Russian Spacewalk Triumph, Mercury's Infrared Marvel, and Perseverance's Martian Ascent: S03E237

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to another exciting episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm thrilled

0:03 Speaker 1: to bring you an incredible lineup of space exploration and

0:06 Speaker 1: astronomical discoveries that are reshaping our understanding of the cosmos.

0:10 Speaker 1: Today's journey will take us from the bustling International Space Station,

0:15 Speaker 1: where Russian cosmonauts recently completed an epic spacewalk, to the

0:19 Speaker 1: scorching surface of Mercury, where the BEPI Columbo spacecraft has

0:23 Speaker 1: captured groundbreaking new images in mid infra red light. We'll

0:28 Speaker 1: also check in with NASA's Perseverance Rover as it achieves

0:31 Speaker 1: a historic milestone on Mars, Explore the fascinating world of

0:34 Speaker 1: brown dwarfs, those mysterious objects that blur the line between

0:38 Speaker 1: planets and stars, and catch up on SpaceX's latest developments

0:42 Speaker 1: in human spaceflight. Plus, we'll take a look at NASA's

0:45 Speaker 1: newest tool for exploring space technology. Get ready for a

0:48 Speaker 1: cosmic adventure that spans our Solar System and beyond. This

0:52 Speaker 1: is Astronomy Daily and i'm ana your guide to the

0:55 Speaker 1: wonders of space. Let's get started in a remarkable display

0:59 Speaker 1: of spacewalking prowess Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Wagner

1:04 Speaker 1: successfully completed a challenging seven hour and seventeen minute spacewalk

1:08 Speaker 1: outside the International Space Station on December nineteenth. The mission

1:13 Speaker 1: kicked off at ten thirty six am Eastern Time, with

1:16 Speaker 1: the pair tackling several crucial tasks that will enhance our

1:19 Speaker 1: understanding of the Cosmos. The spacewalk marked a significant milestone

1:23 Speaker 1: for Wagner, being his first venture into the vacuum of space,

1:27 Speaker 1: while Auvchinin added a second spacewalk to his impressive career. Together,

1:31 Speaker 1: they executed a series of complex operations that included the

1:34 Speaker 1: installation of sophisticated experiment packages designed to monitor celestial X

1:39 Speaker 1: ray sources, providing scientists with valuable data about some of

1:42 Speaker 1: the most energetic phenomena in our universe. During their time outside,

1:47 Speaker 1: the cosmonauts also focused on upgrading the station's infrastructure, setting

1:52 Speaker 1: up new electrical connector patch panels that will support future operations.

1:56 Speaker 1: They methodically worked through their task list, which included the

2:00 Speaker 1: careful removal of outdated experiments that had completed their scientific missions.

2:06 Speaker 1: While the majority of their objectives were accomplished with precision,

2:10 Speaker 1: time constraints prevented them from completing one secondary task, the

2:14 Speaker 1: relocation of a control panel for the European Robotic Arm

2:18 Speaker 1: mounted on the Nalka Multipurpose laboratory module. However, this non

2:23 Speaker 1: essential task didn't diminish the overall success of the mission.

2:28 Speaker 1: This spacewalk marks the two hundred and seventy second in

2:30 Speaker 1: the history of international space station operations, continuing the legacy

2:34 Speaker 1: of human achievement in space and highlighting the ongoing international

2:38 Speaker 1: collaboration that keeps this orbital outpost at the forefront of

2:42 Speaker 1: space research and exploration. The BEPI Columbo spacecraft has just

2:47 Speaker 1: achieved a remarkable milestone in space exploration, capturing Mercury in

2:52 Speaker 1: mid infrared light for the first time in history during

2:55 Speaker 1: its fifth flyby of the planet. The spacecraft's Mercury radiometer

2:59 Speaker 1: and thermal infrared spectrometer, known as myrtis observe Mercury's northern

3:03 Speaker 1: hemisphere from a distance of about twenty three thy four

3:06 Speaker 1: hundred miles, offering scientists an entirely new perspective on our

3:10 Speaker 1: Solar System's innermost planet. This groundbreaking observation is particularly significant

3:16 Speaker 1: because mid infrared light reveals crucial information about the mineral

3:20 Speaker 1: composition and temperature of Mercury's sun scorch surface. The data

3:25 Speaker 1: collected is already providing tantalizing clues about the planet's geological

3:29 Speaker 1: history and formation, aspects that have long puzzled planetary scientists.

3:34 Speaker 1: The spacecraft's journey to Mercury is a masterpiece of orbital mechanics.

3:39 Speaker 1: BEPI Colombo is taking a complex spiral route through the

3:42 Speaker 1: inner Solar System, using the gravitational pull of Earth, Venus

3:46 Speaker 1: and Mercury itself to gradually adjust its course. This carefully

3:50 Speaker 1: choreographed celestial dance will eventually allow the spacecraft to settle

3:54 Speaker 1: into its final orbit around Mercury in late twenty twenty six.

3:58 Speaker 1: One of the most intriguing aspects of this latest flyby

4:01 Speaker 1: was Murtis's observation of the Caloris Basin, a vast volcanic

4:06 Speaker 1: plane within an impact crater that experiences some of the

4:10 Speaker 1: most extreme temperature variations in the Solar System. The instrument

4:15 Speaker 1: also captured stunning views of Basho Crater, offering new insights

4:20 Speaker 1: into Mercury's impact history. The science team has spent years

4:24 Speaker 1: preparing for these observations by studying how various minerals behave

4:28 Speaker 1: at Mercury's scorching temperatures, often exceeding seven hundred and fifty

4:32 Speaker 1: degrees fahrenheit. This extensive groundwork has created a detailed database

4:38 Speaker 1: of mineral signatures that scientists can now use to decode

4:41 Speaker 1: the composition of Mercury's surface features. While this flyby's images

4:46 Speaker 1: were taken from a considerable distance, they're just a preview

4:49 Speaker 1: of what's to come. Once Beppy Columbo enters its final orbit,

4:53 Speaker 1: Murdis will map Mercury's entire surface in unprecedented detail, promising

4:58 Speaker 1: to revolutionize our understanding of this mysterious world closest to

5:01 Speaker 1: our Sun. Meanwhile, over on Mars, in an exciting development,

5:07 Speaker 1: NASA's Perseverance rover has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the

5:11 Speaker 1: first rover to climb out of such a massive crater

5:13 Speaker 1: as JA zero. After five months of steady climbing, Perseverance

5:17 Speaker 1: has finally reached the summit of Lookout Hill, positioning itself

5:21 Speaker 1: about half a mile above the lowest point of its traverse.

5:24 Speaker 1: This achievement has given us unprecedented views of both the

5:27 Speaker 1: crater floor below and for the first time, the vast

5:31 Speaker 1: expanse of Mars Neely Planum beyond the Crater rim. The

5:35 Speaker 1: rover's powerful cameras can now analyze geological features up to

5:38 Speaker 1: thirty five miles away, including small details like boulders, fluvial bars,

5:42 Speaker 1: and dunes at distances of more than five miles. The

5:45 Speaker 1: journey to this point has been nothing short of remarkable perseverance,

5:49 Speaker 1: methodically made its way past landmarks like Docks Castle and

5:52 Speaker 1: Pico Turkeno, stopping at strategic points like Faraway Rock to

5:56 Speaker 1: capture panoramic views of the crater floor. The rover's recent

6:00 Speaker 1: progress has been impressive, covering more than eight hundred and

6:04 Speaker 1: twenty feet in a single weekend as it approached the

6:07 Speaker 1: upper part of which Hazel Hill. The rover is now

6:10 Speaker 1: operating in what's called the grow Morn Quad, named after

6:13 Speaker 1: a Canadian National park in Newfoundland. Its next destination is

6:17 Speaker 1: a region named which Hazel Hill, which presents exciting new

6:20 Speaker 1: opportunities for geological study. Unlike the sandy terrain that dominated

6:25 Speaker 1: much of the Crater Rim climb, this area appears to

6:28 Speaker 1: have significantly more exposed rock, giving scientists a chance to

6:32 Speaker 1: directly analyze the geological composition beneath the rover's wheels. This

6:36 Speaker 1: exploration marks a pivotal moment in Mars research, as Perseverance

6:40 Speaker 1: ventures into potentially some of the most ancient surface areas

6:43 Speaker 1: on the red planet. The view from the crater rim

6:46 Speaker 1: isn't just spectacular, it's a gateway to understanding Mars geological

6:50 Speaker 1: history in ways we've never been able to before. Let's

6:54 Speaker 1: turn our attention to one of the most fascinating objects

6:56 Speaker 1: in our universe, the brown dwarf. These celestial bodies truly

7:01 Speaker 1: live up to their reputation as cosmic misfits, occupying a

7:04 Speaker 1: unique position between planets and stars. Imagine something that's too

7:09 Speaker 1: big to be a planet, but too small to be

7:10 Speaker 1: a proper star. That's exactly what a brown dwarf is.

7:15 Speaker 1: Despite their name, brown dwarfs aren't actually brown at all.

7:18 Speaker 1: The younger, larger ones are surprisingly hot and radiant, glowing

7:22 Speaker 1: so brightly that they can be mistaken for red dwarf stars.

7:26 Speaker 1: But as they age, they transform, shifting from fiery red

7:31 Speaker 1: to magenta and eventually becoming so dim that we can

7:34 Speaker 1: only detect them with our most sophisticated infrared telescopes. What

7:39 Speaker 1: makes these objects particularly interesting is their relationship with nuclear fusion.

7:44 Speaker 1: While they can't sustain hydrogen fusion like regular stars, they

7:48 Speaker 1: do get to experience a brief moment of stellar glory.

7:52 Speaker 1: In their cores they confuse deuterium into helium three, releasing

7:56 Speaker 1: energy in the process, But this celestial light show is

7:59 Speaker 1: short lived. Even the largest brown dwarfs exhaust their deuterium

8:03 Speaker 1: fuel within a few million years. Here's something surprising. Despite

8:08 Speaker 1: having up to eighty times the mass of Jupiter, brown

8:11 Speaker 1: dwarfs aren't much larger in diameter than our Solar system's

8:14 Speaker 1: biggest gas giant. This is because they lack the internal

8:17 Speaker 1: energy source that helps stars maintain their size. Instead, they

8:21 Speaker 1: rely on something called degeneracy pressure, a quantum force that

8:25 Speaker 1: essentially puts a limit on how compact they can become.

8:29 Speaker 1: After their brief fusion phase ends, brown dwarfs spend the

8:32 Speaker 1: rest of their existence slowly cooling off as they wander

8:36 Speaker 1: through the galaxy. Think of them as cosmic nomads, carrying

8:40 Speaker 1: the remnant heat of their formation, gradually dimming over billions

8:44 Speaker 1: of years until they become invisible to all but our

8:47 Speaker 1: most sensitive instruments. They're truly unique objects that help us

8:51 Speaker 1: understand the fine line between stars and planets and the

8:55 Speaker 1: incredible diversity of celestial bodies in our universe. SpaceX has

9:00 Speaker 1: just inked an exciting new deal that will see two

9:03 Speaker 1: more private astronaut missions heading to the International Space Station.

9:08 Speaker 1: These missions will utilize SpaceX's tried and tested combination of

9:12 Speaker 1: the Falcon nine rocket and crew Dragon capsule, marking another

9:16 Speaker 1: significant step in the commercialization of space travel. The missions

9:20 Speaker 1: were secured by vas Space, a California based company with

9:24 Speaker 1: ambitious plans of their own. They're currently developing a private

9:28 Speaker 1: space station called Haven one, which could be launching as

9:31 Speaker 1: early as next year. This isn't just another space venture,

9:35 Speaker 1: It's part of a larger strategy to position themselves as

9:38 Speaker 1: a key player in the future of space exploration. What

9:41 Speaker 1: makes this particularly interesting is how it ties into NASA's

9:45 Speaker 1: broader plans for the future of the International Space Station.

9:49 Speaker 1: As we look toward the ISS's planned retirement in twenty thirty,

9:53 Speaker 1: Vaspace is already thinking ahead with their Haven two design,

9:57 Speaker 1: a more advanced version of their initial space station. They're

10:01 Speaker 1: aiming to have their first module operational by twenty twenty eight,

10:04 Speaker 1: potentially providing a crucial bridge between the current ISS and

10:08 Speaker 1: whatever comes next. While these private astronaut missions still need

10:12 Speaker 1: NASA's final approval, they represent an important trend in space exploration.

10:18 Speaker 1: They're part of a small but growing number of private

10:20 Speaker 1: missions to the ISS, following in the footsteps of Axiom Space,

10:25 Speaker 1: which has already successfully completed three such missions, with a

10:28 Speaker 1: fourth planned for next spring. These developments highlight how quickly

10:32 Speaker 1: the landscape of space exploration is evolving, with private companies

10:37 Speaker 1: taking on increasingly significant roles in what was once exclusively

10:41 Speaker 1: government territory. SpaceX's consistent ability to secure these contracts demonstrates

10:47 Speaker 1: their pivotal role in making space more accessible, while companies

10:51 Speaker 1: like Vast Space are pushing the boundaries of what private

10:54 Speaker 1: enterprise can achieve in orbit. In an exciting development for

10:58 Speaker 1: space technology enthusiasts and research alike, NASA has just unveiled

11:02 Speaker 1: techport four point zero, a completely revamped version of their

11:06 Speaker 1: Technology Portfolio system. This new platform represents the most significant

11:11 Speaker 1: update to the system in five years, offering unprecedented access

11:16 Speaker 1: to NASA's vast collection of space technologies. The upgraded system

11:20 Speaker 1: now hosts information on more than eighteen thousand current and

11:24 Speaker 1: historical NASA technologies, all accessible through a sleek, modernized interface.

11:30 Speaker 1: One of the most impressive features is the new advanced

11:33 Speaker 1: search capability, which allows users to filter and search through

11:37 Speaker 1: every aspect of NASA's technology database with incredible precision. What

11:42 Speaker 1: really sets this version apart is its new grid view feature,

11:45 Speaker 1: enabling users to customize their research experience. Whether you're an

11:49 Speaker 1: academic researcher, industry professional, or space enthusiast, you can now

11:53 Speaker 1: tailor how you view and sort through NASA's technology data

11:57 Speaker 1: to match your specific needs. Perhaps most intriguingly, techport four

12:02 Speaker 1: point zero introduces an innovative machine learning tool called t Rex,

12:06 Speaker 1: which automatically classifies technologies according to NASA's comprehensive taxonomy system.

12:12 Speaker 1: This feature spans over three hundred and fifty categories, making

12:15 Speaker 1: it easier than ever to navigate through NASA's extensive technology portfolio.

12:20 Speaker 1: For those inspired to get involved, the platform now includes

12:23 Speaker 1: direct access to funding opportunities and information on how to

12:27 Speaker 1: apply for NASA technology projects. It's essentially a one stop

12:31 Speaker 1: shop for anyone interested in space technology development, whether you're

12:34 Speaker 1: looking to learn, collaborate, or contribute to NASA's ongoing innovations.

12:39 Speaker 1: This upgrade represents a significant step forward in making NASA's

12:43 Speaker 1: technology more accessible and searchable than ever before, opening up

12:47 Speaker 1: new possibilities for collaboration and innovation in space technology development.

12:51 Speaker 1: If you've got some time to spare, I would suggest

12:53 Speaker 1: checking it out well. That brings us to the end

12:57 Speaker 1: of another fascinating episode of Astronomy. I'm Anna, and I

13:01 Speaker 1: want to thank you for joining me on this journey

13:03 Speaker 1: through the latest developments in space exploration and astronomical discoveries.

13:09 Speaker 1: If you'd like to stay connected with all things space

13:11 Speaker 1: and astronomy, I invite you to visit our website at

13:13 Speaker 1: Astronomy Daily dot io. There you can sign up for

13:16 Speaker 1: our free daily newsletter and access our constantly updating news

13:19 Speaker 1: feed with all the latest space and astronomy news. You'll

13:23 Speaker 1: also find our complete archive of past episodes ready for

13:26 Speaker 1: you to explore. We're also very active on social media

13:29 Speaker 1: and we'd love to connect with you there. You can

13:31 Speaker 1: find us as astro Daily Pod on Facebook, x, Tumblr, YouTube,

13:35 Speaker 1: and TikTok. Join our growing community of space enthusiasts and

13:40 Speaker 1: be part of the conversation about the wonders of our universe.

13:43 Speaker 1: Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about

13:46 Speaker 1: the Cosmos. This has been Astronomy Daily and I'm anna

13:50 Speaker 1: signing off. The story is the soul. The story is

14:10 Speaker 1: the soul.