S03E111: SpaceX's Falcon 9 Returns & Perseverance's Organic Find

Astronomy Daily brings you latest news from SpaceX's Falcon nine rocket

Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your Daily dose of all things space and beyond. I'm your host, Anna, and today we've got some exciting updates lined up for you from SpaceX's Falcon nine rocket. Getting the green light to return to space to NASA astronauts stuck at the International Space Station longer than expected, there's a lot to cover. We'll also delve into an intriguing discovery made by NASA's Perseverance rover and an unprecedented finding by the Fermi Gamma ray space Telescope. So grab your telescopes and let's get started.

SpaceX's Falcon nine rocket has been cleared to return to space

SpaceX's Falcon nine, the world's most used rocket, has been officially cleared to return to space following a rare and surprising mid flight failure earlier this month. The US Federal Aviation Administration FAA has given its approval after ensuring that there were no public safety issues stemming from the anomaly that occurred during the failed launch on July 11. SpaceX has identified the cause of the failure, a liquid oxygen leak that led to excessive cooling and subsequently damaged hardware. Specifically, a crack in a sense line for a pressure sensor in the second stage engine was pinpointed as the culprit. SpaceX has already taken steps to remove the faulty sensor and sense line for upcoming launches, thereby ensuring the reliability of future missions. This return to flight operations couldn't come at a better time. SpaceX is set to launch its crew Dragon astronaut capsule on a Falcon nine rocket for NASA's next mission to the International Space Station as early as August. The operational status of Falcon nine is crucial, as it is the only us rocket currently capable of sending NASA crews to the International Space Station. The anomaly marked the first failure of Falcon nine in over seven years, a striking record given its extensive use by the global space industry. With the FAA's clearance, SpaceX can now focus on gearing up for its next mission, taking to the skies as soon as this weekend. This development is not just a win for SpaceX, but for NASA and the entire space community relying on Falcon nine for various missions, we can all share in the excitement as this workhorse of space exploration gets ready to soar once again, reaching for the stars and pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

NASA astronauts remain stuck at ISS due to problems with Boeing's Starliner capsule

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and SUNY Williams find themselves in an extended stay at the International Space Station thanks to some technical hiccups with Boeing's Starliner capsule. Originally scheduled to return in mid June, the astronauts have been delayed while engineers work through a series of issues, including thruster failures and helium leaks, that have cropped up during this critical test mission. The Starliner capsule, which is part of NASA's commercial crew program has been facing a tough time. Just as the capsule was approaching the ISS on June 6, five of its thrusters failed, which prompted managers to extend the astronauts stay until all problems could be resolved. Although most of the thrusters have since been reactivated and engineers are analyzing spare parts in New Mexico, the situation is still far from settled. Steve Stitch, NASA's commercial crew program manager, emphasized that mission safety is the top priority. We'll come home when we're ready, Stitch stated, noting that NASA is also evaluating backup options. One of these options could be SpaceXs Dragon capsule, which has been reliably ferrying astronauts since 2020. Boeings Mark Nappy reports that engineers are focused on studying the degraded seals likely responsible for the helium leaks. Additional thruster tests will be conducted to gather more data to determine precisely whats been going wrong. Despite earlier setbacks and a history of issues, including a failed uncrewed test in 2019 and more problems in 2022, NASA and Boeing are pressing forward in their collaborative effort to ensure safe and reliable missions. Stay tuned to Astronomy Daily for updates on this story as it develops, and let's hope our astronauts make a safe return home soon.

NASA's Perseverance rover finds organic molecules in Martian rock

NASA's Perseverance rover has made an exciting new discovery on Mars organic molecules in a rock, a, uh, find that could bring us one step closer to understanding the planet's history and potential for past life. This isn't definitive proof of life on Mars, but it's certainly the most compelling evidence we've found so far. Perseverance drilled into a reddish rock named Cheava Falls, the first piece of Mars it has examined that contains these organic molecules. Project scientist Ken Farley of Caltech shared that the discovery was presented at the 10th International Conference on Mars in Pasadena. Adding to the intrigue, the rock is dotted with little white spots with black rims resembling tricolored leopard spots. A, uh, potentially significant detail. Deputy project scientist Katie Stack Morgan explained that on Earth, similar formations are associated with ancient microbial life. The presence of the iron phosphate molecules in the rims could hint at biological activity, although non biological processes could also be at play. This rock also has other interesting features. It's filled with calcium sulfate veins and crystals of olivine, a mineral formed from magma. These characteristics point to complex formation histories, suggesting the rock witnessed multiple formative processes, possibly making it a hotbed for ancient microbial life. Planetary scientist Paul Byrne advises cautious optimism, noting that if this is a biosignature, it could be a truly groundbreaking discovery. However, it's equally possible these organics resulted from non biological processes, demonstrating fascinating water rock chemistry. Instead, the best way to confirm the origin of these organic molecules would be to bring the sample back to Earth for more detailed analysis. This is part of Perseverance's to collect and store intriguing samples for future return missions. While funding and plans for the Mars sample return program remain uncertain, with discoveries like this one, the case for such a mission becomes even more compelling. Stack Morgan reiterates the mission's objective, despite budget concerns to collect the most compelling samples possible. This recent find strengthens the argument for bringing these martian samples back to Earth, and the mission team remains hopeful and dedicated.

NASA's Fermi Gamma ray space telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery

NASA's Fermi Gamma ray space telescope has made a groundbreaking discovery in the cosmos. Last October, a gamma ray burst now famously dubbed the boat, short for the brightest of all time, astounded astronomers with its unprecedented brightness. Now, an international science team has reported a new, never before seen feature from this remarkable event. A few minutes after the boat's initial eruption, Fermi detected an unusual energy peak. This peak turns out to be the first high confidence emission line ever observed in the 50 year history of studying gamma ray bursts. The discovery marks a critical milestone in our understanding of these extreme cosmic explosions. So what does this emission line mean? When matter interacts with light, specific energy emissions or absorption features can appear, leaving behind an informative signature. In the case of the boat, this feature suggests unique interactions went on potentially revealing the chemical elements involved, or even specific particle processes like matter and antimatter annihilation. Gamma ray bursts are, uh, among the most powerful explosions in the universe, often resulting from the collapse of a massive star into a black hole. The jets expelled during such events can travel at nearly the speed of light, and if pointed toward Earth, they unleash gamma rays that our satellites can detect. The boat's extraordinary brightness was so intense that it saturated most gamma ray detectors in orbit. The feature Fermi found manifested well after the most intense part of the burst, reaching a peak energy of about twelve mev. Scientists believe it may have resulted from the collision and annihilation of electrons and their antimatter counterparts, positrons. For this to occur at such high energy, these particles had to be moving at approximately 99.9% the speed of light. The discovery of this rare emission uh line offers a new window into understanding gamma ray bursts and the extreme environments they create. Future studies will delve deeper into these findings, potentially unraveling more mysteries about the cosmic phenomena that shape our universe. Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. I've been your host. Don't forget to visit our website at astronomydaily IO to sign up for our free Daily newsletter. Catch up on all the latest space and astronomy news and listen to our previous episodes. Follow us on Facebook, X YouTubeMusic and TikTok by searching for AstroDailyPod DailyPod. See you next time and keep looking up.