Io's Record Eruption, Nuclear Space Future, and Ancient Mars Beaches

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Anna: Picture this. A volcanic eruption

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so massive it could swallow entire

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countries. Now, imagine witnessing it

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from space on a moon 400

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million miles away. Welcome to

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Astronomy Daily, where today we're bringing

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you the most explosive story from

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Jupiter's volcanic moon IO,

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literally. I'm Anna.

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Avery: And I'm Avery. Anna. When NASA's Juno

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spacecraft captured the largest volcanic

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eruption ever seen on IO, it reminded

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me why we explore these distant worlds. The

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sheer scale of what's happening out there is

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mind blowing.

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Anna: Absolutely. And speaking of exploration,

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we've also got some groundbreaking news about

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nuclear propulsion that could revolutionize

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deep space travel. Plus discoveries about

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ancient Martian beaches, the communication

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networks keeping Artemis astronauts connected

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around the moon. A lunar world tour

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happening in February, and fascinating

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research about life's ingredients forming in

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space.

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Avery: Place.

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Anna: It's Friday, January 30,

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2026, and you're listening to

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Astronomy Daily.

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Avery: Let's get into it then, Avery.

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Anna: Let's dive right into this spectacular

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volcanic eruption on IO.

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NASA's Juno spacecraft has been giving us

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unprecedented views of Jupiter's most

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volcanically active moon. And this latest

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discovery is absolutely stunning.

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Avery: It really is, Anna. Uh, during Juno's

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71st close flyby of Jupiter on January

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28, the spacecraft captured what scientists

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are calling the largest volcanic eruption

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ever observed on I.O. we're talking about a

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plume that's absolutely colossal in

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scale. The plume was spotted at a volcano

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called Kanehikili. And here's what makes this

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so remarkable. The plume extends an estimated

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240km, or about

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150 miles above IO's

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surface.

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Anna: That's incredible. To put that in perspective

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for our listeners, that's roughly the

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distance from New York to Philadelphia. But

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instead of a road trip, we're talking about a

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volcanic plume shooting straight up into

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space.

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Avery: Exactly. And what makes IO such a volcanic

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powerhouse is the immense tidal forces it

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experiences. Jupiter's massive gravity,

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combined with the gravitational pulls from

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its sister moons Europa and ganymede,

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literally flexes IO's interior,

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generating enormous amounts of heat. It's

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like continuously kneading dough, but on a

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planetary scale.

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Anna: The images Juno captured are fascinating,

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too. Scientists used the spacecraft's

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Juno Cam instrument, and what they saw was

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this enormous umbrella shaped plume

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extending from Kane Hakili. Scott

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Bolton, Juno's principal investigator from

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the Southwest Research Institute, described

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it as both enormous and incredibly

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faint, which is why these observations are

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so valuable.

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Avery: Right. And this isn't just about impressive

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visuals. Understanding IO's volcanism helps

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us learn about tidal heating processes

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throughout the solar system. Plus, Juno has

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been on quite the journey the Spacecraft has

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made 18 close flybys of IO since

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entering Jupiter's orbit back in 2016, and

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it's scheduled to continue observations until

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at least 2025.

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Anna: Actually, Avery, we're now in 2026.

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So Juno has been extended beyond that

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original timeline, which is fantastic news

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for continued observations. This

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discovery really highlights how active

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and dynamic IO remains. It's not just

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the most volcanically active body in our

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solar system. It's constantly surprising us

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with the scale of its eruptions.

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Avery: Absolutely. And, um, there's something almost

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poetic about witnessing such raw primordial

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forces at work on another world. While we

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deal with our relatively tame volcanic

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activity here on Earth, IO is experiencing

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eruptions that dwarf anything in our planet's

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history.

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Anna: It's a powerful reminder that our solar

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system is far from a static, quiet

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place. There are worlds out there where the

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geology is extreme, beyond our

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everyday comprehension.

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Alright, let's shift gears from volcanic

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fury to the cutting edge of space

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propulsion technology. Anna?

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Avery: Uh, if we're going to send humans deeper into

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the solar system, to Mars and beyond, we need

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better propulsion systems than what we

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currently have. That's where nuclear

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technology comes in. And NASA just achieved a

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significant milestone.

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Anna: This is exciting stuff, Avery.

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NASA and the Department of Energy recently

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fired up crusty. And yes, that's actually

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the acronym they went with, which stands for

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Kilopower Reactor using Stirling

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Technology. This test represents a major

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step toward making nuclear power a reality

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for deep space missions.

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Avery: I love that acronym. But beyond the fun name,

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this is serious technology. CRUSTY is a

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small fission reactor designed to provide

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reliable power in the harsh environments of

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deep space. We're talking about a system that

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could generate around 10 kilowatts of

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electrical power continuously for over a

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decade.

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Anna: 10 kilowatts might not sound like much

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compared to a power plant, but in space, it's

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transformational. That's enough to power life

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support systems, scientific instruments and

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habitats on Mars or the Moon. Traditional

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solar panels become less effective the

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farther you get from the Sun. But nuclear

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reactors work anywhere.

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Avery: Exactly. And the technology behind CRUSTY is

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elegantly simple in concept, if complex in

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execution. It uses a solid uranium

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core about the size of a paper towel roll.

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Nuclear fission in this core generates heat,

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which is then converted to electricity using

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Stirling engines. These are highly efficient

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engines that convert heat to mechanical

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energy and then to electricity.

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Anna: What I find particularly impressive is the

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safety engineering. These systems are

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designed to be inherently safe with passive

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cooling systems that don't require active

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intervention. During the Nevada test,

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engineers put CRUSTY through its paces,

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simulating various failure Scenarios to prove

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it could handle extreme conditions.

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Avery: Right. And this isn't just theoretical

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anymore. The successful test demonstrates

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that the technology works. Now NASA is

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looking at scaling this up for actual mission

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use. Imagine a Mars base powered by one

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or more of these reactors, Providing

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consistent power regardless of dust storms,

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nighttime or seasons.

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Anna: It also opens up possibilities for missions

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to the outer solar system. Places like Titan

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or Europa, where solar power is

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essentially useless, Suddenly become more

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accessible. With relia viable nuclear power

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sources, we could have rovers or even

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submarines Exploring these distant worlds.

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Avery: And let's not forget about nuclear thermal

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propulsion, which is related but different.

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That's where nuclear reactors heat propellant

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to generate thrust, potentially cutting Mars

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transit times in half between power

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generation and propulsion. Nuclear technology

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could be the key to humanity becoming a truly

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space faring civilization.

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Anna: It's one of those technologies that sounds

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like science fiction, but is rapidly becoming

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science fact. The crusty test proves we

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have the engineering capability. Now it's

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about implementation and integration into

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actual mission architectures.

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Speaking of missions, let's head to Mars,

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where scientists have discovered intriguing

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evidence of ancient water.

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Avery: Anna, uh, one of the biggest questions about

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Mars Is whether it ever had conditions

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suitable for life. Every time we find

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evidence of ancient water, we get closer to

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answering that question. And this latest

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discovery is particularly compelling.

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Anna: It really is. Avery researchers have

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identified what they believe to be ancient

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beach deposits in Mars Gale Crater, where the

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Curiosity rover has been exploring. These

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aren't just random rocks. They're sedimentary

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layers that tell a story of water

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lapping at ancient shorelines but billions of

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years ago.

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Avery: The evidence comes from detailed analysis of

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rock formations that show characteristics

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consistent with beach environments. We're

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talking about specific grain sizes, Layering

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patterns, and chemical signatures that match

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what we see in coastal deposits here on

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Earth. The team identified features like

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ripple marks and cross bedding that form when

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waves and currents move sediment.

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Anna: What makes this discovery particularly

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significant for habitability Is that beach

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environments on Earth Are incredibly

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productive ecosystems. The interface between

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water and land, where you have tides,

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nutrients washing in, and varying

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conditions, Creates opportunities for diverse

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life forms.

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Avery: Exactly. If Mars had stable shorelines

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billions of years ago, those would have been

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prime locations for any potential Martian

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life to emerge and thrive. You've got water,

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you've got minerals being concentrated,

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you've got energy from the sun, all the

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ingredients that life needs.

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Anna: The research also helps us understand

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Mars's climate history. For beaches to

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exist, you need a stable body of water

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over extended periods, not just brief

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flooding events. This suggests that ancient

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Mars had a more Earth like hydrological

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cycle Than we might have thought with lakes

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or seas that persisted long enough to create

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these coastal features.

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Avery: And the location in Gale Crater is

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significant too. Curiosity has been slowly

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climbing Mount Sharp in the center of the

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crater. And as it climbs, it's essentially

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reading through Mars's geological history.

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Like pages in a book, these beach deposits

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fit into a broader narrative of a wetter,

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warmer, ancient Mars.

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Anna: The implications for future missions are

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huge. If we can identify ancient beaches

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and shorelines, those become high priority

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targets for searching for biosignatures,

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chemical or physical evidence that life once

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existed. We might want to send future rovers

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or even sample return missions to these

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locations.

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Avery: It's also worth noting how far we've come in

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our understanding of Mars From a planet we

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once thought was completely dry and dead. We

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now know Mars had rivers, lakes, possibly

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oceans, beaches and deltas. Each

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discovery adds another piece to the puzzle of

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what ancient Mars was really like.

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Anna: And who knows, maybe one day humans will

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walk on those ancient beaches 4 billion

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years after waves last touched them. But

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before we send humans to Mars, we need to

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perfect operations around the moon.

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Let's talk about the communication networks

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being prepared for Artemis 2.

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Avery: Anna. When the Artemis 2 crew ventures around

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the moon next year, they'll be farther from

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Earth than any humans have Traveled since

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Apollo 17 in 1972.

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Keeping them connected requires an incredibly

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sophisticated network of ground stations and

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satellites.

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Anna: That's right, Avery. NASA has been building

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out what's essentially a cosmic communication

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infrastructure. And the latest updates show

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that the networks are ready to support the

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mission. We're talking about the Deep Space

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Network, the Near Space Network, and even

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partnerships with commercial satellite

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operators.

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Avery: Let's break down what makes this so

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challenging. When the Orient craft carrying

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the Artemis 2 crew swings around the far side

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of Moon, there's a period where they're

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completely out of direct line of sight with

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Earth. No radio signals can reach them

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directly because the moon itself is in the

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way.

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Anna: That's where the tracking and data relay

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satellites come in. NASA has been upgrading

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the Deep Space Network, those massive dish

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antennas in California, Spain and Australia

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that communicate with distant spacecraft.

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These dishes can pick up incredibly faint

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signals from the Orion capsule even when it's

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280,000 miles away.

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Avery: The redundancy built into the system is

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impressive, too. Multiple ground stations can

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track Orion simultaneously, ensuring that if

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one station loses signal due to weather or

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other issues, others can maintain contact.

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The crew will never be more than a few

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minutes without a communication link.

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Anna: What's particularly interesting is how much

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bandwidth they'll have. Unlike the Apollo

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missions, which had relatively limited voice

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communications, they Artemis 2 will have high

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definition video capabilities, allowing

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mission control and the public to see what

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the crew sees in real time. Imagine

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watching HD footage of Earth rising over

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the lunar horizon as it happens.

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Avery: That's going to be spectacular. And it's

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not just about keeping the crew connected for

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safety, though that's obviously paramount.

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These communications enable real time science

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operations, medical monitoring, and the kind

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of public engagement that makes these

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missions so inspiring.

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Anna: The testing that's been done is extensive

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too. NASA has run countless

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simulations putting the network through every

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conceivable scenario, from normal operations

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to emergency situations. They've

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verified that commands can be sent and

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received quickly enough to respond to any

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issues that might arise.

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Avery: And this network infrastructure they're

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building for Artemis will surf missions for

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decades to come. When we establish a

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permanent lunar base, when we send astronauts

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to Mars, these same communication principles

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and much of the same hardware will be the

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backbone keeping everyone connected.

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Anna: It's a reminder that space exploration

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isn't just about rockets and spacecraft. It's

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about building the infrastructure to support

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human presence beyond Earth.

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Speaking of the Moon, there's a beautiful

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celestial show coming up in February that

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everyone can enjoy from Earth.

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Avery: Anna I, uh, love these monthly lunar

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highlights. February is shaping up to be a

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great month for lunar watchers, with some

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beautiful planetary conjunctions and

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interesting phases to observe.

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Anna: Absolutely, Avery. Let's walk our listeners

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through what they can expect. The month kicks

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off with the Moon in a waxing crescent phase,

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and on February 1st and 2nd, we'll see a

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lovely conjunction with Venus. If you look to

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the western sky just after sunset, you'll see

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the bright crescent Moon paired with the

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brilliant evening star.

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Avery: Venus is always stunning, and when you add

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the Moon to the picture, it creates one of

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those scenes that makes even non astronomers

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stop and look up. A few days later, on

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February 4, the moon will pass near Saturn,

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giving us another beautiful evening pairing.

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Anna: The full moon arrives on February 12, and

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this one has a particularly evocative

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traditional name, the Snow Moon. Various

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cultures have called it the Hunger Moon or

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the Storm Moon, reflecting the harsh

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conditions of late winter in the northern

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hemisphere. Of course, the Moon doesn't know

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what season it is down here, so the name is

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purely a human cultural addition.

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Avery: After full phase, the Moon starts waning, and

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this is when morning observers get their

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treats. On February 17, early

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risers can catch the waning gibbous Moon near

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the star Spica in the constellation Virgo.

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Then on February 20, the moon makes a

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close approach to Jupiter, which will still

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be prominent in the pre dawn sky.

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Anna: One of my favorite things to watch is how the

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Moon appears to march across the sky from

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night to night, visiting different stars and

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planets. It's like a natural cosmic

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clock, and you don't need any equipment

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00:15:43.080 --> 00:15:45.080
beyond your eyes to enjoy it, though

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binoculars definitely enhance the view.

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Avery: Speaking of binoculars, the waxing crescent

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00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:52.600
phases early in the month are perfect for

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00:15:52.600 --> 00:15:55.160
observing what astronomers call Earthshine.

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That's when you can see the dark portion of

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the Moon faintly illuminated by sunlight

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reflecting off Earth. It's this beautiful

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ghostly glow that reveals the entire disc.

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Anna: And for anyone interested in lunar

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00:16:08.250 --> 00:16:10.810
photography, those conjunctions with Venus

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00:16:10.810 --> 00:16:13.250
and Jupiter offer fantastic opportunities.

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You don't need expensive equipment. Even a

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smartphone can capture these scenes if you

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have steady hands or a simple tripod.

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Avery: The Moon's February tour also serves as a

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00:16:23.610 --> 00:16:26.490
nice reminder of celestial mechanics. Every

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00:16:26.490 --> 00:16:29.230
conjunction, every phase we see is the result

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00:16:29.230 --> 00:16:32.070
of the precise dance between the Earth, Moon,

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and Sun. The fact that we can predict

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00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:36.910
exactly when these events will occur

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00:16:36.910 --> 00:16:39.550
centuries in advance is a testament to our

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00:16:39.550 --> 00:16:42.470
understanding of orbital dynamics, though.

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Anna: Mark your calendars, folks. February 1st and

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00:16:45.470 --> 00:16:48.350
2nd for Venus, February 4th for Saturn.

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00:16:48.510 --> 00:16:51.470
February 12th for the full snow moon, and

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00:16:51.470 --> 00:16:54.060
February 20th for Jupiter. The Moon is

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00:16:54.060 --> 00:16:56.660
putting on a world tour, and admission is

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00:16:56.660 --> 00:16:57.820
absolutely free.

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00:16:58.300 --> 00:17:00.340
Now let's wrap up with some fascinating

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00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:02.860
research about the chemistry of life itself.

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Avery: Anna? Uh, one of the most profound questions

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00:17:06.020 --> 00:17:08.860
in science is how life began. And new

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00:17:08.860 --> 00:17:10.860
research is revealing that some of the key

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00:17:10.860 --> 00:17:13.780
ingredients for life might form spontaneously

414
00:17:13.780 --> 00:17:16.660
in space without any need for planets or

415
00:17:16.660 --> 00:17:17.660
special conditions.

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00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:20.220
Anna: This is absolutely fascinating research,

417
00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:22.780
Avery. Scientists have discovered that

418
00:17:22.780 --> 00:17:25.460
complex organic molecules, the building

419
00:17:25.460 --> 00:17:27.940
blocks of proteins and other biological

420
00:17:27.940 --> 00:17:30.740
molecules, can form in the harsh environment

421
00:17:30.820 --> 00:17:33.300
of interstellar space. We're not talking

422
00:17:33.300 --> 00:17:35.700
about life itself, but the chemical

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00:17:35.700 --> 00:17:38.340
precursors that life needs, right?

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00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:41.100
Avery: The study focus on amino acids, which are the

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00:17:41.100 --> 00:17:43.900
fundamental components of proteins on Earth.

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00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:45.940
We know amino acids can form through

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00:17:45.940 --> 00:17:48.490
biological processes, but this research

428
00:17:48.570 --> 00:17:51.010
shows they can also arise through purely

429
00:17:51.010 --> 00:17:53.970
chemical reactions in space in molecular

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00:17:53.970 --> 00:17:56.490
clouds, where stars and planets eventually

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00:17:56.490 --> 00:17:56.810
form.

432
00:17:57.210 --> 00:17:59.450
Anna: What makes this possible is the chemistry

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00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:01.890
happening on the surfaces of dust grains in

434
00:18:01.890 --> 00:18:04.530
these molecular clouds. These grains are

435
00:18:04.530 --> 00:18:06.650
coated with ices, frozen water,

436
00:18:06.970 --> 00:18:09.330
methane, ammonia, and other simple

437
00:18:09.330 --> 00:18:12.330
molecules. When cosmic rays or ultraviolet

438
00:18:12.330 --> 00:18:14.860
light hits these ices, it triggers

439
00:18:14.860 --> 00:18:17.180
chemical reactions that can build up more

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00:18:17.180 --> 00:18:18.380
complex molecules.

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00:18:18.700 --> 00:18:21.340
Avery: The researchers used laboratory simulations

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00:18:21.340 --> 00:18:23.340
that recreate the conditions in space.

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00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:26.380
Extreme cold, vacuum, and radiation.

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00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:29.300
They found that even without any biological

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00:18:29.300 --> 00:18:31.700
input, amino acids and other organic

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00:18:31.700 --> 00:18:34.700
molecules form readily. It's like space is

447
00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:37.060
running a giant chemistry experiment, and the

448
00:18:37.060 --> 00:18:38.940
products are the ingredients for life.

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00:18:39.260 --> 00:18:42.110
Anna: This has Huge implications for astrobiology.

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00:18:42.110 --> 00:18:44.830
And if life's building blocks form naturally

451
00:18:44.830 --> 00:18:47.070
in space, then they're probably common

452
00:18:47.070 --> 00:18:49.750
throughout the galaxy. When new star systems

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00:18:49.750 --> 00:18:51.910
form from these molecular clouds, they

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00:18:51.910 --> 00:18:54.510
inherit these organic molecules. Young

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00:18:54.510 --> 00:18:56.670
planets get seeded with the chemistry they

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00:18:56.670 --> 00:18:58.629
need for life to potentially emerge.

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00:18:58.950 --> 00:19:01.230
Avery: We've actually found evidence supporting this

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00:19:01.230 --> 00:19:04.030
on Earth. Some meteorites, particularly

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00:19:04.030 --> 00:19:07.030
carbonaceous chondrites, contain amino acids

460
00:19:07.030 --> 00:19:09.470
and other organic compounds that formed in

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00:19:09.470 --> 00:19:11.980
space before. Before the solar system even

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existed. When these meteorites fall to Earth,

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they deliver this prebiotic chemistry.

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Anna: It raises an interesting question about the

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origin of life on Earth. Did life arise

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entirely from scratch using molecules made

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here? Or did it get a head start from

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organic compounds delivered by comets and

469
00:19:30.260 --> 00:19:33.260
asteroids? The answer might be both. A

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00:19:33.260 --> 00:19:35.780
combination of homegrown chemistry and

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cosmic delivery.

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00:19:37.320 --> 00:19:39.720
Avery: And when we search for life on other worlds.

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Mars, Europa, Enceladus,

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exoplanets. Knowing that the basic

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00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:46.920
ingredients are probably already there makes

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the question shift from could light's

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chemistry exist there? To did conditions

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00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:54.760
allow that chemistry to become biology?

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Anna: The research also highlights how

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interconnected everything in the universe is

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the same. Processes that create stars and

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planets also create the molecules

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00:20:04.840 --> 00:20:07.740
necessary for life. We're literally made of

484
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stardust, but we're also made of chemistry

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that happens between the stars.

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Avery: It's humbling and inspiring at the same time.

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The universe isn't just capable of creating

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stars and galaxies. It's also a place where

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00:20:20.740 --> 00:20:23.100
the precursors to life form naturally,

490
00:20:23.260 --> 00:20:25.580
waiting for the right conditions to spark

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something extraordinary.

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Anna: Which brings us full circle to why we

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00:20:29.420 --> 00:20:31.780
explore. Every mission, every

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observation, every discovery adds to our

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00:20:34.620 --> 00:20:36.900
understanding not just of the universe, but

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our place in it and the processes that made

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00:20:39.340 --> 00:20:39.980
us possible.

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Avery: What a journey we've taken today. Anna. From

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explosive volcanism on IO to the chemistry

500
00:20:45.780 --> 00:20:48.380
of life forming in the depths of space, it's

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00:20:48.380 --> 00:20:49.500
been a packed episode.

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Anna: It really has. Avery. We've covered

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groundbreaking propulsion technology, ancient

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00:20:54.620 --> 00:20:57.380
Martian beaches, cutting edge communications

505
00:20:57.380 --> 00:21:00.180
for Artemis, and a beautiful lunar tour to

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00:21:00.180 --> 00:21:02.660
look forward to. If today's episode shows us

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00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:05.300
anything, it's that the universe never stops

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00:21:05.300 --> 00:21:06.060
surprising us.

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Avery: Before we sign off, a quick reminder that you

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00:21:08.850 --> 00:21:10.690
can find all the links to the stories we

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00:21:10.690 --> 00:21:13.090
discussed today in our show notes. And if you

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00:21:13.090 --> 00:21:15.050
enjoyed this episode, please share it with

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00:21:15.050 --> 00:21:17.370
someone who loves space as much as you do.

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00:21:17.530 --> 00:21:20.170
Anna: You can find us on all major podcast

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00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:22.770
platforms, and we're also on YouTubeMusic if

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00:21:22.770 --> 00:21:24.730
you prefer to watch. We're

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00:21:24.810 --> 00:21:27.370
AstroDaily Pod on social media,

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00:21:27.690 --> 00:21:29.690
and you can visit our website at

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00:21:29.690 --> 00:21:32.050
astronomydaily IO for

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00:21:32.050 --> 00:21:34.130
articles, transcripts and more.