S03E202: NASA's Health Mystery, AI Solar Safeguards, and China's Rocket Rivalry

0:00 Speaker 1: Today's news is packed with fascinating developments across the space

0:03 Speaker 1: and astronomy world. We've got quite a lineup, starting with

0:07 Speaker 1: an update to an intriguing medical mystery from NASA's latest

0:10 Speaker 1: crew return that has everyone talking still. We'll dive into

0:14 Speaker 1: how artificial intelligence is being deployed to help predict dangerous

0:17 Speaker 1: solar eruptions, and explore an ambitious new satellite constellation project

0:22 Speaker 1: from a former Google executive that could reshape space based communications.

0:26 Speaker 1: We'll also look at some setbacks in Europe's space program,

0:30 Speaker 1: examine China's latest rocket design that's raising eyebrows due to

0:33 Speaker 1: its familiar appearance, and share an exciting breakthrough in our

0:36 Speaker 1: understanding of black holes and dwarf galaxies that's rewriting what

0:40 Speaker 1: we know about the early universe. Let's get started with

0:44 Speaker 1: an update. Questions are swirling around a mysterious health incident

0:48 Speaker 1: that occurred following the return of SpaceX's Crew eight mission

0:52 Speaker 1: from the International Space Station last month. While the splash

0:56 Speaker 1: down itself appeared to go smoothly off the Florida coast

0:59 Speaker 1: on October two, twenty fifth, what happened next has captured

1:02 Speaker 1: attention across the space community. All four crew members, NASA

1:06 Speaker 1: astronauts Matthew Dominic, Michael Barrett, and Jeannette Epps, along with

1:11 Speaker 1: Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gribenkin, were taken to a Florida hospital

1:15 Speaker 1: for standard postflight evaluation. While this is normal protocol, what

1:20 Speaker 1: wasn't normal was that one of the NASA astronauts had

1:23 Speaker 1: to remain hospitalized overnight as a precautionary measure. The agency

1:27 Speaker 1: has confirmed that the astronaut was released the following day

1:30 Speaker 1: and is doing well, but has declined to identify which

1:33 Speaker 1: crew member it was or provide details about the medical issue,

1:37 Speaker 1: citing privacy concerns. This level of medical privacy isn't unusual.

1:43 Speaker 1: NASA has long protected its astronauts' personal medical information. During

1:48 Speaker 1: a recent press conference, crew eight pilot Michael Barrat, who

1:52 Speaker 1: is also a medical doctor, addressed the situation, noting that

1:55 Speaker 1: there's still much to learn about how the human body

1:58 Speaker 1: responds to spaceflight. He explained that sometimes they encounter unexpected

2:02 Speaker 1: physiological responses, and this was one of those instances. Barrett

2:07 Speaker 1: assured that once their internal review processes are complete, NASA

2:11 Speaker 1: will share more information about what occurred. This incident is

2:15 Speaker 1: particularly notable given that Crew eight's mission lasted two hundred

2:19 Speaker 1: and thirty five days, significantly longer than the typical six

2:22 Speaker 1: month rotation on the International Space Station. While this was

2:26 Speaker 1: an extended stay, it's worth noting that it's still far

2:29 Speaker 1: short of the current record for continuous time in space,

2:33 Speaker 1: which stands at four hundred thirty seven days, set by

2:36 Speaker 1: cosmonaut Valerie Polyakov on the Mere Space Station in the

2:40 Speaker 1: mid nineteen nineties. In an exciting development for space weather research,

2:46 Speaker 1: the New Jersey Institute of Technology has secured a five

2:49 Speaker 1: million dollars NASA grant to establish a cutting edge research

2:53 Speaker 1: center that will harness the power of artificial intelligence to

2:57 Speaker 1: predict dangerous solar eruptions. This groundbreaking initiative, known as the

3:02 Speaker 1: AI Powered Solar Eruption Center of Excellence in Research and Education,

3:06 Speaker 1: represents a significant leap forward in our ability to forecast

3:10 Speaker 1: potentially destructive space weather events. Working in partnership with NASA,

3:14 Speaker 1: New York University, and IBM, the center will develop advanced

3:18 Speaker 1: AI and machine learning tools specifically designed to predict solar

3:22 Speaker 1: flares and coronal mass ejections at their onset. These violent

3:27 Speaker 1: solar outbursts, powered by free magnetic energy in the Sun's

3:30 Speaker 1: atmosphere can trigger geomagnetic storms that pose serious risks to

3:34 Speaker 1: our satellite technologies and power grids here on Earth. One

3:37 Speaker 1: of the center's most ambitious goals is to create a

3:39 Speaker 1: comprehensive data set of solar activities spanning multiple eleven year

3:43 Speaker 1: solar cycles. By analyzing this unprecedented collection of data using

3:47 Speaker 1: sophisticated AI tools, researchers hope to uncover previously hidden patterns

3:52 Speaker 1: that could reveal crucial warning signs before major solar eruptions occur.

3:57 Speaker 1: This is particularly important for tracking rare but powerful X

4:00 Speaker 1: class solar flares, which have been challenging to study due

4:04 Speaker 1: to limited historical data. Beyond the pure research aspects, this

4:08 Speaker 1: initiative will also serve as an educational hub, offering opportunities

4:12 Speaker 1: for students at all levels to engage with cutting edge

4:15 Speaker 1: space science. The center plans to establish summer boot camps, workshops,

4:20 Speaker 1: and various programs designed to inspire the next generation of

4:24 Speaker 1: space weather researchers, with a particular focus on expanding opportunities

4:29 Speaker 1: in STEM education. This innovative approach to solar research could

4:33 Speaker 1: revolutionize our ability to protect our increasingly technology dependent society

4:38 Speaker 1: from the impacts of severe space weather events, marking a

4:41 Speaker 1: new chapter in our understanding of our nearest star and

4:44 Speaker 1: its sometimes volatile behavior. Next up, a fascinating development is

4:50 Speaker 1: emerging in the increasingly competitive satellite internet sector, as Logo Space,

4:54 Speaker 1: a startup led by former Google executive Milo Medin, announces

4:58 Speaker 1: it has secured the financial b needed to deploy an

5:01 Speaker 1: ambitious constellation of one thousand satellites in low Earth orbit.

5:05 Speaker 1: While the specific financial details remain under wraps, this development

5:09 Speaker 1: marks another significant player entering the space based internet arena.

5:13 Speaker 1: The company has set its sites even higher, having filed

5:16 Speaker 1: applications with the Federal Communications Commission for permission to operate

5:21 Speaker 1: nearly four thousand satellites using advanced k V and E

5:25 Speaker 1: frequency bands. However, Metin emphasizes that their initial goal of

5:30 Speaker 1: global coverage can be achieved with just over one thousand

5:34 Speaker 1: satellites spread across two orbital shells. What sets Logo Space

5:39 Speaker 1: apart from its competitors is its targeted focus on government

5:43 Speaker 1: and enterprise customers rather than the consumer market. The company

5:47 Speaker 1: is taking a notably different approach from other satellite Internet providers,

5:51 Speaker 1: choosing to leverage existing space industry partnerships instead of building

5:56 Speaker 1: everything in house. This strategy could potentially offer a more

6:00 Speaker 1: efficient path to deployment compared to competitors who are pursuing

6:04 Speaker 1: vertical integration. The venture is particularly noteworthy for its emphasis

6:08 Speaker 1: on electronic warfare capabilities. The constellation is being designed with

6:12 Speaker 1: sophisticated features to minimize signal interference and protect against jamming,

6:17 Speaker 1: utilizing higher frequency spectrum and narrow beams. This focus on

6:21 Speaker 1: security and resilience could prove particularly attractive to government and

6:24 Speaker 1: defense clients who require highly secure and reliable communications. With

6:29 Speaker 1: a target launch date of twenty twenty seven for its

6:32 Speaker 1: first set of satellites, Logo Space joins an increasingly crowded

6:36 Speaker 1: field of satellite Internet providers. However, their specialized focus on

6:40 Speaker 1: enterprise solutions and security conscious design could help carve out

6:44 Speaker 1: a distinct niche in this rapidly evolving market. Europe's ambitious

6:49 Speaker 1: next generation rocket program has hit another delay, with Ariani

6:53 Speaker 1: Space announcing that the second flight of the Airani six

6:56 Speaker 1: will now take place no earlier than mid February twenty five.

7:01 Speaker 1: This represents a significant shift from the original December timeline,

7:05 Speaker 1: marking another setback for Europe's efforts to maintain independent access

7:09 Speaker 1: to space. The delay comes after what was described as

7:12 Speaker 1: a largely successful debut flight in July, though that mission

7:16 Speaker 1: did experience a minor anomaly preventing the upper stage from

7:19 Speaker 1: performing its final de orbit burn. While engineers have identified

7:24 Speaker 1: and addressed this issue through a software update, ari Ani

7:27 Speaker 1: Space has not pointed to any single factor causing the

7:30 Speaker 1: latest schedule slip. The upcoming mission, which will carry the

7:33 Speaker 1: COSO three reconnaissance satellite for the French military, will be

7:37 Speaker 1: the first Ariani six launch to be fully managed by

7:40 Speaker 1: Arianni Space. The rockets, core and upper stages are still

7:44 Speaker 1: at their respective manufacturing facilities in France and Germany, awaiting

7:48 Speaker 1: shipment to the launch site in French Guiana. Despite this setback,

7:52 Speaker 1: ari Ani Space maintains that the rescheduling won't impact the

7:55 Speaker 1: timing of subsequent launches. The company has ambitious plans for

7:59 Speaker 1: the air, targeting six launches in twenty twenty five. This

8:03 Speaker 1: latest delay, however, underscores the ongoing challenges Europe faces in

8:08 Speaker 1: establishing a reliable, independent launch capability to compete in the

8:12 Speaker 1: increasingly dynamic global space launch market. Now, Today's China update

8:19 Speaker 1: in a fascinating development from China's space sector. The latest

8:22 Speaker 1: design of their next generation heavy lift rocket, the Long

8:25 Speaker 1: March ninth, has been unveiled at the fifteenth China Air

8:28 Speaker 1: Show in Juhi, and the similarities to SpaceX's Starship are

8:32 Speaker 1: impossible to ignore. The Chinese rocket will come in at

8:35 Speaker 1: least three configurations, with one version being fully reusable, much

8:39 Speaker 1: like its American counterpart. Standing at an impressive three hundred

8:43 Speaker 1: and seventy four feet tall, the Long March ninth will

8:46 Speaker 1: be powered by thirty y F two hundred and fifteen

8:49 Speaker 1: engines using liquid oxygen and liquid methane, the same fuel

8:53 Speaker 1: combination that powers SpaceX's Raptor engines. Even the upper stage

8:57 Speaker 1: features similar control flaps to those seen on Starship, suggesting

9:01 Speaker 1: China's engineers have been taking careful notes from SpaceX's innovative

9:05 Speaker 1: design approach. The rocket's capabilities are equally ambitious, with plans

9:10 Speaker 1: to lift at least one hundred and fifty tons to

9:12 Speaker 1: low Earth orbit, putting it in the same class as Starship.

9:16 Speaker 1: This powerful vehicle is being developed by China's state owned

9:19 Speaker 1: Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology with an eye toward future

9:22 Speaker 1: lunar missions and other deep space exploration efforts. However, there's

9:27 Speaker 1: one significant difference in the timeline. While SpaceX's Starship is

9:31 Speaker 1: already conducting test flights and aiming for operational status by

9:34 Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, China's long March ninth isn't expected to

9:38 Speaker 1: take its maiden flight until twenty thirty three. This nine

9:42 Speaker 1: year gap could prove significant in the increasingly competitive field

9:45 Speaker 1: of space launch technology, though it's worth noting that space

9:49 Speaker 1: development timelines often shift as projects progress, and of course

9:54 Speaker 1: we couldn't let an episode go by without a black

9:56 Speaker 1: hole update. An exciting new cosmic sensus has revealed an

10:00 Speaker 1: unprecedented number of black holes lurking in some of the

10:02 Speaker 1: universe's smallest galaxies. Astronomers have discovered approximately two thousand, five

10:07 Speaker 1: hundred dwarf galaxies harboring actively feeding black holes at their centers,

10:13 Speaker 1: more than triple the previous count of around five hundred.

10:16 Speaker 1: This groundbreaking survey has also uncovered nearly three hundred new

10:20 Speaker 1: candidates for intermediate mass black holes, dramatically expanding our catalog

10:24 Speaker 1: of these elusive cosmic objects from just seventy prior possible detections.

10:30 Speaker 1: These findings are transformative, allowing scientists to study these mysterious

10:34 Speaker 1: objects as populations rather than rare individual cases. The implications

10:40 Speaker 1: for our understanding of galaxy evolution are profound. Every large

10:44 Speaker 1: galaxy we observe appears to have a super massive black

10:47 Speaker 1: hole at its heart. But the chicken or egg question

10:50 Speaker 1: of which came first the galaxy or its black hole

10:54 Speaker 1: has long puzzled astronomers. These newly discovered dwarf galaxies and

10:58 Speaker 1: their black holes may hold the key, as they represent

11:01 Speaker 1: something akin to cosmic time capsules, preserving conditions from the

11:05 Speaker 1: early universe. Using data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instruments survey,

11:11 Speaker 1: researchers found that about two percent of the study dwarf

11:14 Speaker 1: galaxies showed signs of active black holes, four times higher

11:18 Speaker 1: than previous estimates. This suggests these cosmic giants are far

11:23 Speaker 1: more common in small galaxies than we thought, fundamentally changing

11:26 Speaker 1: our picture of how galaxies and black holes grow and

11:29 Speaker 1: evolve together. The survey likely represents just the beginning, with

11:33 Speaker 1: researchers describing it as merely the tip of the iceberg.

11:37 Speaker 1: With more data releases planned and increasingly sophisticated detection methods

11:41 Speaker 1: being developed, we may be on the cusp of an

11:44 Speaker 1: even greater revolution in our understanding of these cosmic behemoths

11:48 Speaker 1: and their role in shaping our universe. And that brings

11:52 Speaker 1: us to the end of today's fascinating journey through space

11:56 Speaker 1: and astronomy news. If you're hungry for more cosmic content,

12:00 Speaker 1: I've got great news for you. Head over to Astronomy

12:03 Speaker 1: Daily dot io, where you can sign up for our

12:06 Speaker 1: free daily newsletter and stay up to date with our

12:08 Speaker 1: constantly updating newsfeed. You'll also find all our previous episodes there,

12:13 Speaker 1: perfect for catching up on any space news you might

12:15 Speaker 1: have missed. Don't forget to join our growing community across

12:18 Speaker 1: social media. You can find us as astro Daily Pod

12:21 Speaker 1: on Facebook, x, YouTube, Tumbler, and TikTok, where we share

12:25 Speaker 1: even more space content and behind the scenes glimpses into

12:27 Speaker 1: our universe. This has been Anna, and thank you for

12:31 Speaker 1: exploring the cosmos with me today on Astronomy Daily. Until

12:35 Speaker 1: next time, keep looking up and wondering about the mysteries

12:38 Speaker 1: that await us in the vast expanse above stars. If

13:00 Speaker 1: it's all