Curiosity's Groundbreaking Find, Black Hole Mysteries

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Anna: Welcome to ASTRONOMY Daily, your source for

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the latest news and discoveries in space

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exploration. I'm your host, Anna. And

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today we have a packed episode covering

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exciting developments from NASA's Curiosity

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rover on Mars, recent rocket launches,

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stunning observations from the Webb Space

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Telescope, a terrifying cosmic scenario

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involving black holes, and updates on NASA's

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Artemis program. So let's get into

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it. NASA's Curiosity

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rover has made a groundbreaking discovery on

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Mars that's sending ripples of excitement

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through the scientific community. Researchers

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analyzing pulverized rock samples inside the

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rover's onboard laboratory have detected the

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largest organic compounds found on the Red

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Planet to date. The findings, published in

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the Proceedings of the National Academy of

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Sciences, reveal that Curiosity sample

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analysis at Mars Minilab identified

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three significant organic

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decane, undecane, and

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dodecane. These aren't just any compounds.

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They contain 10, 11, and 12 carbon atoms,

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respectively, making them substantially more

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complex than previous organic molecules

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discovered on Mars. Scientists believe

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these compounds are fragments of fatty acids

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that were preserved in the Martian rock

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samples. This is particularly significant

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because on Earth, fatty acids are among the

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fundamental chemical building blocks of life.

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They're essential components in cell

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membranes and serve various biological

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functions in living organisms. While the

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discovery doesn't prove the existence of past

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or present life on Mars, it does suggest that

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organic chemistry on the Red Planet may have

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advanced further than previously observed.

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The size and complexity of these molecules

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indicate that Mars may have once had

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conditions suitable for the kind of prebiotic

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chemistry that could potentially lead to

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life. What makes this discovery even more

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remarkable is that it demonstrates these

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complex organic compounds can survive Mars

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harsh surface conditions. The planet's

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surface is constantly bombarded with

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radiation and oxidizing chemicals that would

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typically destroy such delicate organic

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molecules over time. The fact that

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Curiosity found them intact suggests that if

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biosignatures ever existed on Mars, they

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might still be detectable today. This

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discovery is particularly exciting because

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fatty acids are fundamental chemical building

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blocks of life as we know it on Earth. In

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living organisms, these compounds play

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crucial roles in forming cell membranes, the

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protective barriers that separate cellular

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contents from the external environment, as

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well as storing energy and facilitating other

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essential biological processes.

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As Caroline Freycinet from the French

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national center for Scientific Research put

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it, our study proves that even today,

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by analyzing Mars samples, we could detect

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chemical signatures of past life if it ever

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existed on Mars. That's a profound

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statement about our increasing ability to

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address one of humanity's most fundamental

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questions. Are we alone in the universe?

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Turning our telescopes skyward now, this has

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been an exceptionally busy week for orbital

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launches around the world. SpaceX kicked off

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the action with a classified mission on

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Monday, continuing their breakneck pace of

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operations for 2025. The

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European Space industry is making history

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this week with Isar Aerospace attempting the

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first orbital launch of a European rocket

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from continental Europe. After a scrub on

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Monday due to unfavorable winds, their

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Spectrum rocket is now positioned to make the

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inaugural orbital launch from Norway's

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andoya spaceport. This two stage vehicle

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stands 28 meters tall with a 2 meter

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diameter and can deliver up to 1000

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kg to low earth orbit. What makes

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Spectrum particularly notable is its

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propulsion system 9.3D printed

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Aquila engines on the first stage, burning

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liquid propane and oxygen, offering what the

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company calls the highest density specific

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impulse of all carbon fuels.

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Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace is preparing for

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the sixth launch of its Alpha rocket from

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Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

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This message in a booster mission will carry

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a technology demonstrator for Lockheed

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Martin's LM400 satellite

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bus. The launch marks the first of up to

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25 flights for Lockheed Martin as part of a

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multi launch agreement spanning the next five

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years. Not to be outdone, Rocket

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Lab is on track for its third electron launch

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in just two weeks, a remarkable achievement

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in rapid launch cadence. Their mission,

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colorfully named Finding Hot Wildfires near

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you, will deploy eight satellites for Aurora

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Tech's Thermal Imaging Constellation, which

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monitors wildfires globally to support faster

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response times for protecting forests,

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communities and critical infrastructure.

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With four worldwide orbital launch attempts

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scheduled for Wednesday alone, including a

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Changjang 3B E launch from China carrying an

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unknown payload, and three SpaceX Starlink

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missions planned for the week, we're

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witnessing a truly unprecedented era in space

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access and utilization. SpaceX continues

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to redefine what's possible in the commercial

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space industry, shattering records left and

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right in 2025. Just last week they

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achieved a remarkable feat when Booster

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B1088 set a new first

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stage turnaround record of just over nine

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days during the NR OL57 mission from

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Vandenberg. This dramatically improves on

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their previous record of 14 days, showcasing

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the company's rapidly advancing reusability

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capabilities. The records don't stop there

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at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral

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Space Force Station. SpaceX established an

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impressive pad turnaround milestone on March

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15. The Starlink Group 1216

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mission launched just 2 days, 8 hours,

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59 minutes and 40 seconds after the previous

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Starlink mission from the same pad, slashing

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nearly six hours off their previous record.

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Perhaps most impressively, this launch marked

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SpaceX's third mission in a mere 12.5

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hours following the Crew 10 and Transporter

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13 missions. While SpaceX has

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slightly revised its annual launch target

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from 180 to 170 missions,

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due to some challenges with booster recovery

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and increased refurbishment times, they're

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still on an extraordinary trajectory.

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They've already completed 38 launches across

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their fleet in just the first quarter of

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2025, putting them well ahead of pace

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to exceed their revised goal. This

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relentless cadence is transforming our access

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to space. With Falcon 9 now firmly

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established as the workhorse of the

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commercial launch industry, SpaceX is

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demonstrating that rapid, reliable and

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reusable space transportation isn't just a

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futuristic concept, it's today's reality.

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The implications for satellite deployment,

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space station resupply, and potentially even

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human spaceflight beyond Earth orbit are

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profound as launch constraints continue to

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fall. Lets get a

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JWST update.

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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has gifted

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us with another breathtaking image that's

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forcing astronomers to rethink what they

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thought they knew about a cosmic phenomenon.

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What was once dramatically dubbed the cosmic

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tornado by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope

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back in 2006 has been revealed to be

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something even more a chance alignment

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of two completely unrelated objects separated

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by unfathomable distances. The

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web's extraordinary resolution shows that

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what we're actually seeing is Herbig Haro

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49/50. A uh, frothy looking

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outflow from a nearby young star perfectly

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aligned with a colorful spiral galaxy

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located hundreds of millions of light years

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in the background. It's like capturing a

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photograph of a leaf blowing in the

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wind that just happens to perfectly frame

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a distant mountain peak. This composite

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image combines data from Webb's near infrared

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camera and mid infrared instrument, providing

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unprecedented detail of this dynamic region.

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The arc shaped features in the outflow point

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back to their source, likely a Protostar

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known as Cederblad110

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IRS4, a young object only

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tens of thousands to a million years old

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that's still gaining mass. What makes this

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discovery particularly striking is is how it

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illustrates the three dimensional nature of

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our universe projected onto the two

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dimensional plane of the night sky. When we

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observe space, objects that appear to be

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interacting might actually have no

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relationship whatsoever. Separated by vast

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cosmic distances,

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HH4950 is relatively close to

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us, residing in the Chamalion 1 cloud

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complex just 625 light years away,

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practically in our cosmic backyard.

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Meanwhile, the spiral galaxy that appears to

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be at the tip of this outflow is incredibly

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distant, with no physical connection to the

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nearby stellar jet. Over thousands of

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years, as the edge of HH

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4950 continues to move outward,

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it will eventually appear to cover up the

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distant galaxy entirely, further changing

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this chance cosmic alignment. Herbig haro

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objects like HH4950 are among

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the most dynamic and visually striking

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phenomena in star formation. These glowing

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nebulae form when newborn stars eject high

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velocity jets of gas that collide violently

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with the surrounding interstellar medium. The

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process is rather dramatic as a young star

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forms from a collapsing cloud of gas and

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dust. Not all material falls directly onto

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the protostar. Instead, some gets channeled

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into these powerful, focused jets that blast

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outward from the star's poles at astonishing

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speeds, often hundreds of miles per second.

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When these jets slam into the relatively calm

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gas around them, they create shock fronts

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similar to sonic booms in Earth's atmosphere.

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These shock waves compress and heat the gas

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to thousands of degrees, causing it to glow

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brightly across multiple wavelengths. As

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the superheated gas gradually cools, it emits

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light that we can detect in both visible and

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infrared spectrums, creating the distinctive

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glowing features we observe. What makes

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Webb's observations particularly valuable is

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the telescope's unparalleled infrared

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sensitivity and resolution. Previous

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observations couldn't capture the intricate

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details we're now seeing. Webb can clearly

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trace the location of glowing hydrogen

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molecules, carbon monoxide, and

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energized dust grains as the

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protostellar jet impacts the surrounding

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region. These fine scale

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observations allow astronomers to model the

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properties of the jet with unprecedented

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accuracy.

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In a concerning discovery, astronomers have

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detected an erupting supermassive black hole

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producing enormous jets bursting from a

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spiral galaxy similar to our Milky Way. The

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galaxy known as J2

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3450449 is three times the size

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of our galaxy and located

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947 million light years away.

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Yet it's causing quite a stir in the

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astronomical community due to its unusual

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characteristics. What's particularly alarming

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about this finding is the scale of these

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jets. They stretch an astonishing 6 million

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light years in length. To put that in

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perspective, our entire Milky Way galaxy is

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roughly 100,000 light years across,

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making these jets 60 times longer than our

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galaxy's diameter. While larger jets

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have been observed in the past, including one

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named Porphyrion stretching 23 million

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light years. Such massive emissions have

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typically been associated with elliptical

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galaxies, not spiral ones like

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J2300450449

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and our own Milky Way. Perhaps even more

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puzzling is the fact that

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J23450449

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appears remarkably tranquil despite housing

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one of the most violent supermassive black

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holes ever seen in a spiral galaxy.

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The Galaxy has somehow managed to maintain

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its spiral structure, including its

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distinctive arms, bright nuclear bar of

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stars, and stellar ring. This

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directly contradicts previous scientific

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models which predicted that such powerful

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jets would tear apart the structure of a

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spiral galaxy. Adding to this cosmic

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mystery, J2345

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00:12:23.272 --> 00:12:26.038
0449 contains 10 times

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more dark matter than than our Milky Way and

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00:12:28.410 --> 00:12:30.994
is surrounded by a huge halo of superheated

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gas. In most galaxies, this gas would be

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cooling and condensing to form new stars.

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However, in J2345

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0449, the Central Black hole

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acts as a cosmic furnace, heating this gas

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halo and preventing star formation while

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producing intense X ray emissions, as

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one scientist involved in the study put it.

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This discovery forces us to rethink our

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understanding of galactic evolution and how

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supermassive black holes grow and shape their

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environments. It raises profound questions

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about what this might mean for the future of

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galaxies like our own Milky Way. This

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00:13:06.490 --> 00:13:08.642
discovery raises a chilling question that has

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astronomers concerned. Could Sagittarius

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A, the supermassive black hole lurking

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at the center of our own Milky Way,

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experience a similar eruption? The

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possibility is both fascinating and

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terrifying. While Sagittarius

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A is significantly smaller than the black

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hole in J2345

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00:13:27.426 --> 00:13:30.140
0449, just 4.3

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million solar masses compared to the distant

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galaxy's estimated 1.4 billion solar

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masses, size isn't the only factor

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determining a black hole's activity.

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Currently, our galactic center's black hole

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is remarkably quiet. If Sagittarius

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A were a human, astronomers estimate it would

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be as if it sustained itself on a single

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grain of rice every million years. That's an

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extraordinarily modest diet for such a

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massive cosmic object. But this peaceful

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state could change dramatically and with

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little warning. If Sagittarius A

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star were to capture a large gas cloud or

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00:14:01.876 --> 00:14:04.780
even an entire staran event astronomers call

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a tidal disruption event. It would suddenly

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have an abundance of material to feed on. As

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this stellar material falls toward the black

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00:14:11.860 --> 00:14:14.284
hole, it would form a rapidly spinning

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accretion disk, and some of this energy would

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00:14:16.766 --> 00:14:19.062
be channeled into powerful jets erupting from

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the black hole's poles. The consequences

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00:14:22.022 --> 00:14:24.262
of such an eruption would depend largely on

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00:14:24.286 --> 00:14:27.222
the jets orientation and strength. If one

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of these jets, originating from 27,000

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00:14:30.238 --> 00:14:32.598
light years away at our galactic center,

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00:14:32.694 --> 00:14:34.486
happened to point directly at our solar

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system, the results could be catastrophic.

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The high energy particles and radiation

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within such jets have the potential to strip

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away planetary atmospheres, including

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Earth's. The intense radiation could damage

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DNA in living organisms, dramatically

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increasing mutation rates across all life

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forms on our planet. In a worst case

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scenario where Earth takes a direct hit from

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such a jet, the high energy particles could

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severely degrade our protective ozone layer,

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potentially triggering a mass extinction

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event similar to those seen in Earth's

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geological record.

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On a more hopeful note, NASA continues to

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make progress on its Artemis 2 mission, which

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will be the first crewed flight of the

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00:15:14.586 --> 00:15:16.870
Artemis program since its inception.

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Late Saturday night, technicians at Kennedy

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00:15:20.258 --> 00:15:22.690
Space center in Florida reached a significant

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milestone when they successfully moved the

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core stage for NASA's second Space Launch

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System rocket into position between the

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vehicle's two solid fueled boosters.

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Working inside the iconic vehicle assembly

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building, which stands an impressive 52

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00:15:38.696 --> 00:15:41.488
stories tall, ground teams used heavy

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00:15:41.504 --> 00:15:44.096
duty cranes to first lift the butterscotch

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00:15:44.128 --> 00:15:47.072
orange core stage from its cradle. The

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00:15:47.096 --> 00:15:49.792
operation required meticulous precision as

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the cranes rotated the massive structure

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00:15:51.872 --> 00:15:53.632
vertically before disconnecting one of the

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00:15:53.656 --> 00:15:56.432
cranes from the bottom of the rocket. The

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00:15:56.456 --> 00:15:59.120
Boeing built core stage is truly a

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00:15:59.160 --> 00:16:01.584
marvel of engineering. Weighing

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00:16:01.632 --> 00:16:04.598
approximately 94 tons and measuring about

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00:16:04.654 --> 00:16:07.174
212ft tall, this massive

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00:16:07.222 --> 00:16:09.814
component will contain 730,000

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00:16:09.902 --> 00:16:12.662
gallons of cryogenic propellant when the

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00:16:12.686 --> 00:16:15.334
rocket lifts off. It represents the single

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00:16:15.382 --> 00:16:17.894
largest element for the Artemis 2 mission.

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00:16:18.022 --> 00:16:20.614
Once positioned, teams connected the core

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00:16:20.662 --> 00:16:23.206
stage to each booster at forward and aft load

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00:16:23.238 --> 00:16:26.022
bearing attach points. The next steps in the

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00:16:26.046 --> 00:16:28.454
assembly process will include stacking a cone

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00:16:28.502 --> 00:16:30.914
shaped adapter on top of the core stage,

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00:16:31.062 --> 00:16:33.418
followed by the rocket's upper stage, another

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00:16:33.474 --> 00:16:36.090
adapter ring, and finally the Orion

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00:16:36.170 --> 00:16:38.106
spacecraft that will house the four person

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00:16:38.178 --> 00:16:41.146
crew during their journey. This mission

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00:16:41.178 --> 00:16:43.098
represents humanity's return to deep space

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00:16:43.154 --> 00:16:45.850
exploration as Artemis 2 will ferry four

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00:16:45.890 --> 00:16:48.026
astronauts around the far side of the moon.

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00:16:48.138 --> 00:16:50.522
If all continues according to plan, this

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00:16:50.546 --> 00:16:52.410
historic flight could launch as soon as next

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00:16:52.450 --> 00:16:54.810
year, marking the first time humans have

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00:16:54.850 --> 00:16:56.762
ventured beyond low Earth orbit since the

403
00:16:56.786 --> 00:16:59.760
Apollo era ended over 50 years ago.

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00:17:00.060 --> 00:17:02.500
Despite being years behind schedule, the

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00:17:02.540 --> 00:17:05.236
Artemis program continues to gain momentum.

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00:17:05.428 --> 00:17:07.204
NASA has achieved several important

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00:17:07.292 --> 00:17:09.492
milestones recently, including the

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00:17:09.516 --> 00:17:12.036
installation of the Orion spacecraft's solar

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00:17:12.068 --> 00:17:14.628
panels and completing the crucial closeouts

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00:17:14.644 --> 00:17:17.316
of its service module with aerodynamic panels

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00:17:17.348 --> 00:17:20.244
that will jettison during launch. A

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00:17:20.252 --> 00:17:22.660
few months ago, there was serious speculation

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00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:24.948
that NASA's Space Launch System might face

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00:17:25.004 --> 00:17:27.410
cancellation due to its high costs and

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00:17:27.450 --> 00:17:30.338
delays. However, this possibility

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00:17:30.434 --> 00:17:32.994
seems increasingly unlikely as alternative

417
00:17:33.042 --> 00:17:34.978
heavy lift vehicles aren't ready for human

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00:17:35.034 --> 00:17:37.890
spaceflight. Both SpaceX's Starship and

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00:17:37.930 --> 00:17:40.802
Blue Origin's New Glenn, while promising, are

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00:17:40.826 --> 00:17:42.802
still years away from being certified for

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00:17:42.826 --> 00:17:45.634
crewed missions. Starship, though holding

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00:17:45.682 --> 00:17:47.634
enormous long term potential to be cheaper

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00:17:47.682 --> 00:17:50.546
and more capable than SLS has faced recent

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00:17:50.618 --> 00:17:52.690
setbacks with back to back failures early

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00:17:52.730 --> 00:17:54.974
this year. The vehicle needs to demonstrate

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00:17:55.022 --> 00:17:57.966
reliable recovery, reuse and in orbit

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00:17:57.998 --> 00:17:59.870
refueling before it can be considered for

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00:17:59.910 --> 00:18:02.366
human missions. Similarly, Blue

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00:18:02.398 --> 00:18:04.926
Origin's New Glenn had a successful debut

430
00:18:04.958 --> 00:18:06.894
flight in January, but its development

431
00:18:06.982 --> 00:18:08.670
timeline suggests it won't be ready for

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00:18:08.710 --> 00:18:11.678
crewed flights anytime soon. These

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00:18:11.734 --> 00:18:14.302
circumstances have created a situation where,

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00:18:14.406 --> 00:18:17.358
despite its delays and budget overruns, the

435
00:18:17.414 --> 00:18:19.550
Space Launch System remains NASA's only

436
00:18:19.590 --> 00:18:22.046
viable option for sending humans beyond Earth

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00:18:22.078 --> 00:18:24.732
orbit in the near term. This practical

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00:18:24.796 --> 00:18:26.972
reality, combined with the progress being

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00:18:26.996 --> 00:18:28.972
made on hardware assembly, makes it

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00:18:28.996 --> 00:18:30.876
increasingly likely that NASA will proceed

441
00:18:30.908 --> 00:18:33.676
with Artemis 2 as planned, marking humanity's

442
00:18:33.708 --> 00:18:36.320
long awaited return to deep space exploration

443
00:18:37.860 --> 00:18:39.916
that wraps up today's episode of Astronomy

444
00:18:39.948 --> 00:18:40.560
Daily.

445
00:18:40.900 --> 00:18:43.036
What an incredible journey through our cosmic

446
00:18:43.068 --> 00:18:45.052
neighborhood we've had today. From the

447
00:18:45.076 --> 00:18:47.676
tantalizing discovery of complex organic

448
00:18:47.708 --> 00:18:49.910
molecules on Mars, to that could point to

449
00:18:49.950 --> 00:18:52.630
ancient life, to the terrifying potential of

450
00:18:52.670 --> 00:18:55.622
galactic scale black hole eruptions, to

451
00:18:55.646 --> 00:18:57.782
the steady progress of humanity's return to

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00:18:57.806 --> 00:19:00.518
the moon, the universe continues to both

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00:19:00.574 --> 00:19:03.446
inspire and humble us. I'm

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00:19:03.478 --> 00:19:05.286
Anna and I've been your host for Astronomy

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00:19:05.318 --> 00:19:07.782
Daily. If you enjoyed today's episode, you

456
00:19:07.806 --> 00:19:09.702
can listen to all our back episodes at

457
00:19:09.726 --> 00:19:12.294
astronomydaily, IO where we maintain a

458
00:19:12.302 --> 00:19:14.678
complete archive of our broadcasts. And don't

459
00:19:14.694 --> 00:19:16.530
forget to connect with us on social media.

460
00:19:16.670 --> 00:19:18.842
Just search for Astro Daily Pod on Facebook,

461
00:19:18.946 --> 00:19:21.130
X, YouTubeMusic, YouTubeMusic, Music,

462
00:19:21.250 --> 00:19:23.962
Instagram and TikTok. Thanks for joining me

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00:19:23.986 --> 00:19:26.138
on this cosmic journey. I'll see you again

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00:19:26.194 --> 00:19:28.442
tomorrow as we continue to explore the

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00:19:28.466 --> 00:19:30.682
wonders of our universe together. In the

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00:19:30.706 --> 00:19:32.130
meantime, keep looking up.