WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.800 Avery: Hello and welcome to Astronomy AstroDailyPod, 1 00:00:02.880 --> 00:00:05.080 your essential guide to the latest news from 2 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:07.440 across the cosmos. I'm Avery. 3 00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.360 Anna: And I'm Anna. Coming up on today's episode, 4 00:00:10.360 --> 00:00:13.080 a diplomatic clash over space regulations 5 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:15.520 between the US and the European Union. 6 00:00:15.680 --> 00:00:18.280 We'll revisit a 50 year old scientific 7 00:00:18.280 --> 00:00:20.600 mistake that changed the course of Mars 8 00:00:20.600 --> 00:00:21.200 exploration. 9 00:00:21.680 --> 00:00:24.440 Avery: Plus, we'll look at an unexpected dual crew 10 00:00:24.440 --> 00:00:26.760 situation aboard, uh, the Tiangong Space 11 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:29.160 Station, check in on this week's launch 12 00:00:29.160 --> 00:00:31.640 schedule and explore a new theory that sheds 13 00:00:31.640 --> 00:00:33.900 light on what happened less than a second 14 00:00:33.900 --> 00:00:34.940 after the Big Bang. 15 00:00:35.260 --> 00:00:37.100 Anna: Let's begin with our top story. 16 00:00:37.340 --> 00:00:39.820 The United States government has formally 17 00:00:39.820 --> 00:00:42.060 pushed back against the European Union's 18 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:44.700 proposed EU Space act, calling its 19 00:00:44.700 --> 00:00:47.060 regulations potentially unfair and 20 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:47.820 unwarranted. 21 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:50.860 Avery: That's right. The EU Space act, introduced in 22 00:00:50.860 --> 00:00:53.740 June 2025, is designed to create a 23 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:56.580 unified regulatory framework for Europe's 24 00:00:56.580 --> 00:00:59.210 space industry. It's built on three main 25 00:00:59.850 --> 00:01:02.770 safety, which involves tracking space objects 26 00:01:02.770 --> 00:01:05.050 and mitigating debris Resilience, 27 00:01:05.290 --> 00:01:07.970 focusing on cybersecurity and the continuity 28 00:01:07.970 --> 00:01:10.810 of space based services and sustainability, 29 00:01:11.050 --> 00:01:13.930 which aims to reduce environmental impact and 30 00:01:13.930 --> 00:01:15.370 simplify market access. 31 00:01:15.850 --> 00:01:17.970 Anna: But in a, uh, formal Response released on 32 00:01:17.970 --> 00:01:20.770 November 4, the US State and Commerce 33 00:01:20.770 --> 00:01:23.450 Departments representing over 70American 34 00:01:23.610 --> 00:01:26.210 space companies warned that the act would 35 00:01:26.210 --> 00:01:28.750 impose unacceptable regulatory 36 00:01:28.830 --> 00:01:31.510 burdens. A, uh, primary concern is the 37 00:01:31.510 --> 00:01:33.630 addition of new environmental protection 38 00:01:33.630 --> 00:01:35.750 rules, which the US argues would 39 00:01:35.750 --> 00:01:38.190 significantly drive up costs for operators. 40 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:41.150 Avery: The response also takes issue with provisions 41 00:01:41.150 --> 00:01:44.150 that seem to favour European operators. In 42 00:01:44.150 --> 00:01:46.310 what appears to be a thinly veiled defence of 43 00:01:46.310 --> 00:01:48.870 SpaceX's Starlink, the document claims the 44 00:01:48.870 --> 00:01:51.630 proposed rules unfairly target large 45 00:01:51.630 --> 00:01:54.030 telecommunications satellite constellations 46 00:01:54.350 --> 00:01:56.510 simply because of their size and success. 47 00:01:57.190 --> 00:01:59.550 Anna: This is particularly evident in the section 48 00:01:59.550 --> 00:02:02.510 addressing satellite brightness. Starlink 49 00:02:02.510 --> 00:02:04.910 has faced criticism for the visual brightness 50 00:02:04.910 --> 00:02:07.750 of its satellites and the US response argues 51 00:02:07.750 --> 00:02:10.030 that a regulation limiting brightness would 52 00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:12.470 be impossible to implement and would 53 00:02:12.470 --> 00:02:14.910 disproportionately harm US companies that 54 00:02:14.910 --> 00:02:16.550 operate at lower altitudes. 55 00:02:16.790 --> 00:02:19.430 Avery: Interestingly, the US document strikes a 56 00:02:19.430 --> 00:02:22.190 somewhat contradictory tone. It first 57 00:02:22.190 --> 00:02:24.670 suggests that space operations are too new 58 00:02:24.670 --> 00:02:27.470 and novel for strict regulation. But 59 00:02:27.470 --> 00:02:29.950 then it highlights that the US already has a 60 00:02:29.950 --> 00:02:32.310 world leading regulatory framework, having 61 00:02:32.310 --> 00:02:35.110 licenced over a thousand launches. The 62 00:02:35.110 --> 00:02:37.830 core request is for the EU to recognise 63 00:02:37.830 --> 00:02:40.470 US licencing to avoid burdensome 64 00:02:40.470 --> 00:02:41.150 duplication. 65 00:02:41.390 --> 00:02:43.710 Anna: With the public consultation period now 66 00:02:43.710 --> 00:02:46.350 closed, the European Commission will review 67 00:02:46.350 --> 00:02:48.630 the feedback, including these pointed 68 00:02:48.630 --> 00:02:51.350 criticisms from the us. The draught, um, may 69 00:02:51.350 --> 00:02:53.510 be revised before it is presented to the 70 00:02:53.510 --> 00:02:55.990 European Parliament and Council for potential 71 00:02:55.990 --> 00:02:58.470 adoption, setting the stage for a critical 72 00:02:58.470 --> 00:03:00.810 phase in transatlantic space policy. 73 00:03:01.530 --> 00:03:04.290 Avery: From modern policy to a decades old 74 00:03:04.290 --> 00:03:04.890 mistake. 75 00:03:04.970 --> 00:03:07.690 Our next story looks at How a scientific 76 00:03:07.690 --> 00:03:10.610 error in the 1970s derailed the search 77 00:03:10.610 --> 00:03:13.370 for life on Mars nearly 50 years 78 00:03:13.370 --> 00:03:16.130 ago, NASA's Viking Lander Mission delivered a 79 00:03:16.130 --> 00:03:18.090 verdict that echoed for generations 80 00:03:18.650 --> 00:03:20.170 Mars was lifeless. 81 00:03:20.570 --> 00:03:23.010 Anna: This conclusion was based on the announcement 82 00:03:23.010 --> 00:03:25.690 from principal investigator Klaus Beeman 83 00:03:25.770 --> 00:03:28.170 that the landers had found no organic 84 00:03:28.170 --> 00:03:30.910 compounds on the Martian surface. While other 85 00:03:30.910 --> 00:03:33.430 life detection experiments on Viking returned 86 00:03:33.430 --> 00:03:36.390 ambiguous results, the absence of organics 87 00:03:36.390 --> 00:03:39.070 was seen as the final word. Without 88 00:03:39.150 --> 00:03:41.910 organic carbon, life as we know it couldn't 89 00:03:41.910 --> 00:03:42.270 exist. 90 00:03:42.670 --> 00:03:45.390 Avery: But here's the critical Beaman's 91 00:03:45.390 --> 00:03:47.910 instrument had in fact detected organic 92 00:03:47.910 --> 00:03:50.670 compounds, specifically methyl chloride and 93 00:03:50.670 --> 00:03:53.150 methylene chloride. However, his team 94 00:03:53.150 --> 00:03:55.390 interpreted them as contaminants brought from 95 00:03:55.390 --> 00:03:57.590 Earth. Even though the mechanism for that 96 00:03:57.590 --> 00:03:58.190 contamination. 97 00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:01.200 Anna: Was unclear, the impact was immediate 98 00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:03.800 and profound. Believing Mars to be 99 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:06.600 sterile, NASA shifted its focus. It 100 00:04:06.600 --> 00:04:09.040 took another 20 years before the next 101 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:11.920 successful landing mission, Mars Pathfinder, 102 00:04:11.920 --> 00:04:14.760 touched down. For half a century, the story 103 00:04:14.760 --> 00:04:17.360 of a lifeless Mars has been accepted 104 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:17.840 wisdom. 105 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.400 Avery: Now that consensus is finally changing. 106 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:22.720 Thanks to the Curiosity and Perseverance 107 00:04:22.720 --> 00:04:25.000 rovers, we have multiple detections of 108 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:27.740 various organic compounds, including the same 109 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:30.620 chlorinated organics found by Viking. It's 110 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:32.460 now clearer than ever that the original 111 00:04:32.460 --> 00:04:33.540 conclusion was wrong. 112 00:04:34.020 --> 00:04:36.580 Anna: The scientific community is now calling to 113 00:04:36.580 --> 00:04:39.340 correct this longstanding mistake and more 114 00:04:39.340 --> 00:04:41.740 importantly, to shed the negative mindset it 115 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:44.700 created. The next step, many argue, is to 116 00:04:44.700 --> 00:04:46.980 launch a new robotic mission dedicated 117 00:04:46.980 --> 00:04:49.780 explicitly to the search for life on Mars, 118 00:04:49.940 --> 00:04:52.020 picking up where we should have been decades 119 00:04:52.020 --> 00:04:52.260 ago. 120 00:04:53.150 --> 00:04:54.990 Avery: Next up, let's take a look at this week's 121 00:04:54.990 --> 00:04:57.030 launch roundup. It's a busy schedule 122 00:04:57.030 --> 00:04:59.310 featuring several high profile missions that 123 00:04:59.310 --> 00:05:00.430 were scrubbed last week. 124 00:05:01.070 --> 00:05:03.550 Anna: The second ever launch of Blue Origin's new 125 00:05:03.550 --> 00:05:05.950 Glenn carrying the Mars Bound escapade 126 00:05:05.950 --> 00:05:08.349 payload is now scheduled for no earlier than 127 00:05:08.349 --> 00:05:10.950 Wednesday, November 12th. That's followed a 128 00:05:10.950 --> 00:05:13.950 day later by ULA Atlas v launching the 129 00:05:13.950 --> 00:05:16.830 Viasat 3F2 satellite. Then 130 00:05:16.830 --> 00:05:19.390 on Friday, SpaceX has two Starlink missions 131 00:05:19.390 --> 00:05:20.190 on the manifest. 132 00:05:20.810 --> 00:05:22.930 Avery: The week is expected to close out with a 133 00:05:22.930 --> 00:05:24.970 suborbital electron haste mission from 134 00:05:24.970 --> 00:05:27.610 Wallops and the Sentinel 6B mission. 135 00:05:27.770 --> 00:05:29.650 However, there's a significant factor 136 00:05:29.650 --> 00:05:32.010 affecting the schedule an ongoing U.S. 137 00:05:32.010 --> 00:05:33.130 government shutdown. 138 00:05:33.850 --> 00:05:36.010 Anna: Due to staffing shortages caused by the 139 00:05:36.010 --> 00:05:38.770 shutdown, the FAA issued an emergency 140 00:05:38.770 --> 00:05:41.210 notice banning launches during peak hours 141 00:05:41.450 --> 00:05:43.850 from 6am to 10pm local time 142 00:05:43.930 --> 00:05:46.710 starting Monday, Nov. 10. While a deal 143 00:05:46.710 --> 00:05:48.870 to end the shutdown is reportedly being 144 00:05:48.870 --> 00:05:51.710 worked out, missions like Transporter 15 have 145 00:05:51.710 --> 00:05:53.430 already been pushed to later in the month. 146 00:05:53.750 --> 00:05:56.190 Once the shutdown ends and staffing levels 147 00:05:56.190 --> 00:05:59.150 return to normal, the FAA is expected to lift 148 00:05:59.150 --> 00:05:59.590 the ban. 149 00:06:00.150 --> 00:06:02.269 Avery: Now let's turn our attention to China's 150 00:06:02.269 --> 00:06:04.350 Tiangong Space Station, which is currently 151 00:06:04.350 --> 00:06:07.110 hosting an unprecedented dual crew operation 152 00:06:07.270 --> 00:06:10.150 after a suspected space debris impact delayed 153 00:06:10.150 --> 00:06:12.390 the return of the Shenzhou 20 astronauts. 154 00:06:13.130 --> 00:06:15.290 Anna: That's right, the Shenzhou 20 crew was 155 00:06:15.290 --> 00:06:18.010 scheduled to return, but on November 5, the 156 00:06:18.010 --> 00:06:20.890 China Manned Space Agency, or CMSA, 157 00:06:21.130 --> 00:06:23.530 postponed the landing citing concerns over 158 00:06:23.530 --> 00:06:26.450 possible damage to their return capsule. As a 159 00:06:26.450 --> 00:06:28.970 result, crew Commander Chen Dong and his two 160 00:06:28.970 --> 00:06:30.970 colleagues have remained aboard the station. 161 00:06:31.450 --> 00:06:33.290 Avery: They have now been joined by the newly 162 00:06:33.290 --> 00:06:35.770 arrived three member Shenzhou 21 crew, 163 00:06:35.770 --> 00:06:38.450 creating a temporary six person occupancy on 164 00:06:38.450 --> 00:06:41.300 Tiangong. The CMSA has activated its 165 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:43.900 emergency plans, emphasising that crew safety 166 00:06:43.900 --> 00:06:45.540 is the absolute top priority. 167 00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:48.540 Anna: Both crews are reportedly conducting joint 168 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:51.220 scientific experiments, leveraging the robust 169 00:06:51.220 --> 00:06:54.140 systems and ample supplies. Meanwhile, 170 00:06:54.140 --> 00:06:56.060 engineers on the ground are performing 171 00:06:56.060 --> 00:06:58.660 simulations and system tests on the Shenzhou 172 00:06:58.660 --> 00:07:00.860 20 capsule, which remains docked to the 173 00:07:00.860 --> 00:07:03.420 station. No official return date has been 174 00:07:03.420 --> 00:07:05.660 announced, but reports suggest preparations 175 00:07:05.660 --> 00:07:08.260 are underway for a near future return using 176 00:07:08.260 --> 00:07:10.380 the original Shenzhou 20 spacecraft 177 00:07:11.090 --> 00:07:12.530 and finally, let's journey. 178 00:07:12.530 --> 00:07:14.290 Avery: Back to the very beginning of time 179 00:07:14.450 --> 00:07:16.650 Cosmologists have a strong understanding of 180 00:07:16.650 --> 00:07:18.930 the universe's earliest moments, from the 181 00:07:18.930 --> 00:07:21.570 initial explosive inflation to the formation 182 00:07:21.570 --> 00:07:24.370 of the first atomic nuclei. But a period in 183 00:07:24.370 --> 00:07:26.850 between lasting just fractions of a second 184 00:07:26.850 --> 00:07:28.050 has remained the mystery. 185 00:07:28.450 --> 00:07:30.930 Anna: A new study published in Physical Review D 186 00:07:31.010 --> 00:07:33.730 suggests this era was far more dynamic than 187 00:07:33.730 --> 00:07:36.250 previously thought. Researchers explored a 188 00:07:36.250 --> 00:07:38.810 scenario where, for a brief moment, dense 189 00:07:38.810 --> 00:07:41.450 clouds of particles temporarily overpowered 190 00:07:41.450 --> 00:07:44.310 radiation in the newborn cosmos. This shift 191 00:07:44.310 --> 00:07:46.750 would have created a matter dominated era. 192 00:07:47.230 --> 00:07:49.710 Avery: During this time, tiny ripples in density 193 00:07:49.710 --> 00:07:51.590 could have grown into massive halos of 194 00:07:51.590 --> 00:07:53.990 matter. While small by today's standards, 195 00:07:53.990 --> 00:07:56.150 these halos were massive enough to collapse 196 00:07:56.150 --> 00:07:58.229 under their own gravity, leading to a 197 00:07:58.229 --> 00:08:00.590 fascinating the creation of the 198 00:08:00.590 --> 00:08:02.510 universe's very first black holes. 199 00:08:02.910 --> 00:08:05.030 Anna: These primordial black holes would have been 200 00:08:05.030 --> 00:08:07.590 extremely small, far less massive than the 201 00:08:07.590 --> 00:08:10.070 black holes we observe today. Some may have 202 00:08:10.070 --> 00:08:12.390 survived and could even constitute a part of 203 00:08:12.390 --> 00:08:14.180 the dark matter that shapes our universe. 204 00:08:14.970 --> 00:08:16.970 Others would have evaporated long ago through 205 00:08:16.970 --> 00:08:18.010 Hawking radiation. 206 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:21.050 Avery: The energy released by these evaporating 207 00:08:21.050 --> 00:08:23.530 black holes could have left fingerprints on 208 00:08:23.530 --> 00:08:26.210 the cosmos, potentially altering the 209 00:08:26.210 --> 00:08:29.210 formation of the first elements or the growth 210 00:08:29.210 --> 00:08:32.210 of large scale structures. This work 211 00:08:32.210 --> 00:08:35.010 opens a new window into exploring the 212 00:08:35.010 --> 00:08:37.890 dark, hidden history of our universe's first 213 00:08:37.890 --> 00:08:38.250 second. 214 00:08:38.970 --> 00:08:41.210 Anna: And that brings us to the end of today's 215 00:08:41.210 --> 00:08:43.970 episode. We covered the brewing regulatory 216 00:08:44.050 --> 00:08:46.850 tensions in space policy, corrected a 217 00:08:46.850 --> 00:08:49.530 50 year old misconception about Mars, and 218 00:08:49.530 --> 00:08:52.130 peered into the universe's earliest moments. 219 00:08:52.690 --> 00:08:55.210 Avery: Thank you for joining us from both of us here 220 00:08:55.210 --> 00:08:57.410 at Astronomy AstroDailyPod. Keep looking up 221 00:08:59.170 --> 00:09:01.870 Astronomy Day Mhm. 222 00:09:02.210 --> 00:09:03.410 Stories we told.