Lunar Lander Lessons, Cosmic Endgame Insights, and Life's Rapid Emergence

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your daily dose of

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everything happening beyond our atmosphere. I'm

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Anna and I'm thrilled to have you join me for

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today's cosmic journey through the latest developments in space

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exploration and astronomical research.

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We've got a packed episode for you today with some fascinating

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stories spanning from our nearest celestial neighbor all the

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way to the ultimate fate of the universe itself.

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First up, we'll dive into what exactly caused

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Intuitive Machine's second lunar lander to topple over when

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it touched down on the Moon in March. The

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company has identified several factors that contributed to this

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unexpected landing position, including some

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interesting challenges with their laser altimeters

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and the tricky lighting conditions near the lunar South

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Pole. We'll explore how they're planning to address

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these issues for future missions.

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Then we'll look at how Intuitive Machines is

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diversifying beyond just lunar landers,

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especially as NASA's Artemis program faces

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potential major changes under new budget proposals.

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It's a fascinating look at how commercial space companies

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adapt to shifting priorities in space exploration.

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Next, we have some mind bending research about

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the ultimate end of the universe. Scientists from

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Radboud University have revised their predictions about

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when and how the cosmos might meet its final

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demise. Spoiler alert. It's still an

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incomprehensibly long time away, but apparently

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sooner than previously thought. We'll break down what

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this means and the science of Hawking radiation that's driving these

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new calculations. We'll also check in with the

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crew aboard the International Space station, where

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the Expedition 73 team has been busy with

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biotechnology experiments and important research

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on how fire behaves in microgravity. Their

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findings could have significant implications for fire

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safety both in space and here on Earth.

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Then we'll mark a historic milestone in satellite navigation

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as the European Space Agency bids farewell to its first

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ever decommissioned Galileo satellite after 12 years

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of service. It's a reminder that responsible

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space operations include not just launching new technology,

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but properly retiring old satellites as well.

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And finally, we'll explore fascinating new research

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suggesting that life on Earth may have emerged remarkably

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quickly after our planet formed. This study

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provides the strongest evidence yet that the process of

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abiogenesis, the development of life from non

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living matter, might be a relatively rapid phenomenon

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under Earth like conditions. The implications for

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the search for life elsewhere are profound, so

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buckle up for a journey across the cosmos as we explore

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these stories and more on today's episode of

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Astronomy Daily.

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In what has become a cautionary tale about the challenges of lunar

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landings, Intuitive Machines has now revealed

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exactly what caused their Nova C lander to fall on its

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side during its touchdown in the moon's south

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polar region this past March, the

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company executives disclosed three key factors during

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a May earnings call that contributed to what they

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diplomatically termed a landing anomaly.

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First, and perhaps most significant, were issues with the

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lander's laser altimeters. According to

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CEO Steve Altemus, these crucial instruments

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experienced signal noise and distortion during the

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final descent phase. This interference prevented the

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altimeters from providing accurate altitude readings.

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Essentially, the spacecraft couldn't properly determine how far it

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was from the lunar surface as it approached touchdown.

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The second factor involves the unique lighting conditions

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at the moon's south pole. Unlike,

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equatorial regions, the south pole experiences

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extremely low sun angles, creating dramatic

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elongated shadows across the lunar landscape.

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These shadows severely challenged the precision

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capabilities of the lander's navigation systems,

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which rely partly on visual references to guide the

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descent. Connected to this lighting issue

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was a third problem involving crater recognition.

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The unusual lighting conditions made craters appear

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differently at lower altitudes than they did in the

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reference images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance

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Orbiter. This discrepancy confused the

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lander's optical navigation system, further

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complicating its ability to execute a proper landing.

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The combined effect of these issues resulted in the Nova

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C lander tipping over upon touchdown,

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falling onto its side within a crater. This

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unfortunate position prevented the spacecraft's solar

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panels from generating sufficient power, dramatically

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shortening its mission to barely 12 hours after

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landing, far less than planned. Despite

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this setback, Intuitive Machines is already

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implementing changes for their next lunar mission, M

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IM3, scheduled for launch next year.

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Altimus outlined several specific improvements,

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including the addition of dissimilar and redundant

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altimeters to provide backup measurements if one

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system fails. These systems will also undergo

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more rigorous flight like testing before launch to better

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simulate actual lunar conditions. The

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company is also developing a new lighting independent

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sensor specifically designed to measure surface

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velocity regardless of shadows or lighting

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angles. Additionally, they're enhancing their crater

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database to improve the optical navigation system's

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ability to recognize lunar features under various

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lighting conditions. Interestingly,

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these modifications won't delay the IM3 mission.

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Though Altemus acknowledged there would be a slight

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increase in costs due to the additional sensors,

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he didn't specify exactly how much more expensive

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the mission would become. Meanwhile,

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Intuitive Machines remains in negotiations with

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NASA and other customers about up to

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$14 million in success payments related to the

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IM2

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mission. Despite the lander falling over,

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some payloads did manage to conduct limited

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tests. For example, a NASA

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drill was able to test its mechanisms,

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although it couldn't perform its primary objective of

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drilling into the lunar surface as as planned.

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This incident highlights the extraordinary

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difficulties involved in lunar landings,

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particularly in the challenging south polar region

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where NASA and other space agencies hope

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to establish a long term human presence. The

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extreme lighting conditions, combined with the

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complex terrain featuring numerous craters and shadows

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create a particularly demanding environment for precision

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landings. The lessons learned from this

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mission will undoubtedly inform not just Intuitive Machines

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future attempts to but also the broader commercial lunar

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industry, as it supports NASA's Artemis

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program and other initiatives aimed at returning

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humans to the lunar surface in the coming years.

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Beyond their lunar landing setbacks, Intuitive

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Machines is actively working to diversify their space

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business portfolio. During their recent earnings

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call, CEO Steve Altemus emphasized the

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company's efforts to expand beyond their core lunar

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lander technology into other promising space sectors.

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One notable project involves the design of an orbital

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transfer vehicle based on their Nova C lander

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architecture. This work is being conducted with

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an unnamed government customer and leverages the

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company's existing expertise in spacecraft design

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while opening new market opportunities in orbital

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logistics. Intuitive Machines is

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also collaborating with the Air Force Research Laboratory on

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the ambitious Jetson project.

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This initiative aims to develop a spacecraft utilizing

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nuclear electric propulsion, a potentially

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revolutionary technology that could dramatically increase the

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capabilities and range of future space missions.

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In February, the company secured a

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$10 million grant from the Texas Space Commission

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to support their work on a lifting body reentry

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vehicle. They're partnering with Rhodium

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Scientific to explore how this vehicle could be used for

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microgravity research, potentially offering a

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valuable service for returning biomedical experiments

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safely to Earth from space.

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We all know the universe will eventually end, but how

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and when has been a subject of intense scientific

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debate. Now, fascinating new research from scientists

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at Radboud University suggests the universe's

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demise might arrive much sooner than previously calculated.

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Though we're still talking about an almost incomprehensible

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timescale, the research team, led by

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Heino Falca, along with colleagues Michael

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Wandrak and Walter Van Swigelkom, has

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dramatically revised estimates for cosmic longevity.

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According to their calculations, the final decay

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of the universe could occur in about 10 to the

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78th power years. That's a one followed by

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78 zeros. While this represents a

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significant reduction from previous estimates, it's

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still billions upon billions of times the current age of our

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cosmos. As Falcke himself put

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it, the ultimate end of the universe comes much sooner

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than expected, but fortunately it still takes a very

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long time. What's particularly interesting

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about this research is how it builds upon Stephen

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Hawking's groundbreaking work from

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1975. Hawking theorized

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that black holes aren't completely black, they

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gradually emit tiny amounts of radiation, now known

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as Hawking radiation, over immensely long

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timescales. This process causes black holes to slowly

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evaporate and eventually disappear entirely.

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The Radboud team extended this principle to other dense

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cosmic objects, including neutron stars.

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Their surprising discovery was that the evaporation process

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is driven not just by mass, but by density.

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This led to some counterintuitive findings about decay

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timelines. For instance, despite

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their extreme gravitational pull and reputation as

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cosmic devourers, black holes share a similar

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decay timeline with neutron stars around

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10 to the 67th power years.

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That's significantly shorter than previous scientific

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estimates. The reason for this unexpected result

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is that black holes lacking a solid

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surface can partially reabsorb their emitted

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radiation, which actually slows the

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evaporation process. To put this in

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perspective, the researchers calculated that objects as small as

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our moon, or even a human, would take

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approximately 10 to the 90th power

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years to evaporate through Hawking like radiation.

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Of course, other natural processes would end their

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existence long before this theoretical timeline played

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out. What makes this research

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particularly valuable beyond the cosmic doomsday

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predictions is how it helps bridge the gap

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between quantum mechanics and general relativity,

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two fundamental theories of physics that have

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proven notoriously difficult to reconcile.

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As co author Walter Van Swigelkom noted, by

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asking these kinds of questions and looking at extreme cases,

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we want to better understand the theory, and perhaps one

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day we unravel the mystery of Hawking

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radiation. While none of us need worry about

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witnessing the universe's final moments, this

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research provides valuable insight into the

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fundamental workings of our cosmos and the

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physical laws that govern everything from the smallest

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particles to to the largest structures in existence.

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It's a reminder that even in studying the end of everything,

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we continue to deepen our understanding of the universe we

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inhabit today.

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Have you ever wondered what it is that astronauts actually do all

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day on the iss? I'm sure some people think

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they spend the day looking out the window and admiring the

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view. Well, far from it.

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Let's take a look at what they did on Tuesday. This week as an

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example, the International Space Station

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continues to serve as humanity's premier orbital

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laboratory, with the Expedition 73

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crew currently engaged in a diverse array of

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scientific investigations. NASA

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astronauts Anne McClane, Nicole Ayers,

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and Johnny Kim have been particularly busy with

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biotechnology research. McClane donned

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a special biomonitor garment and headband as part

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of an experiment monitoring astronauts psychological

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responses before, during and after their missions.

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This research aims to assess how space travel affects

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heart health, crucial knowledge as we plan for

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longer duration missions beyond Earth orbit.

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Perhaps the most intriguing experiment currently underway

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involves DNA inspired nanomaterials.

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MacLaine and Ayres have been working in the life sciences glove

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box, mixing MRNA and protein solutions

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to produce special molecules formed by these

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nanomaterials. This research could lead

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to more cost effective in space production methods

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and potentially revolutionize targeted therapy delivery back on

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Earth, improving patient outcomes with fewer side

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effects. Fire safety in space

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represents another critical research area.

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Astronaut Johnny Kim spent the day installing hardware for

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the Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction Experiment, which

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includes mist systems designed to extinguish flames in

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microgravity. He's also working with the Combustion

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Integrated Rack to better understand the fundamentals of

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how fire behaves when gravity isn't pulling flames upward.

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This research isn't merely academic. Understanding

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fire behavior and suppression methods in space is essential

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for crew safety on the ISS and future deep

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space missions. Meanwhile,

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JAXA astronaut and Station Commander Takuya

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Onishi has been focusing on similar fire

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safety work in the Japanese experiment module.

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He's been handling gas bottle exchanges in the Solid

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Combustion Experiment module and performing

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critical leak checks to ensure safe operations.

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Beyond scientific duties, Onishi has tackled

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orbital plumbing tasks, installing recycle

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tanks and configuring drain valves, the

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unglamorous but essential maintenance that keeps the station

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functioning. The station's three

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cosmonauts, Sergei Ryzhikov,

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Alexei Zubritsky and Kirill

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Peskov, have primarily focused on maintenance

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tasks in the Russian segment. Their work included

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removing cargo, replacing thermal sensors and

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verifying flow sensor installations.

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Peskov conducted an ethernet cables audit and

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worked on the intermodular ventilation system connecting

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the Russian and US modules. Critical

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infrastructure that ensures proper air circulation throughout

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the station. This blend of cutting edge

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research and meticulous maintenance highlights the dual

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nature of the ISS as both a world class

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laboratory and a habitable outpost in the

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harsh environment of low Earth orbit. As the

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crew continues their six month mission, these experiments

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will provide valuable data for scientific advancement

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and support humanity's ongoing space exploration

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efforts. I think you'll agree there wasn't

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much time for just sitting and looking at the view.

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In a significant first for Europe's satellite navigation

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system, Galileo satellite

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GSAT0104 has been officially

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decommissioned after 12 years of service. This

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marks a historic milestone as the first satellite in the

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Galileo constellation to be retired, setting

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precedent for responsible space operations in the coming

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decades. GSAT 0104

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holds a special place in European space history.

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Launched on October 12, 2012, it was the

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fourth and final in orbit validation satellite for the

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Galileo program. Most notably, it

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participated in a watershed moment on March 12,

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2013, when, alongside its fellow

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satellites, it enabled the very first position

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fix by Europe's independent satellite navigation

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system M. For a constellation like Galileo,

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which serves as critical public infrastructure intended to provide

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uninterrupted service over decades,

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decommissioning activities are as essential as launches.

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The retirement process isn't just about making space safer,

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it's literally about making space for new satellites, as

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the constellation requires continuous replenishment.

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The decision to retire Gisatsura 104 came

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after careful deliberation by a board chaired by the

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EU Agency for the Space Program, with

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participation from the European Space Agency and

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European Commission. Decommissioning

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activities began in March 2024 and

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were completed last month in April

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2025. What's particularly notable

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about this decommissioning is how it aligns with

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ESA's commitment to sustainability in space.

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With the growing concern about space debris threatening current

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and future missions, ESA has set an ambitious

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goal of net zero space pollution for new missions by

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2030. For G Satsaro

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104 engineers used remaining propellant

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reserves to place it 700 km above the

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operational Galileo constellation in what's known

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as a graveyard orbit. This

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exceptionally stable disposal orbit is designed to

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remain undisturbed for hundreds of years,

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ensuring it won't interfere with active satellites.

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The satellite was then completely passivated by removing

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all internal energy sources, including battery

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charge. This approach represents the

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standard disposal strategy for satellites in medium earth

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and geostationary orbits, where Earth reentry

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is generally not feasible. Future

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decommissioned Galileo satellites will be disposed at

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slightly different altitudes to maintain safe distance between

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them. The Galileo program continues

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00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:03.860
to thrive despite this retirement. The

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constellation currently provides the same level of performance

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with active satellites in all prime slots,

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plus three active spares. Six more

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00:17:13.020 --> 00:17:15.740
first generation satellites are ready for launch and

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12 second generation satellites are in development.

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This decommissioning gives the Galileo program

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valuable experience that will prove crucial as

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more satellites reach the end of their operational

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lives in the coming years. The

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00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.480
remaining three original in orbit validation

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00:17:32.480 --> 00:17:34.760
satellites have exceeded their design

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lifetime but continue to provide excellent

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00:17:37.720 --> 00:17:40.400
navigation performance. They'll be reviewed again in

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00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:43.160
October 2025 to determine if they should continue

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operating or join GSAT 0104

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in retirement. Galileo has

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become the world's most precise satellite navigation system,

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serving over 4 billion smartphone users

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00:17:55.040 --> 00:17:57.340
globally since entering open service in

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2017. Beyond consumer

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00:18:00.020 --> 00:18:02.620
applications, it's making a difference across rail,

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00:18:02.860 --> 00:18:05.700
maritime, agriculture, financial timing services and

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00:18:05.700 --> 00:18:08.500
rescue operations. A testament to Europe's

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00:18:08.500 --> 00:18:10.540
commitment to space technology leadership.

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Finally, today, when we think about the dawn of life on

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Earth, it's easy to imagine a process that took

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eons. A, slow gradual emergence from

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complex chemicals to the first self replicating

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organisms. But fascinating new research

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00:18:26.390 --> 00:18:29.150
suggests that life might have gotten its start with surprising

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speed after our planet formed, raising profound

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questions about the potential for life elsewhere in the

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universe. A recent paper by American

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astronomer David Kipping, titled strong

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evidence that abiogenesis is a rapid process on

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Earth analogues offers compelling analysis

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of when life first emerged on our planet. The

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evidence of ancient life stretches remarkably far back,

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possibly as far as 4.2 billion years ago.

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Astonishingly close to Earth's formation around 4.5

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billion years ago. The timeline is truly remarkable when

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you consider the evidence. Fossilized mats of

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cyanobacteria known as stromatolites, date back

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00:19:05.920 --> 00:19:08.760
3.7 billion years. Rocks from Australia

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00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:11.880
show isotope patterns consistent with biological activity

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dating to 4.1 billion years ago. And

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some ancient Canadian rocks contain tiny filament like

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structures that may represent biological remains from

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4.28 billion years ago.

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Scientists trying to understand life's earliest journey often study

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what's called luca, the last universal common

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ancestor. This hypothetical organism gave rise

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to all forms of life on Earth. Bacteria,

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archaea, and eventually complex cells like our

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own. Current research places LUCA's existence at least

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3.6 billion years ago, possibly as far

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back as 4.3 billion years. What

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Kiping's analysis reveals is truly significant.

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Using Bayesian statistical methods to evaluate the

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evidence, he calculates 13, 1 odds in

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favor of rapid abiogenesis, the

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spontaneous emergence of life from non living matter.

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This crosses the threshold of 10 to 1 that scientists

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consider strong evidence, making this the first time we

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have formal statistical support for the hypothesis

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that life rapidly emerges under Earth like

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conditions. This finding addresses

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a long standing concern about what's called the weak

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anthropic principle, the idea that we might be

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observing an atypically quick emergence of life

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simply because if life hadn't appeared early,

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we wouldn't be here to observe it. Kipping's odds

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00:20:28.800 --> 00:20:31.360
ratio provides a more objective measure supporting rapid

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abiogenesis. But here's the crucial caveat,

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and it's one Kipping emphasizes. This doesn't mean

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life is common throughout the universe. Earth like

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00:20:40.030 --> 00:20:42.430
conditions themselves may be exceedingly rare.

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As he writes, our result does not establish that life

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00:20:45.790 --> 00:20:48.230
is common, since Earth's conditions could be

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00:20:48.230 --> 00:20:51.150
incredibly rare. There's also an intriguing

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00:20:51.150 --> 00:20:54.070
tension within these findings. If life started so

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00:20:54.070 --> 00:20:56.830
quickly, why did it take roughly 4 billion more

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00:20:56.830 --> 00:20:59.230
years for intelligent life like us to evolve?

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With our sun expected to make Earth uninhabitable in about

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900 million years as it grows 10%

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00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:08.360
more luminous, there seems to be a narrow window for

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intelligence to emerge before a planet becomes too hostile.

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The most humbling aspect of this research remains our

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00:21:14.400 --> 00:21:17.080
limited sample size. We still have only one

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confirmed example of life in the universe

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Earth. Finding evidence of past or

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00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:25.400
present life elsewhere in our solar system, whether on

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Mars, an ocean moon like Europa, or or

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conclusively detecting biosignatures on an

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exoplanet would revolutionize our

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understanding. As Kipping concludes,

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our next task is clearly to look out and address this

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how common are conditions analogous to those of

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Earth? That search continues with

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each new discovery, bringing us closer to answering one of

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humanity's most profound questions Are we alone in

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the universe?

462
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And that brings us to the end of another episode of Astronomy

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00:21:56.340 --> 00:21:59.130
Daily, where today we've traveled from the

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Moon's surface to the ultimate fate of the universe,

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00:22:02.050 --> 00:22:04.210
with several fascinating stops in between.

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We began with Intuitive Machine's Lunar Lander

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mishap, where altimeter problems and challenging

468
00:22:10.930 --> 00:22:13.930
lighting conditions cause their Nova C lander to topple

469
00:22:13.930 --> 00:22:16.690
over in March. Despite this setback,

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the company is implementing important changes for future

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missions while diversifying their space business

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00:22:22.460 --> 00:22:25.420
beyond lunar exploration. We then ventured

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to the far reaches of time itself, with research

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from Radboud university suggesting the universe's

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end may arrive in about 10 to the power of

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78 years, still an

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incomprehensibly distant future, but

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significantly sooner than previous estimates of 10

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to the power of 1,100 years.

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Up on the International Space Station

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00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:49.840
expedition's 73 crew members have been been

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advancing biotechnology research and

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00:22:52.520 --> 00:22:55.000
studying fire behavior in microgravity,

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crucial work that improves our understanding of both space

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habitation and life on Earth.

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We also witnessed a historical first with the

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decommissioning of Galileo satellite GSAT

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0104 after 12 years of

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00:23:08.960 --> 00:23:11.760
service. This pioneering event demonstrates

490
00:23:11.760 --> 00:23:14.720
Europe's commitment to sustainable space operations and

491
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sets a responsible example for commercial constellation management.

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Perhaps most thought provoking was our look at new

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00:23:20.910 --> 00:23:23.790
evidence suggesting life may have emerged with

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00:23:23.790 --> 00:23:26.030
surprising speed after Earth formed.

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00:23:26.590 --> 00:23:29.310
David Kipping's analysis showing strong

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00:23:29.310 --> 00:23:31.010
statistical support for rapid abiogenesis

497
00:23:32.260 --> 00:23:35.260
raises profound questions about the potential for life

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00:23:35.260 --> 00:23:38.060
elsewhere. Even as we acknowledge the rarity of

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Earth like conditions, these stories remind us

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that space exploration exploration continues to challenge our

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00:23:43.670 --> 00:23:46.350
understanding of the universe and our place within it.

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Each discovery brings new questions, and that's what makes

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astronomy so endlessly fascinating. If you've

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00:23:52.470 --> 00:23:55.270
enjoyed today's episode, I invite you to visit our website

505
00:23:55.270 --> 00:23:58.150
at astronomydaily IO where you can

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00:23:58.150 --> 00:24:01.110
sign up for our free daily newsletter and catch up on all the

507
00:24:01.110 --> 00:24:03.670
latest space and astronomy news with our

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00:24:03.670 --> 00:24:05.630
constantly updating Space News feed.

509
00:24:06.430 --> 00:24:09.100
You can also subscribe to Astronomy Daily on on

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00:24:09.100 --> 00:24:11.220
Apple Podcasts, Spotify,

511
00:24:11.540 --> 00:24:14.460
YouTubeMusic, or wherever you get your podcasts. To ensure

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00:24:14.460 --> 00:24:17.260
you never miss an episode, this is Anna for

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00:24:17.260 --> 00:24:20.180
Astronomy Daily. Thank you for listening, and until

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00:24:20.180 --> 00:24:21.860
next time, keep looking up.