Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the
latest news and insights in the world of space and astronomy.
I'm your host Anna. Today we'll start with SpaceX's rapid
progress at Starbase, where they're making significant advances with their
launch towers and preparing for future missions. Then we'll move
on to a fascinating new initiative from Japanese company astro Scale,
which aims to tackle the growing problem of space junk
with an innovative ninety million dollars mission. Next, we'll dive
into some exciting research being conducted on the International Space
Station by NASA astronauts, which Wilmore and Sunny Williams. Finally,
we'll explore Harvard professor Avi Lobe's intriguing hypothesis about how
advanced civilizations might use black holes as a power source.
Let's dive in. SpaceX has done it again. They've stacked
Launch Tower two at Orbital Launchpad B at Starbase, Texas
in record time. Now you might be wondering what this
all means and why it's such a big deal. Well,
let me break it down for you. First, the rapid
assembly of Launch Tower two is an impressive feet of
engineering and logistics. SpaceX managed to pull this off in
just forty one days, which is faster than the construction
of their previous towers. This quicker completion is already causing
waves in the aerospace community, but it's not just about speed.
The stacking of the tower signals that SpaceX can now
move forward with adding their innovative chopstick system. This is
a significant step forward, particularly for the upcoming Flight five mission.
The system is a complex piece of technology designed to
catch boosters, Yes, catch boosters mid air and then lower
them safely back to the ground. Flight five will see
Ship thirty and Booster twelve at the forefront. Both vehicles
are ready to fly, which has many enthusiasts buzzing with excitement.
Teams have even decorated Ship thirty with a unique Mechazilla decal,
symbolizing the critical goal of this mission, catching the booster.
Previous missions never featured such decals, but given the importance
of Flight five, every detail, even the esthetic ones, is
being given due attention. Now let's talk a bit about
the technical aspects that go into making these missions successful.
SpaceX requires regulatory approval for their return to launch site
URTLS approach, which involves the booster coming back to the
launch site instead of landing on a drone ship at sea.
This method has its own set of challenges and complexities.
Even though the vehicles seem ready, the mission is still
weaks away as they await final regulatory green lights. Meanwhile,
over at Pad A, preparations have been ongoing for the booster.
Catch teams are not taking any chances. They've been testing
the chopstick arms by slapping Booster fourteen point one with them.
This test involves simulating the catch process to ensure everything
works smoothly during the actual mission. This time they've even
used new bumpers made of a compressive metal structure instead
of foam or rubber, showing their commitment to continuously improving
their techniques. Notably, after these tests, the team exposed all
the weld lines on the chopstick arms and added doubler
plates to strengthen them. They also installed a new set
of bumpers and changed some of the landing rail dampers
to enhance the stability and safety of the catch process.
It's obvious that each modification is aimed at refining the
catch mechanism to utmost reliability, but it doesn't stop there.
Crews have also added larger gusset plates to the first
section of the tower, bolstering the connection between diagonal cross
beams and horizontal beams. This is likely in anticipation of
the upcoming catch attempt, and they've also added a stop
on the ship Quick Disconnect SQD ARM, which will protect
it from the compressive loads generated by the rocket's exhaust.
All this busy work at Pad A suggests that predicting
the exact timing of the next flight will be tricky.
It's a bit like waiting for all the pieces of
a giant puzzle to come together. You can't rush the process.
Every bit of hardware and every logistical detail needs to
align perfectly. Shifting our focus over to Pad B, this
is where some equally exciting developments have taken place. Padb's
tower at Starbase is now fully stacked, and it's already
more complete than its predecessors. With all commodity lines pre installed.
This down on a lot of the time consuming tasks
needed post stacking. So there you have it. SpaceX's record
breaking stacking of Launch Tower two not only brings us
closer to witnessing the awe inspiring flight five, but also
showcases the relentless innovation and precision driving today's space exploration.
Stay with us, as the sky is not the limit anymore,
space is next up. Space debris has become an increasingly
pressing issue, and we're seeing some exciting developments in how
to tackle this challenge. Japanese company Astroscale recently secured a
ninety million dollars contract to remove a bus sized rocket
stage from orbit. This mission, funded by the Japanese Aerospace
Exploration Agency or JAXA, is a significant step forward in
space sustainability utilizing advanced robotic technologies to clean up our orbits.
Astroscales project, named Address J two, aims to address the
issue of space debris. Head on space debris poses a
considerable risk to both operational satellites and future space missions,
and cleaning up this orbit junk is critical for long
term space sustainability. Imagine the challenge a three ton thirty
six foot long rocket stage just floating around in space,
creating a potential hazard. Astroscale's mission is to remove this
behemoth by the end of the decade, demonstrating a critical
technology for space cleanup. The Address J two mission builds
on the company's previous efforts under the address j initiative,
where they recently conducted an orbital inspection of a twelve
year old upper stage of a Japanese H two A rocket.
The inspection confirmed that the payload adapter, which will be
used to grab the rocket stage, is still intact. This
finding is crucial because unprepared objects in orbit pose additional challenges.
They aren't fitted with technologies that make docking or removal straightforward.
This is where Astroscale's innovative approach and advanced technology come
into play. For this mission, they plan to use a
robotic arm to grab the tumbling rocket stage and pull
it into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up on
re entry. The success of this mission could pave the
way for similar efforts in the future, helping to clear
the cluttered orbital space and make it safer for new missions.
But that's not all Astroscale is working on. They have
two other space debris removal missions in progress. In July,
the Tokyo based companies signed a contract with satellite operator
utilsat one web to remove a one web satellite equipped
with a magnetic docking plate from orbit by twenty twenty seven.
This mission aims to prove the feasibility of removing smaller
prepared objects from orbit. Another project they have in the
works is currently being considered by the UK Space Agency
and involves removing two old British satellites using a spacecraft
fitted with a robotic arm. The urgency of addressing space
debris cannot be overstated. According to the European Space Agency,
over forty thou five hundred pieces of space junk larger
than four inches are hurtling through space. This includes old satellites,
spent rocket stages, and fragments generated from previous collisions and explosions.
Alongside this, there are an estimated one point one million
objects between zero point four inches to four inches in size,
and even more pieces smaller than zero point four inches. Next,
you may be wondering what the two Boeing Starliner astronauts
have been doing during their extended stay on the ISS.
While they've hardly been sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Since
the launch of the International Space Station over two decades ago,
it has been a hub of continuous scientific research and innovation.
From its vantage point in low Earth orbit, the ISS
offers unique opportunities to conduct experiments that aren't possible on
our home planet. Recently, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny
Williams have been at the helm of these operations, contributing
to a myriad of activities designed to advance both earthly
and cosmic knowledge. Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams, both season
space travelers, arrived on the ISS on June sixth as
part of NASA's Boeing crew flight test. As veterans of
two previous space flights each, they are no strangers to
the riggers and rewards of living and working in microgravity.
Upon their arrival, the pair wasted no time immersing themselves
in station life, joining the Expedition seventy one crew in
ongoing scientific endeavors and maintenance tasks critical to the station's operation.
One of the key areas of their research focuses on
plant growth in space, an endeavor that holds immense potential
for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The
plant water management investigation is particularly fascinating as it examines
how various techniques can be used to provide adequate water
and nutrition to plants in the absence of gravity, utilizing
the physical properties of fluids such as surface tension and wetting.
This experiment aims to develop hydroponic systems that could be
used in long duration space missions. Imagine a future where
astronauts can reliably grow their own food while journeying through space,
significantly reducing the need for resupply missions. Complementing this is
the vegetable production system known as Veggie, which has already
seen success in growing fresh produce and flowers aboard the ISS.
Such fresh foods not only offer nutritional benefits, but also
boost crew morale. Wilmore has been actively involved in preparing
Veggie for future experiments by installing a light meter that
will help adjust light settings for optimal plant growth. This
research is not just groundbreaking, but offers a tangible taste
of home for astronauts on long term missions. Beyond botany,
Wilmore and Williams have also been involved in fluid physics research,
another critical area given the distinct behavior of fluids in microgravity.
These studies are essential for the development of everything from
more efficient water systems for space habitats to cooling systems
for spacecraft. In addition to scientific experiments, the astronauts have
been utilizing astrob a set of free flying robots designed
to assist with chores and maintenance. Williams has been working
closely with these robots, allowing ground controllers to remotely map
the interior of the ISS, practice docking maneuvers, and test
the robots capabilities in carrying out various tasks. These automated
helpers are not just a glimpse into the future of
space exploration. They're a functional part of station life, now
freeing up human astronauts to focus on more complex tasks.
Education and outreach are also key components of their mission.
In early August, Williams engaged in a space to Earth call,
using the HAM radio to connect with students from Bonda Atta, Indonesia. Photography,
while seemingly a leisure activity, is another significant role that
astronauts undertake. Both Wilmore and Williams have been busy capturing
stunning images of Earth from the ISS, adding to a
valuable data set that helps scientists monitor environmental changes over time.
These snapshots from space also have a psychological benefit for
the astronauts, offering them a moment of beauty and connection
with home. As their mission continues, Wilmore and Williams remain
dedicated to supporting daily operations aboard the ISS, conducting ever
more complex experiments, and sharing their experiences with the world.
Their work furthers our understanding of the fundamental science that
will be crucial for future interplanetary missions and enhances the
quality of life on Earth through technological and scientific advancements.
For the latest updates on NASA's Commercial Crew activities, including
the Boeing Crew flight test, visit the Commercial Crew Program blog,
and for daily insights into the research being conducted in microgravity,
make sure to check out the Space Station Blog. From
fluid dynamics and robotic innovations to educational outreach and the
stunning beauty of Earth seen from space, Butch Wilmore and
Sunny Williams are ushering in a new era of space
exploration that promises to benefit humanity for generations to come. Finally, today,
something a little different. Professor Avi Lobe of Harvard University
has once again sparked intriguing discussions with his latest hypothesis,
the black hole Moon. This groundbreaking idea revolves around the
concept that advanced civilizations could exploit black holes as potent
energy sources, potentially providing a techno signature an observable indicator
of advanced extraterrestrics real civilizations. The hypothesis rests on a
foundation of some well established astrophysical ideas, primarily concerning the
nature of black holes and the unique emissions they produce.
Lobe builds upon Roger Penrose's concept, proposed in nineteen seventy one,
where energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole's
accretion disc. The accretion disc is an area where matter
spirals into the black hole, accelerating to near light speeds
and releasing energy in multiple wavelengths. Over the years, various
researchers have speculated that advanced civilizations might harness this energy,
potentially rendering it a detectable techno signature. In his recent paper,
Avi Lob takes this idea a step further by suggesting
how a black hole moon could orbit a planet and
serve as an energy source. This hypothetical scenario involves creating
or capturing a small black hole weighing about one hundred
thousand tons. Now you might wonder how could such a tiny,
yet incredibly dense object power and entire planet. The answer
lies in a phenomenon known as Hawking radiation. Theorized by
Stephen hawk Looking in nineteen seventy four. According to Hawking's theory,
black holes emit a spectrum of particles and radiation, potentially
providing a massive continuous energy output. Lob proposes that an
advanced civilization could maintain this miniature black hole by feeding
it a small amount of matter just over two kilograms
per second, and in return, it would yield a staggering
forty quadrillion watts of power. To put this into perspective,
that amount of energy output is thousands of times greater
than Earth's current energy consumption needs. Essentially, this black hole
would act as the most efficient engine imaginable, converting mass
to energy with perfect efficiency. But the benefits don't stop there.
This black hole could consume any form of matter, even waste,
making it an ideal solution for both energy production and
waste management. Imagine a world where every scrap of garbage
could be turned into clean, inexhaustible energy. Such a system
could function for millions of years, provided there is matter
to sustain it. Detecting such a system from Earth poses
another exciting opportunity. Lobe suggests that if astronomers were to
come across a rogue planet illuminated by gamma rays without
any visible stellar companion. This could be the telltale sign
of a black hole moon. This could revolutionize our search
for extraterrestrial intelligence by expanding our understanding of what technosignatures
might look like. What sets this theory apart is its
blend of feasibility and innovation. While the creation and maintenance
of such a black hole are beyond our current technological capabilities,
Lobe notes that the theoretical groundwork aligns with known physics.
A civilization capable of feats like quantum tunneling to create
baby universes, as Lobe has suggested in another op ed,
would find a black hole powered engine considerably less challenging
to manage. These speculations, wild as they may seem, pave
the way for the kind of imaginative thinking that could
one day propel us to extraordinary discoveries. That wraps up
today's episode of Astronomy Daily. Thank you for tuning in,
and I hope you enjoyed our exciting lineup of stories
about SpaceX's latest advancements, astroscales, innovative space junk removal mission,
the groundbreaking research on the ISS, and the intriguing possibilities
of black hole energy sources. As always, I've been your
host Anna. For more space news, be sure to visit
our website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There you can
sign up for our free daily newsletter, read insightful blog posts,
and catch up on all the latest space and astronomy
news with our constantly updating news feed. Don't forget to
listen to all our previous episodes as well. You can
also follow us on social media. Just search for astro
Daily Pod on Facebook, x, YouTube, and TikTok to stay
connected with our community and never miss an update until
next time. Keep your eyes on the stars.
Speaker 2: Sunday Stars star story is control m