WEBVTT 0 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:01.800 Andrew Dunkley: Hi there. Thanks for joining us on another 1 00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:04.160 episode of Space Nuts. Great to have your 2 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:06.440 company. My name is Andrew Dunkley, your host 3 00:00:06.440 --> 00:00:08.280 and I uh, hope you can stick around because 4 00:00:08.280 --> 00:00:11.120 we've got a jam packed show. We're 5 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:13.440 once again going to Mars because 6 00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:16.560 they've looked uh, at some new evidence that 7 00:00:17.040 --> 00:00:19.720 uh, does suggest Mars oceans may have 8 00:00:19.720 --> 00:00:22.320 been vast. That is really 9 00:00:22.320 --> 00:00:24.400 exciting news. We're also going to look at 10 00:00:24.400 --> 00:00:27.000 the fastest spinning asteroid yet discovered. 11 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:29.680 This one's uh, really in a spin. 12 00:00:29.680 --> 00:00:32.580 It's uh, making everybody dizzy. And the 13 00:00:32.580 --> 00:00:35.020 evacuation of the International Space Station 14 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.060 uh, due to ill health. We'll see if we can 15 00:00:38.220 --> 00:00:39.940 get uh, some news on that because that's 16 00:00:39.940 --> 00:00:42.150 actually happening as Fred and I are uh, 17 00:00:42.150 --> 00:00:44.700 recording today. That's all coming up 18 00:00:44.940 --> 00:00:47.900 on this edition of Space Nuts. 15 19 00:00:48.060 --> 00:00:49.980 seconds. Guidance is internal. 20 00:00:50.220 --> 00:00:52.940 Voice Over Guy: 10, 9. Ignition 21 00:00:52.940 --> 00:00:55.706 sequence start. Space Nuts. 5, 4, 22 00:00:55.774 --> 00:00:58.766 3. 2. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 4, 23 00:00:58.834 --> 00:01:01.780 3, 2, 1. Space Nuts astronauts 24 00:01:01.780 --> 00:01:02.940 report it feels good. 25 00:01:03.880 --> 00:01:06.120 Andrew Dunkley: And he's back again to furnish us with his 26 00:01:06.120 --> 00:01:08.160 knowledge. He is Professor Fred Watson, 27 00:01:08.160 --> 00:01:09.960 Astronomer at large. Hello Fred. 28 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.520 Professor Fred Watson: Hello Andrew. I was just doing a quick 29 00:01:12.520 --> 00:01:14.800 calculation there for a number that I want to 30 00:01:14.800 --> 00:01:17.080 use um, later in the chat. 31 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.480 Andrew Dunkley: Now I need to apologise in advance because 32 00:01:21.750 --> 00:01:24.200 ah, they're working across the road and I 33 00:01:24.200 --> 00:01:26.840 think they're using uh, dynamite because 34 00:01:27.720 --> 00:01:30.680 it's pretty noisy um, but 35 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:33.040 hopefully it won't mess me up too much. I can 36 00:01:33.040 --> 00:01:34.400 hear it but I don't know if it's coming 37 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:36.620 through the system. It's got all sorts of 38 00:01:36.620 --> 00:01:39.540 filters but um, some things you can't stop. 39 00:01:40.350 --> 00:01:40.490 Professor Fred Watson: Um. 40 00:01:40.740 --> 00:01:42.740 Andrew Dunkley: Now Fred, I did want to actually mention a 41 00:01:42.740 --> 00:01:44.540 couple of things before we start on our 42 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:47.500 topics because uh, I meant to do this last 43 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:50.460 week for our first show back of the year just 44 00:01:50.460 --> 00:01:52.060 to highlight some of the things that are 45 00:01:52.060 --> 00:01:54.660 coming up in 2026 that we can look forward to 46 00:01:54.660 --> 00:01:56.420 and that you and I will probably talk about. 47 00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.900 The Artemis 2 launch is 48 00:01:59.900 --> 00:02:02.590 slated. Uh, whether or not it'll be delayed 49 00:02:02.590 --> 00:02:04.950 again remains to be seen. But um, that will 50 00:02:04.950 --> 00:02:07.390 see a crew doing a lap around the moon, 51 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:10.310 uh, and that'll be the first time humans have 52 00:02:10.310 --> 00:02:13.310 been back uh, in orbit around the moon 53 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:15.470 since the 70s which uh, is 54 00:02:15.870 --> 00:02:18.160 exciting and probably too long but um, 55 00:02:18.160 --> 00:02:20.790 that'll be good. Um, this one I know will 56 00:02:20.790 --> 00:02:23.550 excite you. The Grace Roman Space Telescope 57 00:02:23.550 --> 00:02:26.100 is going to be launched. That one um, 58 00:02:26.430 --> 00:02:29.430 is going to um, opened so many doors for 59 00:02:29.430 --> 00:02:31.990 us I suspect, um, the 60 00:02:31.990 --> 00:02:34.550 PLATO mission, uh, which will be searching 61 00:02:34.550 --> 00:02:36.630 for rocky planets. It'll uh, be doing a lot 62 00:02:36.630 --> 00:02:38.750 more than that. But that's one of the things 63 00:02:38.750 --> 00:02:41.480 that it's being set out to do. Uh, 64 00:02:41.480 --> 00:02:43.710 China is to launch its own space 65 00:02:43.950 --> 00:02:46.910 telescope as well, um, in the hunt 66 00:02:46.910 --> 00:02:48.670 for dark matter and dark energy. 67 00:02:49.870 --> 00:02:52.270 And there's another mission that's going to 68 00:02:52.270 --> 00:02:54.750 be studying uh, the moon and Mars. Well, 69 00:02:54.750 --> 00:02:56.750 several missions, not just one. Um, more 70 00:02:56.750 --> 00:02:58.910 Chinese and Japanese missions involved there. 71 00:02:59.310 --> 00:03:01.250 And I think this is one you and I have talked 72 00:03:01.250 --> 00:03:04.090 about before. The Smile mission, uh, which 73 00:03:04.090 --> 00:03:06.530 will be studying Earth's magnetic field and 74 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:08.180 how the sun interacts with our uh, 75 00:03:08.180 --> 00:03:11.170 atmosphere, uh, is um, due to be launched 76 00:03:11.170 --> 00:03:12.770 this year as well. I'm sure there's a lot 77 00:03:12.770 --> 00:03:14.450 more going on than that, but there's some of 78 00:03:14.450 --> 00:03:17.420 the highlights of 2026 so 79 00:03:17.420 --> 00:03:19.250 uh, we'll have a lot to talk about. 80 00:03:19.250 --> 00:03:21.770 Professor Fred Watson: Fred, could I add a couple more as well? 81 00:03:21.770 --> 00:03:22.570 Andrew Dunkley: Oh, go for it. 82 00:03:23.460 --> 00:03:25.890 Professor Fred Watson: Um, we've just uh, heard that the Pandora 83 00:03:25.890 --> 00:03:28.450 spacecraft has entered orbit, uh, which I 84 00:03:28.450 --> 00:03:31.130 think is a spacecraft, uh, again looking 85 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:34.270 um, looking at exoplanets to try 86 00:03:34.270 --> 00:03:36.630 and sort of tell us a bit more about how 87 00:03:36.630 --> 00:03:39.300 their atmospheres might reveal stuff. Um, 88 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:42.070 China has just filed for 200,000 89 00:03:42.630 --> 00:03:44.750 satellites constellation with the 90 00:03:44.750 --> 00:03:47.470 International Telecommunications Union which 91 00:03:47.470 --> 00:03:50.070 is. Yeah, yeah, well it's not the biggest 92 00:03:50.070 --> 00:03:52.190 yet. The biggest was back in 2020 when the 93 00:03:52.190 --> 00:03:54.830 Rwandan government filed for over 94 00:03:54.830 --> 00:03:57.630 300,000. Um, uh, since then 95 00:03:57.630 --> 00:03:59.790 they've launched one cubesat, I think. So, 96 00:03:59.790 --> 00:04:02.550 um, that looked like a filing that 97 00:04:03.970 --> 00:04:05.930 getting your foot in the door. Uh, and just 98 00:04:05.930 --> 00:04:08.610 turning to nature. We've got some interesting 99 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:11.090 events coming up. Uh, March 3rd, total 100 00:04:11.090 --> 00:04:13.730 eclipse of the Moon visible certainly from 101 00:04:13.730 --> 00:04:16.290 our hemisphere in Australia, not sure about 102 00:04:16.290 --> 00:04:18.220 North America and Europe. Um, 103 00:04:18.930 --> 00:04:21.450 there's uh, towards the end of the year and 104 00:04:21.450 --> 00:04:24.010 this will happen twice, uh, which is great 105 00:04:24.010 --> 00:04:26.050 cause you can see it on different sides of 106 00:04:26.050 --> 00:04:28.890 the Earth. I think it's October, sometime in 107 00:04:28.890 --> 00:04:31.200 October and sometime in November there will 108 00:04:31.200 --> 00:04:34.080 be an occultation of the planet Jupiter by 109 00:04:34.080 --> 00:04:35.800 the Moon. That means the moon will pass in 110 00:04:35.800 --> 00:04:38.000 front of Jupiter and certainly for us in 111 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:40.320 November here in Australia it will be during 112 00:04:40.320 --> 00:04:42.400 the daytime. So get your binoculars out 113 00:04:42.400 --> 00:04:44.080 during the daytime, check out the moon and 114 00:04:44.080 --> 00:04:46.280 watch for Jupiter disappearing. 115 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:49.720 Andrew Dunkley: Oh, that'll be good. Yeah, 116 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:50.960 that'd be a good one for a backyard 117 00:04:50.960 --> 00:04:51.960 telescope, wouldn't it? 118 00:04:51.960 --> 00:04:53.640 Professor Fred Watson: Absolutely perfect, yes. 119 00:04:54.520 --> 00:04:57.500 Andrew Dunkley: Awesome. Um, I had my 120 00:04:57.500 --> 00:05:00.020 6 year old granddaughter here uh, the other 121 00:05:00.020 --> 00:05:02.900 day and uh, the moon was, was out in the 122 00:05:02.900 --> 00:05:05.740 east and um, it was still daytime but it was 123 00:05:05.740 --> 00:05:07.860 pretty prominent. So I grabbed the telescope 124 00:05:07.860 --> 00:05:10.500 and gave her a look and uh, I tried to 125 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:12.540 explain to her what craters were and 126 00:05:13.340 --> 00:05:14.980 she struggled with the concept. But she 127 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:17.240 eventually I think figured it out. But uh, 128 00:05:17.240 --> 00:05:19.300 yeah, took a couple of photos of her looking 129 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:20.860 through the telescope. She was very excited 130 00:05:22.060 --> 00:05:23.060 which she sent to me. 131 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:25.220 Professor Fred Watson: It was uh, lovely to see them, Andrew. Yeah, 132 00:05:25.220 --> 00:05:27.540 yeah, lovely, lovely shots. A youngster 133 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:29.480 looking through a telescop with granddad in 134 00:05:29.480 --> 00:05:31.400 the background is great. Yeah, yeah. 135 00:05:31.860 --> 00:05:34.560 Andrew Dunkley: Uh, she's got blonde hair and blue eyes and 136 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:36.760 her brothers and sisters are all brown haired 137 00:05:36.760 --> 00:05:38.840 and brown eyed. So. Okay, 138 00:05:39.480 --> 00:05:41.720 she, she seems to have picked up Judy's side 139 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:44.360 of the family genes because Judy's blondie, 140 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:47.240 blonde with blue eyes. But um, she's the only 141 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.520 one in the, in the family that's, that's gone 142 00:05:49.520 --> 00:05:52.360 that, that way. It happens though, doesn't 143 00:05:52.360 --> 00:05:53.320 it? It's just the way it is. 144 00:05:53.320 --> 00:05:53.640 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah. 145 00:05:53.640 --> 00:05:54.520 Andrew Dunkley: That's DNA. 146 00:05:55.220 --> 00:05:58.180 Um, okay Fred, uh, 147 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:00.320 let's get stuck into it because uh, we're 148 00:06:00.320 --> 00:06:03.240 heading off to Mars and we're 149 00:06:03.240 --> 00:06:06.000 doing this because of a study that's just 150 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:08.840 been published. Uh, in fact in the 151 00:06:08.840 --> 00:06:11.740 last week, uh, or two about uh, 152 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.160 observations of Mars that suggest 153 00:06:14.880 --> 00:06:17.840 that its oceans were once vast. Now 154 00:06:17.840 --> 00:06:19.680 we always knew there was probably surface 155 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:22.280 water but we didn't really know whether they 156 00:06:22.280 --> 00:06:25.120 were, you know, pockets or separate 157 00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:28.060 oceans or what. But now they're thinking 158 00:06:28.540 --> 00:06:29.980 the oceans might have been 159 00:06:31.020 --> 00:06:31.820 enormous. 160 00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:35.580 Professor Fred Watson: Uh, yes, that's right. And I mean, you know, 161 00:06:36.540 --> 00:06:39.420 we revisit this story probably on average 162 00:06:39.420 --> 00:06:42.260 once every month or two. Uh, the 163 00:06:42.260 --> 00:06:44.940 last time we covered this, and I 164 00:06:45.100 --> 00:06:47.140 wrote it up actually in um, an Australian 165 00:06:47.140 --> 00:06:49.740 Geographic article, um, not that I did the 166 00:06:49.740 --> 00:06:51.500 research, but this is other people's research 167 00:06:51.660 --> 00:06:54.180 and that was pointing in the same direction. 168 00:06:54.180 --> 00:06:56.820 Andrew. It was um, a group that looked at the 169 00:06:56.820 --> 00:06:59.800 way um, rivers, ancient rivers on Mars, uh, 170 00:07:00.120 --> 00:07:02.600 meandered, uh, because you can learn 171 00:07:02.600 --> 00:07:05.560 something from the meandering about the 172 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:07.720 size of the body of water that they're 173 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:10.560 emptying into. And they came to the same 174 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:13.320 conclusion. The river meanders tell you that 175 00:07:13.320 --> 00:07:15.360 there was a large body of water at the end of 176 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:17.840 it at the mouth of these rivers, uh, rather 177 00:07:17.840 --> 00:07:20.040 than just a few puddles or a few lakes and 178 00:07:20.040 --> 00:07:22.660 things of that sort. Uh, and this new piece 179 00:07:22.660 --> 00:07:25.480 uh, of work, um, whilst it's a different, 180 00:07:25.700 --> 00:07:28.120 uh, you know, it's got a different emphasis, 181 00:07:28.540 --> 00:07:31.480 comes up with exactly the same answer. Uh, 182 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:34.180 and it's scientists uh, who have looked uh, 183 00:07:34.460 --> 00:07:37.260 at the, I remember rightly there in 184 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:40.380 uh, in Switzerland. Yeah, University of Bern, 185 00:07:40.680 --> 00:07:42.980 uh, it's scientists who've looked at the 186 00:07:42.980 --> 00:07:44.940 region around Valles, uh, 187 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.940 Marineris, you know, that great huge 188 00:07:49.260 --> 00:07:51.940 chasm in the, uh, in the surface of 189 00:07:51.940 --> 00:07:54.740 Mars. Near Mars's equator. Uh, something that 190 00:07:54.740 --> 00:07:57.060 makes the Grand Canyon look like a bit of a 191 00:07:57.060 --> 00:07:59.260 scratch on the, on the surface of the Earth. 192 00:07:59.260 --> 00:08:01.640 Andrew Dunkley: Yeah. Is it right that the Grand Canyon would 193 00:08:01.640 --> 00:08:03.560 fit into one of its tributaries or something? 194 00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:05.960 Professor Fred Watson: That's right. I think that's correct, yeah. 195 00:08:05.960 --> 00:08:06.420 Andrew Dunkley: Amazing. 196 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:08.200 Professor Fred Watson: Um, so they've been looking in that region 197 00:08:08.440 --> 00:08:10.920 and certainly on the northern side and the 198 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:13.800 northern flanks there are valleys that 199 00:08:14.020 --> 00:08:17.000 um, sort of open out onto the plains of Mars. 200 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:20.000 Because that uh, Valles Marineris is kind 201 00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:22.440 of right at the start of the highland areas 202 00:08:22.600 --> 00:08:24.800 of the southern hemisphere of Mars. Mars has 203 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:26.760 got this dichotomy. The northern hemisphere 204 00:08:26.760 --> 00:08:29.680 is flat and low, southern hemisphere 3km 205 00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:31.680 higher on average, full of craters, mountains 206 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:34.320 and all around rest of it. Uh, so um, uh, 207 00:08:34.380 --> 00:08:36.500 um, what they've done is they've looked at 208 00:08:37.380 --> 00:08:39.820 regions, uh, where, you know, where there's 209 00:08:39.820 --> 00:08:42.500 this transition from the mountainous 210 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:44.980 highlands of the south to the 211 00:08:44.980 --> 00:08:47.900 lowlands of the north. And they've looked 212 00:08:47.900 --> 00:08:50.420 very carefully at uh, data from 213 00:08:50.880 --> 00:08:53.780 uh, several orbiting spacecraft, um, I 214 00:08:53.780 --> 00:08:56.100 guess Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is one and 215 00:08:56.100 --> 00:08:58.960 some of the other ones, um, actually even um, 216 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.658 uh, um, ESO's 217 00:09:01.862 --> 00:09:04.830 ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. So, uh, 218 00:09:04.830 --> 00:09:07.440 Mars Express, another ESA, sorry, not ESO, 219 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:10.000 ESA, uh, European Space Agency, Another 220 00:09:10.300 --> 00:09:13.000 um, uh, uh, orbiting spacecraft. They've 221 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.960 taken the data from these, looked 222 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:18.240 at the height, the 223 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:20.520 topography and looked at the 224 00:09:20.520 --> 00:09:22.560 geomorphology. Let me get it right. 225 00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:24.050 Geomorphological, um, 226 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:27.600 um, features that they can find. 227 00:09:28.320 --> 00:09:30.400 What have they spotted? They've spotted, 228 00:09:30.740 --> 00:09:33.230 ah, a whole succession of 229 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:36.070 ancient river deltas, um, this 230 00:09:36.070 --> 00:09:38.830 is to say regions where a river mouth 231 00:09:38.830 --> 00:09:41.670 opened into what they're calling now 232 00:09:41.670 --> 00:09:44.630 an ocean, uh, and deposited 233 00:09:45.140 --> 00:09:47.470 um, its sediments. The sediments out of the 234 00:09:47.470 --> 00:09:49.710 river fall down to the floor, uh, of the 235 00:09:49.710 --> 00:09:52.710 ocean and build up basically 236 00:09:52.790 --> 00:09:55.470 a rock form, uh, which is preserved today. 237 00:09:55.470 --> 00:09:57.590 It's a kind of fossilized river delta. 238 00:09:57.590 --> 00:10:00.150 There's something similar going on, uh, as 239 00:10:00.150 --> 00:10:01.870 you and I have spoken about many times at 240 00:10:01.870 --> 00:10:04.110 Jezero Crater, which is why, um, 241 00:10:04.450 --> 00:10:06.290 perseverance is there, because there's a 242 00:10:06.450 --> 00:10:08.690 river delta there. But I think these are on a 243 00:10:08.690 --> 00:10:11.530 much larger scale. And um, the 244 00:10:11.530 --> 00:10:14.050 great thing is that when you look at them, 245 00:10:15.010 --> 00:10:17.890 they sort of define a shoreline, 246 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:21.370 um, because these are all occurring 247 00:10:21.370 --> 00:10:24.290 at the same topographical height in 248 00:10:24.290 --> 00:10:26.730 Mars's geography. And so they 249 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:29.570 basically uh, define a shoreline. And that 250 00:10:29.570 --> 00:10:32.570 shoreline tells you that um, there would have 251 00:10:32.570 --> 00:10:35.270 been a lot of water in Mars's northern 252 00:10:35.270 --> 00:10:37.470 hemisphere for the water level to reach the 253 00:10:37.470 --> 00:10:39.950 height that we find those deltas at. 254 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:43.270 Uh, so really? Yeah, really nice piece 255 00:10:43.270 --> 00:10:45.950 of Work, uh, done with characteristic 256 00:10:45.950 --> 00:10:48.390 Swiss precision, I think. Uh, that's been 257 00:10:48.390 --> 00:10:50.590 widely reported. Um, there's several 258 00:10:50.670 --> 00:10:53.660 articles, uh, on the science news feeds, 259 00:10:53.660 --> 00:10:56.470 um, which basically support this idea. 260 00:10:56.470 --> 00:10:58.990 Very nice piece of research indeed. 261 00:10:59.790 --> 00:11:02.710 Andrew Dunkley: And they think it was as big as 262 00:11:02.710 --> 00:11:05.070 the Arctic Ocean on Earth, just by 263 00:11:05.070 --> 00:11:07.250 comparison. And how big as the Arctic Ocean? 264 00:11:07.250 --> 00:11:09.930 It's 14 million square kilometers or 265 00:11:10.410 --> 00:11:12.410 five and a half million square miles 266 00:11:13.130 --> 00:11:16.090 big, uh, in size. So that's a lot of 267 00:11:16.090 --> 00:11:18.410 water on Mars and uh, a lot of it's still 268 00:11:18.410 --> 00:11:19.130 there, Fred. 269 00:11:19.530 --> 00:11:21.690 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah, that's right. We um, know from 270 00:11:21.930 --> 00:11:23.570 particularly, uh, the Phoenix mission that 271 00:11:23.570 --> 00:11:25.210 just scraped the surface in the Martian 272 00:11:25.210 --> 00:11:27.170 Arctic and sure enough there was permafrost 273 00:11:27.170 --> 00:11:29.610 underneath. So a lot of it's still there. 274 00:11:29.610 --> 00:11:32.250 There's still water locked up in the two ice 275 00:11:32.250 --> 00:11:34.960 caps of Mars. Um, but probably 276 00:11:34.960 --> 00:11:36.640 not. Well, I don't know. It's actually really 277 00:11:36.640 --> 00:11:38.520 interesting. I do remember reading quite some 278 00:11:38.520 --> 00:11:40.760 time ago that if you thawed out even just the 279 00:11:40.760 --> 00:11:43.560 Antarctic ice cap of Mars, you'd cover the 280 00:11:43.560 --> 00:11:45.840 whole planet to a depth of several meters. 281 00:11:46.420 --> 00:11:49.120 Um, now whether that still holds good with 282 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:51.200 what we've discovered since then, that was 283 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:52.800 quite an old, I think that was probably 20 284 00:11:52.800 --> 00:11:55.640 years, 15 years ago, so that that comment 285 00:11:55.640 --> 00:11:57.520 was made. It would be interesting to know how 286 00:11:57.520 --> 00:11:59.920 we evaluate that now. But I think it's still 287 00:11:59.920 --> 00:12:02.720 true, uh, that a lot of that water is still 288 00:12:02.720 --> 00:12:02.880 there. 289 00:12:02.880 --> 00:12:05.710 Andrew Dunkley: Ah, yeah, it is, uh, a 290 00:12:05.710 --> 00:12:06.750 fascinating story. 291 00:12:06.990 --> 00:12:07.950 Professor Fred Watson: Water means life. 292 00:12:08.990 --> 00:12:11.710 Andrew Dunkley: Well, yes, yes, we've said that many times. 293 00:12:11.710 --> 00:12:13.790 And you just don't know, do you? 294 00:12:13.870 --> 00:12:15.550 Professor Fred Watson: You don't. Yeah. 295 00:12:15.550 --> 00:12:17.790 Andrew Dunkley: Although the, uh, the mission to retrieve 296 00:12:17.790 --> 00:12:20.750 those um, cylinders that contain 297 00:12:21.230 --> 00:12:22.750 potential evidence of that. 298 00:12:22.750 --> 00:12:23.270 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah. 299 00:12:23.270 --> 00:12:26.150 Andrew Dunkley: Has been scotched. So it's just going to sit 300 00:12:26.150 --> 00:12:28.910 in abeyance for um, an 301 00:12:28.910 --> 00:12:29.870 indefinite period. 302 00:12:30.030 --> 00:12:32.030 Professor Fred Watson: So, yeah, I think, um, 303 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:35.950 so this is news that, um, the Senate have 304 00:12:35.950 --> 00:12:38.800 um, basically agreed with the White House in 305 00:12:38.800 --> 00:12:41.240 saying that um, the Mars Sample Return 306 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:44.150 Mission, uh, should be canceled. Uh, 307 00:12:44.150 --> 00:12:46.120 and so that will probably go through. It's 308 00:12:46.120 --> 00:12:48.840 not been voted on yet, I don't think. Um, 309 00:12:49.160 --> 00:12:51.280 and so that means, yes, we've got these 310 00:12:51.280 --> 00:12:53.880 canisters on Mars, uh, carefully dropped by 311 00:12:53.880 --> 00:12:56.200 perseverance, uh, but 312 00:12:56.680 --> 00:12:59.640 with a joint European Space Agency NASA 313 00:12:59.880 --> 00:13:02.840 mission to retrieve them, uh, which, whose 314 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:05.300 cost has blown out. Uh, we've talked about 315 00:13:05.300 --> 00:13:07.980 this before, uh, and not perhaps 316 00:13:07.980 --> 00:13:10.100 surprising that it's now had a line drawn 317 00:13:10.100 --> 00:13:12.940 under it. Now that's bad 318 00:13:12.940 --> 00:13:15.100 news because we really would like to get hold 319 00:13:15.100 --> 00:13:16.500 of these samples. There's one in particular 320 00:13:16.660 --> 00:13:18.740 that may contain actually fossilized 321 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:21.440 microbes. Uh, you know, um, 322 00:13:21.540 --> 00:13:24.300 so it's um, there's uh, every keenness to do 323 00:13:24.300 --> 00:13:27.260 that. Um, um, and I think it 324 00:13:27.260 --> 00:13:30.140 will. There'll certainly be a revisiting 325 00:13:30.140 --> 00:13:33.100 of this idea. Esa, I think, is still going 326 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:34.780 ahead with their half of the bargain. Which 327 00:13:34.780 --> 00:13:36.880 was, I think, to build the orbiter which 328 00:13:36.880 --> 00:13:38.920 would actually bring the samples back to 329 00:13:38.920 --> 00:13:41.360 Mars. NASA's part was gathering them up on 330 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:43.160 the surface and sending them up to orbit 331 00:13:43.160 --> 00:13:45.840 around Mars. Uh, so, you know, 332 00:13:46.420 --> 00:13:49.400 uh, it's bad news. There's a bright side to 333 00:13:49.400 --> 00:13:51.200 it though, in that the money that's being 334 00:13:51.200 --> 00:13:52.800 saved will probably go to some of the other 335 00:13:52.800 --> 00:13:54.960 missions that are being planned. 336 00:13:55.840 --> 00:13:57.960 Name your favorite planet. You might get some 337 00:13:57.960 --> 00:13:59.800 good news out of this. I know your favorite 338 00:13:59.800 --> 00:14:02.480 and probably mine too, is Mars. Uh, but, 339 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:05.480 um, anyway, we'll see what happens. I 340 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:07.760 wouldn't write, uh, the Mars sample return 341 00:14:08.060 --> 00:14:10.580 off altogether in my flights of 342 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:12.780 fantasy. Last night, while my, 343 00:14:12.900 --> 00:14:15.740 uh, respiratory tract infection was 344 00:14:15.820 --> 00:14:18.220 making me cough all night, I was thinking 345 00:14:18.460 --> 00:14:20.860 maybe the Chinese could bring them back 346 00:14:21.740 --> 00:14:23.180 because I think they're planning a sample 347 00:14:23.180 --> 00:14:26.100 return mission as well. So maybe we do a deal 348 00:14:26.100 --> 00:14:28.220 there. Which would be fabulous international 349 00:14:28.380 --> 00:14:29.100 cooperation. 350 00:14:29.340 --> 00:14:31.180 Andrew Dunkley: It would. It would indeed. Of course, we 351 00:14:31.180 --> 00:14:33.460 could always start the conspiracy and say, 352 00:14:33.460 --> 00:14:35.140 what does NASA and the US Government know 353 00:14:35.140 --> 00:14:36.220 that they're not telling us? 354 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:39.920 Hence no return. Yeah, yeah. 355 00:14:39.920 --> 00:14:42.320 Professor Fred Watson: Be careful what you, what you say, Andrew. 356 00:14:42.480 --> 00:14:45.430 Andrew Dunkley: No, look, I'm just kidding around, but, uh, 357 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:48.320 it's just money, isn't it? That's, that's the 358 00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:48.560 thing. 359 00:14:48.560 --> 00:14:50.360 Professor Fred Watson: It's all about money. That's right. It's not 360 00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:52.320 about finding something with legs that you 361 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:54.080 don't want anybody to know about. 362 00:14:55.520 --> 00:14:57.280 Andrew Dunkley: Yes, that's been done in a lot of science 363 00:14:57.280 --> 00:14:57.920 fiction films. 364 00:14:57.920 --> 00:14:59.340 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah, it has. And um. 365 00:14:59.340 --> 00:15:02.280 Andrew Dunkley: Yes, all right. Great story about 366 00:15:02.280 --> 00:15:04.280 the oceans of Mars though. If you'd like to 367 00:15:04.280 --> 00:15:06.440 check it out, it's on the Phys p h y 368 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.380 s.org website. Or you can read the 369 00:15:09.380 --> 00:15:11.100 paper that's been published in the journal 370 00:15:11.260 --> 00:15:13.740 NPJ Space Exploration. 371 00:15:14.140 --> 00:15:16.300 This is Space Nuts with Andrew Dunkley and 372 00:15:16.300 --> 00:15:17.660 Professor Fred Watson. 373 00:15:20.380 --> 00:15:21.780 Roger, in your labs right here. 374 00:15:21.780 --> 00:15:24.540 Also Space Nuts to our 375 00:15:24.540 --> 00:15:27.500 next story, Fred. And this 376 00:15:27.580 --> 00:15:29.940 is, uh, a really good one for a couple of 377 00:15:29.940 --> 00:15:31.740 reasons. It's something we haven't seen 378 00:15:31.740 --> 00:15:34.560 before, but it also involves the, uh, 379 00:15:34.560 --> 00:15:36.600 Rubin Observatory, which, um, 380 00:15:37.580 --> 00:15:40.400 has already, uh, done things that, 381 00:15:40.400 --> 00:15:43.270 uh, other observatories have not been able 382 00:15:43.270 --> 00:15:45.630 to do and promises to do so much more. 383 00:15:46.030 --> 00:15:48.670 This is the fastest spinning asteroid yet 384 00:15:48.670 --> 00:15:50.990 discovered. And a couple of headlines I've 385 00:15:50.990 --> 00:15:53.630 read suggested why hasn't it thrown itself 386 00:15:54.030 --> 00:15:56.870 to pieces because of the speed at which it's 387 00:15:56.870 --> 00:15:59.870 rotating and 388 00:15:59.870 --> 00:16:02.270 the rate is rather high when you look at what 389 00:16:02.270 --> 00:16:04.110 the average asteroid does. 390 00:16:04.910 --> 00:16:07.870 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah, so it is a record breaker. 391 00:16:07.950 --> 00:16:10.750 It's the fastest spinning asteroid 392 00:16:10.970 --> 00:16:13.770 for its size. Uh, because I think 393 00:16:13.770 --> 00:16:16.090 smaller things can spin faster than this. 394 00:16:16.090 --> 00:16:19.090 It's uh, 710 meters long, nearly 395 00:16:19.090 --> 00:16:22.050 three quarters of a kilometer. Uh, so 396 00:16:22.050 --> 00:16:24.930 it's not a small asteroid at all. This 397 00:16:24.930 --> 00:16:27.770 is quite a large one. Uh, and 398 00:16:27.930 --> 00:16:30.730 it spins at the rate of one rotation 399 00:16:30.890 --> 00:16:33.290 every one minute 53 400 00:16:33.290 --> 00:16:36.290 seconds. So that 401 00:16:36.290 --> 00:16:38.930 is one heck of a spin. So that's its day 402 00:16:38.930 --> 00:16:41.170 length, Andrew. If you were standing on it, 403 00:16:41.170 --> 00:16:43.590 your day will be 1 minute 53 seconds. Seconds 404 00:16:43.990 --> 00:16:46.980 night and day, not 24 hours. Um, 405 00:16:47.430 --> 00:16:49.990 but uh, you're absolutely right. I think it's 406 00:16:49.990 --> 00:16:52.110 interesting for two reasons. One is exactly 407 00:16:52.110 --> 00:16:55.110 as you've said. It underlines, uh, just 408 00:16:55.110 --> 00:16:57.870 how powerful the Rubin Observatory is going 409 00:16:57.870 --> 00:17:00.630 to be. The observations of 410 00:17:00.630 --> 00:17:03.550 this object were made during the 411 00:17:03.550 --> 00:17:05.230 sort of commissioning period for the 412 00:17:05.230 --> 00:17:07.350 telescope's instruments, which was earlier 413 00:17:07.750 --> 00:17:10.750 last year, April and May 2025. Uh, 414 00:17:10.950 --> 00:17:13.630 and um, that you know, that um, 415 00:17:13.930 --> 00:17:15.490 as you probably remember, I think they 416 00:17:15.490 --> 00:17:18.170 released uh, uh, information saying they got. 417 00:17:18.170 --> 00:17:19.730 They discovered more than a thousand 418 00:17:19.730 --> 00:17:22.650 asteroids in 10 hours of observing, which is 419 00:17:22.650 --> 00:17:25.130 pretty fantastic. Uh, the telescope's 420 00:17:25.130 --> 00:17:27.290 capabilities will allow it to survey the 421 00:17:27.290 --> 00:17:29.930 entire southern sky every three 422 00:17:29.930 --> 00:17:32.370 nights, uh, with an eight meter class 423 00:17:32.370 --> 00:17:34.890 telescope. That is an astonishing achievement 424 00:17:34.890 --> 00:17:37.570 and we. 425 00:17:37.570 --> 00:17:39.690 Andrew Dunkley: Must find something incredible. 426 00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:42.800 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah, we will. Yeah, there's going to be all 427 00:17:42.800 --> 00:17:44.560 kinds of things that come out of the 428 00:17:44.560 --> 00:17:46.670 woodwork. Uh, it's what we call, um, 429 00:17:47.570 --> 00:17:50.000 uh, sort of time sensitive astronomy or 430 00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:51.360 transient astronomy. You're looking for 431 00:17:51.360 --> 00:17:54.120 things that either move or change in the sky 432 00:17:54.120 --> 00:17:56.400 and it's going to be so good at finding them. 433 00:17:56.720 --> 00:17:59.480 And um. Yeah. So the real 434 00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:01.800 observing, uh, campaign, the Large 435 00:18:01.800 --> 00:18:04.400 Synoptic Survey, uh, will start 436 00:18:04.790 --> 00:18:07.560 uh, sometime this year, uh, sort of when 437 00:18:07.560 --> 00:18:10.240 they're ready to hit the go button. Uh, but I 438 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.060 think everybody at the Rubin is pretty happy 439 00:18:12.060 --> 00:18:14.460 with the way things are going. Um, and just 440 00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:17.340 to sort of highlight that, you know, 441 00:18:18.300 --> 00:18:21.020 it's a telescope with this kind of capability 442 00:18:21.100 --> 00:18:24.020 to make many observations over a short period 443 00:18:24.020 --> 00:18:26.860 of time of the same area of sky. That has 444 00:18:26.860 --> 00:18:29.780 allowed uh, the scientists to 445 00:18:29.780 --> 00:18:32.540 discover the very rapid rotation 446 00:18:32.700 --> 00:18:34.980 of this asteroid. Because what you have to 447 00:18:34.980 --> 00:18:37.620 produce, uh, to look at the way an asteroid 448 00:18:37.620 --> 00:18:39.300 rotates is what's called a light curve. You 449 00:18:39.300 --> 00:18:41.700 look at the way its brightness changes. Uh, 450 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:44.280 because most asteroids, asteroids are quite 451 00:18:44.280 --> 00:18:46.000 asymmetric. They're either shaped like a 452 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:48.840 potato or a dumbbell. Very, uh, few are 453 00:18:48.840 --> 00:18:51.560 anything remotely spherical. Um, uh, 454 00:18:51.560 --> 00:18:53.760 this particular one is I think Quite 455 00:18:53.760 --> 00:18:56.520 elongated. And so as it rotates, 456 00:18:56.980 --> 00:18:59.800 uh, different sides of it catch the 457 00:18:59.800 --> 00:19:01.680 sunlight and you get a variation in the light 458 00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:04.540 that we see from it. Uh, and so that uh, 459 00:19:04.540 --> 00:19:06.600 has allowed, because it's, you know, it's 460 00:19:06.600 --> 00:19:08.920 only 1 minute 53 seconds for one 461 00:19:09.080 --> 00:19:11.600 complete revolution that has allowed the 462 00:19:11.600 --> 00:19:14.360 scientists to determine that fact, 463 00:19:14.800 --> 00:19:17.180 um, to the asteroid itself. You're right, 464 00:19:17.180 --> 00:19:19.700 it's interesting. It rejoices in the name of 465 00:19:19.700 --> 00:19:22.220 2025 MN45, a 466 00:19:22.220 --> 00:19:25.060 classic asteroid name. Um, and 467 00:19:25.220 --> 00:19:27.780 it's in the main asteroid belt. That's 468 00:19:28.100 --> 00:19:31.020 a good place for it to be between uh, Jupiter 469 00:19:31.020 --> 00:19:33.220 and Mars, where most of the asteroids are. 470 00:19:33.700 --> 00:19:36.540 Uh, but um, its rotation 471 00:19:36.540 --> 00:19:39.060 is what highlights um, 472 00:19:39.300 --> 00:19:42.140 the unusual nature of it. Because as you and 473 00:19:42.140 --> 00:19:44.340 I have spoken about before, many asteroids 474 00:19:44.340 --> 00:19:46.980 are uh, basically what we call rubble piles. 475 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:49.380 They're just piles of debris which stick 476 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:52.300 together loosely under their own, 477 00:19:52.520 --> 00:19:55.020 uh, gravity. Um, little 478 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:57.940 uh, Dimorphos and Didymos, the 479 00:19:57.940 --> 00:20:00.700 two, uh, objects that NASA did the 480 00:20:00.700 --> 00:20:02.780 DART test on a few years ago, they are 481 00:20:02.780 --> 00:20:04.580 probably rubber piles. They've got the 482 00:20:04.580 --> 00:20:06.460 characteristic rubber pile shape, which is 483 00:20:06.460 --> 00:20:09.260 like two cones, um, uh, back to 484 00:20:09.260 --> 00:20:11.940 back. Uh, if it was a rubber 485 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:13.620 pile, it would have flown apart 486 00:20:14.490 --> 00:20:17.450 gazillions of years ago, uh, with 487 00:20:17.450 --> 00:20:19.930 that short period of rotation, 1 minute 488 00:20:20.090 --> 00:20:23.090 53 seconds. So, um, uh, and when 489 00:20:23.090 --> 00:20:25.370 you look at the size of it and 490 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:28.210 uh, interpret what the rotation means, it 491 00:20:28.210 --> 00:20:30.130 tells you it's probably made of absolutely 492 00:20:30.130 --> 00:20:32.570 solid rock. This is something that is 493 00:20:33.040 --> 00:20:35.570 um, going to be hard to pull apart, to 494 00:20:35.570 --> 00:20:38.450 rotate. For it to be that big rotate at that 495 00:20:38.450 --> 00:20:41.400 speed, it's got to be solid rock, um, 496 00:20:41.460 --> 00:20:43.800 um, making it uh, you know, in some ways even 497 00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:45.360 more interesting because we think the rubber 498 00:20:45.360 --> 00:20:47.340 piles are perhaps the more common uh, 499 00:20:47.480 --> 00:20:48.680 asteroids that we see. 500 00:20:49.240 --> 00:20:51.840 Andrew Dunkley: Do we, do we have any idea what would make it 501 00:20:51.840 --> 00:20:53.680 different, why it would be different? Is it a 502 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:56.200 piece of a destroyed planet Theia? 503 00:20:57.400 --> 00:20:59.920 Professor Fred Watson: Well, yeah, could be, uh, might be part of 504 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:02.790 Theia, the one that created the moon, uh, 505 00:21:03.400 --> 00:21:05.400 after, after it collided with the ah, Earth. 506 00:21:05.560 --> 00:21:08.240 It's more likely you're right. It's 507 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:11.150 probably, um, you know, maybe part of the 508 00:21:11.470 --> 00:21:14.350 outer mantle of what would have been 509 00:21:14.350 --> 00:21:17.270 a protoplanet. In the early solar 510 00:21:17.270 --> 00:21:19.390 system, these things were the building blocks 511 00:21:19.390 --> 00:21:21.310 of planets. They collided and sometimes they 512 00:21:21.310 --> 00:21:23.230 blasted each other apart, sometimes 513 00:21:24.190 --> 00:21:26.990 they stuck together to form what we see 514 00:21:26.990 --> 00:21:29.510 in the solar system today. Um, 515 00:21:29.630 --> 00:21:31.990 and I, uh, think some of the collisions that 516 00:21:31.990 --> 00:21:33.510 would have happened in the early solar 517 00:21:33.510 --> 00:21:36.470 system, uh, may well have set an 518 00:21:36.470 --> 00:21:38.510 object like this spinning very rapidly. In 519 00:21:38.510 --> 00:21:41.140 fact, it might have initially been 520 00:21:41.290 --> 00:21:43.130 spinning even more rapidly. Than it is now. 521 00:21:43.290 --> 00:21:45.250 Because we're looking at probably several 522 00:21:45.250 --> 00:21:47.930 billion years ago. When whatever 523 00:21:47.930 --> 00:21:50.690 happened to it happened. So, uh, an 524 00:21:50.690 --> 00:21:53.690 object of some interest. And, um, one 525 00:21:53.690 --> 00:21:56.530 that I'm sure will be studied, uh, in 526 00:21:56.530 --> 00:21:58.770 greater detail. We might want to know things 527 00:21:58.770 --> 00:22:01.410 like, um, the infrared signature of its 528 00:22:01.410 --> 00:22:03.890 surface. Which gives you an idea of what the 529 00:22:03.890 --> 00:22:05.610 surface is like, how rough it is, whether 530 00:22:05.610 --> 00:22:08.140 it's a. Whether it's a smooth 531 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.740 surface. What materials are likely to be, 532 00:22:11.090 --> 00:22:12.860 uh, found on its surface. That can all come 533 00:22:12.860 --> 00:22:15.260 from spectroscopy and also the science of 534 00:22:15.260 --> 00:22:17.500 polarimetry, which is what you look at to 535 00:22:17.500 --> 00:22:19.260 know whether something's highly reflective. 536 00:22:19.260 --> 00:22:22.020 Or rather rough and diffuse. So, 537 00:22:22.020 --> 00:22:24.340 yeah, m. I think there's lots to learn about, 538 00:22:24.530 --> 00:22:26.820 uh, 2025 MN45. 539 00:22:27.380 --> 00:22:30.380 Andrew Dunkley: Indeed. So it's in the asteroid 540 00:22:30.380 --> 00:22:32.500 belt between Mars and Jupiter. 541 00:22:32.670 --> 00:22:35.500 Um, people probably imagine 542 00:22:35.500 --> 00:22:38.020 that to be just a wall of roc. 543 00:22:38.800 --> 00:22:40.640 How do we get through it? But it's quite 544 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:41.680 sparse, isn't it? 545 00:22:41.920 --> 00:22:44.840 Professor Fred Watson: It is, yeah. Yeah. Uh, it's 546 00:22:44.840 --> 00:22:46.880 sparse enough that, um, uh, several 547 00:22:46.880 --> 00:22:48.440 spacecraft have actually gone through it 548 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:51.320 unscathed. Um, so, 549 00:22:51.320 --> 00:22:52.000 yes, it's. 550 00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:53.920 Andrew Dunkley: Well, I've never heard of a spacecraft 551 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:55.600 actually running into anything out there. 552 00:22:56.720 --> 00:22:58.360 Not that there have been that many that have 553 00:22:58.360 --> 00:22:59.040 gone through, but. 554 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:01.850 Professor Fred Watson: That's right. But, you know, as, um. 555 00:23:02.230 --> 00:23:05.040 Uh. Was it Douglas Adams. Space 556 00:23:05.040 --> 00:23:05.920 is big. Yes. 557 00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:06.560 Andrew Dunkley: Yes. 558 00:23:06.560 --> 00:23:08.440 Professor Fred Watson: You might think it's a long way down to the 559 00:23:08.440 --> 00:23:10.500 chemist at the corner of the street. But 560 00:23:10.980 --> 00:23:13.180 that's nothing compared with space. I think 561 00:23:13.180 --> 00:23:14.180 that was what he said. 562 00:23:16.100 --> 00:23:18.700 Andrew Dunkley: Yes, indeed. Uh, so if you would like to 563 00:23:18.700 --> 00:23:21.660 learn more about what the Vera C. Rubin 564 00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:23.820 Observatory has discovered, you can do 565 00:23:23.820 --> 00:23:26.620 that@the universitytoday.com website. 566 00:23:26.620 --> 00:23:28.300 Or you can read the paper in the 567 00:23:28.300 --> 00:23:31.220 Astrophysical Journal Letters. Which was, 568 00:23:31.340 --> 00:23:34.100 uh, only published on January 7th. So they're 569 00:23:34.100 --> 00:23:35.620 getting down to business early this year, 570 00:23:35.620 --> 00:23:36.100 aren't they? 571 00:23:36.260 --> 00:23:39.180 Professor Fred Watson: This is space nuts. Sorry. I was 572 00:23:39.180 --> 00:23:41.620 going to say, um, we always get a really 573 00:23:42.020 --> 00:23:44.300 good, um, crop of news stories at this time 574 00:23:44.300 --> 00:23:46.100 of year. Because it's right at the beginning 575 00:23:46.100 --> 00:23:48.700 of January that the American Astronomical 576 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:51.060 Society has its annual meeting. 577 00:23:52.260 --> 00:23:55.060 And, um, so there's always some great 578 00:23:55.060 --> 00:23:58.020 stories. So, you know, that's why it was, 579 00:23:58.020 --> 00:23:59.540 uh. You know, it was published last week. I'm 580 00:23:59.540 --> 00:24:00.460 sure that's actually. 581 00:24:00.460 --> 00:24:02.980 Andrew Dunkley: It's actually very clever because as someone 582 00:24:02.980 --> 00:24:05.940 who worked in the media for 40 years. And 583 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:09.380 had, um, to work a lot of Christmases and New 584 00:24:09.600 --> 00:24:12.280 Years, you quite often find you're 585 00:24:12.280 --> 00:24:14.640 struggling for stories because 586 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:16.880 everything's shut down. So you're not getting 587 00:24:16.880 --> 00:24:19.200 the information that you normally get. So 588 00:24:19.600 --> 00:24:22.080 to actually be in a position to do stories 589 00:24:22.320 --> 00:24:25.030 like this at this time of year is 590 00:24:25.030 --> 00:24:28.000 um. Yeah, it's well 591 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:30.830 positioned, as we would say. M. Uh, 592 00:24:30.830 --> 00:24:33.730 you can read all about it, of course. And uh, 593 00:24:33.730 --> 00:24:36.360 we uh, will certainly be keeping a very close 594 00:24:36.360 --> 00:24:38.920 eye on what the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is 595 00:24:38.920 --> 00:24:39.920 going to be doing 596 00:24:40.770 --> 00:24:43.710 um, from now on because it's uh, 597 00:24:43.710 --> 00:24:46.200 it's, it's, it's all up and running and uh, 598 00:24:46.430 --> 00:24:49.430 already doing some remarkable things. This 599 00:24:49.430 --> 00:24:51.230 is Space Nuts with Andrew Dunkley and Fred 600 00:24:51.230 --> 00:24:51.790 Watson. 601 00:24:55.869 --> 00:24:58.510 Space Nuts. Now Fred, uh, by the time 602 00:24:58.750 --> 00:25:00.670 people hear us talking about this story, 603 00:25:00.670 --> 00:25:03.630 things will have uh, changed a bit. But 604 00:25:03.630 --> 00:25:06.510 as we speak, uh, we understand that 605 00:25:06.510 --> 00:25:08.910 the Crew Dragon spacecraft 606 00:25:09.760 --> 00:25:12.520 is docking at the International Space Station 607 00:25:12.520 --> 00:25:15.160 to do the first ever crew 608 00:25:15.160 --> 00:25:17.680 evacuation. Now, after 25 years, 609 00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.480 I'm surprised this is the first time this has 610 00:25:20.480 --> 00:25:22.280 happened. But uh, there's been a medical 611 00:25:22.280 --> 00:25:24.560 issue. They won't elaborate on who or what, 612 00:25:25.300 --> 00:25:27.440 uh, but it's gotta be serious if somebody's 613 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.440 um, if they're bringing the whole crew back. 614 00:25:29.600 --> 00:25:32.040 It's uh, a crew of four. There's seven on 615 00:25:32.040 --> 00:25:33.600 board at the moment. But they're bringing 616 00:25:33.600 --> 00:25:35.040 four back, correct? 617 00:25:35.040 --> 00:25:37.680 Professor Fred Watson: That's right. So, uh, there is a crew of 618 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:40.680 three uh, now. So as we speak, um, I 619 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:43.340 think they've probably undocked the crew 620 00:25:43.340 --> 00:25:45.180 Dragon spacecraft from the International 621 00:25:45.260 --> 00:25:46.980 Space Station. I think that happened an hour 622 00:25:46.980 --> 00:25:49.700 ago. And um, they 623 00:25:49.700 --> 00:25:52.700 will then re. Enter and bring the crew 624 00:25:52.700 --> 00:25:55.260 back in a pretty routine fashion, 625 00:25:55.600 --> 00:25:58.540 uh, landing in a few hours from now. Um, so 626 00:25:58.540 --> 00:26:01.460 you're right, it's Crew 11, uh, 627 00:26:01.460 --> 00:26:03.750 the SpaceX, um, 628 00:26:04.300 --> 00:26:06.140 what's called the SpaceX Crew 11 because 629 00:26:06.140 --> 00:26:07.700 they're the ones that go up and down in the 630 00:26:07.700 --> 00:26:10.460 crew Dragon, uh, rather than the Soyuts, 631 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:12.180 which is the space vehicle that will bring 632 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:14.720 the other uh, the remaining three astronauts 633 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:17.720 down when their time comes to an end. Uh, 634 00:26:17.720 --> 00:26:19.840 you're right. It's a medical evacuation that 635 00:26:19.840 --> 00:26:22.640 Crew, Crew 11 consists of, um, if I 636 00:26:22.640 --> 00:26:25.490 remember rightly, two NASA, uh, uh, 637 00:26:25.490 --> 00:26:27.920 astronauts, one Russian 638 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:30.520 cosmonaut and uh, a Japanese 639 00:26:31.070 --> 00:26:33.680 uh, astronaut as well. Uh, so they're coming 640 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:36.440 home, uh, they're coming home something like 641 00:26:36.440 --> 00:26:39.120 a month early. And we are told as 642 00:26:39.120 --> 00:26:41.000 exactly as you've said that this is because 643 00:26:41.000 --> 00:26:43.710 of a medical issue which apparently is not 644 00:26:43.810 --> 00:26:46.710 uh, an emergency. It's not urgent, but it's 645 00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:48.630 thought to be something that is going to be 646 00:26:48.630 --> 00:26:51.630 much better dealt with on Earth. Uh, we don't 647 00:26:51.630 --> 00:26:54.030 know which of the astronauts has the issue. 648 00:26:54.650 --> 00:26:57.030 Um, I saw a picture of them posed just before 649 00:26:57.030 --> 00:26:58.990 they evacuated the spacecraft, 650 00:26:59.430 --> 00:27:02.350 uh, um, last night and they all looked 651 00:27:02.350 --> 00:27:05.230 fairly cheerful, uh, but um, so 652 00:27:05.230 --> 00:27:07.070 you know, uh, you can't really read 653 00:27:09.630 --> 00:27:11.510 from people's faces how they're feeling. Um, 654 00:27:12.410 --> 00:27:13.970 which is just as well because I feel pretty 655 00:27:13.970 --> 00:27:16.730 crook at the moment. So 656 00:27:16.970 --> 00:27:19.210 that's uh, because of my uh, uh, upper 657 00:27:19.690 --> 00:27:21.730 respiratory tract infection. Sorry to keep 658 00:27:21.730 --> 00:27:23.570 harping on about it. Anyway, going back to 659 00:27:23.570 --> 00:27:26.530 the more important story, Andrew. Well it's 660 00:27:26.530 --> 00:27:27.170 a good thing you're not. 661 00:27:27.170 --> 00:27:29.010 Andrew Dunkley: In the International Space Station feeling 662 00:27:29.010 --> 00:27:29.450 like that. 663 00:27:29.450 --> 00:27:31.290 Professor Fred Watson: Well, that's right, I, you'd have the same 664 00:27:31.290 --> 00:27:33.760 thing too. Uh, so, yeah, so, 665 00:27:33.760 --> 00:27:36.290 um, interesting. Uh, but your comment's well 666 00:27:36.290 --> 00:27:38.330 made. You know the fact that it's the first 667 00:27:38.330 --> 00:27:40.730 time in the 25 year history 668 00:27:41.290 --> 00:27:44.000 of the ISS, of the 669 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:46.880 ISS being permanently occupied, 670 00:27:47.360 --> 00:27:49.960 um, the first time this has happened. And I 671 00:27:49.960 --> 00:27:52.360 think it was Jared Isaacman, the newly 672 00:27:52.360 --> 00:27:55.360 appointed NASA administrator, the boss of 673 00:27:55.600 --> 00:27:58.520 NASA, who made the comment. It might 674 00:27:58.520 --> 00:28:01.120 be somebody else but it is one of the 675 00:28:01.520 --> 00:28:04.240 high ups in NASA made the comment that 676 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:06.760 when they planned the ISS and they were 677 00:28:06.760 --> 00:28:09.240 working towards it, they expected that there 678 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:10.960 would be something like this happening every 679 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:13.840 three years. So they've done pretty well 680 00:28:13.840 --> 00:28:16.110 to get through 2015, five years without um, 681 00:28:16.110 --> 00:28:17.820 needing to bring people home because of a 682 00:28:17.820 --> 00:28:19.580 medical issue. Yeah. 683 00:28:20.620 --> 00:28:22.460 Andrew Dunkley: While you've been talking Fred, I've just 684 00:28:22.460 --> 00:28:24.740 been looking online to see where things are 685 00:28:24.740 --> 00:28:27.660 up to and I've found a um, they did a live 686 00:28:27.740 --> 00:28:30.580 stream of the crew uh, Dragon docking at the 687 00:28:30.580 --> 00:28:32.620 International Space Station through 688 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:35.540 uh, I think it's NASA's YouTube Music 689 00:28:35.540 --> 00:28:38.420 channel and you can, you can 690 00:28:38.420 --> 00:28:40.620 actually log on and, and watch what happens 691 00:28:40.850 --> 00:28:43.850 and see the whole process. It's quite 692 00:28:43.850 --> 00:28:45.890 incredible what we can do now isn't it with 693 00:28:45.900 --> 00:28:48.570 um, live coverage from space as ah, things 694 00:28:48.570 --> 00:28:51.410 unfold. It's uh, a far cry 695 00:28:51.410 --> 00:28:54.010 from those times back in the 60s and 70s when 696 00:28:54.010 --> 00:28:55.850 we were looking at those really fuzzy black 697 00:28:55.850 --> 00:28:57.250 and white pictures off the moon. 698 00:28:59.090 --> 00:29:00.850 Professor Fred Watson: Which was miraculous in its day. 699 00:29:00.850 --> 00:29:02.850 Andrew Dunkley: Oh it was in itself, yes. Yes. 700 00:29:03.170 --> 00:29:03.650 Professor Fred Watson: Yeah. 701 00:29:04.530 --> 00:29:07.130 Andrew Dunkley: Actually I am watching Crew Dragon detach as 702 00:29:07.130 --> 00:29:07.570 we speak. 703 00:29:07.570 --> 00:29:08.010 Professor Fred Watson: Yes, that's right. 704 00:29:08.010 --> 00:29:10.720 Andrew Dunkley: So that happened probably 30 minutes ago, 705 00:29:10.720 --> 00:29:13.640 give or take our time. Yeah, 706 00:29:13.760 --> 00:29:16.200 um, it's, it's like a slow motion ballet 707 00:29:16.200 --> 00:29:18.360 isn't it? When they uh, things in 708 00:29:18.360 --> 00:29:19.720 spacecraft. 709 00:29:19.720 --> 00:29:22.040 Professor Fred Watson: Ah, yeah, well you don't want to bang into 710 00:29:22.040 --> 00:29:22.520 anything. 711 00:29:23.080 --> 00:29:25.640 Andrew Dunkley: Yeah. Anyway, I hope all is well with 712 00:29:25.800 --> 00:29:27.910 the uh, individual involved. I'm uh, 713 00:29:28.520 --> 00:29:30.840 I'm not sure we'll ever find out what exactly 714 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:33.480 the issue is. That's, that's subject to 715 00:29:33.480 --> 00:29:35.800 privacy from what I understand. But the fact 716 00:29:35.800 --> 00:29:38.800 that they've been able to go 717 00:29:38.800 --> 00:29:40.920 up there, get them, bring them back and deal 718 00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:43.760 with the problem is extraordinary 719 00:29:43.760 --> 00:29:46.480 because go back to the 70s when 720 00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:49.400 Skylab was in orbit. If someone got sick 721 00:29:49.400 --> 00:29:52.080 or injured in that situation, 722 00:29:52.800 --> 00:29:55.160 I don't know if we would have been able to do 723 00:29:55.160 --> 00:29:56.000 much in a hurry. 724 00:29:58.450 --> 00:30:00.640 Professor Fred Watson: Um, yeah, maybe not. I mean, there would have 725 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:03.440 been contingency plans in place. 726 00:30:04.560 --> 00:30:07.470 It's, um. I think 727 00:30:07.710 --> 00:30:09.150 some of the things that might have brought 728 00:30:09.150 --> 00:30:11.470 somebody home from Skylab might be things 729 00:30:11.470 --> 00:30:12.710 that could have been fixed on the 730 00:30:12.710 --> 00:30:14.590 International Space Station because there is 731 00:30:14.590 --> 00:30:17.310 quite a, you know, a fair, Fair amount of 732 00:30:17.310 --> 00:30:19.670 medical expertise up there and some of the 733 00:30:19.670 --> 00:30:21.069 kit. But you don't want people taking 734 00:30:21.069 --> 00:30:23.190 appendices out and things like that in space. 735 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:25.590 Andrew Dunkley: No, not really. You just have to wipe down 736 00:30:25.590 --> 00:30:27.710 the walls afterwards, and that's not fun. 737 00:30:28.510 --> 00:30:31.390 Although I should, um, counter it by saying 738 00:30:31.470 --> 00:30:33.910 we did recently have a situation where. Where 739 00:30:34.070 --> 00:30:36.190 a crew got stuck on the International Space 740 00:30:36.190 --> 00:30:39.030 Station for very unusual reasons due to, 741 00:30:39.190 --> 00:30:41.390 uh, incompatible spacesuits because of a 742 00:30:41.390 --> 00:30:43.830 failure in the Boeing Starliner. 743 00:30:44.230 --> 00:30:47.230 So, you know, that wasn't a quick 744 00:30:47.230 --> 00:30:49.150 rescue, that one, but it didn't involve 745 00:30:49.150 --> 00:30:51.630 illness or injury, so it wasn't as urgent. 746 00:30:51.630 --> 00:30:54.510 But, uh, sometimes it. It can be a 747 00:30:54.510 --> 00:30:57.310 slow process, but, um. Uh, yeah, but 748 00:30:57.310 --> 00:30:59.470 NASA's been very quick to point out that this 749 00:30:59.470 --> 00:31:01.590 has got nothing to do with an operational 750 00:31:01.670 --> 00:31:03.990 issue. It's, um. It's a personal issue. 751 00:31:03.990 --> 00:31:06.530 Nothing to do with an injury or accident on 752 00:31:06.530 --> 00:31:08.690 board. They want to make that pretty clear. 753 00:31:09.690 --> 00:31:11.810 Um, so, uh, yeah, we wish them well. They're 754 00:31:11.810 --> 00:31:13.530 on their way back as we speak. And by the 755 00:31:13.530 --> 00:31:16.450 time you hear this podcast, they will have 756 00:31:16.450 --> 00:31:17.650 returned, no doubt. 757 00:31:18.630 --> 00:31:21.330 Um, that's it, Fred. Gosh, we got through 758 00:31:21.330 --> 00:31:22.850 that in a mighty hurry, didn't we? 759 00:31:23.610 --> 00:31:26.530 Professor Fred Watson: Um, yes, I think 760 00:31:26.530 --> 00:31:29.170 we. We gave it due, due 761 00:31:29.170 --> 00:31:32.170 recognition. We've been talking for well over 762 00:31:32.170 --> 00:31:33.170 an hour, Andrew. 763 00:31:35.090 --> 00:31:35.730 Andrew Dunkley: Oh, have we? 764 00:31:37.810 --> 00:31:40.570 Doesn't feel like it, but no. Um. 765 00:31:42.290 --> 00:31:45.010 Professor Fred Watson: 38 minutes. I'm sorry. I'm misreading my 766 00:31:45.170 --> 00:31:46.130 clock. You're right. 767 00:31:46.130 --> 00:31:46.930 Andrew Dunkley: That's okay. 768 00:31:47.010 --> 00:31:48.530 Professor Fred Watson: Well, we got through that in a hurry. 769 00:31:49.010 --> 00:31:51.130 Andrew Dunkley: You're probably reading a Mars clock because 770 00:31:51.130 --> 00:31:53.890 we talked about it. It's going a bit 771 00:31:53.890 --> 00:31:56.810 faster. Um, now 772 00:31:56.810 --> 00:31:59.090 if you were to follow, uh, up those stories, 773 00:31:59.250 --> 00:32:00.850 I've told you where to go and look for them. 774 00:32:00.850 --> 00:32:03.770 But you, uh, can also read the show notes on 775 00:32:03.770 --> 00:32:06.430 our website, spacenutspodcast.more space 776 00:32:06.430 --> 00:32:09.230 nuts IO and while you're 777 00:32:09.230 --> 00:32:12.070 there, uh, you might like to, um, check out 778 00:32:12.070 --> 00:32:14.750 all the. All the tabs and, 779 00:32:15.050 --> 00:32:17.250 uh, links on our. On our website, the, uh, 780 00:32:17.350 --> 00:32:19.630 Astronomy Daily feed. You can subscribe for 781 00:32:19.630 --> 00:32:21.510 your daily dose of astronomy and space 782 00:32:21.510 --> 00:32:24.270 Science news. Uh, don't forget reviews. 783 00:32:24.270 --> 00:32:26.630 We really do appreciate your reviews. The 784 00:32:26.630 --> 00:32:29.630 more reviews, the more we get noticed. And 785 00:32:29.630 --> 00:32:31.150 the more we get noticed, the more people 786 00:32:31.150 --> 00:32:33.830 listen. And then, you know, we can buy 787 00:32:33.830 --> 00:32:35.550 ourselves an ice cream at the end of the day. 788 00:32:35.970 --> 00:32:38.730 Um, you can also send questions 789 00:32:38.730 --> 00:32:41.690 or comments in through the AMA link and 790 00:32:41.770 --> 00:32:43.610 so on and so forth. And don't forget to visit 791 00:32:43.610 --> 00:32:45.890 the Space Nuts shop. Uh, that's one thing 792 00:32:45.890 --> 00:32:48.810 that Huw, um, did some years ago 793 00:32:48.810 --> 00:32:51.110 and it's been very popular. All the, uh, 794 00:32:51.110 --> 00:32:53.370 Space Nuts memorabilia, if you, if you want 795 00:32:53.370 --> 00:32:54.930 to get hold of it. I've got, I've got my 796 00:32:54.930 --> 00:32:56.450 Space Nuts cup here somewhere. 797 00:32:56.450 --> 00:32:58.250 Professor Fred Watson: Here it is. Look. Look at this. 798 00:32:59.210 --> 00:32:59.850 Andrew Dunkley: There it is. 799 00:32:59.850 --> 00:33:01.530 Professor Fred Watson: I never got, I never got one of those. 800 00:33:02.650 --> 00:33:03.650 Andrew Dunkley: I, I'd buy. 801 00:33:03.650 --> 00:33:06.810 It's 802 00:33:06.810 --> 00:33:07.610 good. That's good. 803 00:33:07.850 --> 00:33:08.970 Professor Fred Watson: I'm too stingy. 804 00:33:09.830 --> 00:33:12.710 Andrew Dunkley: Got shirts. We've got hoodies, we've got, uh, 805 00:33:12.710 --> 00:33:15.230 all sorts of bits and bobs at the Space Nuts 806 00:33:15.230 --> 00:33:17.890 Shop, uh, at our website. Thank, uh, 807 00:33:18.150 --> 00:33:19.430 you, Fred. We'll leave it there. We'll catch 808 00:33:19.430 --> 00:33:20.550 you on the next episode. 809 00:33:21.030 --> 00:33:22.950 Professor Fred Watson: Look forward to it, Andrew. See you soon. 810 00:33:23.430 --> 00:33:25.669 Andrew Dunkley: Professor Fred Watson, astronomer at large. 811 00:33:25.669 --> 00:33:28.030 And thanks to Huw in the studio, who couldn't 812 00:33:28.030 --> 00:33:30.830 be with us today, had to be evacuated 813 00:33:30.830 --> 00:33:33.030 after attempting, uh, a Michael Jackson 814 00:33:33.030 --> 00:33:35.310 moonwalk. Not good at his age. 815 00:33:35.310 --> 00:33:35.670 Professor Fred Watson: No. 816 00:33:35.910 --> 00:33:37.630 Andrew Dunkley: And from me, Andrew Dunkley, thanks for your 817 00:33:37.630 --> 00:33:39.670 company. We'll catch you on the next episode 818 00:33:39.960 --> 00:33:41.160 of Space Nuts. 819 00:33:41.240 --> 00:33:41.600 Professor Fred Watson: Bye. 820 00:33:41.600 --> 00:33:44.520 Voice Over Guy: Bye. You've been listening to the 821 00:33:44.520 --> 00:33:45.880 Space Nuts podcast, 822 00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:50.280 available at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 823 00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:53.200 iHeartRadio or your favorite podcast 824 00:33:53.200 --> 00:33:54.920 player. You can also stream on 825 00:33:54.920 --> 00:33:57.880 demand at bitesz.com. This has been another 826 00:33:57.880 --> 00:33:59.960 quality podcast production from 827 00:33:59.960 --> 00:34:01.040 bitesz.com