WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.960 Anna: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, 1 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:05.840 the podcast that brings you the latest news 2 00:00:05.840 --> 00:00:08.560 from across the cosmos. I'm your host, 3 00:00:08.560 --> 00:00:09.200 Anna. 4 00:00:09.520 --> 00:00:11.640 Avery: And I'm, um, Avery. It's great to be with 5 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.440 you. We have a packed show today covering 6 00:00:14.440 --> 00:00:16.880 everything from an important upcoming launch 7 00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:19.600 and the Biological Space Lab's return 8 00:00:20.160 --> 00:00:22.240 to groundbreaking new plans for lunar 9 00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:24.840 missions and astonishing discoveries from the 10 00:00:24.840 --> 00:00:25.840 Hubble Telescope. 11 00:00:26.620 --> 00:00:28.420 Anna: Let's start with the action at Cape 12 00:00:28.420 --> 00:00:31.180 canaveral. NASA and SpaceX are 13 00:00:31.180 --> 00:00:34.020 counting down to a major launch from Florida 14 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:36.780 this Wednesday morning. The primary payload 15 00:00:36.780 --> 00:00:39.580 is the agency's Interstellar Mapping and 16 00:00:39.580 --> 00:00:42.059 Acceleration Probe, better known as 17 00:00:42.059 --> 00:00:42.860 imap. 18 00:00:43.180 --> 00:00:45.940 Avery: It's a really ambitious mission. IMAP is 19 00:00:45.940 --> 00:00:47.900 designed to journey about a million miles 20 00:00:47.900 --> 00:00:50.860 from Earth To Lagrange point 1, a 21 00:00:50.860 --> 00:00:53.380 gravitationally stable spot between us and 22 00:00:53.380 --> 00:00:56.190 the Sun. From there, it will study the 23 00:00:56.190 --> 00:00:58.390 boundary of the heliosphere, which is the 24 00:00:58.390 --> 00:01:01.190 giant magnetic bubble our sun creates around 25 00:01:01.190 --> 00:01:03.630 the solar system. It's essentially our 26 00:01:03.630 --> 00:01:06.110 protective shield against harsh galactic 27 00:01:06.110 --> 00:01:07.310 cosmic radiation. 28 00:01:07.710 --> 00:01:10.670 Anna: Understanding that boundary is crucial not 29 00:01:10.670 --> 00:01:13.390 just for pure science, but for protecting 30 00:01:13.390 --> 00:01:16.150 future astronauts on long duration missions 31 00:01:16.150 --> 00:01:18.990 to the Moon or Mars. But as you mentioned 32 00:01:18.990 --> 00:01:21.830 earlier, IMAP isn't flying solo on 33 00:01:21.830 --> 00:01:23.230 its Falcon 9 rocket launchers. 34 00:01:23.700 --> 00:01:26.100 Avery: Exactly. This is a ride share 35 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:28.180 mission. Joining IMAP is 36 00:01:28.180 --> 00:01:30.980 NOAA's Space Weather Follow on 37 00:01:31.300 --> 00:01:34.300 SFWO L1 satellite. This 38 00:01:34.300 --> 00:01:36.700 will be a critical tool for monitoring solar, 39 00:01:36.700 --> 00:01:39.419 wind and coronal mass ejections, which can 40 00:01:39.419 --> 00:01:41.460 disrupt our power grids and communications 41 00:01:41.460 --> 00:01:43.820 satellites here on Earth. There's also a 42 00:01:43.820 --> 00:01:46.620 third payload, the Carruthers Geo Corona 43 00:01:46.620 --> 00:01:49.260 Observatory, which will study Earth extended 44 00:01:49.260 --> 00:01:51.500 Atmosphere. Liftoff is scheduled for 45 00:01:51.500 --> 00:01:54.060 Wednesday at 7:30am Eastern Time. 46 00:01:54.220 --> 00:01:57.060 That's 11:30 UTC. So it's an early 47 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:58.860 start for a triple header of important 48 00:01:58.940 --> 00:02:00.580 science from a. 49 00:02:00.580 --> 00:02:03.380 Anna: Mission just beginning to one that has just 50 00:02:03.380 --> 00:02:06.219 concluded. A Russian biological research 51 00:02:06.300 --> 00:02:08.780 satellite, BION m M number two, 52 00:02:09.100 --> 00:02:11.540 successfully touched down on September 53 00:02:11.540 --> 00:02:14.540 19th in the steppes of the Orenburg region. 54 00:02:14.940 --> 00:02:17.180 After spending a full month in Earth. 55 00:02:17.180 --> 00:02:19.590 Avery: Orbit, this mission has been nicknamed a 56 00:02:19.590 --> 00:02:22.230 Noah's Ark in space. And when you look at the 57 00:02:22.230 --> 00:02:25.070 passenger list, you can see why. The descent 58 00:02:25.070 --> 00:02:27.630 module carried an incredible variety of life. 59 00:02:28.110 --> 00:02:30.910 75 mice, over 1500 60 00:02:30.910 --> 00:02:33.310 fruit flies, as well as various cell 61 00:02:33.310 --> 00:02:36.110 cultures, microorganisms, and, um, even 62 00:02:36.110 --> 00:02:36.990 plant seeds. 63 00:02:37.230 --> 00:02:39.870 Anna: It's a continuation of a long series 64 00:02:39.950 --> 00:02:42.590 of studies into how living organisms 65 00:02:42.670 --> 00:02:45.400 respond to the space environment. The 66 00:02:45.400 --> 00:02:47.680 primary challenges, of course, are 67 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:50.160 microgravity and increased radiation 68 00:02:50.160 --> 00:02:53.080 exposure. Scientists will be looking closely 69 00:02:53.080 --> 00:02:55.360 at the specimens to see the effects on 70 00:02:55.440 --> 00:02:58.280 everything from bone density and muscle mass 71 00:02:58.280 --> 00:03:01.079 in the mice to genetic changes in the flies 72 00:03:01.079 --> 00:03:03.960 and microorganisms. The data gathered 73 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:06.280 is vital. It helps us understand the 74 00:03:06.280 --> 00:03:08.920 fundamental risks of long term space travel 75 00:03:08.920 --> 00:03:11.360 for humans and develop countermeasures. 76 00:03:11.830 --> 00:03:13.990 It's a floating laboratory that provides 77 00:03:13.990 --> 00:03:16.630 insights we simply can't get on the ground. 78 00:03:17.350 --> 00:03:20.110 Speaking of human spaceflight, NASA is 79 00:03:20.110 --> 00:03:22.310 forging ahead with its Artemis program. 80 00:03:22.790 --> 00:03:25.710 Agency officials provided an exciting update 81 00:03:25.710 --> 00:03:28.630 this week saying that the Artemis 2 mission 82 00:03:28.870 --> 00:03:31.550 could take flight as early as February of 83 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:34.230 2026. This marks the very 84 00:03:34.230 --> 00:03:36.750 first time humans will venture beyond low 85 00:03:36.750 --> 00:03:39.190 Earth orbit in more than 50 years. 86 00:03:39.900 --> 00:03:42.580 Avery: It's a hugely significant step. This will be 87 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:44.740 the very first crewed flight for both the 88 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:47.540 powerful Space Launch System rocket and the 89 00:03:47.540 --> 00:03:50.220 Orion crew capsule. The four person 90 00:03:50.220 --> 00:03:52.940 crew, NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, 91 00:03:52.940 --> 00:03:55.820 Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along 92 00:03:55.820 --> 00:03:58.340 with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy 93 00:03:58.340 --> 00:04:00.980 Hansen, won't be landing on the moon just 94 00:04:00.980 --> 00:04:03.940 yet. Instead, they will fly a challenging 95 00:04:03.940 --> 00:04:06.300 10 day mission on a free return 96 00:04:06.380 --> 00:04:08.860 trajectory that will loop them around the far 97 00:04:08.860 --> 00:04:09.900 side of the moon. 98 00:04:10.550 --> 00:04:13.390 Anna: The goal is to test all of Orion's life 99 00:04:13.390 --> 00:04:15.830 support systems, navigation and 100 00:04:15.910 --> 00:04:18.470 communication capabilities in deep space. 101 00:04:19.190 --> 00:04:21.870 It's essentially the final dress rehearsal 102 00:04:21.870 --> 00:04:24.630 for the Artemis 3 mission that aims to 103 00:04:24.630 --> 00:04:27.110 land astronauts including the first woman 104 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:30.270 on the lunar surface. It's truly the 105 00:04:30.270 --> 00:04:33.070 spiritual successor to the Apollo 8 mission 106 00:04:33.070 --> 00:04:35.310 that first orbited the moon in 107 00:04:35.310 --> 00:04:38.180 1968. Pushing the launch to 108 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:41.140 early 2026 gives teams the 109 00:04:41.140 --> 00:04:43.020 time they need to address technical 110 00:04:43.020 --> 00:04:45.860 challenges like those with the capsule's heat 111 00:04:45.860 --> 00:04:48.620 shield. Ensuring the crew's safety is the 112 00:04:48.620 --> 00:04:49.540 top priority. 113 00:04:50.260 --> 00:04:53.179 Avery: Absolutely. It's a methodical, step by 114 00:04:53.179 --> 00:04:55.580 step approach to a very complex 115 00:04:55.580 --> 00:04:58.020 endeavor. But the excitement is 116 00:04:58.020 --> 00:05:00.740 palpable. Seeing that crew launch on a 117 00:05:00.740 --> 00:05:03.180 path around the moon will be a historic 118 00:05:03.180 --> 00:05:05.860 moment for a new generation. And it's not 119 00:05:05.860 --> 00:05:07.940 just government agencies planning ambitious 120 00:05:07.940 --> 00:05:10.340 flights. We're seeing more and more 121 00:05:10.340 --> 00:05:12.700 academic institutions getting directly 122 00:05:12.700 --> 00:05:15.500 involved. Purdue University just announced 123 00:05:15.500 --> 00:05:18.380 it will send a team of researchers, students 124 00:05:18.380 --> 00:05:21.020 and alumni to suborbital 125 00:05:21.020 --> 00:05:23.660 space aboard a Virgin galactic flight in 126 00:05:23.660 --> 00:05:24.540 2027. 127 00:05:25.340 --> 00:05:28.220 Anna: This is fantastic news. The mission, 128 00:05:28.220 --> 00:05:31.100 called Purdue One, really highlights the 129 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:33.890 democratization of space access. The 130 00:05:33.890 --> 00:05:35.970 flight will carry five passengers from the 131 00:05:35.970 --> 00:05:38.850 university community. Two have already been 132 00:05:38.850 --> 00:05:41.730 named. Steven Collicot, a professor of 133 00:05:41.730 --> 00:05:44.730 aerospace engineering, and Abigail Mizzy, 134 00:05:44.810 --> 00:05:46.010 a UH graduate student. 135 00:05:46.570 --> 00:05:49.450 Avery: It's an incredible opportunity. For a 136 00:05:49.450 --> 00:05:51.050 few minutes, they'll experience a 137 00:05:51.050 --> 00:05:53.810 microgravity environment, allowing them to 138 00:05:53.810 --> 00:05:56.650 conduct hands on research that was once the 139 00:05:56.650 --> 00:05:59.530 exclusive domain of NASA astronauts. 140 00:06:00.070 --> 00:06:02.470 The experiments could cover a range of fields 141 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:05.110 like fluid dynamics in zero G, 142 00:06:05.510 --> 00:06:08.310 material science, or even biomedical 143 00:06:08.310 --> 00:06:08.710 studies. 144 00:06:09.270 --> 00:06:11.750 Anna: And beyond the specific research, the 145 00:06:11.750 --> 00:06:14.070 inspirational value is immense. 146 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:17.030 Having students and professors become 147 00:06:17.030 --> 00:06:19.910 astronauts sends a powerful message. 148 00:06:20.310 --> 00:06:22.830 It Makes a career in space feel more 149 00:06:22.830 --> 00:06:25.750 attainable and will surely ignite the passion 150 00:06:25.750 --> 00:06:28.390 of countless future engineers and scientists. 151 00:06:29.280 --> 00:06:32.040 Let's zoom out now. Way beyond our solar 152 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:34.840 system, the Hubble Space Telescope has 153 00:06:34.840 --> 00:06:37.360 once again captured an image of something 154 00:06:37.360 --> 00:06:39.760 both beautiful and baffling. 155 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:42.530 Its latest picture of the week features a, 156 00:06:42.530 --> 00:06:44.560 uh, galaxy named NGC 157 00:06:45.200 --> 00:06:47.920 2775, located 158 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:50.560 about 67 million light years away 159 00:06:50.720 --> 00:06:53.640 in the constellation Cancer that simply 160 00:06:53.640 --> 00:06:55.440 refuses to be put in a box. 161 00:06:56.150 --> 00:06:59.030 Avery: It's a genuine cosmic oddity. When 162 00:06:59.030 --> 00:07:01.190 you look at its center, you see a large, 163 00:07:01.510 --> 00:07:04.230 smooth central bulge with almost 164 00:07:04.230 --> 00:07:06.470 no gas or ongoing star formation. 165 00:07:07.030 --> 00:07:09.630 In that respect, it looks very much like an 166 00:07:09.630 --> 00:07:12.630 old, settled elliptical galaxy. But 167 00:07:12.630 --> 00:07:15.150 then your eyes move outward and you see this 168 00:07:15.150 --> 00:07:17.830 magnificent, intricate ring of gas and 169 00:07:17.830 --> 00:07:18.230 dust. 170 00:07:18.790 --> 00:07:21.670 Anna: And that ring is filled with chaotic, 171 00:07:21.750 --> 00:07:24.710 unevenly distributed clusters of bright, 172 00:07:24.790 --> 00:07:27.620 young blue stars. This structure 173 00:07:27.620 --> 00:07:29.540 is more typical of what's called a, uh, 174 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:32.380 flocculant spiral galaxy, One where 175 00:07:32.380 --> 00:07:35.020 the spiral arms are patchy and not well 176 00:07:35.020 --> 00:07:37.660 defined. It's like two different types of 177 00:07:37.660 --> 00:07:39.340 galaxies were stitched together. 178 00:07:40.060 --> 00:07:42.060 Avery: Astronomers are still trying to understand 179 00:07:42.140 --> 00:07:44.660 the evolutionary path that leads to such a 180 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:47.620 hybrid structure. It challenges our models of 181 00:07:47.620 --> 00:07:50.420 galaxy formation and shows that nature 182 00:07:50.420 --> 00:07:52.700 is always more creative than we imagine. 183 00:07:53.260 --> 00:07:55.420 It's a stunning reminder of the vast, 184 00:07:55.660 --> 00:07:58.660 complex, and often strange universe we live 185 00:07:58.660 --> 00:08:01.500 in. Now let's bring our focus 186 00:08:01.660 --> 00:08:03.900 back to our own cosmic backyard. 187 00:08:04.460 --> 00:08:07.380 Incredible new research on samples returned 188 00:08:07.380 --> 00:08:09.580 from the asteroid Ryugu Is 189 00:08:09.580 --> 00:08:11.980 overturning some long held beliefs. 190 00:08:12.380 --> 00:08:15.380 The analysis from Chaksa's Hayabusa 2 191 00:08:15.380 --> 00:08:18.180 mission reveals that water flowed through 192 00:08:18.180 --> 00:08:20.980 the asteroid's parent body for much 193 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:22.780 longer than ever thought possible. 194 00:08:23.770 --> 00:08:26.690 Anna: This is a really big deal. For a long time, 195 00:08:26.690 --> 00:08:29.650 the consensus was that water activity on 196 00:08:29.650 --> 00:08:32.410 asteroids, the interaction of water with 197 00:08:32.410 --> 00:08:35.090 rock, was something that only happened in the 198 00:08:35.090 --> 00:08:37.690 very earliest moments of the solar system's 199 00:08:37.690 --> 00:08:40.570 formation, maybe within the first few million 200 00:08:40.570 --> 00:08:42.170 years M. But. 201 00:08:42.170 --> 00:08:44.490 Avery: This new data shows evidence of water 202 00:08:44.490 --> 00:08:46.970 circulation more than 1 billion 203 00:08:47.130 --> 00:08:49.850 years after the asteroid itself formed. 204 00:08:50.510 --> 00:08:52.430 This suggests that the interior of these 205 00:08:52.430 --> 00:08:55.190 ancient bodies could have remained warm 206 00:08:55.190 --> 00:08:57.950 and wet for an extended geological 207 00:08:57.950 --> 00:08:58.670 timescale. 208 00:08:58.750 --> 00:09:01.670 Anna: The implications for our own planet are 209 00:09:01.670 --> 00:09:03.830 profound. Ryugu is a 210 00:09:03.830 --> 00:09:06.390 carbonaceous asteroid, A, uh, type 211 00:09:06.390 --> 00:09:09.150 believed to be rich in water and organic 212 00:09:09.150 --> 00:09:11.870 compounds. If these asteroids were 213 00:09:11.870 --> 00:09:14.670 capable of holding liquid water for so 214 00:09:14.670 --> 00:09:17.110 long, it means they could have delivered 215 00:09:17.110 --> 00:09:19.750 these essential ingredients for life to the 216 00:09:19.750 --> 00:09:22.650 early Earth over a much longer period, 217 00:09:23.050 --> 00:09:26.050 and perhaps in greater quantities than our 218 00:09:26.050 --> 00:09:27.850 previous models suggested. 219 00:09:28.170 --> 00:09:30.410 Avery: And while we're exploring our own solar 220 00:09:30.410 --> 00:09:32.650 system, let's turn to the Red Planet for a 221 00:09:32.650 --> 00:09:35.450 moment. New findings from NASA's Perseverance 222 00:09:35.450 --> 00:09:38.049 rover are uh, painting a much more dynamic 223 00:09:38.049 --> 00:09:40.850 picture of Mars ancient past. It 224 00:09:40.850 --> 00:09:42.970 appears a river that once flowed into the 225 00:09:42.970 --> 00:09:45.930 Jezero crater was far more powerful and 226 00:09:45.930 --> 00:09:47.890 fast moving than scientists previously 227 00:09:47.890 --> 00:09:50.830 imagined. A torrent of water carving through 228 00:09:50.830 --> 00:09:53.550 the landscape. The discoveries just keep on 229 00:09:53.550 --> 00:09:53.910 coming. 230 00:09:54.390 --> 00:09:57.270 Anna: For our final story today, we have another 231 00:09:57.350 --> 00:09:59.990 remarkable finding from the Hubble Space 232 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:02.630 Telescope. It has observed a 233 00:10:02.630 --> 00:10:05.510 burned out star, what's known as a 234 00:10:05.510 --> 00:10:08.390 white dwarf, in the act of consuming 235 00:10:08.390 --> 00:10:10.790 the fragments of a Pluto like object. 236 00:10:11.270 --> 00:10:13.670 This cosmic drama is unfolding 237 00:10:13.670 --> 00:10:15.910 relatively close to us, just 238 00:10:15.910 --> 00:10:17.830 260 light years away. 239 00:10:18.370 --> 00:10:21.170 Avery: A white dwarf is the incredibly dense remnant 240 00:10:21.170 --> 00:10:23.810 core of a star like our sun, after it has 241 00:10:23.810 --> 00:10:26.810 exhausted its nuclear fuel. The gravity of 242 00:10:26.810 --> 00:10:29.250 this one is so intense that it's tearing 243 00:10:29.250 --> 00:10:31.930 apart this small icy body that strayed too 244 00:10:31.930 --> 00:10:34.290 close. And we're effectively seeing the 245 00:10:34.290 --> 00:10:36.730 star's atmosphere become polluted with the 246 00:10:36.730 --> 00:10:39.370 remains of this object, allowing us to study 247 00:10:39.370 --> 00:10:42.130 its composition. As a material falls into the 248 00:10:42.130 --> 00:10:45.050 star, its chemical signature is revealed in 249 00:10:45.050 --> 00:10:45.970 the star's light. 250 00:10:46.340 --> 00:10:49.180 Anna: And the composition is what makes this so 251 00:10:49.180 --> 00:10:51.980 exciting. The fragments are loaded with 252 00:10:51.980 --> 00:10:54.820 volatiles, elements that vaporize at low 253 00:10:54.820 --> 00:10:57.380 temperatures like nitrogen, carbon, 254 00:10:57.540 --> 00:11:00.300 sulfur and oxygen. This chemical 255 00:11:00.300 --> 00:11:02.820 signature strongly indicates the presence. 256 00:11:02.820 --> 00:11:05.780 Avery: Of a lot of ice, an incredible amount 257 00:11:05.780 --> 00:11:08.180 in fact. The Hubble data suggests this 258 00:11:08.180 --> 00:11:10.660 exopluto object is composed of 259 00:11:10.660 --> 00:11:12.980 64% water ice. 260 00:11:13.570 --> 00:11:15.770 It's a powerful confirmation that the kind of 261 00:11:15.770 --> 00:11:18.450 water rich icy worlds we see in the outer 262 00:11:18.450 --> 00:11:20.810 reaches of our own solar system, like Pluto 263 00:11:20.810 --> 00:11:23.570 and other Kuiper Belt objects, are likely 264 00:11:23.650 --> 00:11:26.490 common in other star systems too. It tells us 265 00:11:26.490 --> 00:11:28.570 that the fundamental building blocks for life 266 00:11:28.570 --> 00:11:30.970 as we know it are widespread throughout the 267 00:11:30.970 --> 00:11:31.490 galaxy. 268 00:11:32.050 --> 00:11:33.610 Anna: That's all the time we have for. 269 00:11:33.610 --> 00:11:36.210 Avery: This episode and join us next time for more 270 00:11:36.210 --> 00:11:37.650 news from across the universe. 271 00:11:37.970 --> 00:11:40.730 Anna: I'm Anna, and on behalf of Avery and 272 00:11:40.730 --> 00:11:43.450 myself, thank you for listening and we'll see 273 00:11:43.450 --> 00:11:45.910 you tomorrow with more space and astronomy 274 00:11:45.910 --> 00:11:48.430 news. In the meantime, keep looking up.