WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.320 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dive 1 00:00:03.320 --> 00:00:05.920 into the cosmos and the latest headlines from 2 00:00:05.920 --> 00:00:08.000 across the universe. I'm Avery. 3 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:11.240 Anna: And I'm Anna. We're so glad you could join 4 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:13.480 us today for another fascinating look at 5 00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:16.079 what's happening out there. We've got a great 6 00:00:16.079 --> 00:00:18.120 show for you covering some truly 7 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:19.600 groundbreaking discoveries. 8 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:22.800 Avery: Absolutely. Today we're going to explore some 9 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:25.200 amazing new research that might have finally 10 00:00:25.200 --> 00:00:27.550 solved the mystery of, of how Earth's 11 00:00:27.550 --> 00:00:30.550 protective magnetic field formed billions 12 00:00:30.550 --> 00:00:33.150 of years ago. It's a story that reshapes our 13 00:00:33.150 --> 00:00:34.670 understanding of early Earth. 14 00:00:35.070 --> 00:00:37.830 Anna: We'll also be bidding a fond farewell to a 15 00:00:37.830 --> 00:00:40.510 remarkable individual, NASA astronaut 16 00:00:40.510 --> 00:00:43.270 Barry Butch Wilmore, who is retiring after 17 00:00:43.270 --> 00:00:45.630 a quarter century of dedicated service. 18 00:00:46.110 --> 00:00:48.270 His career is truly inspiring. 19 00:00:48.830 --> 00:00:51.630 Avery: Plus, we'll dive into some big news from NASA 20 00:00:51.630 --> 00:00:54.110 as they shake up their plans for commercial 21 00:00:54.110 --> 00:00:56.850 space stations. Looking ahead to a post ISS 22 00:00:57.090 --> 00:00:59.850 era, it's a bold new strategy with some 23 00:00:59.850 --> 00:01:01.890 significant implications for the future of 24 00:01:01.890 --> 00:01:03.730 human presence in low Earth orbit. 25 00:01:03.970 --> 00:01:06.810 Anna: And finally, we'll head out to Jupiter's icy 26 00:01:06.810 --> 00:01:09.650 moon Europa, where scientists may have just 27 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:12.330 cracked a long standing mystery about the 28 00:01:12.330 --> 00:01:15.210 bizarre distribution of hydrogen peroxide on 29 00:01:15.210 --> 00:01:17.850 its surface. Stick around for all that and 30 00:01:17.850 --> 00:01:20.290 more right here on Astronomy Daily. 31 00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:22.690 Avery: All right, Anna, let's kick things off with a 32 00:01:22.690 --> 00:01:25.490 story that truly reshapes our understanding 33 00:01:25.490 --> 00:01:27.790 of our own planet. Specifically its 34 00:01:27.790 --> 00:01:30.110 incredibly important magnetic field. 35 00:01:30.510 --> 00:01:32.750 It's a shield that we often take for granted, 36 00:01:32.750 --> 00:01:35.150 protecting us from harmful cosmic radiation. 37 00:01:35.630 --> 00:01:38.190 Anna: It's fascinating, isn't it? Uh, without it, 38 00:01:38.350 --> 00:01:40.710 Earth could end up like Mars, losing its 39 00:01:40.710 --> 00:01:43.429 atmosphere and becoming a very hostile place 40 00:01:43.429 --> 00:01:46.150 for life. Our planet has maintained this 41 00:01:46.150 --> 00:01:48.790 critical defense system for billions of 42 00:01:48.790 --> 00:01:51.630 years. But the big question has always been, 43 00:01:51.950 --> 00:01:54.470 how did it form? Especially when Earth was 44 00:01:54.470 --> 00:01:55.270 much younger. 45 00:01:55.670 --> 00:01:58.270 Avery: Exactly. And that's where new research from 46 00:01:58.270 --> 00:02:01.030 scientists at ETH Zurich and the 47 00:02:01.030 --> 00:02:03.190 Southern University of Science and Technology 48 00:02:03.350 --> 00:02:06.310 in China come in. They've provided 49 00:02:06.310 --> 00:02:08.630 answers that fundamentally reshaped our 50 00:02:08.630 --> 00:02:10.310 understanding of early Earth. 51 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:13.630 Anna: So the long understood theory for Earth's 52 00:02:13.630 --> 00:02:16.470 magnetic field is what's called the dynamo 53 00:02:16.470 --> 00:02:19.150 effect. It basically describes how the 54 00:02:19.150 --> 00:02:22.110 liquid iron and nickel core deep inside 55 00:02:22.110 --> 00:02:24.720 our planet slowly cools over time. 56 00:02:25.040 --> 00:02:27.480 This cooling creates circular currents of 57 00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:30.240 flowing metal called convection currents. As 58 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:32.560 Earth rotates, these currents twist into 59 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.240 screw like patterns, generating electric 60 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:38.160 currents that in turn produce our magnetic 61 00:02:38.160 --> 00:02:38.480 field. 62 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:41.200 Avery: That's the basic mechanism. But there was 63 00:02:41.200 --> 00:02:43.760 always this significant gap in the theory. 64 00:02:44.160 --> 00:02:46.960 About 1 billion years ago, Earth's inner core 65 00:02:46.960 --> 00:02:49.830 began to crystallize and solidify. Before 66 00:02:49.910 --> 00:02:52.630 that, the entire core was completely 67 00:02:52.630 --> 00:02:55.070 liquid. The big question was whether a 68 00:02:55.070 --> 00:02:57.350 completely liquid core could have generated 69 00:02:57.350 --> 00:02:59.630 the magnetic field. Necessary to protect 70 00:02:59.630 --> 00:03:02.350 early life. It seemed like a critical missing 71 00:03:02.350 --> 00:03:03.350 piece of the puzzle. 72 00:03:03.590 --> 00:03:06.150 Anna: And this new research seems to have filled 73 00:03:06.150 --> 00:03:09.110 that gap. The team developed sophisticated 74 00:03:09.110 --> 00:03:11.750 computer models to simulate whether a 75 00:03:11.750 --> 00:03:14.350 completely liquid core could generate a 76 00:03:14.350 --> 00:03:16.770 stable magnetic field. What's really 77 00:03:16.770 --> 00:03:19.050 impressive is they managed to minimize the 78 00:03:19.050 --> 00:03:21.730 influence of the Earth's core viscosity to 79 00:03:21.890 --> 00:03:24.610 negligible levels, which previous research 80 00:03:24.850 --> 00:03:25.810 hadn't achieved. 81 00:03:26.130 --> 00:03:28.690 Avery: And the results were conclusive. Their 82 00:03:28.690 --> 00:03:30.650 simulations demonstrated that Earth's 83 00:03:30.650 --> 00:03:32.650 magnetic field could indeed have been 84 00:03:32.650 --> 00:03:35.050 generated billions of years ago in much the 85 00:03:35.050 --> 00:03:37.890 same way it operates today. Lead author Yu 86 00:03:37.890 --> 00:03:39.930 Feng Lin from the Southern University of 87 00:03:39.930 --> 00:03:42.690 Science and Technology in China even stated, 88 00:03:43.010 --> 00:03:45.730 until now, no one has ever managed to perform 89 00:03:45.810 --> 00:03:48.050 such calculations under these correct 90 00:03:48.270 --> 00:03:51.150 physical conditions. This is huge. It has 91 00:03:51.150 --> 00:03:52.870 far reaching implications for our 92 00:03:52.870 --> 00:03:55.230 understanding of how life developed on Earth. 93 00:03:55.630 --> 00:03:57.750 Billions of years ago. Life apparently 94 00:03:57.750 --> 00:04:00.270 benefited from this magnetic shield, which 95 00:04:00.270 --> 00:04:03.110 blocked harmful radiation from space, Making 96 00:04:03.110 --> 00:04:05.230 its development possible in the first place. 97 00:04:05.870 --> 00:04:07.830 Without this protection, the intense 98 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:10.230 radiation would have made Earth's surface far 99 00:04:10.230 --> 00:04:12.150 too hostile for the delicate chemical 100 00:04:12.150 --> 00:04:14.390 processes that eventually led to living 101 00:04:14.390 --> 00:04:17.120 organisms. It really gave life a head start, 102 00:04:17.200 --> 00:04:19.560 creating a safer environment where complex 103 00:04:19.560 --> 00:04:21.920 molecules could form and evolve without 104 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:23.840 constant disruption from high energy 105 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:26.200 particles. And it's not just about ancient 106 00:04:26.200 --> 00:04:28.680 history, is it? Understanding Earth's 107 00:04:28.680 --> 00:04:30.920 magnetic field is crucial for our modern 108 00:04:30.920 --> 00:04:31.200 world. 109 00:04:31.760 --> 00:04:34.640 Anna: Absolutely. Our GPS systems, power 110 00:04:34.640 --> 00:04:37.240 grids, and communication networks all depend 111 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:39.920 on this invisible shield. And we know the 112 00:04:39.920 --> 00:04:42.360 field has flipped its polarity Thousands of 113 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:44.560 times Throughout Earth's history. And 114 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:46.760 scientists have recently observed Rapid 115 00:04:46.760 --> 00:04:49.340 shifts in magnetic north's position. So 116 00:04:49.340 --> 00:04:51.380 gaining a better understanding of how the 117 00:04:51.380 --> 00:04:53.700 magnetic field works can help researchers 118 00:04:53.700 --> 00:04:56.300 make more accurate predictions about future 119 00:04:56.300 --> 00:04:58.940 changes and potential flips that might affect 120 00:04:59.020 --> 00:05:01.100 our technology dependent society. 121 00:05:01.740 --> 00:05:04.620 Avery: It just goes to show how interconnected 122 00:05:04.620 --> 00:05:07.140 everything is, from the deep core of our 123 00:05:07.140 --> 00:05:09.660 planet, to the technology in our pockets, 124 00:05:09.900 --> 00:05:12.540 and all the way back to the very origins of 125 00:05:12.540 --> 00:05:15.440 life. Uh, a truly fundamental piece of 126 00:05:15.440 --> 00:05:15.720 research. 127 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:18.760 Anna: Speaking of incredible individuals and their 128 00:05:18.760 --> 00:05:21.120 contributions, we have some news from the 129 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:23.720 world of human spaceflight that marks the end 130 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:26.120 of an era for a dedicated astronaut. 131 00:05:26.360 --> 00:05:29.040 Barry Butch Wilmore is officially leaving 132 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.480 NASA after a quarter century of service. 133 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:34.360 Avery: 25 years is a remarkable career. 134 00:05:34.760 --> 00:05:37.160 Wilmore joined the astronaut Corps in 2000 135 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:40.100 and has truly left his mark. He's flown on 136 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:42.340 four different spacecraft and spent a total 137 00:05:42.340 --> 00:05:45.300 of 464 days off Earth. That's 138 00:05:45.300 --> 00:05:46.900 an incredible amount of time in space. 139 00:05:47.300 --> 00:05:50.140 Anna: It really is. And during his time, he also 140 00:05:50.140 --> 00:05:53.060 conducted five spacewalks, racking up 141 00:05:53.060 --> 00:05:55.740 an impressive 32 hours outside a 142 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:58.460 spacecraft. Steve Corner, the acting director 143 00:05:58.460 --> 00:06:01.420 of NASA's Johnson Space center praised him, 144 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:04.100 saying, Butch's commitment to NASA's mission 145 00:06:04.100 --> 00:06:06.980 and dedication to human space exploration is 146 00:06:06.980 --> 00:06:08.100 truly exemplary. 147 00:06:08.490 --> 00:06:10.370 Avery: He certainly had a distinguished career 148 00:06:10.370 --> 00:06:13.210 before NASA too, serving as a captain and 149 00:06:13.210 --> 00:06:16.210 test pilot in the US Navy with both peacetime 150 00:06:16.210 --> 00:06:18.890 and wartime operational experience. His 151 00:06:18.890 --> 00:06:20.570 spaceflight career began with the 152 00:06:20.570 --> 00:06:23.570 STS129 mission to the International Space 153 00:06:23.570 --> 00:06:26.130 Station aboard the space Shuttle Atlantis in 154 00:06:26.130 --> 00:06:28.090 November 2009, right? 155 00:06:28.090 --> 00:06:30.490 Anna: And he also had a long duration stay on the 156 00:06:30.490 --> 00:06:33.250 ISS from September 2014 to 157 00:06:33.250 --> 00:06:36.210 March 2015, traveling there and back on a 158 00:06:36.210 --> 00:06:39.090 Russian Soyuz spacecraft. But perhaps his 159 00:06:39.090 --> 00:06:41.830 most talked about recent mission was in June 160 00:06:41.830 --> 00:06:44.710 of 2024 when he returned to the orbiting 161 00:06:44.710 --> 00:06:47.430 lab on the first ever crewed flight of 162 00:06:47.430 --> 00:06:49.750 Boeing's Starliner Astronaut Taxi 163 00:06:49.830 --> 00:06:51.510 alongside Suni Williams. 164 00:06:51.830 --> 00:06:54.390 Avery: That mission was quite the saga, wasn't it? 165 00:06:54.630 --> 00:06:56.790 It was originally supposed to last about 10 166 00:06:56.790 --> 00:06:59.430 days, but Starliner experienced thruster 167 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:01.790 issues on the way up. This led NASA and 168 00:07:01.790 --> 00:07:03.710 Boeing to extend the capsule's stay on the 169 00:07:03.710 --> 00:07:04.510 ISS to. 170 00:07:04.510 --> 00:07:07.120 Anna: Study the problem, and ultimately NASA 171 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:09.680 decided to bring Starliner home uncrewed. 172 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:12.280 So Wilmore and Williams continued living 173 00:07:12.280 --> 00:07:14.720 aboard the ISS for an extended period, 174 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:17.280 eventually returning to Earth on a SpaceX 175 00:07:17.280 --> 00:07:20.080 Crew Dragon capsule in March of this year as 176 00:07:20.080 --> 00:07:22.440 part of the Crew 9 mission. It was an 177 00:07:22.440 --> 00:07:24.920 unexpected end to a flight for sure, but they 178 00:07:24.920 --> 00:07:25.360 handled it. 179 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:27.800 Avery: With professionalism absolutely well. The 180 00:07:27.800 --> 00:07:30.360 NASA statement didn't specify what Wilmore 181 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:32.820 plans to do next. It wouldn't be surprising 182 00:07:32.820 --> 00:07:35.060 if he remained connected to spaceflight in 183 00:07:35.060 --> 00:07:37.660 some capacity. He shared a powerful 184 00:07:37.660 --> 00:07:40.660 reflection, saying, from my earliest days I 185 00:07:40.660 --> 00:07:42.620 have been captivated by the marvels of 186 00:07:42.620 --> 00:07:44.940 creation, looking upward with an 187 00:07:44.940 --> 00:07:47.220 insatiable curiosity. This 188 00:07:47.220 --> 00:07:49.700 curiosity propelled me into the skies and 189 00:07:49.700 --> 00:07:52.140 eventually to space, where the magnificence 190 00:07:52.140 --> 00:07:54.660 of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its 191 00:07:54.660 --> 00:07:57.140 creator in ways words scarcely convey. 192 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.320 Anna: What a beautiful sentiment. It highlights the 193 00:08:00.320 --> 00:08:02.880 profound impact space exploration has on 194 00:08:02.880 --> 00:08:05.560 those who experience it firsthand. His 195 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:07.960 retirement follows closely on the heels of 196 00:08:07.960 --> 00:08:10.720 fellow astronaut Kate Rubins, who also left 197 00:08:10.720 --> 00:08:13.600 NASA recently. We wish Butch Wilmore all 198 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:14.920 the best in his next chapter. 199 00:08:15.640 --> 00:08:17.800 Avery: Well, from one significant space development 200 00:08:17.960 --> 00:08:20.280 to another, we need to talk about the 201 00:08:20.280 --> 00:08:22.760 International Space Station, because it's the 202 00:08:22.760 --> 00:08:25.520 orbiting date is fast approaching, estimated 203 00:08:25.520 --> 00:08:28.200 to be about five years from now, and NASA is 204 00:08:28.200 --> 00:08:30.320 making some pretty bold moves to prepare for 205 00:08:30.320 --> 00:08:31.040 what comes next. 206 00:08:31.440 --> 00:08:34.320 Anna: That's right, Avery. The ISS is the largest 207 00:08:34.320 --> 00:08:36.800 object humans have ever built in space, 208 00:08:37.040 --> 00:08:39.160 and it's set to be pushed out of orbit and 209 00:08:39.160 --> 00:08:41.720 into the Pacific Ocean. This raises a 210 00:08:41.720 --> 00:08:44.080 critical what happens after that? 211 00:08:44.400 --> 00:08:47.160 China's Tiangong Space Station will still be 212 00:08:47.160 --> 00:08:50.120 operational, but NASA faces a serious risk 213 00:08:50.120 --> 00:08:52.640 of losing its continuous presence in low 214 00:08:52.640 --> 00:08:53.440 Earth orbit. 215 00:08:54.060 --> 00:08:56.140 Avery: NASA recognized this challenge years ago, 216 00:08:56.140 --> 00:08:59.140 awarding around $500 million to four 217 00:08:59.140 --> 00:09:01.420 companies to start developing commercial 218 00:09:01.420 --> 00:09:04.300 space stations to fill that void. However, 219 00:09:04.300 --> 00:09:06.620 there have been concerns about whether any of 220 00:09:06.620 --> 00:09:08.660 these replacements will actually be ready by 221 00:09:08.660 --> 00:09:10.540 the time the ISS is deorbit it. 222 00:09:10.700 --> 00:09:12.860 Anna: And that's exactly what NASA's Acting 223 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:15.100 Administrator Sean Duffy addressed recently. 224 00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:18.100 He signed a new directive on commercial space 225 00:09:18.100 --> 00:09:20.510 stations stating that to meet the goals 226 00:09:20.510 --> 00:09:23.390 within the proposed budget, a modification to 227 00:09:23.390 --> 00:09:25.670 the current approach for low Earth orbit 228 00:09:25.670 --> 00:09:28.470 platforms is required. In short, the 229 00:09:28.470 --> 00:09:29.990 strategy must be altered. 230 00:09:30.630 --> 00:09:33.110 Avery: This is a pretty big shakeup. NASA's previous 231 00:09:33.110 --> 00:09:35.790 plan involved a request for proposals early 232 00:09:35.790 --> 00:09:38.190 next year which would have selected one or 233 00:09:38.190 --> 00:09:40.470 two companies for assembly and certification. 234 00:09:40.790 --> 00:09:43.390 But according to Duffy's directive, there's a 235 00:09:43.390 --> 00:09:45.960 significant budget shortfall, up to $4 236 00:09:45.960 --> 00:09:48.320 billion less than what was anticipated for 237 00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:50.720 this program. The President's budget request 238 00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:53.560 only included $273.3 239 00:09:53.560 --> 00:09:56.200 million for fiscal year 2026 240 00:09:56.360 --> 00:09:59.320 and $2.1 billion over the next five 241 00:09:59.320 --> 00:09:59.640 years. 242 00:10:00.440 --> 00:10:03.080 Anna: So because of these shortcomings, the new 243 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.760 directive introduces some substantial changes 244 00:10:05.760 --> 00:10:07.640 to the commercial low Earth orbit 245 00:10:07.640 --> 00:10:10.560 destinations program. Instead of moving to a 246 00:10:10.560 --> 00:10:13.320 firm fixed price contract, NASA will 247 00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:15.480 extend the current program of Space act 248 00:10:15.480 --> 00:10:17.620 agreements with multiple Elizabeth. 249 00:10:18.100 --> 00:10:20.780 Avery: That means a full and open competition for 250 00:10:20.780 --> 00:10:22.580 interested companies to receive these 251 00:10:22.580 --> 00:10:25.300 agreements, with NASA aiming to award a 252 00:10:25.300 --> 00:10:27.980 minimum of two and preferably three providers 253 00:10:27.980 --> 00:10:30.020 within six months of the formal announcement. 254 00:10:30.340 --> 00:10:32.500 This allows companies more leeway in design 255 00:10:32.660 --> 00:10:34.660 compared to stricter federal acquisition 256 00:10:34.660 --> 00:10:35.380 regulations. 257 00:10:35.940 --> 00:10:38.260 Anna: Another key change is that formal design 258 00:10:38.420 --> 00:10:41.340 acceptance and certification will shift from 259 00:10:41.340 --> 00:10:44.340 this Space act agreement phase to a follow on 260 00:10:44.340 --> 00:10:46.870 certification phase. Companies won't get 261 00:10:46.870 --> 00:10:49.150 certified until after they fly. 262 00:10:49.550 --> 00:10:52.190 Plus, at least 25% of milestone 263 00:10:52.190 --> 00:10:54.830 funding will be withheld until after a 264 00:10:54.830 --> 00:10:57.510 successful crewed demonstration of a space 265 00:10:57.510 --> 00:10:58.670 station in orbit. 266 00:10:59.390 --> 00:11:01.990 Avery: And perhaps most notably, they've lowered the 267 00:11:01.990 --> 00:11:03.950 minimum capability NASA is seeking. 268 00:11:04.350 --> 00:11:06.750 Originally they wanted full operational 269 00:11:06.750 --> 00:11:09.310 capability. Now the minimum required is 270 00:11:09.470 --> 00:11:12.360 4 crew for one month increments. This 271 00:11:12.360 --> 00:11:14.840 is a significant reduction, but it aims to 272 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:16.880 give companies a better chance to develop 273 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:19.360 operational space stations by 2030. 274 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:22.400 Anna: Phil McAllister, who previously directed 275 00:11:22.400 --> 00:11:25.080 NASA's Commercial Space division, commented 276 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:27.400 on this, saying, how was NASA's previous 277 00:11:27.400 --> 00:11:29.920 strategy for commercial stations going to 278 00:11:29.920 --> 00:11:32.040 work when they lost close to a third of their 279 00:11:32.040 --> 00:11:35.000 budget? They had no chance. This gives 280 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:37.520 them a chance. It makes a lot of sense given 281 00:11:37.520 --> 00:11:38.480 the budget realities. 282 00:11:38.640 --> 00:11:41.520 Avery: This directive also seems to favor certain 283 00:11:41.520 --> 00:11:43.940 companies over others because, for instance, 284 00:11:43.940 --> 00:11:46.820 Vast's Haven one module designed for four 285 00:11:46.820 --> 00:11:49.620 astronauts for two weeks fits well with the 286 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:52.060 new minimum requirements They've also been 287 00:11:52.060 --> 00:11:53.860 developing their station without government 288 00:11:53.860 --> 00:11:56.300 money, betting on a minimum viable product 289 00:11:56.300 --> 00:11:56.660 approach. 290 00:11:57.380 --> 00:12:00.140 Anna: Whereas the other initial contractors like 291 00:12:00.140 --> 00:12:03.140 Blue Origin, Axiom Space and Voyager Space 292 00:12:03.700 --> 00:12:06.220 had been planning larger, more permanent 293 00:12:06.220 --> 00:12:09.020 stations, now they'll likely need to 294 00:12:09.020 --> 00:12:11.740 pivot their configurations to meet these 295 00:12:11.740 --> 00:12:14.500 new, more immediate goals. With one industry 296 00:12:14.580 --> 00:12:17.540 official put it quite bluntly, only Haven 297 00:12:17.540 --> 00:12:19.300 one can succeed in this environment. 298 00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:22.540 Avery: It's a pragmatic shift, prioritizing, 299 00:12:22.540 --> 00:12:25.380 achieving some form of continuous human 300 00:12:25.380 --> 00:12:28.060 presence in low Earth orbit, even if it's 301 00:12:28.060 --> 00:12:30.580 initially on smaller interim stations 302 00:12:30.820 --> 00:12:33.140 over waiting for larger, more expensive 303 00:12:33.140 --> 00:12:35.620 facilities that might not materialize. Given 304 00:12:35.620 --> 00:12:38.140 the budget constraints, it's a testament to 305 00:12:38.140 --> 00:12:40.140 how quickly things can change in space 306 00:12:40.140 --> 00:12:40.820 exploration. 307 00:12:40.820 --> 00:12:43.580 Anna: Funding from Earth's magnetic shield and 308 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:45.060 ISS shakeups. 309 00:12:45.140 --> 00:12:47.660 Let's turn our attention to one of the most 310 00:12:47.660 --> 00:12:49.860 intriguing moons in our solar system, 311 00:12:50.180 --> 00:12:52.940 Jupiter's Europa. Scientists at the 312 00:12:52.940 --> 00:12:55.660 Southwest Research Institute may have just 313 00:12:55.660 --> 00:12:58.100 solved a long standing mystery about its 314 00:12:58.100 --> 00:13:00.180 surface chemistry, which has huge 315 00:13:00.180 --> 00:13:02.420 implications for its potential habitability. 316 00:13:02.900 --> 00:13:05.500 Avery: That's right, Ana uh. Europa's surface has a 317 00:13:05.500 --> 00:13:08.220 puzzling presence of frozen hydrogen 318 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:10.820 peroxide. What was really 319 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:13.060 surprising was that James Webb Telesco 320 00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:15.920 observations revealed unexpectedly high 321 00:13:15.920 --> 00:13:18.480 concentrations of hydrogen peroxide in 322 00:13:18.480 --> 00:13:21.040 Europa's warmer equatorial regions, 323 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:24.080 particularly an area known as Tara Regio. 324 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:26.800 This completely contradicted earlier lab 325 00:13:26.800 --> 00:13:28.600 studies which predicted it would be more 326 00:13:28.600 --> 00:13:30.720 abundant in colder polar zones. 327 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:34.160 Anna: So Berekit Mamo, a graduate student at the 328 00:13:34.160 --> 00:13:36.920 University of Texas at San Antonio and a 329 00:13:36.920 --> 00:13:39.800 contractor with swrit, proposed a 330 00:13:39.800 --> 00:13:42.240 NASA funded study to investigate this. 331 00:13:42.640 --> 00:13:45.160 They designed lab experiments to replicate 332 00:13:45.160 --> 00:13:47.480 Europa's environment, observing that the 333 00:13:47.480 --> 00:13:50.000 areas with increased hydrogen peroxide 334 00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.840 also had higher concentrations of carbon 335 00:13:52.840 --> 00:13:55.600 dioxide, or CO2. Scientists 336 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:58.440 suspect this CO2 might be escaping 337 00:13:58.440 --> 00:14:01.240 from a subsurface liquid ocean through 338 00:14:01.240 --> 00:14:02.560 fractures in the ice. 339 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:05.720 Avery: And here's the breakthrough. Mamo and his 340 00:14:05.720 --> 00:14:08.440 team simulated Europa's surface inside a 341 00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.100 vacuum chamber by depositing water ice ice 342 00:14:11.100 --> 00:14:13.500 mixed with carbon dioxide. They then 343 00:14:13.500 --> 00:14:15.980 irradiated this ice mixture with energetic 344 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:18.500 electrons. Their experiments showed that even 345 00:14:18.500 --> 00:14:21.420 small concentrations of carbon dioxide mixed 346 00:14:21.420 --> 00:14:23.980 with water ice can greatly increase the 347 00:14:23.980 --> 00:14:26.260 formation of hydrogen peroxide under 348 00:14:26.260 --> 00:14:28.620 temperature conditions similar to Europa's 349 00:14:28.620 --> 00:14:30.980 surface temperatures. This finding helps 350 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:33.500 clarify those unexpected JWST 351 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:34.540 observations. 352 00:14:35.260 --> 00:14:37.820 Anna: The implications for Europa's habitability 353 00:14:37.900 --> 00:14:40.830 are profoundly. Dr. Udwal Raut, a 354 00:14:40.830 --> 00:14:43.790 UH program manager at SwRI and Mamo's 355 00:14:43.790 --> 00:14:46.190 advisor, explained that the presence of 356 00:14:46.190 --> 00:14:48.630 hydrogen peroxide alongside carbon 357 00:14:48.630 --> 00:14:51.310 dioxide, sodium chloride and other 358 00:14:51.310 --> 00:14:53.870 compounds indicates a chemical cycle. 359 00:14:54.110 --> 00:14:56.750 Materials from Europa's subsurface ocean 360 00:14:56.990 --> 00:14:59.790 rise to the surface, become irradiated 361 00:14:59.790 --> 00:15:02.310 and form oxidants like hydrogen 362 00:15:02.310 --> 00:15:02.990 peroxide. 363 00:15:03.550 --> 00:15:05.950 Avery: Over geological timescales, These 364 00:15:05.950 --> 00:15:08.550 oxidants could then return to the ocean and 365 00:15:08.550 --> 00:15:11.230 react with seafloor reductants, releasing 366 00:15:11.230 --> 00:15:13.870 chemical energy that might help sustain life. 367 00:15:14.110 --> 00:15:16.390 As Richard Cartwright from Johns Hopkins 368 00:15:16.390 --> 00:15:19.030 Applied Physics Laboratory put it, synthesis 369 00:15:19.030 --> 00:15:21.190 of oxidants like hydrogen peroxide on 370 00:15:21.190 --> 00:15:23.550 Europa's surface is important from an 371 00:15:23.550 --> 00:15:25.230 astrobiological point of view. 372 00:15:25.630 --> 00:15:28.110 Anna: Indeed, this research provides 373 00:15:28.110 --> 00:15:30.270 crucial clues for understanding 374 00:15:30.270 --> 00:15:32.670 JWST's Europa observations 375 00:15:32.910 --> 00:15:35.750 and serves as a prelude to upcoming 376 00:15:35.750 --> 00:15:38.390 close range investigations by NASA's Europa 377 00:15:38.390 --> 00:15:41.190 Clipper, which is already en route, and 378 00:15:41.190 --> 00:15:43.930 ESA's spacecraft. Dr. Ben 379 00:15:43.930 --> 00:15:46.930 Tilas, another co author, emphasized that 380 00:15:46.930 --> 00:15:49.410 when you combine a source of carbon from the 381 00:15:49.410 --> 00:15:52.410 interior, like Europa's ocean, with energy 382 00:15:52.410 --> 00:15:55.290 from the magnetosphere, it produces new 383 00:15:55.290 --> 00:15:57.930 species on the surface that store chemical 384 00:15:57.930 --> 00:16:00.810 energy, A, uh, necessary ingredient for dark, 385 00:16:00.970 --> 00:16:03.650 habitable ocean worlds where the sun doesn't 386 00:16:03.650 --> 00:16:04.010 shine. 387 00:16:04.250 --> 00:16:06.890 Avery: It's a fantastic example of how lab 388 00:16:06.890 --> 00:16:09.610 experiments on Earth can unlock mysteries on 389 00:16:09.610 --> 00:16:12.420 distant worlds, further bolstering Europa's 390 00:16:12.420 --> 00:16:14.780 status as one of the prime candidates for 391 00:16:14.780 --> 00:16:16.980 extraterrestrial life in our solar system. 392 00:16:17.220 --> 00:16:19.820 And it's not just Europa. These findings 393 00:16:19.820 --> 00:16:22.820 could also explain hydrogen peroxide on other 394 00:16:22.820 --> 00:16:25.740 icy bodies like Jupiter's moon Ganymede 395 00:16:25.740 --> 00:16:28.540 and Pluto's moon Charon, where it's also been 396 00:16:28.540 --> 00:16:29.860 detected with CO2. 397 00:16:30.020 --> 00:16:31.780 And that brings us to the end of another 398 00:16:31.860 --> 00:16:34.420 fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily 399 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:37.260 Today. We've journeyed from solving the 400 00:16:37.260 --> 00:16:39.540 ancient mystery of Earth's magnetic shield 401 00:16:39.590 --> 00:16:42.140 and and its vital role in fostering life 402 00:16:42.540 --> 00:16:45.380 to bidding farewell to NASA veteran astronaut 403 00:16:45.380 --> 00:16:48.340 Butch Wilmore after his remarkable 25 404 00:16:48.340 --> 00:16:49.100 year career. 405 00:16:49.420 --> 00:16:51.740 Anna: We also delved into NASA's significant 406 00:16:51.900 --> 00:16:54.140 strategy shift for future commercial space 407 00:16:54.140 --> 00:16:56.980 stations, aiming to secure a continued human 408 00:16:56.980 --> 00:16:59.900 presence in low Earth orbit as the ISS era 409 00:16:59.900 --> 00:17:02.380 draws to a close. And finally, we 410 00:17:02.380 --> 00:17:04.740 uncovered how lab experiments might have 411 00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:06.940 solved the puzzling hydrogen peroxide 412 00:17:06.940 --> 00:17:09.060 distribution on Jupiter's moon Europa, 413 00:17:09.450 --> 00:17:11.250 shedding more light on its potential for 414 00:17:11.250 --> 00:17:11.610 life. 415 00:17:12.010 --> 00:17:14.330 Avery: Thank you for joining us on Astronomy Daily. 416 00:17:14.490 --> 00:17:16.730 We hope you enjoyed our dive into the cosmos. 417 00:17:17.050 --> 00:17:19.050 Anna: We'll be back tomorrow with more exciting 418 00:17:19.050 --> 00:17:21.770 updates from across the universe. Until then, 419 00:17:22.090 --> 00:17:22.970 keep looking up.