(00:00:35) SpaceX scrubbed the launch of their Transporter 15 mission on Wednesday
(00:02:45) SpaceX scrubbed its B1062 booster due to unspecified issue
(00:04:26) Scientists used data from a spacecraft orbiting Mars to predict comet's path
(00:05:42) Improved trajectory means telescopes and other spacecraft can track comet with greater accuracy
(00:07:57) NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled for launch in 2027
(00:10:14) NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two cosmonauts set for Thanksgiving mission
(00:11:09) South Korea's homegrown Nuri rocket successfully launched on November 26th
(00:12:13) Astronomy Daily features the best of what's happening in space today
In this episode of Astronomy Daily, hosts Avery and Anna bring you the latest cosmic news, including a last-minute launch scrub for SpaceX's Transporter 15 mission, innovative tracking of interstellar visitors using Mars data, and exciting updates about NASA's upcoming Roman telescope. They also discuss a Thanksgiving Day launch to the International Space Station and a successful flight of South Korea's Nuri rocket. Tune in for an insightful journey through the universe!
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00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Avery: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 brings you the latest news from across the
00:00:05 --> 00:00:06 cosmos. I'm Avery.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Anna: And I'm Anna. Uh, on the docket today, a,
00:00:10 --> 00:00:12 uh, last minute launch scrub for SpaceX's
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 massive rideshare mission. A new way to track
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 interstellar visitors using data from Mars,
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 and a look at how NASA's upcoming Roman
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 telescope is already set to exceed
00:00:23 --> 00:00:23 expectations.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 Avery: Plus, we'll cover a Thanksgiving Day launch
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 to the International Space Station and a
00:00:29 --> 00:00:31 successful flight for South Korea's home
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 grown Nuri rocket. Let's get right into it,
00:00:35 --> 00:00:35 Anna.
00:00:35 --> 00:00:37 Uh, what happened with SpaceX?
00:00:37 --> 00:00:40 Anna: Well, it looks like a huge fleet of tiny
00:00:40 --> 00:00:42 satellites will have to wait a little longer
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 to get into orbit. On Wednesday, SpaceX
00:00:45 --> 00:00:48 scrubbed the launch of their Transporter 15
00:00:48 --> 00:00:48 mission.
00:00:49 --> 00:00:52 Avery: Oh, that's a shame. How close did they
00:00:52 --> 00:00:52 get?
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 Anna: They were very close. The call came just
00:00:55 --> 00:00:58 over 15 minutes before the planned liftoff
00:00:58 --> 00:01:00 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in
00:01:00 --> 00:01:00 California.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:03 Avery: Any word on why? Technical issue?
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 Weather.
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 Anna: SpaceX hasn't disclosed a specific reason for
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 the delay, but during the live commentary, a
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 spokesperson emphasized their cautious
00:01:12 --> 00:01:12 approach.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:13 Avery: Right.
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 Anna: They said, and I'm quoting here, there are a
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 thousand ways that a launch can go wrong and
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 only one way that it can go right. So if the
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 team sees anything that looks even slightly
00:01:24 --> 00:01:25 off, they'll stop the countdown.
00:01:26 --> 00:01:28 Avery: That's a very good point. Better safe than
00:01:28 --> 00:01:30 sorry, especially with a payload that large.
00:01:30 --> 00:01:32 How many satellites were on board?
00:01:32 --> 00:01:35 Anna: Again, A staggering 140
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 satellites. It's a rideshare mission, so it's
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 an eclectic mix of customers. For example,
00:01:41 --> 00:01:43 Planet Labs has 36 of their small
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 SuperDev satellites on board, plus two of
00:01:46 --> 00:01:48 their larger Pelican satellites.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 Avery: Wow, that's a lot of eyes on Earth.
00:01:50 --> 00:01:53 Anna: Exactly. The European Space Agency
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 also has a pair of satellites to monitor
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 Earth's water cycle. And there are dozens
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 more from companies and agencies all over the
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 world, from Taiwan to Italy. There's even
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 a from the company Varda, which launches
00:02:06 --> 00:02:09 experiments that can return to Earth in re
00:02:09 --> 00:02:10 entry capsules.
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 Avery: And this was on one of their veteran
00:02:12 --> 00:02:12 boosters, wasn't it?
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 Anna: It was the first stage of this. Falcon 9
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 has already flown 29 times before.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 The plan was and still is for it to land
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 on the drone ship. Of course I Still Love
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 youe in the Pacific to be prepped for its
00:02:25 --> 00:02:26 30th flight.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 Avery: Incredible. So when is the next attempt?
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 Anna: M the next launch opportunity is Friday,
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 November 28th at 1:19pm
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 Eastern Time. We'll be keeping our fingers
00:02:37 --> 00:02:38 crossed for them.
00:02:39 --> 00:02:42 Avery: 30 flights for a single booster is astounding
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 it really speaks to the maturity of their
00:02:44 --> 00:02:45 reusability program.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 You mentioned the company's cautious
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 approach. Is there any speculation on the
00:02:50 --> 00:02:52 specific nature of the issue that caused a
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 scrub M? Was it related to the vehicle, the
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 payload, or ground systems?
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 Anna: SpaceX maintains a tight lid on the details
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 of these holds, but sources familiar with the
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 operation suggest it was likely a sensor
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 reading on the ground support equipment that
00:03:08 --> 00:03:10 was trending out of its expected range. It
00:03:10 --> 00:03:12 could be something as simple as a temperature
00:03:12 --> 00:03:15 or pressure reading in a propellant line. The
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 automated countdown system is designed to
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 halt for any anomaly, no matter how small,
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 to give engineers time to evaluate the data.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 It's a philosophy that has served them well.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 Preventing potential failures.
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 Avery: That makes sense. And with a veteran booster
00:03:31 --> 00:03:34 like B1062, which has 29 flights under
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 its belt, are there additional checks and
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 balances in place? I imagine there's a lot of
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 focus on potential metal fatigue or wear on
00:03:41 --> 00:03:43 components that have been through dozens of
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 launch and landing cycles.
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 Anna: Absolutely. That's a huge part of the
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 refurbishment process. Between each flight,
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 the booster undergoes extensive non
00:03:53 --> 00:03:56 destructive testing, including ultrasonic
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 and X ray inspections to check for
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 microscopic cracks in the structure and
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 welds. They also swap out high
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 wear components like engines and
00:04:06 --> 00:04:09 grid fins on a regular schedule long
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 before they are expected to fail. Each
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 flight provides a wealth of data that refines
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 their understanding of the vehicle's life
00:04:16 --> 00:04:19 cycle, allowing them to confidently push the
00:04:19 --> 00:04:22 boundaries of what these reusable rockets can
00:04:22 --> 00:04:22 do.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 Avery: Absolutely. From keeping things on the ground
00:04:25 --> 00:04:28 to tracking things flying through deep space.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 Our next story is an Update about the third
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 interstellar object ever detected. Three
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 I ATLs.
00:04:36 --> 00:04:39 Anna: Right. These are fascinating visitors
00:04:39 --> 00:04:42 from beyond our solar system. The big
00:04:42 --> 00:04:44 challenge is always figuring out where they
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 came from and where they're going.
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 Avery: And getting an accurate trajectory is key.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:51 Astronomers just got a huge boost in that
00:04:51 --> 00:04:53 department thanks to a very innovative
00:04:53 --> 00:04:56 approach using data from a spacecraft
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 orbiting Mars.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 Anna: Mars? You mean the ExoMars
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 Trace Gas Orbiter?
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 Avery: That's the one. Until October, we could
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 only track 3i atls from
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Earth based telescopes. But as it flew past
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 Mars, the TGO and Mars Express
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 orbiters got to see it from a completely
00:05:16 --> 00:05:17 different angle.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:20 Anna: Ah. Uh, so they could triangulate its
00:05:20 --> 00:05:21 position. That makes sense.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Avery: Exactly. And it was a huge success. By
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 combining the data from Mars with the
00:05:27 --> 00:05:29 observations from Earth, they improved the
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 prediction of the comet's path by a factor of
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 10. This is actually the first time
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 data from a spacecraft orbiting another
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 planet has been used to do this.
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 Anna: That's a fantastic milestone.
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 So where is 3i atls now?
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 Avery: M. It just made its closest pass to The sun
00:05:48 --> 00:05:51 on October 30 and is now blazing out of
00:05:51 --> 00:05:53 the solar system at speeds up to 250
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 thousand kilometers per hour.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:59 Anna: Wow. And it's not coming anywhere near
00:05:59 --> 00:05:59 us, right?
00:06:00 --> 00:06:02 Avery: Not at all. It'll pass Earth on December
00:06:02 --> 00:06:04 19th at a very safe distance of
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 270 million kilometers.
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 That's almost twice the distance between the
00:06:09 --> 00:06:12 Earth and the Sun. But this improved
00:06:12 --> 00:06:14 trajectory means telescopes and other
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 spacecraft can now track it with much greater
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 accuracy to learn more about it.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 Anna: And there's a bigger picture here too. This
00:06:21 --> 00:06:24 isn't just about this one object. This
00:06:24 --> 00:06:26 entire exercise serves served as a valuable
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 test for planetary defense.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:30 Avery: A, uh, kind of rehearsal.
00:06:30 --> 00:06:33 Anna: Yes. And the implications of this improved
00:06:33 --> 00:06:36 accuracy are significant. A, uh, more
00:06:36 --> 00:06:39 precise trajectory allows astronomers
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 to more confidently trace the object's path
00:06:41 --> 00:06:44 backward in time, helping to narrow down its
00:06:44 --> 00:06:47 potential origin among the nearby stars.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 It's like cosmic detective work trying to
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 find its home address. This also allows for
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 much more efficient follow up observations
00:06:55 --> 00:06:58 from other telescopes, including space based
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 assets like the James Webb Space Telescope,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 which can now be pointed with greater
00:07:03 --> 00:07:03 certainty.
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 Avery: And what are they hoping to find with those
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 powerful telescopes? Is there Anything
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 particularly unusual about 3i
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 ATLAS composition compared to the
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 comets born in our own solar system?
00:07:16 --> 00:07:19 Anna: That is the million dollar question. So
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 far from a distance, it appears to be a
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 fairly typical water ice rich comet.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 But that in itself is a profound
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 discovery. It suggests that the chemical
00:07:30 --> 00:07:33 makeup of planet forming disks might be quite
00:07:33 --> 00:07:36 similar across the galaxy. The detailed
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 spectroscopic analysis that will now be
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 possible will break down the light from its
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 coma to identify the specific ratios
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 of different ices, organic molecules and
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 dust. This is our only way of
00:07:49 --> 00:07:52 directly sampling the raw ingredients from
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 another solar system.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 Avery: It's great to see these capabilities being
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 tested and proven.
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 All right. Moving from the solar system to
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 the stars themselves. Our next story is
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 about a telescope that hasn't even launched
00:08:05 --> 00:08:05 yet.
00:08:06 --> 00:08:09 Anna: You must be talking about NASA's Nancy Grace
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 Roman Space Telescope. It's scheduled for
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 launch between 2026 and 2027,
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 but it's already making waves.
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 Avery: I know it's designed to study dark matter and
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 dark energy, but new findings suggest it's
00:08:22 --> 00:08:24 going to do much more, especially when it
00:08:24 --> 00:08:26 comes to the that host exoplanets.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 Anna: That's right. According to a new paper in the
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 Astrophysical Journal, Roman's capabilities
00:08:32 --> 00:08:35 in astroseismology could be a game changer.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 Avery: Astroseismology, that's the study
00:08:38 --> 00:08:41 of starquakes, right? The seismic waves that
00:08:41 --> 00:08:44 ripple across the star's surface precisely.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 Anna: And Roman is uniquely equipped for it.
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 Its field of view is 100 times
00:08:49 --> 00:08:52 broader than Hubble's. This will allow it
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 to observe a staggering number of stars in
00:08:55 --> 00:08:58 incredible detail and detect those subtle
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 seismic waves on over
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 300 Red Giants.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 Avery: And by studying those waves, we can learn
00:09:05 --> 00:09:06 about the star's interior.
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 Anna: Mhm. We can determine its mass, size
00:09:09 --> 00:09:12 and age with unprecedented accuracy.
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 As the study's leader Trevor Weiss put it,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 that information will give us a lot of
00:09:17 --> 00:09:18 insight on exoplanets themselves.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 Understanding the host star is crucial to
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 understanding its planets, their potential
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 for habitability, and the future of that
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 planetary system.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 Avery: This ties into one of Roman's main missions,
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 right? The Galactic Bulge Time Domain Survey.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 Anna: It does. That survey will use gravitational
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 microlensing to find exoplanets. But
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 this added astroseismic data means we'll get
00:09:41 --> 00:09:44 a complete picture of not just the planets,
00:09:44 --> 00:09:47 but the entire system. And since the
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 galactic bulge contains some of the oldest
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 stars in our galaxy, studying them will also
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 give us profound insights into our galaxy's
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 history and evolution.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 Avery: So Roman will basically be a time machine
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 looking back at the history of star formation
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 in our galaxy.
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 Anna: What an incredible instrument it really is.
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 The data it collects will be the largest
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 asteroseismic data set ever compiled.
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 Avery: Okay, let's bring it back closer to home. For
00:10:12 --> 00:10:15 our final stories of the day. We have a crew
00:10:15 --> 00:10:18 launch and the successful rocket flight to
00:10:18 --> 00:10:18 cover.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:21 First up, a very timely trip to the
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 International Space Station.
00:10:22 --> 00:10:25 Anna: That's right, one NASA astronaut and two
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 Roscosmos cosmonauts are counting down to
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 liftoff on Thanksgiving Day from the Baikonur
00:10:30 --> 00:10:33 Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. They're about to
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 begin an eight month mission aboard the
00:10:35 --> 00:10:38 station. Who's flying? NASA astronaut
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 Chris Williams along with Roscosmos
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 cosmonauts Sergey Kud Sverchkov
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 and Sergei Mikayev. Their
00:10:45 --> 00:10:48 Soyuz MS.M28 spacecraft
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 is set to launch at 4:27am M.
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 Eastern Time on Thursday. And it's a quick
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 trip, right? Very quick. They'll orbit Earth
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 just twice before docking with the raspet
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 module at 7:38am um, Eastern,
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 just over three hours after launch, they'll
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 expand the Expedition 73 crew from
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 seven to 10 members.
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 Avery: What a way to spend Thanksgiving.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 And while they're getting ready to launch,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 another country just had a big success.
00:11:15 --> 00:11:18 Anna: Yes. South Korea's homegrown Nuri
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 rocket has flown for the first fourth time.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 And it was another success. The rocket lifted
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 off from the narrow space center on November
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 26th.
00:11:27 --> 00:11:29 Avery: That's great news for their space program.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 What was the payload?
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 Anna: The main payload was an Earth observation
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 satellite called Cass
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 503, which will study
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 auroras and another atmospheric phenomenon
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 called airglow. It also carried a dozen
00:11:43 --> 00:11:46 smaller rideshare cubesats for various
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 companies and research institutions.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:51 Avery: This launch was significant for a couple of
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 other reasons, too.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:54 Anna: Wasn't MHM was the first launch since the
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 establishment of the Korea Aerospace
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 Administration, or casa, back in May.
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 It was also the first time that a private
00:12:01 --> 00:12:04 system integration company was in charge of
00:12:04 --> 00:12:07 the rocket's production and assembly, marking
00:12:07 --> 00:12:09 a big step towards commercialization for
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 South Korea's launch industry.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 Avery: Fantastic to see that progress.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 And that brings us to the end of another busy
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 day in space news.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 Anna: From launch scrubs on Earth to interstellar
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 tracking from Mars, and a successful flight
00:12:21 --> 00:12:24 for South Korea, it's been quite the day.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 Thanks so much for tuning in to Astronomy
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 Daily.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:29 Avery: Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 podcasts so you don't miss an episode. Until
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 next time. I'm, um, Avery.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 Anna: And I'm Anna.
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 Avery: Keep looking up.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 The story.