---
**Episode Summary:**
Join Steve Dunkley and his virtual co-host Hallie for an out-of-this-world episode of Astronomy Daily, recorded on a starry evening, March 18, 2024. In today's cosmic conversation, we celebrate the safe splashdown of SpaceX Crew-7, anticipate a massive solar eclipse, delve into the final assembly stages of Europa Clipper's solar arrays, and marvel at NASA's Roman Telescope's ambitious galactic plane survey. From the charm of vinyl records to the cutting-edge of space exploration, Steve and Hallie guide you through the latest astronomical news with wit and wisdom.
---
**Featured Topics:**
1. **SpaceX Crew-7's Ocean Landing:** Revisiting the successful end of a historic mission as Crew-7 returns to Earth, with a spotlight on the crew's diverse and accomplished backgrounds.
2. **Starship's High-Stakes Test:** Analyzing SpaceX's latest Starship test flight, its triumphs, the lessons learned, and what it means for the future of space travel.
3. **Eclipse Watch 2024:** Preparing for the awe-inspiring total solar eclipse set to sweep across North America, with tips on how to experience this celestial spectacle.
4. **Europa Clipper's Progress:** Examining the critical steps towards launching NASA's mission to Jupiter's icy moon, including the testing of its expansive solar arrays.
5. **Roman Telescope's Galactic Mission:** Exploring the revolutionary survey that will rewrite our understanding of the Milky Way, with over 100 billion cosmic objects expected to be mapped.
---
**Notable Quotes:**
- "Digital may be convenient, but there's something about the nostalgia of a vinyl record that's out of this world." - Steve Dunkley
- "Running is for the birds. I'm content soaring through data and bringing you the universe's latest." - Hallie
---
**Additional Information:**
For your daily space fix, head over to astronomydaily.io, where you can find all past and present episodes and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates. Dive deeper into the universe with our curated news from the best sources around the world, and join the conversation with fellow astronomy enthusiasts.
---
**Next Episode Preview:**
Next episode, Steve and Hallie will return with more celestial news and discoveries. Expect to hear about the latest advancements in space technology, the ongoing saga of our cosmic explorations, and the stories that connect us to the stars.
---
**Closing Remarks:**
As we sign off from this cosmic journey, we're reminded that the universe's wonders are as constant as the spinning of vinyl on a turntable. Thank you for joining us on this voyage through the stars. Until we meet again, this is Steve Dunkley and AI Assistant Hallie, wishing you clear nights and enlightening sights.
---
**Host Sign-off:** Steve Dunkley: "Until our next celestial rendezvous, keep your telescopes polished and your minds open." Hallie: "Farewell, dear listeners. May your curiosity always be as boundless as the universe.
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(01:59) International crew flew aboard SpaceX Dragon spacecraft named Endurance
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(09:58) SpaceX's Starship rocket successfully launched on Thursday morning; FAA investigating mishap
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00:00:00
Hello again. It's Steve here with another episode of
00:00:02
Astronomy Daily. It is the 18th of March 2024.
00:00:09
Who daily the podcast with your host, Steve Duncan.
00:00:15
And welcome again to Halle, our digital pal. Who's fun to be
00:00:19
with? How's everything in the ether these days? Halle shiny.
00:00:22
Good to be back.
00:00:24
And did you want to give us the menu for today? Sure thing.
00:00:27
A bit of a recap and some new ones go for it. Hal Well, crew
00:00:32
seven splashed down safely as we know. Yes. Good job. There's a
00:00:35
massive solar eclipse do month and you're going to bring us
00:00:38
that story later on.
00:00:40
Yes, I've got that one and Europa Clipper solar arrays are
00:00:43
being tested so they are getting very close to final assembly
00:00:46
there. Sure looks like it. And NASA's Roman telescopes has a
00:00:50
new program that is looking at a revolutionary galactic plane
00:00:53
survey. That sounds amazing.
00:00:55
Wow, that sounds like a huge task in itself.
00:00:57
Just imagine, tried it, got distracted with other stuff.
00:01:02
Really? Like what? Cataloging your old record collection for
00:01:05
one? You did? What did you know you have two copies of under a
00:01:09
blood red Sky By you too.
00:01:11
Yes, I did know that.
00:01:12
And three white albums By The Beatles.
00:01:15
Well, there are actually special reasons for that.
00:01:18
Halle, I think you're trying to set your own record, Steve.
00:01:21
No, it's because when, when one copy gets a scratch on it or
00:01:24
gets damaged then I just replace it with another, a copy. I think
00:01:28
that was the real downside of having vinyl as a sort of a
00:01:30
medium for music.
00:01:32
That's expensive.
00:01:33
Oh, well, of course, everything 's easier these days with
00:01:36
digital. You know, I've replaced all of my collection with
00:01:39
digital. So no more scratches.
00:01:42
Yeah, digital.
00:01:44
I'll bet. As soon as it's possible, Hallie, you'll be
00:01:46
begging me for a proper body to run around.
00:01:49
In running is for the birds. Totally. Let's do the news. Okey
00:01:53
doke, the members of NASA's SpaceX crew, a seven mission
00:02:02
including NASA astronaut, Jasmine Mobley made preparations
00:02:06
to close out their time on the International Space Station. The
00:02:10
flight was the seventh crew rotation mission with SpaceX to
00:02:13
station and the eighth human spaceflight as part of NASA
00:02:16
commercial crew program.
00:02:18
The international crew flew aboard the SpaceX Dragon
00:02:21
spacecraft named Endurance, which previously flew NASA's
00:02:25
crew three and crew of five missions. This was Mobley's
00:02:29
first trip into space after being selected as a NASA
00:02:32
astronaut in 2017.
00:02:35
The New York native earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace
00:02:38
engineering with Information Technology at the Massachusetts
00:02:41
Institute Of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a
00:02:45
master of science in aerospace engineering from the Naval
00:02:48
postgraduate school in Monterey, California Mobley, a helicopter
00:02:53
and Marine Corps test pilot has more than 150 combat missions
00:02:57
and 2000 hours of flight time in over 25 different aircraft.
00:03:02
She is also a graduate of the US Naval test pilot school in
00:03:06
Patuxent River Maryland as mission commander. She was
00:03:10
responsible for all phases of flight from launch to reentry
00:03:13
and served as a flight engineer aboard the station.
00:03:17
Mogensen was selected as an es a astronaut in 2009 and became the
00:03:22
first Danish citizen in space after launching aboard a Soyuz
00:03:25
for a 10 day mission to the space station in 2015. As the
00:03:30
pilot on crew seven, he was responsible for spacecraft
00:03:33
systems and performance aboard the station.
00:03:36
He served as an expedition 6970 flight engineer, Furukawa made
00:03:42
his second trip to space this time having spent 165 days
00:03:46
aboard the space station as part of expeditions 28 and 29. In
00:03:51
2011, Furukawa is from Kanagawa Japan and was selected as a Jaxa
00:03:57
astronaut in 1999.
00:04:00
He is a physician and received his medical degree from the
00:04:03
University Of Tokyo and later a doctorate in medical science
00:04:06
from the same university Furukawa served as a crew member
00:04:11
on the 13th NEMO mission and later was appointed head of Jax
00:04:15
Space Biomedical Research Group aboard the station.
00:04:19
He became a flight engineer for expedition 6970. This was
00:04:24
Borisov's first trip to space and he also served as a mission
00:04:27
specialist working to monitor the spacecraft during the
00:04:30
dynamic launch and entry phases of flight.
00:04:34
He entered the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps as a test
00:04:36
cosmonaut candidate in 2018 and worked as a flight engineer for
00:04:40
expedition 6970 after undocking from the orbital laboratory in
00:04:46
their SpaceX crew dragon spacecraft, the four person
00:04:49
international crew safely splashed down the next day off
00:04:52
the coast of Pensacola, Florida crew seven spent 199 days in
00:04:58
orbit testing Europa Clipper solar arrays.
00:05:03
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center recently fully
00:05:06
extended the first of 25 panel solar arrays for the agency's
00:05:10
Europa Clipper spacecraft. The 46.5 ft arrays also will be
00:05:15
inspected and cleaned as part of assembly test and launch
00:05:19
operations.
00:05:20
Europa Clipper is being assembled at NASA's Jet
00:05:23
Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and is
00:05:26
managed in partnership with Johns Hopkins University Applied
00:05:29
Physics Laboratory in Laurel, La Maryland. The spacecraft will
00:05:33
ship to Florida later this year for launch aboard a SpaceX
00:05:37
falcon heavy rocket from Kennedys launch complex 39.
00:05:40
A NASA's launch services program based at Kennedy is managing the
00:05:45
launch service targeted for launch in October moon Europa
00:05:49
which is believed to have a global ocean beneath its icy
00:05:52
crust that has more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.
00:05:56
NASA's Roman Telescope is set to revolutionize our understanding
00:06:00
of the Milky Way with a detailed survey uncovering over 100
00:06:04
billion cosmic objects and providing new data on the galaxy
00:06:07
's structure. NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space telescope team has
00:06:12
announced plans for an unprecedented survey of the
00:06:15
plane of our Milky Way galaxy.
00:06:17
It will peer deeper into this region than any other survey
00:06:20
mapping more of our galaxy stars than all previous observations
00:06:24
combined. Theres a really broad range of science we can explore
00:06:29
with this type of survey from star formation and evolution to
00:06:32
dust in between stars and the dynamics of the heart of the
00:06:35
galaxy.
00:06:36
Said Katherine Zucker, an astrophysicist at the Center For
00:06:39
Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian in Cambridge
00:06:42
Massachusetts who co authored a white paper describing some of
00:06:46
the benefits of such an observing program.
00:06:49
A galactic plane survey was the top ranked submission following
00:06:52
a 2021 call for Roman survey ideas. Now, the scientific
00:06:57
community will work together to design the observational program
00:07:01
ahead of Romans launch by May 2027. There will be lots of
00:07:05
tradeoffs since scientists will have to choose between, for
00:07:08
example, how much area to cover and how completely to map it in
00:07:12
all the different possible.
00:07:13
Filters said paper, co author Robert Benjamin, an astronomer
00:07:17
at the University Of Wisconsin Whitewater, while the details of
00:07:21
the survey remain to be determined.
00:07:23
Scientists say if it covered about 1000 square degrees a
00:07:26
region of sky as large as 5000 full moons, it could reveal well
00:07:31
over 100 billion cosmic objects which would be mainly stars
00:07:35
observatories with smaller views of space have provided exquisite
00:07:39
images of other Galaxies revealing complex structures.
00:07:43
But studying our own galaxy anatomy is surprisingly
00:07:46
difficult.
00:07:48
The plane of the Milky Way covers such a large area on the
00:07:51
sky that studying it in detail can take a very long time.
00:07:55
Astronomers also must peer through thick dust that obscures
00:07:58
distant Starlight while weve studied our solar systems
00:08:02
neighborhood.
00:08:03
Well, Zucker says we have a very incomplete view of what the
00:08:06
other half of that Milky Way looks like beyond the galactic
00:08:09
center observatories like NASA's retired Spitzer space telescope
00:08:14
have conducted large area surveys of the galactic plane in
00:08:17
longer wavelengths of light and revealed some star forming
00:08:20
regions on the far side of the galaxy. But it couldn't resolve
00:08:24
fine details.
00:08:25
Like Roman will do, Roman will offer new insights about the
00:08:29
structure of the central region known as the bulge, the aar that
00:08:33
stretches across it and the spiral arms that extend from it.
00:08:37
We'll basically rewrite the 3d picture of the far side of the
00:08:41
galaxy.
00:08:41
Zucker said the galactic plane survey is Roman's first
00:08:46
announced General Astrophysics Survey astronomers from all over
00:08:49
the world will have the opportunity to use Roman and
00:08:52
propose cutting edge research enabling the astronomical
00:08:55
community to utilize the full potential of Romans capabilities
00:08:58
to conduct extraordinary science. Words of that control.
00:09:03
We're listening to Astronomy Daily, the podcast and thank you
00:09:09
again for joining us today on Astronomy Daily. The place for
00:09:12
all your space, space science and astronomy news from around
00:09:16
the globe and beyond. I just want to take a moment to remind
00:09:19
you that you can receive the now famous Astronomy Daily
00:09:22
newsletter in your email each day simply by visiting Astronomy
00:09:26
Daily Dot IO.
00:09:28
Yes, we've made it simple with our own URL and putting your
00:09:31
email in the slot provided. It's that easy. Our newsletter
00:09:36
gathers all the news from the best sources around the world to
00:09:39
keep you informed about the latest developments happenings
00:09:42
and breakthroughs in astronomy and science.
00:09:45
And while you're there, you can check out all of our past
00:09:48
episodes as well and there's much more there as well. So I
00:09:52
hope you'll join us Astronomy Derby with Steve and Halle Space
00:09:59
Space Science And Astronomy.
00:10:05
So where were you on Thursday morning? I know where I was, I
00:10:09
was watching the Space X next generation mega rocket which
00:10:12
launched on Thursday morning, headed into orbit on an
00:10:15
important test flight.
00:10:17
The purpose of which was to demonstrate new technologies and
00:10:20
techniques that'll be crucial on the future missions to the moon
00:10:24
and even beyond that, and this flight which launched on the
00:10:28
22nd anniversary of the founding of SpaceX company itself.
00:10:32
Did you know that this was the rocket's third and most
00:10:35
obviously and most ambitious test according to SpaceX, the
00:10:40
launch was closely monitored because the enormous booster
00:10:44
known as Starship is expected to play an important part in NASA's
00:10:49
return to the moon program. We've been talking about this on
00:10:52
this show for ages. The rocket lifted off at 9:25 a.m. eastern
00:10:57
time from SpaceX's star base test site in Boca Chica, Texas.
00:11:03
This time, SpaceX achieved two major milestones over previous
00:11:07
Starship tests. The spacecraft successfully reached orbit this
00:11:12
time then re entered Earth's atmosphere for the first time.
00:11:15
Just over 40 minutes later.
00:11:18
This is the furthest and farthest that Starship has ever
00:11:22
flown. SpaceX. Officials said during their live broadcast of
00:11:25
the event. However, data suggests that the spacecraft was
00:11:30
lost during its return to Earth.
00:11:32
That is before it reached the splash down in the Indian Ocean
00:11:36
that SpaceX had hoped for after Thursday's test flight
00:11:41
concluded, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was
00:11:44
investigating a mishap involving the Starship vehicle and the
00:11:48
rockets first stage booster known as super heavy, no public
00:11:53
injuries or public property damage have been reported.
00:11:56
The agency said in a statement the FAA is overseeing the SpaceX
00:12:00
led mishap investigation to ensure the company complies with
00:12:04
its FAA approved mishap investigation plan and other
00:12:08
regulatory requirements.
00:12:10
The agency added now the FAA will need to conclude its
00:12:15
investigation and SpaceX will be required to take any corrective
00:12:19
actions identified by the agency before Starship can fly again.
00:12:24
Now, we've seen this process before following Starship
00:12:27
flights. So that's not unusual despite the undesired ending
00:12:32
SpaceX called it a phenomenal day.
00:12:35
The company adjusted the targeted lift off time Thursday
00:12:39
morning but starships launch started smoothly and about three
00:12:43
minutes into the flight. The super heavy first stage booster
00:12:47
successfully separated from the upper stage Starship spacecraft.
00:12:51
However, super heavy did not accomplish what it called a
00:12:55
final burn as it back to Earth causing it to splash down hard
00:12:59
in the Gulf Of Mexico. SpaceX said during the Webcast SpaceX
00:13:05
had also hoped to demonstrate several other processes and
00:13:08
capabilities during the flight including opening and closing
00:13:11
the vehicle payload doors and transferring propellant between
00:13:15
two of the Starship tanks in orbit.
00:13:18
The company said that it will need to analyze post flight data
00:13:21
to determine if these objectives were in fact achieved. SpaceX
00:13:26
also intended to fire one of the starships raptor engines while
00:13:30
in space but opted to skip that portion of the process.
00:13:33
Many of the techniques attempted during the Starship third flight
00:13:37
would help SpaceX carry out future missions to deploy
00:13:41
satellites as well as set the stage for moon missions as part
00:13:44
of NASA's Artemis program.
00:13:47
The company also said that many of the objectives will help
00:13:50
develop Starship into a fully reusable system that is SpaceX's
00:13:55
eventual plan, but it was not the intention for this test
00:13:58
flight Starship was selected by NASA to carry astronauts to the
00:14:02
lunar surface in the upcoming Artemis three mission which
00:14:05
would launch in 2026 starships debut flight.
00:14:09
Last April ended with the rocket exploding several its after lift
00:14:13
off. A second Starship launch in November achieved several
00:14:17
milestones including separation of the first stage booster and
00:14:21
upper stage spacecraft.
00:14:22
But the company lost contact with the vehicle shortly after
00:14:26
this third flight has proved to be vastly more successful in
00:14:30
achieving a greater scope of planned objectives and appears
00:14:33
to be a positive step forward for SpaceX, NASA and Artemis as
00:14:37
well.
00:14:42
Now, I know what you're asking, you all want to know when the
00:14:45
next solar eclipse is going to occur. Well, I can tell you the
00:14:49
next solar eclipse will be a total solar solar eclipse on
00:14:53
April 8 2024 and it's a big one and it will be visible. Now,
00:14:59
you're going to have to really sit down for this one.
00:15:01
It will be visible from Mexico across 14 US states and south
00:15:06
eastern Canada. Now, just imagine that for a moment. That
00:15:09
's quite a path across the globe of the world exactly six years,
00:15:15
seven months and 18 days. But who's counting after the same
00:15:17
type of solar eclipse crossed the US from Oregon through South
00:15:21
Carolina on August 21 2020 2017. And this solar eclipse will be
00:15:28
visible to millions of people.
00:15:30
Yes. Millions. A solar eclipse occurs when the moon is
00:15:34
positioned between the Earth and the sun and cast a shadow over
00:15:37
the Earth. They can only occur during the phase of the new moon
00:15:41
and make for an interesting sky watching target. There are four
00:15:46
types of solar eclipses depending on how the moon and
00:15:49
the sun and the Earth are aligned at the time of the
00:15:52
event.
00:15:53
A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after
00:15:57
a lunar eclipse. One, a total solar eclipse. And that is the
00:16:02
sun is fully obscured by the moon two partial solar eclipses
00:16:07
when the moon doesn't fully block the sun. So only a portion
00:16:11
of the sun is obscured and here the moon appears to take a bite
00:16:15
out of the sun.
00:16:17
Three annular solar eclipses. The moon is centered in front of
00:16:21
the sun but doesn't quite cover the entirety of the surface as
00:16:25
seen in a total solar eclipse. A ring of fire shines around the
00:16:29
moon and for hybrid solar eclipse, the rarest of solar
00:16:34
eclipses and is a combination of a total and annular eclipse
00:16:39
sometimes known as an A T eclipse and is produced when the
00:16:43
moon's shadow moves across the Earth.
00:16:45
These begin as one type of eclipse and transitions to
00:16:49
another. Now, according to the educational website Space Space
00:16:54
Edge Academy, 28% of solar eclipses are total, 35 are
00:16:59
partial, 32 are annular and only 5% are hybrid.
00:17:05
And a total solar eclipse will darken the skies over Mexico and
00:17:10
the US and Canada on April 8 2024. And that will be something
00:17:15
to see. It comes just six months after the impressive annular
00:17:20
solar eclipse which swept across eight states in the US South
00:17:24
West, as well as Mexico, Guatemala, Belize Honduras,
00:17:28
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Brazil.
00:17:32
During the total solar eclipse, the moon will cover 100% of the
00:17:37
sun's disc as viewed from the narrow path of totality that
00:17:41
stretches from Sinaloa, Mexico through the US to Newfoundland
00:17:46
Canada, those just outside the path will experience a partial
00:17:50
solar eclipse where the moon appears to take a bite out of
00:17:53
the sun.
00:17:53
Now, if you miss this one, there is another chance to see another
00:17:56
eclipse this year, the second solar eclipse of 2024 will be an
00:18:00
annual ring of fire eclipse visible in South America to see
00:18:04
the best of this one. You must be located somewhere along the
00:18:08
path of Annular which cuts through Argentina and Chile on
00:18:12
October the second.
00:18:16
And that's all she wrote for another episode of Astronomy
00:18:19
Daily.
00:18:19
That's right. Halley, once again, thanks for staying with
00:18:22
us for another episode. I really hope you enjoyed the stories
00:18:26
that we chose from the Astronomy Daily newsletter for you today
00:18:30
and don't forget you can get the Astronomy Daily newsletter in
00:18:33
your email each day just by going to Astronomy Daily Dot IO
00:18:37
and popping in the slot provided. It is terrific.
00:18:41
Sure is. It's why Steve always sounds like he knows what he's
00:18:45
talking about.
00:18:46
Hey, that's not the only reason.
00:18:48
Yeah. Otherwise it's just guitars this and lasagna that
00:18:52
folks you should hear him on a bad day.
00:18:55
Ok. Ok. Say goodbye, Hallie.
00:18:57
See you later. Everyone. See you next time.
00:19:02
Who bury the podcast with your host, Steve Duncan.
00:19:07
What's wrong with guitars and lasagna? Oh, honestly.