S03E150: Europa Clipper's Journey, SpaceX's Mars Plans, and Volcanically Active Moon

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of space and

0:02 Speaker 1: astronomy news. I'm your host Anna. Today we have an

0:06 Speaker 1: exciting lineup of stories that I can't wait to share

0:08 Speaker 1: with you. First, we'll delve into NASA's Europa Clipper mission,

0:12 Speaker 1: which is ready to embark on an epic journey to

0:14 Speaker 1: Jupiter and its intriguing moon, Europa. Then we'll talk about

0:18 Speaker 1: Elon Musk and SpaceX's ambitious plans to launch uncrude starships

0:22 Speaker 1: to Mars in just two years, paving the way for

0:25 Speaker 1: future human colonization. We'll also uncover a groundbreaking study on

0:29 Speaker 1: fast radio bursts that might finally solve the mystery behind

0:33 Speaker 1: these cosmic phenomena. And if that isn't enough, we'll explore

0:36 Speaker 1: new findings suggesting the Moon might still be volcanically active. Today. Lastly,

0:41 Speaker 1: we'll highlight NASA's innovative solar sale that you can actually

0:45 Speaker 1: spot from Earth. Buckle up, space enthusiasts, let's dive in.

0:49 Speaker 1: Starting with some good news, NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft has

0:53 Speaker 1: reached a significant milestone by passing its final technical review.

0:57 Speaker 1: This means it's now all set for its journey towards Jueter,

1:00 Speaker 1: with a launch window slated between October tenth and thirtieth.

1:04 Speaker 1: The Europa Clipper mission is one of NASA's most ambitious

1:07 Speaker 1: projects to date, aimed at delving into the mysteries of

1:10 Speaker 1: Jupiter's moon, Europa. Europa has long fascinated scientists due to

1:14 Speaker 1: its icy exterior and the tantalizing possibility of a subsurface ocean.

1:18 Speaker 1: Since the Voyager flybys in nineteen seventy nine revealed its

1:21 Speaker 1: ice covered surface, subsequent studies have increasingly suggested that Europa

1:26 Speaker 1: may harbor an ocean beneath its icy crust, an ocean

1:29 Speaker 1: that could potentially support life. The Europa Clipper will undertake

1:33 Speaker 1: a two point nine billion kilometer journey to Jupiter, propelled

1:37 Speaker 1: by gravity assists from both Mars and Earth. After a

1:40 Speaker 1: six year voyage, the spacecraft will enter Jupiter's orbit, starting

1:43 Speaker 1: a four year mission of close up exploration. It will

1:47 Speaker 1: use gravitational nudges from Jupiter's moons to make an incredible

1:50 Speaker 1: forty nine flybys of Europa, coming as close as twenty

1:54 Speaker 1: five kilometers to the Moon's surface. This proximity will enable

1:57 Speaker 1: the mission to gather unprecedented data and direct samples from

2:01 Speaker 1: the geyser like plumes jetting through cracks in Europa's ice.

2:04 Speaker 1: With a hefty budget of five billion dollars, Europa Clipper

2:07 Speaker 1: is not only NASA's largest robotic spacecraft, but also one

2:10 Speaker 1: of its most expensive. Its sophisticated suite of sensors and

2:14 Speaker 1: instruments will help scientists delve into Europa's potential habitability by

2:18 Speaker 1: scrutinizing its icy crust, examining the ocean below, and determining

2:23 Speaker 1: its chemical composition and geology. However, the mission hasn't been

2:27 Speaker 1: without challenges. Just last May, NASA engineers discovered that hundreds

2:32 Speaker 1: of crucial transistors in the spacecraft might not withstand the

2:36 Speaker 1: intense radiation belts surrounding Jupiter posed by its enormous magnetic field.

2:41 Speaker 1: These radiation belts act like a particle accelerator, creating a

2:44 Speaker 1: perilously high radiation environment. Fortunately, after rigorous four month round

2:49 Speaker 1: the clock tests, it was confirmed that the transistors, although

2:53 Speaker 1: degraded during storage, remain robust enough to complete the mission.

2:57 Speaker 1: This was largely due to the self repairing process known

2:59 Speaker 1: as self annealing, which allows the transistors to recover when

3:03 Speaker 1: outside the radiation belts. The spacecraft's giant solar panels also

3:07 Speaker 1: ensure it has the necessary power to stay functional even

3:10 Speaker 1: in the dim light conditions near Jupiter. Next up today,

3:14 Speaker 1: Elon Musk recently announced some exciting news for space enthusiasts.

3:17 Speaker 1: SpaceX plans to launch its first uncrude starships to Mars

3:21 Speaker 1: within the next two years. The missions are geared towards

3:24 Speaker 1: testing the reliability of landing these advanced spacecraft intact on

3:28 Speaker 1: the Martian surface. Musk explained that these initial uncrude missions

3:33 Speaker 1: are a crucial step in ensuring that the technology is

3:36 Speaker 1: robust and safe. If these landings prove successful, SpaceX aims

3:40 Speaker 1: to launch its first crude flights to Mars just two

3:42 Speaker 1: years later. Imagine that in just four years, we could

3:45 Speaker 1: see humans embarking on their first journey to the red planet.

3:48 Speaker 1: SpaceX's long term goal is nothing short of revolutionary, Musk

3:52 Speaker 1: and visions establishing a self sustaining city on Mars within

3:55 Speaker 1: the next two decades. This bold plan involves ramping up

3:58 Speaker 1: the flight rate exponentially after the u s initial crude missions,

4:01 Speaker 1: eventually enabling large scale human habitation. In their quest to

4:05 Speaker 1: make interplanetary traveler reality, SpaceX has already achieved significant milestones.

4:10 Speaker 1: In June, a Starship rocket completed a full test mission

4:14 Speaker 1: around the globe, surviving a fiery hypersonic return from space

4:18 Speaker 1: and landing successfully in the Indian Ocean. This breakthrough demonstration

4:22 Speaker 1: has set the stage for the upcoming Mars missions. The

4:25 Speaker 1: Starship is designed to be a versatile, next generation spacecraft

4:28 Speaker 1: capable of carrying both people and cargo to various destinations

4:31 Speaker 1: in our Solar System. SpaceX plans to use it for

4:34 Speaker 1: Moon missions later this decade, and ultimately for voyages to Mars.

4:38 Speaker 1: This ambitious roadmap could pave the way for humanity to

4:41 Speaker 1: become a multiplanetary species. So mark your calendars and keep

4:44 Speaker 1: an eye on the skies as we are on the

4:46 Speaker 1: verge of an extraordinary new chapter in space exploration. With

4:50 Speaker 1: its groundbreaking technologies and ambitious goals, SpaceX is bringing us

4:55 Speaker 1: one step closer to the reality of living on another planet. Next,

4:59 Speaker 1: let's take a look at a perplexing mystery that may

5:01 Speaker 1: have been solved. A groundbreaking new study has advanced our

5:04 Speaker 1: understanding of one of the most elusive phenomena in modern astrophysics,

5:08 Speaker 1: fast radio bursts or FRBs, Led by the Italian National

5:12 Speaker 1: Institute for Astrophysics I and AF and using the Very

5:16 Speaker 1: Large Array Telescope, researchers have recorded the weakest persistent radio

5:20 Speaker 1: emission for an FRB, yet shedding light on the mysterious

5:24 Speaker 1: origins of these powerful cosmic events. Fast radio bursts are

5:27 Speaker 1: incredibly brief, lasting mere milliseconds, but in that short time

5:31 Speaker 1: they release an immense amount of energy. Most FRBs originate

5:35 Speaker 1: from outside our galaxy and have puzzled scientists since their

5:38 Speaker 1: discovery just over a decade ago. This latest study focused

5:42 Speaker 1: on a specific FRB named FRB two zero two zero

5:45 Speaker 1: one one two four A, located about one point three

5:48 Speaker 1: billion light years away. The study team utilized advanced observational

5:52 Speaker 1: techniques with the VLA, the most sensitive radio telescope in

5:56 Speaker 1: the world. They confirmed theoretical predictions that a plasma bubble,

6:00 Speaker 1: possibly driven by a magnetar or a binary star system,

6:03 Speaker 1: causes these persistent radio emissions. For those unfamiliar, a magnetar

6:08 Speaker 1: is a highly magnetized neutron star, while an X ray

6:11 Speaker 1: binary is a system of a neutron star or black

6:14 Speaker 1: hole drawing material from a companion star. The persistent emissions

6:17 Speaker 1: they observed behave as predicted by the nebular emission model,

6:22 Speaker 1: which describes a bubble of ionized gas surrounding the central

6:25 Speaker 1: engine of the FRB. Lead author gabrielle Bruni from IAF

6:30 Speaker 1: explained that their observations illuminated the physical processes at work.

6:34 Speaker 1: This bubble, created by intense winds from either a magnetar

6:38 Speaker 1: or an X ray binary, produces the sustained radio emissions.

6:42 Speaker 1: This direct physical relationship between the central engine of frb's

6:46 Speaker 1: and the plasma bubble offers a significant breakthrough in our

6:49 Speaker 1: understanding of these enigmatic bursts. The research builds on earlier

6:53 Speaker 1: work by Luigi Piro, who had identified this persistent emission

6:57 Speaker 1: in the frb's host galaxy, but lacked the precision to

7:00 Speaker 1: definitively connect the two phenomena. By combining high resolution VLA

7:04 Speaker 1: observations with data from the NOEMA interferometer and the Grand

7:08 Speaker 1: Telescopio Canarias for a comprehensive view, the team was able

7:12 Speaker 1: to confirm the nebular model. Interestingly, most FRBs do not

7:15 Speaker 1: exhibit persistent emissions, making these findings particularly valuable. This discovery

7:20 Speaker 1: could be a crucial piece in the puzzle, helping researchers

7:23 Speaker 1: understand the mechanisms behind these extraordinary cosmic occurrences. The insights

7:28 Speaker 1: gained from this study not only deepen our comprehension of FRBs,

7:31 Speaker 1: but also signify a leap forward in the field of astrophysics.

7:35 Speaker 1: And so the mystery of fast radio bursts continues to unravel,

7:38 Speaker 1: one faint signal at a time. Now this is a

7:41 Speaker 1: finding I didn't see coming. Recent findings from the Chinese

7:44 Speaker 1: Chang five mission have unveiled a groundbreaking revelation the Moon

7:48 Speaker 1: might still be volcanically active. This mission brought back samples

7:51 Speaker 1: of lunar dirt, and among them, tiny glass beads were discovered,

7:55 Speaker 1: which indicate that volcanic activity on the Moon might have

7:59 Speaker 1: occurred much more more recently than we previously believed. Traditionally,

8:03 Speaker 1: scientists thought lunar volcanism ceased around three to three point

8:05 Speaker 1: eight billion years ago. These massive volcanic planes, known as

8:09 Speaker 1: lunar maria, are visible to us as the dark patches

8:12 Speaker 1: that form the Man in the Moon. However, the Changay

8:15 Speaker 1: V mission has turned this theory on its head. The mission,

8:18 Speaker 1: which returned to Earth in December twenty twenty, found evidence

8:22 Speaker 1: suggesting that volcanic eruptions could have taken place as recently

8:26 Speaker 1: as one hundred twenty three million years ago. While one

8:29 Speaker 1: hundred twenty three million years might sound ancient, in geological terms,

8:32 Speaker 1: it's like yesterday. This means that the Moon may have

8:35 Speaker 1: been volcanically active throughout its entire history, and could even

8:38 Speaker 1: be active today. Among the three thousand tiny glass beads

8:42 Speaker 1: analyzed by researchers, three stood out due to their volcanic origin.

8:46 Speaker 1: These beads were found near volcanic domes in the oceanis

8:49 Speaker 1: Prosollarum region. Glass beads can form through two primary mechanisms,

8:55 Speaker 1: asteroid impacts or volcanic activity. By analyzing the composition and

8:59 Speaker 1: formation of the use these particular beads, scientists determined that

9:02 Speaker 1: they resulted from volcanic eruptions, not impacts. By using uranium

9:06 Speaker 1: lead dating, a method involving the radioactive decay of uranium

9:10 Speaker 1: into lead, the researchers determined the age of these beads

9:13 Speaker 1: to be around one hundred twenty three million years old

9:16 Speaker 1: plus or minus fifteen million years. This is not the

9:19 Speaker 1: first piece of evidence suggesting recent volcanic activity on the Moon.

9:23 Speaker 1: In twenty fourteen, NASA's Lunar reconnaissance orbiter imaged features known

9:27 Speaker 1: as irregular mare patches or imps. These patches are smooth,

9:31 Speaker 1: shallow mounds with adjacent rocky terrain, indicating volcanic origins. Some

9:35 Speaker 1: of these features appear to be as young as fifty

9:38 Speaker 1: to one hundred million years old, supporting the idea that

9:41 Speaker 1: the Moon might not be as geologically inactive as once thought.

9:46 Speaker 1: The implications of this discovery are significant. For one, understanding

9:50 Speaker 1: the recent volcanic activity on the Moon could provide clues

9:53 Speaker 1: about its thermal history and internal processes. This could also

9:57 Speaker 1: alter our approach to future lunar missions. If volcan panic

10:00 Speaker 1: activity is indeed present, it may even be possible to

10:02 Speaker 1: tap into this geothermal energy to support human habitats on

10:06 Speaker 1: the Moon. Furthermore, the potential for volcanic outgassing raises the

10:11 Speaker 1: question of transient lunar phenomena, mysterious hazes observed by amateur

10:15 Speaker 1: astronomers that might be linked to volcanic activity. While these

10:19 Speaker 1: observations have often been dismissed, the recent evidence suggests they

10:23 Speaker 1: might warrant a closer look. In summary, the discoveries made

10:26 Speaker 1: by the chong of FIV mission challenge our prior understanding

10:29 Speaker 1: of the Moon. The geologically recent volcanic activity not only

10:33 Speaker 1: reshapes our knowledge of lunar history, but also opens new

10:37 Speaker 1: possibilities for future exploration and utilization of the Moon's resources.

10:42 Speaker 1: Fascinating times lie ahead as we continue to unravel the

10:45 Speaker 1: Moon's secrets, potentially preparing us for more ambitious endeavors in

10:49 Speaker 1: space exploration. Okay, here's one you'll need to look up for.

10:53 Speaker 1: NASA's advance composite solar Sale system is now visible from

10:57 Speaker 1: many locations around the world. This groundbreaking solar sale, which

11:01 Speaker 1: is part of NASA's efforts to test new space technologies,

11:04 Speaker 1: has fully deployed its reflective sale in orbit. The sale

11:07 Speaker 1: harnesses sunlight for propulsion, a method that promises to enable

11:11 Speaker 1: low cost deep space missions by eliminating the need for

11:13 Speaker 1: conventional rocket fuel. To engage the public with this technological marvel,

11:18 Speaker 1: NASA has launched the hash spot the Sale campaign. Stargazers

11:21 Speaker 1: and space enthusiasts can track the solar Sale using the

11:24 Speaker 1: free NASA app, available on both iOS and Android platforms.

11:28 Speaker 1: By entering their location, users can receive a schedule of

11:32 Speaker 1: upcoming sightings, and with the app's augmented reality tool pinpoint

11:36 Speaker 1: the sale's real time location in the night sky. This

11:40 Speaker 1: visibility from Earth opens up a fantastic opportunity for amateur

11:44 Speaker 1: astronomers and curious onlookers alike to witness and participate in

11:48 Speaker 1: space exploration firsthand. Don't forget to share your viewing experiences

11:52 Speaker 1: on social media using the hashtag hash spot the sale

11:56 Speaker 1: for a chance to be featured on NASA's official channels.

11:59 Speaker 1: As we continue to push the boundaries of space exploration,

12:02 Speaker 1: the advanced composite solar Sales system represents an exciting step

12:06 Speaker 1: towards more sustainable and accessible missions into the cosmos. That's

12:11 Speaker 1: all for today's episode of Astronomy Daily. I've been your host, Anna.

12:14 Speaker 1: If you'd like to dive deeper into any of the

12:16 Speaker 1: stories we covered, or stay updated with the latest in

12:19 Speaker 1: space and astronomy, be sure to visit our website at

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12:50 Speaker 1: for tuning in, and remember to keep your eyes on

12:52 Speaker 1: the skies until next time. May you be blessed with

12:55 Speaker 1: clear skies. N is the Tall Star, is the toll Star,

13:16 Speaker 1: is the to