Blue Origin's Delay, Stellar Stream Secrets, and Lunar Lander Launch: S04E12

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm anna, and today we have

0:03 Speaker 1: an incredible lineup of stories that showcase the cutting edge

0:06 Speaker 1: of space exploration and astronomical discoveries. We'll dive into a

0:11 Speaker 1: fascinating breakthrough regarding the mysterious dark matter in our galaxy's

0:15 Speaker 1: GD one stellar stream, explore China's ambitious testing of multiple

0:19 Speaker 1: rocket engines, and catch up with NASA's Artemus one Oriyan

0:22 Speaker 1: spacecraft as it returns home to Kennedy Space Center. We'll

0:26 Speaker 1: also look at SpaceX's upcoming launch of not one, but

0:29 Speaker 1: two private lunar landers, and discover how NASA is developing

0:33 Speaker 1: new radiation resistant computers to handle the harsh environment of space.

0:38 Speaker 1: It's a packed show that highlights just how quickly space

0:41 Speaker 1: technology and our understanding of the Cosmos continue to evolve.

0:45 Speaker 1: So let's get started. Let's kick the news off today

0:48 Speaker 1: with a quick update. Blue Origin, the space venture founded

0:52 Speaker 1: by Jeff Bezos, has postponed the inaugural flight of its

0:55 Speaker 1: new Glen rocket. The launch, initially set for early Monday

0:59 Speaker 1: morning at CAIS sape Canaveral, faced multiple delays due to

1:02 Speaker 1: technical issues and unfavorable weather conditions. An icing problem in

1:06 Speaker 1: a purge line crucial for the rocket's hydraulic systems was

1:10 Speaker 1: identified during the countdown. This, combined with high seas affecting

1:14 Speaker 1: the booster's planned ocean landing, led to the decision to

1:17 Speaker 1: stand down. The company now aims for a potential launch

1:20 Speaker 1: on Thursday, with a three hour window starting at one

1:23 Speaker 1: a m Eastern time. Standing at three hundred and twenty feet,

1:27 Speaker 1: the new Glen rocket is named in honor of astronaut

1:30 Speaker 1: John Glenn. It's designed to carry heavy payloads and features

1:33 Speaker 1: a reusable first stage booster, marking a significant step forward

1:37 Speaker 1: in Blue Origin's mission to make space travel more sustainable

1:41 Speaker 1: and cost effective. This mission, dubbed NNG one, is set

1:45 Speaker 1: to carry a prototype of the Blue Ring spacecraft, intended

1:49 Speaker 1: for future deep space missions. A successful launch would position

1:52 Speaker 1: Blue Origin as a formidable competitor in the commercial space sector,

1:56 Speaker 1: challenging the dominance of Elon Musk's SpaceX. While the delay

2:01 Speaker 1: is undoubtedly a setback, it's a reminder of the complexities

2:04 Speaker 1: involved in space exploration. Each challenge presents an opportunity for

2:09 Speaker 1: growth and innovation. As Jeff Bezos himself has emphasized gratitem

2:14 Speaker 1: ferocit step by step ferociously will keep you updated on

2:19 Speaker 1: Blue origins, progress and the rescheduled launch. Astronomers may have

2:23 Speaker 1: finally cracked a long standing cosmic mystery about one of

2:26 Speaker 1: our galaxy's most intriguing features, the GD one stellar stream.

2:31 Speaker 1: This ribbon like structure of stars, which stretches across our

2:34 Speaker 1: galaxies halo, has puzzled scientists for years due to its

2:37 Speaker 1: unusual patterns of gaps and spurs that seem to defy

2:41 Speaker 1: conventional explanations. A team led by researchers at the University

2:45 Speaker 1: of California Riverside has proposed an exciting solution involving dark matter,

2:50 Speaker 1: but not just any dark matter. Their research suggests these

2:53 Speaker 1: distinctive features were created by what's called a self interacting

2:57 Speaker 1: dark matter sub halo, a dense concentration of dark matter

3:01 Speaker 1: that behaves differently than the traditional cold dark matter model

3:04 Speaker 1: we're familiar with. What makes this discovery particularly fascinating is

3:09 Speaker 1: that the density needed to create these unusual patterns in

3:12 Speaker 1: GD one is much higher than what we'd expect from

3:16 Speaker 1: conventional dark matter theories. The research team found that only

3:19 Speaker 1: a collapsing subhilo of self interacting dark matter could achieve

3:23 Speaker 1: the necessary density to produce these distinctive features we observe.

3:28 Speaker 1: This isn't just about solving one mysterious structure in our galaxy.

3:32 Speaker 1: If confirmed, these findings could fundamentally change our understanding of

3:36 Speaker 1: dark matter itself. Remember, dark matter makes up about eighty

3:40 Speaker 1: five percent of all matter in the universe, yet we

3:43 Speaker 1: still know remarkably little about its true nature. This research

3:47 Speaker 1: suggests that dark matter particles might interact with each other

3:50 Speaker 1: through a new kind of force, rather than being completely

3:53 Speaker 1: invisible to one another as previously thought. The team used

3:57 Speaker 1: sophisticated computer simulations to model how this sell interacting dark

4:01 Speaker 1: matter would behave, and the results matched perfectly with the

4:04 Speaker 1: observed features in the GD one stream. It's like finding

4:08 Speaker 1: the missing piece of a puzzle that's been sitting on

4:10 Speaker 1: the table for years, suddenly revealing a whole new picture

4:13 Speaker 1: of how our galaxy works. What's particularly exciting about this

4:17 Speaker 1: discovery is that it opens up new ways to study

4:21 Speaker 1: dark matter. By looking at stellar streams like GD one,

4:25 Speaker 1: we might be able to better understand not just where

4:27 Speaker 1: dark matter is, but how it behaves and interacts with itself,

4:31 Speaker 1: something that could revolutionize our understanding of the universe's fundamental structure. Next,

4:38 Speaker 1: a little mystery from China that has set the space

4:40 Speaker 1: community buzzing. In a remarkable display of technological advancement, China's

4:45 Speaker 1: space program has taken a significant leap forward, conducting tests

4:49 Speaker 1: of five different rocket engines all in a single day.

4:53 Speaker 1: The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation or CASSI, carried

4:57 Speaker 1: out these tests at two separate locations, beij and Laiwan

5:00 Speaker 1: County in Hebei Province. One of the most notable tests

5:04 Speaker 1: involved a new hydrogen oxygen engine designed for upper stage rockets.

5:09 Speaker 1: During its one hundred second test, firing, engineers gathered crucial

5:12 Speaker 1: performance data that could pave the way for future missions.

5:16 Speaker 1: This wasn't just any routine test. It's believed to be

5:19 Speaker 1: connected to China's ambitious plans for crude lunar missions, specifically

5:23 Speaker 1: their long March tenth launcher program. But that's not all

5:26 Speaker 1: that was tested that day. In Beijing, engineers put three

5:30 Speaker 1: different engines through their paces, a main engine, an upper

5:34 Speaker 1: stage engine, and a reaction in orbit control engine. While

5:38 Speaker 1: specific details about which rockets these engines are destined for

5:41 Speaker 1: remain under wraps, it's clear that China is developing multiple

5:45 Speaker 1: launch capabilities simultaneously. Perhaps most intriguingly, the testing day included

5:51 Speaker 1: a methane liquid oxygen engine at the Laiuan facility. This

5:55 Speaker 1: type of engine represents the cutting edge of rocket technology,

5:59 Speaker 1: with several Chinese companies already developing similar systems. It's worth

6:03 Speaker 1: noting that Cassie is working on a particularly powerful version

6:07 Speaker 1: for their long March ninth Mega rocket project. These tests

6:10 Speaker 1: signal China's commitment to developing a diverse range of rocket technologies,

6:15 Speaker 1: from deep space exploration vehicles to heavy lift rockets. According

6:19 Speaker 1: to KSC engineers, this is just the beginning. They're planning

6:22 Speaker 1: to conduct even more research and testing of various engine

6:25 Speaker 1: types for China's major space projects, suggesting we might see

6:29 Speaker 1: several new Chinese rockets debut in the coming year. This

6:32 Speaker 1: coordinated testing effort demonstrates China's growing capabilities in space technology

6:37 Speaker 1: and their determination to become a major player in space exploration.

6:42 Speaker 1: With these successful tests, they're laying the groundwork for increasingly

6:45 Speaker 1: ambitious missions, from lunar exploration to potential Mars voyages. Meanwhile,

6:52 Speaker 1: back in the States, the Artemis Ones Orion spacecraft has

6:55 Speaker 1: made its way back to Kennedy Space Center after completing

6:58 Speaker 1: an extensive eleven month testing campaign in Ohio. Now designated

7:03 Speaker 1: as the Orion Environmental Test Article or ETA, this spacecraft

7:07 Speaker 1: has already proven its worth during its historic journey around

7:09 Speaker 1: the Moon, but its mission to advance space exploration is

7:12 Speaker 1: far from over. After splashing down in the Pacific Ocean

7:16 Speaker 1: following its lunar adventure, the spacecraft was transported across the

7:20 Speaker 1: country to Florida, where it underwent its first round of modifications.

7:24 Speaker 1: But it was at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio,

7:29 Speaker 1: where the real intensive testing took place, preparing it for

7:32 Speaker 1: even more challenging future missions. Now back at Kennedy's Multi

7:36 Speaker 1: Payload Processing Facility, engineers are gearing up for a crucial

7:39 Speaker 1: series of tests focusing on the spacecraft's propulsion systems. Of

7:44 Speaker 1: particular interest are the twelve reaction control system thrusters, which

7:48 Speaker 1: will undergo simulated hot fire testing. These thrusters are absolutely

7:53 Speaker 1: vital for controlling the spacecraft's rotation during orbit, re entry,

7:57 Speaker 1: and potential abort scenarios. But the testing doesn't stop there.

8:02 Speaker 1: The spacecraft will soon make its way to Kennedy's Space

8:04 Speaker 1: system's processing facility for acoustic noise demonstration tests. These evaluations

8:10 Speaker 1: are crucial for improving future acoustic testing procedures, benefiting both

8:14 Speaker 1: NASA and their primary contractor, Lockheed Martin. Perhaps most intriguingly,

8:20 Speaker 1: teams will be carefully removing certain pieces of hardware from

8:23 Speaker 1: the ETA for reusability studies. The knowledge gained from examining

8:27 Speaker 1: these components could prove invaluable for future Artemis missions as

8:31 Speaker 1: NASA continues its ambitious plans to establish a sustainable human

8:35 Speaker 1: presence on the Moon and eventually venture to Mars. This

8:39 Speaker 1: methodical testing and evaluation process demonstrates NASA's commitment to ensuring

8:44 Speaker 1: the safety and success of future deep space missions and

8:49 Speaker 1: not to be left behind. In an exciting development for

8:52 Speaker 1: lunar exploration, SpaceX is preparing to launch two private lunar

8:56 Speaker 1: landers aboard a single Falcon nine rocket from NASA's Kennedy

8:59 Speaker 1: Space Center. The launch window opens early Wednesday morning at

9:02 Speaker 1: one eleven a m Eastern time, marking what promises to

9:05 Speaker 1: be a busy year of missions to the Moon. The

9:08 Speaker 1: two spacecraft sharing this historic ride are Firefly Aerospace's Blue

9:11 Speaker 1: Ghost Mission IE and IE space is Resilience lander. Blue Ghost,

9:15 Speaker 1: part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, will carry

9:18 Speaker 1: scientific instruments to the lunar surface, while Resilience represents IE

9:22 Speaker 1: space's second attempt at achieving a successful moon landing. These

9:26 Speaker 1: missions will follow distinctly different trajectories. After separation from the

9:30 Speaker 1: Falcon nine, blue Ghost will spend about twenty five days

9:33 Speaker 1: in Earth orbit before initiating its journey to the Moon.

9:36 Speaker 1: After another twenty days, including four days of transit and

9:40 Speaker 1: sixteen days in lunar orbit, it will attempt to touch

9:43 Speaker 1: down in Merrichrisium, the Sea of Crises. Once on the surface,

9:48 Speaker 1: it will conduct two weeks of scientific operations before capturing

9:52 Speaker 1: one final dramatic image of the lunar sunset. Resilience, on

9:56 Speaker 1: the other hand, will take a more gradual approach, spending

9:59 Speaker 1: four to five months reaching its destination. This extended timeline

10:04 Speaker 1: reflects lessons learned from Icepace's first mission, which reached lunar

10:08 Speaker 1: orbit but unfortunately crashed during its landing attempt last April.

10:12 Speaker 1: The spacecraft features significant upgrades to both hardware and software,

10:16 Speaker 1: aiming to succeed where its predecessor fell short. The mission's

10:19 Speaker 1: target is Mare Frigoris, the Sea of Cold in the

10:22 Speaker 1: Moon's northern hemisphere. There, it will deploy a small rover

10:26 Speaker 1: named Tenacius, which will collect lunar dust samples as part

10:29 Speaker 1: of a NASA contract. This careful, milestone based approach demonstrates

10:34 Speaker 1: I Space's commitment to achieving the first successful private Japanese

10:38 Speaker 1: landing on the Moon. These launches kick off what promises

10:41 Speaker 1: to be an extraordinarily active year for lunar exploration, with

10:46 Speaker 1: multiple missions planned by various companies and space agencies. From

10:50 Speaker 1: Intuitive Machines upcoming IM two mission to Blue Origins development

10:54 Speaker 1: of their lunar lander. We're witnessing the dawn of a

10:57 Speaker 1: new era in commercial lunar exploration. Computers have become absolutely

11:02 Speaker 1: essential for space exploration, but they face a serious challenge

11:06 Speaker 1: that we don't have to worry about here on Earth. Radiation.

11:10 Speaker 1: While our planet's magnetic field and atmosphere protect our electronics

11:13 Speaker 1: from harmful radiation, spacecraft computers have to cope with direct

11:16 Speaker 1: exposure to high energy particles from the Sun and cosmic rays.

11:20 Speaker 1: The effects can be severe. Even a single blast of

11:23 Speaker 1: radiation can cause what scientists call a single event effect,

11:27 Speaker 1: potentially corrupting data or causing system crashes that could jeopardize

11:31 Speaker 1: entire missions. That's why NASA is now testing an innovative solution,

11:35 Speaker 1: the Radiation Tolerant Computer, or RATYPC for short. This remarkable

11:40 Speaker 1: piece of technology is scheduled for its first real world

11:43 Speaker 1: test aboard the upcoming Blue Ghost lunar mission. What makes

11:46 Speaker 1: the rad PC special is its ability to monitor and

11:49 Speaker 1: repair itself in real time. It uses special processors called

11:53 Speaker 1: programmable gait arrays that can detect when they've been struck

11:56 Speaker 1: by radiation and automatically fix any damage without interrupting normal operations.

12:02 Speaker 1: The system also includes radiation sensors or docimeters that will

12:06 Speaker 1: continuously measure radiation levels during the journey to the moon.

12:10 Speaker 1: This will provide valuable data about how radiation levels change

12:14 Speaker 1: as spacecraft move through Earth's magnetosphere and into deep space,

12:18 Speaker 1: as well as detailed information about radiation conditions at the

12:22 Speaker 1: landing site. If successful, the rad PC could revolutionize space computing.

12:27 Speaker 1: Its self healing capabilities could make future spacecraft computers far

12:31 Speaker 1: more resilient and reliable, especially for long duration missions where

12:35 Speaker 1: radiation exposure is inevitable. This kind of advancement is crucial

12:39 Speaker 1: as we push further into space, whether it's establishing a

12:43 Speaker 1: permanent presence on the Moon or eventually sending humans to Mars.

12:49 Speaker 1: And that brings us to the end of today's episode

12:51 Speaker 1: of Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna and I've loved sharing these

12:55 Speaker 1: fascinating stories about space exploration and discovery with you. From

12:59 Speaker 1: dark matter mysteries to innovative space computers. It's incredible to

13:03 Speaker 1: see how our understanding of the cosmos continues to evolve.

13:07 Speaker 1: If you want to stay up to date with all

13:08 Speaker 1: the latest developments in space and astronomy, head over to

13:12 Speaker 1: our website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There you'll find

13:15 Speaker 1: our constantly updating newsfeed and can listen to all our

13:18 Speaker 1: previous episodes whenever you like, and don't forget to join

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13:32 Speaker 1: the fascinating universe we live in. Until next time, keep

13:36 Speaker 1: looking up and wondering about the mysteries that await us

13:38 Speaker 1: in the vast expanse of space. So yeah,