- End of an Era for the International Space Station: NASA has outlined its final plans for the International Space Station, marking a significant transition in space exploration. The ISS, after over 25 years of continuous human presence in low Earth orbit, is set for a controlled deorbit in late 2030, targeting Point Nemo to minimize risks to people and property during its descent.
- Planets as Self-Sufficient Water Factories: New research reveals that certain exoplanets, specifically sub-neptunes, may generate their own water through chemical reactions between hydrogen-rich atmospheres and rocky interiors. This groundbreaking finding could reshape our understanding of habitability and the prevalence of water-rich worlds in the universe.
- Busy Week for Rocket Launches: This week is bustling with rocket launches globally, including China's Shung Zheng 7A rocket, the European Ariane 62, and multiple Falcon 9 launches by SpaceX. The week culminates with Blue Origin's new Glenn rocket carrying NASA's Escapade mission to study Mars' magnetosphere.
- India's Communications Satellite Launch: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched its heaviest communications satellite, CMS03, designed to enhance the operational capabilities of the Indian Navy. This launch signifies India's growing ambitions in space exploration, including plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2027.
- Universe Born Inside a Black Hole?: A new cosmological model proposes that our universe may have originated inside a black hole, challenging traditional Big Bang theories. This model suggests a gravitational bounce from maximum compression could lead to the birth of new universes, potentially explaining cosmic inflation and allowing for a multiverse scenario.
- 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.
NASA's ISS Deorbit Plan
[NASA](https://www.nasa.gov/)
Sub-Neptunes Water Research
[Nature Astronomy](https://www.nature.com/natastronomy/)
Global Rocket Launch Schedule
[Space Launch Schedule](https://www.spacelaunchschedule.com/)
ISRO's CMS03 Satellite Launch
[ISRO](https://www.isro.gov.in/)
Black Hole Cosmological Model
[Nature Physics](https://www.nature.com/nphys/)
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This episode includes AI-generated content.
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Avery: Welcome back to Astronomy Daily, the
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 podcast that brings the cosmos down to Earth.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 Uh, I'm Avery.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Anna: And I'm Anna. Uh, we have another
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 busy show for you today. We're discussing
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 the end of an era for the International Space
00:00:15 --> 00:00:17 Station, a huge.
00:00:17 --> 00:00:18 Avery: Moment in space history.
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 Anna: We'll also explore new research
00:00:21 --> 00:00:24 suggesting some planets can create their own
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 water. We'll cover a ridiculously
00:00:27 --> 00:00:29 busy week for rocket launches around the
00:00:29 --> 00:00:32 globe. And we'll dive into into a mind
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 bending new theory that our universe
00:00:35 --> 00:00:38 might have been born inside a black hole.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 Avery: That last one sounds incredible. Let's
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 get right into it.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 Anna: First up, um, a story that marks a monumental
00:00:45 --> 00:00:47 transition in space exploration.
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 After more than 25 years of continuous
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 human presence in low Earth orbit.
00:00:54 --> 00:00:57 NASA has detailed its final plan for the
00:00:57 --> 00:00:58 International Space Station.
00:00:59 --> 00:01:01 Avery: It's hard to imagine our presence in space
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 without it. So the deorbit is planned
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 for late 2030. What is the final
00:01:07 --> 00:01:09 farewell going to look like for this
00:01:09 --> 00:01:10 incredible structure?
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 Anna: Well, it won't be a quiet retirement.
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 The plan is to perform a controlled DE
00:01:16 --> 00:01:19 orbit, guiding the 460
00:01:19 --> 00:01:22 ton station to a fiery re entry
00:01:22 --> 00:01:24 over the Pacific Ocean. Right.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 Avery: And they have a very specific target in mind,
00:01:27 --> 00:01:27 don't they?
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 Anna: They do. The target is Point
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 Nemo, also known as the Oceanic
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 Pole of Inaccessibility. It's the point
00:01:35 --> 00:01:38 on Earth farthest from any land.
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 Avery: The spacecraft cemetery. I remember
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 reading that it's so isolated, the closest
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 humans are often the astronauts flying
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 overhead on the ISS itself. A
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 fitting final resting place it is.
00:01:53 --> 00:01:56 Anna: That isolation minimizes any risk
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 to people or property from falling debris.
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 To get it there, NASA will use a modified
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 SpaceX Dragon capsule to essentially
00:02:05 --> 00:02:08 act as a deorbit vehicle, providing
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 the final push to guide the station's
00:02:10 --> 00:02:10 descent.
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 Avery: And this is a big deal. Physically speaking,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:16 it's the largest human made object ever
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 to be brought down from orbit, isn't it?
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 Anna: By far. Most of the station is expected
00:02:21 --> 00:02:24 to vaporize due to the intense heat of
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 reentry. But some some denser, more
00:02:27 --> 00:02:30 resilient components will likely survive the
00:02:30 --> 00:02:32 plunge and sink to the ocean floor.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 Avery: Mhm. And the goal is to avoid what happened
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 with Skylab in 1979.
00:02:38 --> 00:02:41 Anna: Exactly. The uncontrolled re entry of
00:02:41 --> 00:02:44 Skylab scattered debris across parts of
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 Western Australia, which was a major wake up
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 call. They learned from that. And Russia's
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 much more precise deorbit of the Mir space
00:02:52 --> 00:02:55 station in 2001 provided a better
00:02:55 --> 00:02:57 model, which this plan builds upon.
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 Avery: A carefully managed end for a monumental
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 piece of human history. From that story
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 of cosmic endings. Let's turn to one
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 about cosmic creation. Anna.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 This next story about planets making their
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 own water is fascinating.
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 Anna: It really is. New research
00:03:15 --> 00:03:17 suggests that certain types of
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 exoplanets, specifically a class called
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 sub neptunes, might not need water
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 delivered by comets or asteroids. They might
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 be able to generate it themselves.
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 Avery: So they're self sufficient water factories.
00:03:31 --> 00:03:32 How does that work?
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 Anna: The theory centers on their unique structure.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 These planets have rocky interiors, but
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 they're enveloped in thick hydrogen rich
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 atmospheres. During their chaotic formation
00:03:45 --> 00:03:47 their surfaces would have been vast magma
00:03:47 --> 00:03:48 oceans.
00:03:48 --> 00:03:50 Avery: Okay, magma and hydrogen.
00:03:51 --> 00:03:54 Anna: Exactly. Scientists recreated these
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 conditions in a lab. They found that the
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 immense pressure and heat cause
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 hydrogen from the atmospher to react with
00:04:01 --> 00:04:04 iron rich silicates in the magma. This
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 reaction releases oxygen from the rock
00:04:07 --> 00:04:10 which then immediately combines with the
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 surrounding hydrogen to form water.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 Avery: That's incredible. So the planet
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 essentially breathes in hydrogen and
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 um, exhales water into its own
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 geology. What does this mean for the search
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 for life?
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 Anna: It's a potential game changer. It offers
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 a completely new pathway for how rocky
00:04:29 --> 00:04:32 planets can acquire water which we consider
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 a key ingredient for habitability. It could
00:04:35 --> 00:04:38 mean that water rich worlds are far more
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 common in the universe than we previously
00:04:40 --> 00:04:41 thought.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 Avery: Amazing. It widens the scope of
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 where we might look for life now from
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 planet formation to modern day exploration.
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 It seems like this week is shaping up to be
00:04:52 --> 00:04:55 one of the busiest in recent memory for space
00:04:55 --> 00:04:55 launches.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 Anna: It's an absolutely packed schedule. It
00:04:59 --> 00:05:01 feels like someone is launching something
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 every day, right?
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 Avery: Kicking things off. A Chinese Shung
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 Zheng 7A rocket has already
00:05:08 --> 00:05:11 launched the Yaogan 46 Earth
00:05:11 --> 00:05:14 observation satellite. Over in Europe
00:05:14 --> 00:05:17 an Ariane 62 is set to
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 launch Sentinel 1D to
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 monitor Earth's surface with radar.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:25 Anna: MHM and Rocket Lab is in on the action
00:05:25 --> 00:05:25 too.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:28 Avery: M of course. Their electron rocket will be
00:05:28 --> 00:05:31 deploying the sixth QPS SAR
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 satellite for a Japanese Const.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 And then there's SpaceX which has not one,
00:05:37 --> 00:05:40 not two, but three Falcon 9
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 launches scheduled, carrying dozens more
00:05:43 --> 00:05:45 Starlink satellites into orbit.
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 Anna: It's always a Busy week when SpaceX has a
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 triple header and we're not done.
00:05:50 --> 00:05:52 Avery: United Launch alliance is launching an Atlas
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 V with a viasat communications satellite.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:58 And the grand finale is Blue Origin's new
00:05:58 --> 00:06:01 Glenn rocket scheduled for its second flight
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 carrying a really exciting NASA mission.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 Anna: That's the escapade mission, isn't it? It's
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 sending twin spacecraft to study Mars
00:06:09 --> 00:06:11 magnetis here which is a key to understanding
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 how Mars lost its atmosphere over billions of
00:06:14 --> 00:06:14 years.
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 Avery: Exactly. A uh, truly global and jam
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 packed week for spaceflight.
00:06:19 --> 00:06:22 Speaking of national space programs making
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 big moves. Let's talk about India's latest
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 achievement.
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 Anna: Yes. The Indian Space Research Organization,
00:06:28 --> 00:06:30 or isro, had a major success.
00:06:31 --> 00:06:33 They just launched their heaviest
00:06:33 --> 00:06:35 communications satellite to date, called
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 CMS03 from the
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 Srihrakota launch site.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Avery: How heavy are we talking about?
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 Anna: 4 kg, or nearly
00:06:45 --> 00:06:48 £10. It was launched aboard
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 the LVM3M M5 vehicle, which is an
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 upgraded version of the very same rocket that
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 successfully sent the Chandrayaan 3 mission
00:06:56 --> 00:06:56 to the moon.
00:06:57 --> 00:07:00 Avery: That rocket is proving to be a real workhorse
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 for them. This fits right in with India's
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 growing ambitions in space. I know Prime
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 Minister Modi praised the achievement.
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 Anna: It does. It's part of a broader push that
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 includes the goal of sending an Indian
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 astronaut to the moon by 2040 and a crewed
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 mission that's planned for as early as
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 2027. They are rapidly becoming
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 a major player in space exploration.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:25 Avery: And what's the purpose of this specific
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 satellite, CMS03?
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 Anna: It has a crucial role. It's designed to
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 provide secure and encrypted communication
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 links specifically for the Indian Navy,
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 enhancing their operational capabilities
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 across the region.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 Avery: Another impressive milestone for isro.
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 Okay, for our final story, we're moving from
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 the practical to the purely
00:07:46 --> 00:07:49 theoretical. And this one is a mind bender.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 Could our entire universe have been born
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 inside a black hole?
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 Anna: This is one of those ideas that sounds like
00:07:57 --> 00:08:00 science fiction, but is grounded in some
00:08:00 --> 00:08:03 serious physics. A new cosmological model
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 is proposing just that, Challenging
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 the Big Bang's concept of a singularity.
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 Avery: The singularity. The idea that everything
00:08:11 --> 00:08:13 came from an infinitely dense point.
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 So what does this new model suggest instead?
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 Anna: The theory suggests that as matter collapses
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 inside a black hole in a parent universe, it
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 doesn't form an infinitely dense point.
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 Instead, quantum pressure prevents that from
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 happening. The matter reaches a point of
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 maximum compression and then rebounds in what
00:08:32 --> 00:08:34 they call a gravitational bounce.
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 Avery: And that bounce is the birth of a new
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 universe. Our universe.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 Anna: That's the idea. It expands to become a new
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 universe. What's compelling about this black
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 hole universe model is that it uses
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 established principles of quantum mechanics
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 and general relativity. It doesn't need to
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 invent hypothetical particles or forces to
00:08:55 --> 00:08:55 work.
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 Avery: So it's a more elegant solution in a way.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 Could it explain some of the big mysteries
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 like cosmic inflation?
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 Anna: Potentially, yes. The dynamics of the
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 bounce could naturally explain the rapid
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 expansion phase of the early universe and
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 why our universe appears to be geometrically
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 flat from the outside. In the parent
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 universe, it would just look like a normal
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 black hole. But on the Inside, a new
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 cosmos is being born.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:27 Avery: Wow. Is a theory like this even testable?
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 Anna: It might be. The theory predicts there should
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 be a very slight detectable
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 curvature to our universe. Upcoming
00:09:35 --> 00:09:38 missions, like the European Space Agency's
00:09:38 --> 00:09:41 Arrake's telescope, could be sensitive enough
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 to measure it and either support or
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 challenge this incredible new idea.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 Avery: So if this model holds true, it implies a
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 kind of cosmic recycling. A
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 multiverse where universes are constantly
00:09:54 --> 00:09:57 budding off from one another inside black
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 holes. It's a staggering thought.
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 Does the theory say anything about what the
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 parent universe might be like?
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 Anna: That's where things get even more
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 speculative. The model doesn't require the
00:10:09 --> 00:10:12 parent universe to have the same physical
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 laws as our own. The gravitational
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 bounce could effectively reset the
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 fundament mental constants. So the universe
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 next door, so to speak, could be utterly
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 alien to ours. With different physics,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:28 different chemistry, perhaps not even
00:10:28 --> 00:10:30 allowing for stars and galaxies as we know
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 them.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 Avery: It's a humbling perspective. It means our
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 entire existence could just be one outcome of
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 a process that's happening countless times
00:10:39 --> 00:10:42 across a much grander reality. And we're
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 completely isolated, unable to ever see
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 or interact with that parent universe.
00:10:48 --> 00:10:51 Anna: Precisely from our perspective, the event
00:10:51 --> 00:10:53 horizon of the black hole we were born from
00:10:53 --> 00:10:56 acts as an ultimate boundary. It's a one
00:10:56 --> 00:10:59 way door. Information from the parent
00:10:59 --> 00:11:02 universe can't get in and we can't get out.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:05 Our universe is self contained. It also
00:11:05 --> 00:11:08 solves the problem of what came before the
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 Big Bang. In this scenario, there was
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 another universe, another timeline, another.
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 Avery: And it also suggests that, uh, black holes in
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 our own universe could potentially be
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 spawning new universes as we speak.
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 So the cycle continues.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:25 Anna: That's the logical extension of the theory.
00:11:25 --> 00:11:28 Yes. Every supermassive black hole
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 at the center of a galaxy, every stellar mass
00:11:31 --> 00:11:33 black hole formed from a collapsing star.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:36 Each one could be a seed for a new
00:11:36 --> 00:11:39 cosmos. It's a beautiful, if mind
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 boggling picture of cosmic evolution.
00:11:42 --> 00:11:44 Avery: What a way to end the show. From the end of
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 the ISS to the potential beginning of
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 everything, that's all the time we have for
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 today.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:53 Anna: Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. Join
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 us again tomorrow as we continue to explore
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 the wonders of the universe. Until then,
00:11:59 --> 00:11:59 keep looking up.