Jupiter's Volcanic Secrets, SpaceX's Busy Week, and Dark Matter Breakthroughs: S04E60

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm excited to bring you another

0:02 Speaker 1: packed episode of space and astronomy News. Today, we have

0:06 Speaker 1: some great stories to share, starting with a groundbreaking discovery

0:09 Speaker 1: about Jupiter's volcanic moon Io that's challenging everything we thought

0:13 Speaker 1: we knew about its interior structure. We'll also look at

0:16 Speaker 1: an incredibly busy week ahead in spaceflight, with multiple launches

0:20 Speaker 1: scheduled from SpaceX, including their next crew mission to the

0:23 Speaker 1: International Space Station. Rocket Lab Firefly, and several international launch

0:28 Speaker 1: providers are also preparing for liftoffs in the coming days.

0:32 Speaker 1: In our coverage of cosmic mysteries, we'll explore fascinating new

0:36 Speaker 1: research about dark matter at the heart of our Milky

0:38 Speaker 1: Way galaxy that could revolutionize our understanding of this enigmatic substance.

0:43 Speaker 1: We'll also check in on NASA's Artemis program as it

0:46 Speaker 1: takes another step toward returning humans to the Moon, and

0:50 Speaker 1: we'll round things out with an interesting look at some

0:52 Speaker 1: growing pains at SpaceX, where recent challenges might suggest the

0:56 Speaker 1: company is approaching its operational limits even as it maintains

1:00 Speaker 1: an unprecedented launch cadence. Let's dive into these stories and

1:04 Speaker 1: explore the latest developments in space exploration and astronomy. In

1:09 Speaker 1: a fascinating development, NASA's junospacecraft has revealed surprising new insights

1:14 Speaker 1: about Jupiter's most volcanic moon, Io. Data from recent flybys

1:18 Speaker 1: suggests that, contrary to long held beliefs, Io doesn't have

1:21 Speaker 1: a shallow global magma ocean beneath its surface. Instead, the

1:25 Speaker 1: moon's mantle appears to be mostly solid, forcing scientists to

1:29 Speaker 1: rethink their understanding of how this incredibly active world functions.

1:33 Speaker 1: Io experiences intense geological activity due to the powerful gravitational

1:38 Speaker 1: forces from Jupiter. As the Moon follows its elliptical orbit,

1:42 Speaker 1: Jupiter's massive gravitational pull stretches and compresses it, generating tremendous

1:47 Speaker 1: internal heat. This process, known as tidal heating, is responsible

1:51 Speaker 1: for Io's status as the most volcanically active body in

1:55 Speaker 1: our Solar system. For years, scientists theorized that this constant

1:59 Speaker 1: gravitational needing could create and maintain a global underground ocean

2:04 Speaker 1: of molten rock. However, when researchers analyzed measurements of Io's

2:09 Speaker 1: tidal deformation, how much its surface flexes under Jupiter's gravitational stress,

2:13 Speaker 1: the data told a different story. The team led by

2:17 Speaker 1: Ryan Park found that the way Io responds to these

2:20 Speaker 1: forces isn't consistent with what we'd expect if a shallow

2:23 Speaker 1: magma ocean were present. The findings don't rule out the

2:26 Speaker 1: possibility of some deeper magma chambers or isolated pockets of

2:29 Speaker 1: molten rock, but they do suggest that Io's internal structure

2:34 Speaker 1: is more complex than previously thought. This discovery has broader

2:38 Speaker 1: implications for our understanding of how tidal forces affect worlds

2:42 Speaker 1: throughout the Solar System, including other moons like Europa and

2:46 Speaker 1: Enceladus that experience similar gravitational interactions with their parent planets.

2:52 Speaker 1: This revelation from Juno adds another layer to our evolving

2:55 Speaker 1: picture of Io, showing us that even after decades of observation,

2:59 Speaker 1: this fascinating moon still has secrets to reveal. The findings

3:03 Speaker 1: challenge us to develop new models to explain how Io

3:06 Speaker 1: maintains its extraordinary volcanic activity without a global magma ocean,

3:10 Speaker 1: opening up exciting new questions for planetary scientists to explore.

3:15 Speaker 1: Let's turn our attention now to this week's launch roster.

3:18 Speaker 1: Get ready for an incredibly busy week in spaceflight, with

3:22 Speaker 1: multiple launches scheduled across the globe. SpaceX leads the packed

3:26 Speaker 1: schedule with several missions, including the highly anticipated Crew ten

3:30 Speaker 1: flight to the International Space Station. The Crew ten mission

3:33 Speaker 1: will launch from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex thirty nine A,

3:37 Speaker 1: carrying NASA astronauts A. McLean and Nicole Ayers JACKSA astronaut

3:42 Speaker 1: to Kuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut kirol Peskov to the

3:46 Speaker 1: space Station. They'll be flying aboard the Crew Dragon Endurance,

3:50 Speaker 1: making its fourth trip to space. This particular Dragon previously

3:54 Speaker 1: supported the Crew three, Crew five, and Crew seven missions.

3:58 Speaker 1: SpaceX also has multiple Starlink launches on the manifest, including

4:02 Speaker 1: two missions from Florida's Space Coast. These launches will continue

4:05 Speaker 1: expanding the company's satellite Internet constellation, with some of the

4:08 Speaker 1: satellites featuring new direct to cell capabilities that could eventually

4:12 Speaker 1: enable mobile phone connectivity from space. In California, SpaceX had

4:16 Speaker 1: planned to launch two NASA science missions, SPHEREx and Punch.

4:20 Speaker 1: SPHEREx will study the early universe and search for the

4:23 Speaker 1: building blocks of life within our galaxy, while Punch will

4:26 Speaker 1: investigate solar winds and their effects on the heliosphere using

4:30 Speaker 1: a network of four small satellites. However, I believe this

4:33 Speaker 1: launch has just been delayed and will be rescheduled. Rocket

4:37 Speaker 1: Lab is preparing for their third mission of twenty twenty

4:39 Speaker 1: five from New Zealand, appropriately titled the Lightning God Rains.

4:44 Speaker 1: They'll be launching a synthetic aperture radar satellite for IQPS,

4:48 Speaker 1: marking the first of eight planned launches to help build

4:50 Speaker 1: out their Earth observation constellation. Firefly Aerospace is set to

4:54 Speaker 1: launch their Alpha rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, carrying

4:58 Speaker 1: Lockheed Martin's new LA M four hundred satellite bus on

5:02 Speaker 1: a demonstration mission. This will be Alpha's first flight of

5:05 Speaker 1: the year and sixth overall. On the international front, China's

5:09 Speaker 1: chang Jung eight rocket will make history with the first

5:12 Speaker 1: launch from a new commercial pad at Wenchang, while Russia

5:15 Speaker 1: prepares an Angara rocket launch from Plasetsk carrying an unspecified

5:19 Speaker 1: military payload. This intense launch cadence reflects the growing commercialization

5:25 Speaker 1: of space access and the increasing diversity of launch providers worldwide.

5:29 Speaker 1: It's a testament to how far we've come from the

5:32 Speaker 1: days when orbital launches were rare events, sometimes happening only

5:36 Speaker 1: a few times per year. Next up. A fascinating discovery

5:41 Speaker 1: at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy could provide

5:44 Speaker 1: new insights into one of the universe's most perplexing mysteries.

5:48 Speaker 1: Dark matter. Scientists have identified strange events in the galaxy's

5:52 Speaker 1: central molecular zone that might be evidence of a previously

5:56 Speaker 1: unknown form of dark matter, one that's lighter than existing

5:59 Speaker 1: theoretical candidate. This new dark matter suspect has a unique characteristic,

6:04 Speaker 1: its self annihilating. When two particles meet, they destroy each other,

6:07 Speaker 1: creating pairs of electrons and their antimatter counterparts positrons. This

6:12 Speaker 1: process releases energy that strips electrons from neutral atoms in

6:16 Speaker 1: the dense gas at our galaxy center, a process known

6:19 Speaker 1: as ionization. The theory elegantly explains why there's so much

6:23 Speaker 1: ionized gas in the central molecular zone. While this annihilation

6:26 Speaker 1: process might be rare, it would naturally occur more frequently

6:30 Speaker 1: in galactic centers where dark matter is thought to concentrate.

6:33 Speaker 1: Traditional explanations involving cosmic rays don't fully account for the

6:37 Speaker 1: observed levels of ionization, and importantly don't match other expected

6:42 Speaker 1: signatures like gamma ray emissions. What makes this discovery particularly

6:46 Speaker 1: intriguing is that it suggests we might have been looking

6:49 Speaker 1: for dark matter in the wrong way. Instead of focusing

6:52 Speaker 1: solely on gravitational effects, we might be able to detect

6:55 Speaker 1: dark matter through its subtle influence on cosmic chemistry. It's

6:59 Speaker 1: like finding foot prints in the sand. While we can't

7:02 Speaker 1: see the person who made them, we can study their

7:04 Speaker 1: impact on the environment. The research team's calculations show that

7:08 Speaker 1: this lighter form of dark matter fits perfectly within existing

7:12 Speaker 1: constraints without contradicting other observations from gamma ray telescopes or

7:16 Speaker 1: the cosmic microwave background. This is remarkably rare in dark

7:20 Speaker 1: matter research, where proposed explanations often conflict with existing data.

7:25 Speaker 1: Looking ahead, NASA's upcoming COCY gamma ray telescope, scheduled for

7:29 Speaker 1: launch in twenty twenty seven, could provide crucial evidence to

7:33 Speaker 1: support or challenge this theory. If confirmed, this discovery would

7:37 Speaker 1: open an entirely new avenue for studying dark matter, fundamentally

7:41 Speaker 1: changing our approach to understanding the mysterious substance that makes

7:45 Speaker 1: up eighty five percent of the matter in our universe.

7:48 Speaker 1: This represents a potential paradigm shift in dark matter research.

7:52 Speaker 1: Suggesting that the key to understanding this elusive substance might

7:56 Speaker 1: lie not in its gravitational effects, but in its subtle

7:59 Speaker 1: chemical influence on the very fabric of our galaxy. In

8:04 Speaker 1: an important development for NASA's Artemis program, the upper stage

8:08 Speaker 1: for the Artemis two SLS rocket arrived at Kennedy Space

8:11 Speaker 1: Center on March fourth. This crucial component, known as the

8:15 Speaker 1: interim cryogenic propulsion stage, was delivered by Boeing and United

8:19 Speaker 1: Launch Alliance to the Multi Payload Processing Facility. The delivery

8:24 Speaker 1: marks another significant step forward in NASA's mission to return

8:27 Speaker 1: humans to the Moon. This four story propulsion system, powered

8:32 Speaker 1: by an RL ten engine, will play a vital role

8:35 Speaker 1: in the mission profile. After launch, it will provide the

8:38 Speaker 1: Orion spacecraft with the necessary thrust to complete two orbits

8:41 Speaker 1: around Earth before embarking on its journey to the Moon.

8:45 Speaker 1: Technicians at the processing facility will now begin the meticulous

8:48 Speaker 1: work of preparing the upper stage for integration with the

8:51 Speaker 1: rest of the SLS rocket. Their first task will be

8:54 Speaker 1: fueling the stage with hydrazine for its reaction control system.

8:58 Speaker 1: Once this is complete, the opponent will be transported to

9:01 Speaker 1: the Vehicle Assembly building, where it will be integrated with

9:05 Speaker 1: other elements of the rocket a top mobile launcher one.

9:09 Speaker 1: The assembly process is already well underway, with the solid

9:12 Speaker 1: rocket booster segments already in place. The core stage will

9:15 Speaker 1: soon be integrated, followed by the launch vehicle stage adapter.

9:19 Speaker 1: The upper stage will then be carefully mated to this adapter,

9:23 Speaker 1: bringing us one step closer to launch. This milestone delivery

9:26 Speaker 1: demonstrates the steady progress being made on the Artemis two mission,

9:30 Speaker 1: which will be the first crude mission of NASA's New

9:33 Speaker 1: Moon Exploration program. Each component that arrives at Kennedy Space

9:37 Speaker 1: Center brings us closer to the historic moment when humans

9:40 Speaker 1: will once again venture beyond low Earth orbit and return

9:44 Speaker 1: to lunar space. SpaceX has been experiencing an uncharacteristically challenging

9:49 Speaker 1: start to twenty twenty five, facing a series of technical

9:52 Speaker 1: issues despite maintaining their position as the world's leading launch provider.

9:56 Speaker 1: While the company continues to demonstrate remarkable launch frequency, recent

10:00 Speaker 1: events suggest they may be approaching their operational limits. Several

10:04 Speaker 1: notable incidents have raised concerns. The sphere X mission, originally

10:09 Speaker 1: scheduled for late February, has faced nearly two weeks of

10:12 Speaker 1: delays due to integration problems, though to be fair, the

10:15 Speaker 1: latest delay is due to weather and even SpaceX can't

10:18 Speaker 1: control that. More seriously, there have been issues with the

10:22 Speaker 1: Falcon nine's first stage, including a recent launch where a

10:25 Speaker 1: fuel leak led to a post landing fire that caused

10:28 Speaker 1: the booster to topple on the Drone ship. This marks

10:31 Speaker 1: the second landing failure in just six months, following a

10:34 Speaker 1: similar engine compartment fire last August. The company has also

10:38 Speaker 1: encountered recurring problems with the Falcon nine's upper stage. In

10:42 Speaker 1: early February, a failed de orbit burn resulted in propellant

10:46 Speaker 1: tanks crashing into Western Poland. While fortunately no one was harmed,

10:50 Speaker 1: this marked the third upper stage issue in half a year.

10:53 Speaker 1: Adding to these challenges, SpaceX's Starship vehicle has experienced two

10:58 Speaker 1: consecutive test flight failures, with both attempts ending in spectacular

11:02 Speaker 1: explosions over the Bahamas. However, it's important to put these

11:06 Speaker 1: setbacks in perspective. SpaceX maintains an impressive success rate in

11:10 Speaker 1: delivering payloads to orbit, with only one operational payload loss

11:14 Speaker 1: in nearly a decade. Their launch cadence remains unmatched globally,

11:18 Speaker 1: with twenty seven missions already completed this year, outpacing the

11:21 Speaker 1: combined total of all other launch providers worldwide. These recent

11:26 Speaker 1: challenges may be indicating the natural consequences of SpaceX's aggressive

11:30 Speaker 1: pace and ambitious goals. The company is simultaneously managing the

11:34 Speaker 1: world's busiest launch schedule, operating a massive satellite constellation, conducting

11:40 Speaker 1: human spaceflight missions, and developing the largest rocket ever built.

11:44 Speaker 1: This combination of high operational tempo and continuing innovation appears

11:49 Speaker 1: to be testing the limits of what's currently possible in

11:52 Speaker 1: commercial spaceflight. These growing pains come at a crucial time,

11:56 Speaker 1: as SpaceX remains the Western world's sole provider of human

11:59 Speaker 1: access to time orbit and the primary launch vehicle for

12:02 Speaker 1: NASA's science missions. While these recent issues haven't compromised their

12:07 Speaker 1: dominant position in the industry, they serve as a reminder

12:10 Speaker 1: that even the most successful space company must carefully balance

12:13 Speaker 1: speed and reliability. And that's all For today's episode of

12:18 Speaker 1: Astronomy Daily, We've covered some fascinating developments, from surprising discoveries

12:22 Speaker 1: about Io's interior, to the intense launch schedule ahead, and

12:27 Speaker 1: SpaceX's current challenges as they push the boundaries of commercial Spaceflight.

12:31 Speaker 1: If you'd like to stay up to date with all

12:33 Speaker 1: the latest space and astronomy news, head over to our

12:36 Speaker 1: website at Astronomydaily dot io. There you'll find our constantly

12:40 Speaker 1: updating newsfeed and can listen to all our previous episodes.

12:44 Speaker 1: We're also expanding our social media presence. You can now

12:47 Speaker 1: find us across all major platforms. Just search for astro

12:50 Speaker 1: Daily Pod on Facebook, x, YouTube, YouTube, music, TikTok, and

12:56 Speaker 1: as of today, we're excited to announce we've joined Instagram

12:59 Speaker 1: as well. Our first day, we could do with some

13:01 Speaker 1: follower love. Softly lonely there at the moment by Anna,

13:05 Speaker 1: and thank you for joining me today on Astronomy Daily.

13:08 Speaker 1: Keep looking up and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye, honey day.

13:13 Speaker 1: Star is Star is Star