WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.719 Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos 2 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:12.279 with our soothing Bedtime Astronomie podcast. Each episode offers a 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.320 gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond, perfect for 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.239 unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries 5 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.440 of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful 6 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:25.800 slumber under the night sky. 7 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:29.120 You know, when we normally look up at the night sky, 8 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:33.880 we see this flat, brilliant canvas. The stars, the moon, 9 00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:36.320 they all just look like they're painted on the ceiling 10 00:00:36.399 --> 00:00:37.000 of our world. 11 00:00:37.079 --> 00:00:38.240 Right. It's a beautiful site. 12 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:43.759 It is undeniably beautiful, but it feels incredibly distant, untouchable, 13 00:00:43.799 --> 00:00:46.240 almost like a backdrop to our lives, rather than a 14 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:47.439 place we actually inhabit. 15 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.280 Yeah, it really serves as the ultimate boundary line for 16 00:00:50.359 --> 00:00:53.560 human experience, I mean, for our entire lives and truly 17 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:56.759 for almost everyone on Earth right now, that sky has 18 00:00:56.880 --> 00:00:59.560 been a place we only visit in the very shallow 19 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:00.920 waters of lower Earth orbit. 20 00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:01.520 Exactly. 21 00:01:01.520 --> 00:01:04.439 We have flyer planes in the atmosphere, and you know, 22 00:01:04.480 --> 00:01:07.239 we send astronauts to space stations just a few hundred 23 00:01:07.280 --> 00:01:11.239 miles up, but the vast deep ocean of the cosmos. 24 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:16.319 Beyond that, that specific gravitational shelf has remained entirely untouched 25 00:01:16.319 --> 00:01:18.480 by human hands for over half a century. 26 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:21.079 And that is exactly what is fundamentally shifting right now. 27 00:01:21.079 --> 00:01:24.519 I mean, we are talking about humanity's imminent historic return 28 00:01:24.599 --> 00:01:27.480 to deep space. We are breaking out of low Earth orbit. 29 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:28.159 We really are. 30 00:01:28.439 --> 00:01:31.719 We are going back to the Moon, and we are 31 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:35.920 doing it the Artemis the Second Mission. I'm feeling this palpable, 32 00:01:36.000 --> 00:01:39.760 almost electric excitement about this because you know, this isn't 33 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:44.040 just another scientific deployment. This is a monumental shift in 34 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:46.599 what it means to be a human being living in 35 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:47.439 this solar system. 36 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:48.799 It's a complete paradigm shift. 37 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:51.439 But I have to ask, just to play a devil's 38 00:01:51.439 --> 00:01:53.480 advocate for a moment here, Sure, go for it. We 39 00:01:53.560 --> 00:01:56.640 have been to the Moon, we left footprints, we planted flags, 40 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:00.400 we brought back lunar regolith. No, why it's been the 41 00:02:00.400 --> 00:02:03.599 immense political and financial capital to do it again? Like, 42 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:08.360 what is the actual paradigm shift here? Mechanically and philosophically. 43 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:10.159 Well, the paradigm shift lies entirely in the long term 44 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:14.039 intent and the architectural approach. We are not repeating history, 45 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:16.800 we are building upon it to create something entirely new. Okay, 46 00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:20.919 the Artemis program embodies a completely different era of lunar discovery. 47 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.919 And think about the name itself, Artemis. In Greek mythology, 48 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:25.840 Artemis is the goddess. 49 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:27.680 Of the moon, and she is the twin sister of Apollo. 50 00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:30.960 Exactly. It beautifully honors the past while pointing to a 51 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:32.599 very distinct, unique future. 52 00:02:32.919 --> 00:02:36.879 I do appreciate the poetry of the namesake, but pragmatically, 53 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:40.400 how does this modern twin differ from the Apollo legacy? 54 00:02:41.080 --> 00:02:44.319 Because Apollo was arguably one of the greatest technological sprints 55 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:45.159 in human history. 56 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:48.280 It was a magnificent sprint, but it was driven by 57 00:02:48.280 --> 00:02:52.759 a very specific geopolitical context. The Apollo missions, for all 58 00:02:52.759 --> 00:02:58.360 their incredible world changing achievements, were focused primarily on rapid 59 00:02:58.439 --> 00:02:59.879 landings and rapid return. 60 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:03.719 So getting there, proving we possess the technological capability to 61 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:04.879 achieve it, and coming home. 62 00:03:05.080 --> 00:03:08.560 Yes, the architecture was expendable, used it once and it 63 00:03:08.599 --> 00:03:12.719 was gone. Artemis, conversely, is an infrastructure project. Ah, It's 64 00:03:12.759 --> 00:03:18.080 about establishing the foundational architecture for a permanent, sustained human presence. 65 00:03:18.240 --> 00:03:20.719 So we aren't just taking a daring weekend camping trip 66 00:03:20.759 --> 00:03:22.520 to the wilderness anymore, not at all. We are just 67 00:03:22.560 --> 00:03:25.400 pitching a tent and taking photos. We are talking about 68 00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.680 surveying the land, laying down concrete foundations, bringing the lumber, 69 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:32.759 installing the plumbing, and building a permanent research station. 70 00:03:32.879 --> 00:03:35.599 That is a highly accurate way to frame it. Artemis 71 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:40.400 aims to construct actual lunar habitats and reliable transportation networks 72 00:03:40.439 --> 00:03:41.520 in sicilinner space. 73 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:42.240 Wow. 74 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:44.840 And the key to making this permanent cabin a reality 75 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:49.599 is a concept known as in situ resource utilization, which 76 00:03:49.639 --> 00:03:53.479 is really the absolute cornerstone of modern deep space. 77 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:56.639 Exploration, meaning using the resources that are already there, rather 78 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.719 than hauling everything out of Earth's gravity. Well, because I 79 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:02.400 mean the launch mass penalty for bringing every single drop 80 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:05.120 of water and ounce fuel from Earth indefinitely would be 81 00:04:05.159 --> 00:04:07.120 mathematically unfeasible, right exactly. 82 00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:10.759 Launching mass from Earth requires immense kinetic energy just to 83 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:14.879 overcome our gravitational pole. Every kilogram of payload requires many 84 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:18.279 times its weight in rocket propellant just to reach orbit. 85 00:04:18.120 --> 00:04:19.519 The tyranny of the rocket equation. 86 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:22.639 Yes, so if we can extract resources directly from the 87 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:27.160 lunar environment, we fundamentally alter that equation. This is precisely 88 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:30.000 why the geographic focus of the Artemis program is completely 89 00:04:30.040 --> 00:04:31.000 different from Apollo. 90 00:04:31.120 --> 00:04:33.639 We are no longer targeting the equatorial regions of the. 91 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.439 Moon, right, the focus is shifting entirely toward the lunar 92 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:36.959 south Pole. 93 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:39.879 Okay, let's unpack that for a second. The lunar south 94 00:04:39.959 --> 00:04:44.560 Pole from a geological standpoint, why is that specific region 95 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:47.759 so incredibly valuable to a sustained human presence. 96 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:52.360 Well, we have discovered through decades of robotic orbital reconnaissance 97 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:56.480 that the lunar south Pole harbours these unique geological features 98 00:04:56.680 --> 00:05:00.480 called cold traps. Cold traps, yeah, because as the Moon's 99 00:05:00.480 --> 00:05:04.199 axis is only slightly tilted relative to the Sun, the 100 00:05:04.240 --> 00:05:06.759 sunlight at the poles comes in at a very shallow 101 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:11.079 grazing angle. This means that the interiors of deep craters 102 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:14.240 at the South Pole, places like Shackleton Crater, have not 103 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:16.680 seen sunlight for billions of years. 104 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:20.000 There are permanently shadowed regions exactly, and because there's no 105 00:05:20.040 --> 00:05:23.560 atmosphere to distribute heat, those permanently shadowed regions must be 106 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:24.879 unimaginably cold. 107 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.079 There are some of the coldest places in the entire 108 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.240 solar system, hovering is to a few degrees above absolute zero, 109 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:33.800 and over billions of years, comet impacts and solar wind 110 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.680 interactions have deposited water molecules across the lunar surface. 111 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:40.759 But water at the equator would just instantly sublimate into 112 00:05:40.759 --> 00:05:43.160 the vacuum of space right due to the extreme heat 113 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:44.879 of the lunar day exactly. 114 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:48.160 But water that migrated into these cold traps of the 115 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.839 poles became instantly frozen and locked in place. We now 116 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:55.399 know there are vast reserves of water ice mixed into 117 00:05:55.439 --> 00:05:57.360 the regolith in these craters. 118 00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:59.920 Water ice that genuinely is the gold mine of the cosme. 119 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.199 It really is, But extracting it and utilizing it sounds 120 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:06.399 like a monumental engineering hurdle. I mean, I understand that 121 00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.560 water provides vital life support. Astronauts need it to drink, 122 00:06:09.639 --> 00:06:13.720 to rehydrate, food, for hygiene, But you're talking about using 123 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:17.000 it for infrastructure. How do we turn frozen dirt in 124 00:06:17.040 --> 00:06:21.160 a pitch black crater into multiplanetary infrastructure. 125 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:24.319 Through the elegant application of chemistry and solar power. Surrounding 126 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:27.879 these permanently shadowed craters are elevated crater rims and mountain 127 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:30.639 peaks that are bathed in near constant sunline. 128 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:31.639 The peaks of eternal light. 129 00:06:31.839 --> 00:06:34.639 Yes, we can place massive solar arrays on these peaks 130 00:06:34.680 --> 00:06:38.360 to generate continuous electrical power. We then use that power 131 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.120 to run rovers and extraction equipment down into the dark 132 00:06:41.160 --> 00:06:44.319 craters to mine the icy regolith. Okay, Once we extract 133 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:47.319 the water ice, we melt it, purify it, and then 134 00:06:47.360 --> 00:06:49.639 subject it to a process called electrolysis. 135 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.319 Electrolysis so running an electrical current through the water to 136 00:06:53.399 --> 00:06:54.920 break the molecular bonds. 137 00:06:55.000 --> 00:06:58.959 Precisely, water is H two zero. By applying that continuous 138 00:06:58.959 --> 00:07:02.399 solar electrical curve cur we split the water molecules into 139 00:07:02.439 --> 00:07:07.240 their constituent elements, hydrogen gas and oxygen gas. We then 140 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:11.319 super chill these gases until they become crygenic liquids. 141 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:14.639 Liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen exactly which are the exact 142 00:07:14.759 --> 00:07:18.600 high efficiency propellants used by our most advanced rocket engines. 143 00:07:18.639 --> 00:07:22.160 They are so in mastering this single resource, the Moon 144 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:27.079 completely transforms from a scientific destination into an active off 145 00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:28.399 world fueling station. 146 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:29.319 That is incredible. 147 00:07:29.360 --> 00:07:31.639 We can launch spacecraft from Earth with just enough fuel 148 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.360 to reach lunar orbit, stop at a lunar gateway station, 149 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.399 refuel the tanks with propellant manufacturer entirely on the Moon, 150 00:07:37.639 --> 00:07:40.480 and then proceed onward to Mars. The Moon becomes the 151 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:43.639 essential stepping stone, the proving ground for everything we need 152 00:07:43.680 --> 00:07:46.439 to accomplish to become a true multiplanetary species. 153 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:50.639 That is a staggering logistical vision. We are talking about 154 00:07:50.680 --> 00:07:54.800 setting up an operational industrial base on another celestial body. 155 00:07:55.199 --> 00:07:58.560 But taking that massive leap isn't just an engineering challenge, 156 00:07:58.600 --> 00:08:02.079 is it. It's a geopulito cool one, highly geopolitical because 157 00:08:02.079 --> 00:08:05.240 if there are limited peaks of eternal light and specific 158 00:08:05.279 --> 00:08:08.920 craters with high ice concentrations, how do we establish a 159 00:08:09.000 --> 00:08:11.879 multiplanetary infrastructure collaboratively? 160 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:15.120 That is perhaps the most crucial non technical aspect of 161 00:08:15.160 --> 00:08:18.480 the Artemis program, and it is governed by the Artemis Accords. 162 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:23.720 The Accords are an international framework designed to ensure transparency, interoperability, 163 00:08:23.759 --> 00:08:27.600 and responsible exploration in Cislinner space. It builds upon the 164 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.439 foundation of the Outer Space Treaty of nineteen sixty seven, 165 00:08:30.800 --> 00:08:33.519 but modernizes it for an era where we are actually 166 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:36.600 extracting resources and building permanent outposts. 167 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:39.960 I want to focus on that word interoperability for a second. 168 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.399 For you listening, think about how your phone charger might 169 00:08:42.440 --> 00:08:44.799 not work on someone else's device. Now scale that up 170 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:48.120 to spacecraft. In the context of deep space operations, What 171 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:51.840 does interoperability actually look like between different sovereign nations. 172 00:08:52.200 --> 00:08:54.879 It is the principle that our technologies must be able 173 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:58.120 to work together seamlessly, regardless of which nation built them. 174 00:08:58.360 --> 00:09:01.519 It means agreeing on universal engineering standards. 175 00:09:01.200 --> 00:09:04.840 Like standardizing the design of docking mechanisms. 176 00:09:04.080 --> 00:09:09.440 Exactly docking mechanisms, environmental control systems, communication frequencies. If a 177 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:12.639 spacecraft from one nation is out there in deep space, 178 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:17.000 a vessel from any other participating nation must be physically 179 00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:20.120 capable of docking with them and rendering assistance. 180 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:24.120 It is a commitment to mutual aid and standardized safety protocol. 181 00:09:24.200 --> 00:09:28.519 Yes, it is a highly collaborative diplomatic effort. The collaborative 182 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:32.679 spirit driving this modern exploration is unprecedented. We are pooling 183 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:36.639 global resources, intellect, and ambition to ensure that the expansion 184 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:40.039 into the Solar System is peaceful, sustainable, and beneficial to 185 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:41.600 all of humanity and artemis. 186 00:09:41.639 --> 00:09:44.279 The second is the critical crude proving ground for all 187 00:09:44.320 --> 00:09:45.840 of this architecture exactly. 188 00:09:45.919 --> 00:09:49.440 It validates the partnerships and the operational concepts that will 189 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.120 make the subsequent surface landings possible. 190 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:55.320 Which brings us to the raw physical reality of actually 191 00:09:55.360 --> 00:09:58.559 getting off this planet to execute that vision. You can 192 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.039 have the best philosophy and an inter national agreements in 193 00:10:01.080 --> 00:10:04.080 the world, but you can't build a permanent outpost on 194 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:07.159 the Moon without a heavy lift launch vehicle capable of 195 00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:09.960 throwing massive amounts of hardware into deep space. 196 00:10:10.120 --> 00:10:12.360 You need a heavy duty moving truck, right. 197 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:15.120 And that brings us to the colossal machine making this 198 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:19.000 entire journey possible. The Space Launch System, or the SLS. 199 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:23.039 The Space Launch System is a towering achievement in aerospace engineering, 200 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:26.159 specifically for the Artemis, the second mission. We are looking 201 00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.879 at its initial Block one configuration. 202 00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:32.240 I'm looking at the thrust profiles and the physical dimensions here, 203 00:10:32.399 --> 00:10:36.519 and the numbers are genuinely difficult to process. How does 204 00:10:36.559 --> 00:10:39.799 the Block one configuration actually compare to the historic vehicles 205 00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:41.320 we are familiar with, like the Saturn V. 206 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.320 The scale and power of the SLS surpass the Saturn 207 00:10:44.399 --> 00:10:47.840 V in key performance metrics. The SLS Block one stands 208 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:49.519 three hundred and twenty two feet tall. 209 00:10:49.639 --> 00:10:51.519 Wow, three hundred and twenty two feet. 210 00:10:51.240 --> 00:10:54.000 To conceptualize that it is taller than the Statue of Liberty. 211 00:10:54.039 --> 00:10:57.120 That is just massive it is. But height is just 212 00:10:57.159 --> 00:10:59.799 a function of tank volume. The true measure of a 213 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:03.559 lawun vehicle is its thrust, the raw physical force it 214 00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:06.879 can generate to push payload against the relentless pull of 215 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:07.759 Earth's gravity. 216 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:08.879 And what's the thrust on this? 217 00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:13.000 At liftoff, the SLS generates an astonishing eight point eight 218 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:14.720 million pounds of thrust. 219 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.279 Eight point eight million pounds of thrust that officially makes 220 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:21.799 it the most powerful rocket ever successfully flown. I mean 221 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:24.679 the sound alone, the acoustic energy generated by that much 222 00:11:24.720 --> 00:11:28.039 power must be earth shaking. But how exactly do they 223 00:11:28.080 --> 00:11:31.759 generate that specific amount of sustained force? Walk me through 224 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:33.039 the architecture of this vehicle. 225 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:36.240 The architecture of the SLS Block one is elegantly designed 226 00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:40.240 to maximize both raw power and establish reliability. It utilizes 227 00:11:40.279 --> 00:11:43.360 a hybrid propulsion strategy. On either side of the towering 228 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:47.279 orange core stage, you have two massive five segment solid 229 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:51.320 rocket boosters or SRBs. These provide the overwhelming majority of 230 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:53.440 the thrust required to get the massive vehicle off the 231 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:56.279 launch pad and punch through the thickest, lowest layers of 232 00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:57.279 Earth's atmosphere. 233 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:00.320 Now I understand that solid rocket boosters are fundaments mentally 234 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:03.519 different from liquid engines. Once you ignite the solid propellant, 235 00:12:03.600 --> 00:12:06.200 you are fully committed. Right, there is no throttle dial. 236 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:09.639 That is correct, and it speaks to the incredible precision 237 00:12:09.720 --> 00:12:13.960 required in their design. A solid rocket booster is essentially 238 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:19.159 a meticulously controlled continuous chemical reaction. The propellant is a 239 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:22.799 solid mixture of a fuel, typically powdered aluminum, and an 240 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:27.039 oxidizer like ammonium perchlorid, bound together in a rubbery consistency. 241 00:12:27.639 --> 00:12:31.519 But the brilliant part is the geometry. The hollow core 242 00:12:31.639 --> 00:12:34.519 running down the center of the solid propellant is shaped 243 00:12:34.799 --> 00:12:35.840 like a multipoint star. 244 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.240 Wait why a star shape rather than just a simple 245 00:12:38.279 --> 00:12:39.840 cylinder Because. 246 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:42.919 The burn rate and therefore the thrust output is directly 247 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:46.000 proportional to the exposed surface area of the burning propellant. 248 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:49.440 Oh So, by shaping the core as a star, aerospace 249 00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:52.639 engineers precisely dictate the thrust profile over time. 250 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.399 Exactly as a propellant burns outward, the star points burn away, 251 00:12:56.720 --> 00:13:00.120 changing the surface area and naturally tapering the thrust exactly 252 00:13:00.159 --> 00:13:03.159 when the vehicle approaches maximum aerodynamic pressure. 253 00:13:02.919 --> 00:13:05.279 Which is the point in the ascent where the aerodynamic 254 00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:07.679 stress on the vehicle is at its absolute highest. 255 00:13:07.840 --> 00:13:13.600 Yes, it is a brilliant, entirely passive method of throttling 256 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:15.000 a solid rocket motor. 257 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:19.559 That is fascinating. It's essentially pre programming the throttle into 258 00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:23.480 the physical geometry of the fuel itself. And these specific 259 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:26.759 solid rocket boosters are heavily derived from the Space Shuttle program, 260 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:27.759 aren't they They are. 261 00:13:27.960 --> 00:13:32.200 The Space Shuttle utilized four segment solid rocket boosters. For 262 00:13:32.279 --> 00:13:35.679 the SLS, engineers added a fifth segment, increasing the amount 263 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:38.639 of propellant and therefore the total impulse. We are taking 264 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:42.440 incredibly reliable, highly understood technology and scaling it up for 265 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:43.799 deep space capabilities. 266 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:47.639 So those two five segment solid boosters provide the massive 267 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:50.399 initial surge off the pad, but they burn out and 268 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:53.039 fall away after a couple of minutes. What is powering 269 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:54.559 the vehicle through the rest of the ascent. 270 00:13:54.679 --> 00:13:57.159 That is the role of the massive core stage. The 271 00:13:57.200 --> 00:14:00.519 core stage acts as the structural backbone of the entire vehicle, 272 00:14:00.679 --> 00:14:04.600 and it primarily consists of two enormous tanks holding cryogenic propellants, 273 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:07.720 super chilled liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen. 274 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:10.080 And at the base of this core stage you. 275 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:12.279 Have four RS twenty five engines, and. 276 00:14:12.279 --> 00:14:15.200 The RS twenty fives are also legacy hardware from the 277 00:14:15.240 --> 00:14:18.559 Shuttle era. Right, these are the Space Shuttle main engines exactly. 278 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:22.320 They're widely considered to be among the most complex, efficient 279 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:25.759 and reliable liquid propellant rocket engines ever created. 280 00:14:26.080 --> 00:14:29.519 I mean, the turbopumps inside those engines spin at tens 281 00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:31.919 of thousands of revolutions per minute, right they. 282 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:35.440 Do, forcing thousands of gallons of cryogenic propellant into the 283 00:14:35.480 --> 00:14:39.559 combustion chamber every single second. The efficiency of the RS 284 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.799 twenty five engines, combined with the raw power of the 285 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:47.120 solid rocket boosters, provides the precise balance of thrust required 286 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:50.279 to push the heavy payload into a stable Earth parking orbit. 287 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:52.960 Okay, so the solid boosters and the core stage get 288 00:14:52.960 --> 00:14:55.879 the vehicle into Earth orbit, but they are still trapped 289 00:14:55.879 --> 00:14:58.840 in Earth gravity. Well, they need one more massive push 290 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:00.519 to actually intersect with the Moon. 291 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:03.360 Right. That is the role of the upper stage, which 292 00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:06.440 for the Block one configuration is called the interim cryogenic 293 00:15:06.519 --> 00:15:08.399 propulsion stage, where the ICPS. 294 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:08.759 Yes. 295 00:15:08.840 --> 00:15:13.440 Yes, the ICPS is powered by a single, highly reliable 296 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:16.600 RL ten engine. While it doesn't have the raw thrust 297 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.919 of the booster stages, it operates in the vacuum of 298 00:15:18.919 --> 00:15:21.759 space where you don't need to fight atmospheric drag. The 299 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:25.240 ICPS performs a maneuver called the translunar injection burn. 300 00:15:25.399 --> 00:15:28.919 The translunar injection or TLI for you listening, this is 301 00:15:28.960 --> 00:15:32.639 the critical moment. This is the burn that effectively raises 302 00:15:32.679 --> 00:15:35.919 the highest point of their orbit so dramatically that it 303 00:15:36.039 --> 00:15:38.840 stretches all the way out to intersect the Moon's sphere 304 00:15:38.840 --> 00:15:40.000 of influence. 305 00:15:39.559 --> 00:15:41.480 Which is nearly a quarter of a million miles away. 306 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:42.200 Exactly. 307 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:45.639 It is a precise, extended engine burn that imparts the 308 00:15:45.679 --> 00:15:48.720 massive change in velocity necessary to break free of low 309 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:51.799 Earth orbit and set the spacecraft onto a highly accurate 310 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:52.960 trajectory toward the Moon. 311 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:56.360 And once the ICPS completes this burn, its job is done. 312 00:15:56.399 --> 00:15:59.679 It separates and the spacecraft is officially coasting through deep space. 313 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:03.679 Now I have to ask about the overarching design philosophy here. 314 00:16:03.720 --> 00:16:05.879 I mean, the SLS is an absolute behemoth. It is 315 00:16:05.919 --> 00:16:09.600 incredibly expensive and complex. Why do we need a vehicle 316 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:13.120 of this specific massive scale just to return to the Moon. 317 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:16.559 Why not launch the mission in smaller pieces on commercial 318 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:18.440 rockets and assemble them in Earth orbit. 319 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:22.399 Well, the strategic advantage of the SLS's immense payload capacity 320 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:26.279 is that it enables direct delivery. By utilizing that eight 321 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:29.759 point eight million pounds of thrust, the SLS can launch 322 00:16:29.799 --> 00:16:33.919 the fully fueled Orion spacecraft, the crew, and all their 323 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:38.120 deep space life support systems in a single integrated. 324 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:41.639 Launch, which fundamentally reduces mission complexity because in spaceflight, the 325 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.120 fewer times you have to rendezvous in orbit and execute 326 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:47.320 complex docking maneuvers, the more elegant and efficient the mission 327 00:16:47.399 --> 00:16:48.320 architecture becomes. 328 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:51.320 Precisely, the SLS just powers through doing the heavy lifting 329 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:54.600 straight out of the gate. But beyond operational simplicity, this 330 00:16:54.759 --> 00:16:58.039 massive power is an active protective measure for the crew. 331 00:16:58.200 --> 00:17:00.200 Oh, you're talking about the Van Allen radiation bill belts. 332 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:04.240 Yes, Surrounding the Earth are the Van Allen Belts. These 333 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:08.000 are vast regions of highly energetic charged particles trapped by 334 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:12.880 Earth's magnetic field. Spending extended periods within these belts introduces 335 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:14.160 ionizing radiation. 336 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:17.680 So how does the sheer power of the SLS mitigate that. 337 00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:21.319 By utilizing the immense velocity imparted by the SLS and 338 00:17:21.359 --> 00:17:25.000 the ICPS, the spacecraft performs a rapid transit through the 339 00:17:25.079 --> 00:17:28.480 Van Allen Belts. It accelerates the vehicle so powerfully that 340 00:17:28.519 --> 00:17:32.920 the transit time is dramatically minimized, brilliantly optimizing cruse safety. 341 00:17:33.279 --> 00:17:36.279 Okay, so the space launch system provides the sheer muscle, 342 00:17:36.559 --> 00:17:39.759 the unadulterated kinetic energy to hurl the payload out of 343 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.799 Earth's gravity. Well, but once the ICPS separates, once they're 344 00:17:43.839 --> 00:17:46.440 out there past the Van Allen Belts, gliding into the 345 00:17:46.480 --> 00:17:50.400 deep silent Cosmos, the rocket's job is over, completely over, 346 00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:53.480 And now the four astronauts rely entirely on their vessel 347 00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:56.559 to survive the incredibly harsh realities of the vacuum. And 348 00:17:56.599 --> 00:17:58.920 that brings us to the technological marvel that is the 349 00:17:58.960 --> 00:18:02.079 Orion Crew MUDGE, which for this specific mission the crew 350 00:18:02.119 --> 00:18:03.960 has appropriately christened Integrity. 351 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:07.799 Integrity is a very fitting name for a vessel that 352 00:18:07.880 --> 00:18:12.200 operates flawlessly in the most unforgiving environment known to humanity. 353 00:18:13.039 --> 00:18:15.480 It is crucial to understand that Orion is not simply 354 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:19.519 an upgraded capsule based on pass designs. It represents a 355 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:23.440 quantum leap in aerospace engineering. It has been purpose built 356 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:27.079 from the ground up, specifically for deep space operations. 357 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.240 Let's draw a distinction there because to a casual observer, 358 00:18:30.519 --> 00:18:34.319 a spacecraft is a spacecraft, but the engineering requirements for 359 00:18:34.359 --> 00:18:37.119 a vehicle in low Earth orbit, like a capsule farrying 360 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:41.400 astronauts to the International Space Station, must be vastly different 361 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:43.480 from a vehicle designed to travel to the Moon. 362 00:18:43.720 --> 00:18:48.039 The distinction is vast and fundamentally alters the engineering tolerances 363 00:18:48.039 --> 00:18:50.920 of every system aboard. In low Earth orbit, you are 364 00:18:50.960 --> 00:18:54.720 still within the protective envelope of Earth's magnetosphere, which shield 365 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:56.960 you from the majority of cosmic radiation, and. 366 00:18:56.880 --> 00:19:00.799 You are also in constant near instantaneous communication with a ground. 367 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:04.480 Control Exactly, and most importantly, if a system anomaly occurs, 368 00:19:04.960 --> 00:19:08.039 you have the capability to execute a deorbit burn and 369 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:10.400 return to the Earth's surface within a matter of hours. 370 00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:13.759 You have a relatively quick return option, but in deep 371 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:17.920 space during a lunar transit, that quick return option completely vanishes. 372 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:20.160 You are days away from home. 373 00:19:20.440 --> 00:19:23.400 Yes, when you are a quarter of a million miles away, 374 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:29.599 you require absolute uncompromising self sufficiency. The spacecraft must carry 375 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:34.000 all of its own power generation, thermal management, deep space navigation, 376 00:19:34.240 --> 00:19:36.000 and robust life support. 377 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:37.960 Systems without any reliance on resupply. 378 00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:41.839 Precisely and to achieve this unparalleled level of self sufficiency, 379 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:46.759 Orion utilizes a magnificent, highly integrated piece of international engineering, 380 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:49.480 the European Service Module ESM. 381 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:53.680 This is a massive, absolutely critical contribution from the European 382 00:19:53.720 --> 00:19:56.279 Space Agency. This isn't just a minor component. It is 383 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:59.279 effectively the powerhouse of the entire spacecraft right. 384 00:19:59.119 --> 00:20:01.519 It is the absolute life blood of the vehicle. The 385 00:20:01.559 --> 00:20:04.759 Orion Crew module, where the astronauts lid and work sits 386 00:20:04.839 --> 00:20:07.279 right on top of this service module. The European Service 387 00:20:07.319 --> 00:20:10.519 Module provides the primary propulsion for the spacecraft once it 388 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:11.319 is in deep space. 389 00:20:11.440 --> 00:20:13.799 It features its own main engine, along with an array 390 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:16.680 of auxiliary thrusters for precise attitude control. 391 00:20:16.839 --> 00:20:20.240 It also provides the electrical power for the entire vehicle 392 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:25.440 via four large, highly efficient solar array wings that deploy 393 00:20:25.640 --> 00:20:26.759 shortly after launch. 394 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:30.200 But let's talk about thermal control, because managing heat in 395 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:34.119 the vacuum of space is wildly counterintuitive. I mean, in 396 00:20:34.160 --> 00:20:36.799 our daily lives, if a computer gets too hot, a 397 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:40.359 fan kicks on and blows cooler air over it, transferring 398 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:41.799 the heat away through convection. 399 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:43.920 But in the vacuum of space there is no air. 400 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:45.319 You cannot use consection. 401 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:48.480