Artemis II Rollout Weekend: NASA Preps Moon Mission + ESA Hacked & Jupiter's Oxygen Surprise

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Anna: Hello, space fans. Welcome to Astronomy

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Daily, your source for the latest news from

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across the cosmos. I'm Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. Great to have you with us

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today. We've got a really exciting lineup of

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storeys covering everything from upcoming

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missions to mysterious discoveries.

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Anna: That's right. We're starting with some big

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news from NASA. Artemis 2 is entering

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its final preparations for the first crewed

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mission beyond low Earth orbit in over

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50 years. The rollout to the launch pad

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happens this weekend. Weekend.

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Avery: Very exciting. We'll also be talking about a

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serious cybersecurity breach at the European

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Space Agency. China's ambitious satellite

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launches to kick off 2026 and the

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surprising discovery about Jupiter's

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atmosphere.

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Anna: Plus, we have an intriguing cosmic mystery.

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Astronomers have found a massive bar of iron

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hidden m inside the famous Ring Nebula. And

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we'll wrap up with a fascinating look back at

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the Apollo 14 moon trees and what

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happened to them.

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Avery: Lots to cover. So let's get started.

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Anna: All right, Avery, let's dive into our top

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storey.

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NASA is entering the final stages of

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preparation for Artemis ii and the excitement

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is really building.

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Avery: This is huge, Anna. We're talking about the

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first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit

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in over 50 years. The launch window opens

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as early as February 6, though it could

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extend into April depending on final

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preparations.

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Anna: And this weekend is a major milestone. Right,

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the rollout to the launch pad.

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Avery: Exactly. Targeted for no earlier than this

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Saturday, January 17th. The Space Launch

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System rocket and Orion spacecraft will make

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that slow journey from the Vehicle Assembly

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Building to launch pad 39B at Ah,

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Kennedy Space Centre. It's about 6.5

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kilometres or 4 miles, and it'll take up

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to 12 hours on the Crawler transporter.

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Anna: That's the same launch pad used for Apollo,

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isn't it?

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Avery: It is. Launch pad 39B has quite

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a history. Now, the Artemis 2 crew consists

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of four astronauts. NASA's Reid Wiseman as

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Commander, Victor Glover as pilot,

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Christina Koch as mission specialist, and

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Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, also a

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mission specialist.

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Anna: This mission is essentially a dress rehearsal

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for the actual lunar landing, correct?

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Avery: Right. Artemis 2 will be a 10 day

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circumlunar flight. They'll loop around the

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moon without landing and return to Earth.

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It's building on the success of Artemis I

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uncrewed mission. And paving the way for

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Artemis 3, currently scheduled for 2028,

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which will put humans back on the lunar

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surface for the first time since Apollo 17

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in 1972.

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Anna: I know they've been working around the clock

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to get everything ready. Have there been any

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challenges?

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Avery: There have Been some. Back in December,

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during a countdown demonstration, test

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engineers detected a problem with a valve

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associated with the Orion capsule's hatch

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pressurisation system. They replaced that

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valve on January 5th and successfully

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completed a pressure test. They also resolved

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a leak in the ground support hardware that

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pressurises Orion with oxygen gas.

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Anna: So what happens once it's at the launch pad?

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Avery: Ground crews will connect all the electrical

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lines, fuel control system ducts, cryogenic

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propellant feeds and other ground support

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equipment. Then they'll power up all the

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rocket's integrated systems for the first

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time to make sure everything works together.

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The rocket, the mobile launcher and the

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launch pad infrastructure.

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Anna: And then comes the wet dress rehearsal.

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Avery: Scheduled for the end of January. That's when

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they'll load the rocket with about 2.65

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million litres. That's 700,000 gallons

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of cryogenic fuel, conduct a launch

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countdown and then safely unload it. They'll

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run through several countdown holds and

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recycles, just like they would during an

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actual launch.

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Anna: Dazzle learned a lot from Artemis I's wet

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dress rehearsal, didn't they?

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Avery: They did. Particularly around loading liquid

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hydrogen propellant. They experienced some

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challenges with that, so they'll be

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monitoring very careful. They're also

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watching how much nitrogen gas accumulates

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between the Orion crew module and the launch

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abort system using recently updated

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procedures.

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Anna: And if all goes well with the.

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Avery: Wet dress rehearsal, then NASA's mission

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management team will hold a flight readiness

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review to assess whether all systems are

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truly ready. Only then will they commit to a

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firm launch date. And of course, the Artemis

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II astronauts will conduct a final walk down

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at the pad, which will be quite a media

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event.

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Anna: The launch windows are interesting too,

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aren't they? It's not every day in February

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and April.

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Avery: That's right. Due to the complex orbital

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mechanics of Earth and the moon, there's a

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pattern of about a, uh, week of launch

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opportunities followed by three weeks without

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any. NASA has published the specific dates

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between February and April when launches are

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possible.

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Anna: This is such an exciting time.

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50 years since we've sent humans beyond.

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Avery: Low Earth orbit and it's setting the stage

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for sustainable lunar exploration. Crew

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safety remains NASA's top priority every step

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of the way. As ah, Lori Glaze, Acting

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associate administrator for NASA's

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Exploration Systems Development Mission

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Directorate, emphasised in their recent

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statement.

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Anna: Moving on to some concerning news. Avery.

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The European Space Agency has suffered a

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significant cyberattack.

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Avery: Unfortunately, yes. This happened just after

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Christmas on Boxing Day, actually. A hacker

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operating under the codename 888 dumped

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over 200 gigabytes of ESA data onto

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dark web forums.

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Anna: What kind of data are we talking about?

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Avery: The leaked information included proprietary

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software, authorization credentials, access

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tokens and sensitive project documentation.

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ESA initially downplayed the breach, saying

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its impact was limited to servers with

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unclassified documents.

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Anna: But there was more to the storey.

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Avery: There was. Just a week later, a cybercrime

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group known as Scattered Lapsis Hunters

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claimed they stole another 500 gigabytes of

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data, saying the security hole was still

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unpatched. This batch reportedly included

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operational procedures, spacecraft and

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mission details, subsystems documentation

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and even proprietary data from esa

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contractors like SpaceX, Airbus Group and

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Thales Alenia Space.

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Anna: That's pretty serious. How did ESA

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respond?

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Avery: They've launched a criminal investigation and

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are fully cooperating with authorities. In a

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press briefing on January 8, Eric Morel

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de Westgaver, ESA's director of

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European Legal and International Matters,

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said the authorities will manage

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communication about the case and handle the

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criminal proceedings.

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Anna: Is this kind of attack common against space

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agencies?

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Avery: More common than you think. Cybersecurity

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researcher Clemence Poirier from the Centre

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for security studies at ETH Zurich

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told Space.com that during her research she

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frequently encounters email credentials of

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ESA employees and even other space

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agencies being sold on dark web forums.

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Anna: How are these credentials being obtained?

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Avery: Poirier suggests it may be due to a lack of

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cyber hygiene from ESA staff. Threat

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actors may have used infostealer malware,

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which harvests data stored in web browsers.

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Things like credentials, session cookies,

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multi factor authentication data and even

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saved credit cards.

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Anna: That's pretty insidious.

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Avery: It is. These infostealers are particularly

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dangerous because they can evade detection by

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antivirus software. They often spread through

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malicious ads on popular websites or infected

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links in YouTube video descriptions.

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Anna: And NASA faces similar threats.

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Avery: According to sources familiar with space

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cyber risk environment, NASA is actually a

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frequent victim. Vulnerabilities are being

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disclosed almost every day via the

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crowdsourced cybersecurity platform bugcrowd.

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Anna: Even though the recent ESA leaks didn't seem

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highly critical, there are still concerns,

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right?

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Avery: Absolutely. Poyer warned that this data could

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be combined with information from future

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breaches to reveal strategic information that

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could enable another cyberattack against the

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space system. We're not there yet, but it's

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an important consideration.

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Anna: And vulnerabilities might exist with third

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party providers, too.

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Avery: Exactly. The security holes could be on the

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side of Issa's software providers or other

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third parties they purchase services from. Or

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ESA's own networks might be hiding unpatched

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vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit.

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Anna: What's the bottom line here, as Poyer.

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Avery: Put it, data leaks and breaches against space

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agencies are common. It can happen to each

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agency and will happen to each agency in the

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future. Given the rise of cyber attacks

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against the space sector, it's a reality that

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all space organisations need to take very

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seriously.

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Anna: Let's shift gears to some space activity from

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China. They've kicked off 2026 with a couple

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of impressive satellite launches.

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Avery: They really have, anna. Uh. On January

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13th, China launched two Long March rockets

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from the Wing Chan Space Launch Centre,

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representing a strong start to what's

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expected to be a very busy year for their

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space programme.

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Anna: What were they launching?

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Avery: The first mission carried the Yaogon

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5001 remote sensing satellite and the

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second deployed a series of GU satellites

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into low Earth orbit. Both launches were

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successful and marked the beginning of what

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China hopes will be a ah record breaking

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year.

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Anna: Tell us about the Yaogon 50 01. That sounds

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interesting.

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Avery: It is. This satellite was launched aboard a

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Long March 6A AH Rocket and it's notable for

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its unusual orbit. Unlike typical

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satellites in standard low Earth orbits,

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Yaogon 50 01's orbit is designed to

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maximise its ability to observe Earth from

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unique angles, providing broader and more

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detailed views of the planet.

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Anna: What will it be used for?

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Avery: It's part of China's growing portfolio of

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remote sensing technology, which has

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applications ranging from agricultural

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monitoring to, let's be honest, military

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surveillance. As China develops and deploys

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more of these satellites, they're positioning

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themselves as a leader in Earth observation

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capabilities.

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Anna: And it'll also help with natural disaster

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monitoring and resource management.

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Avery: Absolutely. It'll contribute to monitoring

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natural disasters, managing resources and

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supporting scientific research efforts

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globally. The satellite is quite advanced in

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terms of what it can do now.

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Anna: What about the Guawang satellites?

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Avery: The Guawang constellation is designed to

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improve China's capabilities in

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telecommunications, Earth observation and

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scientific research. By placing these

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satellites in low Earth orbit, China will be

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able to provide enhanced communication

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services, including high speed data

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transmission over large regions.

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Anna: So it's not just for China domestically.

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Avery: No. It'll improve their global connectivity,

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particularly in areas with limited access to

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terrestrial communication networks and beyond

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just communications. The Guawuang

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Constellation is expected to play a crucial

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role in supporting China's future space

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exploration goals.

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Anna: How so?

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Avery: By providing real time communication and data

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transfer capabilities, these satellites will

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be instrumental in supporting future missions

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to the Moon and Mars. It's all part of

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China's integrated approach to building space

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infrastructure.

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Anna: This seems like quite an ambitious start to

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the year.

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Avery: It really is. According to the China

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Aerospace Corporation These missions

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underscore China's growing capabilities and

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commitment to expanding their space

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exploration infrastructure. And this is just

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the beginning. They have many more launches

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planned throughout 2026.

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Anna: It's fascinating to see how competitive the

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space sector has become with multiple nations

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ramping up their capabilities.

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Avery: Indeed, we're in a new era of space activity.

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00:11:36.540 --> 00:11:38.340
And it's not just government agencies

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00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:40.460
anymore. The combination of national

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programmes and commercial ventures is really

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accelerating progress.

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Anna: All right, Avery, let's head out to Jupiter

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for our next storey. Scientists have made a

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surprising discovery about the gas giant's

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atmosphere.

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Avery: This is really interesting, Anna.

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Anna: Uh.

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Avery: A new study published in the Planetary

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00:11:57.320 --> 00:11:59.560
Science Journal reveals that Jupiter holds

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roughly 1.5 times more oxygen than

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our sun.

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Anna: That's way more than expected, isn't it?

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Avery: It is. For decades, studies have disagreed

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about how much oxygen Jupiter contains.

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Some recent studies even suggested it was

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much less than the sun. So this finding

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significantly reshapes our understanding of

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the planet's composition.

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Anna: Why is oxygen content so important?

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Avery: Oxygen is one of the most abundant elements

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00:12:24.990 --> 00:12:27.310
in the universe, and its presence on Jupiter

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has big implications. As Jiheng Yang, a

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00:12:30.390 --> 00:12:32.470
postdoctoral researcher at the University of

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00:12:32.470 --> 00:12:34.350
Chicago and the study's lead author,

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00:12:34.350 --> 00:12:37.110
explained, the precise quantity of oxygen

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offers important clues about how Jupiter

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00:12:39.350 --> 00:12:41.470
formed and how our solar system evolved.

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Anna: Because oxygen is key to water formation.

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00:12:44.590 --> 00:12:47.160
Avery: Exactly. Understanding its presence and

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distribution could help researchers learn

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00:12:49.200 --> 00:12:51.040
more about the conditions that allow for the

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formation of habitable planets, both in our

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solar system and beyond.

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Anna: Jupiter's atmosphere is famously difficult to

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00:12:58.320 --> 00:12:58.560
study.

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Avery: Though that's putting it mildly. The thick

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00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:03.720
clouds covering the planet the Great Red

345
00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:05.840
Spot, which is a storm twice the size of

346
00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:08.240
Earth, and other violent weather patterns

347
00:13:08.240 --> 00:13:10.080
have kept scientists from getting a clear

348
00:13:10.080 --> 00:13:11.880
view of what lies beneath the surface.

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00:13:12.380 --> 00:13:14.340
Anna: Previous missions couldn't measure deep into

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00:13:14.340 --> 00:13:15.020
the atmosphere.

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00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:17.780
Avery: The Galileo spacecraft couldn't. But more

352
00:13:17.780 --> 00:13:20.260
recently, the Juno spacecraft has provided

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valuable data on the upper layers, including

354
00:13:22.620 --> 00:13:25.060
measurements of ammonia, methane and carbon

355
00:13:25.060 --> 00:13:28.060
monoxide. Still, building an accurate model

356
00:13:28.060 --> 00:13:29.020
has been challenging.

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Anna: What made this new model different?

358
00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:34.020
Avery: The researchers integrated both chemistry and

359
00:13:34.020 --> 00:13:36.700
hydrodynamics, the study of how fluids move.

360
00:13:36.860 --> 00:13:39.220
As Jihong Yang explained, you really need

361
00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:41.850
both. Chemistry alone doesn't include water

362
00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:43.890
droplets or cloud behaviour, while

363
00:13:43.890 --> 00:13:46.170
hydrodynamics alone oversimplifies the

364
00:13:46.170 --> 00:13:48.530
chemistry. Bringing them together allows for

365
00:13:48.530 --> 00:13:50.050
much more accurate predictions.

366
00:13:50.290 --> 00:13:52.530
Anna: And they discovered something else surprising

367
00:13:52.530 --> 00:13:53.490
too, didn't they?

368
00:13:53.730 --> 00:13:56.089
Avery: They did. The study revealed that the

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00:13:56.089 --> 00:13:58.370
movement of gases within Jupiter's atmosphere

370
00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:01.130
is far slower than previously believed. The

371
00:14:01.130 --> 00:14:03.810
diffusion of molecules is 35 to 40

372
00:14:03.810 --> 00:14:05.730
times slower than the standard assumption.

373
00:14:06.150 --> 00:14:06.870
Anna: What does that mean?

374
00:14:06.870 --> 00:14:09.550
Avery: Practically, as Jihengyang put it, it would

375
00:14:09.550 --> 00:14:12.310
take a single molecule several weeks to move

376
00:14:12.310 --> 00:14:14.350
through one layer of the atmosphere, rather

377
00:14:14.350 --> 00:14:17.110
than hours. This slower diffusion could have

378
00:14:17.110 --> 00:14:19.230
significant implications for how heat and

379
00:14:19.230 --> 00:14:21.310
chemical elements are transported within the

380
00:14:21.310 --> 00:14:23.990
planet. And it may affect how clouds form and

381
00:14:23.990 --> 00:14:24.630
dissipate.

382
00:14:24.790 --> 00:14:27.110
Anna: This must challenge a lot of existing

383
00:14:27.110 --> 00:14:29.510
assumptions about gas giant atmospheres.

384
00:14:29.830 --> 00:14:32.630
Avery: It does. The discovery adds another layer of

385
00:14:32.630 --> 00:14:34.950
complexity to our understanding and shows

386
00:14:34.950 --> 00:14:37.110
that even well studied planets like Jupiter

387
00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:39.930
still have prizes in store. This is the most

388
00:14:39.930 --> 00:14:42.330
comprehensive atmospheric model of Jupiter to

389
00:14:42.330 --> 00:14:44.650
date, but clearly there's still more to

390
00:14:44.650 --> 00:14:45.010
learn.

391
00:14:45.170 --> 00:14:47.090
Anna: We'll be sure to follow up this one with

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00:14:47.090 --> 00:14:47.410
interest.

393
00:14:47.970 --> 00:14:48.280
Avery: Anna.

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00:14:48.280 --> 00:14:51.210
Uh, our next storey is about a cosmic mystery

395
00:14:51.210 --> 00:14:54.170
hiding in plain sight, or rather hiding in

396
00:14:54.170 --> 00:14:56.370
one of the night sky's most famous objects.

397
00:14:56.610 --> 00:14:59.090
Anna: Oh, this is the Ring Nebula discovery. Right.

398
00:14:59.330 --> 00:15:01.650
I was reading about this. It's fascinating,

399
00:15:01.970 --> 00:15:02.930
it really is.

400
00:15:03.660 --> 00:15:06.060
Avery: Astronomers have discovered a mysterious bar

401
00:15:06.060 --> 00:15:08.940
shaped cloud of iron inside the iconic Ring

402
00:15:08.940 --> 00:15:11.820
Nebula. And it went completely unnoticed for

403
00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:13.980
decades, despite this being one of the most

404
00:15:13.980 --> 00:15:15.340
studied objects in space.

405
00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:17.340
Anna: How did they finally spot it?

406
00:15:17.580 --> 00:15:20.340
Avery: A European team led by researchers at

407
00:15:20.340 --> 00:15:22.780
University College London and Cardiff

408
00:15:22.780 --> 00:15:25.260
University used a new instrument called

409
00:15:25.260 --> 00:15:27.500
weave, the WHT

410
00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:30.300
Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer,

411
00:15:30.690 --> 00:15:33.090
installed on the William Herschel Telescope.

412
00:15:33.330 --> 00:15:35.890
The key was that WEAVE allowed them to obtain

413
00:15:35.890 --> 00:15:38.570
spectra across the entire face of the

414
00:15:38.570 --> 00:15:41.210
nebula at all optical wavelengths

415
00:15:41.210 --> 00:15:42.210
simultaneously.

416
00:15:42.850 --> 00:15:45.250
Anna: So it wasn't about getting a sharper image,

417
00:15:45.250 --> 00:15:47.250
but analysing the light differently.

418
00:15:47.810 --> 00:15:50.650
Avery: Exactly. Dr. Roger Wesson, the

419
00:15:50.650 --> 00:15:52.810
lead author, explained that by painting a

420
00:15:52.810 --> 00:15:55.090
spectrum continuously across the whole

421
00:15:55.090 --> 00:15:57.770
nebula, they could create images at any

422
00:15:57.770 --> 00:15:59.770
wavelength and determine the chemical

423
00:15:59.770 --> 00:16:02.690
composition at any position. And when

424
00:16:02.690 --> 00:16:05.330
they processed the data, this iron bar just

425
00:16:05.330 --> 00:16:07.130
popped out, clear as anything.

426
00:16:07.610 --> 00:16:08.890
Anna: How big is this thing?

427
00:16:09.370 --> 00:16:12.010
Avery: The bar's length is roughly 500

428
00:16:12.090 --> 00:16:14.810
times that of Pluto's orbit around the Sun.

429
00:16:15.210 --> 00:16:17.970
And get this. The mass of iron atoms

430
00:16:17.970 --> 00:16:20.330
is comparable to the mass of Mars.

431
00:16:21.050 --> 00:16:23.970
Anna: That's colossal. And it fits inside the

432
00:16:23.970 --> 00:16:25.450
Ring Nebula's inner region.

433
00:16:25.850 --> 00:16:28.810
Avery: It does. It's shaped like a narrow strip that

434
00:16:28.810 --> 00:16:31.410
fits neatly within the nebula's elliptical

435
00:16:31.410 --> 00:16:33.950
inner layer. The part that's familiar from

436
00:16:33.950 --> 00:16:35.950
all those beautiful images we've seen from

437
00:16:35.950 --> 00:16:38.590
telescopes including the James Webb Space

438
00:16:38.590 --> 00:16:39.270
Telescope.

439
00:16:39.510 --> 00:16:42.230
Anna: So what is the Ring Nebula exactly? For our

440
00:16:42.230 --> 00:16:43.430
listeners who might not know.

441
00:16:43.910 --> 00:16:46.390
Avery: The Ring Nebula, also known as Messier

442
00:16:46.390 --> 00:16:48.750
57, was first identified in

443
00:16:48.750 --> 00:16:51.470
1779 by French astronomer

444
00:16:51.470 --> 00:16:54.070
Charles Messier. It's what's called a

445
00:16:54.070 --> 00:16:57.070
planetary nebula, a shell of gas created

446
00:16:57.070 --> 00:16:59.190
when a star reaches the end of its fuel

447
00:16:59.190 --> 00:17:01.950
burning life and releases its outer layers

448
00:17:01.950 --> 00:17:04.650
into space. In several billion years,

449
00:17:04.730 --> 00:17:07.010
our own sun is expected to undergo a, ah,

450
00:17:07.050 --> 00:17:08.170
similar transformation.

451
00:17:08.730 --> 00:17:11.610
Anna: And this iron bar, do we know how it formed?

452
00:17:12.170 --> 00:17:14.810
Avery: That's the mystery. The scientists honestly

453
00:17:14.810 --> 00:17:17.610
don't know yet. Professor Albert Zylstra from

454
00:17:17.610 --> 00:17:20.170
the University of Manchester noted that they

455
00:17:20.170 --> 00:17:22.650
selected the Ring Nebula as an early target

456
00:17:22.730 --> 00:17:25.650
because it's bright, well studied and ideal

457
00:17:25.650 --> 00:17:27.850
for testing the instrument. But then they

458
00:17:27.850 --> 00:17:30.010
found something entirely unexpected.

459
00:17:30.820 --> 00:17:31.700
Anna: What are the theories?

460
00:17:32.180 --> 00:17:34.900
Avery: There are two main scenarios. First, the

461
00:17:34.900 --> 00:17:37.340
iron bar might reveal something new about how

462
00:17:37.340 --> 00:17:39.780
the nebula was ejected by the parent star,

463
00:17:40.100 --> 00:17:42.700
perhaps showing an uneven or directional

464
00:17:42.700 --> 00:17:45.540
outflow in the process. Second, and

465
00:17:45.540 --> 00:17:48.420
more intriguingly, the iron might be an arc

466
00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:51.180
of plasma resulting from the vaporisation of

467
00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:52.580
a destroyed planet.

468
00:17:53.140 --> 00:17:55.020
Anna: A planet that got too close to.

469
00:17:55.020 --> 00:17:57.870
Avery: The dying star, possibly as the

470
00:17:57.870 --> 00:18:00.390
star expanded into a red giant late in its

471
00:18:00.390 --> 00:18:03.230
life. Any rocky planet that wandered too

472
00:18:03.230 --> 00:18:05.790
close could have been torn apart by extreme

473
00:18:05.790 --> 00:18:08.630
heat and radiation. Living behind this metal

474
00:18:08.630 --> 00:18:11.270
rich cloud, trapped inside the nebula,

475
00:18:11.670 --> 00:18:12.790
that would be quite.

476
00:18:12.790 --> 00:18:14.910
Anna: A dramatic end for a planet. Do they think

477
00:18:14.910 --> 00:18:16.310
this iron bar is unique?

478
00:18:16.790 --> 00:18:19.430
Avery: Dr. Wesson doesn't think so. He said it would

479
00:18:19.430 --> 00:18:21.910
be very surprising if the Ring Nebula's iron

480
00:18:21.910 --> 00:18:24.750
bar is unique. Weave is conducting surveys

481
00:18:24.750 --> 00:18:27.270
of many more ionised nebulae across the

482
00:18:27.270 --> 00:18:29.670
northern Milky Way and they hope to discover

483
00:18:29.670 --> 00:18:31.990
more examples of this phenomenon which would

484
00:18:31.990 --> 00:18:33.910
help them understand where the iron comes

485
00:18:33.910 --> 00:18:34.190
from.

486
00:18:34.510 --> 00:18:36.990
Anna: It's amazing that such a familiar object

487
00:18:37.070 --> 00:18:38.270
still had this hidden.

488
00:18:38.670 --> 00:18:41.430
Avery: Amen, um, to that. Professor Janet Drew

489
00:18:41.430 --> 00:18:44.190
also at ucl cautioned that they need to know

490
00:18:44.190 --> 00:18:46.790
more particularly if any other chemical

491
00:18:46.790 --> 00:18:49.430
elements coexist with the iron as uh, that

492
00:18:49.430 --> 00:18:51.350
would help determine the right model to

493
00:18:51.350 --> 00:18:53.680
pursue. They're planning follow up studies

494
00:18:53.680 --> 00:18:56.080
using WEAVE at higher spectral resolution.

495
00:18:56.640 --> 00:18:58.840
Anna: Just goes to show that even the most studied

496
00:18:58.840 --> 00:19:00.760
objects can surprise us when we look at them

497
00:19:00.760 --> 00:19:01.520
in new ways.

498
00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:02.880
Avery: Amen um, to that.

499
00:19:03.120 --> 00:19:05.840
Anna: For our final storey. Today we're taking a

500
00:19:05.840 --> 00:19:08.360
look back at a fascinating piece of Apollo

501
00:19:08.360 --> 00:19:11.040
history. Avery, tell us about the Moon

502
00:19:11.040 --> 00:19:11.520
trees.

503
00:19:12.080 --> 00:19:14.320
Avery: This is such a cool storey. Anna. Um, when

504
00:19:14.320 --> 00:19:17.200
Apollo 14 returned to Earth in 1971,

505
00:19:17.280 --> 00:19:19.120
it brought back something unexpected.

506
00:19:19.850 --> 00:19:22.050
Hundreds of tree seeds that had orbited the

507
00:19:22.050 --> 00:19:22.410
Moon.

508
00:19:22.650 --> 00:19:24.890
Anna: These were part of a scientific experiment.

509
00:19:25.050 --> 00:19:27.730
Avery: It started as a small experiment led by

510
00:19:27.730 --> 00:19:30.490
astronaut Stuart Roosa, who was a former

511
00:19:30.570 --> 00:19:33.170
U.S. forest Service smokejumper. Before

512
00:19:33.170 --> 00:19:35.809
becoming an astronaut, he carried several

513
00:19:35.809 --> 00:19:37.450
hundred seeds in his personal

514
00:19:38.170 --> 00:19:41.130
loblolly pine, sycamore, sweetgum,

515
00:19:41.290 --> 00:19:42.890
redwood and Douglas fir.

516
00:19:43.130 --> 00:19:45.410
Anna: And there was an accident with these seeds,

517
00:19:45.410 --> 00:19:46.010
wasn't there?

518
00:19:46.390 --> 00:19:49.310
Avery: There was. As NASA recounts, the seed

519
00:19:49.310 --> 00:19:51.910
bags burst open during the decontamination

520
00:19:51.990 --> 00:19:54.430
procedures after the spacecraft returned to

521
00:19:54.430 --> 00:19:57.270
Earth. The seeds scattered around the chamber

522
00:19:57.270 --> 00:19:59.910
and were exposed to vacuum. And everyone

523
00:19:59.990 --> 00:20:01.230
thought they might not be.

524
00:20:01.230 --> 00:20:03.830
Anna: Viable, but they decided to try planting them

525
00:20:03.830 --> 00:20:04.310
anyway.

526
00:20:04.470 --> 00:20:06.750
Avery: They did, to test whether the seeds had

527
00:20:06.750 --> 00:20:09.590
survived. And the results were extraordinary.

528
00:20:10.070 --> 00:20:12.350
Many sprouted and grew just like normal

529
00:20:12.350 --> 00:20:15.110
trees, showing no visible damage from their

530
00:20:15.110 --> 00:20:16.070
cosmic journey.

531
00:20:16.310 --> 00:20:18.310
Anna: How many trees eventually grew?

532
00:20:18.550 --> 00:20:21.390
Avery: Over 400 seedlings grew into mature

533
00:20:21.390 --> 00:20:24.030
trees. Some were planted beside earth

534
00:20:24.030 --> 00:20:26.150
grown control trees to compare their

535
00:20:26.150 --> 00:20:29.029
development. And remarkably, after years of

536
00:20:29.029 --> 00:20:31.390
observation, no differences were found

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00:20:31.390 --> 00:20:33.750
between the space flown seeds and their earth

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00:20:33.750 --> 00:20:34.790
bound counterparts.

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00:20:35.110 --> 00:20:36.950
Anna: When were these trees distributed?

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00:20:37.190 --> 00:20:39.510
Avery: M the distribution coincided with the U.S.

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00:20:39.590 --> 00:20:42.470
bicentennial celebrations of 1975

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00:20:42.470 --> 00:20:45.250
and 1976. Most were given

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00:20:45.250 --> 00:20:47.970
to state forest reorganisations to be planted

544
00:20:47.970 --> 00:20:50.010
as part of the nation's bicentennial

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00:20:50.010 --> 00:20:52.730
celebration. The trees were only sent to

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00:20:52.730 --> 00:20:54.530
countries and states where they could

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00:20:54.530 --> 00:20:56.250
actually be grown and thrive.

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00:20:56.570 --> 00:20:58.770
Anna: And some went to pretty notable places,

549
00:20:58.770 --> 00:20:59.130
right?

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00:20:59.290 --> 00:21:02.250
Avery: Oh, yes, A, uh, loblolly pine was planted

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00:21:02.250 --> 00:21:04.450
at the White House. Trees were sent to

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00:21:04.450 --> 00:21:07.410
Brazil, Switzerland and even presented to the

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00:21:07.410 --> 00:21:10.290
Emperor of Japan. Each tree served as

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00:21:10.290 --> 00:21:12.850
a living connection between space exploration

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00:21:12.850 --> 00:21:14.490
and Earth's natural environment.

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00:21:15.130 --> 00:21:17.010
Anna: There were telegrams that accompanied the

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00:21:17.010 --> 00:21:17.370
trees.

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00:21:17.690 --> 00:21:19.890
Avery: NASA sent telegrams highlighting their

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00:21:19.890 --> 00:21:22.530
symbolic importance. The message read that

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00:21:22.530 --> 00:21:24.730
the tree is a living symbol of our

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00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:26.770
spectacular human and scientific

562
00:21:26.770 --> 00:21:29.370
achievements. And the fitting tribute to our

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00:21:29.370 --> 00:21:31.770
national space programme, which has brought

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00:21:31.770 --> 00:21:34.090
out the best of American patriotism,

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00:21:34.250 --> 00:21:36.730
dedication and determination to succeed.

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00:21:37.130 --> 00:21:39.610
Anna: That really captures the spirit of that era.

567
00:21:39.770 --> 00:21:42.470
Avery: It does. It was this beautiful blend of

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00:21:42.470 --> 00:21:45.150
scientific curiosity and national pride

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00:21:45.150 --> 00:21:48.030
during the Apollo years. Each moon tree

570
00:21:48.030 --> 00:21:50.190
represented not just a triumph of space

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00:21:50.190 --> 00:21:52.830
exploration, but a reminder that the pursuit

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00:21:52.830 --> 00:21:55.630
of knowledge can be rooted quite literally

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00:21:55.630 --> 00:21:56.950
in the natural world.

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00:21:57.190 --> 00:21:59.670
Anna: Many of these trees are still standing today.

575
00:22:00.070 --> 00:22:02.670
Avery: They are. Their plaques may be faded, but

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00:22:02.670 --> 00:22:05.470
their symbolism remains intact. NASA

577
00:22:05.470 --> 00:22:07.750
continues to track and document the locations

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00:22:07.750 --> 00:22:10.360
of surviving moon trees. And there's even a

579
00:22:10.360 --> 00:22:12.160
modern continuation of this project.

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00:22:12.560 --> 00:22:14.800
Anna: The Moon Tree 2.0 project.

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00:22:15.360 --> 00:22:18.280
Avery: Exactly. It uses seeds taken aboard the

582
00:22:18.280 --> 00:22:20.800
Orion spacecraft during the Artemis 1

583
00:22:20.800 --> 00:22:23.680
mission. So this initiative bridges past and

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00:22:23.680 --> 00:22:26.480
future, connecting the pioneering Apollo

585
00:22:26.480 --> 00:22:28.800
missions to the next generation of lunar

586
00:22:28.800 --> 00:22:29.440
explorers.

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00:22:29.760 --> 00:22:31.920
Anna: I love that these trees serve as both

588
00:22:31.920 --> 00:22:34.440
scientific curiosities and powerful

589
00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:35.040
symbols.

590
00:22:35.410 --> 00:22:38.090
Avery: They really do. From forests across the

591
00:22:38.090 --> 00:22:40.690
United States to royal gardens overseas,

592
00:22:41.010 --> 00:22:43.850
these trees stand as silent witnesses to one

593
00:22:43.850 --> 00:22:46.330
of the most extraordinary chapters in human

594
00:22:46.330 --> 00:22:49.330
history. Their storey rooted in science.

595
00:22:49.490 --> 00:22:52.410
Resilience and wonder remains a testament

596
00:22:52.410 --> 00:22:54.890
to what happens when curiosity literally

597
00:22:54.890 --> 00:22:57.090
takes flight beyond Earth's atmosphere.

598
00:22:57.250 --> 00:22:59.370
Anna: Well, that wraps up today's episode of

599
00:22:59.370 --> 00:23:02.130
Astronomy Daily. We covered quite a journey

600
00:23:02.130 --> 00:23:04.530
today from NASA's preparations to return

601
00:23:04.610 --> 00:23:07.080
humans to lunar orbit to cybersecurity

602
00:23:07.150 --> 00:23:08.750
security challenges in the space sector,

603
00:23:09.070 --> 00:23:10.990
China's expanding satellite network,

604
00:23:11.390 --> 00:23:13.750
surprising discoveries about Jupiter, a

605
00:23:13.750 --> 00:23:16.110
mysterious iron bar hidden in a famous

606
00:23:16.110 --> 00:23:18.870
nebula, and the enduring legacy of the

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00:23:18.870 --> 00:23:19.630
moon trees.

608
00:23:19.790 --> 00:23:21.990
Avery: It's episodes like this that really show the

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00:23:21.990 --> 00:23:24.190
breadth of space science and exploration.

610
00:23:24.430 --> 00:23:26.110
Whether it's cutting edge missions,

611
00:23:26.190 --> 00:23:28.830
astronomical discoveries, or looking back at

612
00:23:28.830 --> 00:23:30.910
historic achievements, there's always

613
00:23:31.070 --> 00:23:33.070
something fascinating happening in space.

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00:23:33.640 --> 00:23:36.600
Anna: Thanks so much for joining us today. If you

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00:23:36.600 --> 00:23:39.480
enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave

616
00:23:39.480 --> 00:23:42.040
us a review. It really helps other space

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00:23:42.120 --> 00:23:43.560
enthusiasts find us.

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00:23:44.040 --> 00:23:46.320
Avery: And if you have questions or topics you'd

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00:23:46.320 --> 00:23:48.600
like us to cover, reach out to us on social

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00:23:48.600 --> 00:23:51.000
media. We love hearing from our listeners.

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00:23:51.480 --> 00:23:53.960
Anna: Until next time, keep looking up

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00:23:54.360 --> 00:23:55.400
Clear skies everyone.