WEBVTT

0
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:03.080
Anna: Hello, everyone and welcome to Astronomy

1
00:00:03.080 --> 00:00:04.720
Daily. I'm Anna.

2
00:00:04.960 --> 00:00:07.400
Avery: And I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us this

3
00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.240
Tuesday, January 14, 2026.

4
00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.120
We've got a fantastic lineup of space news

5
00:00:13.120 --> 00:00:13.760
for you today.

6
00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:16.720
Anna: We really do. We're covering everything

7
00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:19.600
from nuclear reactors on the moon to

8
00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:22.240
ancient Martian oceans, plus some

9
00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:24.920
fascinating discoveries about how spaceflight

10
00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:26.720
affects astronaut brains.

11
00:00:27.200 --> 00:00:29.600
Avery: And we'll be talking about a major ISS

12
00:00:29.840 --> 00:00:32.500
update, a new privately fund space

13
00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:35.500
telescope and scientists finally solving a

14
00:00:35.500 --> 00:00:38.260
six decade old mystery about the moon's two

15
00:00:38.260 --> 00:00:38.780
faces.

16
00:00:39.180 --> 00:00:42.060
Anna: It's going to be an exciting episode, so

17
00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:43.100
let's dive right in.

18
00:00:43.500 --> 00:00:43.860
Avery: Anna.

19
00:00:43.860 --> 00:00:46.180
Uh, let's start with some big news from NASA

20
00:00:46.180 --> 00:00:48.299
and the Department of Energy. The United

21
00:00:48.300 --> 00:00:50.540
States is getting serious about putting a

22
00:00:50.540 --> 00:00:53.260
nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030.

23
00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:56.420
Anna: That's right, Avery. This isn't just talk

24
00:00:56.420 --> 00:00:59.100
anymore. Last week, NASA Administrator

25
00:00:59.100 --> 00:01:01.900
Jared Isaacman and U.S. secretary of Energy

26
00:01:01.980 --> 00:01:04.600
Chris Wright signed a memorial memorandum of

27
00:01:04.600 --> 00:01:07.080
understanding that reaffirms their commitment

28
00:01:07.080 --> 00:01:09.000
to meet that ambitious deadline.

29
00:01:09.480 --> 00:01:11.320
Avery: And this comes on the heels of President

30
00:01:11.320 --> 00:01:14.280
Trump's executive order from December calling

31
00:01:14.280 --> 00:01:16.920
for construction to begin on a lunar base by

32
00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:19.759
2030 with a nuclear reactor ready to

33
00:01:19.759 --> 00:01:21.240
launch by that same year.

34
00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:24.320
Anna: Isaacman said something really interesting in

35
00:01:24.320 --> 00:01:27.040
the announcement. He said achieving this

36
00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:29.800
future requires harnessing nuclear power.

37
00:01:30.320 --> 00:01:32.800
This agreement enables closer collaboration

38
00:01:32.800 --> 00:01:35.800
between NASA and the Department of Energy to

39
00:01:35.800 --> 00:01:38.400
deliver the capabilities necessary to usher

40
00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:41.200
in the golden age of space exploration and

41
00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:41.920
discovery.

42
00:01:42.320 --> 00:01:44.160
Avery: It makes sense when you think about it.

43
00:01:44.320 --> 00:01:46.640
Nuclear power can generate electricity

44
00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:49.040
continuously for years without refuelling.

45
00:01:49.440 --> 00:01:51.640
And it's not affected by the moon's two week

46
00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:53.760
long nights or changing weather conditions

47
00:01:53.760 --> 00:01:55.120
like solar panels would be.

48
00:01:55.440 --> 00:01:58.120
Anna: And this isn't the first time NASA and the

49
00:01:58.120 --> 00:02:00.440
Department of Energy have worked together on

50
00:02:00.440 --> 00:02:02.660
space nuclear systems. They've been

51
00:02:02.660 --> 00:02:05.020
collaborating for more than half a century.

52
00:02:05.660 --> 00:02:06.060
Right?

53
00:02:06.220 --> 00:02:09.100
Avery: Many of NASA's deep space robotic explorers

54
00:02:09.100 --> 00:02:11.540
have used radioisotope thermoelectric

55
00:02:11.540 --> 00:02:14.180
generators, or RTGs, as a power

56
00:02:14.180 --> 00:02:16.460
source. We're talking about missions like the

57
00:02:16.460 --> 00:02:19.340
Cassini Saturn orbiter and the Curiosity and

58
00:02:19.340 --> 00:02:20.780
Perseverance Mars rovers.

59
00:02:21.260 --> 00:02:23.580
Anna: But this lunar reactor would be something

60
00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:26.460
different entirely. It would be designed to

61
00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:29.060
power one or more bases on the lunar

62
00:02:29.060 --> 00:02:31.740
surface. As part of NASA's Artemis programme,

63
00:02:32.490 --> 00:02:32.930
Secretary.

64
00:02:32.930 --> 00:02:34.890
Avery: Wright made a connection to America's

65
00:02:34.890 --> 00:02:37.810
historic achievements. He said history shows

66
00:02:37.810 --> 00:02:39.930
that when American science and innovation

67
00:02:39.930 --> 00:02:42.530
come together, from the Manhattan Project to

68
00:02:42.530 --> 00:02:45.010
the Apollo mission, our nation leads the

69
00:02:45.010 --> 00:02:47.450
world to reach new frontiers once thought

70
00:02:47.450 --> 00:02:50.450
impossible. This agreement continues that

71
00:02:50.450 --> 00:02:50.890
legacy.

72
00:02:51.370 --> 00:02:53.890
Anna: For NASA's Artemis programme, having a

73
00:02:53.890 --> 00:02:56.770
reliable long term power source on the Moon

74
00:02:56.770 --> 00:02:59.680
is absolutely critical. If we're going to

75
00:02:59.680 --> 00:03:02.480
establish a permanent presence there and use

76
00:03:02.480 --> 00:03:05.200
it as a stepping stone to Mars. We need

77
00:03:05.200 --> 00:03:07.640
infrastructure that can operate reliably.

78
00:03:07.640 --> 00:03:10.440
Avery: For years, and the 2030 timeline

79
00:03:10.440 --> 00:03:12.720
is really aggressive. We're talking about

80
00:03:12.720 --> 00:03:15.080
just over four years from now. That's

81
00:03:15.080 --> 00:03:17.120
incredibly fast for a project of this

82
00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:17.760
magnitude.

83
00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:20.720
Anna: It is. But with the renewed focus on

84
00:03:20.720 --> 00:03:23.400
lunar exploration and the competition with

85
00:03:23.400 --> 00:03:26.120
other spacefaring nations, particularly

86
00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.920
China, there's definitely motivation to move

87
00:03:28.920 --> 00:03:29.440
quickly.

88
00:03:30.140 --> 00:03:32.180
Avery: Speaking of space developments, we have an

89
00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:34.820
important update on the Crew 11 situation at

90
00:03:34.820 --> 00:03:37.220
the International Space Station. Mission

91
00:03:37.220 --> 00:03:39.780
managers have officially given the go for the

92
00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:41.660
crew's return to Earth tomorrow.

93
00:03:41.980 --> 00:03:44.940
Anna: That's right. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman

94
00:03:44.940 --> 00:03:47.900
and Mike Finke, along with JAXA astronaut

95
00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:50.900
Kimia Yu and Roscosmos cosmonaut

96
00:03:50.900 --> 00:03:53.780
Oleg Platanov, are scheduled to undock

97
00:03:53.780 --> 00:03:56.700
from the harmony module at 5:05pm

98
00:03:56.780 --> 00:03:58.140
Eastern Time on Wednesday.

99
00:03:58.930 --> 00:04:00.890
Avery: And they're coming home aboard the SpaceX

100
00:04:00.890 --> 00:04:03.210
Dragon crew spacecraft, with Cardman

101
00:04:03.210 --> 00:04:05.890
commanding and Finke piloting. The weather

102
00:04:05.890 --> 00:04:07.850
forecast is looking excellent for their

103
00:04:07.850 --> 00:04:10.010
parachute assisted splashdown off the coast

104
00:04:10.010 --> 00:04:12.170
of California, which is scheduled for

105
00:04:12.170 --> 00:04:14.210
3:41am on Thursday.

106
00:04:14.930 --> 00:04:17.650
Anna: Yesterday, the crew spent most of their time

107
00:04:17.650 --> 00:04:20.610
preparing for departure. They packed cargo,

108
00:04:20.850 --> 00:04:23.530
reviewed return to Earth procedures and

109
00:04:23.530 --> 00:04:26.050
transferred hardware. Hardman and her

110
00:04:26.050 --> 00:04:28.250
crewmates also trained on how to use

111
00:04:28.250 --> 00:04:31.170
respirators during unlikely emergency

112
00:04:31.170 --> 00:04:33.210
events like an ammonia Lee.

113
00:04:33.610 --> 00:04:35.970
Avery: NASA is planning extensive coverage of the

114
00:04:35.970 --> 00:04:38.890
event. NASA will begin live coverage at

115
00:04:38.890 --> 00:04:41.530
3pm on Wednesday when the crew enters the

116
00:04:41.530 --> 00:04:44.130
Dragon spacecraft and says goodbye to the

117
00:04:44.130 --> 00:04:45.370
remaining crew on the station.

118
00:04:45.770 --> 00:04:48.730
Anna: Coverage continues at 4:45pm

119
00:04:48.890 --> 00:04:51.360
for the actual undocking, then

120
00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.000
returns at 2:15am Thursday

121
00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:56.440
for the descent, and finally at

122
00:04:56.440 --> 00:04:59.440
5:45am for the post splashdown

123
00:04:59.440 --> 00:05:02.360
news conference. You can watch all of this on

124
00:05:02.360 --> 00:05:04.920
NASA, Amazon prime or

125
00:05:04.920 --> 00:05:06.320
NASA's YouTube channel.

126
00:05:06.799 --> 00:05:09.160
Avery: As we discussed yesterday, this is the first

127
00:05:09.160 --> 00:05:11.680
medical evacuation in ISS history.

128
00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:14.200
The crew was originally scheduled to stay

129
00:05:14.200 --> 00:05:17.120
until after Crew 12 arrived in mid February,

130
00:05:17.780 --> 00:05:19.740
but an undisclosed medical condition

131
00:05:19.740 --> 00:05:21.540
affecting one of the four crew members

132
00:05:21.700 --> 00:05:23.860
prompted NASA to bring them home early.

133
00:05:24.340 --> 00:05:26.980
Anna: After Crew 11 leaves, Expedition

134
00:05:27.060 --> 00:05:29.140
74 will be commanded by

135
00:05:29.140 --> 00:05:31.700
Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey

136
00:05:31.700 --> 00:05:34.580
Kudzverchkov, leading flight engineers

137
00:05:34.580 --> 00:05:37.380
Sergei Mikayev and NASA's Chris

138
00:05:37.380 --> 00:05:40.380
Williams. That's a skeleton crew of just

139
00:05:40.380 --> 00:05:42.900
three people running the entire station.

140
00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:46.160
Avery: Yesterday, Kuts, Verchkov and Mikhayev

141
00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.680
participated in a study assessing how crews

142
00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:50.800
make decisions and work together in space,

143
00:05:51.200 --> 00:05:53.400
which is especially relevant given they'll be

144
00:05:53.400 --> 00:05:55.520
operating with a reduced crew for a while.

145
00:05:56.000 --> 00:05:58.720
Anna: BASA is still evaluating whether they can

146
00:05:58.720 --> 00:06:01.600
move up the Crew 12 launch date to replenish

147
00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:03.800
the station crew sooner than originally

148
00:06:03.800 --> 00:06:04.240
planned.

149
00:06:04.800 --> 00:06:06.880
Avery: Now let's talk about Mars. Anna. There's

150
00:06:06.880 --> 00:06:09.200
exciting new evidence that an ancient ocean

151
00:06:09.280 --> 00:06:10.960
once covered half the planet.

152
00:06:11.670 --> 00:06:14.310
Anna: This is really fascinating research, Avery.

153
00:06:14.470 --> 00:06:16.430
A team led by Ignatius

154
00:06:16.430 --> 00:06:19.310
argadestia, a, uh, PhD student at the

155
00:06:19.310 --> 00:06:22.230
University of Bern, has identified features

156
00:06:22.230 --> 00:06:25.150
in Mars Valles Marineris that

157
00:06:25.150 --> 00:06:28.070
look remarkably similar to river deltas here

158
00:06:28.070 --> 00:06:28.710
on Earth.

159
00:06:29.110 --> 00:06:31.990
Avery: Valles Marineris is that massive canyon

160
00:06:31.990 --> 00:06:34.110
system on Mars, right? The largest in the

161
00:06:34.110 --> 00:06:34.710
solar system.

162
00:06:35.270 --> 00:06:38.110
Anna: Exactly. Along with Olympus Mons,

163
00:06:38.110 --> 00:06:40.870
it's one of Mars's most defining features.

164
00:06:41.420 --> 00:06:43.980
This research focused specifically on the

165
00:06:43.980 --> 00:06:46.540
southeast part of a sub canyon called

166
00:06:46.700 --> 00:06:48.220
Copratus Chosma.

167
00:06:48.300 --> 00:06:50.860
Avery: The researchers used images from multiple

168
00:06:50.860 --> 00:06:53.420
orbital Cameras, CTX and

169
00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:56.140
HiRISE on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance

170
00:06:56.140 --> 00:06:58.940
Orbiter and CASSIS

171
00:06:59.420 --> 00:07:02.300
on the ESA Roscosmos

172
00:07:02.300 --> 00:07:05.220
Trace Gas Orbiter. They also worked with

173
00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:07.740
digital elevation models to examine what they

174
00:07:07.740 --> 00:07:09.740
call scarpa fronted deposits.

175
00:07:10.250 --> 00:07:12.730
Anna: These scarp fronted deposits, or

176
00:07:12.730 --> 00:07:15.330
SFDs, are fan shaped

177
00:07:15.330 --> 00:07:17.850
sediment deposits that form where a river

178
00:07:17.930 --> 00:07:20.410
empties into a body of standing water.

179
00:07:20.810 --> 00:07:23.250
The team identified three of these features

180
00:07:23.250 --> 00:07:25.850
in Copratus Chasma and they're almost

181
00:07:25.930 --> 00:07:28.570
identical to river deltas we see on Earth.

182
00:07:28.970 --> 00:07:31.330
Avery: Professor Fritz Schlundjugger put it really

183
00:07:31.330 --> 00:07:33.650
clearly. He said, the structures that we were

184
00:07:33.650 --> 00:07:36.010
able to identify in the images are clearly

185
00:07:36.010 --> 00:07:38.090
the mouth of a river into an ocean.

186
00:07:38.610 --> 00:07:41.130
Anna: What's particularly compelling is that all

187
00:07:41.130 --> 00:07:43.650
three SFDs are at the same

188
00:07:43.650 --> 00:07:46.330
elevation. That suggests they were all

189
00:07:46.330 --> 00:07:48.370
deposited at the same water level,

190
00:07:48.690 --> 00:07:51.170
essentially marking an ancient coastline.

191
00:07:51.570 --> 00:07:53.810
Avery: The researchers believe these deposits were

192
00:07:53.810 --> 00:07:56.330
formed sometime between the late Hesperian

193
00:07:56.330 --> 00:07:58.610
period and the early Amazonian period.

194
00:07:58.930 --> 00:08:01.850
That's roughly between 3.7 billion and

195
00:08:01.850 --> 00:08:03.250
3 billion years ago.

196
00:08:03.900 --> 00:08:06.380
Anna: Reid author R. Ghedestia said something

197
00:08:06.380 --> 00:08:08.940
interesting in the press release. He said,

198
00:08:08.940 --> 00:08:11.100
when measuring and mapping the Martian

199
00:08:11.100 --> 00:08:13.940
images, I was able to recognise mountains

200
00:08:13.940 --> 00:08:16.300
and valleys that resemble a, uh, mountainous

201
00:08:16.300 --> 00:08:18.820
landscape on Earth. However, I was

202
00:08:18.820 --> 00:08:21.620
particularly impressed with the deltas that I

203
00:08:21.620 --> 00:08:23.460
discovered at the edge of one of the

204
00:08:23.460 --> 00:08:23.980
mountains.

205
00:08:24.460 --> 00:08:27.060
Avery: Previous research had suggested Mars had a

206
00:08:27.060 --> 00:08:29.460
large ocean, but this study provides much

207
00:08:29.460 --> 00:08:32.300
more concrete evidence. Slunjugger noted

208
00:08:32.300 --> 00:08:34.300
that earlier claims were based on less

209
00:08:34.300 --> 00:08:36.620
precise data and sometimes indirect

210
00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:37.220
arguments.

211
00:08:37.620 --> 00:08:40.180
Anna: But their reconstruction of the sea level is

212
00:08:40.180 --> 00:08:42.460
based on clear evidence of an actual

213
00:08:42.460 --> 00:08:45.060
coastline. Thanks to these high resolution

214
00:08:45.060 --> 00:08:47.700
images, the paleo shoreline they

215
00:08:47.700 --> 00:08:50.580
identified extends from Valles Marinus

216
00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:52.980
all the way to the northern lowlands.

217
00:08:53.460 --> 00:08:56.380
Avery: Argadestia summed it up nicely. With

218
00:08:56.380 --> 00:08:58.660
our study we were able to provide evidence

219
00:08:58.660 --> 00:09:01.220
for the deepest and largest former ocean on

220
00:09:01.220 --> 00:09:04.220
Mars to date, an ocean that stretched across

221
00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:06.100
the northern hemisphere of the planet.

222
00:09:06.580 --> 00:09:09.220
Anna: This has huge implications for Mars

223
00:09:09.220 --> 00:09:12.100
past habitability. As the authors write,

224
00:09:12.260 --> 00:09:14.980
their findings will impact research on the

225
00:09:14.980 --> 00:09:17.900
evidence for potential life on Mars. Since

226
00:09:17.900 --> 00:09:20.580
this represents a period when Mars had the

227
00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:23.380
highest water availability, it's amazing.

228
00:09:23.380 --> 00:09:25.660
Avery: To think that billions of years ago, Mars

229
00:09:25.660 --> 00:09:27.340
might have looked very different from the

230
00:09:27.340 --> 00:09:29.140
cold, dry desert we see today.

231
00:09:30.040 --> 00:09:32.560
Anna: Speaking of things changing, Avery, let's

232
00:09:32.560 --> 00:09:35.240
talk about a fascinating new study on how

233
00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:38.080
spaceflight literally changes astronauts

234
00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:38.520
brains.

235
00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:42.120
Avery: This is wild. Ana um. A team led by Rachel

236
00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:44.800
Seidler at MIT took MRI scans of

237
00:09:44.800 --> 00:09:47.240
26 astronauts and 24 non

238
00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:49.640
astronaut participants. And they found that

239
00:09:49.640 --> 00:09:52.600
spaceflight causes astronauts brains to shift

240
00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:54.120
position inside their skull.

241
00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.540
Anna: The study was published just yesterday. The

242
00:09:57.540 --> 00:10:00.180
researchers found a consistent pattern of the

243
00:10:00.180 --> 00:10:02.780
brain shifting backward and upward and

244
00:10:02.780 --> 00:10:04.860
rotating upward after time in

245
00:10:04.860 --> 00:10:07.420
microgravity. And here's the kicker.

246
00:10:07.580 --> 00:10:10.100
Some of these positional changes were still

247
00:10:10.100 --> 00:10:12.860
detectable months after astronauts returned

248
00:10:12.860 --> 00:10:13.340
to Earth.

249
00:10:13.900 --> 00:10:16.140
Avery: Instead of looking at the brain as one whole

250
00:10:16.140 --> 00:10:18.900
unit, they divided it into 130

251
00:10:18.900 --> 00:10:21.420
separate regions and examined each one

252
00:10:21.420 --> 00:10:24.020
individually. This regional analysis

253
00:10:24.020 --> 00:10:25.740
showed many areas with significant

254
00:10:25.980 --> 00:10:28.460
displacement across two spatial axes.

255
00:10:29.050 --> 00:10:31.330
Anna: The data set included astronauts with

256
00:10:31.330 --> 00:10:34.090
different mission lengths, roughly two weeks,

257
00:10:34.330 --> 00:10:37.010
six months and one year. They found

258
00:10:37.010 --> 00:10:39.770
significant positional shifts across large

259
00:10:39.770 --> 00:10:41.930
portions of the brain, with some

260
00:10:41.930 --> 00:10:44.210
displacements measured as high as

261
00:10:44.210 --> 00:10:46.810
2.52 millimetres in

262
00:10:46.810 --> 00:10:48.890
subjects with the most time in space.

263
00:10:49.610 --> 00:10:51.750
Avery: To put that in perspective, that's about a

264
00:10:51.750 --> 00:10:54.090
uh, tenth of an inch. It might not sound like

265
00:10:54.090 --> 00:10:56.170
much, but when we're talking about the brain

266
00:10:56.170 --> 00:10:58.290
inside your skull, that's actually quite

267
00:10:58.290 --> 00:10:58.570
significant.

268
00:10:59.510 --> 00:11:02.430
Anna: The researchers also compared astronauts with

269
00:11:02.430 --> 00:11:05.110
people who participated in a long duration

270
00:11:05.190 --> 00:11:08.150
head down tilt bed rest experiment which

271
00:11:08.150 --> 00:11:10.470
is used to simulate some effects of

272
00:11:10.470 --> 00:11:11.990
microgravity on Earth.

273
00:11:12.550 --> 00:11:14.470
Avery: And they found some interesting differences.

274
00:11:14.869 --> 00:11:17.350
Astronauts showed stronger upward movement,

275
00:11:17.350 --> 00:11:19.670
while the bed rest participants showed

276
00:11:19.670 --> 00:11:22.350
stronger backward movement. Only some of the

277
00:11:22.350 --> 00:11:24.030
brain shape changes observed after

278
00:11:24.030 --> 00:11:26.390
spaceflight appeared in the bedrest group.

279
00:11:27.060 --> 00:11:29.900
Anna: This tells us that head down bed rest, while

280
00:11:29.900 --> 00:11:32.740
useful, doesn't perfectly replicate what

281
00:11:32.740 --> 00:11:35.620
happens to the brain in actual microgravity.

282
00:11:35.860 --> 00:11:38.500
There are unique effects that only real

283
00:11:38.500 --> 00:11:39.860
spaceflight produces.

284
00:11:40.420 --> 00:11:42.380
Avery: One of the most important findings was the

285
00:11:42.380 --> 00:11:44.700
connection to balance problems. The study

286
00:11:44.700 --> 00:11:46.940
found that displacement affecting sensory

287
00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:49.580
related brain regions correlated with larger

288
00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:51.740
declines in astronauts balance after

289
00:11:51.740 --> 00:11:53.380
spaceflight, Right.

290
00:11:53.700 --> 00:11:56.020
Anna: We know that when astronauts return from

291
00:11:56.020 --> 00:11:58.580
space, they often experience balance issues

292
00:11:58.900 --> 00:12:01.460
because their inner ear's sense of direction

293
00:12:01.460 --> 00:12:04.260
isn't immediately restored. This study

294
00:12:04.340 --> 00:12:06.260
helps explain why that happens.

295
00:12:06.820 --> 00:12:08.900
Avery: And while astronauts normally find their

296
00:12:08.900 --> 00:12:11.100
footing within a week or so, the physical

297
00:12:11.100 --> 00:12:13.660
shifts in their brains persisted for up to

298
00:12:13.660 --> 00:12:16.420
six months post spaceflight. That's quite

299
00:12:16.420 --> 00:12:17.060
remarkable.

300
00:12:17.540 --> 00:12:20.340
Anna: The authors note that this underscores the

301
00:12:20.340 --> 00:12:22.740
long lasting effects of spaceflight on

302
00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:25.430
neuroanatomy. They recommend future

303
00:12:25.510 --> 00:12:28.510
studies with larger astronaut crews on a

304
00:12:28.510 --> 00:12:30.750
broad range of mission lengths to better

305
00:12:30.750 --> 00:12:33.350
understand how quickly these shifts begin

306
00:12:33.430 --> 00:12:34.630
and how they evolve.

307
00:12:35.270 --> 00:12:37.630
Avery: This research is crucial as we plan longer

308
00:12:37.630 --> 00:12:39.830
missions to the moon and eventually to Mars.

309
00:12:40.230 --> 00:12:42.430
Understanding how extended spaceflight

310
00:12:42.430 --> 00:12:44.510
affects the brain will help us better prepare

311
00:12:44.510 --> 00:12:46.470
astronauts and develop countermeasures.

312
00:12:46.710 --> 00:12:49.550
Anna: Avery, let's shift gears and talk about a

313
00:12:49.550 --> 00:12:51.670
really exciting development in space

314
00:12:51.750 --> 00:12:54.220
telescope technology. There's a new

315
00:12:54.220 --> 00:12:57.220
privately funded observatory called Lazuli

316
00:12:57.220 --> 00:12:59.540
that could change how we build flagship class

317
00:12:59.540 --> 00:13:00.300
telescopes.

318
00:13:00.620 --> 00:13:03.380
Avery: This is fascinating, Anna. Uh, the Lazuli

319
00:13:03.380 --> 00:13:05.900
Space Observatory is being funded by Eric

320
00:13:05.900 --> 00:13:08.420
Schmidt, the former CEO of Google and his

321
00:13:08.420 --> 00:13:10.380
wife Wendy, through their philanthropic

322
00:13:10.380 --> 00:13:13.260
organisation, Schmidt Sciences. We're talking

323
00:13:13.260 --> 00:13:15.420
about a $500 million investment.

324
00:13:15.900 --> 00:13:18.540
Anna: The whole premise is applying the new space

325
00:13:18.540 --> 00:13:21.530
philosophy to space telescopes. You know that

326
00:13:21.530 --> 00:13:24.490
Silicon Valley mindset of move fast and

327
00:13:24.490 --> 00:13:27.210
don't break things. The idea is to prove that

328
00:13:27.210 --> 00:13:29.450
you don't need decades and billions of

329
00:13:29.450 --> 00:13:31.770
dollars to build a flagship level space

330
00:13:31.770 --> 00:13:33.330
observatory, right?

331
00:13:33.490 --> 00:13:35.610
Avery: Compare this to the James Webb Space

332
00:13:35.610 --> 00:13:38.570
telescope, which cost $10 billion, or the

333
00:13:38.570 --> 00:13:41.210
upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope,

334
00:13:41.210 --> 00:13:43.970
which is on track for $3 billion. These

335
00:13:43.970 --> 00:13:46.370
huge costs come from using completely de

336
00:13:46.370 --> 00:13:48.690
risked flight proven technology to ensure

337
00:13:48.690 --> 00:13:51.130
taxpayer dollars don't literally go up in

338
00:13:51.130 --> 00:13:51.490
flames.

339
00:13:52.010 --> 00:13:54.330
Anna: But schmidt has a $36 billion

340
00:13:54.810 --> 00:13:57.730
fortune, so even if Lazulli fails, he can

341
00:13:57.730 --> 00:14:00.130
afford the loss. And that's kind of the

342
00:14:00.130 --> 00:14:02.770
point. This is an experiment to see if the

343
00:14:02.770 --> 00:14:05.610
approach even works for expensive flagship

344
00:14:05.610 --> 00:14:06.730
level observatories.

345
00:14:07.050 --> 00:14:09.490
Avery: To keep costs down, up to 80% of the

346
00:14:09.490 --> 00:14:11.770
telescope will use off the shelf components.

347
00:14:11.850 --> 00:14:14.050
And operating under Schmidt Sciences

348
00:14:14.050 --> 00:14:16.290
alleviates a lot of the bureaucratic and

349
00:14:16.290 --> 00:14:18.410
political decision making that inevitably

350
00:14:18.410 --> 00:14:20.170
delays government funded programmes.

351
00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:23.000
Anna: So where does Lazuli fit in the bigger

352
00:14:23.000 --> 00:14:25.280
picture? Webb is obviously already

353
00:14:25.280 --> 00:14:28.240
operational, sending back spectacular images.

354
00:14:28.560 --> 00:14:31.200
Roman is next scheduled to launch in May

355
00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:34.160
2027. But both have weaknesses when

356
00:14:34.160 --> 00:14:36.160
tracking transient phenomena.

357
00:14:36.400 --> 00:14:39.160
Avery: Exactly. Events like kilonovae or

358
00:14:39.160 --> 00:14:41.320
gravitational wave producing black hole

359
00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:43.920
mergers happen on timescales of hours, not

360
00:14:43.920 --> 00:14:46.920
days. They require almost immediate response

361
00:14:46.920 --> 00:14:48.920
from observatories to catch them before they

362
00:14:48.920 --> 00:14:49.200
end.

363
00:14:49.710 --> 00:14:52.510
Anna: And Webb just can't slew. That's the term

364
00:14:52.510 --> 00:14:55.150
for rotating to a new target fast enough.

365
00:14:55.390 --> 00:14:58.270
It captures extremely high resolution images,

366
00:14:58.350 --> 00:15:00.510
but it takes too long to get into position.

367
00:15:00.990 --> 00:15:03.350
Avery: On the other hand, Roman is a survey

368
00:15:03.350 --> 00:15:05.910
telescope that looks at white swaths of sky,

369
00:15:05.910 --> 00:15:08.310
but doesn't have the resolution to examine

370
00:15:08.310 --> 00:15:10.590
individual systems like Lazuli will.

371
00:15:10.830 --> 00:15:13.470
Anna: So Lazuli's sweet spot is Target

372
00:15:13.550 --> 00:15:16.370
of opportunity tracking. It's designed to

373
00:15:16.370 --> 00:15:18.890
slew within an hour and a half to observe

374
00:15:18.890 --> 00:15:21.530
short lived events. It'll work in concert

375
00:15:21.530 --> 00:15:24.370
with ground based observatories like ligo,

376
00:15:24.370 --> 00:15:26.370
the Gravitational Wave Detector.

377
00:15:26.530 --> 00:15:28.770
Avery: But it has the advantage of being in space

378
00:15:29.250 --> 00:15:31.970
so no cloud cover or daylight to worry about.

379
00:15:32.210 --> 00:15:34.970
Lazuli will also have a wild Field context

380
00:15:34.970 --> 00:15:37.650
camera with 23 separate CMOS sensors,

381
00:15:37.730 --> 00:15:40.170
kind of like Roman, to detect things like

382
00:15:40.170 --> 00:15:41.490
exoplanet transits.

383
00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.480
Anna: And here's something really cool it should be

384
00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:47.440
able to directly image exoplanets using a

385
00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:49.920
vector Vortex coronagraph along with

386
00:15:49.920 --> 00:15:52.520
deformable mirrors to suppress starlight by

387
00:15:52.520 --> 00:15:54.120
up to 10 million times.

388
00:15:54.680 --> 00:15:57.120
Avery: This same technology is planned for NASA's

389
00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:59.240
Habitable Worlds Observatory which won't

390
00:15:59.240 --> 00:16:01.960
launch for decades, so Lazuli will actually

391
00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:04.440
serve as a technology demonstration platform

392
00:16:04.520 --> 00:16:06.760
well before the taxpayer funded mission.

393
00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:09.400
Anna: Perhaps the most impressive aspect is the

394
00:16:09.400 --> 00:16:12.040
timeline. Schmidt Sciences is planning a

395
00:16:12.040 --> 00:16:14.520
three to five year development cycle for this

396
00:16:14.520 --> 00:16:16.880
massive space observatory that's

397
00:16:16.880 --> 00:16:19.280
exponentially faster than any comparable

398
00:16:19.280 --> 00:16:20.440
government led system.

399
00:16:20.920 --> 00:16:23.760
Avery: Though to be fair, new space leaders do have

400
00:16:23.760 --> 00:16:26.479
a tendency to underestimate timelines. Even

401
00:16:26.479 --> 00:16:28.680
if it takes twice as long though, we'd still

402
00:16:28.680 --> 00:16:30.960
get another flagship level observatory within

403
00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:31.560
a decade.

404
00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:34.800
Anna: And here's something amusing. If Schmidt just

405
00:16:34.800 --> 00:16:37.760
leaves his remaining $36 billion in an

406
00:16:37.760 --> 00:16:40.760
S&P 500 index fund, he'd make back

407
00:16:40.760 --> 00:16:43.560
around 40 times what the entire project cost

408
00:16:43.560 --> 00:16:46.440
over a five year period. So financially

409
00:16:46.440 --> 00:16:48.080
this is barely a blip for him.

410
00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:50.960
Avery: Either we get an amazing new space telescope

411
00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:53.880
or we get a $500 million lesson in what can

412
00:16:53.880 --> 00:16:56.240
go wrong when applying speed to large scale

413
00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:58.680
astrophysics projects. Either way, the

414
00:16:58.680 --> 00:17:00.160
scientific community learned something.

415
00:17:00.160 --> 00:17:02.800
Anna: Valuable for our final storey today.

416
00:17:02.880 --> 00:17:05.880
Avery scientists may have finally

417
00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:08.560
solved a mystery that's puzzled them for over

418
00:17:08.800 --> 00:17:11.479
60 years. Why does the moon

419
00:17:11.479 --> 00:17:14.159
look so different on its near and far

420
00:17:14.239 --> 00:17:14.799
sides?

421
00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:17.719
Avery: This is based on analysis of dust collected

422
00:17:17.719 --> 00:17:20.239
from the lunar far side by China's Chang' e

423
00:17:20.479 --> 00:17:22.999
6 mission, which returned the first ever

424
00:17:22.999 --> 00:17:25.279
samples from the moon's hidden hemisphere in

425
00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:26.079
2024.

426
00:17:26.639 --> 00:17:29.159
Anna: The material came from the south pole

427
00:17:29.159 --> 00:17:32.079
Aitken Basin, which is believed to be the

428
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:34.799
site of the largest impact in the solar

429
00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:37.770
system. This colossal crater spans

430
00:17:37.770 --> 00:17:40.410
nearly a quarter of the lunar surface.

431
00:17:40.810 --> 00:17:43.810
Avery: A team letter by Heng Si Tan from the Chinese

432
00:17:43.810 --> 00:17:46.730
Academy of Sciences conducted isotopic

433
00:17:46.730 --> 00:17:49.330
analysis of potassium and iron found in the

434
00:17:49.330 --> 00:17:52.050
far side dust and compared it with samples

435
00:17:52.050 --> 00:17:54.290
from the moon's near side collected during

436
00:17:54.290 --> 00:17:56.690
the Apollo missions and by China's Chang'

437
00:17:56.690 --> 00:17:58.170
E5 spacecraft.

438
00:17:58.570 --> 00:18:01.370
Anna: The results showed a significant difference

439
00:18:02.030 --> 00:18:04.550
near side Samples contained more light

440
00:18:04.550 --> 00:18:07.430
isotopes, while the far side material

441
00:18:07.430 --> 00:18:09.790
was richer in heavier isotopes,

442
00:18:10.110 --> 00:18:11.870
particularly of potassium.

443
00:18:12.430 --> 00:18:14.950
Avery: This type of isotopic separation couldn't be

444
00:18:14.950 --> 00:18:17.310
explained by normal volcanic activity.

445
00:18:17.710 --> 00:18:19.990
Instead, the researchers suggest the south

446
00:18:19.990 --> 00:18:22.990
pole Aitken impactor generated such

447
00:18:22.990 --> 00:18:25.630
extreme heat that lighter isotopes were

448
00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:28.280
vaporised and lost, leaving behind a

449
00:18:28.280 --> 00:18:30.040
heavier chemical fingerprint.

450
00:18:30.440 --> 00:18:33.080
Anna: The researchers wrote this feature

451
00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:35.760
most likely resulted from potassium

452
00:18:35.760 --> 00:18:38.400
evaporation caused by the south pole

453
00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:40.920
Aitken basin forming impactor,

454
00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:44.040
demonstrating the profound influence of this

455
00:18:44.040 --> 00:18:46.760
event on the Moon's deep interior.

456
00:18:47.320 --> 00:18:49.440
Avery: What's particularly interesting is that the

457
00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:51.720
study suggests the impact may have punched

458
00:18:51.720 --> 00:18:53.800
through the crust and into the mantle,

459
00:18:54.170 --> 00:18:56.090
permanently changing the Moon's inner

460
00:18:56.090 --> 00:18:56.730
composition.

461
00:18:57.130 --> 00:18:59.610
Anna: The sample analysis revealed that

462
00:18:59.610 --> 00:19:02.010
potassium isotopes on the far side

463
00:19:02.330 --> 00:19:05.130
appear to originate from a mantle source

464
00:19:05.130 --> 00:19:08.130
distinct from that of the near side. This

465
00:19:08.130 --> 00:19:10.930
implies widespread internal melting

466
00:19:10.930 --> 00:19:12.810
and chemical redistribution.

467
00:19:13.370 --> 00:19:15.810
Avery: The team even proposes that the impact might

468
00:19:15.810 --> 00:19:18.090
have triggered hemisphere wide mantle

469
00:19:18.090 --> 00:19:20.690
convection, a process that could reshape a

470
00:19:20.690 --> 00:19:23.050
planet's crust and inner layers over time.

471
00:19:23.710 --> 00:19:26.670
Anna: As they noted in their study, this finding

472
00:19:26.670 --> 00:19:28.990
also implies that large scale

473
00:19:28.990 --> 00:19:31.790
impacts are, uh, key drivers in shaping

474
00:19:31.790 --> 00:19:33.950
mantle and crustal compositions.

475
00:19:34.830 --> 00:19:37.830
Avery: So planetary impacts leave far more than just

476
00:19:37.830 --> 00:19:40.350
visible craters. They can set off long

477
00:19:40.350 --> 00:19:42.910
lasting internal transformations that remain

478
00:19:42.910 --> 00:19:44.910
detectable billions of years later.

479
00:19:45.390 --> 00:19:48.110
Anna: Heng Si Tian summed it up nicely.

480
00:19:48.350 --> 00:19:50.750
With our study, we were able to provide

481
00:19:50.830 --> 00:19:53.630
evidence for the deepest and largest former

482
00:19:53.790 --> 00:19:56.490
ocean on Mars today date. Wait,

483
00:19:56.570 --> 00:19:57.930
that's the wrong quote.

484
00:19:59.050 --> 00:19:59.770
Avery: Wrong planet.

485
00:19:59.770 --> 00:20:01.970
Anna: Anna, uh, oh my goodness, let me get that

486
00:20:01.970 --> 00:20:04.890
right. Pyeon said. With the Chang' e

487
00:20:04.970 --> 00:20:07.890
6 samples, scientists now have their

488
00:20:07.890 --> 00:20:10.810
first hard evidence from the Moon's far side,

489
00:20:10.970 --> 00:20:13.690
an area once entirely out of reach.

490
00:20:14.410 --> 00:20:17.090
Avery: This discovery is particularly timely as

491
00:20:17.090 --> 00:20:19.090
multiple nations gear up for lunar

492
00:20:19.090 --> 00:20:21.410
exploration missions, including NASA's

493
00:20:21.410 --> 00:20:23.650
Artemis programme and China's continuing

494
00:20:23.650 --> 00:20:24.970
Chang' E missions.

495
00:20:25.800 --> 00:20:28.360
Anna: Understanding the Moon's geological history

496
00:20:28.520 --> 00:20:31.320
and internal structure will be crucial

497
00:20:31.320 --> 00:20:34.080
as we plan to establish permanent bases

498
00:20:34.080 --> 00:20:37.040
there. Each new sample and discovery

499
00:20:37.040 --> 00:20:39.840
helps us piece together the storey of how

500
00:20:39.840 --> 00:20:42.640
our nearest celestial neighbour formed and

501
00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:43.160
evolved.

502
00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:45.840
Avery: Well, that brings us to the end of today's

503
00:20:45.840 --> 00:20:47.960
episode of Astronomy Daily. What an

504
00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:49.560
incredible day of space news.

505
00:20:50.120 --> 00:20:53.040
Anna: From nuclear reactors on the moon and the

506
00:20:53.040 --> 00:20:56.000
crew 11 undocking tomorrow to

507
00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.700
ancient Martian oceans and shifting

508
00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:01.380
astronaut brains, plus a uh, privately

509
00:21:01.380 --> 00:21:04.140
funded space telescope and solving the

510
00:21:04.140 --> 00:21:07.140
Moon's two faced mystery, we've covered a

511
00:21:07.140 --> 00:21:08.100
lot of ground today.

512
00:21:08.580 --> 00:21:10.460
Avery: If you enjoyed today's episode, please

513
00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:12.700
subscribe to Astronomy Daily wherever you get

514
00:21:12.700 --> 00:21:14.860
your podcasts. And don't forget to leave us a

515
00:21:14.860 --> 00:21:16.860
review. It really helps other space

516
00:21:16.860 --> 00:21:17.940
enthusiasts discover.

517
00:21:17.940 --> 00:21:20.820
Anna: The show you can find us on social media and

518
00:21:20.820 --> 00:21:23.300
at our website for more space news and

519
00:21:23.300 --> 00:21:25.920
updates. Um, on the socials search for

520
00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:28.920
Astro Daily Pod and our website can be

521
00:21:28.920 --> 00:21:31.720
found at astronomydaily.IO

522
00:21:32.120 --> 00:21:33.720
thanks so much for listening everyone.

523
00:21:34.040 --> 00:21:36.360
Avery: Until, um, next time, keep looking up Clear

524
00:21:36.360 --> 00:21:36.920
skies.

525
00:21:50.350 --> 00:22:00.570
Sam.