Gilmour Space's Eris 1 Delays, Titan's Role in Exoplanet Research, and Mars Rover Breakthroughs

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your regular dose of the

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latest cosmic happenings and stellar insights.

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I'm Anna, and we have an exciting lineup for you today,

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packed with fascinating developments from across the

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cosmos. First up, we'll be checking in on

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Australia's highly anticipated Eris 1 rocket,

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which has faced some recent setbacks.

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Then we'll take a deep dive into the fascinating world

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of exoplanets, exploring how Saturn's

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moon Titan is becoming a crucial benchmark

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for understanding atmospheres far beyond our solar

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system. We also have a dual report on satellite

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news, covering a successful European weather

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satellite launch and the unfortunate loss of a

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critical methane tracking satellite.

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Finally, we'll journey to Mars, where NASA's

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Perseverance rover is hard at work grinding into

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ancient rocks to uncover clues about the Red Planet's

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past habitability. So buckle up

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because we're about to embark on an incredible journey through

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space.

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News okay, let's talk

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about Gilmour Space's Eris 1 rocket. This is a

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really big deal for Australia, as it's set to be their very first

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orbital rocket. However, its debut launch has

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faced a few more hurdles, pushing back its highly

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anticipated liftoff. Most recently, Gilmour

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Space decided to stand down from its planned July 2

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launch, this citing the need for a longer,

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more flexible launch window for our first test flight.

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While a new target date is expected to be announced next

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week, this isn't the first time the Aris

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one has encountered a delay. The rocket was

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initially ready to fly back in May, but that attempt

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was nixed due to an early trigger of the vehicle's

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fairing. For those unfamiliar, the

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fairing is the protective shell at the very top of the rocket

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that shields its payloads during launch.

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This particular setback wasn't due to Mother Nature. Unlike an

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even earlier delay, what happened was that neighbouring

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components created a feedback charge during a routine

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vehicle shutdown. This engaged the fairing's

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single use deployment protocols, essentially ejecting

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the protective shell prematurely. Gilmour Space

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explained that while shutdowns are a normal part of launch

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operations, this specific issue hadn't appeared

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in previous tests. Because the fairing separation system is

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a single use component only activated

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when absolutely necessary to ensure its reliability

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and safety. It was quite an unexpected

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glitch. Prior to that May incident,

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Gilmour was actually prepared to launch Eris one as

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early as March, but that first attempt was prevented

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by Tropical Cyclone Alfred. So it's been a bit

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of a challenging start for their maiden flight, but the team

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is clearly dedicated to getting it right.

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Gilmour Space, founded by brothers Adam and James Gilmour in

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2015 has steadily grown and now boasts

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over 200 employees supporting their operations

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and their Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland.

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The Eris 1 itself is a modest but capable

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rocket. Standing 82ft or 25

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metres tall, it's designed to launch payloads

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of up to 474 pounds or 215

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kilogrammes, into Sun Synchronous orbits.

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This debut mission, named Test Flight 1, is

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the first of several planned flights as Gilmour Space works

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to qualify the new vehicle's various systems.

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Despite the setbacks, the founders of Gilmour Space

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maintain a very realistic and practical view of their

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expectations for this first flight. They've

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emphasised that any measure of success will be considered a win,

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as they put it in a press release earlier this year,

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whether we make it off the pad, reach max Q

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or get all the way to space, what's important is that

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every second of flight will deliver valuable data that

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will improve our rocket's reliability and performance for

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future launches. This approach highlights their

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commitment to learning and iterative improvement, which

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is crucial in the challenging world of rocket development.

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It's m also worth noting that the upcoming launch,

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whenever it happens, won't be streamed live.

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However, Gilmour Space has committed to providing

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updates through their social media channels so we can

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all follow along with their progress there. We'll certainly

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keep you updated on the Eris one's next launch attempt here on Astronomy

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Daily.

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Moving from rockets to research let's turn our gaze to a

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fascinating new study that suggests one of our own solar

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system's moons. Saturn's Titan,

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could hold the key to understanding alien worlds light

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years away. The NASA ESA Cassini

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Huygens mission, which explored Saturn and its moons

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from 2004 to 2017,

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provided incredible data, especially on

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Titan. The probe closely examined Titan,

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even deploying the Huygens lander to its surface,

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revealing insights into its atmosphere,

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methane cycle and rich prebiotic environment.

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These findings, which led to speculation about

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methanogenic life in Titan's vast methane

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lakes, are now being leveraged for exoplanet research

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with next generation observatories like the James Webb Space

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Telescope or jwst. We're moving

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from simply discovering exoplanets to deeply characterising

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their atmospheres, According to this new study.

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Cassini's detailed examinations of Titan's

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atmosphere can inform these attempts, serving

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as an aspirational study to help astronomers

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anticipate and overcome interpretation

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difficulties. This significant research

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was led by Prajwal Niraula, a graduate student

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at MIT, and co author Juliette

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DeWitt, an associate professor at MIT and leader

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of its Disruptive Planet Group. Their paper,

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currently under review for Astronomy and Astrophysics,

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consulted data from Cassini's Visual and Infrared

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Mapping Spectrometer, or vims.

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VIMS conducted high fidelity observations of

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Titan using solar occultations, where

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sunlight passing through an atmosphere is analysed

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to detect chemical signatures. These

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observations confirm Titan's atmosphere is

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95% nitrogen and about 5%

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methane with trace hydrocarbons. The

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data also revealed Titan's methane cycle, similar

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to Earth's water cycle, with liquid methane forming

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clouds and raining onto the surface. As

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Niraula and DeWitt explained, the Cassini mission

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demonstrated how challenging it can be to identify

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molecules in atmospheres because different chemicals

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can have similar absorption features. This can lead

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to mischaracterization with drastic

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implications for determining a planet's habitability.

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Their study's primary focus was to leverage

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Titan's precise transmission spectrum and our

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existing knowledge of its atmosphere to investigate the strengths

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and limitations of exoplanet atmospheric retrievals,

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specifically assessing if misinterpretation impacts only

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spectroscopic features or biases other atmospheric

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properties. Exoplanet atmosphere

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characterization has advanced significantly.

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Previously, astronomers relied on transmission

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spectra during planetary transits.

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Thanks to Webb, direct imaging of exoplanets

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based on reflected light is now possible, a

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monumental step forward. The core

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challenge remains properly identifying chemical

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spectra to determine biosignatures. The

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team used the publicly available Tierra model, a

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one dimensional spectroscopy code. In this

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study, they expanded the model to include a wider range of

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molecules and account for the similarity of their

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signatures based on existing astronomical

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data. Their M findings revealed that spectral

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signatures can not only be easily misidentified,

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but such misidentification can also bias other

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atmospheric parameters like temperature.

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This highlights the crucial connection between detection and

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retrieval that wasn't previously fully

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appreciated. What researchers choose as detectable

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significantly affects their atmospheric derivations.

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Another key insight relates to identifying the dominant

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background gas in an exoplanet's atmosphere,

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even if it lacks strong absorption features like

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nitrogen. This is crucial for understanding the

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atmospheric chemistry and provides essential context

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for interpreting trace gases, including

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potential biosignatures. As the

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exoplanet census grows, the search for

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habitable planets is entering a sophisticated phase.

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Webb has already shown its ability to characterise

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exoplanet atmospheres and make direct detections

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like TWA7. Soon,

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Webb will be joined by the Nancy Grace Roman Space

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Telescope and powerful ground based

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observatories like the Extremely Large Telescope,

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Giant magellan telescope and 30 metre

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telescope. These will enable more direct imaging

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and detailed characterizations. The

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ability to properly identify potential biosignatures

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is is indispensable for finding an Earth

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2.0 quote or other habitable

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exoplanets. Niraula and DeWitt believe their

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work will help the community transition into this new era of

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information rich data. They emphasise the need to

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ask what can we reliably say from this data?

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They break this down further what can we

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reliably say given our current models, and

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what could we say if we had perfect models?

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The first helps account for current limitations where models

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not data quality are bottlenecks. Not accounting

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for model induced noise leads to overconfidence.

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The second question identifies dominant model

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limitations, showcasing the depth of science

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achievable with targeted upgrades. It's a call

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to refine our tools as much as our observations.

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Now let's pivot from looking far beyond our solar

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system to the instruments orbiting much closer to

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home with some mixed news from the satellite world.

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On one hand, there's been a successful launch that will aid in

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environmental monitoring.

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SpaceX's Falcon 9 recently launched a

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European satellite designed with a dual to

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collect vital weather data and to monitor atmospheric

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pollution. This successful deployment adds to

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our growing capabilities to keep an eye on our planet's changing

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climate from above. However, on the other side of the

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coin, we've received some disheartening news about another

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crucial satellite. Methane Sat, which was

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anticipated to revolutionise our view of methane emissions,

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has unexpectedly lost power less than 1 year and

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1/2 after its launch. According to a

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statement from the Environmental Defence Fund, the

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nonprofit organisation that launched and operated the satellite,

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MethaneSat is likely not recoverable.

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This loss is a significant setback for global efforts to track

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and curb methane emissions, which are a major

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contributor to the rise in global temperatures.

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Launched in March 2024, MethaneSat

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joined a growing constellation of satellites dedicated to

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detecting invisible methane emissions from key sources

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like oil and gas wells, livestock landfills and

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wetlands. While other satellites focused on

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individual sources or broad regions, MethaneSat

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was uniquely designed to detect methane at a middle scale,

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making it ideal for spotting emissions from oil and gas

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production. The satellite, which cost

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nearly $100 million to build and launch,

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began collecting data in June of last year

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and released its first detections of methane from oil

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and gas basins in November 2024.

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Researchers were actively working on automating data

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processing to deliver near real time information on

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emissions. The Environmental Defence Fund reported

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losing contact with the satellite on June 20,

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and after exhausting all options to restore

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communications, they confirmed the power loss.

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The MethaneSat team is still investigating the

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exact cause of the malfunction. They will continue to

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share the valuable data the satellite managed to collect before

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its power failure, along with the algorithms

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developed to analyse it. While it's a significant

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blow, the Environmental Defence Fund hasn't ruled out

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launching another satellite in the future to pick up where

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MethaneSat left off from

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satellites orbiting Earth.

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Lets now journey to Mars, where NASA's Perseverance

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rover is literally digging deeper into the Red Planet's

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geological past. The M rover has

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shifted its focus from primarily scouting and sampling

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to more detailed on site science, beginning to

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grind into Martian rock surfaces to expose

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material that could hold crucial clues to the planet's ancient

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environment and potential habitability.

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Earlier this month, Perseverance used its abrasion

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tool to scrape away the top layer of a rocky Martian

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outcrop it affectionately nicknamed Kenmore.

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This procedure, which combines mechanical grinding with a, uh,

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gas blast cleaning, reveals a fresh surface for

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close up analysis. The goal is to study rock

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interiors that haven't been altered by billions of years of wind,

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radiation or dust. Interestingly,

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Kenmore was a weird, uncooperative rock, according

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to Ken Farley, Perseverance's deputy project

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scientist. He explained that visually it looked

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promising for a good abrasion and possibly sample collection.

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However, during the process it vibrated

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excessively and small chunks broke off.

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Fortunately, the team managed to get just deep enough below the

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surface to move forward with their analysis.

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Perseverance employs an advanced abrading bit and a

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gaseous dust removal tool, or gdrt,

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which applies five puffs of nitrogen to clear samples.

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This method poses less risk of contamination

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compared to earlier rovers that used brushes to sweep debris

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away. Once an abrasion is complete,

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Perseverance's sophisticated science instruments are

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deployed to investigate the exposed rock. The

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rover's Watson Imager, which stands for Wide

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Angle Topographic Sensor for operations and engineering,

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snaps detailed close up photos. Its

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supercam then uses laser pulses to analyse the

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composition of vaporised material with one

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spectrometer and studies visible and infrared

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light reflected from the freshly exposed surface with

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another. The initial findings from

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Kenmore are already revealing fascinating

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insights. The tailings or abraded debris

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showed that this rock contains clay minerals which

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are composed of water as hydroxide molecules bound

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with iron and magnesium. This composition is

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relatively typical of ancient Mars clay minerals.

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The abrasion spectra further provided the chemical

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composition of the rock, showing enhancements in

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iron and magnesium. Perseverance also

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relies on its SHERLOCK and PIXL instruments, which are

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designed to scan habitable environments with Raman and

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luminescence for organics and Chemicals and

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planetary instrument for X ray lithochemistry,

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respectively. These tools help determine

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mineral content, chemical composition, and

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potential signs of past water activity or even

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microbial life. Not M only did they

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confirm the presence of more clay, but they also

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detected feldspar, a mineral common in

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Earth's crust, the Moon, and other rocky

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planets. Crucially, the team also found

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manganese hydroxide in the observed specimens. For the very

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first time, this work is being carried out in

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Mars Jezero Crater, a vast basin

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spanning 28 miles wide that once hosted a river

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delta and a lake. Scientists believe

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this region contains some of the best preserved records of

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Mars wet past, making it a prime

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location to search for biosignatures or indicators of

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ancient life. Kenmore marks the 30th

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Martian rock that Perseverance has studied in such fine

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detail. The data being obtained from rocks

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like Kenmore is invaluable for future missions,

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providing a much clearer idea of what types of rocks can

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be easily traversed, sampled, or even used

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as construction material for habitats.

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Perseverance is also continuing to collect rock core

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samples, sealing them in tubes for a possible

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future return to Earth through the planned Mars Sample

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Return campaign, although it's worth noting

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that the recently released fiscal year

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2026 NASA budget

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proposal from the Trump administration suggests cutting the

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Mars Sample Return programme altogether,

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highlighting ongoing uncertainties for this ambitious

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endeavour.

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That brings us to the end of another captivating episode of

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Astronomy Daily. We've covered some truly

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exciting ground today, from the ongoing Saga of

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Gilmour Space's Eris 1 rocket and its journey

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towards launch to how Saturn's moon Titan is

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helping us decode the mysteries of exoplanet

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atmospheres. We also discussed the latest

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in Earth orbiting satellites, including a

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successful weather satellite launch, and the unfortunate

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loss of the crucial methanesat before taking a

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deep dive into Mars with the Perseverance rover's

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fascinating discoveries in the Jezero Crater.

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Thank you for joining me, Anna, on this celestial journey through the latest

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in space news. If you want to dive deeper

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into any of these stories or catch up on previous episodes,

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be sure to visit our

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website@astronomydaily.IO While

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you're there, you can sign up for our free daily newsletter to get

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all the updates delivered straight to your inbox. And

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00:16:40.620 --> 00:16:43.100
don't forget to subscribe to Astronomy Daily on Apple

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Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get

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your podcasts, so you never miss an episode. Until

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next time, keep looking up.