- Mysterious Space Debris in Australia: A large, smoking piece of metal has been discovered in Western Australia, likely from the fourth stage of a Chinese Jielong 3 rocket. This incident highlights the ongoing issue of space debris and its potential impact on Earth, as authorities investigate the origins of this fiery visitor.
- NASA's Artemis 3 Update: NASA is considering opening up the Artemis 3 lunar landing contract to a second company, possibly Blue Origin, due to delays with SpaceX's lunar lander. This shift signals a renewed focus on competition and redundancy in lunar exploration as NASA aims for a sustainable presence on the Moon by 2028.
- SpaceX's Launch Milestones: SpaceX is set to conduct up to four Falcon 9 launches this week, including a notable mission for the SpainSat NG1 satellite, which will see the first stage booster expended to prioritize mission performance. Additionally, SpaceX has launched its 10,000th Starlink satellite, marking a significant milestone for the global internet constellation.
- New Protocol for Alien Contact: The International Academy of Astronautics has proposed a major update to the protocol for responding to potential signals from extraterrestrial intelligence. The new guidelines emphasize international consultation before any response is sent, reflecting the gravity of such a species-level event.
- Transient Lunar Phenomena Theories: Ongoing investigations into transient lunar phenomena (TLPs) reveal potential explanations for the mysterious flashes of light on the Moon's surface. Theories range from meteoroid impacts to gas releases from the Moon's interior, highlighting the need for further exploration and observation.
- For more cosmic updates, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Join our community on social media by searching for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, TikTok, and our new Instagram account! Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna and Avery signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and exploring the wonders of our universe.
Australian Space Debris Discovery
[Australian Space Agency](https://www.space.gov.au/)
NASA Artemis 3 Mission Updates
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
SpaceX Launch Cadence
[SpaceX](https://www.spacex.com/)
Alien Contact Protocols
[International Academy of Astronautics](https://iaaweb.org/)
Transient Lunar Phenomena Research
[Astrophysical Journal](https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X)
Astronomy Daily
[Astronomy Daily](http://www.astronomydaily.io/)
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Anna: Welcome everyone to Astronomy Daily, your
00:00:02 --> 00:00:03 regular guide to the biggest stories
00:00:03 --> 00:00:06 happening off world. Give us 10 minutes and
00:00:06 --> 00:00:08 we'll give you the universe. I'm Anna.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:11 Avery: And I'm Avery. It's fantastic to have you
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 with us, Anna. Uh, it feels like every week
00:00:13 --> 00:00:16 the pace just gets faster. We've got so much
00:00:16 --> 00:00:17 to talk about today.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:19 Anna: We really do on the docket. Today we're
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 starting on the ground in Australia with some
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 mysterious burning debris that appears to
00:00:23 --> 00:00:24 have fallen from orbit.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:27 Avery: From there we'll jump to the moon, or at
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 least the plans to get there. NASA is
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 signaling a major potential shakeup for its
00:00:32 --> 00:00:34 Artemis 3 landing contract. And it's all
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 about competition and a new space race.
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 Anna: Then we'll look at SpaceX's relentless launch
00:00:39 --> 00:00:42 cadence, including a very special satellite
00:00:42 --> 00:00:44 and a mind boggling milestone for their
00:00:44 --> 00:00:45 Starlink constellation.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 Avery: And after that, we're diving into one of my
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 favorite topics. Are we alone?
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 There's a huge update to the official
00:00:53 --> 00:00:55 playbook for what scientists should do if
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 they actually detect a signal from ET.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Anna: It's a big deal, it really is. And we'll
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 finish by looking at our own moon and the
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 strange flashes of light that have puzzled
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 astronomers for centuries. With some new
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 theories emerging, it's a packed show, so
00:01:09 --> 00:01:10 let's get right into it.
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Avery: Alright. Our first story takes us to
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 Western Australia, where miners
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 stumbled upon something you don't see every
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 day. A large, still smoking
00:01:22 --> 00:01:25 piece of metal that had clearly fallen from
00:01:25 --> 00:01:25 the sky.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 Anna: Right. Pictures show this charred
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 dome shaped object and authorities were
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 quickly called in. The Australian Space
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 Agency is now leading the investigation
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 to formally identify the object.
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 Avery: It must be quite a sight to just find that in
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 a field. Now, while the official confirmation
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 is pending, an astrophysicist has suggested
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 it's very likely from the fourth stage of a
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 Chinese Jielong 3 rocket which was launched
00:01:53 --> 00:01:53 last September.
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 Anna: And that makes sense, given the trajectory
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 and the materials. It really brings the issue
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 of space debris into sharp focus.
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 We often talk about it as a problem for
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 satellites in orbit, but this is a reminder
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 that it can and does have an impact right
00:02:09 --> 00:02:09 here on Earth.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:13 Avery: Exactly. Most of the tens of
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 thousands of trackable objects are small but
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 larger pieces like rocket stages and have
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 a non zero chance of surviving re
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 entry. We've seen it before with
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 Skylab in 1979, also
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 in Australia, and more recently with other
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 Chinese rocket stages making uncontrolled,
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 uh, re entries.
00:02:33 --> 00:02:36 Anna: Mhm. And that's the key term, uncontrolled.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:38 Most modern rockets are designed to re enter
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 over the ocean or have systems to deorbit
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 themselves safely. But some older designs
00:02:44 --> 00:02:46 or in some specific mission profiles, the
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 stages are just left to tumble down wherever
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 gravity and atmospheric drag take them.
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 Avery: It's a bit like cosmic roulette.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:55 Thankfully, since so much of the Earth is
00:02:55 --> 00:02:58 water or uninhabited land, the
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 risk to human life has been statistically
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 very low. But it's not zero.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 And as the number of launches increases,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:08 that risk goes up.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 Anna: It's a problem that space agencies and
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 private companies are taking more seriously
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 with new technologies for active debris
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 removal being developed. But for now, it
00:03:18 --> 00:03:19 seems we'll occasionally be getting these
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 fiery visitors from above.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 Avery: Okay, from falling hardware to the hardware
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 we're intentionally trying to send to the
00:03:26 --> 00:03:26 moon.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 Anna, uh, there's some major news from NASA
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 about the Artemis 3 mission. The one that's
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 supposed to put astronauts back on the lunar
00:03:34 --> 00:03:34 surface.
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 Anna: This is a huge development. NASA's acting
00:03:37 --> 00:03:40 chief Sean Duffy has indicated that the
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 agency is strongly considering opening up the
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 moon landing contract to a second company in
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 addition to SpaceX.
00:03:47 --> 00:03:50 Avery: Right. As it stands, SpaceX and its
00:03:50 --> 00:03:52 lunar Optimized Starship were the sole
00:03:52 --> 00:03:55 winners of that lucrative contract. But the
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 new thinking at, uh, NASA is that relying on
00:03:57 --> 00:04:00 just one provider for such a critical
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 national capability is risky.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 Anna: It definitely is. The acting chief cited a
00:04:05 --> 00:04:07 couple of key reasons. First, he acknowledged
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 that SpaceX is behind schedule in developing
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 the lander. They need to perform many test
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 flights of starship, including an uncrewed
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 lunar landing, before they can put astronauts
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 on board. And that's taking longer than
00:04:19 --> 00:04:19 hoped.
00:04:20 --> 00:04:22 Avery: The second reason he gave was much more
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 direct. He explicitly mentioned a race
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 against China. China has its own
00:04:27 --> 00:04:30 ambitious lunar program with plans for a
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 lunar base. And NASA is feeling the pressure
00:04:33 --> 00:04:34 to not fall behind.
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 Anna: Yeah, you don't hear that kind of direct
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 language every day. So the idea is to bring
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 in another company like Blue Origin with
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 their Blue Moon lander concept to develop a
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 competing system. This creates redundancy and
00:04:47 --> 00:04:48 spurs competition.
00:04:48 --> 00:04:51 Avery: It's a return to the Apollo era model in a
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 way where multiple contractors were often
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 working on different parts of the same
00:04:56 --> 00:04:58 problem. This also comes with a more
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 realistic timeline, with the Artemis 3
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 landing now being publicly targeted for
00:05:04 --> 00:05:05 2028.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:08 Anna: It's a smart move in my opinion. It might
00:05:08 --> 00:05:10 cost more in the short term to fund two
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 landers, but in the long term, it makes the
00:05:12 --> 00:05:15 entire enterprise more resilient and it
00:05:15 --> 00:05:17 signals that NASA is serious about creating a
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 sustainable presence at the moon, not just a
00:05:19 --> 00:05:20 one off visit.
00:05:20 --> 00:05:23 Avery: Absolutely. The next few months will be
00:05:23 --> 00:05:26 critical as we wait to see if NASA formally
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 opens up bids for this second contract, a
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 very big story to watch.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 Anna: Well, while NASA might be worried about
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 SpaceX's timeline for the moon, there's no
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 question about their launch cadence here on
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 Earth. This week alone, they're aiming for as
00:05:40 --> 00:05:42 many as four Falcon 9 launches.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 Avery: The pace is just relentless.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 It has fundamentally changed the launch
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 industry. And one of this week's missions is
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 particularly noteworthy because the Falcon 9
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 first stage booster is going to be expended.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Anna: Right? It's not going to attempt a landing.
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 This is for the SpainSat NG1 satellite,
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 a sophisticated communications satellite for
00:06:03 --> 00:06:05 the Spanish government. Why are they
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 expending the booster for this one?
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 Avery: It all comes down to performance. This
00:06:10 --> 00:06:13 satellite is very heavy and it's headed for a
00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 high energy geostationary transfer orbit.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 To get it there, the Falcon 9 has to burn its
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 engine for longer and at a higher thrust,
00:06:22 --> 00:06:23 leaving no fuel reserves for the complex
00:06:23 --> 00:06:25 boostback and landing burns.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:27 Anna: So they're prioritizing the customer's
00:06:27 --> 00:06:30 mission over recovering the hardware. It's a
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 good reminder that as routine as the landings
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 have become, they are still secondary to
00:06:36 --> 00:06:37 the primary mission.
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 Avery: Exactly.
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 And Speaking of routine, SpaceX quietly
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 passed a massive milestone recently. They
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 successfully launched their 10th Starlink
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 satellite. Just think about that number for a
00:06:49 --> 00:06:49 second.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 Anna: 10. The scale of that constellation is
00:06:52 --> 00:06:55 almost impossible to comprehend. It's
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 providing Internet to remote places all over
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 the world, which is incredible. But it's also
00:07:00 --> 00:07:03 causing ongoing headaches for ground based
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 astronomers due to light pollution.
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 Avery: It's a complex issue with passionate
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 arguments on both sides. And to complete the
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 global launch picture for the week, a Chinese
00:07:12 --> 00:07:15 Long March 5 rocket is also scheduled to lift
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 off. But but its payload is a secret.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 Anna: A little bit of intrigue from the China
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 National Space Administration. We'll be
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 keeping an eye out for what that might be.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:26 Avery: Okay, for our next story, let's venture
00:07:26 --> 00:07:28 into the hypothetical. Let's say
00:07:28 --> 00:07:31 tomorrow. Astronomers using a radio
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 telescope detect an unmistakable
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 structured signal from a nearby star system.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 It's intelligent. What happens next?
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 Anna: Well, for decades, the plan has been what's
00:07:42 --> 00:07:45 known as the post detection policy. But now
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 the International Academy of Astronautics is
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 proposing a major, major update. And
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 it's a fascinating look at how our
00:07:51 --> 00:07:53 perspective has changed.
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 Avery: It really is. The old protocol was largely
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 about verification. A scientist who found a
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 signal would first need to rule out all
00:08:01 --> 00:08:04 terrestrial sources and then get independent
00:08:04 --> 00:08:06 verification from another observatory.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 After that, the information would be released
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 to the public.
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 Anna: And crucially, the decision of whether or not
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 to reply was left largely to the discoverers.
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 There wasn't a Global consensus required. The
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 new proposal completely changes that last
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 part.
00:08:20 --> 00:08:23 Avery: That's the core of it. The new protocol
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 states that no response should be sent to a,
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 uh, confirmed alien signal until
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 appropriate international consultations have
00:08:30 --> 00:08:33 taken place. Specifically through a body like
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 the United Nations.
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 Anna: So in essence, we have to talk amongst
00:08:36 --> 00:08:39 ourselves before we talk to them. It
00:08:39 --> 00:08:41 takes the decision out of the hands of a
00:08:41 --> 00:08:43 small group of scientists and places it on
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 the world stage.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 Avery: Exactly. And the rationale is a
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 reply to an alien signal would be sent on
00:08:50 --> 00:08:53 behalf of all of humanity. What would we say?
00:08:53 --> 00:08:56 Who would craft the message? What are the
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 potential risks and rewards? These aren't
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 just scientific questions. They're political,
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 cultural and ethical.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:05 Anna: You can just imagine the debates at the un.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 It would be unbelievable. This reflects a,
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 uh, growing understanding that contact isn't
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 just a scientific discovery. It's a
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 species level event. And it's probably
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 wise to have a plan in place before we're
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 forced to improvise.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 Avery: I agree. It's a sober, mature step
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 for the SETI community to take.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Anna: Alright, for our last story, we're heading
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 back to the Moon to look at a genuine long
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 standing astronomical mystery. Transient
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 lunar phenomena or TLPs.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 Avery: Right. These are reports of short lived
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 lights, colors or other changes on the lunar
00:09:40 --> 00:09:42 surface. They've been documented for
00:09:42 --> 00:09:45 centuries, even by pre telescopic observers,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 but they're notoriously difficult to confirm
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 and study.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 Anna: So what are the leading theories for what's
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 causing them? It seems like there's more than
00:09:52 --> 00:09:52 one answer.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 Avery: There likely is. For the briefest flashes.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 Just a blink and they're gone. The
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 consensus is that these are meteoroid
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 impacts. We have networks of telescopes
00:10:04 --> 00:10:07 that now monitor the Moon for these, and we
00:10:07 --> 00:10:10 see them fairly often. A small rock hitting
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 the dark side of the moon at 30 miles per
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 hour creates a visible flash of
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 vaporized rock.
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 Anna: Okay, that one makes sense. But what about
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 the ones that last longer? The reports of
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 areas that seem to glow or have a strange
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 haze for minutes or even hours?
00:10:25 --> 00:10:27 Avery: That's where it gets more interesting. A
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 strong candidate is the release of gas from
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 the Moon's interior. The Moon isn't
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 geologically dead. It's thought to have a
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 molten core and still experiences
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 moonquakes. These quakes could release
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 pockets of trapped gas, like radon from
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 below the surface.
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 Anna: And that gas could glow.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 Avery: Potentially. The gas itself might
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 fluoresce under the harsh solar radiation.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 Or, or it could stir up fine lunar dust which
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 then reflects sunlight in a peculiar
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 way. The Aristarchus Plateau is a known
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 hotspot for these kinds of events. And it's
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 also a region known for a gas release.
00:11:05 --> 00:11:07 Anna: Fascinating. And what about the really weird,
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 long lasting lights?
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 Avery: Those are the most contentious. One theory
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 is electrostatic dust levitation,
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 where solar radiation charges fine dust
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 particles and makes them hover above the
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 surface, forming a kind of temporary
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 dusty atmosphere that can scatter light.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 Other scientists are more skeptical,
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 suggesting these are just misidentified
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 satellites or even phenomena in our
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 own atmosphere projected against the Moon.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 Anna: So we still don't have a definitive answer.
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 It's amazing to think that we've walked on
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 the Moon, yet it still holds these
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 fundamental mysteries. It's a good reason to
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 keep sending robotic and eventually human
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 observers back to investigate.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 Avery: And with that mystery, our time is up for
00:11:52 --> 00:11:55 this episode of Astronomy Daily. From cosmic
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 litter in the outback to global debates about
00:11:57 --> 00:12:00 talking to aliens, it's been an episode full
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 of incredible science.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:04 Anna: It certainly has. The universe never fails to
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 keep us on our toes. We hope you've enjoyed
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 this tour of the latest astronomical news.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:12 Avery: A, uh, huge thank you to all of you for
00:12:12 --> 00:12:14 listening. Be sure to join us again tomorrow
00:12:14 --> 00:12:17 for another deep dive into the cosmos.
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 Until then, from both of us, clear
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 skies and keep looking up.