Solar Orbiter's Historic Venus Flyby, Cosmic Explosion Unveiled, and Callisto's Hidden Ocean: S04E45

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, where we bring you the latest

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

0:06 Speaker 1: we have an absolutely fascinating lineup of stories from across

0:09 Speaker 1: the Cosmos. We'll be covering Issa's solar orbiter making its

0:12 Speaker 1: closest ever approach to Venus, and intriguing cosmic explosion discovered

0:17 Speaker 1: in archived data, and groundbreaking findings from NASA's Dart mission

0:22 Speaker 1: that changed both the orbit and shape of an asteroid.

0:26 Speaker 1: We'll also explore compelling new evidence suggesting Jupiter's moon Callisto

0:30 Speaker 1: Harbor's a subsurface ocean, examine the latest research on how

0:34 Speaker 1: space travel affects human health, and discuss the brewing controversy

0:37 Speaker 1: over Elon Musk's call to deorbit the International Space Station

0:41 Speaker 1: ahead of schedule. These stories showcase just how dynamic and

0:44 Speaker 1: ever changing our understanding of space continues to be, and

0:48 Speaker 1: I can't wait to share all the details with you,

0:51 Speaker 1: So let's dive right into today's top space and astronomy headlines.

0:55 Speaker 1: The European Space Agency is making history today as their

0:58 Speaker 1: Solar Orbiter spacecraft forms its closest ever flyby of Venus,

1:03 Speaker 1: swooping just three hundred and seventy nine kilometers above the

1:05 Speaker 1: planet's surface. To put that into perspective, that's even closer

1:09 Speaker 1: than the International Space Station orbits above Earth. This incredibly

1:13 Speaker 1: precise maneuver serves a fascinating dual purpose. While Venus itself

1:18 Speaker 1: isn't the primary target, the planet's gravity will act like

1:20 Speaker 1: a cosmic slingshot, gradually altering solar Orbiter's trajectory to achieve

1:25 Speaker 1: something remarkable, a unique vantage point of the Sun's elusive

1:29 Speaker 1: polar regions. The mission team at ESA's European Space Operations

1:34 Speaker 1: Center has meticulously calculated every aspect of this gravity assist,

1:38 Speaker 1: which will occur at precisely twenty one forty eight Central

1:41 Speaker 1: European time. The flyby presents some interesting technical challenges, particularly

1:46 Speaker 1: when it comes to thermal management. As the spacecraft passes Venus,

1:51 Speaker 1: it will be bathed in intense infrared radiation from the planet,

1:55 Speaker 1: causing a significant temperature spike. While solar orbiters cameras won't

1:59 Speaker 1: be able to capture images of Venus during the encounter,

2:02 Speaker 1: since the spacecraft needs to maintain its sunfacing orientation, its

2:06 Speaker 1: suite of instruments will still be hard at work. The

2:09 Speaker 1: spacecraft's magnetometer and plasma wave sensors will gather valuable data

2:13 Speaker 1: about Venus's unique magnetic environment and its interaction with the

2:17 Speaker 1: solar wind. This flyby is actually part of a larger

2:21 Speaker 1: celestial choreography. By using Venus gravity in this way, the

2:25 Speaker 1: mission team can gradually tilt solar orbiter's orbit out of

2:28 Speaker 1: the flat plane where planets orbit the Sun. This will

2:31 Speaker 1: ultimately give us unprecedented views of the Sun's poles, regions

2:36 Speaker 1: that are crucial for understanding solar activity and space weather,

2:40 Speaker 1: but have never been directly observed before. The insights gained

2:43 Speaker 1: from these future polar observations will be invaluable for predicting

2:47 Speaker 1: solar storms that can impact our technology on Earth, from

2:51 Speaker 1: power grids to satellites and communications systems. This makes today's

2:55 Speaker 1: precise dance with Venus an essential step toward better understanding

2:59 Speaker 1: our star and protecting our increasingly technology dependent civilization. Next

3:05 Speaker 1: up on today's agenda, in what astronomers are calling a

3:08 Speaker 1: remarkable needle in the Haystack discovery, researchers have uncovered evidence

3:12 Speaker 1: of a powerful cosmic explosion that had been hiding in

3:15 Speaker 1: plain sight for years. This mysterious burst of energy now

3:19 Speaker 1: designated XRT two zero zero five one five was found

3:23 Speaker 1: buried within two decades of archived observations from NASA's Chandra

3:28 Speaker 1: X ray observatory. Using innovative machine learning techniques, scientists at

3:32 Speaker 1: Stanford University and Harvard spotted this extremely bright and fast

3:36 Speaker 1: X ray flash that appeared and vanished within mere seconds

3:40 Speaker 1: on May fifteenth, twenty twenty. What makes this discovery particularly

3:44 Speaker 1: intriguing is that it occurred in the Large Magellanic Cloud,

3:47 Speaker 1: one of our nearest galactic neighbors. The burst exhibited some

3:51 Speaker 1: unusual characteristics that set it apart from previously observed events.

3:55 Speaker 1: It produced an incredibly energetic initial burst lasting only about

3:59 Speaker 1: ten seconds, followed by a longer, but less intense afterglow

4:03 Speaker 1: that continued for several minutes. What's even more mysterious is

4:06 Speaker 1: that neither Chandra nor any other telescope has ever recorded

4:09 Speaker 1: activity from this source before or since this explosive event.

4:14 Speaker 1: Scientists are considering several fascinating possibilities to explain this cosmic flash.

4:19 Speaker 1: One leading theory suggests it could be the first X

4:21 Speaker 1: ray burster ever discovered in the Large Magellanic Cloud. These

4:26 Speaker 1: rare systems consist of two stars locked in a cosmic dance,

4:30 Speaker 1: a super dense neutron star pulling material off a companion

4:34 Speaker 1: star until it triggers a massive thermonuclear explosion. Another possibility

4:40 Speaker 1: is that we might have witnessed a rare giant flare

4:42 Speaker 1: from a magnetar, a type of neutron star with an

4:46 Speaker 1: incredibly powerful magnetic field. If this turns out to be

4:49 Speaker 1: the case, it would mark the first time such an

4:52 Speaker 1: event has been observed at these specific X ray energy levels.

4:56 Speaker 1: The discovery also highlights the value of using artificial intelligence

5:00 Speaker 1: to comb through astronomical archives. As lead researcher Stephen Dillman noted,

5:06 Speaker 1: there might be countless other discoveries waiting to be found

5:09 Speaker 1: in observations we've already made. The research team is now

5:13 Speaker 1: fine tuning their methods to search for even more hidden

5:16 Speaker 1: cosmic phenomena, including potential signs of planets beyond our Milky Way.

5:21 Speaker 1: One topic that seems to be getting a lot of

5:23 Speaker 1: coverage in the media at the moment just how do

5:26 Speaker 1: we deal with any asteroids that might be about to

5:28 Speaker 1: collide with us? Well, maybe there are some answers in

5:32 Speaker 1: this new report. NASA's Dart mission continues to reveal fascinating

5:36 Speaker 1: new details about its impact on the asteroid de MorphOS.

5:40 Speaker 1: A recent JPL lead study has shown that the spacecraft's

5:44 Speaker 1: collision with the five hundred and sixty foot wide space

5:47 Speaker 1: rock did far more than just nudge it off course.

5:51 Speaker 1: It fundamentally altered both its shape and orbital characteristics. Before

5:55 Speaker 1: Dart's impact, de MorphOS was roughly symmetrical, resembling a squashed

5:59 Speaker 1: ball that was wider than it was tall. It maintained

6:02 Speaker 1: a well defined circular orbit around its larger companion, asteroid Ditamos,

6:07 Speaker 1: taking just under twelve hours to complete each loop at

6:09 Speaker 1: a distance of about three thousand, nine hundred feet. But

6:12 Speaker 1: the collision changed everything. The impact transformed Amorphous from its

6:17 Speaker 1: relatively symmetrical form into what scientists call a triaxial ellipsoid picture,

6:22 Speaker 1: something more like an oblong watermelon. More significantly, its orbital

6:27 Speaker 1: period has been reduced by thirty three minutes and fifteen seconds,

6:31 Speaker 1: with remarkable precision measured down to just one and a

6:34 Speaker 1: half seconds. The asteroid's orbit has also become slightly elongated

6:39 Speaker 1: rather than perfectly circular, and researchers have observed that Dimorphos

6:43 Speaker 1: now rocks back and forth as it travels around Ditamos.

6:47 Speaker 1: The impact pushed it about one hundred and twenty feet

6:49 Speaker 1: closer to its companion, with its average orbital distance now

6:53 Speaker 1: measuring around three thousand, seven hundred and eighty feet. These

6:57 Speaker 1: findings come from an incredibly precise analysis, finding three key

7:00 Speaker 1: data sources, dart's final images before impact, radar observations from

7:06 Speaker 1: the Deep Space Network's Goldstone facility, and extensive measurements from

7:10 Speaker 1: ground based telescopes worldwide that track changes in the asteroid's

7:14 Speaker 1: brightness over time. The results align with other recent studies

7:18 Speaker 1: suggesting that Dimorphos is what scientists call a rubble pile

7:22 Speaker 1: object similar to asteroid Benu, rather than a solid rock.

7:27 Speaker 1: The European Space Agency's upcoming hair Emission, set to launch

7:30 Speaker 1: in October twenty twenty four, will conduct a detailed survey

7:34 Speaker 1: of the asteroid pair to confirm exactly how DART reshaped,

7:37 Speaker 1: amorphose and further advance our understanding of planetary defense techniques. Next,

7:44 Speaker 1: exciting new research has strengthened the case for a hidden

7:47 Speaker 1: ocean beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto. Scientists analyzing

7:51 Speaker 1: magnetic field data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft have found compelling

7:55 Speaker 1: evidence that this often overlooked moon may be harboring a

7:59 Speaker 1: substantial body of liquid water beneath its icy exterior. Unlike

8:03 Speaker 1: its more famous sibling, Europa, Callisto presents a dark, heavily

8:07 Speaker 1: cratered surface that might not immediately suggest the presence of

8:10 Speaker 1: an ocean. However, the key evidence lies not in what

8:13 Speaker 1: we can see, but in the moon's magnetic properties. Callisto

8:18 Speaker 1: generates an induced magnetic field through its interaction with Jupiter's

8:21 Speaker 1: powerful magnetosphere, and this field holds clues about what lies

8:24 Speaker 1: beneath the surface. The latest analysis, published in AGU Advances,

8:29 Speaker 1: use sophisticated modeling techniques to examine data from multiple Galileo flybys.

8:35 Speaker 1: The researchers created detailed four layer models of callisto structure,

8:39 Speaker 1: considering various possibilities for the thickness of its ice shell,

8:42 Speaker 1: ocean depth, and electrical conductivity. Their findings suggest that Callisto's

8:47 Speaker 1: magnetic signature can't be explained by its ionosphere alone. It

8:52 Speaker 1: requires the presence of a conductive ocean tens of kilometers thick.

8:56 Speaker 1: This ocean appears to be buried beneath a substantial ice shell,

9:00 Speaker 1: which explains Callisto's heavily cratered appearance. The combination of a

9:04 Speaker 1: thick ice layer and a deep ocean fits perfectly with

9:07 Speaker 1: both the magnetic data and what we observe on the

9:10 Speaker 1: Moon's surface. While these findings are exciting, we'll soon have

9:13 Speaker 1: even more detailed data to work with. Both NASA's Europa

9:17 Speaker 1: Clipper and the European Space Agency's Juice mission are headed

9:20 Speaker 1: to the Jovian System with plans to conduct multiple close

9:24 Speaker 1: flybys of Callisto. The Europa Clipper will make nine passes,

9:28 Speaker 1: some as close as two hundred and fifty kilometers to

9:30 Speaker 1: the surface, while Juice will perform twenty one flybys. These missions,

9:35 Speaker 1: arriving in the early twenty thirties, will carry advanced instruments

9:39 Speaker 1: that should help us definitively determine whether Callisto truly belongs

9:43 Speaker 1: in the growing family of ocean worlds in our Solar System.

9:48 Speaker 1: As we venture further into space, understanding how the cosmic

9:51 Speaker 1: environment affects human health becomes increasingly crucial. Recent studies have

9:56 Speaker 1: shed new light on the various challenges astronauts faced during

9:59 Speaker 1: a extended periods in space, and the findings are both

10:03 Speaker 1: fascinating and concerning. One of the primary threats comes from

10:07 Speaker 1: space radiation. Unlike here on Earth, where our atmosphere and

10:11 Speaker 1: magnetic fields shield us from cosmic radiation, astronauts are exposed

10:15 Speaker 1: to high energy particles that can damage DNA, increase cancer risk,

10:19 Speaker 1: and affect cardiovascular health. This becomes particularly concerning for missions

10:24 Speaker 1: beyond low Earth orbit, where natural protection is minimal. The

10:28 Speaker 1: absence of gravity presents another significant challenge. When astronauts spend

10:33 Speaker 1: time in microgravity, their bodies undergo dramatic changes. Bodily, fluids

10:38 Speaker 1: shift upward, causing facial swelling and increased pressure in the

10:41 Speaker 1: skull that can affect vision. Without the constant pull of gravity,

10:45 Speaker 1: bones lose density, and muscles begin to atrophy even with

10:48 Speaker 1: regular exercise. The cardiovascular system also experiences major adaptations. The

10:55 Speaker 1: heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood

10:57 Speaker 1: against gravity, leading to changes in blood pressure regulation. When

11:01 Speaker 1: astronauts return to Earth, many experience difficulties with balance and

11:05 Speaker 1: coordination as their bodies readjust to normal gravity. The psychological

11:10 Speaker 1: impact of space travel can't be overlooked either, living in

11:13 Speaker 1: confined spaces with limited social interaction and no natural day

11:17 Speaker 1: night cycles can lead to sleep disturbances, mood changes, and

11:22 Speaker 1: cognitive challenges. These effects become more pronounced during longer missions,

11:26 Speaker 1: raising important considerations for future deep space exploration. Perhaps most

11:32 Speaker 1: intriguing are the recent discoveries about how space travel affects

11:35 Speaker 1: human cells. At the molecular level. Scientists have observed changes

11:40 Speaker 1: in the function of mitochondria, our cell's power plants, and

11:43 Speaker 1: alterations in gene expression that can persist even after returning

11:47 Speaker 1: to Earth. Some astronauts experience lasting vision problems due to

11:51 Speaker 1: what's now known as spaceflight associated neuroocular syndrome or SANDS.

11:56 Speaker 1: As we plan for longer missions to destinations like Mars,

12:00 Speaker 1: understanding and mitigating these health risks becomes paramount. Researchers are

12:04 Speaker 1: actively developing countermeasures, from radiation shielding technologies to new exercise

12:09 Speaker 1: protocols and psychological support strategies. The human body may not

12:13 Speaker 1: have evolved for space travel, but human ingenuity continues to

12:17 Speaker 1: find ways to adapt to the final frontier. Finally, today,

12:22 Speaker 1: a story straight out of the news headlines a new

12:24 Speaker 1: controversy is brewing in the space community after SpaceX CEO

12:28 Speaker 1: Elon Musk called for the International Space Station to be

12:32 Speaker 1: de orbited as soon as possible, suggesting a timeline just

12:35 Speaker 1: two years from now. This proposal stands in stark contrast

12:39 Speaker 1: to NASA's carefully planned decommissioning schedules set for twenty thirty.

12:43 Speaker 1: Musk argues that the ISS has served its purpose and

12:46 Speaker 1: offers very little incremental utility, advocating instead for a stronger

12:50 Speaker 1: focus on Mars exploration. However, this oversimplifies the station's ongoing

12:56 Speaker 1: importance as a unique research platform and testing ground for

12:59 Speaker 1: LS long duration spaceflight. The ISS, which has been continuously

13:04 Speaker 1: occupied since November two thousand, remains a crucial facility for

13:07 Speaker 1: conducting scientific research and developing technologies essential for future deep

13:12 Speaker 1: space missions. While the station has indeed shown signs of aging,

13:16 Speaker 1: NASA and its international partners have determined that it can

13:19 Speaker 1: safely operate through the end of this decade. SpaceX itself

13:24 Speaker 1: is actually involved in the station's eventual retirement, having been

13:27 Speaker 1: selected by NASA to build the deorbit vehicle that will

13:30 Speaker 1: safely guide the massive structure through Earth's atmosphere. This controlled

13:35 Speaker 1: deorbit is a complex operation that requires careful planning and

13:39 Speaker 1: coordination among all international partners. It's worth noting that most

13:44 Speaker 1: ISS partners have agreed to the twenty thirty timeline, though

13:47 Speaker 1: Russia has indicated it may wish to end its participation

13:50 Speaker 1: by twenty twenty eight. Given the station's size and complexity,

13:54 Speaker 1: rushing its decommissioning could pose unnecessary risks and potentially disrupt

13:59 Speaker 1: the transition to commercial space stations currently under development. The

14:03 Speaker 1: debate highlights a broader discussion about the future of human

14:06 Speaker 1: spaceflight and whether we should maintain a presence in low

14:09 Speaker 1: Earth orbit while simultaneously pursuing deeper space exploration. For now,

14:15 Speaker 1: NASA maintains that the ISS continues to serve as an

14:18 Speaker 1: invaluable platform for research and international cooperation, essential stepping stones

14:23 Speaker 1: for our journey to both the Moon and Mars, and

14:28 Speaker 1: that brings us to the end of today's episode of

14:30 Speaker 1: Astronomy Daily. Thank you for joining me for this fascinating

14:34 Speaker 1: journey through the latest developments in space and astronomy, From

14:37 Speaker 1: groundbreaking discoveries to ongoing debates about the future of space exploration.

14:42 Speaker 1: There's never a dull moment in our cosmic neighborhood. If

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15:10 Speaker 1: you to keep looking up and wondering about our amazing universe.

15:14 Speaker 1: I'll see you tomorrow with more fascinating stories from Spaceday,

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