S03E184: Magellan's Mirror Milestone, SpaceX's Security Triumph, and Cosmic Trash Solutions

0:00 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to source

0:03 Speaker 1: for the latest and most exciting developments in the world

0:06 Speaker 1: of space and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and I'm

0:09 Speaker 1: thrilled to have you join me for today's Cosmic Journey.

0:12 Speaker 1: In this episode, we'll be exploring a range of fascinating

0:15 Speaker 1: topics that are shaping our understanding of the universe. We'll

0:18 Speaker 1: dive into recent advancements in telescope technology that are pushing

0:21 Speaker 1: the boundaries of what we can see and learn about

0:23 Speaker 1: distant celestial objects. We'll also take a look at some

0:26 Speaker 1: intriguing space missions that are expanding our reach beyond Earth

0:29 Speaker 1: and uncovering new secrets of our Solar System and beyond.

0:32 Speaker 1: And of course, we'll delve into some captivating celestial phenomena

0:36 Speaker 1: that continue to inspire, wonder and awe. So strap in

0:39 Speaker 1: and get ready for a thrilling ride through the cosmos

0:42 Speaker 1: as we explore the latest news and discoveries in the

0:44 Speaker 1: world of astronomy. Let's kick things off today with an

0:48 Speaker 1: update to a project that's well underway. Exciting progress is

0:51 Speaker 1: being made on the giant Magellan telescope, which is set

0:54 Speaker 1: to become the world's largest telescope when completed. The latest

0:58 Speaker 1: update from the project team reveals a sign magnificant milestone,

1:01 Speaker 1: the successful installation of the primary mirror into a support

1:04 Speaker 1: system prototype. This achievement marks a crucial step forward in

1:07 Speaker 1: the telescope's development. The primary mirror, spanning an area about

1:11 Speaker 1: half the size of a basketball court, is now undergoing

1:14 Speaker 1: a six month optical testing phase to prove the capabilities

1:18 Speaker 1: of its light collecting surface. What makes this telescope truly

1:21 Speaker 1: remarkable is its potential power. According to Barbara Fisher, the

1:25 Speaker 1: primary mirror subsystem manager, it could deliver up to two

1:28 Speaker 1: hundred times the power of today's best telescopes. The mirror

1:32 Speaker 1: support system operates with nanometer precision, constantly adjusting the mirror's

1:36 Speaker 1: position and shape to maintain optimal performance. The Giant Magellan

1:41 Speaker 1: Telescope is a collaborative effort involving fourteen research institutions worldwide,

1:46 Speaker 1: including the Australian National University. Construction is underway on the

1:50 Speaker 1: summit of Las Campanas Mountain in Chile, with the telescope

1:53 Speaker 1: expected to be operational by the early twenty thirties. This

1:56 Speaker 1: ambitious project, with a price tag of nearly two point

1:59 Speaker 1: five four bids million US dollars, promises to revolutionize our

2:03 Speaker 1: view of the Cosmos, offering unprecedented image resolution over the

2:07 Speaker 1: widest field of view ever achieved. Next, there doesn't seem

2:11 Speaker 1: to be a day go by without SpaceX being in

2:13 Speaker 1: the news for one reason or another, and today is

2:15 Speaker 1: no exception. In a significant development for space exploration and

2:19 Speaker 1: national security, SpaceX has secured a massive contract from the

2:23 Speaker 1: US Space Force. The aerospace company has been awarded seven

2:26 Speaker 1: hundred and thirty three point six million dollars for a

2:29 Speaker 1: series of national security launches. This contract encompasses two task

2:33 Speaker 1: orders under the National Security Space Launch Phase three Lane

2:37 Speaker 1: one program. The deal includes seven launches for the Space

2:39 Speaker 1: Development Agency, or SDA, and at least one mission set

2:43 Speaker 1: for the National Reconnaissance Office known as the NRO. These

2:47 Speaker 1: launches will play a crucial role in expanding the sda's

2:50 Speaker 1: Transport Layer, a planned constellation of hundreds of satellites in

2:54 Speaker 1: low Earth orbit designed to provide global military data and connectivity.

2:58 Speaker 1: This contract highlights the increasing reliance on private companies like

3:02 Speaker 1: SpaceX for critical national security missions. It also underscores the

3:06 Speaker 1: rapid growth of space based defense and intelligence capabilities. With

3:10 Speaker 1: these new launches. SpaceX continues to cement its position as

3:14 Speaker 1: a key player in both commercial and government space operations,

3:18 Speaker 1: now a problem that's needed addressing for some time. In

3:21 Speaker 1: an exciting development for space waste management, Sierra Space has

3:25 Speaker 1: announced plans to launch a trash compactor to the International

3:28 Speaker 1: Space Station in twenty twenty six. This innovative device aims

3:32 Speaker 1: to tackle the growing problem of garbage disposal in long

3:34 Speaker 1: term space missions. Unlike on Earth, where we can simply

3:38 Speaker 1: toss our trash, space stations face unique challenges in managing waste.

3:42 Speaker 1: The Cierra Space compactor is designed to transform garbage into

3:45 Speaker 1: compact tiles, which could serve a dual purpose. Not only

3:48 Speaker 1: will this reduce the volume of waste, but these tiles

3:50 Speaker 1: might also be repurposed as additional radiation shielding for spacecraft.

3:54 Speaker 1: What's more, the system is capable of extracting nearly all

3:57 Speaker 1: the water from garbage for recycling, a crucial feature for

4:01 Speaker 1: conserving resources in space. This technology could prove invaluable for

4:05 Speaker 1: future missions to the Moon or Mars, where efficient waste

4:09 Speaker 1: management will be essential for astronauts safety and mission success.

4:13 Speaker 1: The compactor has a distinctive look as well, with some

4:15 Speaker 1: media outlets, already saying the machine looks like wall E.

4:18 Speaker 1: It'll probably stick. Okay, moving on, Exciting new research suggests

4:23 Speaker 1: that we might be getting closer to studying our nearest

4:26 Speaker 1: stellar neighbors without leaving Earth. Planetary scientist Cole Greg from

4:30 Speaker 1: the University of Western Ontario has conducted calculations indicating that

4:35 Speaker 1: material ejected from the Alpha Centauri system could be streaming

4:39 Speaker 1: past our planet. Using a simplified model of the Milky Way,

4:43 Speaker 1: Greg found that a small fraction about zero point zero

4:46 Speaker 1: three percent of objects expelled from Alpha Centauri might reach

4:50 Speaker 1: our solar system. What's more, these objects could potentially be

4:54 Speaker 1: recognized as originating from that nearby star system. This opens

4:57 Speaker 1: up fascinating possibilities for studying materi from beyond our Solar system.

5:02 Speaker 1: While we've only identified two interstellar visitors so far, u

5:05 Speaker 1: Muamua and Borisov, it's been impossible to trace their origins

5:09 Speaker 1: to specific star systems. Greg's model, however, starts by calculating

5:13 Speaker 1: how objects would behave after being ejected from a known

5:16 Speaker 1: nearby system like Alpha Centauri. The gravitational interactions between Alpha

5:21 Speaker 1: Centauri's three stars could potentially eject material ranging from tiny

5:26 Speaker 1: grains to kilometer sized comets and asteroids. These objects would

5:31 Speaker 1: continue orbiting the galaxy, potentially forming a stream with similar

5:34 Speaker 1: orbital properties. If detected near Earth, these shared characteristics could

5:38 Speaker 1: reveal their alpha centaury origin. While more detailed modeling is needed,

5:43 Speaker 1: this research opens up the tantalizing possibility of studying material

5:47 Speaker 1: from our cosmic neighbors, right in our own backyard. Some

5:51 Speaker 1: news from the United Kingdom now. Skyrora, a Scottish space company,

5:56 Speaker 1: is setting its sites on a suborbital launch from British

5:58 Speaker 1: soil in spring twenty twenty five. This ambitious goal comes

6:01 Speaker 1: after facing a year of regulatory delays in the UK's

6:04 Speaker 1: nascent space launch industry. The company had initially hoped to

6:07 Speaker 1: conduct this mission much sooner, but the complexities of navigating

6:11 Speaker 1: a new regulatory landscape have pushed their timeline back. The

6:14 Speaker 1: planned launch will use Skyrora's Skylark L rocket, an eleven

6:18 Speaker 1: meter long single stage vehicle. This mission is crucial for

6:21 Speaker 1: Skyrora as it will help de risk their larger Skyrora

6:24 Speaker 1: XL rocket designed for orbital launches. The company is working

6:28 Speaker 1: closely with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory

6:32 Speaker 1: bodies to secure the necessary licenses and approvals. These regulatory

6:37 Speaker 1: hurdles highlight the challenges faced by private space companies as

6:41 Speaker 1: the UK works to establish itself as a competitive player

6:44 Speaker 1: in the global space industry. Despite the setbacks, Skyrora remains

6:48 Speaker 1: committed to its goals and continues to make progress on

6:51 Speaker 1: both its suborbital and orbital launch systems. And finally, today,

6:56 Speaker 1: as we look ahead to next year's celestial events, stargazer

7:00 Speaker 1: might want to mark their calendars for the Orionid meteor

7:02 Speaker 1: shower in twenty twenty four. Unfortunately, it's not all good

7:06 Speaker 1: news for media enthusiasts. The peak of the Orionids, expected

7:09 Speaker 1: this coming Monday, October twenty first, will face significant challenges

7:13 Speaker 1: due to moonlight interference. A bright, waning gibbous moon will

7:17 Speaker 1: be present for most of the night, potentially washing out

7:20 Speaker 1: many of the fainter meteors. Despite this setback, the Orionids

7:24 Speaker 1: remain a fascinating event, closely tied to one of astronomy's

7:27 Speaker 1: most famous objects, Halle's Comet. These meteors are actually tiny

7:31 Speaker 1: fragments left behind by Halle as it orbits the Sun.

7:35 Speaker 1: So while we won't see the comet itself until twenty

7:37 Speaker 1: sixty one. The Orionids offer us a chance to witness

7:40 Speaker 1: its cosmic debris. For those determined to catch a glimpse,

7:44 Speaker 1: your best bet will be in the early pre dawn

7:46 Speaker 1: hours when Orion is highest in the southern sky. Just

7:50 Speaker 1: remember patients and dark skies are key, and you might

7:53 Speaker 1: still spot a few of the brighter meteors streaking across

7:56 Speaker 1: the night. And that wraps up our journey through the cosmos.

8:00 Speaker 1: For today, we've explored the progress of the Giant Magellan Telescope,

8:04 Speaker 1: SpaceX's new contracts with the Space Force, innovative waste management

8:09 Speaker 1: solutions for the ISS, potential interstellar visitors from Alpha Centauri,

8:14 Speaker 1: Skyrora's launch ambitions, and the upcoming Orionid meteor Shower. For

8:19 Speaker 1: more details on these stories and other fascinating space and

8:21 Speaker 1: astronomy news, head over to our website at Astronomy Daily

8:25 Speaker 1: dot io. There you can sign up for our free

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8:30 Speaker 1: with our constantly updating news feed. You can also listen

8:34 Speaker 1: to all our back episodes. Don't forget to follow us

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8:43 Speaker 1: is Anna and I'll be back on Tuesday with Steve

8:46 Speaker 1: and Hallie bringing you all the latest space news on Monday.

8:49 Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning into Astronomy Daily, and don't forget

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8:57 Speaker 1: time among the stars. Bye now me day. Star is

9:03 Speaker 1: the Toll. The Star is the Toll, Star is the

9:19 Speaker 1: sou