S03E158: Black Hole Beams, Rocket Lab Abort, and NASA's Hidden Figures

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

0:02 Speaker 1: latest and most exciting developments in space and astronomy. I'm

0:06 Speaker 1: your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to bring you another

0:09 Speaker 1: episode packed with cosmic wonders and scientific breakthroughs.

0:12 Speaker 2: Today, we've got a stellar.

0:14 Speaker 1: Lineup of stories that will take us from the farthest

0:16 Speaker 1: reaches of the universe to our own cosmic backyard. We'll

0:20 Speaker 1: explore record setting jets from a distant black hole, witness

0:24 Speaker 1: a dramatic rocket launch abort, celebrate the hidden figures of

0:27 Speaker 1: NASA's past, ponder the possibility of ancient Earth sporting Saturn

0:32 Speaker 1: like rings, and even discuss the potential for space lasers

0:35 Speaker 1: in planetary defense.

0:37 Speaker 2: So buckle up and prepare.

0:38 Speaker 1: For liftoff as we embark on this cosmic journey together,

0:42 Speaker 1: Let's dive into the fascinating world of space science and

0:44 Speaker 1: exploration on this episode of Astronomy Daily. In a groundbreaking discovery,

0:49 Speaker 1: astronomers have detected the largest known jets of energy shooting

0:52 Speaker 1: from a super massive black hole. These colossal beams extend

0:55 Speaker 1: an astonishing twenty three million light years from end to end,

0:59 Speaker 1: dwarfing our in higher Milky Way galaxy. The black hole

1:02 Speaker 1: responsible for this cosmic spectacle is located in a galaxy

1:05 Speaker 1: about seven point five billion light years from Earth. To

1:08 Speaker 1: put that in perspective, we're observing an event that occurred

1:11 Speaker 1: when the universe was less than.

1:13 Speaker 2: Half its current age.

1:14 Speaker 1: These jets, nicknamed Porphyrion after a giant from Greek mythology,

1:18 Speaker 1: are truly massive. They're about thirty percent longer than the

1:21 Speaker 1: previous record holder, making them the most extensive structures of

1:25 Speaker 1: their kind ever observed.

1:27 Speaker 2: But what exactly are these jets.

1:29 Speaker 1: They're made up of subatomic particles electrons and positrons, along

1:33 Speaker 1: with magnetic fields, all moving at nearly the speed of light.

1:36 Speaker 1: These particles are ejected from the area around the black

1:39 Speaker 1: hole as it devours nearby matter like gas, dust, and

1:43 Speaker 1: even entire stars. The energy output of these jets is

1:46 Speaker 1: mind boggling. Scientists estimate its equivalent to the energy released

1:50 Speaker 1: by trillions of stars like our Sun, or the amount

1:53 Speaker 1: produced when entire galaxy clusters collide. This discovery isn't just

1:57 Speaker 1: about breaking records, though, it provides valuable insights into how

2:01 Speaker 1: black holes influence their surroundings on a truly enormous scale.

2:04 Speaker 1: These jets can heat up interstellar gas, potentially affecting star

2:08 Speaker 1: formation across vast regions of space. They might even play

2:11 Speaker 1: a role in distributing energy and magnetic fields throughout the

2:15 Speaker 1: cosmic web, the large scale structure of the universe. The

2:18 Speaker 1: observation was made possible by LOFAR, a network of radio

2:21 Speaker 1: antennas primarily based in the Netherlands. This cutting edge technology

2:26 Speaker 1: allows astronomers to peer deeper into the universe and uncover

2:30 Speaker 1: phenomena that push the boundaries of our understanding of cosmic processes.

2:36 Speaker 1: As we continue to explore the depths of space, discoveries

2:39 Speaker 1: like Porphyrion remind us of the immense power and influence

2:43 Speaker 1: of supermassive black holes in shaping our universe. In space

2:47 Speaker 1: launch news, rocket Lab experienced a last second abort during

2:50 Speaker 1: their latest mission attempt. The company's Electron rocket was poised

2:54 Speaker 1: to lift off from New Zealand carrying five Internet of

2:56 Speaker 1: Things satellites for the French company QNIE. However, as the

3:00 Speaker 1: countdown reached zero and the first stage engines ignited, they

3:04 Speaker 1: immediately shut down, resulting in a launch abort. Rocket Lab

3:07 Speaker 1: has named this mission Keyness Killed the radiot Star a

3:11 Speaker 1: playful nod to the payload and a classic song title.

3:14 Speaker 1: This would have been their second launch for Canais, following

3:16 Speaker 1: a successful five satellite deployment in June. The aboard occurred

3:20 Speaker 1: at the precise moment of the instantaneous launch window, leaving

3:23 Speaker 1: no opportunity for a same day retry. Rocket Lab's team

3:27 Speaker 1: is now assessing options for the next launch attempt within

3:29 Speaker 1: their fourteen day launch window. This mission is part of

3:32 Speaker 1: a larger contract between rocket Lab and Kineis, which aims

3:36 Speaker 1: to deploy a total of twenty five satellites using the Electron,

3:39 Speaker 1: a small but capable rocket standing at fifty nine feet tall.

3:43 Speaker 1: Despite this setback, rocket Lab maintains an impressive track record

3:47 Speaker 1: with fifty two orbital missions to date, including ten successful

3:51 Speaker 1: launches in twenty twenty four alone. Now a story about

3:54 Speaker 1: recognition that many would consider long overdue. In a moving

3:58 Speaker 1: ceremony at the US Capitol, four trailblazing women of NASA

4:02 Speaker 1: were honoured with Congressional Gold Medals for their groundbreaking contributions

4:05 Speaker 1: to space exploration. Catherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and

4:09 Speaker 1: Christine Darden. The hidden figures behind America's space race success

4:14 Speaker 1: were finally given their well deserved recognition. The event, held

4:18 Speaker 1: in Emancipation Hall, brought together lawmakers, NASA officials, and family

4:23 Speaker 1: members of these remarkable women. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson highlighted

4:27 Speaker 1: how their pioneering work laid the foundation for today's achievements

4:30 Speaker 1: in space. These African American mathematicians and engineers played crucial

4:34 Speaker 1: roles in NASA's early spaceflight programs, from calculating flight trajectories

4:38 Speaker 1: to becoming the agency's first black female supervisor and engineer.

4:42 Speaker 1: Their stories, largely unknown for decades, were brought to light

4:45 Speaker 1: by Margo Lee Shutterley's book Hidden Figures and the subsequent

4:48 Speaker 1: film adaptation. The ceremony not only celebrated these four women,

4:52 Speaker 1: but also acknowledged the countless others who worked behind the

4:55 Speaker 1: scenes at NASA performing critical calculations before the advent of

4:58 Speaker 1: electronic computers. This Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest

5:03 Speaker 1: civilian honors in the United States, serves as a testament

5:06 Speaker 1: to their enduring legacy and the impact they've had on

5:09 Speaker 1: generations of scientists and engineers. It's a powerful reminder of

5:12 Speaker 1: the importance of diversity in scientific advancement, and a long

5:16 Speaker 1: overdue recognition of these hidden figures who helped shape America's

5:20 Speaker 1: space program. Now, let's turn our attention to a fascinating

5:24 Speaker 1: piece of research that's shaking up our understanding of Earth's

5:27 Speaker 1: ancient past. A new study suggests that our planet may

5:29 Speaker 1: have once sported a ring system similar to Saturn's about

5:32 Speaker 1: four hundred and sixty six million years ago. This isn't

5:35 Speaker 1: just idle speculation. It's based on some intriguing evidence from

5:39 Speaker 1: twenty one crater sites around the world.

5:41 Speaker 2: Here's the story.

5:42 Speaker 1: Researchers believe that Earth may have captured and destroyed a

5:45 Speaker 1: passing asteroid, creating a debris ring that lasted for tens

5:49 Speaker 1: of millions of years. This event potentially occurred during the

5:52 Speaker 1: Ordovician period, a time when our planet experienced a significant

5:57 Speaker 1: increase in asteroid impacts. The team, led by Andy Tompkins

6:00 Speaker 1: from Monash University used computer models to map out where

6:04 Speaker 1: these craters were when they first formed. Interestingly, all the

6:07 Speaker 1: craters were found within thirty degrees of the equator. This

6:10 Speaker 1: pattern is consistent with what we'd expect from a debris

6:13 Speaker 1: ring orbiting Earth, as such rings typically form above a

6:16 Speaker 1: planet's equator. Now, you might be wondering about the implications

6:19 Speaker 1: of such a ring system, while the researchers suggest it

6:22 Speaker 1: could have had a major impact on Earth's climate. Because

6:26 Speaker 1: Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbit around the Sun,

6:29 Speaker 1: this ring would have cast a shadow over parts of

6:32 Speaker 1: our planet's surface. This could have contributed to global cooling,

6:36 Speaker 1: potentially playing a role in the Hernantean Ice Age, the

6:39 Speaker 1: coldest period Earth has experienced in the past five hundred

6:42 Speaker 1: million years. Of course, as with all groundbreaking research, more

6:46 Speaker 1: evidence is needed to confirm this hypothesis, but it's an

6:49 Speaker 1: exciting possibility that gives us a new perspective on Earth's

6:52 Speaker 1: dynamic history. Who knows what other surprises our planet might

6:55 Speaker 1: be hiding in its geological record. Now, let's talk about

6:59 Speaker 1: an intriguing concept that might sound like it's straight out

7:01 Speaker 1: of science fiction, using powerful lasers in space for planetary defense.

7:06 Speaker 1: A recent study has explored the idea of deploying laser

7:09 Speaker 1: arrays in space, primarily for deflecting potentially hazardous asteroids. The concept,

7:15 Speaker 1: known as DSTAR, which stands for Directed Energy Systems for

7:18 Speaker 1: Targeting of Asteroids and Exploration, involves creating a modular array

7:22 Speaker 1: of lasers powered by solar cells. These space based lasers

7:26 Speaker 1: could heat the surface of incoming asteroids to about three

7:29 Speaker 1: thousand kelvin, hot enough to melt or vaporize their constituents

7:33 Speaker 1: and alter their course. Additionally, such a system could potentially

7:37 Speaker 1: be used to propel spacecraft. However, with great power comes

7:40 Speaker 1: great responsibility. The destructive potential of these laser arrays raises

7:45 Speaker 1: concerns about their possible use as weapons. To address this,

7:48 Speaker 1: researchers suggest deploying them at safe distances from Earth, where

7:51 Speaker 1: they pose no threat to our planet. The size and

7:54 Speaker 1: power of the laser array would determine its safe minimum

7:57 Speaker 1: distance from Earth. Smaller arrays could pretend be positioned at

8:01 Speaker 1: lagrange points between the Earth and Sun, while larger, more

8:05 Speaker 1: powerful arrays would need to be placed much further out

8:08 Speaker 1: in the Solar System, possibly beyond the asteroid belt or

8:12 Speaker 1: even Jupiter's orbit. One challenge is balancing the laser's power

8:16 Speaker 1: with available solar energy, which decreases the further the array

8:20 Speaker 1: is from the Sun. Engineers would need to consider this

8:22 Speaker 1: trade off when designing and positioning these systems.

8:26 Speaker 2: While no one is building a.

8:27 Speaker 1: D star array just yet, it's crucial to start thinking

8:30 Speaker 1: about the implications and potential uses of such technology. As

8:34 Speaker 1: we continue to explore space and seek ways to protect

8:37 Speaker 1: our planet, concepts like space based lasers may become increasingly

8:41 Speaker 1: relevant in our discussions about planetary defense and space exploration.

8:45 Speaker 1: And that wraps up today's episode of Astronomy Daily. We've

8:49 Speaker 1: covered some truly fascinating developments in space science and exploration,

8:53 Speaker 1: from the record setting jets blasting out of a distant

8:56 Speaker 1: black hole to the potential for space lasers to protect

8:59 Speaker 1: our planet. The universe continues to amaze and challenge us.

9:03 Speaker 1: We also celebrated the long overdue recognition of the hidden

9:06 Speaker 1: figures who played such a crucial role in NASA's early achievements,

9:10 Speaker 1: and explored the intriguing possibility that Earth once had its

9:13 Speaker 1: own ring system. I'm Anna, and I've been your host

9:16 Speaker 1: for this cosmic journey. If you're hungry for more space

9:19 Speaker 1: news and want to stay up to date with the

9:20 Speaker 1: latest discoveries, be sure to visit our website at Astronomydaily

9:24 Speaker 1: dot io. There you can sign up for our free

9:27 Speaker 1: daily newsletter and explore our constantly updating news feed. Don't

9:31 Speaker 1: forget to check out all our previous episodes on the

9:33 Speaker 1: website as well, and if you want even more Astronomy

9:36 Speaker 1: Daily content, find us on social media. Just search for

9:39 Speaker 1: astro Daily Pod on Facebook, x YouTube, and TikTok.

9:43 Speaker 2: Thanks for listening and remember to keep looking up.

9:45 Speaker 3: Saiday Star Star story is ConTroll