Boeing's Starliner Shift, China's Lifeboat Launch, and a Cosmic Mystery Unveiled

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Avery: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your

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essential guide to the latest happenings in

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space exploration and discovery. I'm

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Avery.

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Anna: And I'm Anna. It's great to be with you

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today. We're covering everything from mission

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updates for NASA and Boeing to a rapid

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launch from China.

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Avery: That's right. We'll also be looking at the

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busy schedule aboard the International Space

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Station. And then we'll dive into a cosmic

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mystery, a strange red sphere hurtling

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through our galaxy. Plus a great opportunity

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for students from the European Space Agency.

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Anna: So let's get started. Avery.

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Our first story is a significant pivot for a

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major commercial crew partner.

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Avery: Indeed. We're talking about Boeing's

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Starliner. NASA and Boeing have announced a

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major change for the Starliner 1 mission.

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Instead of carrying a crew of four astronauts

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as planned, it will now be a cargo only

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mission to the iss.

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Anna: And this mission has been pushed back, now

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scheduled for no earlier than April

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2026. This follows a series of

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setbacks, doesn't it?

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Avery: Exactly. The decision comes after the

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challenging crew flight test earlier this

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year. During that mission with astronauts

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Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the

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spacecraft experienced multiple problems with

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its thrusters.

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Anna: Right. Safety is paramount, of course.

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So NASA and Boeing are taking time to analyze

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the data and implement fix. The shift to a

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cargo mission seems like a way to still

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utilize the spacecraft and fulfill

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contractual obligations while they work on

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getting it fully crew rated.

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Avery: It does. And speaking of contracts, there's

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another update there. The number of required

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flights for Boeing has been reduced from six

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down to four. This reflects the long delays

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and the success of SpaceX's Crew Dragon,

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which has been reliably flying astronauts

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since 2020.

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Anna: Mm mhm. So NASA has a dependable ride with

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SpaceX, which gives them the flexibility to

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be more cautious with Starliner.

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Avery: Precisely. The big question now is about the

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human element. What does this mean for the

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astronauts who were assigned to future

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Starliner missions?

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Anna: That's m a key point. The future crew

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assignments are now uncertain. Several

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astronauts, including Scott Tingle and Mike

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Think, who were slated for Starliner 1, have

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already been reassigned to other flights,

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likely on Crew Dragon. It's a tough situation

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for the astronauts who have trained for years

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on this specific vehicle.

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Avery: Absolutely. It underscores the challenges of

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developing new human rated spacecraft. We'll

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be watching closely to see how Boeing

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addresses the thruster issues and what the

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future holds for Starliner's role in crewed

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missions.

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Anna: From one nation's space program to another.

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Our next story takes us to China, which just

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demonstrated a remarkable capability.

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Avery: Yes, this is Quite impressive. China

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successfully launched the uncrewed Shenzhou

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22 mission to its Tiangong Space Station.

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But this wasn't a routine supply run.

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Anna: Not at all. The launch was expedited to

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serve as a launch on need mission.

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Essentially, it's a lifeboat. The Shenzhou 20

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spacecraft currently docked at Tiangong

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sustained some form of damage and mission

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controllers decided it was necessary to send

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up a replacement to ensure a safe return

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vehicle. Vehicle for the crew.

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Avery: A lifeboat. That's the perfect term. And this

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is a first for China's human spaceflight

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program. Having a vehicle ready to go on

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short notice for a rescue scenario is a level

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of operational maturity that only a few space

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programs have ever achieved.

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Anna: It really is. It mirrors the capability

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that Russia has long maintained for the ISS

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with its Soyuz spacecraft and that NASA

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now has with SpaceX. It means you can handle

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unforeseen emergencies like a, uh,

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micrometeoroid strike without having to

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decrew the station.

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Avery: Details on the damage to Shenzhou 20 are

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still sparse, but the swift and successful

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launch of Shenzhou 22 shows a significant

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confidence and robustness in their systems.

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Anna: MM A M major milestone. It

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signals that the Tiangong Space Station is

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intended to be a permanently occupied

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outpost with all the necessary safety

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and redundancy measures in place. A

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very clear statement of their long term

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ambitions in space.

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Avery: Speaking of permanently occupied outposts,

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let's shift our focus to the International

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Space Station, where it's been a busy week of

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logistics and preparation.

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Anna: That's right. The Baikonodrome Cosmodrome is

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buzzing. A Soyuz rocket has been rolled out

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to the launch pad for a Thanksgiving Day

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launch. It will be carrying three new crew

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members up to the station.

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Avery: And to get ready for that arrival, the

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station crew had to play a bit of musical

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chairs with the spacecraft docked there.

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Anna: They did. The Northrop Grumman's Cygnus

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XL cargo spacecraft had to be

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temporarily moved from its docking port. The

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station's robotic arm, Canadarm2,

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was used to unberth the Cygnus and

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maneuver it to a different location to free

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up the port needed for the incoming Soyuz.

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Avery: It's like a complex orbital ballet, all

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while traveling at over 17,000 miles per

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hour.

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Anna: Exactly. And as if that wasn't enough,

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the crew is also in the middle of offloading

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cargo from another recently arrived vehicle,

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the Japanese HTV X1

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spacecraft. So it's all hands on deck,

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right?

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Avery: Unpacking supplies, stowing them away,

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and all the while continuing their primary

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mission of conducting science experiments in

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microgravity. It's a constant Juggling act.

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Anna: It certainly is. These logistical

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operations are crucial for the long term

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functioning of the station, ensuring the crew

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has everything they need to live and work in

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orbit. A reminder that for every

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glamorous spacewalk, there are countless

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hours of meticulous planning and hard work.

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Avery: Well said. Now Anna, from the

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meticulous work in near Earth orbit, let's

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venture out into the deeper cosmos for a

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genuine mystery.

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Anna: This is a fascinating one. Astronomers

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using data from the WISE telescope, have

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discovered something truly

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a, uh, mysterious red Sphere cataloged as

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CY J1249

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that is tearing through the Milky Way at an

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incredible speed.

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Avery: And, um, when you say incredible, what are we

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talking about?

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Anna: Over 1 million miles per hour.

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It's one of the fastest objects of its kind

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ever detected. Its velocity is so

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high that it's on a path to eventually

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escape the gravitational pull of our galaxy

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entirely.

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Avery: Wow. A million miles per hour.

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So what is it? And, um, where did it get that

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kind of speed?

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Anna: That's the mystery. Its high speed and

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its unusual composition are challenging our

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existing theories of how cosmic objects

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form and behave. Scientists are currently

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weighing two main theories for its origin.

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Okay, let's hear them. The first theory is

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that CY's J1249

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could be a fragment of a white dwarf star.

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In this scenario, a white dwarf in a binary

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system with another star would have siphoned

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off too much material from its companion,

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triggering a specific type of supernova

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explosion.

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Avery: Right, A, uh, type one. A supernova.

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Anna: Exactly. But instead of completely

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obliterating the white dwarf, this

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explosion might have been incomplete,

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leaving behind a super dense fragment and

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flinging it across the galaxy at immense

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speed. The red color could be due to an

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unusual mix of elements left over from that

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partial explosion.

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Avery: That makes sense. Uh, a cosmic cannonball.

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What's the second theory?

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Anna: The other possibility is that it's a failed

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star, also known as a brown dwarf,

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or perhaps a rogue planet. In

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this case, it would have been born in a star

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system and then violently ejected through

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gravitational interactions with other more

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massive objects.

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Avery: Like a slingshot effect.

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Anna: Precisely. This could explain the speed,

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but the composition is still a bit of a

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puzzle for this theory. Further observations,

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probably with the James Webb Space Telescope,

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will be needed to analyze its light spectrum

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and figure out what it's made of. Either way,

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it's a fascinating detective story.

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Avery: It really is a great reminder that the

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universe is filled with strange and

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unexpected objects.

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Finally today we have an important

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announcement for any students listening who

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dream of a career in space.

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Anna: Yes, this is a fantastic Opportunity.

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The European Space Agency, or

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esa, has issued issued a final call for

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applications for its 2026

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student internship program.

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Avery: And that deadline is coming up very soon.

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Applications must be in by November 30th.

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This program is an amazing gateway into the

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industry.

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Anna: It is. It offers students in a wide variety

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of fields, not just science and engineering,

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the chance to get hands on experience working

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alongside Europe's top space experts.

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Avery: Interns get to contribute to real missions,

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whether that's developing technology for

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future space probes, analyzing satellite

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data, or working on the administrative side

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of one of the world's leading space agencies.

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Anna: So if you are a student and you're passionate

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about space, this is a call to action.

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Check out the ESA website for details on how

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to apply and qualifications needed. It

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could be the first step in an incredible

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career journey. The deadline again is

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November 30th and we'll put a link in the

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show notes for you.

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Avery: An excellent opportunity indeed.

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And on that note, that brings us to the end

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of our news roundup for this episode.

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Anna: It's been quite a journey. We covered the

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strategic shift for Boeing's Starliner to a

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cargo mission as they work through technical

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hurdles.

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Avery: We saw China's growing capabilities with

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their first ever launch on need rescue

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mission to the Tiangong Space Station.

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Anna: We checked in on the busy traffic at the ISS

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with Soyuz on its way and cargo being

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shuffled around and.

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Avery: A, uh, strange something speeding through our

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galaxy. And of course, a chance to join

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ESA as an intern.

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Anna: Thank you for joining us on Astronomy Daily.

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We hope you'll tune in tomorrow for another

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look at the wonders of the cosmos. Until

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then, I'm Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. Clear skies and keep looking

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up.