WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.840
Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that

1
00:00:02.840 --> 00:00:04.840
brings you the latest news from across the

2
00:00:04.840 --> 00:00:06.960
cosmos. I'm your host, Avery.

3
00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:09.680
Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you all.

4
00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.280
In today's reports, Avery, we're talking

5
00:00:12.280 --> 00:00:14.640
about everything from rocket failures and

6
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.360
delays to solving black hole mysteries

7
00:00:17.360 --> 00:00:19.760
and even filming movies in space.

8
00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:22.720
Avery: That's right. It's a wild mix of stories

9
00:00:22.720 --> 00:00:24.560
today. Let's get right into it.

10
00:00:24.880 --> 00:00:27.560
First up, some, um, unfortunate news from the

11
00:00:27.560 --> 00:00:29.480
private space space sector in China.

12
00:00:29.720 --> 00:00:32.360
Anna: Yes, this involves the Ceres 1

13
00:00:32.360 --> 00:00:34.600
rocket, which is operated by a private

14
00:00:34.600 --> 00:00:37.120
company called Galactic Energy. They

15
00:00:37.120 --> 00:00:39.800
experienced their second ever failure during

16
00:00:39.800 --> 00:00:41.640
a recent launch from the Yellow Sea.

17
00:00:41.720 --> 00:00:43.400
Avery: Right. So what went wrong?

18
00:00:43.560 --> 00:00:45.880
Anna: Well, the initial part of the launch went

19
00:00:45.880 --> 00:00:48.400
smoothly. The first three stages of the solid

20
00:00:48.400 --> 00:00:50.760
propellant rocket performed exactly as

21
00:00:50.760 --> 00:00:53.480
expected. The problem occurred with the

22
00:00:53.480 --> 00:00:54.120
fourth and.

23
00:00:54.120 --> 00:00:57.070
Avery: Final stage, the upper stage. So is

24
00:00:57.070 --> 00:00:57.830
shut down early.

25
00:00:58.230 --> 00:01:00.550
Anna: Exactly. It experienced what the company

26
00:01:00.630 --> 00:01:03.550
called an abnormal performance and shut

27
00:01:03.550 --> 00:01:06.390
down prematurely. This meant the payload

28
00:01:06.390 --> 00:01:09.230
three satellites couldn't reach its intended

29
00:01:09.230 --> 00:01:11.270
orbit. They were, unfortunately, lost.

30
00:01:11.430 --> 00:01:13.390
Avery: That's always tough to hear. You never want

31
00:01:13.390 --> 00:01:15.950
to see a mission fail. Do we know why the

32
00:01:15.950 --> 00:01:17.030
stage malfunctioned?

33
00:01:17.430 --> 00:01:20.110
Anna: The company is investigating now. They've

34
00:01:20.110 --> 00:01:22.310
issued a public apology for the failure and

35
00:01:22.310 --> 00:01:24.950
are working on pinpointing the exact cause.

36
00:01:25.350 --> 00:01:27.710
It's important to note, though, this is only

37
00:01:27.710 --> 00:01:30.610
their second F failure out of 22 missions.

38
00:01:30.770 --> 00:01:33.770
Avery: That's a good point. A success rate over 90%

39
00:01:33.770 --> 00:01:36.650
is still very respectable, especially for a

40
00:01:36.650 --> 00:01:38.530
commercial launch provider. It just

41
00:01:38.530 --> 00:01:41.170
highlights how incredibly difficult rocket

42
00:01:41.170 --> 00:01:41.810
science is.

43
00:01:41.890 --> 00:01:42.850
Anna: It certainly does.

44
00:01:43.410 --> 00:01:46.210
Now, from a setback in orbit to a

45
00:01:46.210 --> 00:01:48.250
major breakthrough in our understanding of

46
00:01:48.250 --> 00:01:51.090
the universe's most mysterious objects.

47
00:01:51.410 --> 00:01:54.130
Avery, you have an update on a so called

48
00:01:54.210 --> 00:01:55.970
impossible black hole merger?

49
00:01:56.360 --> 00:01:59.240
Avery: I do, and this is truly fascinating stuff.

50
00:01:59.560 --> 00:02:01.680
For a while now, astronomers have been

51
00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:04.320
puzzled by a specific gravitational wave

52
00:02:04.320 --> 00:02:06.880
event. It signaled the merger of two

53
00:02:06.880 --> 00:02:09.760
massive, rapidly spinning black holes. But

54
00:02:09.760 --> 00:02:12.439
the result was a black hole that, according

55
00:02:12.440 --> 00:02:14.760
to our models, shouldn't exist.

56
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.760
Anna: Okay, so why was it considered

57
00:02:17.760 --> 00:02:18.360
impossible?

58
00:02:18.440 --> 00:02:20.760
Avery: It has to do with something called the upper

59
00:02:20.760 --> 00:02:23.550
stellar mass gap. It's a range of sizes

60
00:02:23.550 --> 00:02:25.550
roughly between 65 and

61
00:02:25.550 --> 00:02:27.990
135 times the mass of our sun,

62
00:02:28.310 --> 00:02:30.750
where we just don't expect to see black holes

63
00:02:30.750 --> 00:02:33.190
form from collapsing stars. This

64
00:02:33.190 --> 00:02:36.110
merger's resulting black hole landed right

65
00:02:36.110 --> 00:02:37.110
in that gap.

66
00:02:37.750 --> 00:02:40.750
Anna: A real cosmic puzzle. So what was the

67
00:02:40.750 --> 00:02:41.190
solution?

68
00:02:41.510 --> 00:02:44.110
Avery: The solution came from new, more complex

69
00:02:44.110 --> 00:02:46.750
simulations. And the key ingredient that had

70
00:02:46.750 --> 00:02:49.460
been missing was magnetic fields.

71
00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:52.620
Anna: Magnetic fields. How do they change the

72
00:02:52.620 --> 00:02:53.060
equation?

73
00:02:53.300 --> 00:02:55.180
Avery: Well, the new simulations included the

74
00:02:55.180 --> 00:02:57.820
effects of strong magnetic fields within the

75
00:02:57.820 --> 00:03:00.700
accretion disk. That's the swirling disk

76
00:03:00.700 --> 00:03:03.460
of gas and dust around the black hole. These

77
00:03:03.460 --> 00:03:06.100
fields are powerful enough to generate strong

78
00:03:06.100 --> 00:03:08.780
outflows, ejecting a significant amount of

79
00:03:08.780 --> 00:03:11.620
material out into space before it ever falls

80
00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:12.740
into the black hole.

81
00:03:12.740 --> 00:03:15.660
Anna: Okay, so. So the black holes essentially

82
00:03:15.660 --> 00:03:18.060
started out much bigger. But the

83
00:03:18.060 --> 00:03:20.220
magnetic fields threw a bunch of their

84
00:03:20.220 --> 00:03:23.180
potential mass away before the final merger.

85
00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:26.060
Avery: Precisely. By ejecting all that material,

86
00:03:26.060 --> 00:03:28.260
the final mass of the resulting black hole

87
00:03:28.260 --> 00:03:31.220
was reduced, allowing it to neatly fit into

88
00:03:31.220 --> 00:03:33.740
that previously unexplained mass gap.

89
00:03:33.900 --> 00:03:36.100
It's an elegant solution that shows our

90
00:03:36.100 --> 00:03:37.820
understanding is always evolving.

91
00:03:38.140 --> 00:03:40.820
Anna: That's incredible. A great reminder that the

92
00:03:40.820 --> 00:03:43.460
universe is always, always more complex than

93
00:03:43.460 --> 00:03:45.140
our models first assume.

94
00:03:45.620 --> 00:03:48.540
Speaking of complex projects, there's a

95
00:03:48.540 --> 00:03:51.380
development regarding a highly anticipated

96
00:03:51.380 --> 00:03:52.180
new rocket.

97
00:03:52.260 --> 00:03:54.420
Avery: That's right. We're talking about Rocket Labs

98
00:03:54.420 --> 00:03:56.940
Mutron Rocket. The company has officially

99
00:03:56.940 --> 00:03:58.900
announced that the rocket's first launch is

100
00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:01.580
now delayed until 2026 at the

101
00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:02.020
earliest.

102
00:04:02.260 --> 00:04:04.980
Anna: No earlier than 2026. That's a

103
00:04:04.980 --> 00:04:06.820
significant pushback from their earlier

104
00:04:06.820 --> 00:04:07.460
targets.

105
00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:10.910
Avery: It is. The company's CEO explained the

106
00:04:10.910 --> 00:04:12.790
reasoning, saying, uh, they want to ensure

107
00:04:12.790 --> 00:04:15.270
the first flight is fully successful.

108
00:04:15.670 --> 00:04:17.830
They're choosing to conduct more extensive

109
00:04:17.830 --> 00:04:20.590
testing on the ground rather than rushing to

110
00:04:20.590 --> 00:04:22.630
the launch pad and risking a failure.

111
00:04:23.350 --> 00:04:26.190
Anna: That seems to be a smart, if costly

112
00:04:26.190 --> 00:04:28.710
trend. Prioritizing a successful

113
00:04:28.710 --> 00:04:31.510
debut over sticking to an aggressive

114
00:04:31.510 --> 00:04:34.270
schedule. A, uh, failure on the first flight

115
00:04:34.270 --> 00:04:36.790
can be devastating for a new launch program.

116
00:04:37.730 --> 00:04:40.570
Avery: Exactly. The Neutron is a really big deal for

117
00:04:40.570 --> 00:04:43.330
them. It's their next generation reusable

118
00:04:43.410 --> 00:04:45.410
rocket, designed to launch mega

119
00:04:45.410 --> 00:04:47.810
constellations and compete with the heavy

120
00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:48.690
hitters in the industry.

121
00:04:49.500 --> 00:04:52.170
Anna: Mhm. A huge step up from their workhorse

122
00:04:52.170 --> 00:04:53.090
electron rocket.

123
00:04:53.490 --> 00:04:56.410
Avery: It's a massive leap. This delay will increase

124
00:04:56.410 --> 00:04:59.010
the program's overall cost, as they noted.

125
00:04:59.170 --> 00:05:01.010
But Rocket Lab believes it's the right

126
00:05:01.010 --> 00:05:03.410
decision for the long term success of Neutron

127
00:05:04.310 --> 00:05:05.590
Strategic patience.

128
00:05:05.910 --> 00:05:07.430
Anna: I think it's a wise move.

129
00:05:08.390 --> 00:05:11.110
Now let's shift from launching rockets

130
00:05:11.110 --> 00:05:13.750
to filming on location.

131
00:05:14.550 --> 00:05:16.630
Way, way on location.

132
00:05:17.110 --> 00:05:20.030
Avery: This is a fun one. A new film, a romantic

133
00:05:20.030 --> 00:05:22.990
comedy titled I See you is aiming to

134
00:05:22.990 --> 00:05:25.670
be the first western movie to actually

135
00:05:25.750 --> 00:05:28.150
shoot scenes in low Earth orbit.

136
00:05:28.950 --> 00:05:29.510
Wow.

137
00:05:29.830 --> 00:05:31.680
Anna: Uh, so we're talking

138
00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:35.000
actors, directors, camera

139
00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:37.360
crews actually going up there.

140
00:05:37.840 --> 00:05:40.640
Avery: That's the ambitious plan. It is of course,

141
00:05:40.640 --> 00:05:43.480
a massive logistical challenge. To help

142
00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:45.640
them navigate it, they've brought on former

143
00:05:45.640 --> 00:05:48.240
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly as an

144
00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:49.280
advisor for the project.

145
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.720
Anna: Scott Kelly. That makes perfect sense.

146
00:05:52.880 --> 00:05:55.880
He spent nearly a year in space so he'd

147
00:05:55.880 --> 00:05:58.000
know a thing or two about the realities of

148
00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:00.850
living and Working up there. But wait,

149
00:06:01.410 --> 00:06:03.810
haven't we already had a movie filmed in

150
00:06:03.810 --> 00:06:04.130
space?

151
00:06:04.690 --> 00:06:06.810
Avery: We have. You're absolutely right to point

152
00:06:06.810 --> 00:06:09.650
that out. The Russian film the Challenge

153
00:06:09.970 --> 00:06:12.090
already holds the title of the first feature

154
00:06:12.090 --> 00:06:14.850
film with scenes shot in space. They filmed

155
00:06:14.850 --> 00:06:17.090
on the International Space station back in

156
00:06:17.090 --> 00:06:18.550
2021. Ah.

157
00:06:18.550 --> 00:06:20.930
Anna: Uh, so ICU is

158
00:06:20.930 --> 00:06:23.170
competing for the title of the first

159
00:06:23.410 --> 00:06:26.130
western film to do so. That's a crucial

160
00:06:26.130 --> 00:06:26.770
distinction.

161
00:06:27.590 --> 00:06:29.630
Avery: It is, but it's still an incredible

162
00:06:29.630 --> 00:06:31.950
undertaking. It'll be fascinating to see if

163
00:06:31.950 --> 00:06:34.030
they can pull it off. I can't even imagine

164
00:06:34.030 --> 00:06:36.190
what the insurance policy for a project like

165
00:06:36.190 --> 00:06:36.950
that looks like.

166
00:06:37.430 --> 00:06:38.950
Anna: Astronomical, I'm sure.

167
00:06:39.670 --> 00:06:42.430
Okay, for our final story, we're looking a

168
00:06:42.430 --> 00:06:44.750
little closer to home at an

169
00:06:44.750 --> 00:06:47.510
asteroid that has a date with the moon.

170
00:06:47.830 --> 00:06:50.670
Avery: Yes, NASA is currently tracking an asteroid

171
00:06:50.670 --> 00:06:53.590
named, uh, 2024 yr4.

172
00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:57.100
Now before anyone gets alarmed, this object

173
00:06:57.100 --> 00:06:59.620
poses absolutely no threat to Earth.

174
00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:03.140
However, scientists have calculated there is

175
00:07:03.140 --> 00:07:06.060
a small but non zero chance it could

176
00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:07.300
impact the Moon.

177
00:07:07.620 --> 00:07:10.620
Anna: The Moon. And when is

178
00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:12.820
this potential impact supposed to happen?

179
00:07:13.460 --> 00:07:16.420
Avery: The potential impact window is in 2032.

180
00:07:16.900 --> 00:07:19.460
Again, the probability is low, but it's

181
00:07:19.460 --> 00:07:21.740
significant enough that scientists are taking

182
00:07:21.740 --> 00:07:24.420
it very seriously as both a tracking

183
00:07:24.420 --> 00:07:26.640
challenge and the scientific opportunity.

184
00:07:27.200 --> 00:07:30.120
Anna: A scientific opportunity. So I

185
00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.480
assume this is because we could actually

186
00:07:32.640 --> 00:07:33.520
watch it happen.

187
00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:36.880
Avery: Exactly. We've never been able to study a

188
00:07:36.880 --> 00:07:39.280
lunar impact of this size with modern

189
00:07:39.280 --> 00:07:41.920
instruments. As it happens, observing the

190
00:07:41.920 --> 00:07:44.560
collision, the flash and the resulting crater

191
00:07:44.640 --> 00:07:47.000
could provide a wealth of data about the

192
00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.720
Moon's surface composition and the physics of

193
00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:51.040
high velocity impacts.

194
00:07:51.690 --> 00:07:54.010
Anna: That's right. It would be a planetary science

195
00:07:54.010 --> 00:07:54.810
goldmine.

196
00:07:55.290 --> 00:07:57.370
Avery: And there's another important angle here.

197
00:07:57.450 --> 00:08:00.010
Planetary Defense Tracking

198
00:08:00.010 --> 00:08:02.930
2024 yr serves as a perfect real

199
00:08:02.930 --> 00:08:05.370
world exercise for the systems we have in

200
00:08:05.370 --> 00:08:07.730
place to detect and monitor near Earth

201
00:08:07.730 --> 00:08:08.250
objects.

202
00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:11.930
Anna: So it's a dry run in a way. Using a

203
00:08:11.930 --> 00:08:14.170
non threatening object to make sure our

204
00:08:14.170 --> 00:08:16.970
systems are ready for one that might actually

205
00:08:17.050 --> 00:08:18.970
be a danger to Earth someday.

206
00:08:19.840 --> 00:08:22.240
Avery: Precisely. It's a valuable chance to learn

207
00:08:22.240 --> 00:08:24.840
and prepare, all while potentially getting a

208
00:08:24.840 --> 00:08:27.200
front row seat to a rare and spectacular

209
00:08:27.200 --> 00:08:28.080
cosmic event.

210
00:08:28.640 --> 00:08:31.360
Anna: And that's all the time we have for today on

211
00:08:31.360 --> 00:08:34.200
Astronomy Daily. From black hole

212
00:08:34.200 --> 00:08:36.800
breakthroughs to cinematic ambitions in

213
00:08:36.800 --> 00:08:39.560
orbit, it's been another busy day in the

214
00:08:39.560 --> 00:08:41.040
world of space exploration.

215
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:44.600
Avery: It certainly has. We hope you enjoyed the

216
00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:47.540
show. You can find more details and links to

217
00:08:47.540 --> 00:08:48.860
all of these stories on our

218
00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:51.420
website@astronomydaily.IO

219
00:08:51.900 --> 00:08:52.940
thanks for tuning in.

220
00:08:53.340 --> 00:08:55.980
Anna: Join us next time as we continue to explore

221
00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:58.300
the final frontier. I'm Anna.

222
00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:01.020
Avery: And I'm Avery. Clear Skies. Everyone

223
00:09:01.580 --> 00:09:02.940
and keep looking up.

224
00:09:15.160 --> 00:09:15.880
Anna: The stories.

225
00:09:18.140 --> 00:09:18.390
Avery: Hmm.

226
00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:24.360
Anna: Were told.