S03E135: Starliner vs. Crew Dragon, Polaris Dawn's Delay, and Chandrayaan-3's Lunar Revelations

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to podcast for the

0:03 Speaker 1: latest news and discoveries in the field of space and astronomy.

0:06 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Anna, and we have some fascinating stories

0:09 Speaker 1: lined up for you today. From NASA's upcoming decision on

0:12 Speaker 1: Boeing Starliner to the historic private space walk planned by

0:15 Speaker 1: SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission. We've got the latest updates that

0:19 Speaker 1: will keep you on the edge of your seat. We'll

0:21 Speaker 1: also delve into groundbreaking findings from India's Chandrian three mission,

0:25 Speaker 1: discuss the finale of ES's Cluster mission, and explore new

0:29 Speaker 1: simulations about the chances of a collision between the Milky

0:32 Speaker 1: Way and Andromeda galaxies. Stay tuned, it's going to be

0:36 Speaker 1: an exciting episode. NASA is gearing up to make a

0:40 Speaker 1: significant decision this Saturday regarding whether astronauts Butch Wilmore and

0:44 Speaker 1: Sunny Williams will return to Earth using Boeing's troubled Starliner

0:47 Speaker 1: spacecraft or SpaceX's reliable Crew Dragon. This announcement holds particular

0:52 Speaker 1: weight given the numerous challenges the Starliner has faced throughout

0:56 Speaker 1: its mission. The Starliner launched its first crude test flight

0:59 Speaker 1: in June a critical milestone needed to gain NASA's approval

1:02 Speaker 1: for routine astronaut transport. However, what was intended to be

1:06 Speaker 1: an eight day mission has stretched out over several months

1:09 Speaker 1: due to technical glitches, the capsule experience leaks, and thruster failures,

1:13 Speaker 1: raising serious concerns over its safety and reliability. NASA Administrator

1:17 Speaker 1: Bill Nelson is expected to attend the critical Agency level

1:20 Speaker 1: review meeting. Boeing has been working tirelessly to reassure NASA

1:24 Speaker 1: that Starliner is safe, presenting new test data in an

1:27 Speaker 1: attempt to validate the spacecraft's integrity. However, given the history

1:31 Speaker 1: of mishaps, NASA is treading cautiously weighing Boeing's data against

1:35 Speaker 1: its own stringent safety benchmarks. Making things even more intense

1:39 Speaker 1: for Boeing is the fact that they've incurred losses of

1:42 Speaker 1: about one point six billion dollars on the Starliner program,

1:46 Speaker 1: according to securities filings. Comparatively, SpaceX's crew Dragon has already

1:51 Speaker 1: completed several successful missions to the ISS, placing Boeing in

1:54 Speaker 1: a tight spot if NASA decides to proceed with Starliner,

1:58 Speaker 1: Butch Wilmore and Sonny William could be heading home in

2:01 Speaker 1: the spacecraft within the next month, opening up the ISS

2:04 Speaker 1: docking port for an upcoming SpaceX mission. If, however, NASA

2:07 Speaker 1: opts for the safer route, the astronauts will return via

2:11 Speaker 1: SpaceX's Crew Dragon, though not until February twenty twenty five.

2:15 Speaker 1: This backup scenario would mean Starliner would attempt to return

2:17 Speaker 1: to Earth without any human occupants, further delaying Boeing's ambitions

2:21 Speaker 1: and crude spaceflight. It's a nerve racking moment for everyone involved,

2:25 Speaker 1: particularly for Boeing, as this decision could significantly impact their

2:29 Speaker 1: future in the competitive field of space exploration. So stay

2:33 Speaker 1: tuned for NASA's decision this Saturday. Whether it's Starliner or

2:37 Speaker 1: Crew Dragon, the choice will not only bring home two

2:40 Speaker 1: veteran astronauts, but also influence the future direction of commercial

2:44 Speaker 1: space travel. In other news today, SpaceX has announced a

2:47 Speaker 1: slight delay in their much anticipated Polaris Dawn mission. Originally

2:51 Speaker 1: set to lift off on August twenty sixth, the launch

2:53 Speaker 1: is now scheduled for no earlier than August twenty seventh.

2:56 Speaker 1: This shift allows the team to complete some additional pre

2:59 Speaker 1: flight checkouts to ensure everything is in perfect order for

3:02 Speaker 1: this groundbreaking mission. Now what makes Polaris Dawn so special.

3:06 Speaker 1: Funded by billionaire and philanthropist Jared isaac Mann, this mission

3:09 Speaker 1: is poised to achieve several historic firsts for starters. It's

3:13 Speaker 1: the first mission in history to feature a private space walk. Yes,

3:17 Speaker 1: you heard that right. Private astronauts will be taking a

3:20 Speaker 1: walk in space, a feat previously reserved for government astronauts

3:24 Speaker 1: within the confines of national space programs. Isaac Man himself

3:28 Speaker 1: will serve as the mission commander, a role he's not

3:31 Speaker 1: unfamiliar with. His previous mission, Inspiration four, was the first

3:35 Speaker 1: all civilian mission to space, and it successfully helped raise

3:39 Speaker 1: two hundred and fifty million dollars for Saint Jude Children's

3:41 Speaker 1: Research Hospital. This time around, the Polaris Dawn mission aims

3:45 Speaker 1: to push the boundaries of private space exploration even further.

3:48 Speaker 1: The mission will start from Launch Complex thirty nine A

3:52 Speaker 1: at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, using a SpaceX

3:55 Speaker 1: Falcon nine rocket. The launch window opens at three thirty

3:58 Speaker 1: eight am ed TIS on August twenty seventh, and the

4:01 Speaker 1: mission will extend over five days. Two days into orbit,

4:05 Speaker 1: the Polaris Dawn crew will conduct their historic spacewalk, lasting

4:09 Speaker 1: approximately two hours from cabin to pressurization to repressurization. But

4:13 Speaker 1: that's not all. This mission is just the first of

4:16 Speaker 1: three planned launches under Jared isaac Mann's Polaris program. These

4:20 Speaker 1: missions aim to further private space exploration and scientific research.

4:24 Speaker 1: Future missions might even include providing maintenance and support for

4:27 Speaker 1: NASA's legacy missions like the Hubble Space Telescope and potentially

4:31 Speaker 1: the first crude launch of SpaceX's Starship spacecraft. So while

4:35 Speaker 1: the launch has been postponed by just a day, the

4:38 Speaker 1: excitement and promise of what lies ahead for the Polaris

4:40 Speaker 1: Dawn mission continue to soar. Stay tuned for more on

4:44 Speaker 1: this thrilling endeavor in the realm of private space exploration.

4:48 Speaker 1: Next up, the Pragian Rover, part of India's Chandrion three mission,

4:52 Speaker 1: has been actively exploring the Moon's south pole, providing fascinating

4:56 Speaker 1: insights into our celestial neighbor. Launched last summer, the Victrim

5:00 Speaker 1: Lander made a successful touchdown, allowing the Pragian rover to

5:03 Speaker 1: embark on its scientific expedition. So far, Pragian has been

5:07 Speaker 1: diligently collecting and analyzing soil samples, a task that has

5:11 Speaker 1: yielded data bolstering theories about the Moon's fiery origins. The

5:15 Speaker 1: rover used its alpha particle X ray spectrometer and impressive

5:18 Speaker 1: twenty three times to probe the Moon's regolith. It turns

5:21 Speaker 1: out all twenty three samples consisted predominantly of feroan anorthosite,

5:26 Speaker 1: a type of rock often linked with magma activity. This

5:29 Speaker 1: uniformity across the sampled soil adds credence to the theory

5:32 Speaker 1: that the Moon's surface was entirely molten shortly after its formation.

5:36 Speaker 1: The scientific consensus suggests that a massive impact event is

5:39 Speaker 1: responsible for this intense heat. More specifically, the collision with

5:43 Speaker 1: a celestial body named Thea likely resulted in vast quantities

5:47 Speaker 1: of Earth's crust being launched into space. This material eventually

5:51 Speaker 1: coalesced to form the Moon, explaining why moon rocks are

5:54 Speaker 1: so chemically similar to those found on Earth. As the

5:57 Speaker 1: Progian rover continues its mission, each new piece of data

6:00 Speaker 1: provides more depth to our understanding of the Moon's geological history.

6:05 Speaker 1: The findings not only enhance our knowledge of lunar conditions,

6:08 Speaker 1: but also contribute valuable information that aids future lunar missions,

6:12 Speaker 1: with the Chandrian three missions solidifying India's position as a

6:16 Speaker 1: key player in space exploration. The work done by Pragin

6:19 Speaker 1: may pave the way for even more ambitious lunar endeavors.

6:23 Speaker 1: As geologists and planetary scientists analyze this new data, we

6:27 Speaker 1: can look forward to unraveling more mysteries of the Moon,

6:30 Speaker 1: helping us better understand the dynamic processes that shaped our

6:33 Speaker 1: solar system. ESA's historic Cluster mission is coming to a

6:37 Speaker 1: close after an impressive twenty four years of service. Launched

6:41 Speaker 1: back in two thousand, the Cluster mission has provided invaluable

6:44 Speaker 1: data on Earth's magnetic environment, or magnetosphere. This powerful magnetic

6:49 Speaker 1: shield is crucial for life on Earth as it protects

6:52 Speaker 1: us from the relentless barrage of particles from the Sun

6:55 Speaker 1: known as the solar wind. One of the mission's significant

6:58 Speaker 1: contributions is in hancing our understanding of space weather, which

7:02 Speaker 1: refers to the impact solar wind has on our planet.

7:05 Speaker 1: Although the magnetosphere deflects most of the solar wind, some

7:09 Speaker 1: of it still penetrates, causing phenomena like the Northern and

7:12 Speaker 1: Southern lights and occasionally disrupting power supplies, radio communications, and satellites.

7:19 Speaker 1: Before Cluster, space weather was a bit of a mystery,

7:22 Speaker 1: but thanks to its extensive observations, we have a much

7:24 Speaker 1: clearer picture of these solar interactions now as the mission

7:28 Speaker 1: comes full circle, ESAY is planning an innovative and eco

7:32 Speaker 1: friendly end for the four satellites that make up the

7:34 Speaker 1: Cluster mission, Rumba, Salsa, Samba, and Tango. The first of these,

7:40 Speaker 1: Salsa is set to re enter Earth's atmosphere in a

7:43 Speaker 1: controlled manner on September eighth, twenty twenty four, over the

7:47 Speaker 1: South Pacific Ocean's uninhabited area. This targeted re entry is

7:52 Speaker 1: a pioneering effort by ESA to ensure a clean and

7:55 Speaker 1: safe conclusion to the mission, setting a new standard for

7:58 Speaker 1: sustainable space exploration. The choice to direct Salsa's descent so

8:02 Speaker 1: precisely is part of essay's broader efforts to mitigate the

8:05 Speaker 1: growing problem of space debris. Without intervention, the satellites would

8:09 Speaker 1: eventually re enter the atmosphere unpredictably, possibly over more populated areas,

8:15 Speaker 1: thus contributing to space junk. By controlling the reentry, ESA

8:19 Speaker 1: aims to minimize this risk and prevent the Cluster mission's

8:22 Speaker 1: end from adding to the existing space debris. Cluster wasn't

8:25 Speaker 1: initially designed to last this long, or to end in

8:28 Speaker 1: such a meticulously planned way. Originally, it was envisioned as

8:31 Speaker 1: a two year mission to study the Sun Earth interaction. However,

8:35 Speaker 1: due to its groundbreaking discoveries and ongoing scientific relevance, the

8:39 Speaker 1: mission was extended several times. Salsa's controlled re entry will

8:43 Speaker 1: mark an end to its science operations, but it won't

8:46 Speaker 1: be the only cluster satellite making this final journey. The

8:49 Speaker 1: remaining three satellites, Rumba, Samba, and Tango, will also be

8:54 Speaker 1: maneuvered for similar targeted re entries over the coming years.

8:57 Speaker 1: This phased approach will help reduce the risk of collisions

9:00 Speaker 1: with other satellites or the Earth itself. ESA's commitment to

9:03 Speaker 1: a sustainable space environment is not only about cleaning up

9:06 Speaker 1: after its missions, but also about using these moments as

9:10 Speaker 1: learning opportunities. Watching how these satellites break up as they

9:14 Speaker 1: re enter the atmosphere provides valuable data that can help

9:17 Speaker 1: future missions be even more efficient and less likely to

9:21 Speaker 1: contribute to space debris. As we bid farewell to this

9:24 Speaker 1: trailblazing mission, ESAY is already looking ahead. The next big

9:27 Speaker 1: project on the horizon is the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere

9:30 Speaker 1: Link Explorer, or SMILE. This new mission, in collaboration with

9:35 Speaker 1: the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aims to build on Cluster's

9:38 Speaker 1: legacy and delve even deeper into the mysteries of Earth's magnetosphere.

9:43 Speaker 1: So while the Cluster mission may be ending, its impact

9:46 Speaker 1: will resonate for years to come, not only in the

9:49 Speaker 1: scientific data it has gathered, but also in the sustainable

9:53 Speaker 1: practices it has pioneered. Here's to Cluster's incredible journey and

9:56 Speaker 1: the bright future of space exploration it has helped pave

9:59 Speaker 1: the way for now. Here's a story that could rewrite

10:02 Speaker 1: the textbooks. Astronomers have long held the belief that our

10:05 Speaker 1: home galaxy, the Milky Way, will inevitably merge with our

10:09 Speaker 1: neighboring Andromeda Galaxy within the next five billion years. This

10:14 Speaker 1: anticipated cataclysmic event has been a staple of astronomical forecasts,

10:18 Speaker 1: predicting an eventual fusion of the two galaxies into a

10:21 Speaker 1: new elliptical supergalaxy called Milkomeda. However, new simulations present a

10:27 Speaker 1: more nuanced picture, suggesting that the likelihood of this colossal

10:31 Speaker 1: collision could be a mere fifty percent over the next

10:34 Speaker 1: ten billion years. Situated approximately two point five million light

10:38 Speaker 1: years from Earth. The Andromeda galaxy or Messier thirty one,

10:43 Speaker 1: is the closest large galaxy to the Milky Way. Early

10:46 Speaker 1: predictions dating back to nineteen twelve, based on the motion

10:49 Speaker 1: of Andromeda deciphered from its emitted light, indicated that the

10:52 Speaker 1: galaxy is hurtling toward the Milky Way at a speed

10:55 Speaker 1: of sixty eight miles per second one hundred and ten

10:58 Speaker 1: kilometers per second. Later studies fortified the theory of an

11:02 Speaker 1: impending head on collision, leading to an elegant cosmic dance

11:06 Speaker 1: culminating in a merger. But just how certain is this fate.

11:09 Speaker 1: Recent work led by astronomer Till Swala of the University

11:13 Speaker 1: of Helsinki and Finland has upended the conventional narrative. Utilizing

11:17 Speaker 1: the latest and most precise data from the Gaya and

11:20 Speaker 1: Hubble space telescopes, Swala and his team integrated the gravitational

11:24 Speaker 1: influences of nearby smaller galaxies into their simulations. These previously

11:30 Speaker 1: overlooked factors drastically alter the gravitational dynamics between the Milky

11:34 Speaker 1: Way and Andromeda, resulting in a coin flip scenario for

11:37 Speaker 1: a collision over the next ten billion years. The addition

11:40 Speaker 1: of the triangulum galaxy M thirty three, the third largest

11:44 Speaker 1: member of our galactic neighborhood, into the simulation, increased the

11:48 Speaker 1: chances of a merger. Conversely, incorporating the large Magellanic Cloud

11:52 Speaker 1: and its perpendicular orbit to the Milky Way Andromeda system

11:56 Speaker 1: decreased the likelihood of a collision, adding another layer of

11:59 Speaker 1: complexity to the scenario. Should the galaxies avoid a direct collision,

12:03 Speaker 1: they might still pass close enough to disrupt each other's

12:06 Speaker 1: outer regions, flinging stellar material into intergalactic space. Such misted

12:11 Speaker 1: connections could result in a radically different evolutionary path for

12:14 Speaker 1: both galaxies. Although the prospect of a devoid collision might

12:18 Speaker 1: breathe new life into our galaxy's future, it remains a

12:21 Speaker 1: compelling half and half probability. If the Milky Way and

12:24 Speaker 1: Andromeda do collide billions of years from now, astronomers surmise

12:28 Speaker 1: that the event will be relatively calm despite its astronomical scale.

12:32 Speaker 1: The vast distances between stars mean they will largely pass

12:35 Speaker 1: by each other without direct collisions, though gravitational interactions will

12:39 Speaker 1: reshape both galaxies. Our Solar system, for example, might get

12:43 Speaker 1: flung into a distant galactic arm. The stars will leave

12:46 Speaker 1: behind magnificent trails, and gas clouds will merge to ignite

12:50 Speaker 1: bursts of new star formation. Regardless of the eventual outcome,

12:54 Speaker 1: the visualization of a cosmic ballet unfolding on such an

12:58 Speaker 1: immense scale captivates the imagination. Fortunately for us, any imaginable

13:02 Speaker 1: chaos will unfold over billions of years, far beyond the

13:05 Speaker 1: life expectancy of our Sun and more intimately, our planet.

13:09 Speaker 1: As we await more data from missions like Gaya, which

13:12 Speaker 1: continues to refine our understanding of galactic motions and masses,

13:16 Speaker 1: we're reminded once more of the ever changing nature of

13:18 Speaker 1: our universe. Whether Milkamta forms or the Milky Way dances

13:22 Speaker 1: independent of Andromeda, one things for sure, the cosmos will

13:26 Speaker 1: continue to surprise and amaze us. That's all for today's

13:32 Speaker 1: episode of Astronomy Daily. I'm anna, and thanks so much

13:35 Speaker 1: for joining us on this cosmic journey. If you found

13:38 Speaker 1: today's stories intriguing, head over to our website at Astronomy

13:42 Speaker 1: Daily dot io. There you can sign up for our

13:45 Speaker 1: free daily newsletter. Catch up on all the latest space

13:48 Speaker 1: and astronomy news with our constantly updating news feed and

13:51 Speaker 1: listen to all our back episodes and don't forget. You

13:54 Speaker 1: can also find us on social media. Just search for

13:56 Speaker 1: Astro Daily Pod on Facebook, x YouTube and TikTok. We'd

14:00 Speaker 1: love to hear your thoughts and continue the conversation there.

14:03 Speaker 1: Until next time, keep looking up at the stars. Sunny

14:07 Speaker 1: Day Star is a Star is st