S03E182: Fashion Forward Spacesuits, Cosmic Twins, and a Martian Eclipse

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

0:02 Speaker 1: latest space and astronomy news. I'm your host, Anna, and

0:05 Speaker 1: boy do we have an exciting episode for you Today.

0:08 Speaker 1: We're covering a wide range of fascinating topics that are

0:10 Speaker 1: sure to peak your interest. From fashion forward space suits

0:14 Speaker 1: designed for NASA's upcoming Moon mission, to the solution of

0:17 Speaker 1: a decade's old mystery surrounding a puzzling ground dwarf, We've

0:21 Speaker 1: got it all. We'll also be talking about a rare

0:23 Speaker 1: comet visible in Australian skies, new insights into the origins

0:27 Speaker 1: of Earth's meteorites, and even a Martian's solar eclipse captured

0:31 Speaker 1: by one of our trusty rovers. But that's not all.

0:34 Speaker 1: We'll also dive into the latest updates on space exploration,

0:37 Speaker 1: including some uncertainty surrounding Boeing's next crude mission. So buckle

0:41 Speaker 1: up and get ready for a cosmic journey through the

0:43 Speaker 1: latest and greatest in space and astronomy news. First up today,

0:48 Speaker 1: just because you're going to the Moon doesn't mean you

0:50 Speaker 1: can't be fashionable. In an exciting collaboration, Italian luxury brand

0:54 Speaker 1: Prada has joined forces with Houston based startup Axiom Space

0:58 Speaker 1: to create a cutting edge space suit for NASA's upcoming

1:01 Speaker 1: Artemis three mission to the Moon. This mission, planned for

1:04 Speaker 1: twenty twenty six, will mark the first astronaut moon landing

1:07 Speaker 1: since Apollo seventeen in nineteen seventy two. The new spacesuit,

1:11 Speaker 1: known as the Axium Extra Vehicular Mobility Unit or AXEMU,

1:15 Speaker 1: was recently unveiled at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan.

1:19 Speaker 1: While it maintains the familiar bulky white appearance we've come

1:22 Speaker 1: to associate with space suits, it now features added red

1:26 Speaker 1: trim and gray patches on the knees and elbows, giving

1:28 Speaker 1: it a subtle yet stylish update. But don't let its

1:31 Speaker 1: sleek look fool you. This suit is all about function.

1:34 Speaker 1: It's been designed to withstand the extreme temperatures at the

1:37 Speaker 1: lunar South Pole, including the ability to endure the coldest

1:40 Speaker 1: temperatures in permanently shadowed regions for at least two hours.

1:44 Speaker 1: The suit will also allow astronauts to perform space walks

1:47 Speaker 1: for up to eight hours, showcasing its impressive endurance capabilities.

1:52 Speaker 1: The AXIMU has already undergone extensive testing, including underwater simulations

1:57 Speaker 1: to mimic the lunar environment as it nears its final

2:00 Speaker 1: development stage. Both Prada and Axiom Space express pride in

2:03 Speaker 1: their collaborative effort, highlighting how the combination of their diverse

2:07 Speaker 1: skills has led to this innovative design. Next up, some

2:12 Speaker 1: space news from Europe. In exciting news for space enthusiasts,

2:15 Speaker 1: Italy's Vagacy rocket is gearing up for a comeback after

2:18 Speaker 1: facing some setbacks. The rocket is now scheduled to return

2:21 Speaker 1: to active duty on December third. This launch will mark

2:24 Speaker 1: a significant milestone for the Italian space program as the

2:27 Speaker 1: Vegacy resumes its role in delivering payloads to orbit. The

2:31 Speaker 1: return to flight is eagerly anticipated by the scientific community

2:34 Speaker 1: and space industry alike, as it represents another step forward

2:38 Speaker 1: in Europe's space capabilities. Now one for the Ausies amongst

2:42 Speaker 1: our listeners, stargazers in Australia get ready for a truly

2:46 Speaker 1: spectacular site. Comet C twenty twenty three A three, also

2:51 Speaker 1: known as suchinshan Atlas, is gracing our skies for the

2:55 Speaker 1: first time in a staggering eighty thousand years. This celestial

2:59 Speaker 1: wanderer has already been turning heads in the Northern Hemisphere

3:02 Speaker 1: and now it's Australia's turn to witness this rare cosmic event.

3:05 Speaker 1: This comet is not just any ordinary space rock. It's

3:08 Speaker 1: a time capsule from the very formation of our Solar System,

3:12 Speaker 1: offering us a glimpse into the distant past. Measuring about

3:15 Speaker 1: three point two kilometers across C twenty twenty three, A

3:19 Speaker 1: three hails from the mysterious Ort Cloud, a vast shell

3:23 Speaker 1: of icy objects surrounding our Solar System. What makes this

3:27 Speaker 1: visitor so special is its rarity. The last time it

3:30 Speaker 1: passed by Earth, our planet was still in the grip

3:33 Speaker 1: of the ice age, with mammoths and saber toothed cats

3:36 Speaker 1: roaming the land. It's mind boggling to think about the

3:40 Speaker 1: changes our world has undergone since its last visit. For

3:43 Speaker 1: the best view, keep your eyes on the western horizon

3:46 Speaker 1: during early evening. The bright planet Venus can serve as

3:49 Speaker 1: a helpful reference point. While visible to the naked eye,

3:53 Speaker 1: Binoculars or a small telescope will give you an even

3:56 Speaker 1: better look at this cosmic traveler and its characteristic tales.

4:00 Speaker 1: Don't miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to see

4:03 Speaker 1: a piece of our Solar System's ancient history. Comment Ce

4:07 Speaker 1: twenty twenty three A three is a reminder of the

4:11 Speaker 1: wonders that await us when we look up at the

4:12 Speaker 1: night sky. Next, an ongoing mystery is solved in a

4:16 Speaker 1: fascinating breakthrough. Astronomers have finally cracked a nearly thirty year

4:20 Speaker 1: old mystery surrounding the brown dwarf Gleiza two hundred twenty

4:23 Speaker 1: nine B. It turns out what we thought was a

4:26 Speaker 1: single celestial object is actually a pair of brown dwarfs

4:29 Speaker 1: locked in a cosmic dance. Brown dwarfs, for those unfamiliar,

4:33 Speaker 1: are fascinating objects that straddle the line between planets and stars.

4:37 Speaker 1: They're more massive than planets, but not quite hefty enough

4:39 Speaker 1: to sustain the nuclear fusion that powers stars. Glisa two

4:43 Speaker 1: hundred twenty nine B, discovered back in nineteen ninety five,

4:46 Speaker 1: has long been considered the poster child for brown dwarfs

4:49 Speaker 1: and has been the subject of numerous studies. However, something

4:53 Speaker 1: always seemed off about Gliza two hundred twenty nine B.

4:56 Speaker 1: Given its apparent mass, it should have been much brighter

4:59 Speaker 1: than observed. This discrepancy has puzzled scientists for decades until now,

5:04 Speaker 1: Using advanced instruments at the very large telescope in Chile,

5:07 Speaker 1: researchers have revealed that Gliza two hundred twenty nine B

5:10 Speaker 1: is actually two separate brown dwarfs. These cosmic twins, now

5:15 Speaker 1: dubbed Giza two hundred twenty nine BA and Gliza two

5:17 Speaker 1: hundred twenty nine b B, are roughly thirty eight and

5:20 Speaker 1: thirty four times the mass of Jupiter, respectively. They orbit

5:24 Speaker 1: each other every twelve days, far too close for previous

5:27 Speaker 1: observations to distinguish them as separate objects. This discovery not

5:31 Speaker 1: only solves the long standing brightness puzzle, but also provides

5:35 Speaker 1: valuable insights into the nature of brown dwarfs and the

5:38 Speaker 1: fuzzy boundary between stars and planets. It's a reminder that

5:42 Speaker 1: in astronomy, as in life, things aren't always what they

5:45 Speaker 1: seem at first glance. Scientists have recently made a groundbreaking

5:50 Speaker 1: discovery about the origins of meteorites that have fallen to Earth.

5:53 Speaker 1: It turns out that a wopping seventy percent of the

5:55 Speaker 1: seventy thousand meteorites found on our planet can be traced

5:59 Speaker 1: back to just three massive collisions in the main asteroid

6:01 Speaker 1: belt between Mars and Jupiter. These cosmic smash ups occurred

6:05 Speaker 1: five point eight, seven point five and forty million years ago,

6:08 Speaker 1: creating three young asteroid families known as Karen, Coronis, and Massalia.

6:13 Speaker 1: Each of these families formed when asteroids at least thirty

6:16 Speaker 1: kilometers across were destroyed, sending countless fragments hurtling through space.

6:21 Speaker 1: What's particularly fascinating is that these findings have solved a

6:25 Speaker 1: long standing mystery about the two most common types of meteorites,

6:29 Speaker 1: H chondrites and L chondrites. The Messalia family alone accounts

6:34 Speaker 1: for thirty seven percent of meteorites, including many L chondrites

6:38 Speaker 1: from a collision forty million years ago. This research not

6:42 Speaker 1: only sheds light on the origins of the space rocks

6:44 Speaker 1: we find on Earth, but also helps us track potentially

6:47 Speaker 1: dangerous asteroids that could pose a threat to our planet.

6:51 Speaker 1: It's a reminder of how interconnected our Solar system is

6:53 Speaker 1: and how events millions of miles away and millions of

6:56 Speaker 1: years ago continue to impact us today. One's looking skywards

7:00 Speaker 1: at the moment, even on Mars. In an exciting development

7:03 Speaker 1: from the Red Planet, NASA's Perseverance Rover has captured a

7:07 Speaker 1: stunning series of photographs showcasing a solar eclipse on Mars.

7:11 Speaker 1: On September thirtieth, the rover's left Masskamzi camera turned skyward

7:15 Speaker 1: to capture the planet's moon, Phobos, as it partially blocked

7:18 Speaker 1: the Sun's disc. These images offer a unique glimpse of Phobos,

7:22 Speaker 1: revealing its distinctive potato like shape. Unlike our spherical moon,

7:26 Speaker 1: Phobos is an irregularly shaped celestial body, measuring roughly seventeen

7:30 Speaker 1: miles by fourteen miles by eleven miles. It's a swift mover,

7:34 Speaker 1: orbiting Mars at an incredibly close distance of just three thousand,

7:37 Speaker 1: seven hundred miles and completing three orbits in a single

7:40 Speaker 1: Martian day. This isn't the first time Perseverance has captured

7:43 Speaker 1: such an event. The rover also photographed Phobos transiting the

7:47 Speaker 1: Sun in April twenty twenty two and February twenty twenty four.

7:51 Speaker 1: In fact, Perseverance is carrying on a proud tradition started

7:53 Speaker 1: by its predecessors. NASA's Spirit and Opportunity rovers first observed

7:58 Speaker 1: phobos solar transits back into thousand and four, while Curiosity

8:02 Speaker 1: made history by recording the first video of one in

8:04 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. These observations aren't just for show, they help

8:08 Speaker 1: scientists better understand Mars's moons and the planet's complex orbital dynamics.

8:14 Speaker 1: It's a reminder that our robotic explorers on Mars are

8:16 Speaker 1: not only searching for signs of ancient life, but also

8:19 Speaker 1: acting as interplanetary astronomers, giving us a new perspective on

8:23 Speaker 1: celestial events from another world. Now an update to an

8:27 Speaker 1: ongoing story, NASA is still grappling with uncertainty regarding the

8:30 Speaker 1: next crude mission of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. This comes in

8:34 Speaker 1: the wake of issues that arose during its first crude

8:36 Speaker 1: test flight earlier this year. The Space agency is currently

8:39 Speaker 1: in the process of reviewing the certification requirements for Starliner,

8:43 Speaker 1: a crucial step before giving the green light for future missions.

8:47 Speaker 1: The potential next crude mission to the International Space Station,

8:50 Speaker 1: initially slated for twenty twenty five, is now up in

8:53 Speaker 1: the air. NASA officials have stated that the timeline will

8:56 Speaker 1: be determined once they have a better grasp on Boeing's

8:59 Speaker 1: path to system certification. This thorough review is essential to

9:04 Speaker 1: ensure the safety and reliability of the spacecraft for future

9:07 Speaker 1: astronaut transport. The first crude test flight, known as crew

9:11 Speaker 1: Flight Test or CFT launched successfully on June fifth. However,

9:15 Speaker 1: problems arose during the docking procedure with the ISS. On

9:18 Speaker 1: June sixth, five out of twenty eight thrusters in the

9:21 Speaker 1: capsule's reaction control system experienced issues, causing a delay in

9:25 Speaker 1: the docking process. While the astronauts ultimately arrived safely at

9:29 Speaker 1: the space station, these unexpected hurdles have prompted NASA to

9:33 Speaker 1: take a closer look at starliners systems. As a result

9:37 Speaker 1: of these ongoing evaluations, NASA has had to make some

9:40 Speaker 1: adjustments to its crude flight schedule. The two CFT astronauts,

9:44 Speaker 1: Butch Wilmore and Sunny Williams, who are currently aboard the ISS,

9:48 Speaker 1: have been reassigned to return to Earth on a SpaceX

9:51 Speaker 1: Crew Dragon capsule in February twenty twenty five. NASA emphasizes

9:56 Speaker 1: that they're committed to providing more information as it becomes available.

10:00 Speaker 1: Agency is working diligently with Boeing to address these challenges

10:03 Speaker 1: and ensure that Starliner meets all necessary safety and performance

10:06 Speaker 1: standards before its next crude mission. For now, the space

10:10 Speaker 1: community watches and waits as NASA and Boeing continue their

10:13 Speaker 1: rigorous review process, and that brings us to the end

10:17 Speaker 1: of today's journey through the cosmos. From cutting edge space

10:20 Speaker 1: suits to ancient comets, we've covered quite a bit of ground,

10:24 Speaker 1: or should I say space. I hope you've enjoyed this

10:26 Speaker 1: interstellar adventure as much as I have. Before we sign off,

10:30 Speaker 1: I want to remind you that the universe is always

10:32 Speaker 1: changing and there's always more to discover. If you're hungry

10:35 Speaker 1: for more space news and want to stay up to

10:37 Speaker 1: date with the latest astronomical happenings, head over to our

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10:53 Speaker 1: to browse our constantly updating news feed. It's packed with

10:56 Speaker 1: all the latest space and astronomy news, ensuring you never

10:59 Speaker 1: miss it beat in the world of celestial exploration. And

11:02 Speaker 1: if you're in the mood for more in depth discussions,

11:05 Speaker 1: you can listen to all our back episodes right there

11:07 Speaker 1: on the website. But wait, there's more. If you want

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11:20 Speaker 1: love to hear your thoughts on today's stories or any

11:22 Speaker 1: burning space questions you might have. Remember, the sky is

11:25 Speaker 1: not the limit, it's just the beginning. Keep looking up,

11:28 Speaker 1: stay curious, and I'll catch you next time for another

11:30 Speaker 1: exciting episode of Astronomy Daily. This is Anna signing off

11:34 Speaker 1: and wishing you clear skies and bright stars. Sunday Star,

11:40 Speaker 1: Stall Star