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