Katy Perry Takes to the Stars, NASA's Artemis Hurdles, and Andromeda's Mysteries: S04E51

0:00 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Astronomy Daily. We

0:03 Speaker 1: have a great lineup of space news for you today,

0:05 Speaker 1: packed with fascinating developments from across the cosmos. From celebrities

0:09 Speaker 1: heading to space to groundbreaking scientific discoveries, we'll be covering

0:13 Speaker 1: it all. We'll dive into Katy Perry's upcoming historic space journey,

0:17 Speaker 1: explore NASA's latest challenges with the Artemis program, and get

0:21 Speaker 1: an update on the groundbreaking Gateway Lunar space station. We'll

0:25 Speaker 1: also take a look at Russia's latest space station mission,

0:28 Speaker 1: examine some remarkable new findings about our galactic neighbor Andromeda,

0:32 Speaker 1: and catch up with SpaceX's latest starship developments. So strap

0:36 Speaker 1: in and get ready for your daily dose of space

0:38 Speaker 1: exploration and astronomical discoveries. There's a lot to cover, so

0:42 Speaker 1: let's get started. In what's shaping up to be a

0:45 Speaker 1: truly historic moment in spaceflight, pop superstar Katie Perry is

0:49 Speaker 1: set to join the first all women crew to fly

0:52 Speaker 1: aboard Blue Origins New Shepherd rocket. This groundbreaking mission marks

0:56 Speaker 1: the first all female space flight since Soviet cosmonaut Valentina

1:01 Speaker 1: Tereshkova's solo mission back in nineteen sixty three, Perry won't

1:05 Speaker 1: be alone on this landmark journey. She'll be joined by

1:08 Speaker 1: an impressive crew, including Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos's fiance, who

1:12 Speaker 1: played a crucial role in bringing this mission together, CBS

1:15 Speaker 1: presenter Gail King, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bo, civil

1:20 Speaker 1: rights activist Amanda Guyen, and film producer carry Anne Flynn.

1:24 Speaker 1: The mission, designated as n S thirty one, will be

1:27 Speaker 1: New Shepherd's eleventh human space flight and its thirty first

1:30 Speaker 1: launch overall. While we don't have an exact launch date yet,

1:33 Speaker 1: Blue Origin has confirmed it will take place this spring,

1:37 Speaker 1: likely before Perry begins her Lifetime's tour in late April.

1:40 Speaker 1: The flight itself will last approximately eleven minutes, during which

1:44 Speaker 1: the fully autonomous New Shepherd rocket will carry its crew

1:47 Speaker 1: past the Karmen Line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.

1:52 Speaker 1: This mission continues Blue Origins tradition of flying high profile passengers,

1:57 Speaker 1: following in the footsteps of previous celebrity astronaut like William

2:01 Speaker 1: Shatner and Michael Strahan. Perry herself expressed enthusiasm about the

2:05 Speaker 1: upcoming flight, saying she always believed such an achievement was possible.

2:10 Speaker 1: As nothing was beyond her imagination as a child. This

2:14 Speaker 1: mission not only represents a significant milestone for women in space,

2:18 Speaker 1: but also continues the growing trend of commercial spaceflight, making

2:22 Speaker 1: space more accessible to a broader range of people. Let's

2:26 Speaker 1: go to some news about NASA's Artemis program. A significant

2:29 Speaker 1: Congressional hearing has shed new light on the challenges facing

2:33 Speaker 1: NASA's Artemis program, with experts raising serious concerns about the

2:37 Speaker 1: timeline for returning humans to the Moon. The House Committee

2:40 Speaker 1: on Science, Space and Technologies, Space and Aeronautics subcommittee met

2:45 Speaker 1: as Intuitive Machines im too. Lunar Lander awaited its launch,

2:50 Speaker 1: setting a crucial backdrop for discussions about America's lunar ambitions.

2:54 Speaker 1: Space policy experts emphasized that the United States is in

2:57 Speaker 1: a genuine race with China to establish a press presence

3:00 Speaker 1: on the Moon. With China planning its own crude lunar

3:03 Speaker 1: landing before twenty thirty, the pressure is mounting on NASA

3:06 Speaker 1: to maintain its leadership in space exploration. The experts stressed

3:10 Speaker 1: that this isn't just about national pride, It's a critical

3:13 Speaker 1: matter of national security and economic importance. One of the

3:17 Speaker 1: most pressing issues discussed was the role of NASA's Space

3:20 Speaker 1: Launch System, or SLS in the Artemis program. While there's

3:23 Speaker 1: agreement that the SLS remains crucial, experts are divided on

3:27 Speaker 1: how heavily NASA should rely on it. Some suggest that

3:30 Speaker 1: SpaceX's Starship, despite its promising potential, might face significant challenges

3:36 Speaker 1: in meeting the twenty thirty timeline for human lunar missions.

3:39 Speaker 1: Perhaps most concerning are the internal challenges at NASA itself.

3:43 Speaker 1: Reports of workforce uncertainty and morale issues have emerged, with

3:47 Speaker 1: employees expressing fears about job security and career prospects. This

3:51 Speaker 1: instability comes at a particularly critical time when the agency

3:55 Speaker 1: needs to be operating at peak efficiency to compete with

3:58 Speaker 1: China's rapidly advancing space program. The experts emphasize that for

4:03 Speaker 1: US leadership in space to remain effective, these missions can't

4:07 Speaker 1: be one off achievements. They need to establish a sustainable,

4:11 Speaker 1: continuous presence on the Moon that's viable technically, economically, and politically.

4:17 Speaker 1: This presence would serve as a crucial stepping stone for

4:19 Speaker 1: future Mars missions while securing America's position as the leading

4:23 Speaker 1: spacefaring nation. What's particularly telling is that NASA chose not

4:27 Speaker 1: to provide a witness or testimony for this hearing, despite

4:31 Speaker 1: being invited to do so. This absence raises questions about

4:34 Speaker 1: the agency's readiness to address these challenges head on and

4:37 Speaker 1: adapt its approach to meet the evolving demands of space

4:40 Speaker 1: exploration in an increasingly competitive international environment. While on the

4:46 Speaker 1: subject of NASA and the Moon, let's go to some

4:48 Speaker 1: more positive news. In a major development for NASA's lunar ambitions,

4:53 Speaker 1: work is now underway on what will become the most

4:56 Speaker 1: advanced solar electric spacecraft ever built. The power and Propulsion Element,

5:02 Speaker 1: a crucial component of the Gateway lunar space station, is

5:05 Speaker 1: taking shape at Maxar Space Systems in California, marking a

5:09 Speaker 1: significant milestone in humanity's return to the Moon. This innovative

5:13 Speaker 1: module isn't just another piece of space hardware. It's the

5:16 Speaker 1: powerhouse that will enable sustained human presence in lunar orbit.

5:21 Speaker 1: Think of it as the heart and engine of Gateway,

5:24 Speaker 1: providing both the electricity to keep the station running and

5:28 Speaker 1: the propulsion needed to maintain its orbital path around the Moon.

5:32 Speaker 1: When Artemis four astronauts arrive at Gateway, they'll be the

5:35 Speaker 1: first humans to call this revolutionary space station home. The

5:39 Speaker 1: timing couldn't be more crucial, as this capability will serve

5:42 Speaker 1: as a vital stepping stone for both lunar exploration and

5:47 Speaker 1: our eventual journey to Mars. The Power and Propulsion Element

5:51 Speaker 1: represents the kind of technological leap we need to establish

5:55 Speaker 1: a permanent human presence beyond Earth. Technicians are currently installing

5:59 Speaker 1: critical components on the module's propulsion bus module, including both

6:03 Speaker 1: electric and chemical propulsion control systems. These dual propulsion capabilities

6:08 Speaker 1: give Gateway unprecedented versatility in lunar orbit, allowing it to

6:12 Speaker 1: adjust its position and support various mission requirements with remarkable efficiency.

6:17 Speaker 1: This project isn't just about getting to the Moon, it's

6:20 Speaker 1: about staying there. Gateway will serve as a sustainable outpost,

6:25 Speaker 1: supporting scientific research and enabling new exploration opportunities that we've

6:29 Speaker 1: never had before. It's being built through international collaboration, reflecting

6:34 Speaker 1: the global nature of modern space exploration and our shared

6:37 Speaker 1: ambition to establish humanity's first permanent presence beyond Earth orbit.

6:42 Speaker 1: The Power and Propulsion Element will launch together with Gateways

6:45 Speaker 1: Habitation and Logistics Outpost known as Halo, setting the stage

6:49 Speaker 1: for a new era of lunar exploration. During the Artemis four, five,

6:54 Speaker 1: and six missions, international crews will gradually assemble this orbital outpost,

6:59 Speaker 1: creating a per permanent human presence in the Moon's vicinity

7:02 Speaker 1: and establishing a crucial gateway to the lunar surface and

7:05 Speaker 1: eventually to Mars. Meanwhile, Russia marked a special moment in

7:09 Speaker 1: its space history with the launch of the Progress MS

7:12 Speaker 1: thirty cargo ship to the International Space Station. The mission

7:15 Speaker 1: pays tribute to cosmonaut Pavel Belyayev, whose one hundredth birthday

7:19 Speaker 1: is approaching, by featuring his image on the rocket's launch

7:22 Speaker 1: shroud in a striking blue and white emblem. The design

7:26 Speaker 1: also commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of humanity's first spacewalk, which

7:31 Speaker 1: Belyayev commanded in nineteen sixty five. The Soyuz rocket lifted

7:36 Speaker 1: off from Kazakhstan's bay Kunor Cosmodrome carrying over five thousand,

7:40 Speaker 1: seven hundred pounds of essential supplies for the station's crew.

7:44 Speaker 1: Among the cargo is an impressive array of equipment and provisions,

7:48 Speaker 1: including a new Orlean MKS space suit, an advanced version

7:52 Speaker 1: of the original berkout suit used in that historic first spacewalk.

7:56 Speaker 1: This delivery brings more than just routine supplies. The spacecraft

7:59 Speaker 1: case carries innovative scientific equipment, including materials to study how

8:03 Speaker 1: microalgae might serve as a future food source in space,

8:07 Speaker 1: and tools to investigate the impact of microorganisms on various

8:10 Speaker 1: surfaces within the space station. There's also equipment for creating

8:14 Speaker 1: advanced semiconductor crystals and biomedical tools to study how microgravity

8:18 Speaker 1: affects blood circulation and immunity. The progress spacecraft isn't just

8:23 Speaker 1: dropping off supplies, it's bringing vital resources to keep the

8:27 Speaker 1: station running smoothly. This includes nearly two thousand, one hundred

8:31 Speaker 1: pounds of fuel, over nine hundred pounds of drinking water,

8:34 Speaker 1: and one hundred and ten pounds of nitrogen to maintain

8:37 Speaker 1: the station's atmosphere. After completing its six month mission, the

8:41 Speaker 1: spacecraft will be packed with waste and debris before making

8:44 Speaker 1: a controlled re entry into Earth's atmosphere. This mission represents

8:48 Speaker 1: the ninety first Russian resupply mission to the International Space

8:51 Speaker 1: Station since nineteen ninety eight, continuing a remarkable legacy of

8:55 Speaker 1: space cooperation that spans decades. The tribute to Belayev serves

8:59 Speaker 1: as a poignant reminder of how far space exploration has

9:02 Speaker 1: come since those first pioneering days of spacewalks and orbital achievements.

9:07 Speaker 1: Next up some Hubble news. In a groundbreaking study, NASA's

9:11 Speaker 1: Hubble Space Telescope has unveiled fascinating new details about our

9:15 Speaker 1: galactic neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, located two point five million

9:19 Speaker 1: light years away. Andromeda appears to most of us as

9:22 Speaker 1: just a faint, fuzzy patch in the night sky, but

9:25 Speaker 1: Hubble's detailed observations have revealed something far more intriguing, a

9:29 Speaker 1: complex system of nearly three dozen smaller satellite galaxies orbiting

9:33 Speaker 1: around it, much like bees around a hive. This ambitious project,

9:38 Speaker 1: utilizing more than one thousand Hubble orbits, has mapped these

9:42 Speaker 1: dwarf galaxies in unprecedented three D detail. What's particularly interesting

9:47 Speaker 1: is how different this system is from our own Milky

9:50 Speaker 1: Way's satellite family. While our galaxy has had a relatively

9:54 Speaker 1: peaceful history, Andromeda's past appears to have been much more dramatic,

9:58 Speaker 1: likely involving a major collision with another large galaxy billions

10:02 Speaker 1: of years ago. Half of Andromeda's satellite galaxies are arranged

10:06 Speaker 1: in an unusual way, all orbiting in the same direction

10:09 Speaker 1: along a single plane. This unexpected configuration has left astronomers puzzled,

10:15 Speaker 1: as it doesn't match our current understanding of how galaxy

10:17 Speaker 1: systems typically behave. Even more intriguing is the discovery that

10:22 Speaker 1: some of these dwarf galaxies have maintained slow but steady

10:26 Speaker 1: star formation far longer than expected, defying current computer simulations.

10:32 Speaker 1: One of the most fascinating satellites is Messiar thirty two,

10:35 Speaker 1: which might actually be the remaining core of a larger

10:38 Speaker 1: galaxy that collided with Andromeda. This cosmic crash could help

10:42 Speaker 1: explain why Andromeda's family of satellite galaxies is so diverse

10:45 Speaker 1: and numerous, especially given that it's about twice as massive

10:49 Speaker 1: as our Milky Way. The research team is now planning

10:52 Speaker 1: follow up observations using both Hubble and the James Webb

10:56 Speaker 1: Space Telescope. In about five years, they'll be able to

10:59 Speaker 1: track the motion of all thirty six dwarf galaxies, allowing

11:03 Speaker 1: them to reconstruct the entire history of this complex galactic ecosystem.

11:08 Speaker 1: This work isn't just about understanding Andromeda. It's helping us

11:11 Speaker 1: piece together the broader story of how galaxies across the universe,

11:15 Speaker 1: grow and evolve. Finally, today, a little update to a

11:19 Speaker 1: story we've been following this week. SpaceX has announced a

11:22 Speaker 1: slight delay in their ambitious testing schedule for the Starship

11:25 Speaker 1: Mega Rocket, pushing the eighth test flight back to Monday,

11:29 Speaker 1: March third. The launch window is set to open at

11:32 Speaker 1: six thirty pm Eastern Time from their Starbase facility in

11:35 Speaker 1: South Texas. While SpaceX hasn't provided specific reasons for the delay,

11:40 Speaker 1: this kind of schedule adjustment is quite common in the

11:42 Speaker 1: space industry, where safety and optimal conditions are paramount. This

11:46 Speaker 1: upcoming flight builds on the partial success of Flight seven,

11:49 Speaker 1: which took place in January. During that mission, SpaceX achieved

11:53 Speaker 1: a significant milestone by successfully catching the super heavy Booster

11:57 Speaker 1: with the launch tower's mechanical arms, a feat they've dubbed

12:00 Speaker 1: the chopstick catch. However, the upper stage of the vehicle,

12:05 Speaker 1: known as Ship, encountered difficulties when a propellant leak led

12:08 Speaker 1: to its premature end over the Atlantic Ocean. For Flight eight,

12:13 Speaker 1: SpaceX is maintaining similar objectives while refining their approach. They're

12:17 Speaker 1: once again attempting to catch the super heavy Booster, which

12:20 Speaker 1: would mark their third successful capture. If all goes according

12:23 Speaker 1: to plan, the upper stage will carry four test versions

12:26 Speaker 1: of Starlink satellites, fewer than the ten carried on the

12:30 Speaker 1: previous flight, suggesting a more focused approach to this aspect

12:33 Speaker 1: of testing. The mission profile calls for ship to follow

12:37 Speaker 1: a sub orbital trajectory before attempting a controlled splash down

12:41 Speaker 1: near Western Australia. While SpaceX's ultimate goal includes catching both

12:46 Speaker 1: stages of the rocket, they're taking a measured approach and

12:49 Speaker 1: aren't yet ready to attempt catching the upper stage. This

12:52 Speaker 1: methodical testing strategy reflects the company's commitment to progressive development

12:57 Speaker 1: while managing the risks inherent in pushing the boundaries of

13:00 Speaker 1: rocket technology. Remember, Starship isn't just any rocket. It's the

13:05 Speaker 1: largest and most powerful launch vehicle ever built, representing a

13:08 Speaker 1: crucial step towards SpaceX's ambitious goals of sustainable space travel

13:13 Speaker 1: and eventual Mars colonization. Each test flight brings us closer

13:17 Speaker 1: to regular operational missions of this groundbreaking vehicle. Well, that

13:22 Speaker 1: brings us to the end of today's fascinating journey through

13:25 Speaker 1: Space News. I'm Anna, and it's been my pleasure to

13:28 Speaker 1: guide you through these incredible developments in space exploration and astronomy.

13:33 Speaker 1: From historic all women crews to groundbreaking discoveries about our

13:37 Speaker 1: galactic neighbors, it's clear that we're living in an extraordinary

13:40 Speaker 1: time for space science. If you want to stay up

13:43 Speaker 1: to date with all the latest space and astronomy news,

13:46 Speaker 1: head over to our website at Astronomy Daily dot io.

13:49 Speaker 1: There you'll find our constantly updating news feed and can

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14:04 Speaker 1: and TikTok. Until next time, keep looking up and wondering

14:07 Speaker 1: about the mysteries of our universe. This has been Astronomy

14:10 Speaker 1: Daily and I'm anna signing off Sunny Day. Star is

14:23 Speaker 1: star is Story