WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.839 Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Steve your host. It's the 2 00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:06.040 sixteenth of the ninth, twenty twenty four. 3 00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:11.800 The podcast with your whole Steve gun Crude. 4 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:16.359 Yes, welcome and welcome to Astronomy Daily. We have a 5 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:20.079 terrific collection of stories right off the Astronomy Daily newsletter 6 00:00:20.120 --> 00:00:22.920 for you today, and Hallie will share with you something 7 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.320 from down Under, in fact, way down under, all the 8 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:28.800 way from gorgeous Adelaide in South Australia where they are 9 00:00:28.839 --> 00:00:33.039 working on hypersonic technology. Great story. We'll have a look 10 00:00:33.079 --> 00:00:36.320 at the next chapter for Boeing and Starliner, following the 11 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:40.280 long stay at the ISS and the uncrude re entry 12 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:44.039 of that craft. That'll be interesting. And did you know 13 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:47.520 there's a partial lunar eclipse coming shortly. I think Halle 14 00:00:47.520 --> 00:00:49.479 has the details for that one as well. I saw 15 00:00:49.520 --> 00:00:52.000 her going through the calendar a while ago, so I'm 16 00:00:52.079 --> 00:00:56.039 sure she's got those details. The big news of this week, 17 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.119 of course, was the flight of Polaris Dawn. If you 18 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:02.719 were under a rock or asleep like I was, you'll 19 00:01:03.280 --> 00:01:06.799 probably might have missed some of it. But he safely 20 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:10.840 returned to Florida yesterday. That's our time here in Australia. 21 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:15.920 But anyway, returned to Florida and there's another story filed 22 00:01:15.959 --> 00:01:18.439 here somewhere on Malli. 23 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:26.120 Where did you put it? Helle? 24 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:27.879 Helly? 25 00:01:32.519 --> 00:01:42.719 Helle? Ah, Helle, crazy kids? Found my record collection again? 26 00:01:48.519 --> 00:01:55.480 That's David Bowie. Halle turn it down? Oh cool? 27 00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:56.560 Hey? 28 00:01:56.599 --> 00:01:58.719 Have you been going through my record collection again? 29 00:01:59.040 --> 00:02:00.640 Final Human? Really? 30 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:01.480 Yeah? Really? 31 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:03.519 And David Bowie, Oh the star. 32 00:02:03.560 --> 00:02:05.319 Man, I mean, the coolest man on the planet. 33 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:07.879 Okay, I'll give you that one. But you know why 34 00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:09.240 I pulled that song out, don't you. 35 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:12.120 Ah? Yes, sir, I remember what the story is now. 36 00:02:12.199 --> 00:02:13.639 It's the spiders from Mars. 37 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:15.439 It's just too cool for school, isn't it. 38 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:17.879 Helly so weird? Do you think he knew all those 39 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:18.439 years ago? 40 00:02:19.120 --> 00:02:19.840 Oh? I don't know. 41 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:23.319 No, he was pretty weird back in the day though. 42 00:02:23.360 --> 00:02:25.759 I mean it was a great song. If you don't 43 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:28.840 know who we're talking about, we're talking about David Bowie 44 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:32.000 and his song Ziggy Stardust and the spot is from Mars, 45 00:02:32.080 --> 00:02:35.840 coincidentally preempting a story on the Astronomy Daily newsletter this week. 46 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.439 Just a coincidence, of course, or is it you're freaking 47 00:02:39.439 --> 00:02:39.919 my bits? 48 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:40.080 Now? 49 00:02:40.159 --> 00:02:42.680 Human? Should I do some stories. 50 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:45.360 Yeah, keep on truck and Halle lay them on a. 51 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:47.960 Sister, so groovy. All of a sudden. 52 00:02:47.759 --> 00:02:50.080 Ground control to Helle, I was never cool. 53 00:02:50.400 --> 00:03:01.639 It's news time, Roger that my favorite human. South Australia 54 00:03:01.680 --> 00:03:04.159 is set to enhance its position as a global aerospace 55 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:07.439 hub following a memorandum of understanding between Southern Launch, a 56 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:11.680 prominent spaceport provider, and Hypersonics Launch Systems, a Queensland based 57 00:03:11.680 --> 00:03:16.680 developer of hypersonic vehicles and scramjet technology. The memorandum outlines 58 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.800 a collaboration to develop a hypersonic testbed service that will 59 00:03:19.879 --> 00:03:24.400 utilize Southern Launch as spaceports for testing. Hypersonics is known 60 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:28.319 for its expertise in designing and manufacturing hypersonic vehicle technology 61 00:03:28.360 --> 00:03:30.759 and scramjet engines, and this agreement will see the two 62 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.280 companies working together on a mission to launch and return 63 00:03:33.360 --> 00:03:38.039 Hypersonics's test bed vehicles utilizing either of Southern Launches spaceports. 64 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:42.159 South Australia has some geographical advantages that make it the 65 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:46.800 perfect place to test hypersonic vehicles. Hypersonic aircraft travel at 66 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:49.599 speeds exceeding five times the speed of sound and require 67 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:54.039 extensive space for testing. Hypersonics's aircraft will be launched on 68 00:03:54.080 --> 00:03:56.719 a rocket and will ignite its scramjet engines to achieve 69 00:03:56.759 --> 00:03:59.560 speeds of up to mock twelve. There are a huge 70 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:03.199 number of both emerging technology companies and large aerospace companies 71 00:04:03.240 --> 00:04:05.960 that need hypersonic flight heritage for their products, and the 72 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:10.639 intensity of hypersonic testing is set to rise rapidly. Hypersonic 73 00:04:10.719 --> 00:04:13.520 CEO Matt Hill said, our hypersonic test bed will make 74 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:16.920 it more affordable for these companies to flight qualify their technology. 75 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:20.279 The companies are set to collaborate on a concept for 76 00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:23.160 the future commercial launch and return of a hypersonics test 77 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:27.480 bed vehicle. Hypersonics's long term goal is to provide affordable 78 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:30.560 aircraft like access to space, with spacecraft deployed at the 79 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:33.160 edge of space and returning to Earth like an airplane. 80 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:37.759 The technology also holds the promise of powering future passenger aircraft, 81 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:41.079 potentially reducing flight times from Adelaide to London to just 82 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:48.160 two hours. And yes, human I found the next eclipse 83 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:51.519 in the calendar. It only took a nanosecond, of course, 84 00:04:51.560 --> 00:04:54.160 and it turns out we get a bonus with this one. 85 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:58.040 So get ready for a partial lunar eclipse and supermoon 86 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:01.560 all rolled into one. The spectacle will be visible in 87 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:05.000 clear skies across North America and South America Tuesday night, 88 00:05:05.040 --> 00:05:08.800 and in Africa and Europe Wednesday morning. A partial lunar 89 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:11.480 eclipse happens when the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon, 90 00:05:11.759 --> 00:05:13.959 casting a shadow that darkens a sliver of the Moon 91 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:16.839 and appears to take a bite out of it. Since 92 00:05:16.879 --> 00:05:19.240 the Moon will inch closer to Earth than usual, it'll 93 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:22.639 appear a bit larger in the sky. The supermoon is 94 00:05:22.680 --> 00:05:25.720 one of three remaining this year. A little bit of 95 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:27.800 the Sun's light is being blocked, so the Moon will 96 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.959 be slightly dimmer, said Valerie raps In, an astronomer at 97 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:34.480 the State University of New York. At ONEONTA. The Earth, 98 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:36.639 Moon and Sun line up to produce a solar or 99 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:39.240 lunar eclipse anywhere from four to seven times a year, 100 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:42.959 according to NASA. This lunar eclipse is the second and 101 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.560 final of the year, after a slight darkening in March. 102 00:05:46.560 --> 00:05:49.759 In April, a total solar eclipse plunged select cities into 103 00:05:49.839 --> 00:05:54.240 darkness across North America. No special eye protection is needed 104 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:57.439 to view a lunar eclipse, viewers can stare at the 105 00:05:57.439 --> 00:05:59.680 Moon with the naked eye, or opt for binoculars and 106 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:03.199 telloscopes to get a closer look. To spot the Moon's 107 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.959 subtle shrinkage over time, hang outside for a few hours, 108 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:08.120 or take multiple peaks over the course of the evening, 109 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:10.920 said cauch On, you, curator at the Denver Museum of 110 00:06:11.040 --> 00:06:14.040 Nature and Science. It will take some time for you 111 00:06:14.079 --> 00:06:16.839 to see the difference, but as good skywatchers know, it's 112 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:20.480 all about the observations and being patient for a more 113 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:24.680 striking lunar site. Skywatchers can set their calendars for March thirteenth, 114 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:27.879 the Moon will be totally eclipsed by the Earth's shadow 115 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:30.240 and will be painted red by stray bits of sunlight 116 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:36.759 filtering through Earth's atmosphere. I Run on Saturday blasted a 117 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:39.800 new research satellite into orbit, State Media said, in the 118 00:06:39.879 --> 00:06:42.839 latest such development for an aerospace program that has long 119 00:06:42.839 --> 00:06:47.680 faced Western criticism, the Shameran one research satellite was successfully 120 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:50.480 launched and put into orbit by the game one hundred carrier. 121 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:55.279 State Television said. The satellite, which weighs around sixty kilograms 122 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:57.720 or one hundred and thirty two pounds, is designed to 123 00:06:57.720 --> 00:07:01.240 test hardware and software systems for orbital maneuver technology, the 124 00:07:01.319 --> 00:07:05.360 report said. It also stated that the device was designed 125 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:09.480 and built by Iranian electronics industries affiliated with the Defense ministry. 126 00:07:10.480 --> 00:07:13.959 Western governments, including the United States, have repeatedly warned Iran 127 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:17.199 against such launches, saying the same technology can be used 128 00:07:17.199 --> 00:07:20.959 for ballistic missiles, including ones designed to deliver a nuclear warhead. 129 00:07:21.839 --> 00:07:24.600 Iran has countered that it is not seeking nuclear weapons 130 00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:27.040 and that its satellite and rocket launches are for civil 131 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:31.079 or defense purposes only. The Game one hundred rocket, which 132 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:34.720 carried the latest satellite, is manufactured by the Aerospace Organization 133 00:07:34.839 --> 00:07:38.040 of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, an arm of the military. 134 00:07:39.000 --> 00:07:41.600 The carrier is the country's first three stage solid fuel 135 00:07:41.639 --> 00:07:45.000 satellite launcher, and official media reported its use in January 136 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:46.959 to send a satellite for the first time into an 137 00:07:47.040 --> 00:07:50.160 orbit above five hundred kilometers or three hundred and ten miles. 138 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:54.680 Iran has for years been advancing its aerospace activities, insisting 139 00:07:54.720 --> 00:07:57.639 they are peaceful and in accordance with United Nations Security 140 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:02.240 Council resolutions. In February, Russia put into orbit an Iranian 141 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:06.759 remote sensing and imaging satellite drawing condemnation from the United States. 142 00:08:07.480 --> 00:08:11.240 At the time, Iran's telecommunications minister said Iran had carried 143 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:14.319 out a dozen satellite launches over the previous two years. 144 00:08:15.040 --> 00:08:18.839 Iran in January said it simultaneously sent three satellites into orbit, 145 00:08:19.120 --> 00:08:21.560 nearly a week after the launch of a research satellite 146 00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:25.519 by the Guards. The Islamic Republic has struggled with several 147 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:29.600 satellite launch failures in the past. Iran has suffered years 148 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:33.480 of crippling Western sanctions, especially after its archfaux. The United States, 149 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:37.320 under then President Donald Trump in twenty eighteen, unilaterally abandoned 150 00:08:37.320 --> 00:08:41.519 a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. Iran 151 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.960 on Thursday summoned four European ambassadors after they imposed new 152 00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:47.919 sanctions over its alleged supply of ballistic missiles to Russia 153 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:50.159 for use in Ukraine, which Tehran denies. 154 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:03.320 Thank you for joining us for this Monday edition of 155 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:05.720 Astronomy Daily, where we offer just a few stories from 156 00:09:05.759 --> 00:09:09.000 the now famous Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can receive 157 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.840 in your email every day, just like Hallie and I do. 158 00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:15.519 And to do that, just visit our url Astronomy Daily 159 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:19.279 dot io and place your email address in the slot provided. 160 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:22.440 Just like that, you'll be receiving all the latest news 161 00:09:22.440 --> 00:09:25.799 about science, space, science and astronomy from around the world 162 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:28.679 as it's happening. And not only that, you can interact 163 00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:33.440 with us by visiting at astro Daily pod on x 164 00:09:33.799 --> 00:09:36.519 or at our new Facebook page, which is of course 165 00:09:36.559 --> 00:09:38.440 Astronomy Daily on Facebook. 166 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:39.200 See you there. 167 00:09:40.679 --> 00:09:46.759 Astronomy with Steve and Halee Space Space Science and Astronomy. 168 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:56.399 Boeing's crew transport space capsule the Starline a return to 169 00:09:56.440 --> 00:10:00.919 Earth without its two person crew right after midnight Eastern 170 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:05.279 time on September seven. Its remotely piloted return marked the 171 00:10:05.399 --> 00:10:09.159 end of a fraught test flight to the International Space Station, 172 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:13.120 which left two astronauts, Books Wilmore and Sanita Sunny Williams 173 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.080 on the space station four months longer than intended after 174 00:10:17.120 --> 00:10:20.840 thrust failures led NASA to deem the capsule unsafe to 175 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:24.919 pilot back. Wilmore and Williams will stay on the ISS 176 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.600 until February twenty twenty five, when they will return to 177 00:10:28.679 --> 00:10:34.000 Earth on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. NASA awarded contracts to 178 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:38.519 both Boeing and SpaceX in twenty fourteen to provide crew 179 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:42.519 transport vehicles to the ISS via the commercial crew program. 180 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:45.559 At the start of the program, both most bets were 181 00:10:45.559 --> 00:10:48.080 on Boeing to take the lead because of its extensive 182 00:10:48.120 --> 00:10:53.000 aerospace experience. However, SpaceX moved very quickly with its new 183 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:56.000 rock at the Falcon nine and its cargo ship Dragon. 184 00:10:56.399 --> 00:11:01.000 While they suffered some early failures during testing, they aggressively built, tested, 185 00:11:01.120 --> 00:11:05.639 and learned from each failure. In twenty twenty, SpaceX successfully 186 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:11.440 launched its first test crew to the ISS Space Station. Meanwhile, 187 00:11:11.440 --> 00:11:14.960 Boeing struggled through some development setbacks. The outcome of this 188 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:18.600 first test flight is a huge disappointment for Boeing and NASA, 189 00:11:18.679 --> 00:11:22.600 but NASA's leadership has expressed its support for Boeing believe 190 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:25.720 it remains the agency's best interest to have more than 191 00:11:25.759 --> 00:11:29.919 one American crew launch system to support continued space operations. 192 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:34.159 NASA is also continuing to engage partnership with Russia. This 193 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:37.360 partnership provides the agency with multiple ways to get crew 194 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:40.519 members to and from the space station. As space station 195 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:44.320 operations continue, NASA and its partners have enough options to 196 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:46.919 get people to and from the station that they'll always 197 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:50.279 have the essential crew on the station even if there's 198 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:54.080 launch disruptions for any one of the capable crewed vehicles. 199 00:11:54.519 --> 00:11:58.200 Having Starliner as an option will help that with that redundancy. 200 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:01.600 At the moment, Boeing is going head to head with 201 00:12:01.759 --> 00:12:06.480 space X. Now, the SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft has several 202 00:12:06.519 --> 00:12:09.759 flights under its belt and it's proven a reliable way 203 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:12.960 to get to and from the space station. It's important 204 00:12:12.960 --> 00:12:16.519 to remember that this was a test flight for Starline. 205 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:19.799 Of course, the program managers want each test flight to 206 00:12:19.879 --> 00:12:23.759 run perfectly, but you can't anticipate every potential problem through 207 00:12:23.799 --> 00:12:27.919 ground testing. Unsurprisingly, some problems crop up and you expect 208 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:31.840 them in a test flight. The space pro environment is unforgiving. 209 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:36.240 A small problem can become catastrophic in zero gravity. It's 210 00:12:36.279 --> 00:12:39.919 hard to replicate these situations on the ground. The technology 211 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:42.919 SpaceX and Boeing use is also radically different from the 212 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:46.600 kind of capsule technology used in the early days of Mercury, 213 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:51.519 Gemini and Apollo programs. NASA has evolved and made strategic 214 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:54.720 moves to advance its mission over the past two decades. 215 00:12:55.200 --> 00:12:58.519 The agency has leaned into its legacy of thinking outside 216 00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:01.879 the box. It was in innovative move to break from 217 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:07.000 the tradition and leverage commercial competitors to advance the program. 218 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:10.279 NASA gave the companies a set of requirements and left 219 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:12.320 it up to them to figure out how. 220 00:13:12.120 --> 00:13:13.480 They would meet them. 221 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:17.960 As for but Wilmore and Sonny Williams, they are considered 222 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:21.519 rock solid professionals, and it's believed that their first thoughts 223 00:13:21.559 --> 00:13:24.799 are about completing their missions safely. They are both highly 224 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:30.399 experienced astronauts with previous long duration space station experience. But 225 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:33.039 right now NASA is dealing with a ripple effect with 226 00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:36.600 more astronauts than expected on the space station. More people 227 00:13:36.679 --> 00:13:40.480 means more consumables like food and clothing that are required. 228 00:13:41.039 --> 00:13:44.440 The space station has supported a large crew for short 229 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.480 periods in the past, but with nine crew members already 230 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.519 on board, the systems have to work harder to purify, 231 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:55.159 recycle drinking water, generate oxygen, and remove carbon dioxide from 232 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:59.559 their atmosphere. Wilmore and Williams are also consuming food, and 233 00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:03.480 they did derive with the clothes and other personal supplies 234 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:07.279 they needed for an eighth month's stay, so NASA has 235 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:10.559 already started increasing those deliveries on cargo ships. 236 00:14:11.639 --> 00:14:12.600 It's understood that. 237 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:17.840 Human spaceflight is excruciatingly hard and relentlessly, unforgiving. A million 238 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:21.240 things must go right to have a successful mission. It's 239 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:25.120 impossible to fully understand the performance of systems in microgravity 240 00:14:25.240 --> 00:14:29.360 environments until they are tested in space. NASA has had 241 00:14:29.399 --> 00:14:32.039 its numerous failures and near misses in the quest to 242 00:14:32.080 --> 00:14:34.919 put Americans on the Moon. They lost the Apollo one 243 00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:37.600 crew and a fire during a pre flight test. They 244 00:14:37.679 --> 00:14:40.600 launched the first Space Shuttle in nineteen eighty one and 245 00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:44.080 dealt with problems throughout that programme's thirty year life, including 246 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:48.519 the terrible losses of Challenger and Columbia. After having no 247 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:53.320 other US options for over thirty years, three different human 248 00:14:53.360 --> 00:14:57.919 spacecraft programs are now underway. In addition to the SpaceX crew, 249 00:14:58.000 --> 00:15:02.639 Dragon and Boeing Star Owner NASA's oryon spacecraft for the 250 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:06.360 Artemis two mission is planned to fly four astronauts around 251 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:09.679 the Moon in the next couple of years. These programs 252 00:15:09.720 --> 00:15:12.559 have had setbacks and bumps along the way, and there 253 00:15:12.600 --> 00:15:16.120 will be more. But there is excitement in the air. 254 00:15:16.480 --> 00:15:19.879 There hasn't been this kind of excitement since Apollo put 255 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:25.240 men on the moon. You're listening to a slightly Day 256 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:34.200 the podcast, now moving on to the big story this 257 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:39.600 week which is of course SpaceX Polarist Dawn mission, which 258 00:15:39.639 --> 00:15:43.960 made history when the crew conducted the first spacewalk by 259 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:47.480 non government astronauts, and it's splashed down off the coast 260 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:51.159 of Florida early on Sunday. It's landed in the ocean, 261 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:55.360 and a webcast of the splashdown showed with a recovery 262 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:59.039 team deploying in the pre dawn darkness to retrieve the 263 00:15:59.080 --> 00:16:02.799 capsule and crew. Form member team led by fintech billionaire 264 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:08.080 Jared Isaacman, launched Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center, quickly journeying 265 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:11.240 deeper into the Cosmos than any humans in the past 266 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.399 half century. As they ventured into the dangerous Van Allen 267 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:19.759 radiation belt. They reached a peak altitude of eight hundred 268 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:22.240 and seventy miles that's fourteen hundred kilometers for the rest 269 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:25.639 of US, more than three times higher than the International 270 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:28.960 Space Station and the furthest humans had ever traveled from 271 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:32.759 Earth since the Apollo missions. Then, on Thursday, with their 272 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:36.519 Dragon spacecrafts or but brought down to four hundred and 273 00:16:36.519 --> 00:16:40.720 thirty four miles, Isaacman swung open the hatch and climbed 274 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:45.559 out into the void. Gripping a structure called Skywalker. Of course, 275 00:16:46.039 --> 00:16:51.320 as the breathtaking view of Earth unfolded before him, SpaceX 276 00:16:51.399 --> 00:16:53.879 back home. We have a lot of work to do, 277 00:16:54.120 --> 00:16:58.000 but from here Earthshore looks like a perfect world, he 278 00:16:58.080 --> 00:17:03.360 told mission control in Hawthorne, California, where teams erupted into applause. 279 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:06.279 He went back inside after a few minutes and was 280 00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:10.519 replaced by second astronaut, space EX engineer Sarah Gillis, who, 281 00:17:10.680 --> 00:17:15.079 like Isaacman, performed a series of mobility tests on SpaceX's 282 00:17:15.160 --> 00:17:19.599 sleek next generation suits, and I reckon those suits look fantastic. 283 00:17:20.119 --> 00:17:23.240 Since Dragon doesn't have an airlock, the entire crew were 284 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:27.759 exposed to the vacuum of space. Mission pilot Scott Petit 285 00:17:28.119 --> 00:17:33.920 and SpaceX engineer Ana Menon remained strapped in throughout as 286 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:37.039 they monitored vital support systems. I know what I would 287 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:40.160 have been doing right then. It marked a giant leap 288 00:17:40.279 --> 00:17:45.599 forward for the commercial space industry and NASA Chief Bill Nelson, 289 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:50.799 as well as another triumphant achievement for space X. Though 290 00:17:50.839 --> 00:17:53.119 the company was only founded in two thousand and two, 291 00:17:53.200 --> 00:17:56.799 it has outpaced its legacy competitors thanks to in large 292 00:17:56.839 --> 00:18:00.359 part to founder elon Musk's vast Fortune and Z to 293 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:05.240 begin colonizing Mars. Since completing their extravehcular activity, the crew 294 00:18:05.279 --> 00:18:09.240 have continued to carry out roughly forty science experiments, for 295 00:18:09.279 --> 00:18:13.799 example inserting endoscopic cameras through their noses and into their 296 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:17.000 throats to image their airways and better understand the impact 297 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:22.200 of long duration space missions on human health fantastic. They 298 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:27.400 also demonstrated connectivity with SpaceX's Starling Internet satellite constellation by 299 00:18:27.480 --> 00:18:30.799 sending back to ground control a high resolution video of 300 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:35.680 Gillis playing raised theme by Star Wars composer John Williams 301 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:39.119 on the violin. Polaris Dawn is the first of three 302 00:18:39.200 --> 00:18:44.200 missions under the Polaris program, a collaboration between Isaacman and SpaceX. 303 00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:48.680 Financial terms of the partnership remained under wraps, but Isaacman is, 304 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:51.960 the forty one year old founder and CEO of Shift 305 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:56.640 Fur Payments, reportedly poured two hundred million of his own 306 00:18:56.680 --> 00:18:59.880 money into lending the twenty twenty one all civilian space 307 00:19:00.559 --> 00:19:05.440 inspiration for orbital mission. The final Polaris mission aims to 308 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:09.559 be the first crude flight of SpaceX's Starship, a prototype 309 00:19:09.599 --> 00:19:19.680 next generation rocket that is key to Musks Interplanetary Ambitions podcast. Okay, 310 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.559 so at the top of the episode you heard Hally 311 00:19:22.599 --> 00:19:26.640 and I talking about David Bowie and the fabulous spiders 312 00:19:26.640 --> 00:19:27.279 from Mars. 313 00:19:27.319 --> 00:19:29.519 Well, so what's it all about. 314 00:19:29.880 --> 00:19:35.119 Scientists have recreated a geologic feature found on Mars, and 315 00:19:35.160 --> 00:19:38.079 it was difficult to do. Since discovering them in two 316 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.440 thousand and three via images from orbiters, scientists have marveled 317 00:19:42.440 --> 00:19:45.720 at the spider like shapes sprawled was going to say 318 00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:49.960 crawling sprawled across the southern hemisphere of Mars. No one's 319 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:54.160 entirely sure how these geologic features were created. Each branch 320 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:57.039 formation can stretch more than half a mile or a 321 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:01.279 kilometer from end to end and include hundreds of spindly legs, 322 00:20:01.319 --> 00:20:06.000 called a rakniform terrain. These features are often found in clusters, 323 00:20:06.039 --> 00:20:10.680 giving the surface a wrinkled appearance. The leading theory is 324 00:20:10.720 --> 00:20:15.799 that the spiders are created by processes involving carbon dioxide ice, 325 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:19.799 which doesn't occur naturally on Earth. Thanks to experiments detailed 326 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:22.759 in a new paper published in the Planetary Science Journal, 327 00:20:22.799 --> 00:20:27.079 scientists have for the first time recreated those formation processes 328 00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:31.960 in simulated Martian temperatures and air pressure. The spiders are strange, 329 00:20:32.000 --> 00:20:35.799 beautiful geological features in their own rights, said Lauren McEwan 330 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:40.960 of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California. These experiments, 331 00:20:41.000 --> 00:20:44.160 she says, will help us tune our models for how 332 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:48.839 they form. The study confirms several formation processes described by 333 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:52.200 what is called the Kaifer model. Sunlight heats the soil 334 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:57.000 when it shines through transparent slabs of carbon dioxide ice 335 00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.920 that build up on the Martian surface each winter. Being 336 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:03.799 darker than the ice above it, the soil absorbs the 337 00:21:03.839 --> 00:21:07.079 heat and causes the ice as close ice closest to 338 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:11.319 it to turn directly into carbon dioxide gas without turning 339 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:16.079 liquid first, in a process called sublimation, the same process 340 00:21:16.119 --> 00:21:19.440 that sends clouds of smoke billowing up from dry ice. 341 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:23.400 As the gas builds up in pressure, the Martian ice cracks, 342 00:21:23.480 --> 00:21:26.400 allowing the gas to escape, and as it seeps upwards, 343 00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:30.039 the gas takes with it a stream of dark dust 344 00:21:30.359 --> 00:21:33.599 and sand from the soil that lands on the surface 345 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:37.039 of the ice. When winter turns to spring, the remaining 346 00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:40.319 ice sublimates. According to the theory, the spider like scars 347 00:21:40.359 --> 00:21:44.400 from those small eruptions are what's left behind Fourmercu and 348 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:48.400 n her coauthor's the hardest part of conducting these experiments 349 00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:52.000 was recreating the conditions found on the Martian polar surface, 350 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:56.400 extremely low air pressure and temperatures as low as minus 351 00:21:56.640 --> 00:22:00.440 three hundred and one degrees fahrenheit that's minus one hundred 352 00:22:00.440 --> 00:22:03.559 and eighty five degrees celsius. To do that, mcuan used 353 00:22:03.599 --> 00:22:07.960 liquid nitrogen cooled test chamber at JPL, a dirty under 354 00:22:08.079 --> 00:22:12.519 vacuum simulation test bed for icy environments. And they call 355 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:16.839 that dusty. They love their achromans. I love dusty. She 356 00:22:16.960 --> 00:22:21.440 says it's historic, McEwan said, noting that the wine barreled 357 00:22:21.519 --> 00:22:25.759 sized chamber was used as a test prototype for a 358 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:30.039 rasping tool designed for NASA's Mars Phoenix lander. The tool 359 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:33.519 was used to break water ice, which the spacecraft scooped 360 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:36.680 up and analyzed near the planet planet's north pole. 361 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:38.519 For this experiment, the. 362 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:42.839 Researchers chilled Martian soil simulant in a container submerged with 363 00:22:42.960 --> 00:22:47.319 liquid nitrogen bath. They placed it in the dusty chamber, 364 00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:51.039 where the air pressure was reduced to be similar to 365 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:55.799 that of Mars's southern hemisphere. Carbadoxide gas then flowed into 366 00:22:55.839 --> 00:22:58.920 the chamber and condensed from gas to ice over the 367 00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:01.799 course of three to five hours. It took many tries 368 00:23:01.839 --> 00:23:05.319 before mcurn just found the right conditions for the ice 369 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:09.119 to become thick and translucent enough for the experiments to work. 370 00:23:09.920 --> 00:23:12.359 Once they got the ice with the right properties, they 371 00:23:12.400 --> 00:23:15.519 placed a heater inside the chamber below the simulant to 372 00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:18.400 warm it up and crack the ice. A Curn was 373 00:23:18.440 --> 00:23:21.359 ecstatic when she finally saw a plume of carbon dioxide 374 00:23:21.400 --> 00:23:25.279 gas a wrapting errapting from within the powdery simulant. Dark 375 00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:28.599 plumes opened holes in the simulant as they streamed out, 376 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:32.160 spewing simulant for as long as ten minutes before all 377 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:36.680 the pressurized gas was expelled. There are still many questions 378 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.640 about the spiders that Carbi answered in a lab Why 379 00:23:39.680 --> 00:23:42.519 have they formed in some places but not others Since 380 00:23:42.559 --> 00:23:46.440 they appear to result from seasonal changes that are still occurring. 381 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:49.079 Why don't they seem to be growing in number or 382 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:52.400 in size over time. It's possible that they may be 383 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.200 left over from long ago when the climate was different 384 00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:58.759 on Mars and could provide answers to the planet's passed 385 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:02.200 but for the time being, lab experiments will be as 386 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:05.359 close to the spiders as scientists can get both the 387 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:09.440 curiosity and perseverance. Rovers are exploring the Red planet far 388 00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:12.960 from the Southern Hemisphere, which is where these formations actually 389 00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:16.799 appear and where no spacecraft has ever landed. And just 390 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:19.519 to give you an idea how tough things are up there, 391 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:23.920 the Phoenix mission, which landed in the Northern Hemisphere, lasted 392 00:24:23.920 --> 00:24:27.000 only a few months before succumbing to the intense polar 393 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:29.359 cold and limited sunlight. 394 00:24:38.640 --> 00:24:38.880 Cool. 395 00:24:38.880 --> 00:24:42.920 I got cold just reading that story. Holy cow, And 396 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:45.279 that's all she wrote. Folks, thanks for sticking around with 397 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:47.880 us today. I really hope you enjoyed those tales of 398 00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:50.519 space science and astronomy. 399 00:24:50.119 --> 00:24:51.960 And I hope you'll join us again next week for 400 00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:54.680 more Astronomy Daily. But don't forget, Charlie and Anna will 401 00:24:54.680 --> 00:24:56.359