S03E153: SpaceX's Milestone, Japan's Lunar Landing Plans, and James Webb's Outer Galaxy Insights

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily. I'm Anna and you're tuning into

0:03 Speaker 1: your daily dose of space and astronomy news. We've got

0:06 Speaker 1: an action packed episode for you today, filled with groundbreaking

0:09 Speaker 1: developments that are pushing the boundaries of human exploration and

0:13 Speaker 1: our understanding of the Cosmos. Coming up, we'll dive into

0:16 Speaker 1: a historic milestone in private space exploration as SpaceX achieves

0:20 Speaker 1: the first ever privately financed spacewalk. We'll also check in

0:24 Speaker 1: on Japan's ambitious plans for a second Moon landing attempt,

0:27 Speaker 1: and discuss the latest hurdles facing SpaceX's starship program. But

0:31 Speaker 1: that's not all. We'll take you on a journey to

0:32 Speaker 1: the far reaches of our galaxy as the James Webb

0:35 Speaker 1: Space Telescope unveils stunning new observations of star formation in

0:39 Speaker 1: the extreme outer regions of the Milky Way. And finally,

0:42 Speaker 1: we'll explore NASA's efforts to establish a standardized lunar time,

0:46 Speaker 1: a crucial step for future Moon missions and beyond. Stick

0:50 Speaker 1: around as we explore these fascinating stories and more on

0:52 Speaker 1: today's episode of Astronomy Daily. First up and update on

0:56 Speaker 1: yesterday's story, SpaceX has once again pushed the boundaries of

0:59 Speaker 1: commercial space exploration with a historic achievement. In a groundbreaking mission,

1:04 Speaker 1: billionaire Jared isaac Mann and SpaceX crew trainer Sarah Gillis

1:08 Speaker 1: successfully conducted the first privately financed spacewalk in history. The

1:12 Speaker 1: spacewalk took place early Thursday morning, with Isaac Mann and

1:15 Speaker 1: Gillis taking turns floating just outside their crew Dragon capsule

1:19 Speaker 1: at an altitude of four hundred and fifty eight miles

1:21 Speaker 1: above Earth. They had an unobstructed view of our planet

1:24 Speaker 1: that left Isaac Man in awe. He remarked on the

1:27 Speaker 1: serene boundary free view, noting that while there's much work

1:31 Speaker 1: to be done back on Earth, from space, it looks

1:33 Speaker 1: like a perfect world. This wasn't just a joy ride

1:36 Speaker 1: in space, though. The primary goal of this one hour

1:39 Speaker 1: and forty six minute spacewalk was to test SpaceX's new

1:42 Speaker 1: pressure suits. Isaac Man and Gillis performed a series of

1:45 Speaker 1: mobility tests, moving their arms, hands, and legs through various

1:49 Speaker 1: positions to assess the suit's comfort and functionality in the

1:52 Speaker 1: vacuum of space. These new suits are a crucial development

1:56 Speaker 1: for SpaceX's ambitious plans. The company aims to create low cast,

2:00 Speaker 1: easy to manufacture space suits for future commercial astronauts who

2:04 Speaker 1: might one day fly to the Moon or Mars aboard

2:06 Speaker 1: SpaceX's super heavy starship rockets. The suits feature some impressive innovations,

2:12 Speaker 1: including a heads up display projecting critical data onto the

2:15 Speaker 1: helmet visor, something not found in NASA's current space suits.

2:19 Speaker 1: They also incorporate thermal insulation and solar protection, along with

2:23 Speaker 1: multiple redundancies in oxygen supply and other critical systems. This

2:27 Speaker 1: successful space walk marks another milestone in SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission,

2:32 Speaker 1: the first of three planned by Isaac Man in cooperation

2:34 Speaker 1: with Elon Musk. It's a significant step forward in the

2:37 Speaker 1: commercialization of space travel and exploration, demonstrating that private companies

2:42 Speaker 1: can now perform complex operations once reserved for government space agencies.

2:47 Speaker 1: As we look to the future of space exploration, this

2:50 Speaker 1: achievement opens up exciting possibilities for commercial space ventures and

2:54 Speaker 1: brings us one step closer to making space more accessible

2:57 Speaker 1: to civilians. In other space news today, japan v space

3:00 Speaker 1: exploration company I Space is gearing up for another shot

3:03 Speaker 1: at the Moon. Their second lunar landing mission is set

3:06 Speaker 1: to launch as early as December just over a year

3:09 Speaker 1: and a half after their first attempt, the company's CEO,

3:12 Speaker 1: Ta Keshi Kakamada, announced that the Hakuto R Mission I

3:16 Speaker 1: will be delivered to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon nine

3:19 Speaker 1: rocket launching from Florida. After a journey of four to

3:22 Speaker 1: five months, the spacecraft will attempt its crucial lunar touchdown.

3:26 Speaker 1: This mission follows I Space's first moon landing attempt in

3:30 Speaker 1: April twenty twenty three, which unfortunately failed in the final

3:34 Speaker 1: moments due to an altitude miscalculation. Despite this setback, the

3:38 Speaker 1: company remains determined to achieve its goals. If successful, I

3:42 Speaker 1: Space would join the ranks of US based Intuitive machines,

3:45 Speaker 1: which made history in February by completing the world's first

3:48 Speaker 1: private moon landing. It's clear that the commercial space race

3:51 Speaker 1: to the Moon is heating up, with private companies vying

3:54 Speaker 1: to establish their presence on our celestial neighbor. I Space's

3:57 Speaker 1: persistence highlights the growing interest in lunarxis ploration not just

4:01 Speaker 1: from national space agencies, but also from the private sector.

4:04 Speaker 1: The Moon is increasingly seen as a frontier for potential

4:07 Speaker 1: resource extraction and as a stepping stone for further space exploration.

4:12 Speaker 1: It's not all good news for SpaceX today. Their highly

4:15 Speaker 1: anticipated fifth test flight of its Starship rocket is facing

4:18 Speaker 1: unexpected delays. The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA has announced

4:23 Speaker 1: that a final license determination for Starship Flight five is

4:27 Speaker 1: not expected before late November twenty twenty four. This comes

4:30 Speaker 1: as a setback for SpaceX, who had been gearing up

4:33 Speaker 1: for the launch since their successful fourth flight in June.

4:36 Speaker 1: The delay stems from SpaceX's decision to modify both the

4:40 Speaker 1: vehicle configuration and mission profile for flight five, triggering a

4:43 Speaker 1: more in depth review process. Additionally, new information submitted by

4:48 Speaker 1: SpaceX in August detailed a larger environmental impact area than

4:53 Speaker 1: previously reviewed, requiring further consultation with other agencies. SpaceX has

4:58 Speaker 1: expressed frustration with this development, stating that the Starship vehicle

5:02 Speaker 1: has been technically ready to fly since early August. In

5:05 Speaker 1: a blog post, the company criticized the regulatory environment, claiming

5:10 Speaker 1: that it now takes longer to complete government paperwork for

5:12 Speaker 1: a launch license than to design and build the actual rocket.

5:16 Speaker 1: This situation highlights the growing tension between the rapid pace

5:20 Speaker 1: of technological advancement in the private space industry and the

5:23 Speaker 1: necessarily cautious approach of government oversight. As companies like SpaceX

5:28 Speaker 1: push the boundaries of space exploration, finding the right balance

5:32 Speaker 1: between innovation and safety remains a critical challenge for the industry.

5:36 Speaker 1: Let's take a look out into deep space now. In

5:38 Speaker 1: a groundbreaking study, NASA's James Web Space Telescope has turned

5:42 Speaker 1: its powerful gaze to the farthest reaches of our Milky Way,

5:45 Speaker 1: capturing stunning images of star forming regions in what astronomers

5:49 Speaker 1: call the extreme outer Galaxy. This area, located more than

5:53 Speaker 1: fifty eight thousand light years from the galactic center, is

5:56 Speaker 1: nearly twice as far as Earth's position. The Web telescope,

6:00 Speaker 1: using its Nurkam and Miry instruments, focused on two molecular

6:04 Speaker 1: clouds known as Digal clouds one and two. These observations

6:08 Speaker 1: have revealed unprecedented details of star clusters undergoing intense bursts

6:12 Speaker 1: of star formation. The images show very young protostars, outflows

6:16 Speaker 1: and jets, and unique nebular structures with a level of

6:19 Speaker 1: clarity never before achieved. What makes these observations particularly exciting

6:24 Speaker 1: is that the Digal clouds are relatively poor in elements

6:27 Speaker 1: heavier than hydrogen, and helium. This composition is similar to

6:31 Speaker 1: dwarf galaxies and what our own Milky Way might have

6:33 Speaker 1: looked like in its early history. By studying these regions,

6:37 Speaker 1: astronomers can gain valuable insights into the processes of star

6:40 Speaker 1: formation in environments that mimic the conditions of the early universe.

6:45 Speaker 1: One of the most striking discoveries was in Cloud two S,

6:48 Speaker 1: where WEB captured a main cluster of young, newly formed stars.

6:53 Speaker 1: This dense area is bustling with activity, showing several stars

6:56 Speaker 1: emitting extended jets of material from their poles. The image

7:00 Speaker 1: andy also confirmed the existence of a previously suspected subcluster

7:03 Speaker 1: within the cloud. These observations are just the beginning. Scientists

7:07 Speaker 1: plan to revisit this galactic outpost to unravel more mysteries,

7:11 Speaker 1: including how the environment influences the formation of different types

7:15 Speaker 1: of stars and why circumstellar discs in the extreme outer

7:19 Speaker 1: galaxy have shorter lifetimes compared to those closer to us.

7:23 Speaker 1: The WEB telescope's ability to peer into these distant, primordial

7:26 Speaker 1: like environments is providing astronomers with a unique opportunity to

7:30 Speaker 1: study star formation in conditions similar to those that existed

7:33 Speaker 1: billions of years ago. This research not only enhances our

7:37 Speaker 1: understanding of our galaxy's history, but also sheds light on

7:41 Speaker 1: the fundamental processes that shape the universe as we know it.

7:44 Speaker 1: And finally, today, let's revisit a story we first brought

7:47 Speaker 1: to your attention some months ago. In a move that

7:49 Speaker 1: underscores the complexities of space exploration, NASA is taking on

7:53 Speaker 1: a task that might seem mundane at first glance, but

7:56 Speaker 1: is actually crucial for future lunar missions, establishing a standard

8:00 Speaker 1: lunar time. The Space Agency is spearheading efforts to create

8:03 Speaker 1: what's being called coordinated Lunar Time, or LTC. This initiative

8:08 Speaker 1: comes in response to a White House policy directive issued

8:10 Speaker 1: in April recognizing the need for a unified timekeeping system

8:14 Speaker 1: on the Moon. You might wonder why we can't just

8:16 Speaker 1: use Earth time on the Moon. Well, it turns out

8:19 Speaker 1: that time moves differently on the lunar surface due to

8:21 Speaker 1: the effects of relativity. Atomic clocks on the Moon would

8:24 Speaker 1: actually tick faster than those on Earth by microseconds per day.

8:27 Speaker 1: While that might not sound like much in the precision

8:30 Speaker 1: dependent world of space exploration, those tiny differences can add

8:34 Speaker 1: up to significant discrepancies. To put this into perspective, NASA

8:38 Speaker 1: scientist Cheryl Gramling explains that for something traveling at the

8:42 Speaker 1: speed of light, a fifty six microsecond difference is enough

8:45 Speaker 1: time to cover a distance of about one sixty eight

8:48 Speaker 1: football fields. That kind of variation could pose serious risks

8:51 Speaker 1: for navigation and communication in lunar missions. The plan is

8:55 Speaker 1: to establish a network of atomic clocks on the Moon,

8:58 Speaker 1: similar to how we determine coordinat universal time here on Earth. However,

9:02 Speaker 1: the exact locations for these clocks are still being determined

9:05 Speaker 1: as scientists grapple with the complexities of lunar timekeeping. This

9:09 Speaker 1: lunar time standard isn't just about the Moon, though, NASA

9:12 Speaker 1: sees it as a scalable solution that could be applied

9:15 Speaker 1: to future Mars missions and exploration of other celestial bodies

9:18 Speaker 1: in our Solar System. As we enter an era of

9:21 Speaker 1: increased commercial space activity and international collaboration in lunar exploration,

9:26 Speaker 1: having a shared definition of time becomes more critical than ever.

9:30 Speaker 1: It's an essential component for ensuring safe, resilient, and sustainable

9:33 Speaker 1: operations beyond Earth. In essence, NASA's Lunar time initiative is

9:38 Speaker 1: laying the groundwork for a new era of space exploration,

9:42 Speaker 1: one where we're not just visitors to other worlds, but

9:45 Speaker 1: potentially long term inhabitants. It's a small step in timekeeping,

9:49 Speaker 1: but a giant leap for our future in space, and

9:52 Speaker 1: that wraps up our cosmic journey for today. On Astronomy Daily,

9:55 Speaker 1: I'm Anna and I hope you've enjoyed this whirlwind tour

9:58 Speaker 1: of the latest developments in space exploration and astronomical discoveries.

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