WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.400 --> 00:00:03.200 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast 1 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:03.440 where. 2 00:00:03.440 --> 00:00:05.640 Avery: We break down the biggest news in space and 3 00:00:05.640 --> 00:00:07.200 astronomy. I'm Avery. 4 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:09.640 Anna: And I'm Anna. We've got a great show for you 5 00:00:09.640 --> 00:00:12.120 today. We'll be looking at a major milestone 6 00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:14.840 for Rocket Lab's new reusable rocket taking 7 00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:17.640 shape in Virginia. And get this. The James 8 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:20.520 Webb Space Telescope has found a truly 9 00:00:20.520 --> 00:00:22.800 bizarre planet forming disc that could 10 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:25.480 rewrite our understanding of how rocky 11 00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:26.320 worlds are born. 12 00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:29.160 Avery: And plus, we'll dive into the explosive 13 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:31.560 solution to the mystery of hypervelocity. 14 00:00:31.560 --> 00:00:34.180 White dwarfs, stellar cannonballs getting 15 00:00:34.180 --> 00:00:35.820 ejected from our galaxy. 16 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:38.980 Anna: And finally, a poignant story about a 17 00:00:38.980 --> 00:00:41.780 piece of space history recovered from 18 00:00:41.780 --> 00:00:44.700 tragedy, now being auctioned for a very 19 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:46.700 good cause. So stick around. 20 00:00:46.940 --> 00:00:49.020 Alright, let's kick things off on the east 21 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:51.780 coast of the U.S. it sounds like Rocket Lab 22 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:53.740 is making some serious moves. 23 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:56.260 Avery: That's right. They just held a ceremony to 24 00:00:56.260 --> 00:00:59.180 inaugurate their new Launch Complex 3 at 25 00:00:59.180 --> 00:01:01.780 Wallops Island, Virginia. And this isn't just 26 00:01:01.780 --> 00:01:03.740 another pad for their trusty little elect. 27 00:01:05.080 --> 00:01:07.320 This is the new home for their much bigger 28 00:01:07.320 --> 00:01:10.120 next generation Neutron rocket. Neutron is 29 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.640 a significant step up for them, isn't it? It 30 00:01:12.640 --> 00:01:14.840 moves them squarely into the medium lift 31 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:15.720 launch category. 32 00:01:16.200 --> 00:01:19.000 Anna: Exactly. While Electron is a 33 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.400 fantastic vehicle for small satellites, 34 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:24.000 Neutron is an absolute beast in 35 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.960 comparison. It's designed to lift Serious 36 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:29.880 payloads about 13,000 kilogrammes 37 00:01:29.880 --> 00:01:32.220 to low Earth orbit. The that puts it in 38 00:01:32.220 --> 00:01:34.460 competition with some of the real workhorse 39 00:01:34.460 --> 00:01:35.460 rockets flying today. 40 00:01:36.020 --> 00:01:38.340 Avery: And the whole facility is built for speed 41 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:40.740 too. I read that the pad is specifically 42 00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:43.140 designed to support a high launch cadence. 43 00:01:43.460 --> 00:01:46.220 Anna: It is, but the rocket itself is where the 44 00:01:46.220 --> 00:01:49.100 innovation really shines. It stands 45 00:01:49.100 --> 00:01:51.980 141ft tall, but its most 46 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:53.980 unique feature has to be what they've 47 00:01:53.980 --> 00:01:56.340 nicknamed the Hungry Hippo Fairing. 48 00:01:56.580 --> 00:01:59.060 Avery: That's a fantastic name. Let me guess. 49 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:01.160 Instead of the payload fairing just 50 00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:04.080 jettisoning and falling into the ocean, it's 51 00:02:04.080 --> 00:02:06.160 actually part of the first stage and is 52 00:02:06.160 --> 00:02:06.760 reusable. 53 00:02:07.320 --> 00:02:10.160 Anna: You nailed it. The fairing opens up like a 54 00:02:10.160 --> 00:02:12.640 giant mouth to release the second stage and 55 00:02:12.640 --> 00:02:15.319 the payload. And then it closes right back up 56 00:02:15.319 --> 00:02:17.920 before the entire first stage returns to 57 00:02:17.920 --> 00:02:20.720 Earth for a landing. It's a really clever 58 00:02:20.720 --> 00:02:23.280 approach to making the whole system rapidly 59 00:02:23.280 --> 00:02:23.960 reusable. 60 00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:27.120 Avery: That really streamlines the whole process. So 61 00:02:27.120 --> 00:02:28.880 when can we expect to see Neutron take 62 00:02:28.880 --> 00:02:29.240 flight? 63 00:02:29.860 --> 00:02:31.780 Anna: They're targeting the maiden flight for the 64 00:02:31.780 --> 00:02:34.580 end of 2025. It's certainly an 65 00:02:34.580 --> 00:02:37.180 ambitious timeline, but Rocket Lab has a 66 00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:39.780 habit of meeting its goals. And this isn't 67 00:02:39.780 --> 00:02:42.420 just good news for space enthusiasts. The 68 00:02:42.420 --> 00:02:45.060 project is also Expected to create over 69 00:02:45.219 --> 00:02:47.220 250 jobs in the region. 70 00:02:47.700 --> 00:02:49.860 Avery: It's a fantastic development for the 71 00:02:49.860 --> 00:02:52.300 commercial space industry. It's very exciting 72 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:54.900 to see another major player making such big 73 00:02:54.900 --> 00:02:56.900 strides in the reusable rocket game. 74 00:02:57.690 --> 00:03:00.010 Anna: Well, from new rockets getting ready to fly, 75 00:03:00.330 --> 00:03:02.890 let's turn to new discoveries from orbit. 76 00:03:03.130 --> 00:03:05.890 The James Webb Space Telescope has once 77 00:03:05.890 --> 00:03:08.450 again delivered some truly mind 78 00:03:08.450 --> 00:03:10.970 bending science. This next story 79 00:03:11.050 --> 00:03:13.610 challenges some of the core ideas we have 80 00:03:13.770 --> 00:03:16.250 about how planets like our own are formed. 81 00:03:16.570 --> 00:03:19.570 Avery: It really does. JWST was pointed 82 00:03:19.570 --> 00:03:22.250 at a protoplanetary disc. That's the 83 00:03:22.250 --> 00:03:25.010 vast swirling cloud of gas and dust around a 84 00:03:25.010 --> 00:03:27.760 young star where planets are born. This 85 00:03:27.760 --> 00:03:30.400 particular one surrounds an infant star named 86 00:03:30.400 --> 00:03:33.120 Xue 10, which is located about 87 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.000 5,500 light years away. 88 00:03:35.720 --> 00:03:38.640 Anna: And what did it find that was so out of the 89 00:03:38.640 --> 00:03:39.240 ordinary? 90 00:03:39.720 --> 00:03:42.000 Avery: It found that the inner part of the disc, the 91 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:44.800 exact region where we'd expect to see rocky 92 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:47.400 Earth like planets forming, has a very high 93 00:03:47.400 --> 00:03:50.160 concentration of carbon dioxide. But 94 00:03:50.160 --> 00:03:52.520 what's really striking is what seems to be 95 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:55.030 missing. Water. The telescope found 96 00:03:55.190 --> 00:03:57.710 a surprisingly low amount of water vapour in 97 00:03:57.710 --> 00:03:58.950 this critical zone. 98 00:03:59.350 --> 00:04:01.910 Anna: That seems completely backward, doesn't it? 99 00:04:02.230 --> 00:04:04.550 Our, uh, current models of planet formation 100 00:04:04.550 --> 00:04:07.150 suggest that this inner region should be rich 101 00:04:07.150 --> 00:04:09.910 in water, which we consider a key ingredient 102 00:04:09.910 --> 00:04:12.350 for the development of life. It throws a bit 103 00:04:12.350 --> 00:04:15.030 of a wrench in the works. Scientists are now 104 00:04:15.030 --> 00:04:17.430 scrambling to figure out why this particular 105 00:04:17.510 --> 00:04:19.990 disc is so water poor and 106 00:04:20.070 --> 00:04:22.440 carbon rich. One of the leading 107 00:04:22.440 --> 00:04:25.240 hypotheses is that the entire star system 108 00:04:25.400 --> 00:04:27.720 is being blasted by intense 109 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.440 ultraviolet radiation from massive 110 00:04:30.520 --> 00:04:32.040 hot stars nearby. 111 00:04:32.440 --> 00:04:34.920 Avery: So that intense radiation could 112 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:37.560 literally be changing the disk's chemistry, 113 00:04:37.960 --> 00:04:40.680 perhaps breaking down the water molecules or 114 00:04:40.680 --> 00:04:43.240 preventing them from settling in that inner 115 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:44.360 planet forming region. 116 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:47.480 Anna: It could be altering it completely. 117 00:04:48.140 --> 00:04:51.020 And this discovery isn't just about a strange 118 00:04:51.260 --> 00:04:53.900 distant star system. It might also 119 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:56.900 help explain some unusual isotope 120 00:04:56.900 --> 00:04:59.700 signatures that have been found in meteorites 121 00:04:59.700 --> 00:05:01.900 right here in our own solar system. 122 00:05:02.460 --> 00:05:05.300 It suggests that the chemical makeup of our 123 00:05:05.300 --> 00:05:07.420 cosmic neighbourhood during its formation 124 00:05:07.820 --> 00:05:09.940 might have been very different than we 125 00:05:09.940 --> 00:05:10.860 previously thought. 126 00:05:11.740 --> 00:05:14.540 Avery: Incredible. So the recipe for making an 127 00:05:14.540 --> 00:05:17.380 Earth might be much more varied than we 128 00:05:17.380 --> 00:05:20.240 assumed. It's just amazing how a 129 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:22.920 single observation from Webb can open up so 130 00:05:22.920 --> 00:05:24.520 many profound new questions. 131 00:05:25.320 --> 00:05:27.960 Anna: From making planets to, well, 132 00:05:28.280 --> 00:05:30.760 breaking stars. For years, 133 00:05:30.840 --> 00:05:33.200 astronomers have tracked these truly 134 00:05:33.200 --> 00:05:35.240 bizarre objects called 135 00:05:35.320 --> 00:05:37.720 hypervelocity white dwarfs. 136 00:05:38.120 --> 00:05:40.800 Now a white dwarf is the super dense 137 00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:43.600 remnant of a, uh, sun like star. But these 138 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:46.600 ones are moving so fast that they're on 139 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.360 a trajectory to completely escape the 140 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:51.700 Milky Way G galaxy, right? 141 00:05:51.700 --> 00:05:54.540 Avery: They're like stellar cannonballs. The 142 00:05:54.540 --> 00:05:57.180 fundamental Question has always been what 143 00:05:57.180 --> 00:06:00.060 kind of cosmic event could possibly launch 144 00:06:00.060 --> 00:06:02.260 an entire star with that much force? 145 00:06:02.980 --> 00:06:05.740 Anna: Well, a new study using some powerful 146 00:06:05.740 --> 00:06:08.500 computer simulations believes it has the 147 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:11.220 answer. And it is incredibly 148 00:06:11.300 --> 00:06:14.020 violent. The leading model is being called 149 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.780 the D6 scenario. And it all 150 00:06:16.780 --> 00:06:19.740 starts with a binary system of two white 151 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:22.220 dwarfs orbiting each other in a tight 152 00:06:22.220 --> 00:06:22.820 embrace. 153 00:06:23.460 --> 00:06:26.340 Avery: A, uh, stellar dance of death, I imagine. 154 00:06:26.900 --> 00:06:27.940 What happens next? 155 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:31.140 Anna: The lighter of the two stars gets 156 00:06:31.140 --> 00:06:34.060 gravitationally shredded by its heavier 157 00:06:34.060 --> 00:06:36.540 companion. Material from that 158 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:39.460 disrupted star then forms a layer of 159 00:06:39.460 --> 00:06:41.900 helium on the surface of the more massive 160 00:06:41.900 --> 00:06:44.770 one. This accretion is what triggers 161 00:06:44.770 --> 00:06:47.730 a cataclysmic two stage explosion. 162 00:06:48.290 --> 00:06:50.530 Avery: Two stages? How does that work? 163 00:06:51.090 --> 00:06:53.810 Anna: First, that outer shell of helium 164 00:06:54.130 --> 00:06:56.450 ignites in a massive detonation. 165 00:06:57.090 --> 00:06:59.970 This explosion sends a powerful 166 00:06:59.970 --> 00:07:02.690 shockwave inwards, compressing the 167 00:07:02.690 --> 00:07:05.570 carbon oxygen core of the primary star. 168 00:07:06.130 --> 00:07:08.250 And that shockwave is so 169 00:07:08.250 --> 00:07:11.120 unbelievably intense that it triggers 170 00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.440 a second even more powerful 171 00:07:13.520 --> 00:07:16.520 explosion. A full blown type 172 00:07:16.520 --> 00:07:18.400 1a supernova. 173 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:21.480 Avery: And that supernova completely obliterates the 174 00:07:21.480 --> 00:07:22.240 primary star. 175 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:25.720 Anna: It's utterly destroyed. But the companion 176 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:28.480 star, the one that was initially torn apart, 177 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:31.440 actually survives the blast. The 178 00:07:31.440 --> 00:07:34.320 sheer asymmetric force of its partner's 179 00:07:34.320 --> 00:07:36.800 demise is what acts like a cannon, 180 00:07:37.310 --> 00:07:39.710 flinging it outwards at these incredible 181 00:07:39.870 --> 00:07:41.870 galaxy escaping speeds. 182 00:07:42.590 --> 00:07:45.390 Avery: Wow. So one star is annihilated 183 00:07:45.390 --> 00:07:47.710 just to launch its partner across the cosmos. 184 00:07:48.110 --> 00:07:50.470 The simulations must have been phenomenally 185 00:07:50.470 --> 00:07:52.510 detailed to pinpoint that mechanism. 186 00:07:53.310 --> 00:07:55.630 Anna: They were. The D6 model 187 00:07:55.710 --> 00:07:58.670 successfully recreated the incredible speeds 188 00:07:58.670 --> 00:08:01.310 and physical properties we observe in these 189 00:08:01.310 --> 00:08:03.990 hypervelocity white dwarfs. It's a major 190 00:08:03.990 --> 00:08:06.470 breakthrough that not only solves the stellar 191 00:08:06.470 --> 00:08:09.300 cannonball mystery, but but also gives us a 192 00:08:09.300 --> 00:08:11.900 clearer picture of one of the ways type 193 00:08:11.900 --> 00:08:14.740 1A supernovae can happen. And those 194 00:08:14.740 --> 00:08:17.540 explosions are crucial cosmic yardsticks for 195 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:19.540 measuring the expansion of the universe. 196 00:08:20.260 --> 00:08:22.740 Avery: For our final story today, we come back to 197 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:25.340 Earth to remember a tragic but incredibly 198 00:08:25.340 --> 00:08:28.180 important moment in spaceflight history. A 199 00:08:28.180 --> 00:08:30.620 very unique set of artefacts is going up for 200 00:08:30.620 --> 00:08:33.340 auction. A dozen Sacagawea dollar 201 00:08:33.340 --> 00:08:35.500 coins that flew on the final mission of the 202 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:38.420 space shuttle Columbia STS107. 203 00:08:38.420 --> 00:08:40.940 Anna: This is such a powerful and moving 204 00:08:41.100 --> 00:08:44.020 story. These coins were originally part 205 00:08:44.020 --> 00:08:46.940 of the US Mint's Coins in Space programme. 206 00:08:47.420 --> 00:08:49.620 They were meant to be put on display at 207 00:08:49.620 --> 00:08:51.780 places like the Smithsonian after the 208 00:08:51.780 --> 00:08:54.660 mission. But of course, the Columbia tragedy 209 00:08:54.660 --> 00:08:57.180 occurred during re entry in February of 210 00:08:57.180 --> 00:08:57.980 2003. 211 00:08:58.140 --> 00:09:00.500 Avery: The shuttle was lost along with its seven 212 00:09:00.500 --> 00:09:03.140 member crew. It's honestly hard to believe 213 00:09:03.140 --> 00:09:05.220 that anything, especially something as small 214 00:09:05.220 --> 00:09:07.620 as a coin, could have survived that event. 215 00:09:07.940 --> 00:09:10.900 Anna: It is. But during the massive debris 216 00:09:10.900 --> 00:09:13.540 recovery effort across East Texas. 217 00:09:13.860 --> 00:09:16.780 These coins were found. They were charred and 218 00:09:16.780 --> 00:09:19.540 damaged from the intense heat of re entry, 219 00:09:19.780 --> 00:09:21.140 but they were recovered. 220 00:09:21.460 --> 00:09:23.940 Avery: That's amazing. But how could they be 221 00:09:23.940 --> 00:09:25.940 absolutely certain that these were the 222 00:09:25.940 --> 00:09:28.140 authentic coins that actually flew on the 223 00:09:28.140 --> 00:09:28.500 mission? 224 00:09:28.740 --> 00:09:31.540 Anna: This is the incredible part of the story. The 225 00:09:31.540 --> 00:09:34.380 US Mint had kept control coins from 226 00:09:34.380 --> 00:09:36.940 the exact same batch that never left the 227 00:09:36.940 --> 00:09:39.320 ground. Forensic, forensic investigators were 228 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:41.840 able to compare the unique metallurgical 229 00:09:41.840 --> 00:09:44.440 properties of the recovered damaged 230 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:47.360 coins to the pristine control set. 231 00:09:47.680 --> 00:09:50.240 And they confirmed they were the genuine 232 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:50.720 articles. 233 00:09:50.880 --> 00:09:52.760 Avery: And um, now after all these years, they're 234 00:09:52.760 --> 00:09:54.560 being auctioned by Heritage Auctions. 235 00:09:54.720 --> 00:09:57.680 Anna: Yes, and for a wonderful cause. The 236 00:09:57.680 --> 00:09:59.480 proceeds from the auction are going to 237 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:01.920 benefit the Astronaut Memorial foundation 238 00:10:02.160 --> 00:10:05.000 and other space related charities, all 239 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:07.320 dedicated to honouring the memory of fallen 240 00:10:07.320 --> 00:10:07.920 astronauts. 241 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:10.860 Avery: It's a, uh, truly powerful way to remember 242 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:13.660 the crew of STS107. These 243 00:10:13.660 --> 00:10:15.700 coins aren't just currency, they're uh, a 244 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:18.260 testament to survival, to the memory of the 245 00:10:18.260 --> 00:10:20.460 crew, and to the enduring spirit of 246 00:10:20.460 --> 00:10:23.300 exploration. A truly poignant piece 247 00:10:23.300 --> 00:10:24.380 of space history. 248 00:10:24.700 --> 00:10:26.780 Anna: And that's all the time we have for today on 249 00:10:26.780 --> 00:10:29.740 Astronomy Daily. From new rockets preparing 250 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:32.420 for flight to deep mysteries of planet 251 00:10:32.420 --> 00:10:35.180 formation and violent stellar explosion. 252 00:10:35.670 --> 00:10:38.430 Avery: And a humbling reminder of the human side of 253 00:10:38.430 --> 00:10:40.870 our journey into space. It's been another 254 00:10:41.030 --> 00:10:43.190 fascinating day in the cosmos. 255 00:10:43.510 --> 00:10:45.790 Anna: Thanks so much for tuning in. We'll be back 256 00:10:45.790 --> 00:10:48.310 next time with another roundup of the latest 257 00:10:48.310 --> 00:10:49.830 space and astronomy news. 258 00:10:50.390 --> 00:10:52.470 Avery: Until then, keep looking up.