve to twenty
four hours required by traditional aircraft. As these plans unfold,
it's clear that SpaceX is not just looking at the stars,
but also at the future of international partnerships in space exploration.
The coming months and years are sure to bring exciting
developments as regulations are navigated and tested, setting the stage
for SpaceX's growing presence in Australia and beyond. This could
very well be the dawn of a new era in
global space collaboration, with SpaceX leading the charge. NASA's Dart mission,
which made headlines in twenty twenty two when it successfully
struck the asteroid Dimorphose, has recently yielded some incredibly valuable findings.
As you might remember, the Dart spacecraft was part of
a planetary defense test aiming to see if a kinetic
impact could alter the path of an asteroid. Well, in
addition to proving that such a strategy can work, the
mission has provided a wealth of scientific data that's helping
us delve even deeper into the mysteries of near Earth asteroids.
Speaker 2: In the moments leading up to the.
Speaker 1: Impact, DART captured high resolution images of de MorphOS and
its larger companion, Ditemos.
Speaker 2: These images have been.
Speaker 1: Critical for scientists trying to piece together the complex history
of these two fascinating celestial bodies. The craters and surface
features on Didimos suggest it formed about twelve point five
million years ago, likely in our Solar System's main asteroid
belt between Mars and Jupiter, before being knocked into the
inner Solar System. Dimorphose, on the other hand, appears to
be much younger, clocking in at around three hundred thousand
years old. Both asteroids are what scientists call rubble pile structures,
meaning they're composed of rocky fragments that have coalesced under
gravitational forces. This type of formation generally results from the
catastrophic breakup of apparent asteroid. Detailed analyzes of the largest
boulders on both Dimorphose and Didamos indicate they couldn't have
formed from surface impacts, as such collisions would have destroyed
these bodies rather than creating massive boulders. Leading this fascinating
research is astronomer Maurzio Pagola from Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics.
Payola explains that the surface of these asteroids is covered
with boulders, with the largest on Dimorphose being as big
as a school bus and the largest Ondidamos, comparable to
a soccer field. The rocks on Dimorphose even show signs
of cracks, and Didamos might have finer grained soils at
its equator, though that's still up for debate based on
current imagery. Interestingly, the researchers also discovered that Demorphose likely
formed from material ejected from Didamos's equatorial region, caused by
its rapid rotation, an effect known as the yorp effect,
which is driven by sunlight. This past rapid spin caused
Ditamos to eject mass, some of which coalesced to form dimorphose.
NASA's DART mission marks a significant milestone in our understanding
of binary asteroid systems, where a primary asteroid is orbited
by a smaller moonlight. These systems represent about ten to
fifteen percent of all near Earth asteroids, so learning more
about them is crucial. According to Olivier barnouin a planetary
geologist at Johns Hopkins University. Every new observation helps us
understand how these cosmic rocks form and evolve. Despite their complexities,
smaller asteroids under a kilometer in size share surprisingly similar characteristics,
making each new data point invaluable. The DART mission didn't
just strike dimorphose. It slightly altered the asteroid's trajectory, proving
that kinetic force can indeed change the course of a
potential Earth threatening object. This finding has massive implications for
planetary defense strategies going forward. So that's a wrap on
the latest insights from NASA's DART mission. It's amazing to
think about how much we're learning, not just about these
specific asteroids, but about the larger patterns and processes that
govern near Earth objects. As always, space offers us endless
opportunities for discovery, and it's thrilling to see these small
steps leading to giant leaps in our understanding. And now
a follow up from our story yesterday, the United Launch
Alliance or ULA has achieved a significant milestone by successfully
launching a top secret payload for the US Space Force.
This mission was carried out using the trusted Atlas five rocket,
lifting off successfully from Launch Complex forty one in Florida
on Tuesday morning, EDT. It's worth noting that this launch
represents the one hundredth national security mission for ULA, a
testament to their long standing partnership with the US government
and their expertise in space missions that are crucial to
national defense. However, this mission is particularly notable for another reason.
It marks the final national security mission for the Atlas
five rocket. The Atlas five has been a reliable workhorse
for ULA, playing a pivotal role in numerous critical.
Speaker 2: Missions over the years.
Speaker 1: Now, as the Atlas five prepares for retirement, ULA is
shifting its focus to the next generation of launch vehicles,
specifically their Vulcan rocket. The Vulcan is set to take
over and continue providing the same level of reliability and
performance that its predecessor, the Atlas five, has delivered. As
is often the case with national security payloads, specific details
about the cargo remain classified. The secrecy surrounded the payload
underscores the importance and sensitivity of the mission. Despite this
veil of confidentiality, the successful launch highlights ULA's reputation for
dependability and precision in executing complex missions. Colonel Jim Horn,
the senior material leader of the launch execution Delta, expressed
a mix of emotions about the transition. He reminisced about
the first national security launch involving an Atlas five and
the journey to this final mission. It's indeed a bittersweet
moment for everyone involved as they say goodbye to a
rocket that has served them well and look forward to
the future with the Vulcan. So while we might not
know exactly what was aboard the Atlas five this time,
the mission's success certainly adds another impressive chapter to ULA's
storied history.
Speaker 2: It also sets the stage.
Speaker 1: For an exciting new era, with the Vulcan rocket poised
to continue ULA's legacy of excellence in space launch services.
In exciting news from the International Space Station, NASA is
prepping for a repair mission on the Nicer Telescope, an
X ray observatory that has been delivering incredible science since
its deployment. In May twenty twenty three, Nicer sustained damage
that created a light leak, letting unwonted sunlight interfere with
its sensitive measurements. This issue hampered the telescope's ability to
study the Cosmos during the station's daylight hours, although nighttime
observations remained unaffected. NASA's dedicated team has been hard at
work diagnosing and preparing for this repair. It's remarkable that
within a year they were able to detect the issue,
design a solution, and get everything prepped and ready for deployment.
NICER's repair kit, lovingly crafted by the expert team at
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, contains specialized patches designed to
cover the damaged areas of the telescope's thermal shields, located
near the station's starboard solar array. NICER's thermal shields are
ultra thin and engineered to filter out various types of
light while allowing X rays to pass through. These shields
are crucial for nyser's primary mission to observe neutron stars
and other X ray sources in space. Any damage to
these shields compromises the telescope's ability to conduct its groundbreaking research.
The repair operation will take place during an upcoming spacewalk.
Astronauts will install these custom designed patches, each shaped like
a piece of pie to easily fit under the sunshades
of the X ray concentrators. This ingenious design will block
the intrusive sunlight and restore niser's capabilities. The patch materials
include a mix of existing parts of the telescope and
standard toolkits available on the ISS, showcasing NASA's innovative problem
solving skills. What makes this even more special is that
NICSER wasn't originally designed to be serviced or repaired. It
was installed robotically and remotely operated, so the team's ability
to come up with a viable repair plan is a
testament to their resourcefulness and expertise. With twelve patches available
in the repair kit, the astronauts will have plenty of
material to address all the significant areas of damage. The
patches will be carried in a specially designed caddy during
the spacewalk, ensuring they are easily accessible. This mission accomplishes
more than just a fix. It marks the first time
an X ray telescope in orbit will be serviced by astronauts.
NICER joins an elite group of space observatories like the
Hubble Space Telescope that have received on orbit repairs, further
enhancing its legacy of scientific discovery. This repair is not
just about fixing what's broken, It's about enabling Nicer to
continue its invaluable research. The telescope provides unprecedented insights into
the structure of neutron stars, measures mysterious fast radio bursts,
and even observes comets and Earth's upper atmosphere. Steve Kenyon,
Nicser's mechanical lead at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, voice
the collective enthusiasm, sharing how excited they are for the
repairs to be completed and for Nicer to return to
its full potential. The mission's principle investing gator, Keith Jendro,
also praise the collaboration across various NASA centers and the
Space Station program to make this repair possible. As we
look forward to this repair mission, the successful patching of
Nicer will undoubtedly lead to more groundbreaking discoveries and enhance
our understanding of some of the universe's most enigmatic phenomena.
So stay tuned for updates on this extraordinary mission as
Nicer gears up to get back to doing what it
does best, exploring the X ray universe and expanding our
cosmic knowledge. Thank you for tuning in to this episode
of Astronomy Daily. I'm anna and it was a pleasure
to share these fascinating updates from the world of space
and astronomy with you. Don't forget to visit our website
at Astronomydaily dot io to sign up for our free
daily newsletter, catch up on the latest news and listen to.
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