From Asteroid Alerts to Lunar Innovations: Exploring Space's Latest Wonders: S04E49

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm thrilled to share with you

0:03 Speaker 1: another fascinating day in space and astronomy news. We have

0:06 Speaker 1: a busy show for you today, with stories that span

0:08 Speaker 1: our Solar System and beyond. We'll start with some reassuring

0:11 Speaker 1: news about that asteroid that has briefly caused concern. We'll

0:14 Speaker 1: settle that one for once and for all. Then journey

0:17 Speaker 1: to the edge of space with Blue Origins latest Crude mission.

0:20 Speaker 1: If you're a stargazer, you won't want to miss our

0:22 Speaker 1: coverage of an incredible seven planet parade visible in the

0:26 Speaker 1: night sky. This month, we'll also explore a compelling mystery

0:29 Speaker 1: surrounding Saturn's largest moon, Titan, and get the details on

0:33 Speaker 1: NASA's innovative new approach to reaching lunar orbit. Finally, we'll

0:38 Speaker 1: challenge everything you thought you knew about why Mars appears.

0:40 Speaker 1: Read The answer might surprise you, so settle in as

0:44 Speaker 1: we embark on this cosmic journey through the latest developments

0:47 Speaker 1: in space exploration and astronomical discoveries. Let's get started. Remember

0:53 Speaker 1: that asteroid twenty twenty four y are four that made

0:55 Speaker 1: headlines back in December and again in January and February. Well,

1:00 Speaker 1: I've got some good news to share about this so

1:01 Speaker 1: called city killer. Initially, NASA scientists calculated a concerning one

1:07 Speaker 1: point three percent chance of this asteroid hitting Earth in

1:09 Speaker 1: twenty thirty two. That probability actually increased to about three

1:13 Speaker 1: percent earlier this month as more observations came in, causing

1:17 Speaker 1: quite a stir in the astronomical community. But thanks to

1:21 Speaker 1: new data from the European Southern Observatories, very Large telescope,

1:25 Speaker 1: and other facilities worldwide, we can all breathe a little easier.

1:29 Speaker 1: The latest analysis from the European Space Agency has dramatically

1:33 Speaker 1: reduced the risk, placing the probability of an Earth impact

1:36 Speaker 1: in twenty thirty two at just zero point zero zero

1:39 Speaker 1: one percent. To put this in perspective, we're talking about

1:43 Speaker 1: a space rock between forty and ninety meters across, roughly

1:47 Speaker 1: the size of a building that's millions of kilometers away.

1:51 Speaker 1: As ESO astronomer Olivier Hayinut explains, tracking these objects is

1:56 Speaker 1: like following the beam of a flashlight. It gets broader

1:59 Speaker 1: and fuzzier the further out you look, but with each

2:02 Speaker 1: new observation that beam becomes sharper and narrower, and in

2:06 Speaker 1: this case, that narrowing beam is clearly moving away from Earth.

2:10 Speaker 1: While this particular threat has been largely dismissed, the situation

2:14 Speaker 1: serves as an important reminder of why we need to

2:16 Speaker 1: stay vigilant in monitoring near Earth objects. It's a perfect

2:20 Speaker 1: example of how our planetary defense systems work, from initial detection,

2:24 Speaker 1: through careful tracking and analysis, to ultimately determining the true

2:28 Speaker 1: level of risk these cosmic visitors might pose to our planet.

2:32 Speaker 1: So please relax and sleep well tonight. Blue Origin has

2:37 Speaker 1: just marked a significant milestone in their commercial spaceflight program,

2:40 Speaker 1: completing their tenth CRUDE mission with the new Shepherd vehicle.

2:44 Speaker 1: The launch took place from their West Texas facility on

2:47 Speaker 1: February twenty fifth, carrying six passengers to the edge of

2:51 Speaker 1: space in what was designated as Mission NS thirty. After

2:55 Speaker 1: a brief nineteen minute hold for technical checks, the new

2:58 Speaker 1: Shepherd rocket lifted off, carrying its crew capsule to an

3:02 Speaker 1: impressive altitude of one hundred and seven kilometers above Earth's surface.

3:06 Speaker 1: The entire flight lasted just over ten minutes, with both

3:10 Speaker 1: the booster and capsule making perfect landings back on Earth.

3:14 Speaker 1: Among the passengers were some fascinating individuals. Lane Bess, who

3:18 Speaker 1: was actually making his second trip to space after flying

3:21 Speaker 1: on a previous New Shepherd mission, Jesus Calaisha, a Spanish

3:25 Speaker 1: television host known for his adventure programming. Elaine chia Hyde,

3:30 Speaker 1: who owns a media company working on AI technology, Doctor

3:34 Speaker 1: Richard Scott, a physician and medical company executive, and Tusher Shaw,

3:38 Speaker 1: a hedge fund partner. Interestingly, the sixth passenger added a

3:42 Speaker 1: bit of mystery to the mission. In an unusual departure

3:45 Speaker 1: from standard practice, Blue Origin honored this individual's request for privacy,

3:50 Speaker 1: identifying them only by the name R. Wilson on their

3:53 Speaker 1: flight suit and mission patch. This successful flight isn't just

3:58 Speaker 1: about tourism. It represents some thing bigger for Blue Origin.

4:02 Speaker 1: As their CEO Dave Limp recently explained, these New Shepherd

4:05 Speaker 1: flights serve two crucial purposes. They act as a test

4:09 Speaker 1: bed for developing new space technologies, and they're proving there's

4:13 Speaker 1: genuine demand for the profound experience of suborbital spaceflight, even

4:18 Speaker 1: with the substantial ticket prices for the space tourism industry.

4:22 Speaker 1: This tenth crude flight demonstrates that we're moving steadily toward

4:25 Speaker 1: a future where space travel, while still exclusive, is becoming

4:30 Speaker 1: increasingly routine and reliable. Each successful mission brings us one

4:35 Speaker 1: step closer to making space more accessible to more people.

4:40 Speaker 1: Time to get your telescope out and ready, though, you

4:43 Speaker 1: will be able to take part in this event with

4:44 Speaker 1: just your naked eyes if you wish. In an exciting

4:48 Speaker 1: astronomical event. The night sky is currently hosting what astronomers

4:51 Speaker 1: call a planetary parade, with seven planets gracing our view

4:54 Speaker 1: at once. While these celestial bodies aren't lined up like

4:58 Speaker 1: players on a marching field, they're all clustered on the

5:01 Speaker 1: same side of the Sun, creating a rare viewing opportunity

5:04 Speaker 1: for skywatchers. Venus, Mars, and Jupiter are leading the show,

5:09 Speaker 1: being the easiest to spot with the naked eye. Saturn

5:12 Speaker 1: and Mercury are playing a bit harder to get, hovering

5:15 Speaker 1: close to the horizon, where they're trickier to find For

5:19 Speaker 1: those with some basic equipment, Uranus and Neptune can be

5:22 Speaker 1: spotted through binoculars or a small telescope. If you're hoping

5:26 Speaker 1: to catch the celestial gathering, here's what you need to do.

5:30 Speaker 1: Find a spot with a clear view of the sky

5:32 Speaker 1: away from city lights if possible, and wait until after sunset.

5:36 Speaker 1: The planets will stand out from the surrounding stars by

5:39 Speaker 1: shining more steadily and brightly. Mars will be particularly distinctive

5:43 Speaker 1: with its reddish orange glow. If you're having trouble identifying

5:46 Speaker 1: the planets, there are several stargazing apps that can help

5:49 Speaker 1: point you in the right direction. While these planetary alignments

5:53 Speaker 1: aren't extremely rare, they happen at least yearly with varying

5:56 Speaker 1: numbers of planets. Having seven planets visible at once is

6:00 Speaker 1: still a special occurrence. Four or five planets visible to

6:03 Speaker 1: the naked eye only happens every few years, making this

6:06 Speaker 1: current alignment particularly noteworthy. Just keep in mind that this

6:10 Speaker 1: cosmic performance won't last forever. The planets will gradually drift

6:14 Speaker 1: apart as we move into the Northern Hemisphere's spring. While

6:18 Speaker 1: we're mentioning Saturn, scientists have made a fascinating discovery about

6:22 Speaker 1: Saturn's moon, Titan that's shaking up our understanding of this

6:25 Speaker 1: mysterious world. New research suggests that something dramatic happened to

6:29 Speaker 1: Titan relatively recently in astronomical terms, within the last three

6:33 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty million years that significantly disturbed its orbit

6:37 Speaker 1: around Saturn. The story begins with scientists studying how Titan

6:41 Speaker 1: loses energy as it orbits Saturn, a process known as

6:44 Speaker 1: tidal dissipation. Think of it like Earth's ocean tides, but

6:47 Speaker 1: on a much grander scale. Saturn's immense gravitational pull actually

6:51 Speaker 1: causes subtle changes in Titan shape and motion as it orbits,

6:55 Speaker 1: similar to how our moon creates tides on Earth. What's

6:58 Speaker 1: particularly intriguing is that Titan's current orbit isn't what scientists

7:02 Speaker 1: would expect if it had been peacefully circling Saturn for

7:05 Speaker 1: billions of years. Based on their calculations, Titan should settle

7:09 Speaker 1: into a perfectly circular orbit within about three hundred fifty

7:12 Speaker 1: million years. The fact that its orbit is still elliptical

7:16 Speaker 1: suggests something must have knocked it off course relatively recently.

7:19 Speaker 1: The culprit behind this orbital disruption remains a mystery. It

7:23 Speaker 1: could have been an impact from another celestial body, the

7:27 Speaker 1: loss of an ancient satellite, or some other cosmic event

7:30 Speaker 1: we haven't yet considered. Whatever it was, it was significant

7:34 Speaker 1: enough to leave its mark on Titan's orbital path, and

7:38 Speaker 1: the Moon is still in the process of settling back

7:40 Speaker 1: into a stable orbit. This discovery is particularly exciting because

7:45 Speaker 1: it gives us a new window into Titan's recent history.

7:48 Speaker 1: It's like finding unexpected footprints in the snow. We know

7:51 Speaker 1: something happened, and now scientists are working to piece together

7:55 Speaker 1: exactly what that might have been. The research not only

7:58 Speaker 1: helps us understand Titan better, but also provides insights into

8:02 Speaker 1: how similar moons throughout our Solar System might be affected

8:06 Speaker 1: by the gravitational forces of their parent planets. NASA's latest

8:10 Speaker 1: lunar mission, the Lunar Trailblazer, is preparing for an innovative

8:14 Speaker 1: journey to the Moon that showcases the clever use of

8:17 Speaker 1: nature's own forces. This small but mighty satellite, about the

8:21 Speaker 1: size of a dishwasher, will hitch a ride on a

8:23 Speaker 1: SpaceX Falcon nine rocket as part of the IM two mission,

8:27 Speaker 1: but its path to lunar orbit is what makes it

8:30 Speaker 1: truly fascinating. Instead of taking a direct route to the Moon,

8:34 Speaker 1: the Trailblazer will embark on an elegant cosmic dance, using

8:38 Speaker 1: the combined gravitational pull of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

8:44 Speaker 1: to gradually maneuver into position. This fuel efficient approach, known

8:48 Speaker 1: as a low energy transfer will take between four to

8:52 Speaker 1: seven months, but will save precious propellant, making it possible

8:56 Speaker 1: for such a small spacecraft to accomplish its ambitious goals.

9:00 Speaker 1: Once in its final orbit, just sixty miles above the

9:02 Speaker 1: lunar surface, the Trailblazer will begin its primary mission, creating

9:07 Speaker 1: the most detailed maps ever of water on the Moon.

9:10 Speaker 1: The spacecraft carries two sophisticated instruments, an infrared spectrometer and

9:14 Speaker 1: a thermal mapper that will work together to reveal where

9:17 Speaker 1: water exists, what form it takes, and how it moves

9:21 Speaker 1: across the lunar surface. Particularly exciting is the Trailblazer's ability

9:25 Speaker 1: to peer into permanently shadowed craters at the Moon's south pole.

9:30 Speaker 1: These mysterious regions, never touched by direct sunlight could harbor

9:34 Speaker 1: significant deposits of ice, potential resources for future lunar explorers.

9:40 Speaker 1: The spacecraft will make twelve orbits each day, observing these

9:43 Speaker 1: areas under different conditions to build a comprehensive picture of

9:46 Speaker 1: lunar water distribution. This mission represents a new approach to

9:50 Speaker 1: space exploration, proving that sometimes smaller can be better. Despite

9:55 Speaker 1: its compact size and relatively modest budget, The Lunar Trailblazer

9:59 Speaker 1: aims to answer or fundamental questions about our nearest celestial neighbor,

10:03 Speaker 1: while demonstrating how smart engineering and natural forces can work

10:06 Speaker 1: together to achieve ambitious scientific goals. To wrap things up today,

10:11 Speaker 1: here's something that might shake up everything you thought you

10:14 Speaker 1: knew about Mars's famous red color. Scientists have just challenged

10:18 Speaker 1: a long held belief about why the red planet looks

10:20 Speaker 1: the way it does. While we've all been taught that

10:23 Speaker 1: Mars gets its distinctive hue from the same process that

10:26 Speaker 1: creates rust here on Earth, new research suggests we might

10:30 Speaker 1: have been wrong all along. A team led by doctor

10:33 Speaker 1: Adamis Valentinas from Brown University has discovered that the real

10:36 Speaker 1: source of Mars's coloration is likely a mineral called fairy hydrite,

10:41 Speaker 1: an iron oxide that contains water. This isn't just a

10:44 Speaker 1: minor correction to our textbooks. It's a finding that tells

10:47 Speaker 1: us something fascinating about Mars's history. Using data from multiple

10:52 Speaker 1: Mars missions, including NASA's Reconnaissance Orbiter and essays Mars Express,

10:56 Speaker 1: along with ground based observations from various rovers, researchers found

11:00 Speaker 1: that pharahydrite isn't just present in small amounts, It's widespread

11:04 Speaker 1: across the entire Martian landscape. What makes this particularly exciting

11:08 Speaker 1: is that parahydrite can only form under specific conditions, namely

11:12 Speaker 1: when there's plenty of water around. This discovery adds to

11:16 Speaker 1: the growing body of evidence that Mars once had a

11:18 Speaker 1: much wetter environment, meaning our Beach's story from yesterday's episode

11:23 Speaker 1: gets even more credible. The red color we see today

11:26 Speaker 1: isn't just a random quirk of planetary chemistry. It's actually

11:29 Speaker 1: a signature left behind from a time when Mars might

11:32 Speaker 1: have been a much more hospitable world with conditions potentially

11:35 Speaker 1: suitable for life. The research team is now eagerly awaiting

11:39 Speaker 1: samples being collected by the Perseverance Rover in the Jezero Crater.

11:43 Speaker 1: These samples, which will eventually be returned to Earth, could

11:47 Speaker 1: provide definitive proof of their theory and help us better

11:50 Speaker 1: understand Mars's fascinating geological history. It's remarkable how something as

11:56 Speaker 1: simple as the planet's color could hold such important clues

11:59 Speaker 1: about its path. Well. That brings us to the end

12:03 Speaker 1: of another fascinating journey through the cosmos. I'm Anna and

12:07 Speaker 1: I've been thrilled to share these incredible developments in space

12:11 Speaker 1: science and astronomy with you today. If you're hungry for

12:14 Speaker 1: more space news and want to stay up to date

12:16 Speaker 1: with the latest discoveries, head over to Astronomydaily dot io.

12:21 Speaker 1: There you can sign up for our free daily newsletter

12:24 Speaker 1: that delivers the most exciting space and astronomy updates straight

12:28 Speaker 1: to your inbox. While you're there, you'll also find all

12:31 Speaker 1: our past episodes available to stream anytime, along with additional

12:34 Speaker 1: content that dives deeper into the stories we've covered today,

12:38 Speaker 1: from asteroid near misses to the mysteries of Mars's red surface.

12:42 Speaker 1: There's always something new to discover in the world of astronomy.

12:45 Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me on Astronomy Daily. Until next time,

12:49 Speaker 1: keep looking up, especially this week, and wondering about the

12:51 Speaker 1: magnificent universe we call home the stars. The Soul Store

13:13 Speaker 1: is the Soul MHM