S03E136: Starbase Milestones, Space Junk Solutions, and Astronaut Adventures

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

0:03 Speaker 1: latest news and insights in the world of space and astronomy.

0:06 Speaker 1: I'm your host Anna. Today we'll start with SpaceX's rapid

0:10 Speaker 1: progress at Starbase, where they're making significant advances with their

0:13 Speaker 1: launch towers and preparing for future missions. Then we'll move

0:18 Speaker 1: on to a fascinating new initiative from Japanese company astro Scale,

0:22 Speaker 1: which aims to tackle the growing problem of space junk

0:25 Speaker 1: with an innovative ninety million dollars mission. Next, we'll dive

0:28 Speaker 1: into some exciting research being conducted on the International Space

0:32 Speaker 1: Station by NASA astronauts, which Wilmore and Sunny Williams. Finally,

0:36 Speaker 1: we'll explore Harvard professor Avi Lobe's intriguing hypothesis about how

0:39 Speaker 1: advanced civilizations might use black holes as a power source.

0:43 Speaker 1: Let's dive in. SpaceX has done it again. They've stacked

0:47 Speaker 1: Launch Tower two at Orbital Launchpad B at Starbase, Texas

0:50 Speaker 1: in record time. Now you might be wondering what this

0:52 Speaker 1: all means and why it's such a big deal. Well,

0:55 Speaker 1: let me break it down for you. First, the rapid

0:57 Speaker 1: assembly of Launch Tower two is an impressive feet of

1:00 Speaker 1: engineering and logistics. SpaceX managed to pull this off in

1:04 Speaker 1: just forty one days, which is faster than the construction

1:07 Speaker 1: of their previous towers. This quicker completion is already causing

1:10 Speaker 1: waves in the aerospace community, but it's not just about speed.

1:14 Speaker 1: The stacking of the tower signals that SpaceX can now

1:16 Speaker 1: move forward with adding their innovative chopstick system. This is

1:20 Speaker 1: a significant step forward, particularly for the upcoming Flight five mission.

1:24 Speaker 1: The system is a complex piece of technology designed to

1:27 Speaker 1: catch boosters, Yes, catch boosters mid air and then lower

1:32 Speaker 1: them safely back to the ground. Flight five will see

1:34 Speaker 1: Ship thirty and Booster twelve at the forefront. Both vehicles

1:37 Speaker 1: are ready to fly, which has many enthusiasts buzzing with excitement.

1:41 Speaker 1: Teams have even decorated Ship thirty with a unique Mechazilla decal,

1:45 Speaker 1: symbolizing the critical goal of this mission, catching the booster.

1:48 Speaker 1: Previous missions never featured such decals, but given the importance

1:51 Speaker 1: of Flight five, every detail, even the esthetic ones, is

1:55 Speaker 1: being given due attention. Now let's talk a bit about

1:58 Speaker 1: the technical aspects that go into making these missions successful.

2:02 Speaker 1: SpaceX requires regulatory approval for their return to launch site

2:05 Speaker 1: URTLS approach, which involves the booster coming back to the

2:09 Speaker 1: launch site instead of landing on a drone ship at sea.

2:12 Speaker 1: This method has its own set of challenges and complexities.

2:15 Speaker 1: Even though the vehicles seem ready, the mission is still

2:17 Speaker 1: weaks away as they await final regulatory green lights. Meanwhile,

2:21 Speaker 1: over at Pad A, preparations have been ongoing for the booster.

2:24 Speaker 1: Catch teams are not taking any chances. They've been testing

2:28 Speaker 1: the chopstick arms by slapping Booster fourteen point one with them.

2:32 Speaker 1: This test involves simulating the catch process to ensure everything

2:35 Speaker 1: works smoothly during the actual mission. This time they've even

2:38 Speaker 1: used new bumpers made of a compressive metal structure instead

2:42 Speaker 1: of foam or rubber, showing their commitment to continuously improving

2:46 Speaker 1: their techniques. Notably, after these tests, the team exposed all

2:50 Speaker 1: the weld lines on the chopstick arms and added doubler

2:53 Speaker 1: plates to strengthen them. They also installed a new set

2:56 Speaker 1: of bumpers and changed some of the landing rail dampers

2:59 Speaker 1: to enhance the stability and safety of the catch process.

3:02 Speaker 1: It's obvious that each modification is aimed at refining the

3:05 Speaker 1: catch mechanism to utmost reliability, but it doesn't stop there.

3:09 Speaker 1: Crews have also added larger gusset plates to the first

3:12 Speaker 1: section of the tower, bolstering the connection between diagonal cross

3:15 Speaker 1: beams and horizontal beams. This is likely in anticipation of

3:19 Speaker 1: the upcoming catch attempt, and they've also added a stop

3:22 Speaker 1: on the ship Quick Disconnect SQD ARM, which will protect

3:26 Speaker 1: it from the compressive loads generated by the rocket's exhaust.

3:29 Speaker 1: All this busy work at Pad A suggests that predicting

3:32 Speaker 1: the exact timing of the next flight will be tricky.

3:36 Speaker 1: It's a bit like waiting for all the pieces of

3:37 Speaker 1: a giant puzzle to come together. You can't rush the process.

3:41 Speaker 1: Every bit of hardware and every logistical detail needs to

3:44 Speaker 1: align perfectly. Shifting our focus over to Pad B, this

3:48 Speaker 1: is where some equally exciting developments have taken place. Padb's

3:52 Speaker 1: tower at Starbase is now fully stacked, and it's already

3:55 Speaker 1: more complete than its predecessors. With all commodity lines pre installed.

3:59 Speaker 1: This down on a lot of the time consuming tasks

4:02 Speaker 1: needed post stacking. So there you have it. SpaceX's record

4:06 Speaker 1: breaking stacking of Launch Tower two not only brings us

4:09 Speaker 1: closer to witnessing the awe inspiring flight five, but also

4:12 Speaker 1: showcases the relentless innovation and precision driving today's space exploration.

4:17 Speaker 1: Stay with us, as the sky is not the limit anymore,

4:19 Speaker 1: space is next up. Space debris has become an increasingly

4:23 Speaker 1: pressing issue, and we're seeing some exciting developments in how

4:26 Speaker 1: to tackle this challenge. Japanese company Astroscale recently secured a

4:30 Speaker 1: ninety million dollars contract to remove a bus sized rocket

4:34 Speaker 1: stage from orbit. This mission, funded by the Japanese Aerospace

4:38 Speaker 1: Exploration Agency or JAXA, is a significant step forward in

4:42 Speaker 1: space sustainability utilizing advanced robotic technologies to clean up our orbits.

4:47 Speaker 1: Astroscales project, named Address J two, aims to address the

4:51 Speaker 1: issue of space debris. Head on space debris poses a

4:54 Speaker 1: considerable risk to both operational satellites and future space missions,

4:58 Speaker 1: and cleaning up this orbit junk is critical for long

5:01 Speaker 1: term space sustainability. Imagine the challenge a three ton thirty

5:05 Speaker 1: six foot long rocket stage just floating around in space,

5:08 Speaker 1: creating a potential hazard. Astroscale's mission is to remove this

5:12 Speaker 1: behemoth by the end of the decade, demonstrating a critical

5:15 Speaker 1: technology for space cleanup. The Address J two mission builds

5:18 Speaker 1: on the company's previous efforts under the address j initiative,

5:22 Speaker 1: where they recently conducted an orbital inspection of a twelve

5:25 Speaker 1: year old upper stage of a Japanese H two A rocket.

5:28 Speaker 1: The inspection confirmed that the payload adapter, which will be

5:31 Speaker 1: used to grab the rocket stage, is still intact. This

5:34 Speaker 1: finding is crucial because unprepared objects in orbit pose additional challenges.

5:39 Speaker 1: They aren't fitted with technologies that make docking or removal straightforward.

5:43 Speaker 1: This is where Astroscale's innovative approach and advanced technology come

5:47 Speaker 1: into play. For this mission, they plan to use a

5:49 Speaker 1: robotic arm to grab the tumbling rocket stage and pull

5:52 Speaker 1: it into Earth's atmosphere, where it will burn up on

5:54 Speaker 1: re entry. The success of this mission could pave the

5:57 Speaker 1: way for similar efforts in the future, helping to clear

6:00 Speaker 1: the cluttered orbital space and make it safer for new missions.

6:04 Speaker 1: But that's not all Astroscale is working on. They have

6:06 Speaker 1: two other space debris removal missions in progress. In July,

6:10 Speaker 1: the Tokyo based companies signed a contract with satellite operator

6:14 Speaker 1: utilsat one web to remove a one web satellite equipped

6:17 Speaker 1: with a magnetic docking plate from orbit by twenty twenty seven.

6:21 Speaker 1: This mission aims to prove the feasibility of removing smaller

6:23 Speaker 1: prepared objects from orbit. Another project they have in the

6:27 Speaker 1: works is currently being considered by the UK Space Agency

6:30 Speaker 1: and involves removing two old British satellites using a spacecraft

6:35 Speaker 1: fitted with a robotic arm. The urgency of addressing space

6:38 Speaker 1: debris cannot be overstated. According to the European Space Agency,

6:42 Speaker 1: over forty thou five hundred pieces of space junk larger

6:45 Speaker 1: than four inches are hurtling through space. This includes old satellites,

6:50 Speaker 1: spent rocket stages, and fragments generated from previous collisions and explosions.

6:55 Speaker 1: Alongside this, there are an estimated one point one million

6:58 Speaker 1: objects between zero point four inches to four inches in size,

7:02 Speaker 1: and even more pieces smaller than zero point four inches. Next,

7:06 Speaker 1: you may be wondering what the two Boeing Starliner astronauts

7:09 Speaker 1: have been doing during their extended stay on the ISS.

7:13 Speaker 1: While they've hardly been sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Since

7:16 Speaker 1: the launch of the International Space Station over two decades ago,

7:20 Speaker 1: it has been a hub of continuous scientific research and innovation.

7:23 Speaker 1: From its vantage point in low Earth orbit, the ISS

7:27 Speaker 1: offers unique opportunities to conduct experiments that aren't possible on

7:30 Speaker 1: our home planet. Recently, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunny

7:35 Speaker 1: Williams have been at the helm of these operations, contributing

7:38 Speaker 1: to a myriad of activities designed to advance both earthly

7:41 Speaker 1: and cosmic knowledge. Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams, both season

7:45 Speaker 1: space travelers, arrived on the ISS on June sixth as

7:48 Speaker 1: part of NASA's Boeing crew flight test. As veterans of

7:52 Speaker 1: two previous space flights each, they are no strangers to

7:54 Speaker 1: the riggers and rewards of living and working in microgravity.

7:59 Speaker 1: Upon their arrival, the pair wasted no time immersing themselves

8:02 Speaker 1: in station life, joining the Expedition seventy one crew in

8:06 Speaker 1: ongoing scientific endeavors and maintenance tasks critical to the station's operation.

8:11 Speaker 1: One of the key areas of their research focuses on

8:13 Speaker 1: plant growth in space, an endeavor that holds immense potential

8:18 Speaker 1: for future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The

8:21 Speaker 1: plant water management investigation is particularly fascinating as it examines

8:26 Speaker 1: how various techniques can be used to provide adequate water

8:29 Speaker 1: and nutrition to plants in the absence of gravity, utilizing

8:33 Speaker 1: the physical properties of fluids such as surface tension and wetting.

8:37 Speaker 1: This experiment aims to develop hydroponic systems that could be

8:41 Speaker 1: used in long duration space missions. Imagine a future where

8:44 Speaker 1: astronauts can reliably grow their own food while journeying through space,

8:48 Speaker 1: significantly reducing the need for resupply missions. Complementing this is

8:52 Speaker 1: the vegetable production system known as Veggie, which has already

8:56 Speaker 1: seen success in growing fresh produce and flowers aboard the ISS.

9:00 Speaker 1: Such fresh foods not only offer nutritional benefits, but also

9:03 Speaker 1: boost crew morale. Wilmore has been actively involved in preparing

9:07 Speaker 1: Veggie for future experiments by installing a light meter that

9:10 Speaker 1: will help adjust light settings for optimal plant growth. This

9:14 Speaker 1: research is not just groundbreaking, but offers a tangible taste

9:17 Speaker 1: of home for astronauts on long term missions. Beyond botany,

9:21 Speaker 1: Wilmore and Williams have also been involved in fluid physics research,

9:25 Speaker 1: another critical area given the distinct behavior of fluids in microgravity.

9:29 Speaker 1: These studies are essential for the development of everything from

9:32 Speaker 1: more efficient water systems for space habitats to cooling systems

9:36 Speaker 1: for spacecraft. In addition to scientific experiments, the astronauts have

9:40 Speaker 1: been utilizing astrob a set of free flying robots designed

9:44 Speaker 1: to assist with chores and maintenance. Williams has been working

9:47 Speaker 1: closely with these robots, allowing ground controllers to remotely map

9:50 Speaker 1: the interior of the ISS, practice docking maneuvers, and test

9:54 Speaker 1: the robots capabilities in carrying out various tasks. These automated

9:58 Speaker 1: helpers are not just a glimpse into the future of

10:00 Speaker 1: space exploration. They're a functional part of station life, now

10:04 Speaker 1: freeing up human astronauts to focus on more complex tasks.

10:08 Speaker 1: Education and outreach are also key components of their mission.

10:12 Speaker 1: In early August, Williams engaged in a space to Earth call,

10:15 Speaker 1: using the HAM radio to connect with students from Bonda Atta, Indonesia. Photography,

10:20 Speaker 1: while seemingly a leisure activity, is another significant role that

10:24 Speaker 1: astronauts undertake. Both Wilmore and Williams have been busy capturing

10:28 Speaker 1: stunning images of Earth from the ISS, adding to a

10:31 Speaker 1: valuable data set that helps scientists monitor environmental changes over time.

10:35 Speaker 1: These snapshots from space also have a psychological benefit for

10:38 Speaker 1: the astronauts, offering them a moment of beauty and connection

10:42 Speaker 1: with home. As their mission continues, Wilmore and Williams remain

10:46 Speaker 1: dedicated to supporting daily operations aboard the ISS, conducting ever

10:50 Speaker 1: more complex experiments, and sharing their experiences with the world.

10:54 Speaker 1: Their work furthers our understanding of the fundamental science that

10:58 Speaker 1: will be crucial for future interplanetary missions and enhances the

11:01 Speaker 1: quality of life on Earth through technological and scientific advancements.

11:06 Speaker 1: For the latest updates on NASA's Commercial Crew activities, including

11:09 Speaker 1: the Boeing Crew flight test, visit the Commercial Crew Program blog,

11:14 Speaker 1: and for daily insights into the research being conducted in microgravity,

11:17 Speaker 1: make sure to check out the Space Station Blog. From

11:20 Speaker 1: fluid dynamics and robotic innovations to educational outreach and the

11:24 Speaker 1: stunning beauty of Earth seen from space, Butch Wilmore and

11:27 Speaker 1: Sunny Williams are ushering in a new era of space

11:30 Speaker 1: exploration that promises to benefit humanity for generations to come. Finally, today,

11:35 Speaker 1: something a little different. Professor Avi Lobe of Harvard University

11:39 Speaker 1: has once again sparked intriguing discussions with his latest hypothesis,

11:43 Speaker 1: the black hole Moon. This groundbreaking idea revolves around the

11:47 Speaker 1: concept that advanced civilizations could exploit black holes as potent

11:52 Speaker 1: energy sources, potentially providing a techno signature an observable indicator

11:58 Speaker 1: of advanced extraterrestrics real civilizations. The hypothesis rests on a

12:03 Speaker 1: foundation of some well established astrophysical ideas, primarily concerning the

12:07 Speaker 1: nature of black holes and the unique emissions they produce.

12:11 Speaker 1: Lobe builds upon Roger Penrose's concept, proposed in nineteen seventy one,

12:15 Speaker 1: where energy could be extracted from a rotating black hole's

12:18 Speaker 1: accretion disc. The accretion disc is an area where matter

12:21 Speaker 1: spirals into the black hole, accelerating to near light speeds

12:25 Speaker 1: and releasing energy in multiple wavelengths. Over the years, various

12:28 Speaker 1: researchers have speculated that advanced civilizations might harness this energy,

12:33 Speaker 1: potentially rendering it a detectable techno signature. In his recent paper,

12:37 Speaker 1: Avi Lob takes this idea a step further by suggesting

12:40 Speaker 1: how a black hole moon could orbit a planet and

12:42 Speaker 1: serve as an energy source. This hypothetical scenario involves creating

12:46 Speaker 1: or capturing a small black hole weighing about one hundred

12:49 Speaker 1: thousand tons. Now you might wonder how could such a tiny,

12:52 Speaker 1: yet incredibly dense object power and entire planet. The answer

12:56 Speaker 1: lies in a phenomenon known as Hawking radiation. Theorized by

12:59 Speaker 1: Stephen hawk Looking in nineteen seventy four. According to Hawking's theory,

13:03 Speaker 1: black holes emit a spectrum of particles and radiation, potentially

13:07 Speaker 1: providing a massive continuous energy output. Lob proposes that an

13:11 Speaker 1: advanced civilization could maintain this miniature black hole by feeding

13:15 Speaker 1: it a small amount of matter just over two kilograms

13:17 Speaker 1: per second, and in return, it would yield a staggering

13:21 Speaker 1: forty quadrillion watts of power. To put this into perspective,

13:25 Speaker 1: that amount of energy output is thousands of times greater

13:27 Speaker 1: than Earth's current energy consumption needs. Essentially, this black hole

13:31 Speaker 1: would act as the most efficient engine imaginable, converting mass

13:35 Speaker 1: to energy with perfect efficiency. But the benefits don't stop there.

13:39 Speaker 1: This black hole could consume any form of matter, even waste,

13:43 Speaker 1: making it an ideal solution for both energy production and

13:46 Speaker 1: waste management. Imagine a world where every scrap of garbage

13:49 Speaker 1: could be turned into clean, inexhaustible energy. Such a system

13:52 Speaker 1: could function for millions of years, provided there is matter

13:55 Speaker 1: to sustain it. Detecting such a system from Earth poses

13:59 Speaker 1: another exciting opportunity. Lobe suggests that if astronomers were to

14:03 Speaker 1: come across a rogue planet illuminated by gamma rays without

14:06 Speaker 1: any visible stellar companion. This could be the telltale sign

14:10 Speaker 1: of a black hole moon. This could revolutionize our search

14:13 Speaker 1: for extraterrestrial intelligence by expanding our understanding of what technosignatures

14:18 Speaker 1: might look like. What sets this theory apart is its

14:20 Speaker 1: blend of feasibility and innovation. While the creation and maintenance

14:24 Speaker 1: of such a black hole are beyond our current technological capabilities,

14:29 Speaker 1: Lobe notes that the theoretical groundwork aligns with known physics.

14:34 Speaker 1: A civilization capable of feats like quantum tunneling to create

14:37 Speaker 1: baby universes, as Lobe has suggested in another op ed,

14:41 Speaker 1: would find a black hole powered engine considerably less challenging

14:44 Speaker 1: to manage. These speculations, wild as they may seem, pave

14:49 Speaker 1: the way for the kind of imaginative thinking that could

14:51 Speaker 1: one day propel us to extraordinary discoveries. That wraps up

14:56 Speaker 1: today's episode of Astronomy Daily. Thank you for tuning in,

15:00 Speaker 1: and I hope you enjoyed our exciting lineup of stories

15:02 Speaker 1: about SpaceX's latest advancements, astroscales, innovative space junk removal mission,

15:08 Speaker 1: the groundbreaking research on the ISS, and the intriguing possibilities

15:12 Speaker 1: of black hole energy sources. As always, I've been your

15:15 Speaker 1: host Anna. For more space news, be sure to visit

15:18 Speaker 1: our website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There you can

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15:43 Speaker 1: next time. Keep your eyes on the stars.

15:45 Speaker 2: Sunday Stars star story is control m