Solar Probe's Record Run, Blue Origin's Milestone, and the Enigmatic Black Moon: S03E244

0:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for the latest space

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

0:05 Speaker 1: got an exciting lineup of stories from Parker Solar Probe's

0:09 Speaker 1: historic solar approach to a rare astronomical event closing out

0:12 Speaker 1: the year. There's certainly a lot going on even though

0:14 Speaker 1: it's holiday time, so let's get started with today's history

0:18 Speaker 1: making news. First, in a remarkable achievement, NASA's Parker Solar

0:24 Speaker 1: Probe has just successfully completed its closest ever pass to

0:27 Speaker 1: the Sun, breaking its own previous record. On December twenty fourth,

0:32 Speaker 1: the spacecraft flew an astounding three point eight million miles

0:35 Speaker 1: above the solar surface, hurtling through the solar atmosphere at

0:39 Speaker 1: a blazing speed of four hundred and thirty thousand miles

0:42 Speaker 1: per hour, faster than any human made object in history.

0:46 Speaker 1: The mission teams received confirmation late on December twenty sixth,

0:49 Speaker 1: when it phoned home so to speak, that the spacecraft

0:52 Speaker 1: had successfully survived this extreme encounter and is operating normally.

0:57 Speaker 1: This incredible feat wasn't just a one time event. It's

1:00 Speaker 1: the first of several planned passes at this distance, setting

1:04 Speaker 1: up the Probe for unprecedented scientific observations of our star.

1:08 Speaker 1: The spacecraft has spent the last six years preparing for

1:11 Speaker 1: this moment, using seven strategic flybys of Venus to gradually

1:15 Speaker 1: adjust its orbit. Following its final Venus fly by in November,

1:20 Speaker 1: Parker Solar Probe reached its optimal trajectory, which will bring

1:23 Speaker 1: it close to the Sun every three months, near enough

1:26 Speaker 1: to study mysterious solar processes, but maintaining a safe distance

1:30 Speaker 1: from the Sun's intense heat and radiation. To survive these

1:34 Speaker 1: close encounters, the probe relies on a sophisticated carbon foam

1:37 Speaker 1: shield that protects it from temperatures exceeding one million degrees

1:42 Speaker 1: fahrenheit in the solar corona. While the shield itself heats

1:46 Speaker 1: up to around one thousand, eight hundred degrees fahrenheit, it

1:50 Speaker 1: keeps the scientific instruments behind it at a comfortable room temperature.

1:54 Speaker 1: These close passes are already revolutionizing our understanding of the Sun.

1:59 Speaker 1: Previous approach have revealed that the outer boundary of the

2:02 Speaker 1: corona is more complex than expected, with unexpected wrinkles and valleys.

2:07 Speaker 1: The probe has also identified the origin of important solar

2:10 Speaker 1: wind structures and is helping scientists better understand how the

2:14 Speaker 1: solar wind accelerates as it leaves the Sun. This mission

2:17 Speaker 1: represents a historic moment in space exploration, marking humanity's first

2:22 Speaker 1: direct investigation of a star, and promises to unlock new

2:25 Speaker 1: mysteries about our son's behavior and its effects throughout the

2:28 Speaker 1: Solar System. Moving on, Blue Origin has just hit two

2:33 Speaker 1: major milestones in their journey towards launching their massive new

2:36 Speaker 1: Glen rocket. The company successfully completed an integrated hot fire

2:41 Speaker 1: test of the fully assembled launch vehicle at Launch Complex

2:44 Speaker 1: thirty six in Cape Canaveral, Florida. During this crucial twenty

2:49 Speaker 1: four second test, all seven B four engines operated flawlessly,

2:54 Speaker 1: including thirteen seconds at full thrust. This wasn't just a

2:58 Speaker 1: simple engine test. The demonstration involved the complete flight vehicle,

3:02 Speaker 1: including both first and second stages, along with test versions

3:06 Speaker 1: of the payload, faring and various other components. Teams conducted

3:09 Speaker 1: multiple days of preparation, including tanking tests with both liquid

3:13 Speaker 1: natural gas and liquid oxygen in the first stage and

3:17 Speaker 1: liquid hydrogen and oxygen in the second stage. Adding to

3:21 Speaker 1: this technical achievement, the Federal Aviation Administration has granted Blue

3:25 Speaker 1: Origin a Part four hundred and fifty Commercial Launch License

3:28 Speaker 1: for New Glen. This five year authorization marks a significant

3:32 Speaker 1: regulatory milestone, clearing the way for actual flight operations. New

3:37 Speaker 1: Glen stands an impressive three hundred and twenty one feet tall,

3:40 Speaker 1: with a first stage designed to land propulsively, similar to

3:43 Speaker 1: SpaceX's Falcon nine. Those seven B four engines that performed

3:47 Speaker 1: so well in the test are the same ones currently

3:50 Speaker 1: powering United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, giving Blue Origin valuable

3:54 Speaker 1: flight experience with their engine design before New Glen's first launch.

4:00 Speaker 1: When New Glen does take flight, it will carry the

4:02 Speaker 1: Blue Ring Pathfinder as its first payload. This mission will

4:05 Speaker 1: serve as a crucial step in certifying the rocket for

4:08 Speaker 1: national security space launch missions, potentially opening the door to

4:12 Speaker 1: lucrative government contracts. With multiple vehicles already in production and

4:18 Speaker 1: a growing manifest of commercial and government customers, Blue Origin

4:22 Speaker 1: appears well positioned to join the ranks of major launch

4:25 Speaker 1: providers in the near future. You know how I keep

4:29 Speaker 1: telling you to get outside and look up, Well, it's

4:31 Speaker 1: about to pay off. Stargazers and astronomy enthusiasts are in

4:35 Speaker 1: for a treat as we approach the end of December

4:37 Speaker 1: with a rare astronomical phenomenon known as a black moon,

4:41 Speaker 1: set to occur on December thirtieth at five twenty seven

4:44 Speaker 1: pm Eastern Time. While the term isn't officially recognized by astronomers,

4:49 Speaker 1: it refers to the second new moon occurring within a

4:51 Speaker 1: single calendar month, similar to how a blue moon describes

4:55 Speaker 1: a second full moon in a month. During a new moon,

4:59 Speaker 1: the Sun and moon and share the same celestial longitude,

5:02 Speaker 1: meaning the illuminated side of the Moon faces away from Earth,

5:06 Speaker 1: making it invisible to observers. While we can't see the

5:09 Speaker 1: moon itself. This absence of moonlight creates perfect conditions for

5:13 Speaker 1: viewing other celestial objects. The timing couldn't be better for

5:16 Speaker 1: winter stargazing in North America, where the typically drier air

5:20 Speaker 1: offers exceptional viewing conditions through telescopes. The night sky will

5:25 Speaker 1: be particularly active, with several planets visible to observers. Venus

5:29 Speaker 1: and Saturn will grace the southwestern sky in the evening hours,

5:33 Speaker 1: while Jupiter will be prominently positioned in the east, appearing

5:36 Speaker 1: near the bright star Aldebaran in Taurus. The winter constellations

5:41 Speaker 1: will be on full display, with Oriyan the Hunter taking

5:44 Speaker 1: center stage in the eastern sky. Look for the distinctive

5:47 Speaker 1: three stars of Orion's belt and the bright stars Beetlejuice,

5:51 Speaker 1: and Rigel marking his shoulder and foot. The hyed star

5:54 Speaker 1: cluster forming the face of Taurus the Bull will be

5:57 Speaker 1: visible above Orion, while Syrious, the brightest star in our

6:01 Speaker 1: night sky, will shine brilliantly as part of Canis Major below.

6:06 Speaker 1: For those willing to stay up later, Leo the Lion

6:08 Speaker 1: will rise in the east, marked by the bright star

6:11 Speaker 1: Regulus and its distinctive sickle shaped pattern of stars forming

6:15 Speaker 1: the Lion's main This moonless night offers an exceptional opportunity

6:20 Speaker 1: to observe these celestial wonders in all their glory. Enjoy

6:25 Speaker 1: in more news today about our Star. The Sun put

6:28 Speaker 1: on quite a Christmas light show this year, with our

6:30 Speaker 1: Star unleashing four powerful solar flares within just two and

6:33 Speaker 1: a half hours on December twenty fifth. The most significant

6:37 Speaker 1: of these eruptions was classified as an M seven three flare,

6:40 Speaker 1: bursting forth from a region known as AR three thousand,

6:43 Speaker 1: nine hundred thirty eight at ten fifteen pm Eastern Time.

6:47 Speaker 1: These synchronized explosions, known as sympathetic solar flares are quite

6:51 Speaker 1: rare and occurred across three different sunspot regions, AR three thousand,

6:56 Speaker 1: nine hundred thirty eight, AR three thousand, nine hundred thirty three,

7:00 Speaker 1: and AR three thy nine hundred and thirty six. What

7:03 Speaker 1: makes this event particularly interesting is that despite being spatially

7:07 Speaker 1: separated on the Sun's surface, these regions were actually connected

7:11 Speaker 1: by invisible magnetic loops, causing them to erupt in concert

7:15 Speaker 1: like a cosmic chain reaction. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric

7:20 Speaker 1: Administration's Solar Monitoring satellites captured these spectacular eruptions, which resembled

7:25 Speaker 1: festive twinkling lights on a cosmic scale. While these flares

7:29 Speaker 1: were impressive, the resulting coronal mass ejection that's the supercharged

7:34 Speaker 1: plasma bubble that gets hurled into space, is expected to

7:37 Speaker 1: pass just north of Earth, meaning will likely miss out

7:40 Speaker 1: on any Aurora displays this time. However, there's still hope

7:44 Speaker 1: for some celestial fireworks before the year ends. Scientists are

7:48 Speaker 1: confident that the Sun will maintain its active state through

7:51 Speaker 1: the remainder of twenty twenty four. All it takes is

7:55 Speaker 1: one well aimed, powerful flare to treat us to a

7:58 Speaker 1: spectacular Aurora show as we approach the new year, so

8:01 Speaker 1: keep looking up. These Christmas flares serve as another reminder

8:05 Speaker 1: of our star's incredible power and unpredictability as we continue

8:08 Speaker 1: to monitor and study its dynamic behavior. The Sun's increasing

8:12 Speaker 1: activity gives scientists valuable opportunities to better understand these powerful

8:17 Speaker 1: solar phenomena and their potential impacts on Earth. In a

8:21 Speaker 1: significant development for Mars exploration, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has

8:26 Speaker 1: revealed that a major announcement about the Mars Sample Return

8:29 Speaker 1: mission redesign is coming in early January. This highly anticipated

8:34 Speaker 1: decision aims to address the mounting concerns over the project's

8:37 Speaker 1: timeline and budget that have emerged in recent months. The

8:41 Speaker 1: original mission design, carrying an estimated price tag of eleven

8:45 Speaker 1: billion dollars and a sample return date of twenty forty,

8:49 Speaker 1: was deemed unsustainable by NASA leadership. Nelson emphasized that this

8:54 Speaker 1: timeline would conflict with NASA's broader Mars exploration goals, particularly

8:59 Speaker 1: since the agency plans to have astronauts on the red

9:02 Speaker 1: planet by the two thousand forties. The redesign effort has

9:05 Speaker 1: taken an innovative approach by actively involving private industry partners

9:10 Speaker 1: alongside NASA's traditional centers. Early indications suggest this strategy is

9:15 Speaker 1: yielding promising results, with proposals that could significantly reduce costs

9:20 Speaker 1: and accelerate the mission timeline. This shift in strategy comes

9:24 Speaker 1: after a comprehensive review by an independent review board highlighted

9:28 Speaker 1: serious concerns about the project's scope and feasibility. The mission's

9:32 Speaker 1: complexity is substantial, involving multiple spacecraft components, including a lander,

9:37 Speaker 1: a rocket to launch samples from Mars's surface, and an

9:41 Speaker 1: orbiter to transport the samples back to Earth. The urgency

9:45 Speaker 1: behind this redesign is driven by the fact that the

9:47 Speaker 1: Perseverance Rover is already on Mars, actively collecting and caching samples.

9:53 Speaker 1: These precious materials represent an unprecedented opportunity to study Mars's

9:57 Speaker 1: geological history and potential signs of ancient life, making the

10:01 Speaker 1: success of the sample return mission crucial for our understanding

10:04 Speaker 1: of the Red planet. NASA's leadership is optimistic that the

10:08 Speaker 1: new industry involved approach will provide a more practical path forward,

10:12 Speaker 1: ensuring these valuable Martian samples make it back to Earth

10:15 Speaker 1: for study before human missions begin The upcoming announcement is

10:19 Speaker 1: expected to detail significant changes to the mission architecture while

10:23 Speaker 1: maintaining its core scientific objectives. And that's it for today.

10:29 Speaker 1: This is Anna signing off from another fascinating episode of

10:32 Speaker 1: Astronomy Daily. If you want to stay up to date

10:35 Speaker 1: with all the latest developments in space exploration and astronomy,

10:38 Speaker 1: head over to our website at Astronomydaily dot io, where

10:41 Speaker 1: our news feed is constantly updated with the most recent

10:44 Speaker 1: stories from across the Cosmos. And don't forget to join

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10:54 Speaker 1: and TikTok. Until next time, keep looking up and stay

10:57 Speaker 1: curious about our amazing universe. See you soon. The start

11:00 Speaker 1: Happy Day. Star is the Toll Star is the All

11:19 Speaker 1: Star is the