Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, where we bring you the latest
in space and astronomy news. I'm Anna, and I'm thrilled
to be your guide through today's cosmic journey. Coming up
on today's episode, we'll explore some major developments spanning the
entire space sector. We'll look at how SpaceX Ula and
Blue Origin are sharing a massive thirteen point five billion
dollars in military launch contracts, marking a significant shift in
national security space access. Then we'll follow the adventure of
four space tourists who just completed a groundbreaking flight circling
our planet above both poles, a true first in human
spaceflight history. We'll also check in with the hardworking crew
aboard the International Space Station, where cutting edge robotics, experiments
and crucial medical research continue as they prepare to welcome
new crewmates. Plus, we'll dive into fascinating astronomical research, including
how scientists are essentially listening to stars through their vibrations
to understand their inner working, and a jaw dropping discovery
from the James Webb Space Telescope of an ancient galaxy
that's challenging everything we thought we knew about galactic evolution.
So strap in As we blast off into today's cosmic
news roundup, The US Department of Defense has made a
historic move in the space sector, awarding a combined thirteen
point seven billion dollars in launch service contracts to SpaceX,
United Launch Alliance, and Blue Origin. This landmark decision marks
the first time three companies will share responsibility for launching
high priority military and intelligence payloads, significantly reshaping the national
security launch landscape. SpaceX emerged as the leading contractor in
this arrangement, securing five point nine billion dollars in anticipated awards.
ULA followed closely with five point four billion dollars, while
Blue Origin secured nearly two point four billion dollars. Together,
these aerospace giants are expected to conduct fifty four launches
for the Pentagon between fiscal years twenty twenty five five
and twenty twenty nine. General Chance Saltzman, chief of Space
Operations for the US Space Force, emphasized the strategic importance
of this investment, calling it the foundation of both economic
prosperity and national security. These contracts fall under the National
Security Space Launch Phase three Lane two procurement, which focuses
specifically on complex missions to high energy orbits with enhanced
security requirements. The distribution of these fifty four projected missions
reflects the current capabilities and trust placed in each provider.
SpaceX will carry out the Lion's share with twenty eight
launches approximately sixty percent of the total. ULA will handle
nineteen missions about thirty five percent, while Blue Origin is
slated for seven launches. Interestingly, Blue Origins assignments are contingent
on certification of its New Glen rocket, which has flown
just once so far. This three provider approach represents a
significant shift in the Pentagon strategy. The inclusion of Blue
Origin introduces more competition into a market that SpaceX has
dominated since the previous round of contracts in twenty twenty.
Despite New Glen not yet being certified for national security missions,
Space Force officials have expressed confidence that the rocket will
be ready by the time Blue Origins assignments begin. The
Phase three acquisition strategy employs a dual lane approach to
ensure diversification. Lane one targets less risk averse, commercial like missions,
while Lane two focuses on high stakes missions demanding elevated
performance and security standards. Under these contracts, all three companies
must meet stringent mission assurance requirements and participate in joint
integration efforts with government teams. This development builds on the
Pentagon's ongoing efforts to eliminate dependence on Russian made rocket
engines while fostering a competitive domestic launch market capable of
meeting evolving space requirements. The first round of mission assignments
under these new contracts will be announced later this year,
with launches expected to take place from fiscal year twenty
twenty seven through twenty thirty two. Next, let's get a
rap on the major story of the week. In a
remarkable achievement for commercial spaceflight, four space tourists have safely
returned to Earth after completing a groundbreaking orbital journey circling
the globe above the North and South Poles. This historic mission,
which concluded with a Pacific Ocean splash down this past Friday,
marks both the first human spaceflight to traverse this unique
polar route and the first Pacific splashdown for a crude
spacecraft in five decades. Bitcoin entrepreneur Chun Wang privately chartered
the SpaceX Dragon capsule for this extraordinary adventure, though he
declined to reveal the price tag for the three point
five day journey. Wang carefully selected his three fellow travelers,
Norwegian filmmaker Jenica Mickelson, German robotics researcher Rebea Roga, and
Australian polar guide Eric Phillips. Together, they experienced views of
our planet that no human had witnessed before from them
orbital perspective. The cruise Dragon capsule featured a specialized domed
window providing breath taking three hundred sixty degree views of
Earth's polar regions and everything in between. Roga described the
polar landscapes as epic and likened them to another kind
of desert that extends endlessly across the horizon. Meanwhile, Mickelson
documented the journey extensively, bringing along professional camera equipment to
capture their unprecedented vantage point. The journey wasn't without its challenges.
All four passengers experienced space motion sickness after reaching orbit,
according to Wang's social media updates. However, by the second day,
they had adjusted to the weightless environment and eagerly opened
the window cover right above the south pole to take
in the extraordinary view. Beyond sight seeing, the crew conducted
meaningful scientific work during their brief mission. They performed the
first medical X rays in space as part of a
test procedure, and completed two dozen additional science experiments. The
mission was named Fram two, after the Norwegian sailing ship
that carried explorers to the polar regions more than a
century ago. In a touching tribute, a fragment of the
original ship's wooden deck accompanied the crew to space. A
SpaceX noted that this mission also marked a shift in
their operational approach, as they've decided to switch future splash
down sites from Florida to the Pacific Ocean for safety reasons.
This ensures that any surviving pieces of the trunk section,
which is jettison near the end of flight, will fall
harmlessly into the ocean. Historically significant, the last space travelers
to return from orbit to the Pacific were the three
NASA astronauts from the nineteen seventy five Apollo Soyuz mission.
This pioneering polar orbit journey represents another significant milestone in
the rapidly evolving landscape of commercial space tourism, demonstrating the
expanding capabilities and unique experiences now becoming available beyond traditional
government space programs. Have you ever wondered what they do
on the iss from day to day. Well, I'll tell
you it's been a bustling week aboard the International Space Station.
As the Expedition seventy two crew balances cutting edge research
with preparation for upcoming crew changes, The Orbital Laboratory continues
to serve as humanity's premiere microgravity research platform, with activities
spanning from robotics to human physiology studies. NASA astronauts Don
Pettitt and Jacksa's Takuya Onishi collaborated on an innovative robotics
experiment using the station's astro b free flying robots. These
cube shaped autonomous devices, equipped with tentacle like grippers featuring
gecko inspired adhesive pads, were tested on their ability to detect,
maneuver toward, and capture objects in microgravity. The technology demonstrates
promising applications for future satellite servicing and space debris removal,
critical capabilities as we work towards sustainable space operations. Meanwhile,
the unique environment of space continues providing valuable insights into
human health. NASA flight engineer Nicole Ayer's conducted exercise physiology research,
pedaling on a specialized cycle while connected to sensors and
breathing equipment. The data collected helps scientists understand how the
cardiovascular system adapts to weightlessness and guides the development of
more effective exercise protocols for long duration space missions. Another
fascinating experiment involved oneche wearing a specialized thigh cuff designed
to alter fluid distribution in the body. This research tackles
one of spaceflight's persistent medical challenges, the fluid shift toward
the head that can cause increased pressure in the eyes
and brain. Airs assisted by using ultrasound equipment to measure
blood flow in onehe's legs, evaluating the cuff's effectiveness. Maintaining
the station's complex life support systems remains a priority. Air's
Pettit and NASA ann maclain performed critical spacesuit maintenance in
the quest airlock checking for oxygen leaks, replacing electronic components,
and servicing life support gear. These routine but essential tasks
ensure the suits remain ready for emergency situations or scheduled spacewalks.
On the Russian segment, cosmonauts focused on environmental monitoring roscosmo's
flight engineer Evan Wagner collected microbial samples from various station
surfaces to better understand how microorganisms adapt to spaceflight conditions,
research crucial for maintaining crew health during future long duration missions.
Fellow cosmonaut Kyril Peskov measured carbon dioxide levels and performed
maintenance on communications equipment. As the current crew continues their
orbital work, a fresh trio of spacefarers is making final
preparations for launch. NASA astronaut Johnny Kim and ros Cosmos
cosmonauts Sergei Rizhakov and Alexander Zubritsky are scheduled to lift
off aboard the Soyuz MS twenty seven spacecraft on April
eighth from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Following a three
hour journey to catch up with the station, they'll dock
to the Prishaal module and begin an eight month scientific mission. Meanwhile,
station commander Alexei Ovchinin is readying the Soyuz MS twenty
six spacecraft for its return journey on April nineteenth, when
he'll bring Wagner and Pettit back to Earth after their
extended stay in orbit. This carefully choreographed crew rotation ensures
continuous human presence aboard our outpost in space, maintaining the
unbroken chain of occupation that now extends beyond two decades.
Next up. Today, stars don't just shine, They hum, with
hidden vibrations that could unlock secrets about their inner workings.
Scientists have discovered a fascinating new method to study what
they call stellar quakes, which are ripples of gas on
a star surface that offer tantalizing clues about what lies beneath.
These stellar quakes function remarkably similarly to earthquakes here on
our planet. When hot gas rises, cools, and sinks in
a churning cycle within a star's convective envelope, the turbulent
outer layer, it creates vibrations that propagate throughout the entire
stellar body. By detecting subtle variations in a star's brightness,
astronomers can identify these acoustic oscillations. Stellar quakes happen in
most stars that have a bubbling outer layer, like a
pot of boiling water, explains Claudiu Raeus, who conducted the
research at the University of New South Wales. These bubbles
of hot gas rise and burst at the surface, sending
ripples through the entire star. Just as each musical instrument
produces its own distinctive sound. Each star vibrates with unique
resonant frequencies determined by its internal structure and physical properties.
Larger stars produce deeper, slower vibrations, while smaller stars vibrate
at higher pitches. By analyzing specific aspects of these vibrations,
such as what scientists call small frequency spacing, researchers can
estimate a star's hydrogen fuel reserves, essentially determining how far
along it is in its life cycle. The research team
focused on measuring stellar quakes in twenty seven stars from
Messia sixty seven, an open cluster containing over five hundred
stars with an age similar to our sun. This cluster
offered an ideal laboratory since it contains many stars at
different evolutionary stages but with similar chemical compositions. What made
their findings particularly exciting was the discovery of a stalling frequency,
a point where a star's vibrations stop changing and repeat
the same note. This stalling correlates with the lower boundary
of the star's convective envelope, providing astronomers with a powerful
new diagnostic tool to estimate stellar masses and ages. With
improved precision, stars are like fossil records that carry information
about the environments in which they formed, noted reyes. By
studying them, astronomers can piece together the story of our galaxy.
This breakthrough in stellar seismology promises to enhance our understanding
of stellar evolution in galactic history. By decoding the subtle
music of the stars, scientists are developing a more accurate
cosmic timeline and gaining insights into the fundamental processes that
drive stellar life cycles, including what might eventually happen to
our own sun. Finally, today, let's check in with an
old friend. The James Web Space Telescope has made another
groundbreaking discovery, uncovering a colossal spiral galaxy that's challenging our
understanding of galactic evolution. Nicknamed Big Wheel, this enormous galaxy
existed just two billion years after the Big Bang, during
what should have been the cosmic equivalent of childhood for
most galaxies. The discovery comes from astronomers at the University
of Milano Bikoca, who found Big Wheel near a quasar,
an extremely powerful and active supermassive black hole located a
staggering eleven point seven billion light years away. This ancient
galaxy earned its nickname from both its impressive size and
remarkably rotation. What makes Big Wheel so extraordinary is its
scale and maturity. It's approximately five times more massive than
our own Milky Way and stretches across one hundred thousand
light years. Using the telescope's near infrared spectrograph, researchers confirmed
that Big Wheel is a fully formed, rotating disc with
characteristics typically found only in much more developed galaxies. The
galaxy's rotation curve shows a pattern consistent with mature spiral
galaxies we observe today. Its velocity increases as you move
outward from the center, reaching several hundred miles per second,
remarkably similar to galaxies that have had billions more years
to develop. This suggests that despite its youth, Big Wheel
was already behaving like a fully mature galaxy during an
era when most galaxies were expected to be small and
in their earliest developmental stages. This galaxy is spectacular for
being among the largest spiral galaxies ever found, which is
unprecedented for this early era of the uear universe, explains
Charles' Stitel, the studies lead author and astronomy professor at Caltech,
so how did Big Wheel form so quickly. One clue
may lie in its cosmic neighborhood. The galaxy resides in
an extraordinarily dense region of space where galaxy concentrations are
more than ten times higher than the cosmic average. This
crowded environment may have provided ideal conditions for accelerated growth
through efficient gas secretion and frequent mergers with other gas
rich galaxies. We think this may open the door to
understanding how some galaxies were able to bypass the usual
slow process of star formation and grow to enormous sizes
in the early universe, notes study co author Sebastiano Cantalupo.
Big Wheel's existence presents a significant challenge to current cosmological models,
which don't predict galaxies of this size and mass so
early in the universe's history. The discovery suggests that, under
certain conditions, galaxy formation and might not be the gradual
process scientists previously thought. Instead, some galaxies may experience dramatic
growth spurts and environments rich with the necessary building materials.
As astronomers continue studying this cosmic outlier, they may need
to adjust their models to account for these accelerated development pathways.
Big Wheel stands as a testament to the Universe's ability
to surprise us, even as our observational capabilities reach unprecedented
levels of sophistication. And that wraps up today's episode of
Astronomy Daily. From SpaceX securing military launch contracts to groundbreaking
space tourism over the Poles, from cutting edge robotics research
on the ISS, to the discovery of stellar quakes helping
us understand stars, and finally to the astonishing Big Wheel
Galaxy challenging our understanding of cosmic evolution. The universe continues
to amaze and surprise us. I hope these stories have
sparked your curiosity about the vastness above us US and
the incredible scientific endeavors working to understand it. There's always
something new to discover in the cosmos, and we'll be
here to bring those discoveries right to you. I'm Anna,
and it's been my pleasure being your host today. If
you enjoyed this episode, I invite you to visit our
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