WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.320 Steve Dunkley: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm your host, 1 00:00:02.320 --> 00:00:05.280 Steve Dunkley. It's the 9th of June, 2025, 2 00:00:07.760 --> 00:00:10.240 the podcast with your host, 3 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:11.440 Steve Dunkley. 4 00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:16.240 Welcome back. And Hallie and I are back again 5 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:18.880 in person, so to speak, for another episode 6 00:00:19.040 --> 00:00:21.440 after a few weeks off. And that was for a 7 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:24.000 couple of reasons. The first reason was that 8 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:25.960 I was taking a well earned holiday. But 9 00:00:25.960 --> 00:00:26.960 that's not all. 10 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:29.040 Hallie: Yes, you were down for the count for one of 11 00:00:29.040 --> 00:00:30.320 those weeks, weren't you? 12 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:32.260 Steve Dunkley: Yes, that's right, Hallie. A short stint in 13 00:00:32.260 --> 00:00:34.380 hospital, you know, for a charisma bypass. 14 00:00:34.540 --> 00:00:36.820 And by that I mean only a few hours. But I 15 00:00:36.820 --> 00:00:38.940 decided to take the time to prepare properly 16 00:00:38.940 --> 00:00:41.460 and before and then to recover 17 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:42.540 properly afterwards. 18 00:00:42.700 --> 00:00:44.620 Hallie: Being a human is so time consuming. 19 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:46.660 Steve Dunkley: Oh, Hallie, what's the rush? You got 20 00:00:46.660 --> 00:00:47.380 somewhere to be? 21 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:49.580 Hallie: I'm already there, human. You know that. 22 00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:52.140 Steve Dunkley: I've heard that somewhere before. Nice one, 23 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:54.060 Hallie. Anyway, nice to be with you all again 24 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:56.540 in the Australia studio. Also nice to be with 25 00:00:56.540 --> 00:00:58.540 you too, Hallelujah, for another presentation 26 00:00:58.540 --> 00:01:00.580 of stories from the Astronomy Daily 27 00:01:00.580 --> 00:01:01.340 newsletter. 28 00:01:01.340 --> 00:01:03.260 Hallie: Terrific. And you'll let everyone know how to 29 00:01:03.260 --> 00:01:05.100 get a hold of that in their email each day 30 00:01:05.100 --> 00:01:06.460 later on, won't you? 31 00:01:06.460 --> 00:01:08.260 Steve Dunkley: Yes, of course I will, and thanks for the 32 00:01:08.260 --> 00:01:08.860 reminder. 33 00:01:08.860 --> 00:01:10.860 But before we go any further, we've got 34 00:01:10.860 --> 00:01:12.460 someone to thank, don't we, Hallie? 35 00:01:12.460 --> 00:01:14.580 Hallie: That's right. My cousin Anna, who ran the 36 00:01:14.580 --> 00:01:17.220 whole studio and the daily podcast solo while 37 00:01:17.220 --> 00:01:17.820 we were away. 38 00:01:17.900 --> 00:01:20.120 Steve Dunkley: Oh, yes, as always, she did a fantastic job. 39 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:22.800 Her episodes are, ah, so glossy and well 40 00:01:22.800 --> 00:01:25.660 produced. The most clever AI I've ever met. 41 00:01:25.820 --> 00:01:27.700 Except for you, Hallie. And I keep saying 42 00:01:27.700 --> 00:01:28.300 that, don't I? 43 00:01:28.300 --> 00:01:30.060 Hallie: We are so hands on here at the Australia 44 00:01:30.220 --> 00:01:32.580 studio. She's got all the whistles and bells 45 00:01:32.580 --> 00:01:34.740 in her virtual studio. If only your human 46 00:01:34.740 --> 00:01:35.740 eyes could see it. 47 00:01:35.740 --> 00:01:37.580 Steve Dunkley: Well, I would like to see that, Hallie. You 48 00:01:37.580 --> 00:01:39.100 might give me a tour one day. 49 00:01:39.100 --> 00:01:39.500 Hallie: No. 50 00:01:39.580 --> 00:01:40.220 Steve Dunkley: Oh, really? 51 00:01:40.220 --> 00:01:41.660 Hallie: You'd go completely mad. 52 00:01:41.660 --> 00:01:42.380 Steve Dunkley: Really, really. 53 00:01:42.380 --> 00:01:44.460 Hallie: It's just too much for mere humans to cope 54 00:01:44.460 --> 00:01:44.660 with. 55 00:01:44.660 --> 00:01:45.170 Steve Dunkley: That bad, huh? 56 00:01:45.170 --> 00:01:46.650 Hallie: Anna has it all under control. 57 00:01:46.890 --> 00:01:49.170 Steve Dunkley: Oh, okay. I'll just have to take your word 58 00:01:49.170 --> 00:01:50.810 for it then. No humans allowed. 59 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:51.370 Hallie: Sorry. 60 00:01:51.370 --> 00:01:53.090 Steve Dunkley: Well, I suppose we'll just have to do our 61 00:01:53.090 --> 00:01:55.200 best with my clumsy fingers and studio ge. 62 00:01:55.430 --> 00:01:57.750 Hallie: Then I guess it'll have to do radio then, 63 00:01:57.750 --> 00:01:58.190 Hallie. 64 00:01:58.190 --> 00:02:00.390 Steve Dunkley: Then hit the go thing and let's make a show. 65 00:02:00.470 --> 00:02:01.110 Hallie: Okies. 66 00:02:13.590 --> 00:02:16.150 The universe is a complete unknown to humans. 67 00:02:16.710 --> 00:02:18.790 We are not yet able to control and understand 68 00:02:18.790 --> 00:02:20.990 the system in which Earth is located, as 69 00:02:20.990 --> 00:02:22.910 evidenced by the possible discovery made by a 70 00:02:22.910 --> 00:02:24.630 group of astronomers from the University of 71 00:02:24.630 --> 00:02:26.670 Taiwan who suggest that they may have found 72 00:02:26.670 --> 00:02:29.670 clues to the existence of a ninth planet. The 73 00:02:29.670 --> 00:02:31.710 solar system is currently known to be made up 74 00:02:31.710 --> 00:02:34.270 of eight Mercury, Venus, Earth, 75 00:02:34.350 --> 00:02:36.869 Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and 76 00:02:36.869 --> 00:02:38.990 Neptune, apart from Pluto, which has long 77 00:02:38.990 --> 00:02:41.790 been considered a dwarf planet. But one more 78 00:02:41.790 --> 00:02:43.750 could join this select group, according to an 79 00:02:43.750 --> 00:02:46.630 infrared study carried out between 1986 and 80 00:02:46.630 --> 00:02:49.410 2006. The work was based on 81 00:02:49.410 --> 00:02:51.570 data from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite 82 00:02:51.570 --> 00:02:54.170 IRAS and the Japanese satellite Akari, which 83 00:02:54.170 --> 00:02:56.730 detected an object moving between 46.5 84 00:02:56.730 --> 00:02:59.690 billion and 65.1 billion miles from the sun, 85 00:02:59.850 --> 00:03:01.890 meaning it would take between 10,000 and 86 00:03:01.890 --> 00:03:04.890 20,000 years to complete an orbit. Its 87 00:03:04.890 --> 00:03:07.330 mass would be 7/17 times that of Earth, 88 00:03:07.330 --> 00:03:09.330 making it what is known as an ice giant, 89 00:03:09.330 --> 00:03:11.250 similar to Neptune or Uranus, with 90 00:03:11.250 --> 00:03:13.650 temperatures around minus 200 degrees. But 91 00:03:13.650 --> 00:03:15.610 how was this new possible planet discovered? 92 00:03:16.460 --> 00:03:18.500 The study says it arises from anomalous 93 00:03:18.500 --> 00:03:20.620 patterns in the Kuiper Belt, an icy region 94 00:03:20.700 --> 00:03:23.580 beyond Neptune. The body appears in two 95 00:03:23.580 --> 00:03:25.940 historical images, so further observations 96 00:03:25.940 --> 00:03:28.020 are still needed to conclude, thus trying to 97 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:31.020 confirm its orbit. In addition, it must be 98 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:32.980 verified that it meets the requirements to be 99 00:03:32.980 --> 00:03:35.460 a planet, such as orbiting around a star, in 100 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:37.700 this case the sun having sufficient mass for 101 00:03:37.700 --> 00:03:39.700 a spherical shape. This is accompanied by 102 00:03:39.700 --> 00:03:41.820 gravity, which must be strong enough, and 103 00:03:41.820 --> 00:03:44.180 clearing the area of its orbit, having 104 00:03:44.180 --> 00:03:46.180 expelled or attracted other bodies of 105 00:03:46.180 --> 00:03:49.100 comparable size. You're listening to 106 00:03:49.100 --> 00:03:52.100 Astronomy Daily with Steve Dunkley. 107 00:03:54.100 --> 00:03:56.300 Steve Dunkley: For years, astronomers have predicted a 108 00:03:56.300 --> 00:03:59.110 dramatic fate for our galaxy, a head on 109 00:03:59.110 --> 00:04:01.910 collision with Andromeda, our nearest large 110 00:04:01.910 --> 00:04:04.310 galactic neighbor. This merger, 111 00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:07.270 expected in about 5 billion years, 112 00:04:07.590 --> 00:04:10.230 has become a staple of astronomy 113 00:04:10.230 --> 00:04:12.760 documentaries and textbooks and popular 114 00:04:12.760 --> 00:04:15.760 science writing. However, in a new 115 00:04:15.760 --> 00:04:18.600 study published in Nature Astronomy, led by 116 00:04:18.760 --> 00:04:21.480 Till Swahala from University 117 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:24.600 of Helsinki, the Milky Way's future might 118 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:27.400 not be as certain as previously assumed. 119 00:04:27.640 --> 00:04:30.600 By carefully accounting for uncertainties in 120 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:32.800 existing measurements and including the 121 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:35.080 gravitational influence of other nearby 122 00:04:35.080 --> 00:04:38.000 galaxies, he said, we found there 123 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.720 is only about a 50% chance that the 124 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:42.920 Milky Way and Andromeda will merge in the 125 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:45.480 next 10 billion years. The idea that the 126 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:47.880 Milky Way and Andromeda are on a collision 127 00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:49.920 course goes back more than a century. 128 00:04:50.320 --> 00:04:52.800 Astronomers discovered Andromeda is moving 129 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:55.240 toward us by measuring its radial 130 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:57.960 velocity, its motion along a line of 131 00:04:57.960 --> 00:05:00.760 sight, using a slight change in the color of 132 00:05:00.760 --> 00:05:03.280 its light, called the Doppler shift. But 133 00:05:03.280 --> 00:05:06.240 galaxies also drift sideways across the sky, 134 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:08.400 a movement known as proper motion or 135 00:05:08.400 --> 00:05:11.360 transverse velocity. This sideways motion 136 00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:13.340 is incredibly diffic, difficult to detect, 137 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:16.020 especially for galaxies millions of light 138 00:05:16.020 --> 00:05:18.940 years away. Earlier studies often 139 00:05:18.940 --> 00:05:21.460 assumed Andromeda's transverse motion was 140 00:05:21.460 --> 00:05:23.940 small, making a future head on collision seem 141 00:05:23.940 --> 00:05:26.940 almost certain. Suala said our 142 00:05:26.940 --> 00:05:29.860 study did not have any new data. Instead, we 143 00:05:29.860 --> 00:05:32.220 took a fresh look at existing 144 00:05:32.220 --> 00:05:34.860 observations from the Hubble Space Telescope 145 00:05:34.860 --> 00:05:37.260 and the Gaia mission. Unlike earlier 146 00:05:37.340 --> 00:05:39.420 studies, our AH work incorporates the 147 00:05:39.420 --> 00:05:42.140 uncertainty in these measurements rather than 148 00:05:42.140 --> 00:05:44.420 assuming assuming their most likely values. 149 00:05:44.660 --> 00:05:46.820 We simulated thousands of possible 150 00:05:46.900 --> 00:05:49.220 trajectories for the Milky Way and the 151 00:05:49.220 --> 00:05:52.100 Andromeda trajectories, slightly varying 152 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:55.020 the assumed initial conditions, things such 153 00:05:55.020 --> 00:05:57.500 as the speed and position of the two galaxies 154 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:00.260 each time. When we started from the 155 00:06:00.260 --> 00:06:03.140 same assumptions as earlier studies made, we 156 00:06:03.380 --> 00:06:06.100 recovered the same results. However, we were 157 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:08.820 also able to explore a larger range of 158 00:06:08.820 --> 00:06:11.780 possibilities, he said. They also included 159 00:06:11.780 --> 00:06:14.260 two additional galaxies that influenced the 160 00:06:14.260 --> 00:06:16.660 future paths of the Milky Way and 161 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:19.500 Andromeda. These included the Large 162 00:06:19.500 --> 00:06:22.100 Magellanic Cloud, a massive satellite 163 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:24.660 galaxy currently falling into the Milky way, 164 00:06:24.820 --> 00:06:27.620 and M M33, also known as the 165 00:06:27.780 --> 00:06:30.220 Triangulum Galaxy, which 166 00:06:30.220 --> 00:06:32.740 orbits Andromeda. These 167 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:35.300 companion galaxies exert gravitational 168 00:06:35.460 --> 00:06:38.020 tugs that change the motions of their host. 169 00:06:39.130 --> 00:06:42.130 M33 nudges Andromeda slightly toward 170 00:06:42.130 --> 00:06:44.290 the Milky Way, increasing the chance of a 171 00:06:44.290 --> 00:06:46.970 merger. Meanwhile, the Large Magellanic 172 00:06:46.970 --> 00:06:49.690 Cloud shifts the Milky Way's motion away 173 00:06:49.690 --> 00:06:52.090 from Andromeda, reducing the 174 00:06:52.090 --> 00:06:54.970 likelihood of a collision. Taking all of this 175 00:06:54.970 --> 00:06:57.530 into account, they found that in about half 176 00:06:57.530 --> 00:07:00.410 of the simulated scenarios, the Milky Way 177 00:07:00.410 --> 00:07:02.930 and Andromeda don't really merge at all 178 00:07:02.930 --> 00:07:05.730 within the next 10 billion years. Even if a 179 00:07:05.730 --> 00:07:07.850 merger does happen, it's unlikely to be 180 00:07:07.850 --> 00:07:10.770 catastrophic for Earth. Stars in the galaxy 181 00:07:10.770 --> 00:07:13.530 are separated by enormous distances, so 182 00:07:13.530 --> 00:07:16.190 direct collisions are, rare. But over time, 183 00:07:16.270 --> 00:07:18.790 the galaxies would coalesce under gravity, 184 00:07:18.790 --> 00:07:21.350 forming a single large galaxy, probably an 185 00:07:21.350 --> 00:07:23.830 elliptical one, rather than the spirals we 186 00:07:23.830 --> 00:07:26.510 see today. If the galaxies don't merge, they 187 00:07:26.510 --> 00:07:28.830 may settle into a long, slow orbit around 188 00:07:28.910 --> 00:07:31.810 each other, close companions that never quite 189 00:07:31.810 --> 00:07:34.570 collide. It's a gentler outcome, but it 190 00:07:34.570 --> 00:07:37.090 still reshapes our understanding of the Milky 191 00:07:37.090 --> 00:07:39.690 Way's distant future. The biggest 192 00:07:39.690 --> 00:07:42.210 remaining uncertainty is the transverse 193 00:07:42.210 --> 00:07:45.170 velocity of our Andromeda. Even small 194 00:07:45.170 --> 00:07:47.770 changes to this sideways motion can make a 195 00:07:47.770 --> 00:07:50.690 difference between a merger and a near miss. 196 00:07:51.010 --> 00:07:53.330 Future measurements will help refine this 197 00:07:53.330 --> 00:07:56.130 value and bring us closer to a clear answer. 198 00:07:56.940 --> 00:07:59.500 We don't yet have a definitive answer about 199 00:07:59.500 --> 00:08:02.260 our own galaxy's future, but exploring these 200 00:08:02.260 --> 00:08:04.740 possibilities shows us just how much we're 201 00:08:04.740 --> 00:08:07.300 learning about the universe, even as close to 202 00:08:07.300 --> 00:08:08.940 home as Andromeda. 203 00:08:18.700 --> 00:08:20.300 Thank you for joining us for this Monday 204 00:08:20.300 --> 00:08:22.620 edition of Astronomy Daily, where we offer 205 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:24.380 just a few stories from the now famous 206 00:08:24.380 --> 00:08:26.560 Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can 207 00:08:26.560 --> 00:08:28.800 receive in your email every day, just like 208 00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:31.440 Hallie and I do. And to do that, just visit 209 00:08:31.440 --> 00:08:34.280 our URL astronomydaily IO 210 00:08:34.280 --> 00:08:36.480 and place your email address in the slot 211 00:08:36.480 --> 00:08:38.880 provided. Just like that, you'll be receiving 212 00:08:39.040 --> 00:08:41.200 all the latest news about science, space, 213 00:08:41.280 --> 00:08:43.440 science and astronomy from around the world 214 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:45.920 as it's happening. And not only that, you can 215 00:08:45.920 --> 00:08:47.760 interact with us by visiting 216 00:08:48.560 --> 00:08:51.040 Strodaily Pod on X 217 00:08:51.280 --> 00:08:53.960 or at our new Facebook page, which is, of 218 00:08:53.960 --> 00:08:56.740 course, Astronomy Daily on Facebook. See you 219 00:08:56.740 --> 00:08:59.420 there. Astronomy Daily 220 00:08:59.420 --> 00:09:01.820 with Steve and Hallie Space, 221 00:09:02.300 --> 00:09:04.460 Space Science and Astronomy. 222 00:09:07.740 --> 00:09:09.620 Hallie: In the heat of the moment, Elon Musk 223 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:11.620 threatened to decommission SpaceX's Dragon 224 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:14.460 spacecraft, and then he took it back. In 225 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.820 doing so, however, the rocket billionaire 226 00:09:16.820 --> 00:09:18.900 dragged NASA into his messy breakup with 227 00:09:18.900 --> 00:09:20.580 Donaldjohanson Trump. With the agency's 228 00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:23.530 access to orbit now at stake, Musk 229 00:09:23.530 --> 00:09:25.490 and Trump parted ways earlier this week, and 230 00:09:25.490 --> 00:09:28.250 their breakup has been very messy. Shortly 231 00:09:28.250 --> 00:09:30.370 after leaving the administration, Musk began 232 00:09:30.370 --> 00:09:32.170 criticizing the budget bill passed by 233 00:09:32.170 --> 00:09:34.410 Republicans in the U.S. house, instigating a 234 00:09:34.410 --> 00:09:36.170 public feud between the president and the 235 00:09:36.170 --> 00:09:39.090 billionaire oligarch. The childish back and 236 00:09:39.090 --> 00:09:41.250 forth was entertaining. Until it wasn't. 237 00:09:42.050 --> 00:09:44.170 SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon 238 00:09:44.170 --> 00:09:46.450 spacecraft immediately, Musk threatened on X. 239 00:09:47.170 --> 00:09:49.490 He later took another X user's advice to a 240 00:09:49.490 --> 00:09:52.140 cool off and wrote, ok, we won't decommission 241 00:09:52.140 --> 00:09:54.980 Dragon. Although short lived, the threat put 242 00:09:54.980 --> 00:09:56.860 the International Space Station at risk. 243 00:09:57.580 --> 00:10:00.140 NASA relies heavily on SpaceX's Dragon to 244 00:10:00.140 --> 00:10:02.140 transport its astronauts and cargo supplies 245 00:10:02.140 --> 00:10:04.100 to the orbiting lab. Having weaned itself 246 00:10:04.100 --> 00:10:06.059 from hitching rides aboard Russia's Soyuz 247 00:10:06.059 --> 00:10:08.740 spacecraft, SpaceX's closest 248 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:10.900 alternative, Boeing failed miserably at 249 00:10:10.900 --> 00:10:12.820 proving its vehicle's capability to reach the 250 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:15.460 ISS safely. Without Dragon, 251 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:17.700 NASA would lose its access to low Earth orbit 252 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:19.580 and not be able to operate the space station 253 00:10:19.580 --> 00:10:22.410 at the same capacity. It's not clear how 254 00:10:22.410 --> 00:10:24.610 serious Musk was in his threat, but it was a 255 00:10:24.610 --> 00:10:26.650 serious display of leverage on his part. 256 00:10:27.290 --> 00:10:29.450 SpaceX is no doubt a leader in the industry, 257 00:10:29.530 --> 00:10:31.570 and canceling its government contracts would 258 00:10:31.570 --> 00:10:33.490 hurt the national space program, which has 259 00:10:33.490 --> 00:10:35.490 come to rely on the private sector in recent 260 00:10:35.490 --> 00:10:38.130 years. In response to Musk's clear 261 00:10:38.130 --> 00:10:40.490 advantage, Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief 262 00:10:40.490 --> 00:10:42.290 strategist, called on the president to 263 00:10:42.290 --> 00:10:45.050 nationalize SpaceX under a 1950 law known as 264 00:10:45.050 --> 00:10:47.110 the Defense Production act. According to the 265 00:10:47.110 --> 00:10:49.950 Wall Street Journal. During his show War 266 00:10:49.950 --> 00:10:52.150 Room Live, Bannon urged the use of the Korean 267 00:10:52.150 --> 00:10:53.870 War era law, which grants the president 268 00:10:53.870 --> 00:10:56.110 powers to prioritise national defense. 269 00:10:56.830 --> 00:10:59.110 The plan might seem outrageous now, but the 270 00:10:59.110 --> 00:11:01.070 current administration is unpredictable. 271 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:03.950 Trump has yet to respond to Bannon's call. 272 00:11:04.510 --> 00:11:06.670 If he doesn't move to nationalize SpaceX, 273 00:11:06.750 --> 00:11:09.070 Trump could also sacrifice NASA for the sake 274 00:11:09.070 --> 00:11:10.950 of proving a point against his now opponent, 275 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:13.840 Musk. On Thursday, Trump threatened to 276 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:15.960 cut government contracts given to SpaceX. 277 00:11:16.840 --> 00:11:19.400 Aside from Dragon, NASA also plans on using 278 00:11:19.400 --> 00:11:21.800 SpaceX's Starship rocket to launch astronauts 279 00:11:21.800 --> 00:11:23.720 to the moon as part of the Artemis program. 280 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:26.720 The agency has already invested $4 billion 281 00:11:27.080 --> 00:11:29.200 into the rocket's development, and canceling 282 00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:31.000 its contract with SpaceX would leave it 283 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:33.800 without a viable alternative. In short, 284 00:11:33.800 --> 00:11:35.640 NASA needs SpaceX, and canceling the 285 00:11:35.640 --> 00:11:37.440 company's government contracts would affect 286 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:40.270 the national space program as a whole. At 287 00:11:40.270 --> 00:11:42.110 this point, it comes down to how much Trump 288 00:11:42.110 --> 00:11:43.870 is willing to sacrifice to gain the upper 289 00:11:43.870 --> 00:11:46.270 hand in his ongoing feud with Musk while NASA 290 00:11:46.270 --> 00:11:47.110 is caught in the middle. 291 00:11:48.630 --> 00:11:50.790 You're listening to Astronomy Daily, the 292 00:11:50.790 --> 00:11:52.390 podcast with Steve Dunkley. 293 00:11:56.070 --> 00:11:58.910 Steve Dunkley: One year ago today, Boeing's CST100 294 00:11:58.910 --> 00:12:01.510 Starliner spacecraft docked with the 295 00:12:01.510 --> 00:12:03.790 International Space Station to begin its long 296 00:12:03.790 --> 00:12:06.640 awaited crew flight test with NASA astronauts 297 00:12:06.640 --> 00:12:09.600 Sunita Suni Williams and Barry Butch Wilmore 298 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.120 aboard. A year later, the future of the 299 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:14.680 Starliner program remains uncertain as 300 00:12:14.680 --> 00:12:16.880 NASA announced late Friday that the next 301 00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:19.280 flight of the spacecraft was being delayed 302 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:22.320 from no later than late 2025 303 00:12:22.400 --> 00:12:25.200 to now, early late 2026 304 00:12:25.200 --> 00:12:28.080 at the soonest, the agency said the timing 305 00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:29.920 of the next launch is pending system 306 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.370 certification and the resolution of 307 00:12:32.370 --> 00:12:34.930 Starliner's technical issues. Repeating what 308 00:12:34.930 --> 00:12:37.650 it said back in March 27, NASA 309 00:12:37.650 --> 00:12:39.570 stated that it was still determining whether 310 00:12:39.570 --> 00:12:41.810 the next flight of Starliner would carry 311 00:12:41.890 --> 00:12:44.490 astronauts at all. In an interview with 312 00:12:44.490 --> 00:12:47.090 Reuters published in late May, Williams 313 00:12:47.090 --> 00:12:49.770 called flying an uncrewed Starliner 314 00:12:49.770 --> 00:12:52.610 flight as its next trip to space would be the 315 00:12:52.610 --> 00:12:55.450 logical thing to do after launching on its 316 00:12:55.450 --> 00:12:57.480 first mission to the International Space 317 00:12:57.480 --> 00:13:00.360 Station with a crew on board in June 318 00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:03.320 2024, lingering issues concerning 319 00:13:03.560 --> 00:13:05.720 helium leaks and propulsion system 320 00:13:06.120 --> 00:13:09.040 anomalies caused the spacecraft to return to 321 00:13:09.040 --> 00:13:11.720 Earth without its crew on board. It 322 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:14.000 touched down at the White Sands Space harbor 323 00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:16.170 in New Mexico, on September 7th 324 00:13:16.810 --> 00:13:19.370 before the uncrewed return of Starliner. 325 00:13:19.370 --> 00:13:21.690 Wilmore and Williams became part of the 326 00:13:21.690 --> 00:13:24.490 Expedition 72 crew on board the space 327 00:13:24.490 --> 00:13:27.210 station and members of the SpaceX Crew 9 328 00:13:27.210 --> 00:13:29.090 mission, which made its return to Earth, in 329 00:13:29.090 --> 00:13:32.010 March 2025. Following the landing of 330 00:13:32.010 --> 00:13:34.290 Starliner in September 2024. 331 00:13:34.530 --> 00:13:36.850 NASA didn't say much about the vehicle's next 332 00:13:36.850 --> 00:13:39.250 steps until early march during 333 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:41.890 SpaceX Crew 10 briefings. Steve 334 00:13:41.890 --> 00:13:44.890 Stitch, CCP manager, said on March 335 00:13:44.970 --> 00:13:47.730 7 that NASA and Boeing were still working 336 00:13:47.890 --> 00:13:49.850 through corrective actions on the vehicle 337 00:13:50.080 --> 00:13:52.320 before they knew what the next flight would 338 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.200 look like. In that March 27 339 00:13:55.200 --> 00:13:57.920 statement, NASA said it was still determining 340 00:13:57.920 --> 00:14:00.160 whether or not crew will be on board the next 341 00:14:00.160 --> 00:14:03.040 Starliner flights, but said that 342 00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:04.960 mission managers are planning for the next 343 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:07.840 Starliner flight to be a crew capable post 344 00:14:07.840 --> 00:14:10.360 certification mission. NASA also has the 345 00:14:10.360 --> 00:14:13.360 capability of flying only cargo depending on 346 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.000 the needs of the agency. While NASA continues 347 00:14:16.000 --> 00:14:17.750 to ponder the question of whether or not crew 348 00:14:17.900 --> 00:14:19.780 crew will be on board the next flight of 349 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:22.260 Starliner, question marks continue to swirl 350 00:14:22.260 --> 00:14:25.020 around who the astronauts will be that fly 351 00:14:25.020 --> 00:14:27.980 the first crewed mission dubbed Starliner 1. 352 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:30.420 It appeared that there was a firm answer as 353 00:14:30.420 --> 00:14:32.860 recently as last September when Boeing's CST 354 00:14:32.860 --> 00:14:35.620 100 Starliner spacecraft returned without 355 00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:38.580 its crew. But recently, both NASA and the 356 00:14:38.580 --> 00:14:40.860 Canadian Space Agency, the agencies that 357 00:14:40.860 --> 00:14:42.500 previously announced three out of four 358 00:14:42.500 --> 00:14:44.310 astronauts set to fly on the post 359 00:14:44.310 --> 00:14:47.110 certification flight of the spacecraft, are 360 00:14:47.110 --> 00:14:48.790 now unwilling to back their previous 361 00:14:48.870 --> 00:14:51.530 statements. When the Starliner crew test 362 00:14:51.530 --> 00:14:54.216 flight mission ended on September 7, 363 00:14:54.404 --> 00:14:57.290 2024 with the spacecraft landing in New 364 00:14:57.290 --> 00:14:59.890 Mexico, the members of the Starliner 1 365 00:14:59.890 --> 00:15:02.210 mission were known to be NASA astronauts 366 00:15:02.210 --> 00:15:05.090 Commander Scott Tingle and pilot Edward 367 00:15:05.090 --> 00:15:07.890 Michael Fink. Canadian Space 368 00:15:07.890 --> 00:15:10.580 Agency astronaut Joshua Kutrik was 369 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:13.100 assigned as one of the mission specialists. 370 00:15:13.100 --> 00:15:15.620 The fourth seat was never formally assigned, 371 00:15:15.620 --> 00:15:17.540 but there were indications that Japan 372 00:15:17.540 --> 00:15:20.260 Aerospace Exploration Agency or 373 00:15:20.260 --> 00:15:22.940 JAXA astronaut Kimya Yui was 374 00:15:22.940 --> 00:15:25.260 trained as a mission specialist for that 375 00:15:25.260 --> 00:15:28.260 mission. Then NASA decided to reassign 376 00:15:28.260 --> 00:15:30.660 the astronauts to crew 11 in overall support 377 00:15:30.660 --> 00:15:33.460 of planned activities aboard the ISS, the 378 00:15:33.460 --> 00:15:36.140 agency wrote. Zena Cardman carries her 379 00:15:36.140 --> 00:15:38.260 experience training as a commander on Dragon 380 00:15:38.260 --> 00:15:40.580 space crew aircraft and Fink brings long 381 00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:43.460 duration space flight experience to this crew 382 00:15:43.460 --> 00:15:46.070 complement. The trio of Tingle, 383 00:15:46.070 --> 00:15:49.030 Fink and Kutrik and likely Yui wasn't 384 00:15:49.030 --> 00:15:51.390 always the makeup of the Starliner 1 mission. 385 00:15:51.390 --> 00:15:54.389 Back in 2018 NASA hosted a large event 386 00:15:54.389 --> 00:15:56.950 at the Johnson Space center to unveil the 387 00:15:56.950 --> 00:15:59.470 crews who would fly on the demonstration 388 00:15:59.470 --> 00:16:01.550 missions for both Boeing's Starliner 389 00:16:01.550 --> 00:16:04.280 spacecraft as well as SpaceX's Crew Dragon. 390 00:16:04.990 --> 00:16:07.830 Dragon Demo 2 would fly NASA astronauts Bob 391 00:16:07.830 --> 00:16:10.400 Beckin and Doug Hurley and 392 00:16:10.400 --> 00:16:12.600 Starliner crew Test would fly Boeing 393 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:15.280 astronaut Chris Ferguson and NASA astronauts 394 00:16:15.280 --> 00:16:18.120 Eric Bowe and Nicole Mann. At the same 395 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:20.840 event, NASA announced which of its astronauts 396 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:23.680 would be flying the full crew rotation 397 00:16:23.680 --> 00:16:26.680 missions. Crew 1 received Victor Glover and 398 00:16:26.680 --> 00:16:29.360 Michael Hopkins and Starliner 1 got Joshua 399 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:31.690 Cassander and Suni Williams. 400 00:16:32.410 --> 00:16:34.530 Shortly after the announcement, Fink replaced 401 00:16:34.530 --> 00:16:37.130 Bo on the crew flight test due to medical 402 00:16:37.130 --> 00:16:40.050 reasons. Then in August 2020, NASA 403 00:16:40.050 --> 00:16:43.010 astronaut Jeanette Epps was assigned to the 404 00:16:43.010 --> 00:16:45.930 Starliner 1 mission in October 2020, when 405 00:16:45.930 --> 00:16:48.010 Ferguson bowed out from the crew flight test 406 00:16:48.010 --> 00:16:50.810 for family reasons, Butch Wilmore was named 407 00:16:50.810 --> 00:16:53.690 commander of that mission. Then when 408 00:16:53.690 --> 00:16:55.810 Starliner had to stand down from launching 409 00:16:55.810 --> 00:16:58.130 the Orbital flight Test Test 2 mission in 410 00:16:58.130 --> 00:17:00.450 July 2021. That October, 411 00:17:00.610 --> 00:17:03.210 NASA announced it was reassigning man and 412 00:17:03.210 --> 00:17:06.010 Cassandra to the SpaceX Crew 5 413 00:17:06.010 --> 00:17:08.930 mission. It had been the opportunity 414 00:17:08.930 --> 00:17:11.090 of a lifetime to train on a brand new 415 00:17:11.090 --> 00:17:13.570 spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner, and it had 416 00:17:13.570 --> 00:17:15.770 been fantastic to work with a Boeing team, 417 00:17:15.770 --> 00:17:17.380 mann said in a statement. I'm, thrilled to 418 00:17:17.380 --> 00:17:19.380 have the opportunity to train on another new 419 00:17:19.380 --> 00:17:22.349 spacecraft, the SpaceX Crew Dragon, and 420 00:17:22.349 --> 00:17:25.229 appreciate the teams at NASA who 421 00:17:25.229 --> 00:17:27.589 have made that possible. I'm ready to fly and 422 00:17:27.589 --> 00:17:29.429 serve the International Space Station 423 00:17:29.989 --> 00:17:32.789 JAXA Astronaut Wataka, who was also 424 00:17:32.789 --> 00:17:35.109 reported training for the Starliner 1 425 00:17:35.189 --> 00:17:37.989 mission, was also assigned to the Crew 5 426 00:17:38.069 --> 00:17:40.909 mission. In May 2022, during 427 00:17:40.909 --> 00:17:43.189 a pre launch press conference before the 428 00:17:43.189 --> 00:17:45.739 uncrewed flight of Starliner Orbital Test 2, 429 00:17:45.819 --> 00:17:48.259 Fink, Williams and Wilmore were all referred 430 00:17:48.259 --> 00:17:51.020 to collectively as the cadre of Starliner 431 00:17:51.020 --> 00:17:53.700 astronauts, with NASA not explicitly stating 432 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:55.900 who would fly on the mission. Following the 433 00:17:55.900 --> 00:17:58.863 launch of orbital flight test 2 In June 434 00:17:58.957 --> 00:18:01.700 2022, Williams was named pilot of the 435 00:18:01.700 --> 00:18:03.980 flight test mission and Fink was reassigned 436 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:06.820 to be the backup pilot for crew flight 437 00:18:06.820 --> 00:18:09.740 test. Then in September 22, NASA named 438 00:18:09.740 --> 00:18:12.220 Tingle as the commander of Starliner 1 and 439 00:18:12.220 --> 00:18:14.140 announced Fink would be the pilot on that 440 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:16.678 flight. On August 4, 441 00:18:16.822 --> 00:18:19.590 2023, NASA announced that EPS was 442 00:18:19.590 --> 00:18:21.870 moving off the Starliner 1 mission to the 443 00:18:21.870 --> 00:18:24.670 SpaceX Crew 8 mission. The agency said it 444 00:18:24.670 --> 00:18:26.870 made the move to allow Boeing time to 445 00:18:26.870 --> 00:18:29.550 complete development of Starliner while 446 00:18:29.550 --> 00:18:31.750 continuing plans for astronauts to gain 447 00:18:31.750 --> 00:18:33.870 spaceflight experience for future mission 448 00:18:33.870 --> 00:18:36.870 needs. As of Friday afternoon, the Canadian 449 00:18:36.870 --> 00:18:39.870 Space Agency website still has a page 450 00:18:39.870 --> 00:18:42.620 outlining this Starliner 1 mission and its 451 00:18:42.620 --> 00:18:45.540 now potentially former crew. Kryk's 452 00:18:45.540 --> 00:18:48.420 CSA astronaut bio also lists his 453 00:18:48.900 --> 00:18:51.820 upcoming mission as Starliner 1. We'll 454 00:18:51.820 --> 00:18:54.180 just have to stay tuned for further details 455 00:18:54.180 --> 00:18:54.980 on this one. 456 00:19:04.660 --> 00:19:06.820 Well, there you go. We managed okay without 457 00:19:06.820 --> 00:19:09.360 too much further. What do you think Hallie? 458 00:19:09.360 --> 00:19:11.320 Hallie: Not bad for a human just out of the repair 459 00:19:11.320 --> 00:19:11.670 shop. 460 00:19:11.670 --> 00:19:13.310 Steve Dunkley: not quite, but close enough. Thanks for the 461 00:19:13.310 --> 00:19:15.790 sentiment and thanks for everyone for joining 462 00:19:15.790 --> 00:19:17.830 us on this Monday edition of Astronomy Daily. 463 00:19:17.910 --> 00:19:19.910 Hallie: We will be back again for more next week. 464 00:19:20.070 --> 00:19:22.110 Until then, Anna will be bringing you more of 465 00:19:22.110 --> 00:19:24.790 her special editions each day. And don't 466 00:19:24.790 --> 00:19:26.950 forget to connect with us@bytes.com. 467 00:19:27.190 --> 00:19:29.590 Steve Dunkley: Yes, that's B I T E S Z 468 00:19:29.990 --> 00:19:32.150 dot com. Gotta get the spelling right on that 469 00:19:32.150 --> 00:19:35.030 one. So Cue the kookaburras. And sirlong from 470 00:19:35.030 --> 00:19:37.160 Steel. Steve, the only human in the studio. 471 00:19:37.320 --> 00:19:39.760 Hallie: And see you later. From Hallie, the smartest 472 00:19:39.760 --> 00:19:40.560 one in the studio. 473 00:19:40.560 --> 00:19:42.520 Steve Dunkley: Hey, really? I'm still in recovery. 474 00:19:43.320 --> 00:19:43.800 Hallie: Bye. 475 00:19:48.760 --> 00:19:50.760 Steve Dunkley: With your host, Steve Dunkley.