S03E200: Martian Water Mysteries, Starship's Next Leap, and Venus's Ancient Crater

Hello space enthusiasts! Today's cosmic journey takes us on an incredible adventure across our solar system and beyond. We've got an amazing lineup of stories that showcase humanity's ongoing quest to understand the universe around us. From groundbreaking discoveries about ancient water flows on Mars to SpaceX's latest plans for Starship, we'll explore how our understanding of space continues to evolve. We'll also dive into fascinating new research from the James Webb Space Telescope that's bringing us closer to potentially finding life beyond Earth, and uncover a massive ancient crater on Venus that's rewriting what we know about our sister planet. Stay with me as we explore these captivating developments in space exploration and astronomical research. There's so much to discover in today's episode of Astronomy Daily.

Scientists have made a fascinating breakthrough in understanding how water once flowed on ancient Mars, solving a puzzle that has intrigued researchers for decades. New research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets reveals how sheets of carbon dioxide ice played a crucial role in protecting rivers of water on Mars more than 3 billion years ago. The study shows that around 3.6 billion years ago, carbon dioxide from Mars' atmosphere froze, creating a thick layer of ice that sat on top of water ice sheets at the poles. This carbon dioxide ice layer acted like a natural insulator, trapping heat from Mars' still-active interior. The trapped heat caused about half of the water ice beneath to melt, allowing it to flow across the Red Planet's ancient surface.

What makes this discovery particularly significant is that it explains how Mars could have had flowing water during a period when the planet was generally cold and icy. The research team found that a 650-meter-thick layer of carbon dioxide ice covered a massive 4-kilometer-thick layer of water ice. As this water melted, it saturated the Martian crust underneath the carbon dioxide cap, creating a complex system of subglacial rivers. These ancient rivers left behind distinctive ridge formations called eskers, which can still be seen near Mars' south pole today. The water eventually collected in what we now call the Argyre Basin - an area comparable in size to the Mediterranean Sea - before overflowing into the Martian northern plains.

This new model is particularly exciting because it explains these geological features without requiring any mysterious global warming events. Instead, it relies on processes we can observe on Mars even today, where carbon dioxide continues to play a crucial role in the planet's atmospheric system. The research suggests that this process may have created a pole-to-equator hydrologic cycle, where water would sublimate back into the atmosphere before returning to the south polar cap, creating a continuous cycle of water movement across the planet's surface.

SpaceX is gearing up for its next ambitious Starship test flight, scheduled for mid-November, marking a remarkably quick turnaround of just over five weeks since their previous launch. And yes, the plan is to use the chopsticks again. The company has announced several exciting modifications and improvements for this upcoming mission, demonstrating their commitment to rapid iteration and development. The flight will follow a similar suborbital trajectory to October's test, but with some notable enhancements. One of the most interesting additions is a planned Raptor engine relight demonstration during Starship's flight. This crucial test will verify the spacecraft's ability to perform deorbit burns during future orbital missions, a capability that's essential for controlled reentry. The team is also implementing fascinating changes to the thermal protection system. They'll be testing new secondary thermal protection materials and, intriguingly, will have entire sections of heat shield tiles removed from both sides of the ship. These modifications are part of SpaceX's research into future catch-enabling hardware, as they work toward their goal of recovering Starship using the same launch tower catch technique planned for the Super Heavy booster. To better observe the spacecraft's performance during reentry, SpaceX has shifted the launch window to the afternoon, ensuring daylight conditions for Starship's splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The vehicle will also fly at a higher angle of attack during its final descent, purposefully pushing the limits of flap control to gather valuable data for future landing profiles.

The Super Heavy booster hasn't been neglected either. Engineers have incorporated additional redundancy in its propulsion system, strengthened key structural areas, and improved the post-landing propellant removal process. They've also refined the software controls and commit criteria for the booster's launch and return sequence, addressing lessons learned from their previous flight where they came within one second of aborting the catch attempt due to a misconfigured parameter. These incremental improvements demonstrate SpaceX's methodical approach to developing what aims to be the world's most powerful and fully reusable launch system, bringing us one step closer to their vision of regular, reliable access to deep space.

Virgin Galactic has just announced ambitious plans to accelerate their growth in the space tourism sector, seeking to raise $300 million in additional capital. This investment would fast-track the production of their suborbital spaceplanes and mothership aircraft, marking a significant expansion of their commercial operations. The company's current timeline has their first two Delta-class spaceplanes on schedule for commercial flights starting in 2026. However, rather than waiting to fund future vehicles through operational revenue, they're seizing an opportunity to scale up more quickly. This new capital would enable them to add two more Delta-class vehicles and a second mothership to their fleet, bringing them into service by 2028 - two years ahead of their original schedule.

This expansion could be transformative for Virgin Galactic's operations at Spaceport America in New Mexico. With four spaceplanes and two motherships, they'd achieve what they're calling a "fully utilized" spaceport. The economics are particularly compelling - doubling their spacecraft fleet would not just double their revenue, but potentially quadruple their earnings as fixed costs would be spread across more flights. What's particularly interesting is their approach to building the second mothership. Unlike their previous arrangement with Aurora Flight Sciences, Virgin Galactic plans to handle this internally. They'll leverage their existing engineering and production teams as they transition off the initial Delta-class development, maintaining their workforce while expanding their capabilities.

The company appears confident in their strategy, with their existing cash reserves sufficient to bring the first two Delta-class vehicles into service. This gives them flexibility in timing for raising the additional capital, while still maintaining their path toward positive cash flow once those initial vehicles are operational. This move represents a bold step forward in Virgin Galactic's vision of making space tourism more accessible, potentially paving the way for multiple spaceports globally as they scale their operations to meet growing demand for commercial spaceflight experiences.

Moving on to a JWST update. The James Webb Space Telescope continues to revolutionize our search for life beyond Earth, particularly when it comes to studying potentially habitable exoplanets. New research suggests that Webb could be instrumental in confirming the presence of life-supporting atmospheres on planets orbiting M-dwarf stars - the most common type of star in our universe.

Take TRAPPIST-1, for instance, a remarkable star system just 40 light-years away. While previous studies raised concerns about the habitability of its planets due to intense UV radiation potentially burning away their surface water, recent findings paint a more optimistic picture. Scientists at the University of Washington have discovered that certain processes in rocky planets orbiting M-dwarfs could actually lead to the formation of stable atmospheres over time. The research shows a fascinating evolution of these planets. During their formation, while still molten, hydrogen and other light gases initially escape into space. However, on planets at the right distance from their star - in the "Goldilocks zone" - something remarkable happens. The hydrogen reacts with oxygen and iron in the planet's interior, producing water and heavier gases that form a stable atmosphere.

Webb's early observations have already provided some clarity about the hottest rocky planets closest to TRAPPIST-1, confirming they lack significant atmospheres. But the real excitement lies in the telescope's upcoming observations of planets in the habitable zone, where temperatures might be just right for liquid water to exist on the surface. This is particularly significant because with current technology, we can only study a very small number of potentially habitable rocky planets' atmospheres. TRAPPIST-1's planets represent some of our best candidates for finding conditions that could support life. If these planets do maintain stable atmospheres, they could harbor surface liquid water and temperate climates - key ingredients in our search for life beyond Earth.

These findings give us compelling reasons to continue investing telescope time in studying these systems, rather than waiting for future generations of more powerful telescopes. Each observation brings us closer to potentially answering one of humanity's most profound questions: are we alone in the universe?

Some news from Venus now. In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have identified what could be the oldest and largest impact crater ever found on Venus, offering unprecedented insights into our sister planet's ancient history. The massive structure, spanning an impressive 1,500 kilometers across - about 900 miles - was found while mapping some of Venus's oldest terrain features. The discovery was made in an area known as Haastte-baad Tessera, part of Venus's mysterious tessera regions. These highly disrupted and deformed terrains cover about 10% of the planet's surface and are believed to be at least 1.5 billion years old. What makes this find particularly intriguing is that it's more than five times larger than any other known crater on Venus.

The structure's unique appearance caught researchers' attention immediately, featuring distinct circular, multi-ringed patterns unlike anything previously observed on rocky planets. Interestingly, the key to understanding this formation came from an unexpected source - Jupiter's icy moons. Similar patterns found on Callisto and Europa helped scientists piece together how this massive Venusian crater might have formed. The formation scenario reads like a cosmic detective story. Scientists believe it took not one, but two major impacts to create this extraordinary feature. The first impact produced the surrounding terrain, leaving a thin crust over a pool of molten rock. Then, while this area was still hot and fluid, a second object struck the same location, creating the distinctive multi-ringed structure we see today.

This double-impact theory might seem improbable, but in Venus's early days, large objects regularly careened through our solar system. The initial impact site would have remained hot for millions of years, providing ample opportunity for a second strike. This discovery is particularly valuable because while Venus has roughly 1,000 known impact craters, none can be dated back to the solar system's first 2.5 billion years - until possibly now. The finding provides crucial new information about Venus's early history and has become a priority target for future Venus missions. It's helping scientists better understand not only the planet's ancient past but also how such massive impacts shaped the early solar system.

Finally today, something on a lighter note. For fans of space documentaries and UFO enthusiasts alike, Netflix's latest Argentinian film "The Man Who Loved UFOs" offers a fascinating look at how UFO hysteria can capture public imagination and spawn viral phenomena, even in the pre-internet era of the 1980s. This satirical film tells the true story of José de Zer, a television journalist who transformed a simple countryside investigation into one of Argentina's most notorious UFO incidents. In 1986, de Zer traveled to a remote village to investigate reports of strange lights and mysterious burn marks on a hillside. What began as a routine assignment soon evolved into something far more complex. Rather than debunking the sighting, de Zer saw an opportunity. Working with local mining company owners who hoped to boost tourism, he orchestrated what would become the most widely recognized UFO footage in Argentine television history. The film expertly chronicles how de Zer and his cameraman manufactured evidence, coached witnesses, and created an entire mythology around these supposed extraterrestrial visits.

The production delves deep into the mechanics of how misinformation spreads, showing how economic pressures, media ratings, and public appetite for sensational stories can combine to create a perfect storm of manufactured truth. As de Zer's fabricated story gains momentum, we witness the toll it takes on its creator, exploring the psychological impact of maintaining such an elaborate deception. While the film's English dubbing may leave something to be desired, its underlying message about the nature of belief, media manipulation, and our eternal fascination with the unknown remains powerfully relevant in today's era of viral content and instant news. 'The Man Who Loved UFOs' is screening now on Netflix and well worth a look if you're at all interested in UFOs and the hysteria surrounding them.

And that wraps up another fascinating episode of Astronomy Daily. From ancient Martian rivers protected by sheets of carbon dioxide ice to SpaceX's upcoming Starship launch, from groundbreaking discoveries by the Webb telescope to mysterious ancient craters on Venus, we've covered quite a journey through space today. I'm Anna, and I want to thank you for joining me on this cosmic adventure. If you're hungry for more space news, head over to astronomydaily.io, where you can find our constantly updating newsfeed and listen to all our previous episodes. Don't forget to join our growing community of space enthusiasts on social media. You can find us as AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube, Tumbler, and TikTok. Keep looking up, and I'll see you tomorrow for another exciting edition of Astronomy Daily.