WEBVTT 0 00:00:01.320 --> 00:00:04.160 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast. 1 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:06.120 Avery: Bringing you the latest in space and 2 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:08.160 astronomy news. I'm Avery. 3 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.880 Anna: And I'm Anna. Today we've got a busy 4 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:13.200 show. We'll be talking about an Australian 5 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:15.640 satellite that's taking selfies in orbit. 6 00:00:15.800 --> 00:00:18.680 Avery: A close encounter between US and UK military 7 00:00:18.680 --> 00:00:21.120 satellites, and a busy week for rocket 8 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:22.600 launches around the globe. 9 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:25.560 Anna: Plus we'll dive into some fascinating new 10 00:00:25.560 --> 00:00:28.440 research that questions the existence of 11 00:00:28.440 --> 00:00:30.360 so called water worlds. 12 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:32.960 Avery: And we'll have headlines including a, uh, 13 00:00:33.020 --> 00:00:35.140 potential signal from a wormhole. 14 00:00:35.300 --> 00:00:36.180 Let's get started. 15 00:00:36.900 --> 00:00:38.820 Anna: First up, let's head down under. 16 00:00:39.300 --> 00:00:42.220 Australia's Spirit nanosatellite has 17 00:00:42.220 --> 00:00:44.940 just wrapped up its first mission phase after 18 00:00:44.940 --> 00:00:46.180 an impressive run. 19 00:00:46.500 --> 00:00:49.220 Avery: Impressive is right. It's been in orbit for 20 00:00:49.220 --> 00:00:51.740 over 600 days, circling the Earth more than 21 00:00:51.740 --> 00:00:54.380 9,000 times since it launched on a 22 00:00:54.380 --> 00:00:55.780 SpaceX Falcon 9. 23 00:00:56.180 --> 00:00:59.100 Anna: For a satellite that's only about 11.5 24 00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:02.060 kilograms, that's quite a journey. The 25 00:01:02.060 --> 00:01:04.880 initial phase about checking its systems, 26 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:07.600 making sure everything was working correctly, 27 00:01:07.760 --> 00:01:08.040 and. 28 00:01:08.040 --> 00:01:10.800 Avery: They did this in the coolest way possible. It 29 00:01:10.800 --> 00:01:13.280 has a selfie stick to take a photo of itself 30 00:01:13.280 --> 00:01:16.120 against a backdrop of Earth. I love that it 31 00:01:16.120 --> 00:01:18.120 confirms everything is deployed and 32 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:18.800 operational. 33 00:01:19.279 --> 00:01:22.000 Anna: It's not just for show though. Spirit's main 34 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:24.720 job is pretty serious. It carries an 35 00:01:24.720 --> 00:01:27.120 instrument from the Italian Space Agency 36 00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:29.830 designed to detect gamma ray bursts. 37 00:01:30.220 --> 00:01:32.220 Avery: And this is where it gets really clever. 38 00:01:32.460 --> 00:01:34.900 Spirit also has a built in autonomous 39 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:37.820 repointing system. So when it detects a 40 00:01:37.820 --> 00:01:39.860 gamma ray burst, it can automatically and 41 00:01:39.860 --> 00:01:42.820 very quickly turn itself to face the source 42 00:01:42.820 --> 00:01:45.180 of the explosion. This allows it to gather 43 00:01:45.180 --> 00:01:47.460 more detailed data in the crucial first 44 00:01:47.460 --> 00:01:47.980 moments. 45 00:01:48.460 --> 00:01:51.340 Anna: That's a critical capability. Often the 46 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:53.300 most interesting information from these 47 00:01:53.300 --> 00:01:55.910 events fades very quickly. By 48 00:01:55.910 --> 00:01:58.150 reacting instantly, without waiting for 49 00:01:58.150 --> 00:02:00.670 commands from the ground, Spirit can catch 50 00:02:00.670 --> 00:02:03.110 details other telescopes might miss. 51 00:02:03.590 --> 00:02:06.550 It's a great example of how AI and automation 52 00:02:06.790 --> 00:02:08.630 are, uh, transforming space science. 53 00:02:08.950 --> 00:02:11.509 Avery: And for our listeners, gamma ray bursts, or 54 00:02:11.509 --> 00:02:13.950 GRBs, are some of the most powerful 55 00:02:13.950 --> 00:02:16.550 explosions in the universe. They come from 56 00:02:16.550 --> 00:02:19.230 incredible cosmic events. Like two neutron 57 00:02:19.230 --> 00:02:20.310 stars colliding. 58 00:02:20.470 --> 00:02:23.290 Anna: Exactly. The idea is that Spirit is a 59 00:02:23.290 --> 00:02:25.730 pathfinder, a, uh, prototype for a future 60 00:02:25.890 --> 00:02:28.450 constellation of satellites. This network 61 00:02:28.450 --> 00:02:30.970 will be able to quickly spot these gamma ray 62 00:02:30.970 --> 00:02:33.930 bursts and alert astronomers on the ground so 63 00:02:33.930 --> 00:02:36.210 they can point their telescopes at the source 64 00:02:36.370 --> 00:02:37.650 almost immediately. 65 00:02:37.810 --> 00:02:39.970 Avery: It's a fantastic example of international 66 00:02:40.210 --> 00:02:42.450 collaboration and a big step for the 67 00:02:42.450 --> 00:02:45.410 Australian space industry. A tiny satellite 68 00:02:45.410 --> 00:02:46.850 with a huge mission. 69 00:02:47.410 --> 00:02:49.050 Next, we're moving from scientific 70 00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:52.050 collaboration to a major display of military 71 00:02:52.050 --> 00:02:54.990 partnership in or. The US Space Command just 72 00:02:54.990 --> 00:02:57.190 did something for the first time ever with 73 00:02:57.190 --> 00:02:57.390 the. 74 00:02:57.390 --> 00:02:59.830 Anna: Uk, they performed what's called a 75 00:02:59.830 --> 00:03:02.270 rendezvous Proximity operation 76 00:03:02.590 --> 00:03:05.150 or rpo. In simple terms 77 00:03:05.310 --> 00:03:08.070 they flew one of their spacecraft very close 78 00:03:08.070 --> 00:03:10.910 to a UK military satellite to 79 00:03:10.910 --> 00:03:11.630 inspect it. 80 00:03:11.870 --> 00:03:14.270 Avery: And this wasn't in low earth orbit. This 81 00:03:14.270 --> 00:03:17.190 happened 22,000 miles up in 82 00:03:17.190 --> 00:03:19.750 geostationary orbit where many critical 83 00:03:19.750 --> 00:03:22.230 communications satellites live. The US 84 00:03:22.230 --> 00:03:25.110 spacecraft approached the UK's Skynet 85 00:03:25.110 --> 00:03:27.030 5A communications satellite. 86 00:03:27.190 --> 00:03:29.870 Anna: The official line is that this was a peaceful 87 00:03:29.870 --> 00:03:32.590 inspection, a demonstration of trust and 88 00:03:32.590 --> 00:03:35.550 cooperation between allies. It shows they 89 00:03:35.550 --> 00:03:38.310 can help each other out, say if a friendly 90 00:03:38.310 --> 00:03:40.750 satellite is malfunctioning and they need a 91 00:03:40.750 --> 00:03:41.350 closer look. 92 00:03:41.590 --> 00:03:43.270 Avery: But there's another layer to this, isn't 93 00:03:43.270 --> 00:03:45.870 there? It also sends a very clear message to 94 00:03:45.870 --> 00:03:47.870 other nations. It demonstrates, uh, a 95 00:03:47.870 --> 00:03:50.190 capability to get extremely close to any 96 00:03:50.190 --> 00:03:51.750 satellite in that orbit. 97 00:03:51.750 --> 00:03:54.510 Anna: Friendly or that's the subtext, 98 00:03:54.510 --> 00:03:57.470 yes. US Space Command's General Stephen 99 00:03:57.470 --> 00:04:00.350 Whiting didn't mince words. He called it a 100 00:04:00.350 --> 00:04:03.150 demonstration of the war fighting advantage 101 00:04:03.230 --> 00:04:05.990 their coalition provides. It's a powerful 102 00:04:05.990 --> 00:04:08.470 statement about their capabilities in what's 103 00:04:08.470 --> 00:04:11.310 becoming an increasingly contested domain. 104 00:04:11.710 --> 00:04:14.350 Avery: So a friendly checkup, but with a very strong 105 00:04:14.350 --> 00:04:16.430 geopolitical message attached. 106 00:04:16.750 --> 00:04:19.070 Anna: Speaking of people in space, we should 107 00:04:19.070 --> 00:04:21.670 mention that NASA just introduced its newest 108 00:04:21.670 --> 00:04:22.750 class of astronauts. 109 00:04:23.350 --> 00:04:26.190 Avery: That's right, the 24th class. It's a 110 00:04:26.190 --> 00:04:28.510 diverse group and one interesting name on the 111 00:04:28.510 --> 00:04:30.950 list is a former SpaceX crew member 112 00:04:31.270 --> 00:04:34.150 who was part of the all civilian Inspiration4 113 00:04:34.150 --> 00:04:36.870 mission. It's great to see that pipeline from 114 00:04:36.870 --> 00:04:39.710 commercial spaceflight into the official NASA 115 00:04:39.710 --> 00:04:40.150 corps. 116 00:04:40.310 --> 00:04:42.550 Anna: It's been a very busy week for launches. 117 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:44.230 Let's do a quick roundup. 118 00:04:44.470 --> 00:04:47.030 Avery: Let's start with the usual suspect, SpaceX. 119 00:04:47.350 --> 00:04:49.830 On Monday they launched another 22 120 00:04:49.830 --> 00:04:52.070 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral. 121 00:04:52.470 --> 00:04:55.210 What's amazing here is the booster used for 122 00:04:55.210 --> 00:04:58.170 this Falcon 9 flight. It was its 15th 123 00:04:58.170 --> 00:04:59.810 trip to space and back. 124 00:05:00.130 --> 00:05:02.850 Anna: That reusability is still mind boggling. 125 00:05:03.330 --> 00:05:06.090 Over in New Zealand, Rocket Lab is gearing up 126 00:05:06.090 --> 00:05:09.090 for its 53rd Electron launch. This one 127 00:05:09.090 --> 00:05:11.770 is for the US Space Force and has a very 128 00:05:11.770 --> 00:05:14.210 cool mission name. Methane to be 129 00:05:14.210 --> 00:05:14.850 Max. 130 00:05:15.250 --> 00:05:17.010 Avery: I like that. So what's it doing? 131 00:05:17.170 --> 00:05:19.530 Anna: It's deploying a satellite that will try to 132 00:05:19.530 --> 00:05:22.210 demonstrate producing methane in orbit. 133 00:05:22.400 --> 00:05:24.870 So this is a key technology for in 134 00:05:24.870 --> 00:05:27.590 situ resource utilization. The 135 00:05:27.590 --> 00:05:30.470 idea is to eventually create rocket fuel 136 00:05:30.470 --> 00:05:33.110 from resources found on the moon or Mars, 137 00:05:33.350 --> 00:05:36.270 like water ice and the martian atmosphere so 138 00:05:36.270 --> 00:05:36.990 you wouldn't have to. 139 00:05:36.990 --> 00:05:39.670 Avery: Carry all your return fuel with you. That's a 140 00:05:39.670 --> 00:05:41.590 game changer for long duration missions. 141 00:05:41.750 --> 00:05:44.510 Anna: Absolutely. And finally, not to be left 142 00:05:44.510 --> 00:05:47.190 out, China also had a successful launch, 143 00:05:47.510 --> 00:05:50.150 sending up the Yao' Gon 44 reconnaissance 144 00:05:50.150 --> 00:05:52.790 satellite on a long March 2D rocket 145 00:05:53.030 --> 00:05:54.740 launch. Uh, a busy week for all the major 146 00:05:54.740 --> 00:05:55.100 players. 147 00:05:55.420 --> 00:05:58.060 Avery: Okay, before we get to our last big story, 148 00:05:58.300 --> 00:06:01.060 I have to bring up this wild theory I read 149 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:03.260 about. Remember that strange 150 00:06:03.340 --> 00:06:05.820 gravitational wave signal from 2019 151 00:06:06.140 --> 00:06:08.780 GW 1905, 21. 152 00:06:09.259 --> 00:06:12.140 Anna: Vaguely. It was very short, just 153 00:06:12.140 --> 00:06:15.060 a blip. Right. And it seemed to come from the 154 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:17.940 merger of two unusually massive 155 00:06:17.940 --> 00:06:18.700 black holes. 156 00:06:19.630 --> 00:06:22.470 Avery: Exactly. But it was so odd 157 00:06:22.470 --> 00:06:25.350 that it's opened the door to more exotic 158 00:06:25.350 --> 00:06:28.230 explanations. A new paper is floating the 159 00:06:28.230 --> 00:06:30.630 idea that it m might not have been a standard 160 00:06:30.630 --> 00:06:33.390 black hole merger at all. They suggest it 161 00:06:33.390 --> 00:06:35.390 could be the echo of a collision that 162 00:06:35.390 --> 00:06:38.150 happened in another universe and the signal 163 00:06:38.150 --> 00:06:40.270 traveled to us through a wormhole. 164 00:06:40.590 --> 00:06:43.350 Anna: Wow. Okay, that is definitely out 165 00:06:43.350 --> 00:06:45.630 there. I assume the standard black hole 166 00:06:45.630 --> 00:06:47.790 explanation is still the most likely one, 167 00:06:47.790 --> 00:06:48.110 right? 168 00:06:48.470 --> 00:06:51.150 Avery: Oh, absolutely. But the scientists say they 169 00:06:51.150 --> 00:06:53.830 can't completely rule out this wormhole 170 00:06:53.830 --> 00:06:56.710 hypothesis based on the data. It's a 171 00:06:56.710 --> 00:06:58.310 fun thought experiment if nothing else. 172 00:06:58.470 --> 00:06:59.110 Anna: All ah, right. 173 00:06:59.510 --> 00:07:02.310 For our final story, let's talk about the 174 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:05.270 search for alien oceans. For years 175 00:07:05.270 --> 00:07:08.110 there's been a really exciting idea about a 176 00:07:08.110 --> 00:07:11.030 type of exoplanet called a uh, Hycean world. 177 00:07:11.350 --> 00:07:13.870 Avery: Right. These are sub Neptunes, bigger than 178 00:07:13.870 --> 00:07:16.270 Earth, but smaller than Neptune that are 179 00:07:16.270 --> 00:07:18.670 thought to be completely covered in massive 180 00:07:18.670 --> 00:07:21.570 deep oceans. Quintessential water 181 00:07:21.570 --> 00:07:23.010 world from science fiction. 182 00:07:23.090 --> 00:07:25.290 Anna: The theory was that these planets could form 183 00:07:25.290 --> 00:07:28.130 with a huge amount of ice which would then 184 00:07:28.130 --> 00:07:31.050 melt into a global ocean. But 185 00:07:31.050 --> 00:07:33.850 a new study is pouring a little cold water 186 00:07:33.850 --> 00:07:36.690 on that idea, pun intended. Of course. 187 00:07:37.170 --> 00:07:39.650 New computer models suggest that it might be 188 00:07:39.650 --> 00:07:41.930 very difficult for these massive oceans to 189 00:07:41.930 --> 00:07:44.490 exist on the surface. When these planets 190 00:07:44.490 --> 00:07:47.010 form, the immense pressure and heat in their 191 00:07:47.010 --> 00:07:49.730 interiors would cause a chemical reaction. 192 00:07:50.090 --> 00:07:52.250 Avery: Let me guess, the water doesn't stay on the 193 00:07:52.250 --> 00:07:52.650 surface. 194 00:07:52.970 --> 00:07:55.810 Anna: Exactly. The hydrogen and oxygen that 195 00:07:55.810 --> 00:07:58.010 make up the water would likely get trapped 196 00:07:58.010 --> 00:08:00.410 deep inside the planet's molten mantle. 197 00:08:00.810 --> 00:08:03.330 The study concludes that planets with Oceans 198 00:08:03.330 --> 00:08:06.250 making up 10 to 90% of their 199 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:08.490 total mass are very unlikely. 200 00:08:08.810 --> 00:08:11.210 Avery: So the dream of a planet like Kamino from 201 00:08:11.210 --> 00:08:14.170 Star wars might be less realistic. This is 202 00:08:14.170 --> 00:08:16.170 particularly relevant because of the recent 203 00:08:16.170 --> 00:08:18.526 hype around exoplanet K2 204 00:08:18.694 --> 00:08:21.610 18b which some had claimed could be one of 205 00:08:21.610 --> 00:08:22.870 the these hean worlds. 206 00:08:23.190 --> 00:08:25.230 Anna: This research definitely tempers those 207 00:08:25.230 --> 00:08:28.070 expectations. But it's not all bad news 208 00:08:28.070 --> 00:08:30.710 for the search for life. The study also 209 00:08:30.710 --> 00:08:33.110 suggests that the same process would make it 210 00:08:33.110 --> 00:08:35.990 easier for planets with more modest Earth 211 00:08:35.990 --> 00:08:37.990 like amounts of surface water to form. 212 00:08:38.310 --> 00:08:40.870 Avery: So fewer giant water worlds, but potentially 213 00:08:40.870 --> 00:08:42.870 more planets that look a little more like 214 00:08:42.870 --> 00:08:45.350 home. I'll take that trade off. It's a great 215 00:08:45.350 --> 00:08:46.950 reminder that our assumptions about how 216 00:08:46.950 --> 00:08:49.310 planets work are constantly being tested and 217 00:08:49.310 --> 00:08:49.750 refined. 218 00:08:50.460 --> 00:08:52.740 Anna: And one last quick note for all the 219 00:08:52.740 --> 00:08:55.300 stargazers out there. A brand new comet has 220 00:08:55.300 --> 00:08:57.420 been discovered, and it could be a good one. 221 00:08:57.500 --> 00:08:58.700 Avery: Ooh, tell me more. 222 00:08:59.020 --> 00:08:59.620 Anna: It's called 223 00:08:59.620 --> 00:09:02.780 C2025R2 224 00:09:03.420 --> 00:09:06.300 Swan. It's already quite bright, 225 00:09:06.300 --> 00:09:08.220 and there's a chance it could become visible 226 00:09:08.220 --> 00:09:10.820 to the naked eye this October. For now, 227 00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:12.700 you'll need binoculars to spot it. 228 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:14.300 Avery: When's the best time to look? 229 00:09:14.540 --> 00:09:16.740 Anna: It will make its closest pass to Earth on 230 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.620 October 21st, so mark your calendars and 231 00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:22.130 keep an eye on the sky. It's always a treat 232 00:09:22.130 --> 00:09:24.090 when a new visitor graces our, uh, cosmic 233 00:09:24.090 --> 00:09:24.650 neighborhood. 234 00:09:25.130 --> 00:09:26.970 Avery: And that's all the time we have for today on 235 00:09:26.970 --> 00:09:28.010 Astronomy Daily. 236 00:09:28.090 --> 00:09:30.610 Anna: It certainly has been a full week to keep up 237 00:09:30.610 --> 00:09:32.850 with these stories and more. Be sure to visit 238 00:09:32.850 --> 00:09:33.450 our website. 239 00:09:34.170 --> 00:09:37.049 Avery: Visit astronomydaily IO for more 240 00:09:37.049 --> 00:09:39.730 space and astronomy news and to listen to all 241 00:09:39.730 --> 00:09:40.810 our back episodes. 242 00:09:40.970 --> 00:09:42.970 Anna: We'll be back tomorrow with more space and 243 00:09:42.970 --> 00:09:45.130 astronomy news for you. See you then. 244 00:09:45.210 --> 00:09:46.650 I'm Anna signing off. 245 00:09:47.310 --> 00:09:49.910 Avery: And I'm Avery saying bye for today. Make sure 246 00:09:49.910 --> 00:09:52.910 you get outside and look up. You never 247 00:09:52.910 --> 00:09:54.190 know what you might see.