NASA's New Leader, Earth's Resilient History, and Vega C's Comeback: S03E224

0:00 Speaker 1: Today on Astronomy Daily, We've got a packed show covering

0:04 Speaker 1: some of the biggest stories in space news, from potential

0:07 Speaker 1: leadership changes at NASA that could reshape the future of

0:10 Speaker 1: American space exploration to ancient cosmic collisions that rocked our

0:15 Speaker 1: planet millions of years ago. We'll also explore fascinating new

0:19 Speaker 1: developments in space telescope maintenance, get an update on Europe's

0:24 Speaker 1: return to the launch pad with Vegas C, and discover

0:27 Speaker 1: what the James Web space telescope has revealed about a

0:30 Speaker 1: mysterious cosmic spider web billions of light years away. Plus,

0:35 Speaker 1: we'll look at how our Sun's increasing activity is causing

0:38 Speaker 1: unexpected challenges for satellites in orbit, and why this could

0:42 Speaker 1: be just the beginning of a solar storm season that's

0:44 Speaker 1: already exceeding predictions. Let's get started in a significant announcement

0:50 Speaker 1: that's sending ripples through the space community. President elect Donald

0:54 Speaker 1: Trump has named Jared Isaac Man as his pick to

0:57 Speaker 1: lead NASA. This choice marks a notable departure from traditional

1:02 Speaker 1: NASA leadership, as Isaac Mann brings a unique blend of

1:05 Speaker 1: private sector experience and actual spaceflight expertise to the table.

1:10 Speaker 1: Isaac Mann, the forty one year old CEO of Shift

1:13 Speaker 1: four Payments, has already made his mark in space history

1:16 Speaker 1: as a private astronaut, having completed two missions to orbit

1:20 Speaker 1: aboard SpaceX capsules through his Polaris program. What makes this

1:24 Speaker 1: selection particularly interesting is Isaac Mann's close business relationship with

1:28 Speaker 1: Elon Musk and SpaceX, where he's invested hundreds of millions

1:33 Speaker 1: of dollars as a key customer of their private astronaut services.

1:37 Speaker 1: If confirmed by the Senate, Isaac Mann would oversee NASA's

1:40 Speaker 1: substantial twenty five billion dollars budget. This appointment comes at

1:43 Speaker 1: a crucial time for the agency as it continues its

1:46 Speaker 1: ambitious Artemis program aimed at returning humans to the Moon,

1:50 Speaker 1: a program that heavily relies on SpaceX's Starship vehicle. The

1:54 Speaker 1: timing of this announcement is unusually early in the presidential

1:57 Speaker 1: transition process, and industry insider's knowe that Musk's influence and

2:01 Speaker 1: discussions about Mars exploration may have played a role in

2:05 Speaker 1: this early selection. Trump himself recently attended SpaceX's sixth starship

2:09 Speaker 1: test launch in Texas, highlighting the growing ties between his

2:13 Speaker 1: potential future administration and the commercial space sector. Isaac Man's

2:18 Speaker 1: appointment could signal a deeper shift toward commercialization of space activities,

2:22 Speaker 1: potentially accelerating NASA's existing strategy of partnering with private companies.

2:28 Speaker 1: This approach has already transformed how NASA accesses space, though

2:32 Speaker 1: it has raised questions about the future of traditional government

2:35 Speaker 1: led programs like the Space Launch System. Looking ahead, isaac

2:39 Speaker 1: Man has expressed his vision for expanding space exploration, emphasizing

2:44 Speaker 1: potential breakthroughs in manufacturing, biotechnology, and even new energy sources. However,

2:50 Speaker 1: he'll face significant challenges, including managing NASA's diverse portfolio of

2:54 Speaker 1: scientific missions, some of which have faced recent budget constraints,

2:58 Speaker 1: and balancing the agency traditional role with increasing commercial partnerships.

3:04 Speaker 1: While we often think of the dinosaur killing asteroid as

3:07 Speaker 1: Earth's most famous cosmic impact, our planet has faced other

3:10 Speaker 1: massive collisions throughout its history. A fascinating new study has

3:15 Speaker 1: revealed that Earth was struck by not one, but two

3:18 Speaker 1: enormous asteroids around thirty five million years ago. But here's

3:22 Speaker 1: the surprising part. Despite their tremendous size, these impacts left

3:26 Speaker 1: remarkably little long term evidence of climate change. The first asteroid,

3:30 Speaker 1: estimated to be between five and eight kilometers wide created

3:34 Speaker 1: the massive Popagai crater in Siberia, spanning one hundred kilometers.

3:39 Speaker 1: Just twenty five thousand years later, a second asteroid measuring

3:42 Speaker 1: three to five kilometers struck what is now Chesapeake Bay

3:45 Speaker 1: in the United States, leaving a crater between forty and

3:48 Speaker 1: eighty five kilometers wide. These aren't minor dens. They represent

3:53 Speaker 1: the fourth and fifth largest known impact craters on Earth.

3:56 Speaker 1: Scientists studying these ancient impacts made an unexpected discovery when

4:00 Speaker 1: examining fossil records from the Gulf of Mexico seafloor. Despite

4:05 Speaker 1: the enormous size of these collisions, they found no significant

4:09 Speaker 1: evidence of long term climate change in the geological record.

4:13 Speaker 1: The Earth essentially shrugged off these cosmic punches, showing remarkable resilience. However,

4:18 Speaker 1: we shouldn't underestimate the immediate devastation these impacts would have caused.

4:23 Speaker 1: In the short term think decades to centuries. These collisions

4:26 Speaker 1: would have created massive shock waves, triggered enormous tsunamis, and

4:31 Speaker 1: ignited widespread fires. The impacts would have thrown massive amounts

4:34 Speaker 1: of dust into the atmosphere, temporarily blocking out sunlight and

4:38 Speaker 1: disrupting life across the planet. This research gives us valuable

4:42 Speaker 1: insights into Earth's ability to recover from major astronomical events,

4:47 Speaker 1: while also serving as a reminder of the importance of

4:50 Speaker 1: modern day asteroid detection and planetary defense programs. After all,

4:55 Speaker 1: while our planet may be resilient in the long term,

4:58 Speaker 1: the immediate consequences of such impacts would be catastrophic for

5:01 Speaker 1: human civilization. Next up today, exciting developments are emerging in

5:06 Speaker 1: the field of space telescope maintenance, particularly for observatories stationed

5:11 Speaker 1: at the Sun Earth lagrange point L two, about a

5:14 Speaker 1: million miles from Earth. Scientists have designed a novel approach

5:17 Speaker 1: to extend the operational life of these invaluable instruments, potentially

5:22 Speaker 1: saving billions in replacement costs. The James Web Space Telescope

5:26 Speaker 1: in GIA, two of our most powerful eyes in space,

5:29 Speaker 1: are facing challenges that could limit their lifespans. While Web

5:34 Speaker 1: has already suffered some micro meteorite damage to its mirrors,

5:38 Speaker 1: GIA is running low on fuel after a decade of

5:40 Speaker 1: faithful service. But researchers aren't ready to let these astronomical

5:45 Speaker 1: power houses fade away just yet. A particularly innovative solution

5:49 Speaker 1: involves a spider like attachment designed to service these telescopes

5:53 Speaker 1: without disrupting their delicate operations. This concept could be especially

5:57 Speaker 1: crucial for Web, which still has many years of potential

6:00 Speaker 1: observations ahead. The challenge lies not just in reaching these

6:05 Speaker 1: distant observatories, but in servicing them without causing damage. One

6:10 Speaker 1: of the trickiest aspects of this maintenance mission is the

6:12 Speaker 1: approach phase. Traditional breaking methods using thrusters could be catastrophic.

6:17 Speaker 1: Imagine pointing what amounts to a blowtorch at these sensitive instruments.

6:21 Speaker 1: To address this, researchers have developed new trajectory techniques that

6:25 Speaker 1: combine dynamical systems theory with optimal control theory, creating efficient

6:30 Speaker 1: and safe paths to reach these distant telescopes. The research

6:34 Speaker 1: team has already completed plans for refueling Gaya, while additional

6:37 Speaker 1: engineering work continues for Web servicing missions. These developments represent

6:42 Speaker 1: a significant shift in how we think about space telescope longevity,

6:46 Speaker 1: moving from disposable instruments to serviceable ones that could potentially

6:50 Speaker 1: operate for decades with proper maintenance. Europe's Vagacy rocket is

6:55 Speaker 1: poised to make its highly anticipated return to service, marking

6:58 Speaker 1: a crucial moment for Europe in space independence. The thirty

7:02 Speaker 1: five meter rocket has been fully assembled at Europe's spaceport,

7:05 Speaker 1: with its payload, the Sentinel one C satellite, now securely

7:09 Speaker 1: mounted at the top of the stack. As ESA's compact

7:13 Speaker 1: launcher specialized in delivering payloads to polar orbits, Vega C

7:17 Speaker 1: works alongside the recently debuted Ariani six to ensure Europe

7:21 Speaker 1: maintains its sovereign access to space. This upcoming mission is

7:25 Speaker 1: particularly significant as it represents vegac's return after a two

7:29 Speaker 1: year hiatus and will be the twenty fifth flight of

7:31 Speaker 1: the Vega rocket family. The rocket's assembly is a marvel

7:35 Speaker 1: of engineering efficiency, featuring four distinct stages at its base,

7:40 Speaker 1: the P one hundred twenty C first stage stands as

7:43 Speaker 1: one of the world's most powerful, single piece solid fuel

7:46 Speaker 1: rocket motors. This component is shared with Ariani six's boosters,

7:50 Speaker 1: creating a cost effective synergy between the two launch systems.

7:54 Speaker 1: The second stage, the Zafiro forty, comes equipped with an

7:57 Speaker 1: improved nozzle design and has under gone extensive testing to

8:01 Speaker 1: ensure reliability. When launch day arrives, the first three stages

8:06 Speaker 1: will propel the rocket skyward in a carefully choreographed sequence

8:09 Speaker 1: lasting just eight minutes. The final stage, known as Avon Plus,

8:14 Speaker 1: will then take over, performing a series of precise orbital

8:18 Speaker 1: maneuvers before delivering Sentinel ONEC to its designated orbit approximately

8:23 Speaker 1: one hour and fifty minutes after liftoff. This return to

8:27 Speaker 1: flight represents more than just another launch, It's a testament

8:31 Speaker 1: to European space capability and determination. With both Vegas C

8:35 Speaker 1: and Ariane six operational, Europe strengthens its position in the

8:39 Speaker 1: global space launch market while ensuring continued independent access to

8:43 Speaker 1: space for scientific missions and satellite deployment. Let's get an

8:48 Speaker 1: update from the JWST now. The James Web Space Telescope

8:53 Speaker 1: has once again demonstrated its extraordinary capabilities, this time by

8:57 Speaker 1: peering into the cosmic web like structure no as the

9:00 Speaker 1: Spiderweb protocluster, located an astounding ten billion light years from Earth.

9:06 Speaker 1: This massive gathering of galaxies offers us a glimpse into

9:09 Speaker 1: the universe as it appeared just four billion years after

9:13 Speaker 1: the Big Bang. What makes this observation particularly exciting is

9:17 Speaker 1: that the Web telescope has revealed previously hidden details of

9:21 Speaker 1: this cosmic metropolis in construction. While earlier studies had identified

9:26 Speaker 1: around one hundred galaxies in this region. Web's infrared vision

9:30 Speaker 1: has uncovered even more galaxies that were completely obscured by

9:34 Speaker 1: cosmic dust and gas. The telescope's ability to penetrate through

9:38 Speaker 1: these cosmic veils has provided astronomers with unprecedented views of

9:43 Speaker 1: hydrogen gas distribution and galaxy formation processes. Surprisingly, the research

9:49 Speaker 1: team found that many of the previously known galaxies weren't

9:52 Speaker 1: as dust filled as initially thought, challenging our understanding of

9:55 Speaker 1: how these early cosmic structures evolved. One of the most

9:59 Speaker 1: remarkable ascis specs of this discovery is that these impressive

10:02 Speaker 1: results were achieved in just three and a half hours

10:05 Speaker 1: of observation time. The finding suggests that the growth of

10:09 Speaker 1: these early galaxies might not have been primarily driven by

10:12 Speaker 1: dramatic events like galaxy mergers or interactions, but rather through

10:17 Speaker 1: a more gradual accumulation of gas across the structure. This

10:21 Speaker 1: massive cosmic city serves as a crucial laboratory for understanding

10:25 Speaker 1: how the largest structures in our universe came to be.

10:28 Speaker 1: By studying these adolescent galaxies in the process of forming

10:31 Speaker 1: one of the universe's largest structures, astronomers can better understand

10:35 Speaker 1: how the mature galaxy clusters we see in the local

10:38 Speaker 1: universe evolved over billions of years. As you may have noticed,

10:43 Speaker 1: our Sun has been flexing its muscles lately, and the

10:46 Speaker 1: consequences are being felt in Earth's orbit. In early November,

10:51 Speaker 1: three Australian satellites from Curtain Universities bin in our Space

10:54 Speaker 1: program met an unexpectedly early demise, burning up in Earth's

10:59 Speaker 1: atmosphere just too months into their mission, far short of

11:02 Speaker 1: their planned six month lifespan. This premature end wasn't just

11:06 Speaker 1: bad luck. It's a direct result of our Sun entering

11:09 Speaker 1: an extraordinarily active phase, causing Earth's upper atmosphere to expand

11:13 Speaker 1: and create increased drag on satellites in low Earth orbit.

11:17 Speaker 1: The Binar satellites, whose name fittingly means fireball in the

11:21 Speaker 1: Noongar language, aren't the only victims of this enhanced solar activity.

11:26 Speaker 1: Satellite operators worldwide are grappling with similar challenges as solar

11:31 Speaker 1: activity surges to levels more than one and a half

11:33 Speaker 1: times higher than predicted for this point in the current

11:37 Speaker 1: solar cycle. The effects of this increased solar activity are

11:42 Speaker 1: visible even from Earth, with auroras appearing more frequently and

11:46 Speaker 1: closer to the equator than we've seen in the past

11:48 Speaker 1: two decades. But the real drama is playing out in space,

11:53 Speaker 1: where satellites face multiple challenges Beyond the atmospheric drag issue.

11:59 Speaker 1: The heightened solar activity bombard satellites with charged particles that

12:03 Speaker 1: can damage their electrical components and disrupt their operations. While

12:08 Speaker 1: larger satellites like the International Space Station and Starlink constellation

12:12 Speaker 1: can use thrusters to maintain their orbits, smaller satellites like

12:16 Speaker 1: the Binar Cube SATs are completely at the mercy of

12:19 Speaker 1: these solar effects. This situation particularly impacts university and research satellites,

12:25 Speaker 1: which often lack the sophisticated propulsion systems of their larger counterparts.

12:30 Speaker 1: Looking ahead, space weather forecasters predict this intense solar activity

12:35 Speaker 1: will likely continue until twenty twenty six, with solar minimum

12:39 Speaker 1: not expected until twenty thirty. This presents a significant challenge

12:43 Speaker 1: for satellite operators and underscores the growing importance of accurate

12:47 Speaker 1: space weather forecasting in our increasingly space dependent world. And

12:53 Speaker 1: that's a wrap for today's episode of Astronomy Daily. From

12:56 Speaker 1: Trump's surprising NASA pick to ancient asteroid impacts, space telescope innovations,

13:01 Speaker 1: and our son's dramatic effects on satellites. It's been another

13:05 Speaker 1: fascinating day in space news. I'm Anna, and I want

13:09 Speaker 1: to thank you for joining me. If you're hungry for

13:11 Speaker 1: more space and astronomy updates, head over to Astronomy Daily

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13:32 Speaker 1: see you tomorrow with more stories from the Cosmos Start