Exoplanet Insights: Trappist 1d's Atmosphere, Lunar Simulators, and Black Hole Awakening

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Anna: Welcome back to Astronomy Daily, your daily

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dive into the cosmos. I'm Ena.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. We're so glad you could join us today for another

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fascinating journey through the latest in space and

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astronomy news.

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Anna: Today, uh, we're going to travel light years away to

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discuss new findings about a distant

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exoplanet that's not quite Earth's

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twin.

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Avery: Then we'll shift gears and get down to Earth,

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specifically to Colorado, where a new lunar

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surface simulator is putting Moon machinery to the test.

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Anna: And for those interested in the policy side of space,

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we'll be looking at a controversial executive order

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aiming to cut red tape for commercial

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rocket launches.

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Avery: Finally, we'll marvel at a cosmic M giant caught

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in the act of waking up billions of light years

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away, giving us unprecedented insight into black

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holes.

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Anna: Kicking off our news, let's talk about

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exoplanets. Specifically one that has

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long captivated astronomers. Surviving, searching for life

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beyond our solar system.

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Trappist1d this

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planet is incredibly intriguing because

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it's similar in size to Earth, it's

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rocky, and it resides in an area around

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its star where liquid water on its surface

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is theoretically possible.

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Avery: That sounds incredibly promising, like a real contender

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for another habitable world. What's the latest?

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Anna: Well, Avery, a new study using data from

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the NASA ESA CSA James Webb,

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Space Telescop, has unfortunately

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delivered some sobering news. Despite

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all Those promising characteristics,

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Trappist1d does not have an Earth like

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atmosphere.

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Avery: Oh, that's a bit of a letdown. An atmosphere

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is pretty crucial for habitability, isn't it?

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Anna: Absolutely. A protective atmosphere

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along with a friendly star and liquid water

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is what makes Earth so special.

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Astronomers are really on a mission with Webb to

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determine just how unique our home planet is.

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Caroline Pialet Goryeb, the lead author of the study,

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put it clearly stating that while Webb is

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allowing them to explore this question for Earth sized

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planets for the first time, they can now rule

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out Trappist1d from a list of potential Earth

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twins or cousins.

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Avery: So what exactly did Webb's instruments find,

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or rather not find?

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Anna: Webb's near infrared Spectroscope or near

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spec instrument did not detect

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molecules common in Earth's atmosphere like

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water, methane or carbon. D.

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Pialit Goryeb outlined a few possibilities

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for Trappist1d. It could have an

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extremely thin atmosphere similar to Mars,

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or perhaps very thick high altitude

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clouds like Venus that are blocking their detection

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of specific atmospheric signatures.

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Or it could simply be a, uh, barren rock with

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no atmosphere at all.

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Avery: That's quite a range of possibilities from Mars like

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to Venus like or even completely

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barren.

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Anna: Indeed. And it highlights some of the

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inherent challenges of planets orbiting red

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dwarf stars like Trappist 1.

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This star, while dim and relatively cold,

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is known to be quite volatile. It often

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releases flares of high energy radiation,

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which have the potential to strip, uh, away the

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atmospheres of its small planets, especially

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those orbiting closest.

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Avery: Right. So even if a planet starts with an

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atmosphere, these stellar flares could just blast it

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away over time. But why are scientists still so

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motivated to look for atmospheres around these specific

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planets?

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Anna: Because red dwarf stars are the most common

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stars in our galaxy. If planets can

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hold onto an atmosphere in such a harsh environment

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under waves of intense stellar radiation,

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it really changes our understanding of where

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life might be possible. And Bjorn Benike,

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a co author of the study, mentioned that Webb's

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sensitive infrared instruments are allowing them to

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delve into the atmospheres of these smaller, colder

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planets for the first time. They're just starting to

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define the line between planets that can hold onto an

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atmosphere and those that can't.

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Avery: So is all hope lost for the Trappist 1 system

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as a whole? Are there any other planets in that

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system that might still be candidates for an atmosphere?

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Anna: Not at all. In fact, Webb observations of

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the outer Trappist 1 planets are still ongoing.

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Planets E, F, G, and H

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are further away from the energetic eruptions of

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their host star, which means they might have a

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better chance of retaining their atmospheres.

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Avery: That's encouraging. So there's still a chance for the

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Trappist 1 system to host worlds with significant

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atmospheres, even if Trappist 1D isn't one

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of them.

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Anna: Um, exactly. As Pilat Gaheleb

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said, all hope is not lost for atmospheres around

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the Trappist 1 planets. While they didn't

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find a strong atmospheric signature at Planet

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D, there's still potential for the outer planets

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to hold onto a lot of water and other atmospheric

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components. Ryan McDonald, another co

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author, emphasised that their detective work

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is just beginning, and this research

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reinforces how truly special Earth

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is in the cosmos.

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Avery: Speaking of special places and innovative research,

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let's pivot from distant exoplanets to something

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a little closer to home, but still very much out

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of this world, the Moon. There's an

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impressive new facility in Colorado that's literally

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bringing the lunar surface down to Earth.

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Anna: That's right, Avery. The Colorado School of Mines

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has built a massive simulated moonscape,

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and it's being put to work testing lunar rovers,

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evaluating lunar landing and launch pads,

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excavation gear, and all sorts of other hardware

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for future Moon missions. It's all about getting

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a practical understanding of how to work

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effectively with robotic spacecraft on the

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lunar surface.

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Avery: A simulated moonscape. That sounds

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fascinating. How large is the facility?

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Anna: It's quite substantial. Ian Jean, an

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adjunct professor and structural engineer at the school,

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confirmed that the MINES lunar surface simulator

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is up and running and being used almost daily.

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They filled it with over 110

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tonnes, or 100 metric tonnes, of

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lunar regolith simulant. Imagine

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having that much simulated moon dust.

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Avery: Wow, that's a lot of simulant. What kind

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of projects are they running there?

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Anna: Currently, one of the key projects underway is

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called aspect, which stands for Autonomous

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Site Preparation and Excavation

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Compaction and Testing. It's part of

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NASA's Lunar Surface Technology research programme,

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aiming to demonstrate automated lunar site

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preparation. The ASPECT rover is fully

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autonomous and equipped for regolith excavation,

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moving boulders and surface compaction.

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Avery: That's crucial for future lunar bases and sustained

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presence on the moon. Building such a unique

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facility must have presented a lot of challenges.

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Anna: Absolutely. Chris Dreyer, director of

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engineering at the Colorado School of Mine's Centre for

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Space Resources, highlighted several.

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Beyond sourcing such a large quantity of

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high quality lunar regolith simulant,

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affordably the structure itself needed to be

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dust tight and, um, waterproof. They even built a

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gantry system inside to track rover movements.

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And an assistant, professor, Frankie Zhu,

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developed a motion capture system to model rover

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mobility.

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Avery: So it's not just a big sandbox, it's a

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meticulously engineered testing environment.

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Anna: Exactly. Dreier noted that the entire

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process, from planning to construction, took

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over a year. And he now understands why there

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are so few equivalent testbeds globally.

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It's a testament to the complexity and dedication

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involved. But it's also open for innovation.

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Attracting external partners, that's really smart.

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Avery: Creating a resource for the broader commercial space industry.

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Are companies already using it?

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Anna: Yes, indeed. A Colorado based company is

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building robotic infrastructure, including a rover

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called Eagle, with the goal of opening the moon

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for further exploration and commercial activity.

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Interlune, a Seattle based startup focused on

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commercialising space resources like

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harvesting helium 3 from the moon, is also

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interested. And Neurospace

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from Berlin recently evaluated its

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modular rover platform, the Hiver, at the

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facility.

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Avery: So this isn't just about NASA or government missions.

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It's a hub for private companies looking.

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Anna: To make their mark on the moon too precisely.

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Irene Salvanathan, CEO of

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Neurospace, mentioned they're identifying

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the minimum technology needed to build

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inexpensive, affordable and

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scalable rovers. The Hive R, for

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example, is modular, flexible and can

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even repair itself. Dreyer

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reiterated that they're always looking for opportunities

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to support technology development from

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startups, established aerospace companies

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and academia. He sees vast

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opportunities for the testbed in lunar

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excavation, construction, mobility

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sensing and dust mitigation.

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Avery: This simulator truly sounds like a cornerstone for

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future lunar exploration and commercial endeavours,

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enabling companies to test their innovations right here on

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Earth before sending them to the moon.

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Anna: Absolutely, Avery. And speaking of

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testing things before they head to space, our

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next story deals with how we're regulating those very

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launches here on Earth.

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There's been some significant news regarding changes to the

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rules governing commercial rocket launches.

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Avery: Yes, it's a topic that's often debated in the space

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industry. The balance between fostering rapid

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innovation and ensuring safety and

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environmental protection. President Donald Trump

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recently signed an executive order. That's stirring up a lot of

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discussion about exactly that.

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Anna: That's right. On Wednesday, President

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Trump signed an executive order directing government

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agencies to eliminate or

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expedite environmental reviews for commercial

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launch and re entry licences. The

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Federal Aviation Administration, or

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faa, which is part of the Department of

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Transportation, is the primary agency that grants

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these licences.

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Avery: So the goal is to reduce what's often referred to as red

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tape for companies in the commercial space sector.

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Anna: Precisely. This push for deregulation

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is expected to be particularly welcomed by

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companies like SpaceX, which conducts the

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vast majority of commercial launches and re

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entries licenced by the faa. The

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order specifically directs Transportation Secretary

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Sean Duffy, who's also the acting

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Administrator of NASA, to use all

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available authorities to fast track these

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environmental review.

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Avery: And it's not just about environmental reviews, is it? I recall there

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were also regulations that the industry found

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burdensome.

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Anna: You're spot on. The executive order also

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includes a clause directing defy to re

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evaluate, amend or even rescind

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a set of launch safety regulations known as

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Part 450. These rules were actually

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written during the first Trump administration and went

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into effect in 2021. But space

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companies have since complained they are too

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cumbersome and have actually slowed down the

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licence approval process.

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Avery: So a past attempt at streamlining ironically

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created new hurdles. What else does the order aim to

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achieve?

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Anna: It goes further. Trump ordered NASA,

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the military and the Department of Transportation

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to eliminate duplicative reviews for spaceport

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development, especially at federally owned

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launch ranges like Cape Canaveral in Florida or

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or Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

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The administration also plans to make the head of

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the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation

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a political appointee rather than a career

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civil servant, and elevate the Office of Space

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Commerce.

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Avery: It sounds like a comprehensive effort to reshape the

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regulatory landscape for commercial spaceflight.

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What's the stated policy goal behind all these changes?

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Anna: The Executive Order clearly states it

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is the policy of the United States to enhance

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American greatness in space by

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enabling a, uh, competitive launch marketplace

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and substantially increasing commercial space

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launch cadence and novel space

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activities by 2030.

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Essentially, they want to streamline approvals to

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boost the US based operators. However,

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as with any significant policy change,

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there's always a flip side and concerns raised.

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What have environmental groups said about this order?

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Avery: There's been significant criticism. Jared

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Margolis, a senior attorney for the Centre for

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Biological Diversity, voiced strong

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opposition, stating that this reckless order

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puts people and wildlife at risk from private

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companies launching giant rockets that often

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explode and wreak devastation on surrounding areas.

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He added that bending the knee to powerful

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corporations by allowing federal agencies to ignore

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bedrock environmental laws is incredibly

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dangerous and puts all of us in harm's way.

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Anna: So the concern is that expediting these reviews might

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compromise environmental safeguards and public

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safety. Exactly. The changes

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to the environmental review process, particularly

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regarding the National Environmental Policy act

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or nepa, are considered the most

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controversial part of the order. NEPA

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requires federal agencies to evaluate the

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environmental effects of their actions. The the White House

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has directed the Transportation Department to

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identify activities not subject to

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NEPA and establish exclusions for

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launch and re entry licences.

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Avery: On the other hand, those in favour argue that

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these changes are vital for the growth and

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competitiveness of the US space industry.

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Anna: That's the perspective from Secretary Duffy,

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who argued the order is important to sustain

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economic growth. He said, by slashing

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red tape, tying up spaceport construction,

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streamlining launch licences so they can occur at

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scale and creating high level space positions

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in governments, we can unleash the next wave of

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innovation. Lara Forsyk, founder of

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the space consulting firm Astrolytical,

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also noted that while the Biden Administration knew

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reforms were needed for commercial launch regulations,

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little was done and she hopes this executive order

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will spur more action.

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Avery: And what about the industry itself?

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Anna: Dave Cavosa, president of the Commercial Space

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Flight Federation, applauded the move, stating that

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it will strengthen and grow the US commercial space

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industry by cutting red tape while maintaining a

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commitment to public safety. It's interesting to note

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that while the NEPA aspect is controversial, the

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attempt to reform or rescind the Part 450

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launch and re entry regulations actually appears to

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have bipartisan support in Congress.

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Avery: So there's a recognised need for regulatory

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efficiency, but the specific approach,

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especially concerning environmental oversight, is

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where the disagreement lies.

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Anna: Yes, and the order even seeks to limit the

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authority of state officials in enforcing their

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own environmental rules related to spaceport

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construction or operation. This is

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especially relevant after the California Coastal

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Commission recently rejected a proposal by

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SpaceX to double its launch cadence at

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Vandenberg's Space for Space.

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Avery: This really highlights the complex interplay between

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federal policy, state regulations, and the

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rapidly advancing private space industry. It's

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clear that finding the right balance will be an ongoing challenge.

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Anna: It definitely is, Avery.

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And moving from the complexities of earthbound

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regulations to the truly cosmic,

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our next story takes us billions of light years

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away to witness something incredible. The a

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supermassive black hole caught in the very act

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of switching on.

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Avery: That sounds absolutely fascinating, Anna. Uh, a black

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hole waking up. That's quite an image. Tell

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us more about this cosmic alarm clock.

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Anna: This discovery centres on a galaxy cluster

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called Chips 1911,

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uh, 4455, located an

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incredible 6 billion light years from Earth.

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At its heart lies a supermassive black

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hole that has only recently turned on,

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roughly a thousand years ago. While that

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might sound like a long time to us, in

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astronomical terms, it's truly just a blink of

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an eye. Lead researcher

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Francesco Ubertosi from the University

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of Bologna described it as like

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watching a sleeping giant wake up.

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The team used an array of powerful telescopes,

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including the Very Long Baseline

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Array and Very Large Array, to

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peer deep into space with remarkable

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precision. Imagine being able to read a

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newspaper in Los Angeles while standing

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in New York. That's the kind of detail they

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achieved.

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Avery: That's an astonishing level of detail. So what

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makes this newly awakened black hole so special

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compared to others?

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Anna: What's unique is that it's essentially a

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newborn in terms of its activity. The

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jets of material it's shooting out extend

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only about a hundred light years from its centre.

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While that sounds like enormous, it's actually

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tiny by black hole standards. Mature

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black holes in similar systems can create

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jets stretching for tens of thousands of light

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years. Most black holes astronomers

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study have been active for millions of years,

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which makes it very difficult to understand how they

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first begin to influence their surroundings.

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This newly awakened black hole provides a

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unique before picture, showing

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scientists what happens in the earliest stages

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of black hole activity.

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Avery: So it's like a cosmic laboratory, allowing them to

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study the very first moments of a black hole's influence.

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Anna: Precisely. Co author Mariam

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Giddey from the University of Bologna

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noted that the jets are so young and

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small that they haven't had time to push away

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the surrounding hot gas. This creates a

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perfect natural laboratory for studying

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how black holes first begin to influence

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their cosmic neighbourhood. And here's

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another intriguing detail. While the black hole

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itself is just waking up. The

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galaxy around it is anything but

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sleepy. This galaxy is creating new

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stars at an astounding rate. Between

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140 and 190 times

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the mass of our sun every single year.

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Avery: That's an incredible rate. For perspective, our

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entire Milky Way galaxy only forms about one

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sun's worth of stars annually.

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Anna: Exactly. The researchers believe they

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may actually be witnessing this smoking gun

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of how black holes get triggered in the first

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place. The hot gas surrounding this black hole

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is cooling very efficiently, which

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potentially provides the fuel needed to

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wake up the black hole.

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Avery: That makes sense. It's like pouring fuel onto a

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fire. So understanding how supermassive

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black holes wake up must have significant implications

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for our understanding of the universe.

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Anna: Absolutely. Understanding how they wake

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up helps solve fundamental questions about

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how galaxies evolve. These black

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holes play a crucial role in regulating

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star formation and shaping the largest

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structures in the universe. By catching

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one in the act of awakening, it's

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possible to finally study this process

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as it unfolds, rather than just seeing the

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end result.

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Avery: And, um, I imagine this kind of discovery requires

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combining data from multiple sources.

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Anna: It did. The discovery required combining

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observations from multiple telescopes,

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each providing different pieces of the puzzle.

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Some offered ultra high resolution to see

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the tiny jets, while others provided the

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sensitivity needed to detect faint

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signals from star formation. As the

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research team continues, they hope to watch

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how this black hole evolves over time and

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find more similar systems. This could

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truly revolutionise our understanding of

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how the universe's most powerful

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objects first begin to shape the cosmos

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around them.

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Avery: What an incredible journey we've had today. From the

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intriguing, yet ultimately not earth, like

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Trappist1d to the innovative Lunar

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Surface Simulator here on Earth.

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Anna: And let's not forget the important discussion about

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commercial space regulations and the

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truly groundbreaking discovery of a black hole

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caught in the act of awakening. It's been a

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packed episode of Cosmic Insights.

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Avery: It certainly has, Anna. Uh, we hope all our

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listeners enjoy today's exploration of the

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universe's latest news. Thank you for tuning in

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to Astronomy.

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Anna: Daily, and we look forward to bringing you

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more fascinating stories from across the

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cosmos very soon. Until next time,

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space explorers, keep looking up at our

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wonderful cosmos.