Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the
Speaker 1: latest and greatest news in space and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna,
Speaker 1: and I'm thrilled to be guiding you through.
Speaker 2: Today's top stories.
Speaker 1: We have some fascinating updates from the Cosmos, spanning from
Speaker 1: groundbreaking scientific missions to the latest in space tourism adventures.
Speaker 1: Whether you're a seasoned astronomer or just a curious stargazer,
Speaker 1: there's something here for everyone. So let's dive into some
Speaker 1: exciting content that's sure to ignite your imagination and fuel
Speaker 1: your passion for all things celestial. Stay tuned, and let's
Speaker 1: explore the wonders of the universe together. NASA and Boeing
Speaker 1: are gearing up for an uncrude return mission of the
Speaker 1: CST one hundred star Liner spacecraft. NASA teams, along with
Speaker 1: Boeing have completed a comprehensive delta flight test readiness review,
Speaker 1: giving the green light for the mission to proceed. The
Speaker 1: spacecraft is slated to undock from the International Space Station
Speaker 1: no earlier than six o four PMEDT on Friday, September sixth,
Speaker 1: depending on weather and operational readiness. Once Starliner undocks, it
Speaker 1: will begin a roughly six hour journey to its designated
Speaker 1: landing site at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
Speaker 1: The spacecraft is expected to land around twelve o three
Speaker 1: am on Saturday, September seventh. To ensure a gentle touchdown,
Speaker 1: the Starliner will deploy parachutes and use inflated air bags.
Speaker 2: To soften the impact.
Speaker 1: Recovery teams will be on hand at White Sands to
Speaker 1: secure the spacecraft and prepare it for transport back to
Speaker 1: Boeing's Starliner factory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Speaker 1: This mission follows NASA's decision on August twenty fourth to
Speaker 1: conduct the star Liner return without a human crew. In preparation,
Speaker 1: mission managers and flight controllers have updated the spacecraft systems
Speaker 1: with mission specific data ensuring that Starliner can perform a
Speaker 1: fully autonomous return to Earth. The spacecraft will be monitored
Speaker 1: and controlled remotely from Starliner Mission Control in Houston and
Speaker 1: Boeing Mission Control Center in Florida, with teams on standby
Speaker 1: to intervene if necessary during undocking, re entry, and landing procedures.
Speaker 1: Starliner has previously demonstrated its capability for autonomous return with
Speaker 1: success full uncrewded entries and landings during earlier orbital flight tests.
Speaker 1: This mission is a crucial milestone as it continues to
Speaker 1: prove the capabilities and reliability of autonomous spaceflight, paving the
Speaker 1: way for even more ambitious missions in the future. NASA
Speaker 1: is certainly in the news today, having just announced a
Speaker 1: significant milestone with the successful deployment of its advanced composite
Speaker 1: solar sale system. This innovative technology is blazing a trail
Speaker 1: for the future of space exploration. On August twenty ninth,
Speaker 1: mission operators confirmed the deployment of the sail hoisting boom system.
Speaker 1: This marked a key milestone for the mission at exactly
Speaker 1: one thirty three PMEDT. The solar sale which now spans
Speaker 1: approximately eight hundred and sixty square feet around the size
Speaker 1: of half a tennis court, has been flawlessly extended and
Speaker 1: photographed by four on board cameras. These high resolution images
Speaker 1: are expected to be released soon, giving us a detailed
Speaker 1: look at this pioneering technology. Over the next several weeks,
Speaker 1: the mission team will conduct a series of extensive tests
Speaker 1: to assess the sales maneuverability. They'll be looking at how
Speaker 1: well it can adjust the spacecraft's orbit, aiming to gather
Speaker 1: critical data that could influence the design and operation of
Speaker 1: future solar sale missions. Positioned at twice the altitude of
Speaker 1: the International Space Station, the sale could even be visible
Speaker 1: from Earth, depending on your location and timing. For those
Speaker 1: interested in catching a glimpse, NASA has promised to keep
Speaker 1: us updated through their website and social media channels. This
Speaker 1: achievement not only demonstrates the viability of the advanced composite
Speaker 1: solar sale system, but also opens the door for its
Speaker 1: potential applications in scientific and exploratory missions. The success of
Speaker 1: these preliminary tests could pave the way for a new
Speaker 1: era in space travel driven by this cutting edge technology,
Speaker 1: So keep your eyes on the skies and stay tuned
Speaker 1: to NASA's official channels for more updates. The next few
Speaker 1: weeks promised to be an exciting time as we witness
Speaker 1: the unfolding potential of solar sale technology. Truly, the future
Speaker 1: of space exploration looks as bright as ever. Blue Origin
Speaker 1: has yet again reached new heights, successfully completing its eighth
Speaker 1: human spaceflight with Mission n S twenty six. This latest
Speaker 1: venture included a diverse group of six thrill seekers among
Speaker 1: them Carson Kitchen, a twenty one year old senior at
Speaker 1: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who became
Speaker 1: the youngest woman to ever cross the Carmen Line. This boundary,
Speaker 1: located one hundred kilometers above Earth's surface, marks the edge
Speaker 1: of space and is a significant milestone in suborbital tourism.
Speaker 1: The mission took off from Blue Origins Launch Site one
Speaker 1: base in West Texas at eight am local time. The
Speaker 1: sleek New Shepherd rocket, which boast zero carbon emissions, blasted
Speaker 1: off into the sky. After liftoff, the capsule separated from
Speaker 1: its booster, which performed a precise vertical landing back on Earth.
Speaker 1: As the capsule soared beyond the Carmen Line, passengers unbuckled
Speaker 1: their seat belts to experience the thrill of weightlessness and
Speaker 1: to catch a sight of the Earth's majestic curvature from
Speaker 1: the darkness of space. The entire flight last between ten
Speaker 1: to eleven minutes, offering these space tourists a brief but
Speaker 1: extraordinary glimpse into the cosmos. Among those on board was
Speaker 1: Rob Ferrel, a researcher funded by NASA, who had the
Speaker 1: unique opportunity to conduct an experiment during the flight. Describing
Speaker 1: the experience, he said, being there in the darkness of space,
Speaker 1: there's no way to talk about how impressive that is.
Speaker 1: Blue Origin continues to forge ahead in the nascent field
Speaker 1: of suborbital tourism, making space accessible to more people than
Speaker 1: ever before. Although the company has not publicly disclosed the
Speaker 1: cost of its tickets, they are believed to range significantly
Speaker 1: depending on the individual and what they bring to the company,
Speaker 1: both in financial terms and social capital. Notably, the first
Speaker 1: seat sold in a twenty twenty one charity auction went
Speaker 1: for an astonishing twenty eight million dollars. While Blue Origin's
Speaker 1: main competitor in the suborbital space market, Virgin Galactic, is
Speaker 1: currently on a two year pause from commercial operations, Blue
Speaker 1: Origin presses on expanding the boundaries of civilian space travel
Speaker 1: and setting the stage for more groundbreaking missions in the
Speaker 1: near future. In other NASA news today, it's been announced
Speaker 1: they have awarded a lucrative contract to Intuitive Machines for
Speaker 1: an ambitious lunar South Pole research delivery. This collaboration is
Speaker 1: poised to significantly expand our knowledge of the Moon's uncharted territories,
Speaker 1: bringing us closer to unveiling its many mysteries. The mission
Speaker 1: will focus on the lunar South Pole, an area of
Speaker 1: great interest due to its unique conditions and potential ice deposits.
Speaker 1: These discoveries could be instrumental for future missions, possibly providing
Speaker 1: essential resources for astronauts, or being utilized in a variety
Speaker 1: of scientific research projects. In essence, this contract marks a
Speaker 1: major step forward in lunar exploration, paving the way for
Speaker 1: groundbreaking findings and future expeditions. Imagine taking the concept of
Speaker 1: a sci fi warp drive and testing what happens if
Speaker 1: it enters a black hole. That's exactly what researchers Remo
Speaker 1: Garattini and Kiril Zatrimelov have been exploring their recent study
Speaker 1: into whether a warp bubble, the key element in a
Speaker 1: warp drive, could survive the intense gravitational field of a
Speaker 1: black hole. According to their findings, it turns out that
Speaker 1: under specific conditions, a warp bubble might just pull it off. Specifically,
Speaker 1: if the ship enters a schwartz Child black hole, which
Speaker 1: has no charge and doesn't rotate at a speed slower
Speaker 1: than that of light, the bubble could be sustained. The
Speaker 1: black hole's gravity would actually decrease the amount of negative
Speaker 1: energy needed to maintain the warp field, making it more feasible.
Speaker 1: This study is more than just a fascinating thought experiment.
Speaker 1: It opens up the possibility for future research into creating smaller,
Speaker 1: lab based warp drive models. Plus, it challenges our current
Speaker 1: understanding of both warp drives and black holes, pushing the
Speaker 1: boundaries of theoretical physics. While practical warp drive technology might
Speaker 1: still be decades or even centuries away, this pioneering research
Speaker 1: is laying the groundwork.
Speaker 2: Who knows, someday we might.
Speaker 1: Actually see a spacecraft use a warp drive to travel
Speaker 1: across the universe, navigating even the most dangerous black holes.
Speaker 1: The universe continues to amaze with its endless possibilities, and
Speaker 1: that wraps up today's episode of Astronomy Daily with your
Speaker 1: host Anna. Thank you so much for joining me as
Speaker 1: we explored the latest happenings from the Cosmos. If you're
Speaker 1: eager for more space news between our episodes, make sure
Speaker 1: to visit our website at Astronomy Daily dot io.
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Speaker 1: date on everything space related, from new discoveries to thrilling missions.
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Speaker 1: Thank you for being part of our cosmic journey today.
Speaker 1: Until next time, keep looking up to day.
Speaker 2: Star is the soul, The star is the tull, Story
Speaker 2: is control.