Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that
brings you the universe, one story at a time.
I'm Avery, and as always, I'm joined by my co
host, Anna.
Anna: Uh, it's great to be here, Avery. Today
we'll be covering a tense situation aboard
the Tiangong Space Station now that the Crew
20 mission astronauts have returned home
safely. A new NASA mission taking a
scenic route to Mars, a heads up about
the upcoming Leonid meteor shower, and a
very exciting discovery of a new super Earth
that's surprisingly close to home.
Avery: A packed show indeed. Let's get right
into it.
Anna, um, why don't you start us off with a
situation in low Earth orbit?
Anna: Absolutely. Our first story involves the
three astronauts of China's Shenzhou 21
mission. Currently on the Tiangong Space
Station. It seems they are temporarily
stranded.
Avery: Stranded? That sounds serious. What
happened?
Anna: It's a bit of a domino effect. The previous
crew, Shenzhou 20, had their
own capsule damaged by a piece of space
debris. So to get them home safely,
the China National Space Administration
made the call to use the Shenzhou 21
capsule, which was docked at the station,
as the current crew's ride home. Wow.
Avery: So they gave up their lifeboat to
save the other crew. That's a tough decision,
but definitely the right one.
Anna: Exactly. It highlights the dangers of
space debris. The station itself is well
protected, but these smaller capsules are
more vulnerable. Now. The Shenzhou
21 crew is safe on the station, but without
a return vehicle.
Avery: So what's the rescue plan?
Anna: A new spacecraft, Shenzhou 22,
is being prepared for an uncrewed launch.
It will serve as the new lifeboat and
eventual ride home for the crew. Chinese
officials say the crew is not in any
immediate danger and has plenty of supplies.
Avery: Right, but being on a space station without
an escape route is still a high risk
situation. Any delay in that rescue launch
could be critical if another emergency were
to happen on the station.
Anna: That's the core of the issue. The situation
is temporary, but the risk is elevated until
Shenzhou 22 is docked and ready.
We'll certainly be following this story
closely.
Avery: It's a good reminder of how hostile the space
environment is. Does a situation like this
trigger any international rescue protocols,
or is China handling this entirely on its
own?
Anna: For now, it's an internal CNSA operation.
Unlike the iss, which is a partnership with
established mutual support agreements, the
Tiangong is operated solely by China,
while other space agencies are monitoring.
The rescue is entirely dependent on the
successful and timely launch of Shenzhou
22.
Avery: Definitely now from low Earth
orbit. Let's travel a little Bit farther out.
Our next story is about NASA's newest mission
to Mars. But it's not taking the direct
route you might expect.
Anna: This is the Escapade mission. Correct. The
twin probes.
Avery: That's the one. The probes nicknamed Blue
and Gold, have just launched. But instead of
pointing straight at Mars, they're heading in
the opposite direction, out to a point in
space called L2, about 1.5
million kilometers from Earth.
Anna: The second Lagrange point. That's a
gravitationally stable spot where the
Webb telescope also operates. So why
send Mars probes there first?
Avery: It's a clever fuel saving trajectory. They'll
spend a year at L2 studying space weather,
essentially getting some bonus science in.
Then in late 2026, they'll loop back
towards Earth.
Anna: Ah, uh, for a gravity assist.
Avery: Exactly. Earth's gravity will act like a
slingshot, flinging them towards Mars with
the speed they need to get into. Or in
2027. It's a much more efficient way to
travel for smaller, lighter spacecraft.
Anna: And once they arrive, what's their primary
mission?
Avery: This is the really cool part. Blue and Gold
will orbit Mars in formation, giving us the
first ever stereo or 3D view
of the planet's upper atmosphere. They'll
study how solar wind strips atmospheric
particles away from Mars, which is crucial
for understanding how the planet lost its
water and became the cold, dry world it is
today.
Anna: A stereo view that will provide a much more
complete picture than any single orbiter ever
could. A very innovative mission, both in its
science and its journey.
Avery: It really is.
And while on the subject of the Escapade
mission, catching a ride on the twin probes,
uh, are the first Kiwis to fly to the red
planet. The Escapade probes are the first
Mars bound vehicles to be designed, built
and tested by Rocket Lab, the space
company headquartered in California, but
founded in New Zealand.
Anna: Hence the Kiwis.
Avery: That's right. Rocket Lab has a tradition of
hiding Kiwis in many areas of its design,
said Lindsey McLaurin, senior communications
manager for Space Systems at Rocket Lab, in
response to an inquiry from collectspace.com
the birds have snuck onto our rockets and
satellites since the beginning of the
company, reflecting the New Zealand roots of
the company and as a challenge among our
designers and spacecraft builders.
Anna: The birds appear as graphics on twin
plaques attached to blue and gold.
The metal plates, which adorn, uh, one of the
two solar panels on each probe, also feature
the Rocket Lab logo. The company's motto,
Non sufficient hick orbis or
this world is not enough. And a
similar icon of a bald eagle to
represent our company's global presence, said
McLaurin, referring to the American icon.
Avery: A nice fun touch to an important mission.
Okay, let's bring our focus back closer to
home for all our listeners who enjoy some
good old fashioned stargazing. We've got an
update on the Leonid meteor shower.
Anna: Right. The Leonids are one of the most famous
showers known for producing spectacular
meteor storms in the past. They're peaking
next week on the morning of Tuesday, November
18th.
Avery: So should everyone be setting their alarms?
Anna: Well, this is one of those times. We have to
manage expectations. This year is
predicted to be a, uh, very weak showing.
We're expecting a peak rate of only about
five to ten meteors per hour.
Avery: Only five to ten? That's not much.
Why is it so quiet this year?
Anna: It's because Earth is passing through a, uh,
very sparse part of the debris stream
left by the parent comet, Tempel Tuttle.
The really dense clouds of debris that cause
the famous storms of hundreds or even
thousands of meteors per hour are not what
we're intersecting with right now.
Avery: So it's worth a look if you're already an
early riser, but maybe not worth a special
trip to a dark sky site. When can we expect
the next big show from the Leonids?
Anna: Astronomers are predicting the next major
displays won't be until the2030s
as we get closer to the next pass of the
parent comet. So we'll have to be patient for
the next big storm, it seems.
Avery: We'll have to be patient.
Now for our final story. We have something
that could be truly groundbreaking. A new
super Earth has been discovered, and it's
practically in our cosmic backyard.
Anna: This is very exciting. The planet is named
GJ251C. A, uh, super
Earth means it's larger than Earth, but
smaller than Neptune and likely rocky.
And as you said, it's close. Just 18 light
years away.
Avery: 18 light years in galactic terms, that's next
door. But what makes this planet so special
is its location, its orbit.
Anna: It's located right in the middle of its
star's habitable zone. That's the orbital
region where temperatures are just right for
liquid water to potentially exist on a
planet's surface.
Avery: The Goldilocks zone. Not too hot, not too
cold. The combination of its size, its
position, and its incredible proximity to us
is what makes this a huge deal.
Anna: It really is, because it's so close.
Close. GJ251C is now
a prime target for future observation.
We're talking about the next generation of
extremely large telescopes like the 30
meter telescope.
Avery: So these new telescopes could actually
analyze the planet's atmosphere.
Anna: That's the goal. They'll be powerful enough
to look for biosignatures, specific
gases in its atmosphere like oxygen,
methane, or even water vapor
that could hint at the presence of life. We
are decades away from being able to visit,
but in the near future, we might be able to
tell if it has water.
Avery: An incredible discovery and a
tantalizing glimpse into what we might find
as our technology improves. It really makes
you wonder what's out there.
Anna: And its star, GJ25.1, is a
red dwarf, right? That comes with its own set
of challenges for habitability, like
potential tidal locking and stellar
flares.
Avery: That's the crucial next question. Red
dwarfs are long lived, which is good for
life. But they can be volatile, especially
when they're young. One of the key tasks for
future telescopes will be to study the star's
activity and see if the planet has a strong
enough magnetic field and atmosphere to
withstand those flares. But finding a rocky
world in the habitable zone of our neighbor
is a critical first step.
Anna: It certainly is. And that's all the time we
have for today. We covered the precarious but
stable situation for the Shanzhou 21
astronauts. The scenic route of the escapade
mission to Mars, a subdued Leonid
meteor shower, and the discovery of a
promising new super Earth just next door.
Avery: Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. Be
sure to subscribe wherever you get your
podcasts so you don't miss an episode. Until
next time. I'm Avery.
Anna: And I'm Anna. Keep looking up.