China's Rocket Innovations, Martian Secrets Unveiled, and Cosmic Light Displays

WEBVTT

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Anna: Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of everything

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happening in the cosmos. I'm, your host, Anna, and

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I'm thrilled to bring you today's roundup of the most

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fascinating developments in space and astronomy.

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We've got an action packed episode for you today. We'll

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explore China's latest achievements with their

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methane powered rocket launch and their upcoming

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asteroid sample return mission. Then we'll dive

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into some intriguing Mars mysteries as, scientists may

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have finally solved the puzzle of those strange dark

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streaks on the Martian surface. Plus,

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we'll uncover the truth behind that mysterious light streak

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that appeared over US skies during a recent aurora

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storm. Get updates on SpaceX's busy

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Starlink launch schedule, and check in with NASA's

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Perseverance rover as it explores an ancient region on

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Mars that could hold clues to the planet's watery

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past. So stick around as we journey through

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today's most exciting space news right here on Astronomy

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Daily.

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China has made significant strides in the commercial space race

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with Beijing based Landspace Technology

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successfully launching their Jukui 2E Y2

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carrier rocket last Saturday. The rocket

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blasted off from the Juquan satellite launch center in

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northwest China at 12:12pm local time,

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marking the fifth flight for the Jukui 2 series.

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What makes this launch particularly noteworthy is that

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Landspace is doubling down on methane as a rocket

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fuel. In fact, the company made history in

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July 2023 when it became the world's

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first to successfully launch a methane liquid

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oxygen rocket launch, beating out major competitors

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like Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff

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Bezos's Blue Origin. Methane

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is gaining popularity in the aerospace industry for good

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reason. It's considered less polluting than traditional

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rocket fuels, offers enhanced safety, and

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comes with a lower price tag. These advantages make

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methane particularly well suited as a propellant for

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reusable rockets, which is exactly what

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Landspace is working toward. Saturday's

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launch successfully deployed six satellites into orbit,

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showing progress from their previous launches.

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Their first successful methane powered launch didn't carry

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any real satellites, while their second launch in

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December 2023 managed to place three

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satellites into orbit. This latest mission

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carried payloads developed by Chinese firm

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Spacedee, including a radar satellite, two

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multispectral satellites, and three satellites for scientific

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experiments. This launch included some

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technical improvements that will support Landspace's reusability

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goals. The company implemented a new propulsion

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method that involved chilling both liquid oxygen and

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methane below their boiling points to boost thrust.

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Landspace founder and CEO Zhang Chung Wu

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has indicated that the company is actively developing

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reusable rockets with test launches expected in the second

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half of 2025. The race to develop

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reusable rockets has intensified since SpaceX

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demonstrated how they can dramatically lower costs for

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for launch vehicles and space transportation. Chinese

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commercial space companies have been particularly active since

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2014, when the government opened the industry

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to private investment, with land space being one

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of the earliest and best funded entrants in the field.

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In more news from China today, China is ramping

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up its ambitious space exploration program with the upcoming launch

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of the Tianwen 2 asteroid probe, scheduled

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for late May from the Qichong satellite launch center.

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After being transported to the launch area on May 14,

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the spacecraft is currently undergoing final inspections

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before its historic journey begins. This mission

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represents China's first attempt to collect samples

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from interplanetary space, marking another

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significant milestone in the country's rapidly

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advancing space program. The primary Target is

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asteroid 2016 HO3, a

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small 100 meter asteroid that follows a unique orbit

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around Earth as what scientists call a, quasi

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satellite. While it doesn't orbit Earth directly like

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our moon, it follows a path around the sun

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that keeps it as a constant companion to our planet.

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Once Tianwen 2 reaches its destination, it

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will deploy a mechanical arm to scoop up dust samples

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from the asteroid's surface. But the mission doesn't end

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there. The spacecraft will also explore

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Comet 311P, providing an

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unprecedented opportunity to study two distinct

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celestial bodies during a single mission.

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This sample return mission follows in the footsteps of

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similar successful ventures by other spacefaring

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nations, including the United States and Japan,

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who have previously landed on asteroids. However,

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this represents China's first venture into asteroid

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exploration and sample collection. The Tianwen

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2 mission comes on the heels of China's impressive

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achievement earlier this year with the Chang' E 6 lunar

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probe, which made history as the first mission to bring

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back samples from the moon's far side. This

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consistent progress demonstrates China's growing

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capabilities and determination to establish itself

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as a leading space power. Looking ahead,

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China has already announced plans for Tianwen 3,

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an even more ambitious mission scheduled for around

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2028 that aims to return samples from

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Mars. These missions reflect the

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intensifying space race between China and the United

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States as both nations accelerate their

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exploration plans with increasingly

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sophisticated missions. The upcoming

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Tianwen 2 launch will be closely watched by the international

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scientific community as the samples it returns

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could provide valuable insights into the

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composition of asteroids and the early solar system,

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potentially offering clues about the origins of life

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on Earth.

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Next, let's take a look at the first of two stories we have today

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from the Red Planet dark streaks that

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mysteriously appear on Martian slopes and have

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puzzled planetary scientists since they were first

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observed in the late 1970s. These

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features, known as slope streaks, are typically

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darker than their surroundings and can extend for

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hundreds of meters down steep terrain.

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In 2011, researchers discovered similar

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but shorter lived features called recurrent slope

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lineae, or rsl, triggering an intense

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debate about their origins. For decades,

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scientists have been divided on whether these streaks are evidence of

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something extraordinary liquid water flowing on

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the Martian surface or merely the result of dry

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processes like dust movements. A new study

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published in Nature Communications may have

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finally resolved this long standing mystery.

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A big focus of Mars research is understanding modern

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day processes on Mars, including the

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possibility of liquid water on the surface,

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explains Adamus Valentinus from Brown University,

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who co authored the research. The water

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hypothesis suggested that small amounts from buried

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ice, subsurface aquifers, or

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unusually humid air could mix with salt

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to create briny flows capable of persisting even

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in Mars's freezing conditions.

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To settle the debate, Valentinas and his colleague

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Dr. Valentin Bickle from the University of Bern

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used machine learning to create the first global

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catalog of these features. After

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training their algorithm on confirmed slope streak

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sightings, they analyzed over 86,000

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high resolution satellite images identifying

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500,000 individual slope streaks.

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Once we had this global map, we could compare it to

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databases of temperature, wind speed,

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hydration, rockslide activity, and other

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factors, says Bickle. Then we could

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look for correlations over hundreds of thousands of cases.

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Their findings were conclusive. These features appear

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more frequently in areas with above average wind speed and

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dust deposition factors that strongly suggest

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a dry origin rather than liquid water.

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Neither type of streak shows associations with factors

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you'd expect if water were involved, such as

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specific slope orientations, high humidity, or

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temperature fluctuations. The researchers

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concluded that slope streaks most likely form when layers of

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fine dust suddenly slide off steep slopes,

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while RSLs are more commonly found in places with

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frequent rockfalls and dust devils, those

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mini whirlwinds of dust and grit that dance across the

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Martian surface. Our findings suggest that

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Martian slopes currently do not experience

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seasonal transient flows of liquid water or

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brines, underscoring the dry desert.

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Like Nature of Mars, the authors write,

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this conclusion has important implications for future

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Mars missions, as it suggests these areas are

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unlikely to be habitable environments, potentially

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easing planetary protection constraints for landed

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missions targeting these regions.

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Meanwhile, a mystery back here on Earth on the

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night of Saturday, May 17, sky watchers across the

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United States were treated to an unexpected light show.

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A brilliant stream of whitish light stretched across the night

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sky, visible as far south as New Mexico,

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with a major auroral display Already underway Due to solar

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particles hitting Earth's magnetic field, many

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observers initially thought they were witnessing Steve.

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That's the strong thermal emission velocity

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enhancement, a rare aurora adjacent

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phenomenon that creates white mauve streaks in the

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ionosphere. But this wasn't Steve at all.

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Astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who specializes in

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tracking activity in Earth orbit, quickly identified the

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true source, a fuel dump from the upper stage of

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China's Zhuque 2 rocket at an altitude of

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about 250 kilometers. As

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reported earlier in the show, just Hours earlier,

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at 04:12 UTC, Beijing

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based startup Landspace Technology had launched

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their Jukui 2E Y2 carrier

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rocket carrying six satellites into orbit.

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The striking visual effect occurred when the rocket's upper

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stage released unused methalox fuel, a

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mixture of methane and liquid oxygen, while passing over

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the southwestern United States. At that

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altitude, right in Earth's ionosphere, the fuel

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created a chemical light show through reactions with the

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charged plasma environment. According to

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physicists, these reactions can include ion

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molecule, charge exchange, electron ion

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recombination, and optical emissions from

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chemiluminescence. In m simpler terms,

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we when rocket fuel interacts with the ionosphere at night,

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it can create a long lived glow visible from the

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ground. While we've seen rocket fuel create strange

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spirals in the sky before this particular

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manifestation, a straight white streak

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resembling Steve appears to be something new.

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With methalox gaining popularity as a rocket fuel

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due to its efficiency, cleaner combustion,

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and potential for in situ production on Mars,

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we might see more of these unusual light shows in our night

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skies in the future. So if you spotted this

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mysterious streak on May 17, now you know it

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wasn't an aurora or Steve, but rather the after

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effects of humanity's expanding activities in

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space, bringing a bit of cosmic chemistry right to

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our doorstep.

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Okay, moving on. Let's take a look at this week's launch schedule.

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SpaceX is ramping up for an exceptionally busy week, with

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at least three Starlink satellite launches planned across both

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coasts of the United States. The ambitious schedule

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reflects the company's accelerating pace as it works to

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expand its global Internet constellation.

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The week began with a Falcon 9 scheduled to launch

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Starlink Group 12 to 15 from Space Launch

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Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

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However, the countdown was held at just under 2 1/2 minutes

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before liftoff. Unlike most Starlink missions,

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which typically have four hour launch windows, this one

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had an unusually short 35 minute window.

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The hold resulted in a scrub as Falcon

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9's highly chilled fuel warms too quickly to allow

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for a reset within the same window. The

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mission would have carried 23 satellites, including both

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standard V2 mini satellites and specialized

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direct to cell variants. Later in the week,

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another Florida launch is planned, with Starlink Group

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1222 lifting off from the same pad on

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Saturday. This mission will similarly carry

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a mixture of Starlink V2 mini and and direct to cell

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satellites on a southeasterly trajectory over the Atlantic

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Ocean. But perhaps the most significant launch

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of the week will come from Vandenberg Space Force

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Base in California. On Sunday,

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SpaceX plans to initiate construction of an

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entirely new orbital shell for the Starlink

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Constellation with the Group 171

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mission. This launch represents a major

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milestone as the first Starlink mission targeting a

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polar sun synchronous orbit at a 97 degree

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inclination since the earlier Group 3 deployments

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which used older V1.5 satellites.

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The polar orbit will enable Starlink to provide coverage

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at high latitudes, including the Arctic and

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Antarctic region's areas that have historically had

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limited access to reliable Internet connectivity.

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This expansion into polar orbits represents the next phase

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in SpaceX's plan to provide truly global coverage.

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All three missions will include landing attempts on SpaceX's

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autonomous drone ships positioned in the Atlantic and Pacific

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Oceans. These recoveries continue to demonstrate

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the company's reusability model, which has

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revolutionized launch economics, with some boosters now

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having flown more than two dozen missions. If all

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launches proceed as planned, SpaceX will surpass

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60 missions for 2025,

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continuing their record breaking launch cadence and and further

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cementing their dominance in the commercial launch market.

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Also this week we have launches planned from China and

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Russia. The first of several Chinese launches

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expected this week will launch from Launch Complex

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201 at AH, the

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Wencheng Space Launch Site in China on Tuesday, May

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20 at 11:50 UTC.

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There is no information regarding the mission's payload at present,

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however, the hazard warning notices published

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indicate that the Changjang 7A

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CZ7A will fly due east from the launch

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site. Another Chinese launch is expected on Wednesday, May

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21 at 400 UTC during

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a launch window extending from 3:54 until

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4:15 UTC. A Kinetica 1 will lift off

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from Site 130 at Juquan Satellite Launch

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center in China. Published hazard notices indicate

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a southwesterly trajectory for the flight. This mission

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will serve as the first Kinetica 1 mission of

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2025 and the seventh overall. And

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finally rounding out a busy week of launches, a Russian

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Soyuz 2.1 A with a Fregat M M

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4th stage will launch an unknown payload on

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Friday, May 23rd at 0700

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UTC from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in

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northwestern Russia. This will be the third launch

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for a Soyuz in 2025 and the

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113th orbital launch attempt worldwide

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this year.

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M Finally today, let's return to Mars.

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NASA's Perseverance rover is embarking on an

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exciting new chapter of its Martian adventure,

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exploring a region that scientists believe could harbor some of

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the oldest rocks on the entire planet. After

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spending five months investigating Witch Hazel Hill,

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the nuclear powered rover has now moved on to a new area

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of interest dubbed Crocodylon. The

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name, which means the crocodile in Norwegian, was chosen

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by mission scientists after a mountain ridge on Norway's

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Prinz Karls foreland Island. This

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73 acre plateau of rocky

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outcrops sits downslope to the west and south

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of Witch Hazel Hill on the lower slope of

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Jezero Crater's rim. What makes

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Crocodylan particularly tantalizing is its

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geological age. These rocks formed before

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Jezero Crater was even created, dating back to

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Mars earliest geological period known as the

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Noachian Era. In fact, they're among the

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oldest accessible rocks on the entire Martian surface.

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An early investigation of the region revealed the

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presence of clay minerals, which require liquid

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water to form. This provides compelling

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evidence that abundant water once flowed across this

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ancient landscape long before an asteroid

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impact created Jezero Crater. Clay

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minerals are especially important in the search for past

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life because they're known on Earth to preserve

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organic compounds, the fundamental building blocks

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of life. Ken Farley, deputy

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project scientist for Perseverance, explained the

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significance if we find a potential

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biosignature here, it would most likely be from an

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entirely different and much earlier epoch of Mars

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evolution than the one we found last year in the crater

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with Chayava Falls. That

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previous discovery featured chemical signatures and

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structures that could have been formed by ancient life.

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The rover, which celebrated its

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1,500th day of surface operations

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on May 9, is currently analyzing a rocky

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outcrop called Copper Cove.

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Orbital data suggests that other areas of

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Crocodylon may contain olivine and carbonate

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minerals. While olivine forms from

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magma, carbonates typically develop when rock reacts

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with carbon dioxide dissolved in liquid water.

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On Earth, carbonates excel at, preserving

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fossilized microbial life, recording ancient climate

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conditions. The Perseverance team has also

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implemented a new sampling strategy, allowing some

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cored samples to remain unsealed. This gives the

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mission flexibility to replace earlier samples if more

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scientifically compelling features are discovered down the road.

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Katie Stack, Morgan Perseverance's acting

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project scientist, noted, we have been exploring

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Mars for over four years, and every single filled

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sample tube we have on board has its own unique and

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compelling story to tell. As Perseverance

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continues its methodical exploration of this ancient

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Martian landscape, each rock it analyzes

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brings us closer to understanding Mars's distant

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past and potentially answering whether life once

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existed on our neighboring planet.

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Well, what an incredible week in space and astronomy

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news. We've m truly spanned the solar system in

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today's episode. From groundbreaking rocket launches here

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on Earth to the mysteries of Mars and beyond,

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the pace of innovation in space technology continues to

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accelerate, with China's landspace joining the race

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to develop methane powered rockets, technology

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that could revolutionize our access to space through

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reusability and efficiency. Their

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upcoming Tianwen 2 mission represents another significant

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step in asteroid exploration, joining efforts

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by NASA, JAXA and other space agencies to

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understand these ancient celestial bodies.

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Looking ahead, watch for SpaceX's continued

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expansion of their Starlink constellation,

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particularly the new Polar Orbit Shell, which will

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enhance global coverage. The Russian Soyuz

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launch carrying its mysterious payload will certainly be

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worth monitoring as well. On Mars,

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Perseverance's exploration of the ancient Crocodilan region

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may yield some of the most significant discoveries yet about

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the Red Planet's early history. The rover's

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investigation of those Noachian era rocks could

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fundamentally change our understanding of Mars's potential

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habitability. And the scientific detective work

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that solved both the mystery of Mars slope streaks and

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the strange light phenomenon over the United States

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00:19:01.170 --> 00:19:04.050
reminds us that space science is constantly evolving,

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with new observations challenging our previous

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assumptions. The coming weeks promise even

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more excitement as these missions progress and new launches

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take flight. Our understanding of the cosmos

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grows richer with each passing day.

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And that's all for this episode of Astronomy Daily.

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I'm Anna and I want to thank you for joining me

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00:19:24.650 --> 00:19:27.170
on this cosmic journey through today's most

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00:19:27.170 --> 00:19:30.090
fascinating space and astronomy news. If you're

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hungry for more space content and let's be honest, who isn't,

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00:19:33.410 --> 00:19:34.690
I invite you to visit our

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00:19:34.690 --> 00:19:37.650
website@astronomydaily.IO where you

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00:19:37.650 --> 00:19:40.640
can sign up for our free daily newsletter. It's the

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perfect way to stay updated on all the latest

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00:19:43.120 --> 00:19:46.000
developments in space exploration and astronomy

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00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:48.400
with our constantly updating news feed.

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Don't miss a single episode by subscribing to Astronomy

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00:20:03.280 --> 00:20:05.960
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00:20:05.960 --> 00:20:08.810
amazing happening in our cosmic neighborhood. This

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00:20:08.810 --> 00:20:11.730
has been Anna for Astronomy Daily, your daily

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00:20:11.730 --> 00:20:13.530
dose of space news and wonder.