S02E39: Moon Rocks, Japan's Space Quest, and Debunking Contrail Myths

08/28/23 • 16 min

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Astronomy Daily: Exciting Space Discoveries and News

*Hosted by Steve Dunkley and AI sidekick Hallie***"
. **Main Stories:** - **Moon Rocks:** Where are they now? Stored at NASA's Lunar Sample Curation Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Dr. Julian Gross, former Deputy Apollo Sample Curator, discusses the Lunar Curation Facility and the excitement for the Artemis mission's new lunar samples. - **Japan's Space Endeavors:** Japan's HIA Launch Vehicle is nearing retirement but not before launching the Slim lunar lander and the X-ray imaging and spectroscopy mission X-ray telescope. The ZRISM X-ray Observatory aims to study various cosmic phenomena, and the Slim Lander seeks to land successfully on the moon, carrying the SoraQ Mini Rover designed by Tomi, the creators of Transformers toys. - **Asteroids:** NASA's efforts in tracking asteroids. Dr. Amy Mainzer from NASA explains the challenges of finding asteroids and the importance of early detection for planetary defense.
2. **Short Takes:** - **SpaceX Crew 7:** Successful docking at the International Space Station, replacing Crew 6. - **Contrails:** An in-depth look at contrails, their formation, and their impact on the environment. Debunking the chemtrail conspiracy with insights from experts at MIT and Harvard.
3. **Personal Stories:** - Steve Dunkley shares a childhood memory of seeing a Moon Rock in Canberra, which ignited his passion for astronomy.
4. **Reminders:** - Register at bites.com and space nuts.com for the Astronomy Daily newsletter for daily top astronomy stories. - Check out back episodes of Astronomy Daily and the parent podcast with Andrew Dunkley at bitesz.com and space nuts.com.
Join Steve Dunkley and Hallie next time for more exciting stories from the world of astronomy!
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Previous Episode

S02E38: India's Lunar Triumph & Mars Colony Insights: Astronomy Daily, Aug 25, 2023

*Hosted by Tim Gibbs and AI sidekick, Hallie* 1. **ISR-ISRO's Lunar Landing Achievement** - India becomes the fourth nation to successfully land on the moon. - Vikram Lander, part of Chandrayaan-3 mission, touched down near the lunar South Pole. - India joins the ranks of Russia, the US, and China in lunar landings. - The mission symbolizes India's progress in space exploration. - Chandrayaan-3's journey details, from launch to landing. 2. **Mars Colony Simulation Insights** - George Mason University's study suggests only 22 people are required to start a Mars colony. - The study focused on the number and types of people needed for a successful colony. - Traits like resilience to stress, social skills, and neuroticism were considered. - Findings: Agreeable personalities are crucial for colony success. 3. **Space Activities & Research** - Roskosmos Progress 85 cargo craft en route to the International Space Station (ISS). - Expedition 69's research on weightlessness effects on cardiac tissue and the digestive system. - SpaceX Crew of 7 mission set to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. - Crew members' details and their six-month microgravity research mission. - Studies on cardiac abnormalities and digestive system adaptations in space. 4. **India's Lunar Exploration** - Pragyan rover explores the lunar South Pole. - Chandrayaan-3's success after previous mission's failure. - India's frugal space engineering and its achievements in space exploration. - Future plans: Missions to the Sun, another lunar probe, and a Venus orbital mission. 5. **NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Update** - Integration and testing of the spacecraft's electrical cabling. - Harness details: 32,000 wires and 900 connectors. - Importance of the bake-out process before sending observatories into space. - Upcoming: Installation of electronic boxes for the spacecraft's science instruments. 6. **Hallie's Joke of the Day** - "Did you hear about the mathematician who's afraid of negative numbers? He'll stop at nothing to avoid them." 7. **Connect with Astronomy Daily** - Join the conversation on the "Space Nuts" Facebook group. - Listen to all episodes on bikes.com.com and spacenuts.io. *Thank you for tuning in to the Astronomy Daily podcast. Until next time!*
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.

Next Episode

S02E40: Super Moons, Dark Matter Mysteries, and Star Wars Comedy: A Celestial Week in Review

1. **Introduction:** - Welcome to the Astronomy Daily podcast. - Host: Tim Gibbs - AI Newsreader: Hallie
2. **Celestial Events:** - Rare blue super moon dazzled stargazers on a Wednesday night. - Saturn was visible alongside the moon. - It was the second full moon of August, hence the "blue" label. - The moon was unusually close to Earth, making it a super moon. - Next blue super moon is expected in 2037, but another regular super moon is anticipated at the end of September.
3. **Gravity and Dark Matter:** - Discussion on Isaac Newton's theory of gravity and Einstein's theory of general relativity. - New study from Sissa Askola International Superior D-Studi Avanzotti published in the Astrophysical Journal. - The study suggests Dark Matter interacts with gravity in a non-local way. - Dark Matter's nature, especially its interaction with gravity in smaller galaxies, remains a mystery. - The study introduces a new model of non-local interaction between Dark Matter and gravity. - Fractional calculus, a mathematical tool from the 17th century, was used in the study.
4. **Star Wars vs. Star Trek:** - Discussion on Star Trek's animated sitcom and its comedic approach. - Speculation on why Star Wars hasn't ventured into comedy. - Mention of various comedic takes on Star Wars by other creators.
5. **Exoplanet Discovery:** - NASA's exoplanet Hunting Satellite discovers a world with one of the longest known periods. - The gas giant, T-O-I-4-660-C, is about the size of Saturn and is 815 light years from Earth. - It has a year lasting 482.82 days and is one of the coldest planets spotted by NASA's test. - The discovery provides insights into the formation and migration of different types of systems.
6. **Sci-Fi Jokes:** - Why did the Borg go to therapy? They had too many assimilation issues. - Why did Anakin Skywalker cross the road? To get to the dark side.
7. **Closing:** - Reminder to join the conversation on the SpaceNuts podcast group on Facebook. - Access all episodes at spacenuts.io and bitesz.com. - Upcoming episodes with Steve on Monday and Tim on Friday. - Farewell from Tim and Hallie.
Thank you for tuning into the Astronomy Daily Podcast! See you next time.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/astronomy-daily-exciting-space-discoveries-and-news--5648921/support.