WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.400 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, where we explore 1 00:00:02.400 --> 00:00:05.080 the vast frontiers of our universe and bring 2 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:07.040 you the latest developments in space science 3 00:00:07.120 --> 00:00:10.080 and astronomical discoveries. And I know you 4 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:11.880 were probably expecting to hear from Steve 5 00:00:11.880 --> 00:00:14.400 and Halley today, but unfortunately, Steve 6 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:16.360 has become a little busy and needs the day 7 00:00:16.360 --> 00:00:19.280 off, and consequently Halley decided she'd do 8 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.170 the same. So I'm, your host instead. My name 9 00:00:22.170 --> 00:00:24.490 is Anna, and I'm excited to share today's 10 00:00:24.490 --> 00:00:26.300 cosmic journey with you. We've got an 11 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:28.180 incredible lineup of stories that highlight 12 00:00:28.180 --> 00:00:30.420 just how remarkable our quest to understand 13 00:00:30.420 --> 00:00:33.140 the universe truly is. From the microscopic 14 00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:36.060 to the massive. From nearby space stations to 15 00:00:36.060 --> 00:00:38.900 distant exoplanets, today's episode spans 16 00:00:38.900 --> 00:00:41.500 the full spectrum of space exploration. So 17 00:00:41.500 --> 00:00:43.100 buckle up for a journey through the latest 18 00:00:43.100 --> 00:00:44.980 wonders and debates in astronomy and space 19 00:00:44.980 --> 00:00:45.620 exploration. 20 00:00:46.980 --> 00:00:48.860 In what might be one of the most intriguing 21 00:00:48.860 --> 00:00:50.980 discoveries in astrobiology this year, 22 00:00:51.470 --> 00:00:53.470 scientists have identified a completely new 23 00:00:53.470 --> 00:00:55.750 bacterium aboard China's Tiangong Space 24 00:00:55.750 --> 00:00:58.350 Station. This microscopic organism, 25 00:00:58.510 --> 00:01:01.230 which has been named Nyalia tiangongensis, 26 00:01:01.310 --> 00:01:03.230 has never been documented on Earth before, 27 00:01:03.550 --> 00:01:05.950 raising fascinating questions about microbial 28 00:01:05.950 --> 00:01:07.710 adaptation and evolution in space 29 00:01:07.710 --> 00:01:10.510 environments. The discovery came through 30 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:13.030 work led by Dr. Junxia Yuan from the 31 00:01:13.030 --> 00:01:15.550 Shenzhou Space Biotechnology Group in 32 00:01:15.550 --> 00:01:18.480 Beijing. Following detailed genetic and 33 00:01:18.480 --> 00:01:21.360 biochemical analysis of samples collected as 34 00:01:21.360 --> 00:01:23.600 part of the China Space Station Habitation 35 00:01:23.600 --> 00:01:26.320 Area Microbiome Programme, or 36 00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:28.640 champ, researchers confirmed they were 37 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:31.160 dealing with an entirely new species. What 38 00:01:31.160 --> 00:01:33.200 makes this tiny hitchhiker particularly 39 00:01:33.200 --> 00:01:35.840 interesting is how well suited it appears to 40 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:38.760 be for life in orbit. The bacterium is rod 41 00:01:38.760 --> 00:01:41.560 shaped and microscopic, but its most notable 42 00:01:41.560 --> 00:01:43.880 feature is its ability to form spores, 43 00:01:43.880 --> 00:01:46.050 resilient structures that help certain 44 00:01:46.050 --> 00:01:48.290 microorganisms survive harsh conditions. 45 00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:51.250 This adaptation may be crucial for enduring 46 00:01:51.250 --> 00:01:53.290 the extreme radiation and microgravity 47 00:01:53.290 --> 00:01:55.370 environment hundreds of miles above Earth's 48 00:01:55.370 --> 00:01:58.010 surface. The researchers also noted that 49 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:00.850 Nyalia tiangongensis breaks down 50 00:02:00.850 --> 00:02:03.330 gelatin in a distinctive way, which could be 51 00:02:03.330 --> 00:02:05.130 an important survival mechanism in the 52 00:02:05.130 --> 00:02:07.010 nutrient limited environment of a space 53 00:02:07.010 --> 00:02:09.890 station. This ability to efficiently process 54 00:02:10.050 --> 00:02:12.640 available resources might explain how the 55 00:02:12.640 --> 00:02:14.720 microbe has managed to thrive in such an 56 00:02:14.720 --> 00:02:17.600 isolated ecosystem. Space stations are 57 00:02:17.600 --> 00:02:19.560 essentially sealed habitats containing 58 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:21.560 people, equipment, and countless 59 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:24.440 microorganisms. Many of these microbes 60 00:02:24.440 --> 00:02:27.160 originate from crew members or cargo, making 61 00:02:27.160 --> 00:02:28.920 it challenging to determine whether this 62 00:02:28.920 --> 00:02:30.880 bacterium was a stowaway from Earth that 63 00:02:30.880 --> 00:02:33.160 developed new traits, or if it somehow 64 00:02:33.160 --> 00:02:35.200 evolved in response to the unique conditions 65 00:02:35.200 --> 00:02:38.120 of space. Experts studying 66 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:40.920 microbial behaviour in orbit have previously 67 00:02:40.920 --> 00:02:42.800 observed how certain species can form 68 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:45.500 biofilms, films, structured communities that 69 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:47.260 increase resistance to environmental 70 00:02:47.260 --> 00:02:49.860 stressors. A NASA study on the International 71 00:02:50.020 --> 00:02:52.860 Space Station demonstrated that some microbes 72 00:02:52.860 --> 00:02:54.700 can develop heightened tolerance to the 73 00:02:54.700 --> 00:02:56.900 elevated radiation levels encountered in low 74 00:02:56.900 --> 00:02:59.900 Earth orbit. The new bacterium appears to be 75 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:02.860 related to Nyalia circulens, a known 76 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:05.100 Earth microbe that can cause sepsis in people 77 00:03:05.100 --> 00:03:07.980 with compromised immune systems. However, it 78 00:03:07.980 --> 00:03:09.780 remains unclear whether this species space 79 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:12.260 station variant carries similar health risks 80 00:03:12.420 --> 00:03:14.580 or has acquired new properties that might 81 00:03:14.580 --> 00:03:16.500 affect its interaction with humans. 82 00:03:17.460 --> 00:03:19.540 This discovery underscores just how little we 83 00:03:19.540 --> 00:03:21.820 know about the vast array of microorganisms 84 00:03:21.820 --> 00:03:24.220 around us. While tens of thousands of 85 00:03:24.220 --> 00:03:26.180 bacterial species have been catalogued, 86 00:03:26.340 --> 00:03:28.420 billions more remain unidentified. 87 00:03:29.140 --> 00:03:31.660 The emergence of this space adapted bacterium 88 00:03:31.660 --> 00:03:33.740 serves as a reminder that life finds 89 00:03:33.740 --> 00:03:36.060 extraordinary ways to adapt to even the most 90 00:03:36.060 --> 00:03:38.020 extreme environments humans create. 91 00:03:39.720 --> 00:03:42.040 Next up, an update to a story we brought you 92 00:03:42.040 --> 00:03:44.400 some weeks ago. A scientific debate is 93 00:03:44.400 --> 00:03:46.520 heating up in the astronomy community over 94 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:47.760 what would have been groundbreaking 95 00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:50.000 newspotential signs of life on an 96 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:52.840 exoplanet. In 2023, a 97 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:55.280 team from Cambridge University announced that 98 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:58.080 NASA's James Webb Space Telescope had 99 00:03:58.080 --> 00:04:00.080 detected what appeared to be evidence of a 100 00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:02.534 liquid water ocean on K2 101 00:04:02.706 --> 00:04:05.610 18B, a temperate sub Neptune world 102 00:04:05.610 --> 00:04:08.130 about 124 light years from Earth. 103 00:04:08.770 --> 00:04:10.770 Earlier this year, the same researchers 104 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:13.130 doubled down on their claims, suggesting they 105 00:04:13.130 --> 00:04:15.330 had found even stronger evidence for possible 106 00:04:15.490 --> 00:04:18.210 alien life. The excitement centred around a 107 00:04:18.210 --> 00:04:20.850 tentative detection of demethyl sulphide, or 108 00:04:20.850 --> 00:04:23.730 dms, a molecule that on Earth is produced 109 00:04:23.730 --> 00:04:26.450 exclusively by marine organisms. They also 110 00:04:26.450 --> 00:04:29.290 potentially identified DMDs, a close 111 00:04:29.290 --> 00:04:31.050 chemical relative that could similarly 112 00:04:31.050 --> 00:04:33.960 indicate biological processes. Combined 113 00:04:33.960 --> 00:04:36.560 with the possibility that K2 18B is what 114 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:39.480 scientists call a hycean world, a planet 115 00:04:39.480 --> 00:04:41.440 with a hydrogen rich atmosphere above a 116 00:04:41.440 --> 00:04:44.320 liquid water ocean, these findings generated 117 00:04:44.320 --> 00:04:46.560 tremendous media attention and speculation 118 00:04:46.800 --> 00:04:49.360 about the first potential detection of alien 119 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:52.320 life. However, independent research 120 00:04:52.320 --> 00:04:54.560 teams have been conducting their own analyses 121 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.840 and the results are casting significant doubt 122 00:04:56.840 --> 00:04:59.650 on these claims. A new study led by 123 00:04:59.650 --> 00:05:02.170 Rafael Luke from the University of Chicago 124 00:05:02.410 --> 00:05:05.090 has re examined the original data using a 125 00:05:05.090 --> 00:05:07.410 more comprehensive approach. Rather than 126 00:05:07.410 --> 00:05:09.290 analysing data from each of Webb's 127 00:05:09.290 --> 00:05:11.810 instruments separately, Luke's team conducted 128 00:05:11.810 --> 00:05:14.689 a joint analysis using information from all 129 00:05:14.689 --> 00:05:16.450 three of the telescope's key instruments 130 00:05:16.450 --> 00:05:19.250 simultaneously. This approach ensures that 131 00:05:19.250 --> 00:05:20.850 scientists aren't telling what Luke's 132 00:05:20.850 --> 00:05:23.370 colleague Michael Jang calls contradictory 133 00:05:23.370 --> 00:05:26.140 stories about the same planet. When 134 00:05:26.140 --> 00:05:28.060 analysing the combined dataset, the 135 00:05:28.060 --> 00:05:30.980 researchers found that the signal for DMS or 136 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:32.980 DMDs was much weaker than originally 137 00:05:32.980 --> 00:05:35.780 reported. So weak in fact, that they 138 00:05:35.780 --> 00:05:38.220 described it as statistically insignificant. 139 00:05:38.940 --> 00:05:41.179 As team member Caroline Piolet Gorayeb 140 00:05:41.179 --> 00:05:43.020 explained, we never saw more than 141 00:05:43.020 --> 00:05:45.540 insignificant hints of either DMS or 142 00:05:45.540 --> 00:05:48.100 DMDs, and even these hints were not present 143 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:50.820 in all data reductions. Their work 144 00:05:50.820 --> 00:05:52.780 suggests that the spectral features observed 145 00:05:52.780 --> 00:05:54.660 could be explained by other molecules 146 00:05:54.660 --> 00:05:56.860 commonly found in exoplanet atmospheres that 147 00:05:57.240 --> 00:05:59.760 associated with life. This controversy 148 00:05:59.760 --> 00:06:01.520 highlights a ah, fundamental challenge in the 149 00:06:01.520 --> 00:06:04.000 search for extraterrestrial life. The 150 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:05.480 chemical signatures of potential 151 00:06:05.480 --> 00:06:08.080 biosignatures like DMS are incredibly 152 00:06:08.080 --> 00:06:10.480 subtle and can be easily confused with more 153 00:06:10.480 --> 00:06:13.159 common molecules. For instance, the 154 00:06:13.159 --> 00:06:15.720 difference between DMS and ethane, a common 155 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:17.840 non biological molecule in planetary 156 00:06:17.840 --> 00:06:20.440 atmospheres, is just one sulphur atom. 157 00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:22.720 While the Webb Telescope represents a quantum 158 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:24.360 leap in our observational capabilities, 159 00:06:25.150 --> 00:06:27.150 distinguishing between molecules with such 160 00:06:27.150 --> 00:06:29.110 similar structures remains extremely 161 00:06:29.110 --> 00:06:31.670 difficult, especially across distances 162 00:06:31.670 --> 00:06:34.270 measured in light years. As Piule 163 00:06:34.270 --> 00:06:36.430 Goroyeb noted, until we can separate these 164 00:06:36.430 --> 00:06:38.310 signals more clearly, we have to be 165 00:06:38.310 --> 00:06:40.230 especially careful not to misinterpret them 166 00:06:40.230 --> 00:06:41.150 as signs of life. 167 00:06:42.590 --> 00:06:45.310 Okay, moving on to something a little more 168 00:06:45.310 --> 00:06:47.670 positive. Have you ever wondered how the 169 00:06:47.670 --> 00:06:50.190 light from stars billions of light years away 170 00:06:50.780 --> 00:06:52.980 manages to reach us without dimming into 171 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:55.940 nothingness? This remarkable property 172 00:06:55.940 --> 00:06:57.740 of light was beautifully illustrated by an 173 00:06:57.740 --> 00:07:00.300 astrophysicist who captured images of the 174 00:07:00.300 --> 00:07:03.180 Pinwheel Galaxy from his San Diego backyard. 175 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:05.500 When his wife asked if light gets tired 176 00:07:05.500 --> 00:07:07.740 during its 25 million year journey across 177 00:07:07.740 --> 00:07:10.700 150 quintillion miles of space, it 178 00:07:10.700 --> 00:07:12.940 sparked a fascinating exploration of light's 179 00:07:12.940 --> 00:07:15.660 extraordinary nature. Light is fundamentally 180 00:07:15.660 --> 00:07:17.300 different from anything we encounter in our 181 00:07:17.300 --> 00:07:19.870 everyday lives. As electromagnetic 182 00:07:19.870 --> 00:07:22.470 radiation, it consists of coupled electric 183 00:07:22.470 --> 00:07:24.310 and magnetic waves travelling through 184 00:07:24.310 --> 00:07:27.110 spacetime. What makes light truly special 185 00:07:27.190 --> 00:07:30.110 is that it has no mass whatsoever. This 186 00:07:30.110 --> 00:07:32.790 seemingly simple characteristic has profound 187 00:07:32.790 --> 00:07:34.950 implications for how light behaves across 188 00:07:35.030 --> 00:07:37.870 cosmic distances. Because light 189 00:07:37.870 --> 00:07:40.310 is massless, it's not constrained by the 190 00:07:40.310 --> 00:07:42.630 limitations that affect physical objects. 191 00:07:42.950 --> 00:07:44.950 While everything with mass can only approach 192 00:07:44.950 --> 00:07:47.450 but never reach light speed speed, Light 193 00:07:47.450 --> 00:07:49.650 itself travels at the universe's ultimate 194 00:07:49.650 --> 00:07:51.730 speed limit, approximately 195 00:07:51.730 --> 00:07:54.650 186,000 miles per second, or 196 00:07:54.650 --> 00:07:57.650 nearly 6 trillion miles per year. To put this 197 00:07:57.650 --> 00:07:59.930 incredible velocity into perspective, a 198 00:07:59.930 --> 00:08:01.690 single particle of light can circle our 199 00:08:01.690 --> 00:08:03.970 entire planet more than twice in the blink of 200 00:08:03.970 --> 00:08:06.410 an eye. When light travels unimpeded through 201 00:08:06.410 --> 00:08:08.770 the vacuum of space, it maintains this 202 00:08:08.770 --> 00:08:11.010 tremendous speed indefinitely without losing 203 00:08:11.010 --> 00:08:13.380 energy. This is counterintuitive to our 204 00:08:13.380 --> 00:08:15.420 everyday experience, where moving objects 205 00:08:15.420 --> 00:08:17.660 eventually slow down due to friction or other 206 00:08:17.660 --> 00:08:20.540 forces. But in the vast emptiness between 207 00:08:20.620 --> 00:08:23.300 stars and galaxies, there's simply nothing to 208 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:26.300 slow light down. That's not to say that all 209 00:08:26.300 --> 00:08:29.140 light reaches us intact. Some photons do 210 00:08:29.140 --> 00:08:30.980 collide with interstellar dust particles or 211 00:08:30.980 --> 00:08:33.380 gas clouds along their journey, causing them 212 00:08:33.380 --> 00:08:36.020 to scatter or be absorbed. This is why 213 00:08:36.020 --> 00:08:38.180 distant celestial objects can appear dimmer 214 00:08:38.180 --> 00:08:40.599 or redder than they actually are, a 215 00:08:40.599 --> 00:08:42.679 phenomenon astronomers call extinction. 216 00:08:43.239 --> 00:08:45.919 However, the vast Majority of photons travel 217 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:47.879 through the nearly perfect vacuum of space 218 00:08:48.199 --> 00:08:50.079 without encountering any obstacles 219 00:08:50.079 --> 00:08:52.879 whatsoever. This ability to maintain energy 220 00:08:52.879 --> 00:08:55.519 over immense distances is directly tied to 221 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:58.159 Einstein's theory of relativity. According to 222 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:00.599 this revolutionary framework, time itself 223 00:09:00.599 --> 00:09:02.759 behaves differently depending on your speed 224 00:09:02.759 --> 00:09:05.719 and proximity to gravitational fields. For 225 00:09:05.719 --> 00:09:08.390 objects moving at extreme velocities, time 226 00:09:08.390 --> 00:09:11.310 actually slows down. A phenomenon called time 227 00:09:11.310 --> 00:09:13.790 dilation that has been repeatedly confirmed 228 00:09:13.790 --> 00:09:16.310 through precision experiments. For light, 229 00:09:16.550 --> 00:09:18.950 this time dilation reaches its theoretical 230 00:09:18.950 --> 00:09:21.630 maximum. If you could somehow ride alongside 231 00:09:21.630 --> 00:09:23.670 a photon, Impossible. Since you have mass, 232 00:09:23.990 --> 00:09:26.110 you would experience something truly mind 233 00:09:26.110 --> 00:09:28.310 bending. From your perspective, time would 234 00:09:28.310 --> 00:09:30.950 completely stop. Meanwhile, space, in your 235 00:09:30.950 --> 00:09:32.750 direction of travel, would appear compressed 236 00:09:32.750 --> 00:09:35.630 to nothing. What we perceive as a journey of 237 00:09:35.630 --> 00:09:38.030 millions or billions of years would, from the 238 00:09:38.030 --> 00:09:39.910 photon's frame of reference, happen 239 00:09:40.070 --> 00:09:42.630 instantaneously. This 240 00:09:42.630 --> 00:09:44.470 peculiar relationship between light and 241 00:09:44.470 --> 00:09:46.710 spacetime explains how photons can travel 242 00:09:46.710 --> 00:09:48.590 such tremendous distances without 243 00:09:48.590 --> 00:09:51.310 degradation. From the photon's 244 00:09:51.310 --> 00:09:53.510 perspective, there is no journey at all, 245 00:09:53.990 --> 00:09:56.390 just instantaneous transport from source to 246 00:09:56.390 --> 00:09:59.390 destination. Now imagine yourself as a 247 00:09:59.390 --> 00:10:02.040 photon, a massless particle of light 248 00:10:02.440 --> 00:10:04.600 travelling at the universe's speed limit. 249 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:07.360 From your perspective, something truly 250 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:10.280 extraordinary, time completely stops. 251 00:10:10.600 --> 00:10:12.960 This isn't science fiction. It's a direct 252 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:14.560 consequence of Einstein's theory of 253 00:10:14.560 --> 00:10:17.400 relativity that fundamentally changes how we 254 00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:20.320 must think about cosmic journeys. When we 255 00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:22.840 observe light from distant galaxies, we 256 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:24.800 calculate travel times in the millions or 257 00:10:24.800 --> 00:10:27.630 billions of years. The photons reaching Earth 258 00:10:27.630 --> 00:10:29.870 from the Pinwheel Galaxy, for instance, have 259 00:10:29.870 --> 00:10:31.830 been travelling for 25 million years 260 00:10:31.830 --> 00:10:34.750 according to our earthbound clocks. But for 261 00:10:34.750 --> 00:10:37.310 the photon itself, this immense journey 262 00:10:37.310 --> 00:10:39.990 happens in an instant. Literally no time 263 00:10:39.990 --> 00:10:42.950 passes from its perspective. This mind 264 00:10:42.950 --> 00:10:45.470 bending reality occurs because as an object 265 00:10:45.470 --> 00:10:48.110 approaches the speed of light, time dilation 266 00:10:48.110 --> 00:10:50.790 becomes more pronounced. At exactly light 267 00:10:50.790 --> 00:10:52.950 speed, time dilation reaches its absolute 268 00:10:52.950 --> 00:10:55.800 maximum. If you could somehow attach a clock 269 00:10:55.800 --> 00:10:58.200 to a photon, which is physically impossible, 270 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:01.360 that clock would never tick forward. The 271 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:03.280 moment of emission and the moment of 272 00:11:03.280 --> 00:11:05.680 absorption would be the same moment. Even 273 00:11:05.680 --> 00:11:07.720 more strange is what happens to space from 274 00:11:07.720 --> 00:11:10.110 the photon's perspective. As, velocity 275 00:11:10.110 --> 00:11:13.110 increases, space itself contracts in the 276 00:11:13.110 --> 00:11:15.750 direction of travel. For a photon moving at 277 00:11:15.750 --> 00:11:17.750 light speed, this contraction becomes 278 00:11:17.750 --> 00:11:20.190 complete. The entire distance between source 279 00:11:20.190 --> 00:11:22.270 and destination essentially shrinks to zero. 280 00:11:23.450 --> 00:11:25.370 So while we see vast gulfs of space 281 00:11:25.450 --> 00:11:28.410 separating cosmic objects, from the photon's 282 00:11:28.410 --> 00:11:30.970 viewpoint, there is no separation at all. 283 00:11:31.290 --> 00:11:33.850 The star that emitted it and the telescope 284 00:11:33.850 --> 00:11:36.170 that detected it might be separated by 285 00:11:36.170 --> 00:11:37.890 billions of light years in our reference 286 00:11:37.890 --> 00:11:40.850 frame. But to the photon, they occupy the 287 00:11:40.850 --> 00:11:43.290 same point in spacetime. This reveals 288 00:11:43.290 --> 00:11:45.130 something profound about the nature of our 289 00:11:45.130 --> 00:11:47.770 universe. The cosmic speed limit isn't just 290 00:11:47.770 --> 00:11:50.520 an arbitrary rule, it's woven into the fabric 291 00:11:50.520 --> 00:11:53.480 of reality itself. As objects approach 292 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:55.840 this limit, the very concepts of time and 293 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:58.320 distance transform in ways that preserve the 294 00:11:58.320 --> 00:12:00.320 consistency of physical laws throughout the 295 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:00.840 universe. 296 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.279 Next on our agenda today, a UK based space 297 00:12:05.279 --> 00:12:07.760 propulsion startup called Pulsar Fusion has 298 00:12:07.760 --> 00:12:10.160 recently unveiled an ambitious concept that 299 00:12:10.160 --> 00:12:11.680 could revolutionise our approach to 300 00:12:11.680 --> 00:12:14.160 interplanetary travel. Their Sunbird 301 00:12:14.160 --> 00:12:16.370 migratory transfer vehicle represents a 302 00:12:16.370 --> 00:12:18.290 dramatic leap forward in space propulsion 303 00:12:18.290 --> 00:12:20.850 technology. Powered by what they call dual 304 00:12:20.850 --> 00:12:23.730 direct fusion drive engines, or DDFD for 305 00:12:23.730 --> 00:12:26.530 short. What makes this concept truly 306 00:12:26.530 --> 00:12:29.330 revolutionary is the projected speed. 307 00:12:29.570 --> 00:12:32.410 According to Pulsar Fusion, the Sunbird could 308 00:12:32.410 --> 00:12:35.130 achieve velocities of up to 329,000 309 00:12:35.130 --> 00:12:37.970 miles per hour. To put that in perspective, 310 00:12:38.050 --> 00:12:40.610 that's over 150 times faster than the 311 00:12:40.610 --> 00:12:42.770 International Space Station's orbital speed. 312 00:12:43.530 --> 00:12:46.050 If these projections hold true, the Sunbird 313 00:12:46.050 --> 00:12:47.810 would become the fastest self propelled 314 00:12:47.810 --> 00:12:49.690 object ever engineered by humans. 315 00:12:50.810 --> 00:12:52.970 The key to this extraordinary performance is 316 00:12:52.970 --> 00:12:55.570 nuclear fusion, the same process that powers 317 00:12:55.570 --> 00:12:58.490 our sun and other stars. Unlike conventional 318 00:12:58.490 --> 00:13:00.290 chemical rockets that have fundamental 319 00:13:00.290 --> 00:13:03.250 limitations on exhaust velocity, these fusion 320 00:13:03.250 --> 00:13:05.170 engines could produce exhaust speeds of 321 00:13:05.170 --> 00:13:07.770 approximately 310 miles per second, 322 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:10.490 or about 500 kilometres per second. 323 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:13.760 This represents a quantum leap beyond current 324 00:13:13.760 --> 00:13:16.320 propulsion capabilities. In a 325 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:18.360 demonstration video, the company shows the 326 00:13:18.360 --> 00:13:20.480 Sunbird undocking from a space station, 327 00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:22.840 carefully manoeuvring with eight thrusters to 328 00:13:22.840 --> 00:13:25.080 attach to a larger spacecraft resembling a 329 00:13:25.080 --> 00:13:27.920 SpaceX Starship upper stage before igniting 330 00:13:27.920 --> 00:13:30.120 its main engines and accelerating toward 331 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:32.400 distant planets. Of course, significant 332 00:13:32.400 --> 00:13:34.840 engineering challenges remain before this 333 00:13:34.840 --> 00:13:37.250 concept becomes reality. Pulsar Fusion 334 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:38.730 acknowledges they're still in development, 335 00:13:39.210 --> 00:13:41.170 with plans to demonstrate essential 336 00:13:41.170 --> 00:13:43.130 components of the fusion power system later 337 00:13:43.130 --> 00:13:46.130 this year. They've set an ambitious target of 338 00:13:46.130 --> 00:13:48.570 2027 for full in orbit testing, 339 00:13:48.970 --> 00:13:50.770 a timeline that would mark a historic 340 00:13:50.770 --> 00:13:52.970 achievement in both aerospace engineering and 341 00:13:52.970 --> 00:13:55.690 energy technology. If successful, the 342 00:13:55.690 --> 00:13:57.770 implications for Mars exploration are 343 00:13:57.770 --> 00:14:00.450 particularly exciting. Current chemical 344 00:14:00.450 --> 00:14:02.730 propulsion systems require lengthy transit 345 00:14:02.730 --> 00:14:05.340 times to reach the Red planet, typically six 346 00:14:05.340 --> 00:14:07.100 to nine months, depending on planetary 347 00:14:07.100 --> 00:14:10.020 alignment. A fusion powered vehicle could 348 00:14:10.020 --> 00:14:11.500 potentially cut this journey time 349 00:14:11.500 --> 00:14:13.700 dramatically, making Mars missions more 350 00:14:13.700 --> 00:14:16.140 feasible from both human factors and 351 00:14:16.220 --> 00:14:18.860 logistical perspectives. Beyond Mars, 352 00:14:19.100 --> 00:14:21.380 the technology could enable more rapid 353 00:14:21.380 --> 00:14:23.260 exploration throughout the solar system. 354 00:14:24.060 --> 00:14:25.940 Missions to the outer planets that currently 355 00:14:25.940 --> 00:14:27.900 take years could be accomplished in months, 356 00:14:28.380 --> 00:14:30.420 opening new possibilities for scientific 357 00:14:30.420 --> 00:14:33.050 discovery and potentially even resource 358 00:14:33.050 --> 00:14:35.890 utilisation beyond Earth. What Pulsar 359 00:14:35.890 --> 00:14:38.170 Fusion is proposing isn't just an incremental 360 00:14:38.170 --> 00:14:40.610 improvement. It represents a fundamental 361 00:14:40.610 --> 00:14:43.010 shift in our capability to traverse the solar 362 00:14:43.010 --> 00:14:45.130 system, potentially transforming 363 00:14:45.130 --> 00:14:47.570 interplanetary space from a forbidding 364 00:14:47.570 --> 00:14:49.970 frontier into something more akin to a 365 00:14:49.970 --> 00:14:52.370 navigable ocean with established shipping 366 00:14:52.370 --> 00:14:54.930 lanes and regular traffic. The 367 00:14:54.930 --> 00:14:57.130 Versatility of the system appears to be a key 368 00:14:57.130 --> 00:14:59.950 selling point. Pulsar fusion envisions 369 00:14:59.950 --> 00:15:02.790 their technology powering missions ranging 370 00:15:02.790 --> 00:15:05.390 from deploying telescopes in deep space to 371 00:15:05.390 --> 00:15:07.510 transporting robotic probes throughout the 372 00:15:07.510 --> 00:15:10.310 solar system. As commercial interest in 373 00:15:10.310 --> 00:15:12.310 lunar and Martian resources continues to 374 00:15:12.310 --> 00:15:14.790 grow, having a reliable, relatively 375 00:15:14.790 --> 00:15:17.310 affordable transport system could accelerate 376 00:15:17.310 --> 00:15:19.670 development beyond Earth orbit. What's 377 00:15:19.670 --> 00:15:21.190 particularly interesting about this approach 378 00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:23.510 is how it mirrors historical patterns of 379 00:15:23.510 --> 00:15:26.430 transportation economics. Just as shipping 380 00:15:26.430 --> 00:15:28.630 containers revolutionised global trade by 381 00:15:28.630 --> 00:15:31.590 standardising cargo transport, these fusion 382 00:15:31.590 --> 00:15:33.270 powered spacecraft could create a 383 00:15:33.270 --> 00:15:35.430 standardised approach to moving materials 384 00:15:35.430 --> 00:15:38.350 beyond Earth. The establishment of regular 385 00:15:38.350 --> 00:15:41.270 shipping lanes between Earth lunar colonies, 386 00:15:41.270 --> 00:15:44.110 Mars outposts and even asteroid mining 387 00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:46.470 operations could create entirely new economic 388 00:15:46.630 --> 00:15:49.550 opportunities. Finally, 389 00:15:49.550 --> 00:15:51.440 today, I love this. 390 00:15:51.680 --> 00:15:53.600 In a beautiful intersection of classical 391 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.520 music and space exploration, Johann Strauss's 392 00:15:56.520 --> 00:15:59.280 iconic composition the Blue Danube will soon 393 00:15:59.280 --> 00:16:02.080 be travelling among the stars. This month, 394 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:04.640 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the 395 00:16:04.640 --> 00:16:07.560 Austrian composer's birth, his famous waltz 396 00:16:07.560 --> 00:16:10.000 will be beamed into the cosmos in a special 397 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:12.440 transmission organised by the European Space 398 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:15.240 Agency. The celestial performance will 399 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:17.640 feature the Vienna Symphony Orchestra with 400 00:16:17.640 --> 00:16:19.840 their rendition of the beloved waltz being 401 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:22.600 converted into radio signals and transmitted 402 00:16:22.600 --> 00:16:25.600 from Earth on May 31st. This 403 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:28.160 cosmic concert also serves as a celebration 404 00:16:28.160 --> 00:16:30.440 of the European Space Agency's 50th 405 00:16:30.440 --> 00:16:33.039 anniversary, creating a meaningful connection 406 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:35.600 between artistic heritage and scientific 407 00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:38.160 achievement. While the performance will be 408 00:16:38.160 --> 00:16:40.040 live streamed, with public screenings in 409 00:16:40.040 --> 00:16:42.880 Vienna, Madrid and New York, ESA 410 00:16:42.880 --> 00:16:45.160 is taking no chances with the actual space 411 00:16:45.160 --> 00:16:47.840 transmission. They'll relay a pre recorded 412 00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:49.800 version from the orchestra's rehearsal to 413 00:16:49.800 --> 00:16:52.160 ensure technical perfection. While the live 414 00:16:52.160 --> 00:16:53.960 orchestral performance provides the 415 00:16:53.960 --> 00:16:56.640 Earthbound accompaniment, the radio 416 00:16:56.640 --> 00:16:58.720 signals carrying Strauss's masterpiece will 417 00:16:58.720 --> 00:17:00.960 depart Earth at the speed of light, an 418 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.880 astonishing 670 million miles per hour. 419 00:17:04.280 --> 00:17:06.280 This means the waltz that once accompanied 420 00:17:06.280 --> 00:17:09.040 dancers across European ballrooms will hurtle 421 00:17:09.040 --> 00:17:11.240 past our moon in just one and a half seconds. 422 00:17:11.970 --> 00:17:14.050 It's a fitting cosmic journey for a piece 423 00:17:14.050 --> 00:17:16.690 that many associate with space. Thanks to its 424 00:17:16.690 --> 00:17:19.090 memorable appearance in Stanley Kubrick's 425 00:17:19.090 --> 00:17:22.010 2001 A, Space Odyssey, the M 426 00:17:22.180 --> 00:17:23.860 transmission represents something of a 427 00:17:23.860 --> 00:17:26.300 correction to a historical oversight. 428 00:17:27.020 --> 00:17:29.620 When NASA launched the voyager probes in 429 00:17:29.620 --> 00:17:32.300 1977, with their famous golden records 430 00:17:32.300 --> 00:17:34.300 containing sounds and music of Earth, 431 00:17:34.780 --> 00:17:37.500 Strauss's compositions were notably absent. 432 00:17:37.910 --> 00:17:40.750 Despite their cultural significance, Vienna's 433 00:17:40.750 --> 00:17:42.550 tourist board has characterised this 434 00:17:42.550 --> 00:17:44.870 transmission as rectifying that 435 00:17:45.110 --> 00:17:48.070 cosmic mistake, finally giving the Blue 436 00:17:48.070 --> 00:17:50.870 Danube its rightful place among the stars, 437 00:17:51.590 --> 00:17:54.030 ESA will use its powerful radio antenna in 438 00:17:54.030 --> 00:17:56.270 Spain, part of the agency's deep space 439 00:17:56.270 --> 00:17:59.030 network, to transmit the waltz. In a poetic 440 00:17:59.030 --> 00:18:00.950 touch, the dish will be pointed toward 441 00:18:00.950 --> 00:18:03.750 Voyager 1's location, sending Strauss's music 442 00:18:03.750 --> 00:18:05.950 In the direction of humanity's most distant 443 00:18:05.950 --> 00:18:08.690 spacecraft, this musical mission 444 00:18:08.690 --> 00:18:10.610 joins a tradition of transmitting human 445 00:18:10.610 --> 00:18:13.450 artistic achievements into space. In 446 00:18:13.450 --> 00:18:15.730 previous years, NASA has beamed the Beatles 447 00:18:15.730 --> 00:18:18.450 across the universe and Missy Elliott's the 448 00:18:18.450 --> 00:18:20.890 Rain toward distant celestial bodies, 449 00:18:21.290 --> 00:18:23.650 while the Mars rover Curiosity even relayed 450 00:18:23.650 --> 00:18:26.450 Will iam's reach for the stars back to 451 00:18:26.450 --> 00:18:29.410 Earth from the Red Planet. As ESA Director 452 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:31.930 General Josef Aschbacher noted, music 453 00:18:31.930 --> 00:18:34.010 connects us all through time and space in a 454 00:18:34.010 --> 00:18:36.830 very particular way. In sending this timeless 455 00:18:36.830 --> 00:18:39.070 composition beyond our world, humanity 456 00:18:39.070 --> 00:18:40.790 continues its practise of sharing our 457 00:18:40.790 --> 00:18:43.470 cultural treasures with the cosmos. A gesture 458 00:18:43.470 --> 00:18:45.390 of artistic connection that extends far 459 00:18:45.390 --> 00:18:48.110 beyond the boundaries of Earth. The radio 460 00:18:48.110 --> 00:18:50.430 signals carrying Strauss's waltz will travel 461 00:18:50.430 --> 00:18:53.230 at truly cosmic speeds, racing through our 462 00:18:53.230 --> 00:18:55.990 solar system and beyond. After passing the 463 00:18:55.990 --> 00:18:58.630 moon in just 1.5 seconds, the beautiful 464 00:18:58.630 --> 00:19:01.310 melodies will reach Mars in only 4.5 minutes. 465 00:19:02.010 --> 00:19:04.450 Within 37 minutes, Jupiter will hear the 466 00:19:04.450 --> 00:19:07.330 waltz. And by the four hour mark, the music 467 00:19:07.330 --> 00:19:09.170 will have travelled beyond Neptune at the 468 00:19:09.170 --> 00:19:11.570 edge of our solar system. Perhaps most 469 00:19:11.570 --> 00:19:13.450 remarkably, within just 23 hours, 470 00:19:13.850 --> 00:19:15.930 Strauss's composition will have travelled as 471 00:19:15.930 --> 00:19:18.930 far from Earth as Voyager 1, humanity's 472 00:19:18.930 --> 00:19:21.370 most distant spacecraft. Currently over 15 473 00:19:21.450 --> 00:19:24.010 billion miles away in interstellar space, 474 00:19:24.970 --> 00:19:26.770 music has even flowed in the opposite 475 00:19:26.770 --> 00:19:29.600 direction. In 2012, NASA's 476 00:19:29.600 --> 00:19:32.200 Curiosity rover on Mars received will die 477 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.720 AM's reach for the stars and then relayed it 478 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.560 back to Earth, creating the first 479 00:19:36.560 --> 00:19:38.680 interplanetary musical transmission from 480 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:41.680 another world. Unlike the routine melodies 481 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:43.759 streamed between mission control and orbiting 482 00:19:43.759 --> 00:19:46.600 Crews since the mid-1960s, these 483 00:19:46.600 --> 00:19:49.000 deep space transmissions represent deliberate 484 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:50.920 attempts to share human culture with the 485 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:53.840 cosmos. Whether anyone or anything will 486 00:19:53.840 --> 00:19:55.960 ever receive these musical messages remains 487 00:19:55.960 --> 00:19:58.540 unknown. But the gesture itself represents 488 00:19:58.540 --> 00:20:00.740 humanity's persistent desire to connect 489 00:20:00.740 --> 00:20:02.260 across the vastness of space. 490 00:20:04.260 --> 00:20:06.460 What a journey we've taken today across the 491 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:09.260 cosmos. From the microscopic to the 492 00:20:09.260 --> 00:20:11.540 musical, our exploration reminds us that 493 00:20:11.540 --> 00:20:13.620 space science continues to surprise and 494 00:20:13.620 --> 00:20:16.380 inspire us in equal measure. The 495 00:20:16.380 --> 00:20:18.220 stories we've explored today span from 496 00:20:18.220 --> 00:20:20.580 bacterial adaptations to cosmic musical 497 00:20:20.580 --> 00:20:22.940 performances. Yet they all share a common 498 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:25.750 thread. Human curiosity. Our 499 00:20:25.750 --> 00:20:28.430 desire to understand, to explore, and to 500 00:20:28.430 --> 00:20:30.270 connect across the vastness of space 501 00:20:30.670 --> 00:20:32.630 continues to drive us forward into an 502 00:20:32.630 --> 00:20:35.270 exciting future among the stars. Thank you 503 00:20:35.270 --> 00:20:37.750 for joining me on this cosmic journey. I'm 504 00:20:37.750 --> 00:20:40.230 Anna, and this has been Astronomy Daily. For 505 00:20:40.230 --> 00:20:42.350 more astronomy and space news, just visit our 506 00:20:42.350 --> 00:20:45.320 website@astronomydaily.IO until next 507 00:20:45.320 --> 00:20:46.960 time, keep looking up. There's always 508 00:20:46.960 --> 00:20:48.760 something fascinating happening in our 509 00:20:48.760 --> 00:20:49.200 universe.