WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to

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podcast for the latest and greatest in space

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news. I'm your host Anna, and I'm thrilled

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to have you join me today as we embark on

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another fascinating journey through the

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cosmos. We have a packed episode for you

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covering some truly remarkable developments

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and a few unexpected turns in our exploration

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of the universe. Today we'll discuss a

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private spaceflight mission that faced an

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unexpected anomaly. We'll then look at how

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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is

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learning new manoeuvres after nearly two

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decades, offering fresh insights into the Red

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Planet for stargazers. We'll highlight a

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recent nova explosion that made a previously

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dim star visible to the naked eye.

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We'll also dive into a new statistical

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analysis of exoplanet habitability,

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revealing promising candidates for life.

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Finally, we'll explore a cutting edge

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collaboration between NASA and Australia on

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lunar laser communications for the Artemis 2

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mission.

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So buckle up and let's get started.

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First up, let's talk about a recent private

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space flight that didn't quite go according

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to plan, yet is still being called a partial

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success by the exploration company. This

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incident involved their Nyx capsule, which

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was part of the SpaceX Transporter 14

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rideshare mission launched on June 23.

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Among the 70 payloads sent into orbit, the

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Nyx capsule had a very special cargo

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Memorial remains contributed by loved ones

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through Celestis Memorial Space Flights.

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Celestis offers various tiers of space

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memorial services, from launching DNA into

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space and returning it to Earth to sending

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remains into deep space for their 25th

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launch. Dubbed the Perseverance Flight,

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Celestis partnered with the Exploration

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Company's Mission Possible to carry its

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memorial payload aboard the Nyx capsule with

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the intention of returning it to Earth. The

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mission proceeded nominally throughout, with

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the capsule performing as expected, powering

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its payloads in orbit, stabilising itself

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and even re establishing communication after

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the expected blackout period during RE entry.

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This blackout happens when intense friction

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with the atmosphere creates a superheated

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plasma layer around the spacecraft.

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Everything seemed to be going perfectly right

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up until a few minutes before its scale

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scheduled splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

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That's when an anomaly occurred. The

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exploration company reported losing

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communication with Nyx. A later statement

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from Celestis shed more light on the issue,

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confirming that the capsule's parachute

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system failed to deploy. This tragic

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failure resulted in the Nyx capsule impacting

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the Pacific Ocean and dispersing its contents

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at sea. It's an incredibly sombre outcome

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for the families who entrusted their loved

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ones remains to this journey. Celestis

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expressed their hope that families will find

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some Peace in knowing their loved ones were

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part of a historic journey. Launched into

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space, orbited Earth and are now

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resting in the vastness of the Pacific, akin

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to a traditional and honoured sea scattering.

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The Exploration company also extended an

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apology to all their clients. Despite this

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significant setback, the Exploration company

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is viewing the mission as a partial success.

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They highlight the technical, um, milestones

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achieved, emphasising their ambition and the

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inherent risks involved in innovation. The

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Nyx capsule is a crucial part of their future

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plans, designed to transport both crew and

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cargo to and from low Earth orbit and

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beyond. They are determined not to let this

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snag slow them down and are already preparing

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to re fly as soon as possible, leveraging the

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lessons learned from this ongoing

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investigation.

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Now let's turn our gaze to Mars, where NASA's

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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, or MRO, is

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proving that you can indeed teach an old

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spacecraft new tricks. After nearly two

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decades orbiting the Red Planet, MRO is

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literally on a roll, performing new

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manoeuvres to extract even more science data.

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Engineers have managed to teach this probe to

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roll almost completely upside down, a feat

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that allows it to peer deeper beneath the

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Martian surface in its hunt for liquid and

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frozen water. These new capabilities,

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detailed in a recent paper, describe three

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very large roles executed between

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2023 and 2024. This

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innovative approach means that entirely new

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regions of the Martian subsurface are now

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accessible for exploration. While MRO M

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was originally designed to roll up to 30

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degrees to point its instruments, these new

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rolls push the limits to a full 120

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degrees. The main beneficiary of these

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extreme manoeuvres is the shallow radar, or

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SHARAD instrument. SHARAD is designed to

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penetrate one to two kilometres below ground,

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helping scientists distinguish between

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materials like rock, sand and ice.

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It has been instrumental in mapping

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subsurface ice deposits, which are crucial

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for understanding Mars climate and geology

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and are also vital potential resources for

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future human missions. However,

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Sharad's antennas were mounted at the back of

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the orbiter to give prime viewing to other

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cameras, which inadvertently caused parts of

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the spacecraft to interfere with its radar

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signals, making images less clear.

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By performing these dramatic 120 degree

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rolls, the team found they could give the

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radio waves an unobstructed path to the

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surface, strengthening the radar signal by 10

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times or more and providing a much clearer

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picture of the Martian underground.

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Planning these roles isn't simple. MRO

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carries five science instruments, each with

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different pointing requirements. Regular

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rolls are planned weeks in advance, with

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instrument teams negotiating for science

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time. An algorithm then commands the orbiter

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to roll, adjusting solar arrays for power and

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the high gain antenna for communication with

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Earth. The very large rolls are

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even more complex, requiring special

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analysis to ensure enough battery power for

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safety, as the spacecraft's antenna isn't

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pointed at Earth and its solar arrays can't

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track the sun during the manoeuvre. Because

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of these challenges, the mission is currently

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limited to one or two of these very large

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rolls per year, although engineers hope to

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streamline the process for more frequent use.

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In addition to shared, another MRO

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instrument, the Mars Climate Sounder, is also

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adapting its operations. This instrument,

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which provides detailed information on Mars's

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atmosphere, now relies on MRO's standard

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roles for its observations and calibrations

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as its ageing gimbal has become unreliable.

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These clever adaptations ensure that MRO

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continues to deliver cutting edge science

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even as it approaches its two decade mark in

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space.

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From the robotic wonders of Mars, we now

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shift our focus to a celestial spectacle

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happening right now in our own night sky. An

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ordinarily dim star has suddenly burst into

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brilliance, putting on a powerful display

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that's even visible to the naked eye. We're

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talking about the Nova V462 Lupi,

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first spotted on June 12 by the All Sky

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Automated Survey for Supernovae.

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This star, usually far too faint for us to

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see with a visual magnitude of 22.3, has

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undergone a dramatic transformation. Its

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explosion of radiation has caused it to

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brighten so significantly that it appears as

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if brand new star is shining in the night

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sky. Just as a reminder, the lower an

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object's magnitude, the brighter it appears.

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Our eyes can typically pick out stars with a

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magnitude of plus 6.5 or greater under good

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dark sky conditions. So what

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exactly is a classical nova? It's a

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fascinating type of stellar explosion that

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occurs in binary star systems. Imagine a

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white dwarf star, which is the dense remnant

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of a star like our sun, orbiting very closely

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with a companion star. The white dwarf's

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strong gravitational pull strips mass

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mostly hydrogen from its companion.

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This material then accumulates on the surface

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of the white dwarf. As more and more material

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piles up, it becomes incredibly hot and

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dense, eventually reaching a critical point

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where a cataclysmic fusion reaction is

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ignited. This sudden, powerful

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explosion releases a colossal outpouring

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of radiation, which is what we observe as a

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nova. Soon after its discovery,

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V462 Lupi was reported to be

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visible through binoculars with an apparent

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magnitude of around 7.9.

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It continued to brighten steadily in the days

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that followed, eventually becoming visible to

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the naked eye around the middle of June, with

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some reports even placing its peak brightness

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at over 5.5. While it was

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truly spectacular, the nova is now on the

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decline and its brightness is fading. But

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don't despair. You still have a chance to

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witness this ancient light before it vanishes

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from our view. The dark skies around the new

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moon offer a perfect opportunity to get away

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from city lights and hunt down

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V462 Lupi. We

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recommend bringing a pair of 10x50

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binoculars, which will make it easier to spot

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the subsiding light while providing a wide

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field of view to appreciate the surrounding

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stars. To find

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V462 Lupi, you'll need to look

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in the constellation Lupus the Wolf, near the

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bright stars Delta Lupi and Kappa Centauri.

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For precise positioning, a star chart is your

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best friend. You can generate one easily on

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the American association for Variable Stars

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or AAVSO website. Just type

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V462, loop into the Pick a Star box

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and click Create a Finder Chart.

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Skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere will

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have the best view as, uh, the nova will

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appear highest in the post sunset sky for

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them. For our listeners in The United States,

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V462 Lupi will be

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visible close to the southern horizon,

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especially if you're in states closest to the

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equator, such as Texas, Florida and

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Louisiana. It's a fleeting but powerful

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reminder of the dynamic nature of our

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universe.

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Next up, let's shift our gaze far beyond our

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solar system to the fascinating world of

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exoplanets and the ongoing search for life.

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While direct imaging of exoplanet atmospheres

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or discovering systems with multiple planets

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might grab more headlines, one of the most

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powerful and often underappreciated tools in

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an astrobiologist's kit is statistics.

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It's absolutely crucial for ensuring that

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what we observe is real and not just an

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artefact of our data or observational

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techniques. A new paper by Caleb Traxler

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and his co authors at UC Irvine has done just

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that, statistically analysing a subset of

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thousands of exoplanets to judge their

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habitability. For decades, the search for

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potentially life supporting exoplanets has

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largely revolved around the concept of the

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habitable zone. This is essentially a

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calculation of a planet's average temperature

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to determine if liquid water, a critical

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medium for life as we know it, could exist on

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its surface. However, the authors of this new

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study argue that such a one dimensional

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system is too general and not practically

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useful for pinpointing planets with a high

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probability of supporting life. Mhm. Instead,

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they propose a more comprehensive approach,

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looking at characteristics of both the planet

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and its parent star, and then Comparing these

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to Earth, which remains our baseline for a

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00:11:11.140 --> 00:11:13.660
habitable world. They analysed each

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00:11:13.660 --> 00:11:16.580
exoplanet based on four key its

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radius, temperature, insolation, flux, that

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00:11:19.180 --> 00:11:21.020
is how much sunlight it receives, and

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density. For the exoplanet's host star,

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they examined its effective temperature,

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radius, mass and metallicity, which is the

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ratio of its iron content to its hydrogen

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content. Using these eight

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00:11:33.340 --> 00:11:36.020
parameters, they sorted 517

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exoplanets for which this data was available

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into four distinct categories. An

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00:11:41.680 --> 00:11:43.760
excellent candidate meant the planet was

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similar enough to Earth to be of strong

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interest. Good planet poor

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00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:50.720
star indicated that at least one of the

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star's parameters significantly differed from

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our Sun. Conversely, good

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00:11:55.520 --> 00:11:58.080
star poor planet meant the

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00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.160
planet's characteristics were significantly

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different from Earth. The final category,

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poor candidate, applied to systems where

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neither the star nor the planet fit the bill.

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Interestingly, the good star poor planet

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category contained the vast majority of

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exoplanets, accounting for 388

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systems, or 75% of the data set.

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The researchers suggest that this isn't

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necessarily a physical reality, but rather a

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detection bias. Techniques

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00:12:26.300 --> 00:12:28.340
commonly used to find exoplanets like the

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00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:30.780
transit method are heavily biassed towards

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detecting large planets with short orbital

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00:12:32.860 --> 00:12:34.900
periods, which would place them firmly in

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00:12:34.900 --> 00:12:37.530
this category. They believe that with longer

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observational times, we could find many more

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00:12:39.970 --> 00:12:42.410
planets that fit into the excellent candidate

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bucket.

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00:12:43.570 --> 00:12:46.210
And speaking of excellent candidates, out of

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00:12:46.210 --> 00:12:49.010
the entire 517 planet dataset,

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only three were classified as

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ExcellentEarth itself Kepler

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22b and Kepler

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00:12:55.850 --> 00:12:58.770
538b. Kepler 22b

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00:12:58.770 --> 00:13:01.570
in particular stands out as a truly promising

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00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:04.530
prospect, with only a 3.1% difference

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00:13:04.530 --> 00:13:07.410
in temperature and a mere 1% difference in

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00:13:07.410 --> 00:13:10.090
insolation compared to Earth. The paper

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00:13:10.090 --> 00:13:12.010
identifies it as having the highest

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likelihood of harbouring life, making it a

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00:13:14.770 --> 00:13:17.170
prime target for atmospheric observation by

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00:13:17.170 --> 00:13:19.930
the James Webb Space Telescope. Despite its

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00:13:19.930 --> 00:13:22.170
distance of 635 light years.

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00:13:22.970 --> 00:13:25.890
While Kepler 538B is

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00:13:25.890 --> 00:13:28.330
larger and hotter than Earth, it still falls

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00:13:28.330 --> 00:13:30.250
within the realm of potential habitability.

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00:13:31.270 --> 00:13:33.230
This rarity highlights that Earth is

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00:13:33.230 --> 00:13:35.870
statistically unique, but not so rare as to

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00:13:35.870 --> 00:13:37.910
require some miraculous confluence of

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00:13:37.910 --> 00:13:39.990
planetary and stellar characteristics.

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00:13:40.950 --> 00:13:43.190
Another rare type found in this analysis were

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00:13:43.190 --> 00:13:45.070
planets in the good planet poor star

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00:13:45.070 --> 00:13:47.910
category. Only six planets landed here

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00:13:47.910 --> 00:13:49.990
because their host stars, which were all M

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00:13:49.990 --> 00:13:52.550
dwarfs, the most common stars in our galaxy,

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00:13:52.710 --> 00:13:54.630
fell outside the defined habitable

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00:13:54.630 --> 00:13:57.440
temperature range. However, the

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00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:59.440
authors point out that despite lying outside

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00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.680
the generally accepted framework, these

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00:14:01.680 --> 00:14:03.160
candidates still have a good chance of

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00:14:03.160 --> 00:14:04.960
harbouring life given their other physical

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00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:07.360
parameters. Many are already under

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00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:09.400
observation from the James Webb space

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00:14:09.400 --> 00:14:11.880
telescope. And if they prove to have viable

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00:14:11.880 --> 00:14:14.480
habitable conditions, it could revolutionise

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00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.240
the field of astrobiology due to the sheer

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00:14:17.240 --> 00:14:20.000
prevalence of M dwarf host stars in the

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00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:22.890
galactic population. This statistical

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00:14:22.890 --> 00:14:25.770
analysis reinforces several key points that

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00:14:25.770 --> 00:14:27.930
astrobiologists have known for some time.

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00:14:28.650 --> 00:14:31.610
Kepler 22B remains a leading candidate for

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00:14:31.610 --> 00:14:34.090
further investigation, offering our best

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00:14:34.090 --> 00:14:35.760
current chance at finding evidence of, uh,

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00:14:35.890 --> 00:14:38.770
life beyond Earth. It also suggests

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00:14:38.770 --> 00:14:40.610
that conditions on Earth, while relatively

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00:14:40.610 --> 00:14:43.130
rare, are not so rare as to be a statistical

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00:14:43.290 --> 00:14:45.850
impossibility or a miracle. And

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00:14:45.850 --> 00:14:48.250
crucially, it highlights the significant bias

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00:14:48.250 --> 00:14:50.650
in our current exoplanet detection methods

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00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:53.840
towards planets that, due to their large size

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00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:56.720
and short orbital periods, might not be the

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00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:59.720
most habitable. As astrobiology continues

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00:14:59.720 --> 00:15:02.400
to advance, this kind of rigorous statistical

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00:15:02.400 --> 00:15:05.080
analysis will provide invaluable context,

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00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:07.320
helping to direct our powerful new

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00:15:07.320 --> 00:15:09.480
observational equipment towards the areas

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00:15:09.560 --> 00:15:11.800
most likely to answer one of humanity's most

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00:15:11.800 --> 00:15:13.080
profound questions.

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00:15:13.800 --> 00:15:16.730
Are we alone? Now let's

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00:15:16.730 --> 00:15:18.490
talk about how we'll communicate with our

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00:15:18.490 --> 00:15:20.690
brave astronauts as they venture back to the

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00:15:20.690 --> 00:15:23.650
moon. As NASA gears up for its Artemis 2

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00:15:23.650 --> 00:15:25.850
mission, there's an exciting collaboration

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00:15:25.850 --> 00:15:27.930
happening between the agency's Glenn Research

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00:15:27.930 --> 00:15:30.130
Centre in Cleveland and the Australian

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00:15:30.130 --> 00:15:32.930
National University, or anu, to test

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00:15:32.930 --> 00:15:35.290
some truly inventive and cost saving laser

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00:15:35.290 --> 00:15:37.130
communications technologies in the lunar

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00:15:37.130 --> 00:15:39.930
environment. Traditionally, communicating in

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00:15:39.930 --> 00:15:42.540
space has relied on radio waves. However,

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00:15:42.940 --> 00:15:45.580
NASA is actively exploring laser or

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00:15:45.580 --> 00:15:48.380
optical communications which promise to send

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00:15:48.380 --> 00:15:51.100
data anywhere from 10 to 100 times faster

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00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:53.740
back to Earth. Instead of radio signals,

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00:15:53.900 --> 00:15:56.700
these cutting edge systems use infrared

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00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:58.860
light to transmit high definition video,

385
00:15:59.260 --> 00:16:01.980
pictures, voice and vital science

386
00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:04.380
data across vast cosmic distances

387
00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:06.380
in significantly less time.

388
00:16:07.590 --> 00:16:09.510
While NASA has successfully demonstrated

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00:16:09.510 --> 00:16:11.510
laser communications in previous technology

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00:16:11.670 --> 00:16:14.670
tests, Artemis II will mark the first

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00:16:14.670 --> 00:16:17.390
crewed mission to attempt using lasers to

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00:16:17.390 --> 00:16:20.270
transmit data from deep space. To support

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00:16:20.270 --> 00:16:22.150
this ambitious endeavour, researchers working

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00:16:22.150 --> 00:16:24.630
on NASA's Real Time Optical Receiver or

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00:16:24.630 --> 00:16:27.430
Realtor, project have developed a remarkably

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00:16:27.430 --> 00:16:30.070
cost effective laser transceiver built

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00:16:30.070 --> 00:16:32.310
largely using commercial off the shelf parts.

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00:16:33.280 --> 00:16:35.400
Earlier this year, NASA Glenn engineers

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00:16:35.400 --> 00:16:37.800
meticulously built and tested a replica of

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00:16:37.800 --> 00:16:40.080
this system at their aerospace communications

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00:16:40.080 --> 00:16:42.400
facility. Now they're working closely with

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00:16:42.400 --> 00:16:45.320
ANU to build an identical system using the

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00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:47.720
very same hardware models. All to prepare for

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00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:49.960
the university's crucial Artemis 2 laser

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00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:52.760
communications demonstration. Jennifer

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00:16:52.760 --> 00:16:54.960
Downey, co principal investigator for the

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00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.800
Real Tour project at NASA Glenn, highlights

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00:16:57.800 --> 00:17:00.300
the significance of this work, stating that

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00:17:00.300 --> 00:17:02.860
Australia's upcoming lunar experiment could

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00:17:02.860 --> 00:17:05.300
showcase the capability, affordability and

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00:17:05.300 --> 00:17:07.900
reproducibility of the deep space receiver

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00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:10.380
engineered by Glenn. It's an important step

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00:17:10.380 --> 00:17:12.180
in proving the feasibility of using

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00:17:12.180 --> 00:17:14.500
commercial parts to develop accessible

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00:17:14.500 --> 00:17:16.660
technologies for sustainable exploration

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00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:19.620
beyond Earth during the Artemis 2

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00:17:19.620 --> 00:17:21.780
mission, currently scheduled for early

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00:17:21.780 --> 00:17:24.580
2026, NASA plans to fly an

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00:17:24.580 --> 00:17:27.010
optical communications system aboard the

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00:17:27.010 --> 00:17:29.970
Orion spacecraft. This system will be put to

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00:17:29.970 --> 00:17:32.930
the test, attempting to transmit recorded 4K

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00:17:32.930 --> 00:17:35.210
ultra high definition video, flight

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00:17:35.210 --> 00:17:37.770
procedures, pictures, science data and even

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00:17:37.770 --> 00:17:39.850
voice communications from the Moon all the

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00:17:39.850 --> 00:17:42.850
way back to Earth. Almost 10,000 miles away

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00:17:42.850 --> 00:17:44.850
from Cleveland at the Mount Stromlo

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00:17:44.850 --> 00:17:47.690
Observatory Ground Station, ANU researchers

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00:17:47.690 --> 00:17:49.610
are eagerly hoping to receive this data

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00:17:49.690 --> 00:17:52.300
during Orion's journey around the Moon using

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00:17:52.300 --> 00:17:54.580
the VARI Glenn developed transceiver model.

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00:17:54.900 --> 00:17:57.020
This ground station will serve as a vital

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00:17:57.020 --> 00:17:59.140
test location for the new transceiver design,

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00:17:59.380 --> 00:18:01.180
though it won't be one of the mission's

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00:18:01.180 --> 00:18:04.100
primary ground stations. If this test proves

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00:18:04.100 --> 00:18:06.340
successful, it will be a game changer,

436
00:18:06.500 --> 00:18:08.260
demonstrating that readily available

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00:18:08.340 --> 00:18:10.500
commercial parts can indeed be used to build

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00:18:10.500 --> 00:18:12.740
affordable and scalable space communication

439
00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:15.340
systems for future missions, not just to the

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00:18:15.340 --> 00:18:17.460
Moon, but even to Mars and beyond.

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00:18:18.570 --> 00:18:21.210
Marie Piasecki, technology portfolio

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00:18:21.210 --> 00:18:23.570
manager for NASA's Space Communications and

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00:18:23.570 --> 00:18:26.530
Navigation or SCAN programme, emphasises

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00:18:26.530 --> 00:18:28.650
that engaging with the Australian National

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00:18:28.730 --> 00:18:31.090
University to expand commercial laser

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00:18:31.090 --> 00:18:32.970
communications offerings across the world

447
00:18:33.290 --> 00:18:35.490
will further demonstrate how this advanced

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00:18:35.490 --> 00:18:38.250
satellite communications capability is ready

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00:18:38.250 --> 00:18:40.570
to support the agency's networks and missions

450
00:18:40.810 --> 00:18:42.890
as we set our sights on deep space

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00:18:42.890 --> 00:18:45.800
exploration. As NASA continues to

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00:18:45.800 --> 00:18:47.920
investigate the feasibility of using

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00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:50.680
commercial parts for ground stations, Glenn

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00:18:50.680 --> 00:18:52.800
researchers will continue to provide critical

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00:18:52.800 --> 00:18:54.760
support in preparation for Australia's

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00:18:54.760 --> 00:18:56.960
demonstration. These strong global

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00:18:56.960 --> 00:18:59.360
partnerships are key to advancing technology

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00:18:59.520 --> 00:19:02.200
breakthroughs and are instrumental as NASA

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00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:04.560
expands humanity's reach from the Moon to

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00:19:04.560 --> 00:19:07.480
Mars, all while fueling innovations that

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00:19:07.480 --> 00:19:09.120
improve life here on Earth.

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00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:12.560
And that brings us to the end of another

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00:19:13.280 --> 00:19:15.960
fascinating journey through the cosmos on

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00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:18.400
Astronomy Daily. I'm

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00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.320
Anna, your host and I hope you enjoyed our

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00:19:21.320 --> 00:19:24.080
look at the latest developments. Don't

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00:19:24.080 --> 00:19:25.680
forget, you can listen to all our back

468
00:19:25.680 --> 00:19:28.120
episodes and find more information by

469
00:19:28.120 --> 00:19:30.730
visiting our website@astronomydaily.IO. um,

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00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:33.840
you can also subscribe to Astronomy Daily on

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and TikTok. Until next time, keep looking up