Alien Intelligence Readiness, New Exoplanets Around L 98-59, and Innovative Mars Helicopters

0:00 Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily

0:03 dive into the cosmos. I'm Anna.

0:05 Avery: And I'm Avery. We're so glad you could join

0:07 us today for a look at the latest and

0:09 greatest in space and astronomy news.

0:11 Anna: We've got a packed show for you today

0:13 covering everything from how humanity is

0:16 preparing for potential first contact with

0:18 alien intelligence to a fascinating new

0:21 exoplanet system discovered around a red

0:24 dwarf star.

0:25 Avery: Plus, we'll tell you about Russia's latest

0:27 satellite launch aimed at understanding

0:29 Earth's space wither and the the truly wild

0:32 new helicopter mission concept for Mars.

0:35 Anna: It's going to be a captivating journey

0:38 through the universe. So buckle up and

0:40 let's get started with today's top stories.

0:43 All right, let's dive into a topic that has

0:46 captivated humanity for centuries.

0:49 The possibility of life beyond Earth.

0:52 Specifically, we're looking at what happens

0:55 after we discover extraterrestrial

0:57 intelligence.

0:58 Avery: Exactly. A fascinating new research paper

1:01 posted to the ARXIV Preprint server from M.

1:04 The University of St. Andrews tackles this

1:07 very question. It outlines how NASA and

1:09 the global scientific community should

1:12 prepare for the moment humanity detects signs

1:14 of alien intelligence.

1:16 Anna: This isn't just about finding simple

1:18 microbial life. This is about discovering

1:21 technological signatures from an alien

1:23 civilization. The paper, penned by 14

1:26 researchers from various institutions,

1:28 highlights that scientists such a detection

1:30 would trigger a, uh, complex global process

1:33 heavily influenced by uncertainty,

1:36 misinformation and diverse ideological

1:39 viewpoints. It would fundamentally reshape

1:41 our understanding of our place in the

1:43 universe.

1:44 Avery: And what's particularly striking is how

1:47 outdated previous preparation efforts are.

1:49 Early guidelines from 1989 predate the

1:52 Internet entirely. The researchers, led

1:55 by Kate Genevieve from the Astroecologies

1:57 Institution, argue that those protocols

2:00 simply can't account for the rapid global

2:02 media dissemination we experience today.

2:05 Anna: Imagine the media firestorm if this news

2:08 broke now. In an era of viral

2:10 misinformation and instant global

2:12 communication, it would be unlike anything

2:15 humanity has ever experienced.

2:18 Avery: To address this, the team proposes six

2:20 critical areas where NASA should invest now

2:23 before any discovery occurs. These range from

2:26 advancing detection technologies to studying

2:28 how different cultures might interpret the

2:30 news of extraterrestrial discovery.

2:33 Anna: One of the most intriguing aspects is the

2:35 concept of developing other minds

2:38 paradigms. This means preparing to

2:40 recognize intelligence that doesn't

2:42 necessarily think like us. The paper

2:45 suggests leveraging techniques from

2:47 bioacoustics, machine learning and

2:49 quantum computing.

2:51 Avery: They even mention studying whale songs and

2:53 bird navigation to understand non human

2:56 communication patterns. This really

2:58 challenges us to move beyond Earth centric

3:00 assumptions. If aliens communicate through

3:03 methods we haven't even conceived of, like

3:06 quantum entanglement our current detection

3:08 methods might miss them entirely.

3:11 Anna: What's surprisingly practical about this

3:13 research is that much of the preparation work

3:16 isn't focused on alien technology itself,

3:19 but on human psychology and interaction.

3:22 The researchers emphasize integrating

3:24 humanities and social sciences,

3:26 recognizing that the biggest challenges might

3:29 come from how people react to the news range

3:31 rather than from the aliens themselves.

3:33 Avery: They recommend funding research on the

3:35 psychological, social and global dynamics of

3:38 post detection scenarios, and even suggest

3:41 analyzing science fiction stories. They

3:44 believe these fictional scenarios offer

3:46 valuable insights into human expectations and

3:49 fears.

3:49 Anna: And on a very practical level, the team calls

3:52 for creating robust international

3:54 coordination systems before they're needed.

3:57 They they warn that without a proper post

3:59 detection SETI hub, NASA risks a gap in

4:02 the system, likening it to a, uh, moon

4:04 landing without astronaut retrieval.

4:07 Avery: Just as NASA developed detailed protocols for

4:09 Apollo missions, including quarantine

4:11 procedures, they need comprehensive plans for

4:14 managing a SETI discovery.

4:15 Anna: While the researchers aren't claiming that

4:18 discovering extraterrestrial intelligence is

4:20 imminent, their message is

4:23 preparation is essential. With

4:26 advanced telescopes like the James Webb

4:28 Telescope already operational and others

4:31 like the Vera C Rubin Observatory coming

4:34 online, a ah, technosignature discovery

4:36 could emerge from any realm of astronomy

4:39 research.

4:40 Avery: Their message truly boils down to this.

4:43 The question isn't whether we'll ever detect

4:45 signs of alien technology, but whether

4:48 we'll be ready when we do. By

4:51 investing in research, international

4:53 cooperation and communication strategies.

4:56 Now, humanity's greatest discovery could

4:59 become a moment of unity and wonder rather

5:02 than chaos and confusion. It's a powerful and

5:05 forward thinking perspective.

5:07 Anna: Now let's shift our gaze from potential

5:09 alien civilizations to actual new

5:12 discoveries right here in our cosmic

5:15 neighborhood. Relatively speaking, there's

5:17 some exciting news out of the exoplanet

5:19 community.

5:20 Avery: Absolutely, Anna. Astronomers, uh, have just

5:23 announced the discovery of a fifth rocky

5:26 planet orbiting the small red dwarf star

5:28 L9859. And here's the

5:31 kicker. One of these planets, a super

5:34 Earth, is located squarely within the

5:36 star's optimistic habitable zone.

5:39 Anna: This system, L9859, isn't

5:42 new to us. Tess, the Transiting

5:45 Exoplanet Survey Satellite initially

5:48 found three planets around it back in 2019,

5:51 then a fourth in 2021. Now, with

5:54 this fifth detection, the system is certainly

5:57 generating renewed interest.

5:59 Avery: The discovery is detailed in research that's

6:01 set to appear in the Astronomical Journal

6:03 with lead author Charles Cadieu, a uh,

6:06 researcher at the University of Montreal and

6:08 Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets

6:11 at the helm. L9859

6:14 itself is an M M3V star, a red

6:17 dwarf about 34.5 light years

6:19 away. And it's quite small, only about

6:22 0.3 solar masses.

6:24 Anna: What's particularly fascinating beyond just

6:27 the habitable zone planet is the overall

6:30 architecture of the system. It's a tightly

6:33 packed grouping of terrestrial planets

6:35 showing some dramatic compositional

6:38 differences between despite their close

6:39 proximity. It actually reminds me a bit of

6:42 the Trappist 1 system which also has multiple

6:45 terrestrial planets.

6:47 Avery: It really does. And the authors point out

6:49 that multiplanetary systems like this offer a

6:52 unique opportunity to study how planets form

6:55 and evolve within the same stellar

6:57 environment. These new results paint the most

7:00 complete picture we've ever had of this

7:02 system, demonstrating the power of combining

7:04 data from space telescopes like TESS and and

7:07 high precision ground based instruments.

7:10 Anna: Let's talk about some of these individual

7:12 worlds. The innermost planet,

7:14 L9859B is a rare

7:17 sub earth, only about 84% of

7:20 Earth's mass and half its size. With an

7:23 Earth like density, it orbits its star in

7:25 just over two days and might be volcanically

7:28 active due to tidal heating.

7:31 Avery: L9859C is also likely

7:33 volcanic with about 1.3 earth

7:36 radii and 2 earth mass. Then

7:39 there's L9859D which has

7:42 about 1.6 earth radii and

7:44 1.6 earth masses. And it might even be a

7:47 water world or what's known as a Hycean

7:50 world.

7:51 Anna: And the newly detected planet

7:53 L9859F is the one in

7:56 the optimistic habitable zone. It has a

7:58 minimum mass of about 2.8 Earth

8:01 masses, around 1.4 Earth

8:03 radii and a 28 day orbit.

8:07 What's great is that these planets follow

8:08 near circular orbits which make them prime

8:11 targets for atmospheric spectroscopic studies

8:14 with the James Webb Telescope.

8:17 Avery: Indeed, observations already show that the

8:19 three inner transiting planets have

8:21 increasing water mass fractions with orbital

8:24 distance, suggesting a diversity of

8:26 compositions. As Professor Renee Doyon,

8:29 a AH co author, puts it, this system offers a

8:31 unique laboratory to answer pressing

8:33 questions like what are super earths and sub

8:36 neptunes made of? Do planets form differently

8:39 around small stars? Can rocky planets around

8:42 red dwarfs retain atmospheres over time?

8:44 Anna: The question of habitability around m

8:47 dwarfs like L9859 is

8:50 a complex one. Because their habitable zones

8:53 are so close to the star, planets might

8:56 be tidally locked, meaning one side

8:59 always faces the star. Plus M

9:01 dwarfs are known for powerful flaring

9:04 which could strip away atmospheres.

9:07 Avery: However, M dwarfs are incredibly long lived

9:10 stars, burning their fuel very slowly,

9:13 offering long term stability for any planets

9:15 in their habitable zones. The atmospheric

9:18 characterization of these planets is already

9:20 underway with JWST using both

9:23 transmission and emission spectroscopy.

9:25 It's truly an exciting time for exoplanet

9:28 research.

9:29 Anna: L9859 is definitely

9:32 joining the select group of nearby compact

9:35 planetary systems that scientists hope to

9:37 understand in much greater detail in the

9:40 coming years.

9:41 Shifting gears from deep space exoplanets,

9:44 let's turn our attention back closer to home

9:46 to Earth's orbit, where Russia has been

9:49 busy with a significant launch.

9:52 Avery: That's right, anna. On Friday, July 25,

9:55 a Soyuz 2.1B rocket

9:57 successfully launched from Site 1S at

10:00 Bostochny Cosmodrome in Russia. This

10:03 mission carried two Ionosphera M M

10:05 satellites, numbers 3 and 4, into a

10:08 Sun synchronous orbit, completing their 4

10:10 satellite constellation. The first pair,

10:13 Ionosphera M M, number 1 and number 2,

10:16 were launched back in November 2024.

10:18 Anna: So these aren't just any satellites.

10:21 What's the main purpose of this Ionosphera

10:24 M constellation?

10:26 Avery: These satellites are part of what's called

10:28 Project Ionozonde, a uh, program specifically

10:31 designed to study Earth's geophysical

10:33 environment, Particularly space weather and

10:35 its effects on our planet. The data they

10:38 collect will be crucial for improving space

10:40 weather forecasting, which has direct impacts

10:43 on everything from satellite operations to

10:46 radio communications here on Earth.

10:48 Anna: And for our listeners who might not be

10:50 familiar, the ionosphere is a fascinating

10:53 part of our atmosphere. It's, it's that

10:55 region roughly 80 to 650

10:57 kilometers, uh, up, where high energy solar

11:00 radiation strips electrons from atoms and

11:03 molecules, creating electrically charged

11:05 ions. This is where the stunning

11:08 aurorae originate. And it also

11:11 significantly affects radio and navigation

11:13 signals.

11:14 Avery: Exactly. Each of these ionospheric

11:17 satellites, weighing around 400 kg, is

11:20 equipped with a suite of nine instruments,

11:22 including spectrometers, A shortwave sounder,

11:25 a magnetometer and a radio wave

11:28 sounder. They are designed to operate for

11:30 eight years, collecting measurements of the

11:32 ionosphere at different times of the day.

11:34 Thanks to their carefully planned orbital

11:36 planes.

11:37 Anna: It'S quite a comprehensive effort. While the

11:40 ionosphere was first discovered back in

11:42 1902 through radio experiments by

11:45 Guglielmo Marconi, and the Soviet Union

11:48 flew missions to study it previously. This

11:51 ionosphere M M constellation really marks

11:54 Russia's first major dedicated effort to

11:56 study space weather in many years.

11:59 Avery: It's a significant step forward for them in

12:01 understanding and forecasting space weather,

12:03 which is becoming increasingly vital as our

12:06 reliance on space based technology grows.

12:09 This mission will provide invaluable data to

12:12 help Mitigate the risks posed by solar

12:14 activity and other space phenomena

12:17 from Earth's ionosphere.

12:18 Anna: Let's take a giant leap to Mars, where

12:21 there is a truly wild new mission concept on

12:24 the horizon. It's called Skyfall, and

12:27 it sounds like something straight out of a

12:29 sci fi movie.

12:30 Avery: It really does, Anna. Uh. This concept,

12:33 developed by Eero Wireman of Arlington,

12:36 Virginia, and NASA's Jet Propulsion

12:38 Laboratory, or JPL, proposes a

12:40 revolutionary way to explore the red planet.

12:44 Imagine dropping a hornet's nest of

12:46 helicopters from high above Mars.

12:48 Anna: A hornet's nest of helicopters. I love that

12:51 description. So what exactly does

12:54 Skyfall entail and why is it

12:57 considered such a game changer?

12:58 Avery: The core idea is to deploy six

13:01 scout helicopters from an entry

13:04 capsule during its fiery plunge through the

13:06 Martian atmosphere. The ingenious part is,

13:09 is that this Skyfall maneuver would

13:12 eliminate the need for a traditional landing

13:15 platform, which has historically been one of

13:17 the most expensive, complex, and risky

13:20 elements of any Mars mission. It's a real

13:23 cost cutting concept that's.

13:25 Anna: A massive shift from previous missions. And

13:28 once these six helicopters are deployed, they

13:31 don't just sit there, do they?

13:33 Avery: Not at all. Each helicopter would

13:35 operate independently and essentially fanning

13:38 out to explore various sites. Their primary

13:41 duties include transmitting high resolution

13:44 surface images back to Earth and crucially,

13:47 collecting radar data about what lies

13:49 beneath the red planet's rocky surface.

13:52 This subsurface information is absolutely

13:55 key for safely landing future human

13:58 crews, especially at locations identified

14:01 as holding water, ice and other vital

14:04 resources.

14:05 Anna: So it's not just about scientific

14:07 exploration. It's directly paving the way for

14:10 human missions to Mars. This concept

14:12 clearly builds on the incredible success of

14:15 the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, which,

14:17 for those who remember, achieved the first

14:20 powered flight on another world back in 2021.

14:23 And completed 72 flights in just under

14:26 three years.

14:28 Avery: Exactly. William Pomeranz, head of

14:30 space ventures at AeroVironment and has

14:33 highlighted that with six helicopters,

14:35 Skyfall offers a low cost solution

14:38 that significantly multiplies the range we

14:41 can cover, the data we can collect, and the

14:43 scientific research we can conduct. He

14:46 states. It will make humanity's first

14:48 footprints on Mars meaningfully closer.

14:51 Anna: And it sounds like this isn't just a distant

14:54 dream. AeroVironment has already begun

14:56 internal investments and coordination with

14:59 NASA's JPL to facilitate a potential

15:01 launch as early as 2028.

15:04 It's truly exciting to see such innovative

15:07 thinking pushing the boundaries of what's

15:09 possible in space exploration.

15:11 And that brings us to the end of another

15:13 fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily. What

15:16 a packed show. It's been.

15:17 Avery: It certainly has, Ana. Uh, we've journeyed

15:20 from the profound questions of preparing for

15:22 extraterrestrial contact with the SETI Post

15:25 Detection Hub's new guidelines to the

15:28 exciting discovery of five new rocky

15:30 planets around the L98 59

15:33 system, including a Super Earth and the

15:36 Habitable Zone.

15:37 Anna: We then shifted our focus to Earth,

15:39 discussing Russia's successful launch of the

15:42 Ionosphera M satellites, which will

15:44 contribute vital data to our understanding of

15:46 space weather and Earth's ionosphere.

15:49 Avery: And finally, we ended our tour with the truly

15:52 innovative Skyfall concept, a

15:55 potential Mars mission that envisions

15:57 deploying a fleet of scout helicopters to

16:00 map the red planet and pave the way for human

16:03 exploration.

16:04 Anna: It's been a stellar day for space and

16:06 astronomy news, and we hope you've enjoyed

16:08 exploring these stories with us.

16:10 Avery: Thank you so much for tuning in to Astronomy

16:13 Daily. We love sharing these cosmic updates

16:15 with you. And before I go, a quick plug.

16:18 Please visit our website for more space and

16:21 astronomy news, plus a complete catalog of

16:24 all our back episodes. But I warn you,

16:26 there's a lot of content there. Okay,

16:29 time to go.

16:30 Anna: Until next time. Keep looking up, keep

16:33 asking questions, and always stay curious

16:35 about the Cosmo.

16:36 Avery: Goodbye for now.