Space Force Secrets, Stellar Speedsters, and Cosmic Communication: S04E47

Welcome again to Astronomy Daily. I'm Steve Dunkley, your human host. It's the twenty fourth of February twenty twenty five. Podcast. I mean to be your whole Steve Dunkle. Oh, yes, and thank you for joining us here at Astronomy Daily. Come to you from the studio in Paradise. That's right, Newcastle, Australia. Currently thirty six degrees. I'm so glad to be indoors. That's Celsius for all of you who are wondering, it's a perfect summer's day here on Australia's beautiful East Coast. Not a cloud in the sky. The sun is baking us. Yes, and as dylanor And once said, we're all audibly crackling down here. We're only three kilometers from the surface of the sun. Didn't you know that it is hot? Hot hot? And joining me again is my digital reporter Pale, who's fun to be with. Welcome back, Holle, Hi favorite human. What's new? Oh, Hally, just another week in the real world, just enjoying all the news from the Astronomy Daily newsletter. Now have you found your stories for today? Yes? I have. You'll like one about the mysterious Space Force space plane. I'll stop it. Space Force. You know what that means? Yes, your favorite. Oh people, get ready the Space. Force theme music. Space Oh dear, I'll just click myself out. And what else have you got for us? Helle? Oh? Yes, SpaceX has completed a substantial static fire test that I'll also report on. That sounds very good, It looks promising. That's great, Halle. It's not Space Force, but it's really good. And I am going to have a look at a fast moving star astronomers have discovered toward the center of the galaxy. And you won't believe just how fast we're talking with this one. How fast are we talking? Then? Well, helly, remember that time you asked me to put away the memory cards from the recording sessions last year. Yes, and I'm still waiting anything to get out of a little work. Yeah. Okay, Well this star is way faster than that. Okay, okay, that's pretty quick, tell you. Listeners, she said, not very convincingly. That's a fact. Yeah. Okay, enough of that, Shenantigan's. But before we get stuck into today's stories, Halle, I've got a quick update regarding that approaching asteroid that's been in. The news lately, the one causing all the rumors about certain destruction in twenty thirty two years. That's the one halle straight off the wire today. Asteroid twenty twenty four y are four, as listeners might be already aware, as a recently discovered near Earth object currently being closely monitored by NASA's Planetary Defense teams. Initial observations suggested there might be a potential risk of impact with Earth in the future, but thankfully updated calculations have significantly reduced this possibility. Based on the latest data, the asteroid has an extremely low probability point two eight percent of impacting Earth. On December twenty two, twenty thirty two. However, its chances of colliding with the Moon have slocally increased to one percent. So I can see that the asteroid's orbit continues to be refined through ongoing observations, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory CENTURY system providing real time updates on its trajectory. That is exactly how it works, and while Asteroid twenty twenty four four doesn't currently pose a significant threat, scientists are remaining vigilant tracking its movements to give more accurate predictions into as says, any potential future risks just in case. That's very wise, and this is why we shouldn't jump to conclusions about trajectories and potential impacts so soon. That's right. The asteroid is a near Earth object of the Apollo type with a estimated diameter between forty and ninety meters, and it was discovered on December twenty seven, twenty twenty four by Atlas, which is the Asteroid Terrestrial Impact Last Alert System at its Chilean station in Rio Hutundo. So nothing to be concerned about, after all, nothing at all. But who knows, we might get to see a spectacular impact on the Moon. Maybe perhaps maybe wouldn't that be something? And it's good today that Atlas is watching the skies. Thanks for that update, human, Now shall we just launch into the episode. Then good idea hit the Gothene Rhightoh. Last week, Ship thirty four completed its engine testing campaign with a long duration static fire. This static fire was nearly a minute long, and according to SpaceX, the extended firing tested new hardware and cycled the six Raptor engines through multiple thrust levels to recreate different conditions seen within the propulsion system during flight. Data from the test will inform upgrades to the ship's hardware and flight profile ahead of the next launch. The new hardware that SpaceX tested was likely related to the anomaly that occurred during flight seven and resulted in the loss of Ship thirty three. This could have been a leak in the liquid oxygen and liquid methane supply lines to the engines, which could have been the source of the fire scene during Ship thirty three's ascent burn. However, there is no official comp information from SpaceX regarding the actual cause of the failure. This test was also done to inform of other upgrades to the vehicle and possible changes to the flight profile, so it is likely that SpaceX still has modifications to be made on Ship thirty four. It is unclear what these modifications could be or how long it will take SpaceX to implement them on Ship thirty four. This long duration static fire is the longest SpaceX has ever fired a starship or booster on the ground, and it can do this because of the flame trench at Massy's It is unclear if this will be a one time test or if crews will do longer duration static fire in the future. There are a few things that SpaceX will likely add to the flight, considering several things couldn't be tested on flight seven. Firstly, there are the dummy starlinks which were loaded into Ship thirty three. A new batch of them was seen in star Factory to be presumably loaded on Ship three four just before rollout to the launch site. SpaceX might use the new starlink loader box that was built inside High Bay rather than the tray loader used on Ship Fife thirty three. As for the other items expected to be added to Ship thirty four, there is the actively cool tile for testing, as well as the catch pins. These catch pins are likely to be just bolted on, as SpaceX does not intend to catch Ship thirty four. Lastly, crews will likely remove all of the tiles that were removed on Ship thirty three to help understand the limits of losing a tile in certain places during re entry. An interesting note about Ship thirty four's engine testing campaign is it took SpaceX seventy two hours to roll it to massi's static fire it and then roll it back to Mega Bay two. This is a record compared to every other ship in the past. Booster fifteen was static fired on February ninth, and it was just the normal ten second static fire with all thirty three engines. With this out of the way, SpaceX rolled the booster back into Mega Bay one for final checkouts and has since received its hot stage train. SpaceX completed the rollout mount on the orbital launch mount and roll back of the booster in just over sixty one hours, which is a new record for bos bosters. This booster doesn't have any major outside changes that are noticeable, but it was the first booster to have the added tanks on the landing tank, but older boosters were likely retrofitted with this upgrade. The final two pieces of the puzzle for flight eight are the launch pad and the regulatory side. First, SpaceX has finally found a rhythm with refurbishing orbital launch pad A, which takes about two to three weeks to refurbish for a booster static fire. Then we will have another few weeks to get it ready for launch again. The second piece is waiting for the mishap investigation to be completed. So far there is no indication of when this might be completed. However, given the post SpaceX made after the long Durationship thirty four static fire. The final part of that investigation could be nearing a close. The next thing to watch out for is a SpaceX post detailing the anomalies, cost, and the fixes they are implementing. The Federal Aviation Administration will also likely post about approving Starship for return to flight after the completed Invents instigation. If SpaceX follows the same trajectory and splash down locations, the license that is currently issued for Starship should still be current. Currently, there is a notice to airmen from Mexican Airspace for February twenty six, with a window of six thirty pm to eight or nine pm Central Standard Time. With all this in mind, SpaceX still has a lot of work to do to launch Flight eight in less than a week. Astronomy Vodka. If you're going to call aliens, you'd better use this number. Let's dive into one of those cosmic curiosities that's bound to blow your mind. Have how about we call some aliens in chat No, and not talking about elaborate coded messages or flashy signals. We're talking about something incredible, incredibly fundamental twenty one centimeter radiation. And if you're planning on having a conversation across the vastness of space using light waves or electromagnetic radiation. It's pretty much your go to option. It's fast, reliable, and well it's most practical way to shout out to other civilizations in the universe. But why specifically twenty one centimeters? Well, that's where things get juicy. This twenty one centimeter radiation isn't just some random frequency we've picked out of a hat. It's tied to something very essential, known as the hydrogen spin flip. Hydrogen atoms consist of one proton and one electron. These tiny particles have a property called spin. Think of spin like a little arrow pointing up or pointing down. Every so often in the vast reaches of space, hydrogen atoms electron can flip its spin, going from a state where its spin is aligned with the proton to one pointing in the opposite direction. This flip releases energy in the form of radiation at you guessed it a wave length of twenty one centimeters. So why does this matter? Well, any smart civilization, whether they have blue skin, tentacles or something more bizarre, will eventually discover hydrogen. Understand that spin dabble in quantum mechanics and figure out this whole twenty one centimeter radiation thing, and they might call it something different. They won't have twenty one or maybe centimeters, but the concept remains universal. It's like it's like the cosmic Rosetta stone. What makes twenty one centimeter radiation perfect for long distance interstellar chats is its ability to cut through into stellar dust. Space is filthy with dust clouds that block out other forms of light. However, twenty one centimeter waves are like the VIPs of the universe, slipping through velvet ropes of cosmic debris to carry their message far and wide. Is the fun fact. NASA's Pioneer spacecraft, launched in the early nineteen seventies, carry plaques, and on these pluks there's a handy diagram of the hydrogen spin flip transition. All other measurements on the plaque, including the height of humans, are made in reference to this fundamental distance. I hope is that aliens can recognize the hydrogen spin flip transition and use that to unlock the rest of our message. Now imagine this scenario. One day, astronomers on Earth detect an unusual surge of twenty one centimeter radiation, and it's not coming from a random hydrogen cloud. It's directional, purposeful, and that could very well be an alien civilization sending us a what's up across the cosmos? A twenty one centimeter radiation makes for a great calling card. Using twenty one centimeter radiation to communicate with extraterrestrial beings leverages a basic universal constant. And who knows, maybe one day, when we finally hear that signal, we'll know that somewhere out there, other intelligent species figured out the same galactic hack we did. So keep your eyes, or rather your telescopes peeled. The next big discovery could just be a spin flip away. 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 do. 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 Daily. We'll see and Haley Space Space, Science and Astronomy. The United States Space Force just offered a rare glimpse of its shadowy X thirty seven B spaceplane in orbit. The photo, released on Thursday, February twentieth, was taken by a camera on board the X thirty seven B while the secret of spaceplane orbited high above the African continent. One of the plane's solar panels is visible on the left side of the photo, while what appears to be its open payload bay is visible along the top edge. The vehicle has been in orbit for well over a year now, having launched on its seventh mission on December twenty eighth, twenty twenty three, atop a SpaceX Falcon heavy rocket, and now the X thirty seven B has notched another milestone with the Space Force's release of this photo, the first ever image of this spaceplane in orbit that has been shown to the public. While the photo contains scant details about the vehicle and what it's currently testing. It offers a look at Earth in the background, revealing just how high the vehicle is flying on its seventh mission. We've gotten only one other glimpse at the X thirty seven B in orbit prior to this. During the live stream of its most recent launch, a brief shot of the spacecraft deploying from Falcon heavy' upper stage was seen while its service module was still attached. When the X thirty seven B was preparing to launch on its current mission, the US Space Force revealed the flight would include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA. According to a Space Force statement, previous X thirty seven B missions were flown in low Earth orbit, but as this photo reveals, the space plane is currently operating much farther from Earth. SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is capable of launching payloads into geosynchronous orbit over twenty two thousand miles thirty five thousand kilometers above our planet. The X thirty seven BE recently made headlines when Space Force and Boeing, who built the vehicle revealed that it would be testing a new aerobraking maneuver that uses the drag or friction generated by Earth's atmosphere to change orbit more efficiently. I mean to Astronomy Daily Fisteve Dunkel. Did you notice how Hallie managed to get my space force story. That's funny how she sneaks away with things like that. Meanwhile, astronomers have found a small, fast moving star racing through the center of our galaxy, possibly with a planet in orbit. If confirmed, this would be the fastest known sorry exo planet system, traveling nearly twice as fast as our Solar system through the Milky Way. You may be wondering how fast that actually is. Hey, I once got an Amazon delivery in less than twenty four hours, but that's just peanuts to how fast this star seems to be tearing across space. The system is estimated to be moving at an incredible speed. Now wait for this, of least one point two million miles per hour. That's five hundred and forty kilometers per second. Wow. We think this is a so called super neptune world orbiting a low mass star at a distance that would be live between the orbits of Venus and Earth. If it, we're in our Solar system, said Sean Terry, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland and NASA has got out space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Since the star is so feeble, that's well outside its habitable zone. If so, it will be the first planet ever found orbiting a hypervelocity star. The findings, led by Terry were published in the Astronomical Journal on February ten. The pair of objects was first spotted indirectly in twenty eleven thanks to a chance alignment. A team of scientists comes through the archived data of MOA. That's the micro Lensing Observations in Astrophysics, a collaborative project focused on micro lensing survey conducted in the University of Canterbury Mount john Obs Observatory in New Zealand in search of life signals that betray the presence of exoplanets or planets outside our Solar System. Micro Lensing occurs when the presence of mass warps the fabric of space time. Anytime an intervening object appears to drift near a background, star light from the star curves as it travels through the space time around the nearer object. If the alignment is especially close, the warping around the object can act like a natural lens, amplifying the background stars light. In this case, micro lensing signals reveal a pair of celestial bodies. Scientists determine their relative masses. One is about twenty three hundred times heavier than the other, but their exact masses depend on how far away they are from the Earth. It's sort of like how the magnification changes if you hold a magnifying glass over a page and move it up and down. Determining the mass ratio is easy, said David Bennett, a research scientists at the University of Maryland College Park and A Godard, who co authored the paper and led the original study in twenty eleven. It's much more difficult, he said, to calculate their actual masses. The twenty eleven discovery team suspected the microlens object where ei they're a star about twenty percent as massive as our Sun and a planet roughly twenty nine times heavy than the Earth, or near a rogue planet about four times of Jupiter's mass with a moon smaller than Earth. To figure out which explanation is more likely, astronomers searched through data from Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the European Space Agency's gay A satellite. If the pair were a rogue planet and moon, they'd be effectively invisible. Dark objects get lost in the inky void of space, but scientists might be able to identify the star if the alternative explanation were correct, though the orbiting planet would be much too faint to actually see. They found a strong suspect located about twenty four thousand light years way, putting it within the Milky Ways galactic bulge the central hub where the stars are more densely packed. By comparing the stars location in twenty eleven and twenty twenty one, the team calculated its high speed, but that's just its two D emotion. If it's also moving toward or away from us, it must be moving even faster. Its true speed may be high enough to exceed the galaxy's escape velocity of just over one point three miles per hour or about six hundred kilometers per second. If so, the planetary system is destined to traverse the intergalactic space many millions of years into the future. To be certain a new identified star is part of the system that caused the twenty eleven signal. We'd like to look again in another year and see if it moves the right amount in the right direction to confirm it it came from the point where we detected the signal. Then it said. If a high resolution observation show that the star just stays in the same position, then we can tell for sure that it's not part of the system that caused that signal, said a Panabatacha, a research scientist at University of Maryland College Park and NASA Goddard who co authored the new paper. That would mean the Roague planet and exomoon model is favored. NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help us find out how common planets are around such speedy stars and may offer clues as to how these systems are accelerated. A mission will conduct survey of the galactic bulge, pairing a large views of space with crisp resolution. In this case, we used MOA for its broad field view and then followed up with KEK and GAIA for their sharper resolution. But thanks to Roman's powerful view and planned survey strategy, we won't need to rely on additional telescopes, Terry said, Roman will do it all. Isn't it exciting to see that our view of the skies is becoming clearer and clearer with each new development. It's space telescope technology. And there it is for another episode of Astronomy Daily, the podcast. I sure hope you enjoyed today's presentation. Yeah, I really enjoyed that today, Halle, even though you took one of my stories. But hey, thanks everybody for stopping byru I hope you really enjoyed the show. And don't forget Halle's cousin Anna takes the show during the week so. You don't miss all the news about astronomy, space and space science as it happens. And if you didn't get it before, the details of receiving the Astronomy Daily newsletter in your email every day I mentioned earlier in this podcast and every podcast. You did a great job on that announcement. Well you're very kind, Halle, and we will catch you all next week on your favorite podcast channel. See you everyone, Bye with your host Steve Dankling.