Australia's SpaceX Connection, Super Earth's Secrets, and Rocket Lab's Mars Ambition: S04E08

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of the most

0:03 Speaker 1: exciting developments in space exploration and astronomical discoveries. I'm Anna,

0:09 Speaker 1: and today we're diving into a fascinating mix of stories

0:12 Speaker 1: from across the Cosmos, from groundbreaking telecommunications partnerships in Australia

0:17 Speaker 1: to the discovery of an incredibly dense super Earth, and

0:20 Speaker 1: from NASA's innovative lunar technology to blue origins ambitious rocket launch.

0:26 Speaker 1: We've got an action packed episode ahead that showcases just

0:30 Speaker 1: how rapidly our understanding and exploration of space continues to evolve.

0:33 Speaker 1: There's a lot going on today, so let's get started.

0:37 Speaker 1: In an exciting development for remote connectivity, Australia's largest telecommunications company, Telstra,

0:43 Speaker 1: has announced a groundbreaking collaboration with Elon Musk's SpaceX. This

0:48 Speaker 1: partnership aims to bring Starlink's satellite to mobile technology directly

0:52 Speaker 1: to Australian customers in remote areas, marking a significant step

0:56 Speaker 1: forward in bridging the digital divide across the vast con

1:01 Speaker 1: The collaboration will enable Telstra customers to send and receive

1:04 Speaker 1: text messages on compatible mobile phones from virtually anywhere in Australia.

1:09 Speaker 1: Provided they have a clear view of the sky. This

1:12 Speaker 1: means that even in the most isolated parts of the outback,

1:15 Speaker 1: people will be able to stay connected, a potentially life

1:18 Speaker 1: changing development for rural communities and remote workers. This isn't

1:22 Speaker 1: the first time these companies have worked together. In fact,

1:26 Speaker 1: they already have an existing agreement from twenty twenty three

1:29 Speaker 1: that provides voice only and voice plus broadband services to

1:34 Speaker 1: rural areas. This new expansion of their partnership demonstrates both

1:38 Speaker 1: companies' commitment to improving connectivity in traditionally underserved regions. What

1:44 Speaker 1: makes this particularly interesting is how it represents a growing

1:47 Speaker 1: trend of traditional telecommunications companies embracing satellite technology to expand

1:52 Speaker 1: their service coverage. By combining Telstra's established network infrastructure with

1:57 Speaker 1: SpaceX's innovative satellite technology, they're creating a more robust and

2:01 Speaker 1: comprehensive communications network that could serve as a model for

2:05 Speaker 1: similar partnerships worldwide. Let's take a look at a major

2:09 Speaker 1: discovery now, scientists have made a fascinating discovery in deep space,

2:13 Speaker 1: a remarkable new planetary system that's challenging our understanding of

2:17 Speaker 1: how planets form and evolve. Located about seven hundred and

2:20 Speaker 1: fifty light years from Earth. The K two three hundred

2:23 Speaker 1: sixty system features what might be one of the most

2:25 Speaker 1: extraordinary planets we've ever found. The star system's innermost planet,

2:30 Speaker 1: designated K two three hundred sixty B, is truly remarkable.

2:35 Speaker 1: It's what we call a super Earth, but with some

2:37 Speaker 1: mind boggling characteristics. Despite being only about one point six

2:41 Speaker 1: times the size of our Earth, it packs nearly eight

2:44 Speaker 1: times Earth's mass into that relatively small volume. To put

2:49 Speaker 1: this in perspective, this planet is so dense it rivals

2:51 Speaker 1: the density of lead, making it the densest well studied

2:55 Speaker 1: ultra short period planet ever discovered. What makes this world

2:59 Speaker 1: even more in tree is its incredibly tight orbit around

3:02 Speaker 1: its star. It completes one full orbit in just twenty

3:05 Speaker 1: one hours, less than one Earth day. At such close

3:08 Speaker 1: proximity to its star, the surface conditions must be extreme,

3:12 Speaker 1: with temperatures hot enough to maintain pools of molten rock

3:15 Speaker 1: on its surface. But that's not all. This system has

3:18 Speaker 1: another surprise in store. A second, larger planet, K two

3:21 Speaker 1: three hundred and sixty c orbits further out from the star,

3:25 Speaker 1: taking about ten days to complete one orbit. While we

3:29 Speaker 1: can't see this planet directly crossing in front of its star.

3:32 Speaker 1: We know it exists because of its gravitational effects, and

3:35 Speaker 1: it appears to be at least fifteen times more massive

3:38 Speaker 1: than Earth. The discovery team believes this unique configuration might

3:43 Speaker 1: help explain how such extreme planets form. The outer planet

3:47 Speaker 1: may have played a crucial role in pushing the inner

3:49 Speaker 1: planet into its current tight orbit through gravitational interactions. It's

3:54 Speaker 1: like watching the aftermath of a cosmic dance that's been

3:56 Speaker 1: ongoing for billions of years. The composition of k A

4:00 Speaker 1: two three hundred and sixty B is particularly interesting to

4:02 Speaker 1: planetary scientists. Unlike mercury, which is mostly iron, this super

4:08 Speaker 1: earth appears to have a more earth like composition, just

4:11 Speaker 1: much more compressed. It likely has a substantial iron core

4:14 Speaker 1: making up about half its mass, surrounded by a dense,

4:17 Speaker 1: rocky mantle. This helps us understand how planets can form

4:21 Speaker 1: and survive in these extreme conditions. This discovery is more

4:25 Speaker 1: than just an astronomical curiosity. It's helping us piece together

4:29 Speaker 1: the puzzle of how planetary systems form and evolve throughout

4:32 Speaker 1: our galaxy, especially under extreme conditions we don't see in

4:35 Speaker 1: our own Solar system. Next up. In a bold move

4:40 Speaker 1: that could reshape Mars exploration, rocket Lab has stepped forward

4:44 Speaker 1: with an ambitious proposal to revolutionize NASA's Mars Sample Return mission.

4:48 Speaker 1: The commercial space company is urging NASA to open up

4:51 Speaker 1: the program to commercial competition, claiming they can accomplish the

4:54 Speaker 1: mission faster and at a significantly lower cost than current plans.

4:59 Speaker 1: While NASA re announced it would spend the next eighteen

5:01 Speaker 1: months studying two new architectures for the sample return mission,

5:05 Speaker 1: rocket Lab believes they have a better solution. The company's

5:09 Speaker 1: proposal suggests they could bring Martian samples back to Earth

5:12 Speaker 1: by twenty thirty one, nearly four years earlier than NASA's

5:16 Speaker 1: projected timeline, and do it for less than four billion

5:19 Speaker 1: dollars compared to NASA's estimated cost of up to seven

5:22 Speaker 1: point seven billion dollars. Rocket labs approach would leverage their

5:26 Speaker 1: existing technologies across multiple platforms, from their Neutron launch vehicle

5:31 Speaker 1: to their experience with re entry vehicles and proximity operations.

5:36 Speaker 1: The company argues that their comprehensive end to end system

5:40 Speaker 1: could maintain the core mission objectives while dramatically improving efficiency. However,

5:45 Speaker 1: the response to their proposal has been somewhat frustrating for

5:48 Speaker 1: the company. Despite submitting detailed studies, they received minimal feedback

5:53 Speaker 1: from NASA on their input. Now rocket Lab is advocating

5:58 Speaker 1: for a different approach, suggests that instead of continuing with

6:01 Speaker 1: extended studies, NASA should initiate a commercial competition to find

6:06 Speaker 1: the most effective solution. The debate comes at a crucial time,

6:10 Speaker 1: as samples are already being collected by the Perseverance Rover

6:13 Speaker 1: on Mars. The Planetary Society has expressed concern about further delays,

6:18 Speaker 1: emphasizing that after two years of pause, it's time for

6:21 Speaker 1: NASA to commit to a clear path forward. With hundreds

6:25 Speaker 1: of millions of dollars potentially being allocated for additional studies,

6:29 Speaker 1: rocket Lab argues those resources could be better spent on

6:33 Speaker 1: actual mission development through commercial competition. Breaking news from NASA's

6:38 Speaker 1: Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where operations have come to

6:42 Speaker 1: a temporary halt due to the approaching Eton fire. The facility,

6:46 Speaker 1: which sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains

6:49 Speaker 1: just north of Los Angeles, has been forced to close

6:52 Speaker 1: its doors to all but emergency personnel as the wildfire

6:55 Speaker 1: rages dangerously close to the facility. JPL director Lori lah

7:00 Speaker 1: reports that while the laboratory itself has so far avoided

7:03 Speaker 1: fire damage, they have experienced some wind related issues. More

7:07 Speaker 1: concerning is the impact on JPL's staff, with hundreds of

7:11 Speaker 1: employees being forced to evacuate their homes and sadly, some

7:15 Speaker 1: have already lost their houses to the flames. The Eaten Fire,

7:18 Speaker 1: which ignited Tuesday evening near Altadena, has already consumed over

7:22 Speaker 1: one thousand acres and is just one of several major

7:25 Speaker 1: fires currently threatening the Los Angeles area. These fires are

7:29 Speaker 1: being driven by record breaking winds, with the Palisades Fire

7:32 Speaker 1: on the city's west side causing particular devastation. This closure

7:37 Speaker 1: comes at a challenging time for JPL, which manages several

7:40 Speaker 1: of NASA's most important robotic missions, including the Mars Rovers

7:44 Speaker 1: Perseverance and Curiosity, as well as the recently launched five

7:48 Speaker 1: billion dollars Europa Clipper mission. The laboratory has already faced

7:53 Speaker 1: significant challenges in the past year, having undergone two rounds

7:56 Speaker 1: of layoffs that reduce their workforce by a combined thirteen

7:59 Speaker 1: percent due to budget constraints. In other NASA news today,

8:04 Speaker 1: In an exciting development for lunar exploration, NASA is set

8:08 Speaker 1: to test an innovative new technology that could revolutionize how

8:11 Speaker 1: we collect samples on the Moon. Think of it as

8:13 Speaker 1: a space age vacuum cleaner. Aptly named the Lunar Planet

8:16 Speaker 1: vac or LPV for short, this ingenious device will be

8:20 Speaker 1: one of ten NASA payloads heading to the lunar surface

8:23 Speaker 1: aboard Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost one lunar lander. Developed by

8:28 Speaker 1: Honeybee Robotics, now a Blue Origin company, The LPV uses

8:32 Speaker 1: a fascinating pneumatic system powered by compressed gas. The concept

8:36 Speaker 1: is brilliantly simple. It creates a miniature tornado on the

8:39 Speaker 1: lunar surface to stir up the Moon's regolith. Secondary jets

8:43 Speaker 1: then funnel this material through a transfer tube and into

8:46 Speaker 1: a collection container, all without relying on gravity. What makes

8:50 Speaker 1: this system particularly impressive is its speed and efficiency. The

8:54 Speaker 1: entire sample collection process takes just seconds and operates completely autonomously.

9:00 Speaker 1: The device can handle particles up to four tenths of

9:02 Speaker 1: an inch in size, sivving them into the collection container,

9:06 Speaker 1: where they're photographed and analyzed. These results are then transmitted

9:09 Speaker 1: back to Earth in real time. The potential impact of

9:12 Speaker 1: this technology extends far beyond simple sample collection. According to

9:17 Speaker 1: Dennis Harris, who manages the project, this could be a

9:20 Speaker 1: game changer for future lunar operations. Without any mechanical arms

9:24 Speaker 1: to wear out or complex digging mechanisms to maintain, the

9:28 Speaker 1: system offers a remarkably simple solution for gathering materials that

9:32 Speaker 1: could be essential for establishing a permanent lunar presence. From

9:36 Speaker 1: searching for water and helium to collecting materials for building

9:39 Speaker 1: habitats and launch pads, the Lunar Planet VAT could play

9:42 Speaker 1: a crucial role in humanity's return to the Moon. Now

9:46 Speaker 1: a quick update, Blue Origin is preparing for a historic

9:50 Speaker 1: milestone with the inaugural launch of their new Glen rocket

9:54 Speaker 1: scheduled for this Friday at one a m Eastern time

9:57 Speaker 1: from Cape Canaveral Space. Forestation in flow and there will

10:01 Speaker 1: be a live stream available if you'd like to watch

10:03 Speaker 1: this historic launch. This massive rocket, standing over three hundred

10:07 Speaker 1: and twenty feet tall, represents a significant leap forward in

10:11 Speaker 1: launch vehicle capability and marks Blue Origins entry into the

10:15 Speaker 1: heavy lift rocket market. Named after pioneering astronaut John Glenn,

10:20 Speaker 1: this new rocket boasts impressive specifications. Its unusually wide payload

10:24 Speaker 1: faring measuring nearly twenty three feet across, sets it apart

10:28 Speaker 1: from typical rockets and enables it to accommodate substantially larger

10:32 Speaker 1: satellites and space hardware. The vehicle is designed to deliver

10:36 Speaker 1: up to forty five metric tons to low Earth orbit

10:40 Speaker 1: or thirteen metric tons to geostationary transfer orbit. For this

10:45 Speaker 1: first test flight, designated NNG one, New Glenn will carry

10:48 Speaker 1: a payload mass simulator, including the Blue Ring Pathfinder, a

10:52 Speaker 1: prototype for future multi payload missions, while not carrying any

10:56 Speaker 1: operational satellites. This mission will validate crucial systems and demonstrate

10:59 Speaker 1: the rocket's reusability features, as the first stage is designed

11:03 Speaker 1: for at least twenty five flights. The rocket employs seven

11:06 Speaker 1: B four engines in its first stage, running on liquid

11:09 Speaker 1: oxygen and liquefied natural gas, while two B three U

11:13 Speaker 1: engines power the upper stage. Following launch, the first stage

11:17 Speaker 1: will attempt an ambitious landing on a ship named Jacqueline

11:20 Speaker 1: in the Atlantic Ocean. Similar to SpaceX's successful booster recovery technique.

11:25 Speaker 1: This launch represents more than just a test flight. It's

11:28 Speaker 1: the culmination of years of development and marks blue origins

11:32 Speaker 1: transition from suborbital flights to orbital capabilities. The mission is

11:37 Speaker 1: expected to last about six hours, during which the company

11:41 Speaker 1: will gather crucial data to refine the vehicle's performance for

11:44 Speaker 1: future commercial, government and national security missions. And that wraps

11:50 Speaker 1: up another fascinating day in space exploration. What an incredible

11:55 Speaker 1: slate of developments we've covered today, from revolutionary satellite communications

11:59 Speaker 1: in Austria to record breaking exoplanet discoveries and groundbreaking rocket launches.

12:05 Speaker 1: I'm anna and before we close out today's episode, I

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12:51 Speaker 1: me today. This is Anna signing off from Astronomy Daily.

12:55 Speaker 1: Keep looking up and I'll see you tomorrow for more

12:57 Speaker 1: exciting space news. Day Star is the Tall Star? Is

13:10 Speaker 1: the Tall Star? Is the Sol