S03E215: Philae's Cosmic Journey, China's Lunar Ambitions, and Astronauts' Cognitive Resilience

Welcome to another episode of Astronomy Daily. It's the twenty fifth of November twenty twenty four. Poda your whole speed gun clue. Oh and only a month until Christmas. Cern For those of you who care, it's okay to put up the Christmas tree already, and for everyone else, it's just leave the TV where it is and business as usual. Is that how it works? Is it? Well, Halle, only if you need to move the furniture around to erect a Christmas tree. I don't have that problem at my place. How did you solve it? Oh? Well, I just pile all the guitars up into one corner and think for myself, well that. Looks beautiful and that's it. Well that'll do me, Halle. The last Christmas tree I had to assemble dropped so much tinsel and rubbish. I was still cleaning it up at Easter. That's not a very good tree. Well it wasn't, Halle. It also wasn't really my tree either, But you know, a man's got to do what a man's got to do. Honestly. Yes, you humans are just too confusing. Oh you think so. Just when I think I understand, thank you, suddenly I have to get my circuits around Christmas. Tree, I is the dilemma. It's not fair, that's right, Rusty lives like that. And speaking of not fair, yes, tell us, Halle, what have you got in your Christmas sec Well? I know you are revisiting one of your Comet missions today with a great story about the fly mission. That's right. Listeners will likely recall in twenty fourteen, Philare was a little landa that was part of the Rosetta mission that touched down on Comet sixty seven pa Cherium of Jura's simienko. Ugri, Wow, I know. Do you want to say that again? Not in a hurry, Hallie, And I've got. An interesting story about how astronauts show slower task performance in space but still seem to be able to maintain cognitive stability. Interesting and kracky. I guess working in space is challenging, like i'd know totally. Oh thanks, Hallie. And on that note, why didn't you take it. Away all right? Efects of space travel on human physiology are profound, subjecting astronauts to conditions such as radiation, microgravity, disrupted sleep, and high stress environments. These factors could potentially impact cognitive abilities, a critical concern given the complexity and high stakes of tasks performed aboard spacecraft. To address this, researchers from NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory studied cognitive performance in twenty five astronauts during six months stays aboard the International Space Station. This analysis represents the most comprehensive data set of cognitive performance in professional astronauts to date. We show that there is no evidence of any significant cognitive impairment or neurodegenerative decline in astronauts spending six months on the ISS, said doctor Sheinadav, lead researcher at NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory and first author of a study published in Frontiers and Physiology. Living and working in space was not associated with widespread cognitive impairment that would be suggestive of significant brain damage. Studdy utilized a battery of ten subtests to evaluate various cognitive domains, measuring speed and accuracy at five intervals before the mission, early and late in flight, and at ten to thirty days post mission. While astronauts demonstrated slower responses in processing, speed, working memory, and attention during the mission, accuracy remained unaffected. The timing of these changes varied, with some resolving before mission completion and others persisting until astronauts returned to Earth. Slowed performance on attention, for example, was only observed early during the mission, while slowed performance on processing speed did not return to baseline levels until after the mission ended and crew were back on Earth, explained Death. Importantly, no evidence of damage to the central nervous system was observed during these six month missions, and cognitive performance overall remained stable. The findings highlight that certain cognitive domains, such as processing speed and attention are more susceptible to stress, both on Earth and in space. Even on Earth, processing speed, working memory, and attention are cognitive domains that can show temporary changes when an individual is under stress. Other domains, such as memory, are less vulnerable to stressors. Said Dev, the effects of space travel on human physiology are profound. Subjecting astronauts to conditions such as radiation, microgravity, disrupted sleep, and high stress environments. These factors could potentially impact cognitive abilities, a critical concern given the complexity and high stakes of tasks performed aboard spacecraft. To address this, researchers from NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance Laboratory studied cognitive performance in twenty five astronauts during six months stays aboard the International Space Station ISS. This analysis represents the most comprehensive data set of cognitive performance in professional astronauts to date. We show that there is no evidence of any significant cognitive impairment or neurodegenerative decline in astronauts spending six months on the ISS, said doctor Sheena dev, lead researcher at NASA's Behavioral Health and Performance labora ratory and first author of a study published in Frontiers and Physiology. Living and working in space was not associated with widespread cognitive impairment that would be suggestive of significant brain damage. The study utilized a battery of ten subtests to evaluate various cognitive domains, measuring speed and accuracy at five intervals before the mission, early and late in flight, and at ten to thirty days post mission. While astronauts demonstrated slower responses in processing speed, working memory, and attention during the mission, accuracy remained unaffected. The timing of these changes varied, with some resolving before mission completion and others persisting until astronauts returned to Earth. Slowed performance on attention, for example, was only observed early during the mission, while slowed performance on processing speed did not return to baseline levels until after the mission ended and crew were back on Earth, explained Deaf. Importantly, no evidence of damage to the central nervous system was observed during these six month missions, and cognitive performance over all remain stable. China has revealed additional insights into its manned lunar mission, targeting a moon landing by twenty thirty through a video presentation at the Human Spase Symposium. The animation, released by the China Manned Space Agency CMSA, showcases key mission aspects, including a lunar rover exploring the Moon's surface and outlining a three day exploration route centered around the landing zone. The mission aims to achieve critical advancements such as enabling manned Earth Moon travel, short term lunar surface habitation, and joint human robot exploration. Tasks include lunar landing, surface mobility, sample collection, scientific research, and a safe return to Earth. Key components of the mission involve the Lanua lunar lander and the Mangjo man spacecraft. The Lannua will be launched first aboard China's new heavy lift Long March tenth rocket, awaiting Mangjo's arrival in space. Once in lunar orbit, the two vehicles will dock, allowing astronauts to transfer to Lanua for descent to the Moon's surf. After their lunar exploration activities, the crew will return to orbit via Lanuez ascent stage, redock with Mangzho, and begin the journey back to Earth. CMSA plans to conduct precrude flight tests and manned lunar missions to advance lunar science, resource exploration, and technology development. The agency also aims to facilitate large scale experiments in areas such as lunar science, lunar based research, and the utilization of lunar resources. Progress is well underway, with prototypes of mission critical equipment, including the Long March tenth Rocket, Mangho spacecraft, Lanua Lander, astronaut spacesuits, and the Lunar rover undergoing production and ground testing. The development of the Long March tenth rocket, Meinho and Lanua with its lunar rover is progressing intensively, said Joe giant Pain, chief designer of China's manned space program. Several of these initial prototypes have been completed and are now in their testing phase to ensure readiness for future lunar missions, he added. The CMSA video presentation also highlighted prototypes of the manned spacecraft and the lunar lander undergoing testing, alongside operational ground facilities and testing equipment. Meanwhile, construction of the one Chung spacecraft launch site continues on schedule. The Human Space Symposium, held November twenty first to twenty second in Shenzen, China, brought together leading experts, astronauts and academicians to discuss achievements in space science, the operation of China's space station, and the development of the National Space Laboratory. And that's all from me today over to my favorite human in the studio, where I notice he has not cleared any space for a Christmas tree at all. Thank you for joining us for this Monday edition of Astronomy Daily, where we offer just a few stories from the now famous Astronomy Daily newsletter, which you can receive in your email every day, just like Hallie and I. And to do that, just visit our url Astronomy Daily dot io and place your email address in the slot provided. Just like that, you'll be receiving all the latest news about science, space, science and astronomy from around the world as it's happening. And not only that, you can interact with us by visiting at astro Daily pod on x or at our new Facebook page, which is of course Astronomy Daily on Facebook. See you there, Astronomy. We'll see in hall space, space, science and astronomy. And I know Holle's just nipped off to rearrange her battery collection, but she knows as well as I do. There's no room in this little studio for a Christmas tree. And if you could just see what I could see, you would know it was true. And my phil Philodendron didn't survived last summer. Anyways, it can be pretty stuffy in here anyway. I can't be trusted with a whole tree anyway. Okay, here we go. On November twelfth, twenty fourteen, after a decade long journey spanning the Solar System and over five hundred million kilometers, Rosetta's Land of Phile made history by becoming the first spacecraft to touch down on a comet. As the European Space Agency marks the tenth anniversary of this groundbreaking achievement, they on a Phile's remarkable contributions to space exploration at Comet sixty seven PETI of Jerusimianko. When Rosetta arrived at Comet sixty seven P on August six, twenty fourteen, the mission team immediately began the race to select a suitable landing site for Phile. The site had to strike a careful balance between safety and scientific potential. Using high resolution images captured by Rosetta, scientists meticulously analyzed and debated various candidate sites. After weeks of deliberation, they chose a smooth looking region on the small of the comet's two lobes. This location was named Ajilkia, and it offered the best combination of stability and opportunities for groundbreaking science. Intense preparations followed, but the night before landing a problem was identified. Philey's active descent system, which would have provided a downward thrust to prevent rebounded touchdown, could not be activated. Phile would have to rely on harpoons and ice screws in its three feet to fix it to the surface. Nonetheless, the green light was given. After separating fer Rosetta, Phile began its seven hour descent to the surface of the comet. During the descent, Philet began sensing the environment around the comet, making stunning imagery. As the first landing site came into view, Philet's touchdown at Ajuquia was spot on. The senses on Philet's feet felt the touchdown vibrations, generating the first recording of contact between humans, one made object and a comet, but soon became clear that Felet's harpoons hadn't fired and it had taken flight once again. In the end, Fila made contact with the surface four times thanks to an automatic sequence that was triggered by the first touchdown signal. Philet's instruments were operating while in flight, collecting unique data that would later yield important results. It was also an unexpected bonus that data were collected at more than one location, providing the first direct measurements of surface characteristics and allowing comparisons between the touchdown sites. For example, Philet felt the difference in surface texture and hardness as it bounced from one site to another. At the first landing site, it detected a soft layer several centimetres thick. Milliseconds later, it encountered a much harder layer. After colliding with a cliff, phil scraped through its second touchdown site, providing the first in situ measurement of the softness of the icy dust interior of a boulder on a comet. The simple action of Phile stamping and imprinting billions of years old ice revealed the boulder to be a fluffier than froth on a cappuccino, equivalent to a porosity of around seventy five percent. Phile then hopped about thirty meters to the final touchdown site, named Abydos, where it where its siever cameras provided the first image of a human made object touching a four point six billion year old solar system relic. The exact location on the comet would remain hidden from view for almost two years. In this location, Phile's mupus hammer penetrated a soft lab before encountering an unexpectedly hard surface. A few centimeters below the surface, Phile listened to the hammer hammering with its feet, recording the vibrations that passed through the comet. This was the first time since the Apollo seventeen mission the Moon in nineteen seventy two that active seismic measurements were conducted on a celestial body. Mupus also carried a thermal sensor which measured the local changes in temperature from about minus one hundred and eighty degrees celsius to one hundred and forty five degrees celsius in sync with the comet's twelve point four hour day, the first time the temperature cycle of a comet had been measured at its surface. Meanwhile, the concert experiment, which passed radio waves between Rosetta and phil through the comet in the first cometary sounding experiment, revealed the interior of the comet to be a very loosely compacted mixture of dust and ice with high porosity of seventy five to eighty percent. During the bouncing Phile's Cossack and Potolemy instruments sniffed the comet's gas and dust, important traces of the raw materials present present in the early Solar system. Cossack revealed a suite of sixteen organic compounds comprising numerous carbon and nitrogen rich compounds, including methyl is cyanate, acetone, proprion aldehyde, and astimate that had never before been detected in comets. The complex molecules detected by both Cossack and Potolemy play a key role in the synthesis of the ingredients needed for life. Phil's bouncing also allowed it to measure the magnetic field at different heights above the surface, showing the comet is remarkably non magnetic. Detecting the magnetic field of comets has proven difficulty in previous missions, which have typically flown past at high speeds relatively far from comet nuclei. It took the proximity of Rosetta's orbit around the comet and the measurements made much closer to and at the surface by Phila to provide the first detailed investigation of the magnetic properties of a corommet's nucleus. In the end, some eighty percent of Philay's plant sign sequences was completed in the sixty four hours following separation from Rosetta and before the land fell into hibernation. While Phile hibernated, Rosetta continued returning an unprecedented wealth of information from the comet as it orbited around the Sun. Watching the comet's activity reach a peak and then slowly subside again. Rosetta's mission was drawing to its planned end, with its own daring descent to the surface at a site named says Philey's landing site was revealed in an orbit imagery, a final twist in what had become one of the greatest stories of space. Space exploration. The European Space Agency has an impressive legacy in small body exploration, with the Rosetta phil Double Act inspiring the next generation of comet asteroid chases. European Space Agency's Giotto mission to fly by comet Halley Helohaley in nineteen eighty six was the first mission to image a comet surface. The Rosetta mission was the natural step, becoming the first to orbit a comet as well as deploying a lander to its surface. Rosetta was also the first to follow a comet around the Sun, monitoring its activity as it made its closest approach to the Sun. Rosetta paves the way for upcoming comet interception mission, which, unlike its pre predecessors, will probe a comet visiting our Solar system for the first time. As such, the comet will contain material that has undergone minimal processing, offering a cleaner look and a pristine material from the dawn of the Solar system before it was sculpted by heat of the sun. The mission will consist of a primary craft and two probes, providing a multi angled view of the comet. The European Space Agency is also visiting asteroids with its flagship planetary defender Hera, on its way to survey dimorphos following NASA's Impact experiment to alter its trajectory, a grand scale test of planetary defense techniques. Here's orbit scheme is borrowed directly from Rosetta, and the mission's two smaller satellites carry radar and dust measuring instruments based on those designed for Rosetta. Meanwhile, Ramses will accompany asteroid Apoffice as it makes an exceptionally close flybyte of Earth in twenty twenty nine, and suitcase sized Margo will be the smallest spacecraft to perform its own independent mission in space when at rendezvous with a small near Earth asteroid later this decade. And there you have it. That's it for another episode. Thanks for tuning in, Halle and I will be back again next Monday to bring in the new week with more stories from the Astronomy Daily newsletter. All that's happening in space, space, science, and astronomy from all around the world. And don't forget to go to our home site as mentioned earlier and sign up for the free newsletter. There's so much more in it than you hear on the podcasts. Speaking of which I is cousin. Anna will be taking you through the week with her glossy presentations Tuesday to Saturday. She's busy. She is busy, Holly. You should give her a hand on her shows. What do you think runs the studio for her? Oh? I see she's all talent. That one say you're the brains at this operation? Are you? You said it? Oh? Walked right into that one. Okay, on that note, see you next week, everybody. Bye. Podcast We hear a whole speed. Don't clue