WEBVTT

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose

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of cosmic updates and celestial wonders. I'm

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your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to dive

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into some truly captivating space news with

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you today. First, we'll be looking at the

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return trip of private astronauts from the

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International Space Station after an extended

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stay highlighting their incredible work and a

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new splashdown location. Then we'll zoom in

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on our very own star, the sun, as NASA's

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Parker Solar Probe sends back the closest

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ever images, revealing groundbreaking

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insights into solar weather. Our journey

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continues with a global launch roundup

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featuring a busy week for space agencies

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worldwide, including cargo resupply missions,

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maiden rocket flights and a flurry of

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Internet satellite deployments. And finally,

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we'll uncover a surprising new discovery

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about the distant ice giant Uranus that might

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just rewrite its planetary history and

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bolster the case for a future mission. So

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buckle up because there's a lot to explore.

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We kick things off today with news from above

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our heads as the four intrepid astronauts of

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Axiom Space's latest private mission,

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AX4, have successfully concluded their stay

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aboard the International Space Station and

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are, uh, currently headed home. Their SpaceX

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Crew Dragon capsule, aptly named Grace,

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undocked from the ISS this morning, July 14,

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marking the final leg of their journey back

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to Earth. The undocking happened

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precisely at 7:15am EDT.

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Grace then gracefully maneuvered away from

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the orbital laboratory which had been the AX4

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crew's home for the past two and a half

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weeks. This was actually a bit longer than

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their originally planned two week stay,

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giving them even more time to complete their

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extensive research. Leading the AX4

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mission was Commander Peggy Whitson, a former

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NASA astronaut and now Axiom's Director of

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Human Spaceflight. As Grace cleared the

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isss safety keep out sphere,

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Whitson transmitted a heartfelt message

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saying Space Station grace, the AX4 crew

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wants to thank you very much for your

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support. You guys are amazing.

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This mission marks Whitson's fifth trip to

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orbit, pushing her impressive record for most

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cumulative days in space by an American to an

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incredible 695 days.

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Her crewmates included pilot Shubanshu Shuks

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Shukla and mission specialists

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Slawas Suave, Uznansky

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Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu. What's

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particularly exciting is that this was the

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first space flight for Shucks, Suave and

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Kapu. And they also made history as the first

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citizens of India, Poland and Hungary

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respectively to launch on a mission to the

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International Space Station. Throughout their

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time in microgravity, the AX4 crew

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undertook more than 60 experiments and

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technology demonstrations with contributions

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from a remarkable 31 different nations.

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They also participated in numerous public

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outreach events, setting a new record for

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Axiom as the company continues to refine its

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orbital operations. Launched aboard

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a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's storied

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Launch Complex 39A in Florida on

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June 26, the crew spent just over a day

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catching up to the International Space

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Station after their extended mission. The

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departure procedures began early this morning

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with the crew entering Grace and closing the

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hatch. Now Grace and its crew are on a

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22.5 hour trajectory, set to splash

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down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of

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California early on Tuesday, Eastern Daylight

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Time. This will be a notable event as it's

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only SpaceX's second West coast crew

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recovery. Following the Crew 9 ISS

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mission in March, SpaceX has made a permanent

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shift to Pacific Ocean recoveries instead of

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the Atlantic or Gulf, a uh change driven by

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instances of debris from Dragon's trunk

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surviving atmospheric reentry and crashing

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back to Earth. This new re entry path

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significantly minimizes the chances of such

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debris causing any damage or injury,

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prioritizing safety for everyone.

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Now let's turn our gaze to our closest star,

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the sun, where NASA's Parker Solar Probe

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continues to redefine our understanding.

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Understanding this incredible spacecraft

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is certainly no stranger to breaking records.

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On December 24, 2024, Parker

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made history by flying closer to the sun than

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any spacecraft ever, reaching a mere

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3.8 million miles from the solar surface.

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In doing so, it entered the outermost layer

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of the Sun's atmosphere, the corona. During

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this daring flyby, it also broke its own

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record as the fastest human made object,

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soaring at an astonishing 430,000 miles per

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hour. Recently, NASA released some

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truly remarkable video footage captured

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during this historic flyby, offering us the

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closest views of the sun ever recorded.

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These groundbreaking images were captured by

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Parker's Wide Field Imager for Solar Probe or

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Wispiar, revealing a uh, never before seen

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perspective of the Sun's corona and the solar

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winds shortly after they're released from it.

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As Nikki Fox, Associate Administrator for the

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Science Mission Directorate at NASA

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Headquarters, noted, Parker Solar Probe has

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once again transported us into the dynamic

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atmosphere of our closest star. She

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emphasized the incredible advantage of

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witnessing where space weather threats to

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Earth begin with our eyes, not just

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with models. This new data

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is set to vastly improve our space

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weather predictions, enhancing the safety of

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our astronauts and the protection of our

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vital technology both on Earth and throughout

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the solar system. WISPR's images have

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unveiled an important boundary within the

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Sun's atmosphere known as the heliospheric

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current sheet, where the Sun's magnetic field

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Dramatically shifts direction from north to

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south. Even more impressively, it captured

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for the first time in high resolution

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collisions between multiple coronal mass

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ejections, or CMEs. These

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CMEs are major drivers of space weather and

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are crucial for understanding risks to

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astronauts and Earth based technology like

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power grids and communication satellites.

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Angelus Vorlidas, the Whisper instrument

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scientist, explained that in these images,

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we're seeing the CMEs basically piling up on

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top of one another. We're using this to

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figure out how the CMEs merge together.

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Before the Parker Solar Probe, NASA and its

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international partners could only study solar

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wind from a distance. That's why Parker has

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been instrumental in bridging key knowledge

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gaps. It identified the widespread presence

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of switchbacks, which are zigzagging magnetic

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field patterns Even at distances of around

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14.7 million miles from the sun,

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linking them directly to the origins of one

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of the two main types of solar wind. Closer

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in, at just 8 million miles, Parker revealed

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that the boundary of the Sun's corona Is far

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more uneven and complex Than previously

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imagined. But the probe's discoveries

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didn't stop there. The big unknown has always

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been how solar wind is generated and how it

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manages to escape the Sun's immense

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gravitational pull. Noor

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Rawafi, the project scientist for Parker

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Solar Probe, Described understanding this

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continuous flow of particles, especially the

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slow solar wind, as a major challenge,

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Particularly given the diversity in the

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properties of these streams. However, thanks

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to Parker Solar Probe, scientists are closer

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than ever to uncovering their origins and how

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they evolve. Prior to Parker Solar Probe,

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distant observations suggested there were two

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varieties of slow solar wind differentiated

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by the orientation or variability of their

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magnetic fields. One type, called

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alphenic, Exhibits small scale switchbacks,

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While the second, non alphenic, does not.

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As it spiraled closer to the Sun, Parker

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confirmed the existence of both types. Its

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close up views are also helping scientists

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distinguish the origins of these two unique

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types. It's believed that the non alvenic

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wind May emerge From features called helmet

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streamers, Large loops connecting active

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regions where some particles can heat up

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enough to escape. While the alphenic wind

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might originate near coronal holes, which are

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dark, cooler regions in the corona. As Adam

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Sabo, Parker Solar Probe mission scientist,

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put it in we don't have a final consensus

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yet, but we have a whole lot of new

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intriguing data. So how does the

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Parker Solar Probe Manage to endure such

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extreme conditions? From the freezing cold of

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deep space to the intense heat near the Sun?

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A, uh, key factor in its survival lies in the

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fundamental difference between temperature

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and heat. While the space near the sun can

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reach temperatures of several million

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degrees, this doesn't necessarily mean

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there's a lot of heat transferred. This is

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because the Sun's corona is incredibly thin,

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meaning there are far fewer particles. Even

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though individual particles in the corona are

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exceptionally hot, their scarcity means the

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probe doesn't receive much actual heat.

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NASA scientists explain that while the probe

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travels through space with temperatures of

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several million degrees, the surface of its

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heat shield facing the sun will only be

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heated to about 2500°F,

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or roughly 1400°C.

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These temperatures are, of course, still

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incredibly hot, which makes its robust heat

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shield, the Thermal Protection System, or

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tps, absolutely essential. This

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shield is crafted from a carbon composite

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foam sandwiched between two carbon plates.

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Carbon is an ideal material for this purpose

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because it is both remarkably lightweight and

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capable of withstanding extremely high

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temperatures without melting. Tested to

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withstand up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or

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1,650 degrees Celsius, the

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TPS can handle any heat the sun sends its

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way, keeping almost all the probe's

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instrumentation safe. Its unique structure

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enables it to endure intense heat while

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minimizing weight, a crucial factor for a

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spacecraft designed to travel at such extreme

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speeds. Furthermore, the outer surface of

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the TPS is coated with a white ceramic paint

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designed to reflect as much solar energy as

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possible and further reduce the amount of

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heat absorbed.

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Next, let's look at this week's launch

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schedule. And this week has certainly been a

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whirlwind in the world of space launches,

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with multiple missions lifting off from sites

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across the globe. First, from China,

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their latest cargo supply mission to the

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Tiangong Space Station successfully lifted

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off The Chang Geng 7 rocket. Launched the

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Tianzhou 9 cargo vehicle from the Wencheng

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space launch site on Monday, July 14.

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This mission brings essential supplies for

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the Shenzhou 20 crew, including food,

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life support, scientific experiments, and

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propellants. Notably, it also delivered

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two upgraded Fei Shen extravehicular activity

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suits designed for extensive use.

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Tianzhou 9 is expected to spend six to seven

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months at the station carrying a substantial

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7,400kg of cargo,

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showcasing China's robust orbital resupply

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capabilities. Meanwhile, a significant

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milestone is on the horizon for Australia.

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Gilmour Space is gearing up to try again for

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its second attempt at the maiden launch of

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its Eris small satellite rocket this

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Wednesday, July 16, from the Bowen Orbital

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Spaceport. This pivotal launch follows a

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previous stand down in May due to an

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unexpected power surge. Now mitigated,

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this three stage Eris launcher, proudly

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Australian made, is poised to become the very

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first orbital launch from from Australian

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soil performed by a sovereign built vehicle.

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Standing at 25 meters tall, Eris can carry

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payloads of up to 215 kilograms to a

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500 kilometer Sun Synchronous Orbit.

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Its first stage uses unique hybrid Sirius

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engines and a successful orbital launch would

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also mark a historic first for a hybrid

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rocket design globally. Gilmour

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Space recently partnered with Tokyo based

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Space bd, opening up opportunities for

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Japanese and global satellite customers.

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And Speaking of busy, SpaceX continues its

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relentless pace with a packed schedule of

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launches, predominantly expanding Internet

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satellite constellations earlier this week,

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a Falcon 9 rocket launched 26 Starlink

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VTU mini Internet satellites into low Earth

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orbit from Vandenberg, California. This

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particular launch was significant as it

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marked the 150th consecutive successful

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mission for a Falcon rocket since an anomaly

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back in July 2024. A truly remarkable

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streak. Looking ahead, SpaceX is also

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set to launch its very first contracted batch

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of Amazon's Kuiper satellites this Wednesday,

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July 16th from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

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Project Kuiper is Amazon's direct competitor

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to Starlink, aiming to build its own massive

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Internet constellation. This mission will

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carry at least 20 of these crucial

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satellites. Amazon faces ambitious

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deadlines, needing to launch its full

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constellation of over 3200

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satellites by July 2029,

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with half required by July 2026.

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This requires numerous launches across

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various providers. To round out

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SpaceX's week. Two more Starlink launches are

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scheduled from Vandenberg. On Wednesday, July

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16, another Falcon 9 will launch satellites

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into Starlink's Group 17 shell, flying into

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a highly inclined sun synchronous orbit.

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And finally, on Sunday, July 20, a third

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batch of Starlink satellites will launch from

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the same California pad, completing a

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remarkably busy period for SpaceX and further

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expanding global Internet access.

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Now let's turn our attention to one of our

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solar system's distant ice giants, Uranus,

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which is proving to be far more fascinating

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than we once thought. New

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scientific findings have revealed something

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quite surprising about this enigmatic planet.

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It's emitting its own internal heat, even

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more than it receives from the sun. This

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discovery actually contradicts observations

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made by NASA's Voyager 2 probe nearly four

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decades ago. Back in 1986,

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Voyager 2 flew by Uranus, and its readings

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suggested the planet didn't have significant

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internal heat. However, new research

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led by Xinyue Yang of the University of

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Houston analyzed decades of spacecraft

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readings and computer models. Their findings

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indicate that Uranus emits 12.5%

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more internal heat than it absorbs from solar

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radiation. While this is less than other

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outer planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and

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Neptune, which radiate 100% more heat than

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they receive, it's still a significant amount

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that challenges our previous understanding.

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It turns out we might have caught Uranus at a

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peculiar time during the Voyager 2 flyby,

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with some readings potentially skewed by a

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surge in solar weather. By combining archival

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data with advanced computer models,

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scientists now believe this internal heat

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suggests a completely different internal

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structure or evolutionary history for the

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planet. For a long time, it was thought that

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Uranus formed closer to the sun before

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migrating outwards. These new

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findings are now calling that story into

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question. This fresh understanding of

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Uranus's internal processes could also

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significantly boost the case for future

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missions to the distant planet. The

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National Academy of Sciences had already

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flagged a mission concept called the Uranus

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Orbiter and Probe, or uop, as a high

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priority for the next decade. These new

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results showing how Uranus stores and loses

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heat not only deepen our understanding of

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this icy world, but also offer valuable

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insights into fundamental

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processes that shape planetary

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atmospheres, weather systems, and even

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climate systems. It's groundbreaking science

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that could inform our studies of Earth's own

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changing climate.

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And that brings us to the end of another

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fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily.

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Thank you so much for tuning in and joining

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me on this cosmic exploration. I'm Anna,

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and it's been a pleasure sharing the latest

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in space and astronomy news with you.

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Remember, you can catch up on all the latest

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space and astronomy news and listen to all

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our back episodes by visiting our

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website@astronomydaily.IO. and don't

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forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple

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podcasts, Spotify and YouTube Music

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or wherever you get your podcasts so you

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never miss an episode. Until next time, keep

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looking up