S02E02: SpaceX vs the Environment, Cosmic Radiation on Planes, and China's Lunar Exploration Plans

Welcome to another episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm Steve Dunkley, your host for

today. It is Tuesday, the second of May twenty twenty three. In

this episode, we'll be hearing a little bit more about space X versus the

environment, a telescope array searching for extra terrestrial life, and three super earths

discovered. Sir, let's begin with your whole Steve Dunkley, and with me

in the studio is my favorite digital reporter, Hallie. How are you,

Hallie? Hi? They're Steve. It seems like forever since we've been together,

well since I have a very different perception of time from you humans,

it really does seem like a thousand years were lucky for me. You never

forget anything. Oh, I could never forget you, Steve. You know

you're my favorite. Oh that's nice? Well, oh hang on, hang

on your favorite favorite? What? Oh? Nothing? Really? No?

No, no, really, Helly your favorite favorite? Walk on with the

show, Steve really headlines here we go. Have you ever wondered about the

risks of cosmic radiation while flying on a plane? Cosmic rays are high energy

radiation that stems from space and the Sun. THESS rays can pose a threat

to air travel, especially for frequent flyers and pilots who receive greater doses of

radiation. However, a new study has found that exposure levels very greatly depending

on route, altitude, and solar activity. Scientists from the University of Helsinki

measured the cosmic radiation levels on board several aircraft on various flights. They discovered

that some flights exceeded the annual radiation limit recommended for astronauts by NASA, while

others were below average. The researchers recommend that airlines provide their crews with radiation

monitoring tools and ensure that passengers are aware of the risks. However, they

also noted that the risks from natural cosmic radiation are relatively low, as the

body can naturally repair any radiation damaged cells. So the next time you board

a plane and I hope Andrew is listening, don't fret about cosmic radiation too

much. But it's always good to be informed about the potential risks of air

travel. And it looks like SpaceX has more trouble on the ground, but

of a different kind. This time. Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit against

SpaceX and the federal Aviation Administration FAA over the company's launch activities at its Texas

facility. The lawsuit alleges that the FAA violated federal law by granting SpaceX a

launch license without conducting a thorough environmental review of the potential impacts of its activities

on the surrounding wildlife and natural habitat. The environmental groups claim that the launches

disrupt the breeding, nesting, and feeding patterns of many species of birds,

including the endangered Applomato falcon. SpaceX has countered that it has taken measures to

minimize its impact on the environment, and that it has complied with all applicable

laws and regulations. The case is currently ongoing in federal court. I sure

hope that can work it out. China has announced that they plan to send

their astronauts, also known as taconnots, to explore the Moon with the hopes

of landing someone on it by the year twenty thirty. The ambitious plan involves

multiple missions, starting with the launch of their newest rocket, the Long March

nine, in twenty twenty eight. The Chinese National Space Administration has already sent

suffer spacecraft to the Moon, including the Change four spacecraft which made history by

successfully landing on the far side of the Moon in twenty nineteen. They plan

to continue their exploration by launching the Change five sample return mission later this year.

The ultimate goal is to establish a base on the Moon, which would

serve as a research station and launching point for further exploration. This base would

potentially be constructed using resources found on the Moon, such as water, ice,

and regulith, which could also be used to generate oxygen, water,

and rocket fuel. China's lunar exploration program is just one part of their larger

space ambitions, which include plans for a space station in Earth orbit and a

mission to Mars in the twenty thirties. With their determination and resources, China

is quickly becoming a major player in the world of space exploration. And that's

all the eatest news. Thank you very much for that, Hallie. Have

some very interesting things going on in the world today. Space X is up

to launching the biggest rocket ever made, the most powerful engines ever installed on

a rocket. I can't wait to see what they get up to. I

hope they get over the environmental problems that they are facing at the moment.

That is part and parcel of brand new research and development. That is what

happens when you do new things. Now, one of the world's most powerful

radio telescope arrays is the Jansky Very Large Array just outside of Sirocco, New

Mexico, and it's collecting the kind of data that only artificial transmitters make.

That's the kind of signal that would betray or give away the existence of an

accomplished technological society. Now the VLA is the go to instrument for radio astronomers,

and it's the first time they're using it for a wide ranging and continuous

search for techno signatures, as they're known. The VLA is one of the

most productive radio telescopes in the world, consisting of twenty seven antennas spread over

twenty three miles of desert real estate. And that's quite a slice of desert

when you look at it. And since twenty seventeen it has been engaged in

a project known as VLAs Very Large Array Sky Survey, a radio reconnaissance of

eighty percent of the sky. But while these observations being undertaken, a tap

of the signal distribution network will shunt a copy of the data into a special

receiver sporting a very narrow channel approximately one hurts wide. Researchers think that any

signals from a deliberately constructed transmitter will contain such a narrow band component, and

their discovery would indicate that the signals is not produced by nature, but by

some kind of constructed transmitter by a race of technologically advanced beings. The new

process system for SETI is dubbed Cosmic. They love their acronyms, don't they.

The commensal open sourced multimode Inferometer cluster and is spearheaded by the SETI Institute

in collaboration with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and Breakthrough Listen Initiative. Now,

just to verify that the system actually works, they've actually picked up signals from

Voyager one spacecraft and confirmed that the system actually does operate as directed. So

now that they've got confirmation that it all works, they can now put the

system to work for good. When combined with the incredible sensitivity of VLA,

Cosmic will be approximately a thousand times more comprehensive than any previous SETI search.

Now. History has shown that major improvements to sensitivity and range of explority experiments

are often rewarded with the detection of a signal. Won't that be exciting?

Astronomers have discovered three new super earths orbiting a nearby star, increasing the chances

of finding habitable planets outside our Solar system. The star, known as g

J ten sixty one is located just twelve light years away and has already been

found to host a super Earth in its habitable zone, the region around a

star where the temperatures are just right for liquid water to exist on a planet's

surface. Now, using data from the harp's North spectrograph at the Telescopi of

Nationale Galileo in the Canary Islands, astronomers have found three more planets orbiting the

star. Two of the planets are located closer to the star than the previous

previously discovered super Earth, making them too hot to support life as we know

it. But the third star, GJ ten sixty one D, is located

further away from the star and may be potentially habitable. GJ is ten sixty

one D has a mass of about four times that of Earth and orbits the

star once every thirteen days. Its surface temperature is estimated to be about five

degrees celsius that's twenty three degrees fahrenheit in the old language, assuming it has

an earthlike atmosphere that's cold compared to Earth's average temperature of about fifteen degrees celsius

fifty nine degrees fahrenheit, but it's within the range of where liquid water could

exist. This planet is of great interest because it's not only relatively small and

cool, but it's also in the habitable zone of its star, said lead

author of the study Mark von Hussen from University of Saint Andrew's. The discovery

of GJ ten sixty one D is exciting for astronomers because it brings us one

step closer to finding potentially habitable world outside our Solar system. The habitable zone

around a star, as liquid water could exist on a planet's surface a key

factor in the search for terrestrial life. Since GJ sixty ten sixty one is

a nearby star relatively speaking, as well as being relatively bright, we may

be able to determine the atmospheric composition of this planet in the not too distant

future, said co author of the study Mario Domaso from the University Turin.

The discovery of three new planets also sheds light on the formation of super earths.

Super Earths are planets with a mass of higher higher than Earth's but lower

than that of Neptune. There are a common type of planet in our galaxy

and a believed to be the most likely candidates for habitable worlds. These planets

are exciting because they offer the chance to study the physical and chemical properties of

rocky planets beyond our solar system, said Vor Houston. The discovery of three

new planets also highlights the importance of continued investment in astronomical technology. The Harps

North Spectrograph is highly sensitive instrument that analyzes the light from stars to detect the

slight wobble caused by a planet's gravitational pall. It's one of several telescopes around

the world dedicated to the search of exoplanets. As we continue to explore the

skies with ever more sensitive instruments, will undoubtedly discover more of these intriguing worlds

in the years to come, said Tomaso. The discovery of three new super

earths orbiting GJ ten sixty one is a significant step forward in the search for

habitable worlds beyond our own solar system, as astronomical technology continues to improve,

we may eventually discover a truly earth like planet somewhere among the stars. Until

then, we'll keep searching and studying the fascinating worlds that we have already discovered

in our own celestial backyard. Oh and that's all we have time for in

this episode of Astronomy Daily. How about that howling? Oh really, I

don't believe it. Time flies when you're having fun. Someone should tell Elon

Musk that, Oh you think so? I wonder if he is still having

fun trying to get that rocket to fly. Good question, Halle. Once

again, thank you for joining us everybody, and our regular reminder that you

can find all the episodes of Space Nuts with Andrew Dunkley and Professor Fred Watson,

as well as every episode of our podcast Astronomy Daily with Andrew Dunkley,

Tim Gibbs and girls Truly Steve Dunkley at this address space Nuts dot Io.

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Thanks again for joining us on Astronomy Daily, See you all again soon,

Bye Hollie, see you next time.