S03E114: NASA & JAXA's Laser Feat & Rare Second Gen Star

Today's Astronomy Daily includes groundbreaking achievements and stellar discoveries

Anna: welcome listeners, to Astronomy Daily, your friendly guide to all things celestial. I'm your host, Anna, and today we'll be diving into some fascinating stories from the world of Astronomy and space exploration. In this episode, we have an exciting lineup that includes groundbreaking achievements and stellar discoveries. We'll start with NASA and JAXA's remarkable success in exchanging laser signals between the lunar reconnaissance orbiter and the slim lander on the moon. Next, well explore the discovery of a rare second generation star in the large magellanic cloud that offers new insights into the early universe. Then well cover United launch alliances historic final mission using the Atlas V rocket for the US Space Force. Finally, well delve into rocket labs preparation to launch twin spacecraft to Mars for NASA's escapade mission. So sit back, relax, and let's embark on this cosmic journey together.

NASA and JAXA successfully exchange laser signals on lunar surface

In an impressive feat of international collaboration, NASA and JAXA have pulled off a remarkable achievement, exchanging laser signals between NASA's lunar reconnaissance orbiter, commonly known as LrO, and Jaxas Smartlander, for investigating moon or slim lander on the lunar surface. What's truly astonishing about this accomplishment is the set of challenges that the teams had to overcome, shedding light on both the resilience and advanced potential of lunar retroreflectors. To give you some context, on May 24, 2024, during two separate orbits, the LRO passed just 44 miles above the slim lander. Harnessing its state of the art laser altimeter, the LRO sent laser pulses down to the moon's surface. Unlike previous attempts, these signals were successfully returned to LRO's detector not once but twice. Why is this a big deal, you ask? Well, the slim landers retroreflector wasn't positioned in the most favorable way. Typically, these devices are mounted on the top of landers facing the sky, ensuring a broader 120 degree range for targeting. However, slim landed with its top facing sideways, severely restricting the range for LRO's laser pulses. So how did the teams manage this? Given such a constraint? NASA's engineers, in close cooperation with their counterparts at JAXA, worked meticulously to determine Slim's exact location and orientation on the lunar surface. They calculated with precision when the LRO's orbit would most ideally align with the retroreflectors position, optimizing the chances of a successful signal exchange. Xialis Son, who spearheaded the team responsible for Slim's retroreflector at NASA's Goddard Space Flight center, aptly highlighted the prowess of these simple yet powerful devices. LRO's altimeter wasn't built for this type of application, so the chances of pinpointing a tiny retroreflector on the moon's surface are already low. Sun pointed out, the success of targeting a, uh, sideways facing retroreflector truly shows the engineering marvel and resilience of these devices. Interestingly, Slim is part of an international effort involving six NASA retroreflectors dispatched to the moon. While this achievement marks only the second time a retro reflector has successfully returned a laser signal from the moon's surface to LRO, it sets a significant milestone. The first instance took place on December 12, C/2023.A3, when LRO exchanged signals with ISRO's Vikram lander retroreflector. Since then, there have been three more successful laser pings with Vikram. These retroreflectors, featuring a dome shaped aluminum frame with eight quartz corner cube prisms, each measuring just two inches wide, do not require any power or maintenance. They are built to endure the extreme lunar environment for decades, providing trustworthy markers for future lunar missions. They could prove invaluable for Artemis astronauts, helping them navigate the lunar surface in the dark or marking exact spacecraft locations to facilitate both manned and unmanned landings. Moreover, the LRO's laser altimeter, though initially designed to map lunar topography for surface missions, is now proving its versatility and precision by targeting retroreflectors with incredible accuracy. The engineering prowess required to achieve this within a tiny margin of error, just one 100th of a degree, no less, is nothing short of extraordinary. This successful signal exchange between NASA's and JAXas lunar missions not only highlights the incredible resilience and utility of lunar retroreflectors, but also paves the way for more advanced navigation and landing technologies on the moon. And who knows? As we continue to push the boundaries of space exploration, such international collaborations could be key to unlocking the mysteries of our solar system.

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a rare second generation star in the galaxy

We have some thrilling news from the cosmos. Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery of a rare second generation star in the large Magellanic cloud, which is a fascinating find that sheds new light on the early universe's element formation processes. This discovery comes from the collaborative efforts of stellar archaeologists like Anirudh Chitti from the University of Chicago, who have been meticulously cataloguing these ancient stellar relics. The large Magellanic Cloud, a prominent feature in the southern hemisphere sky, has long intrigued astronomers. Originally a separate galaxy, it was captured by the Milky Ways gravity a few billion years ago. This unique backdrop allows scientists to peer into the past and understand how the universe's first stars operated outside our galactic neighborhood. Chitty and his team focused their efforts on finding stars formed from the remnants of the universe's first stellar generation. These initial stars created the raw ingredients for everything we know today, from the iron in our blood to the calcium in our bones. When these early stars exploded, they scattered their newly formed elements across space, which then coalesced into second generation stars. However, these stars are incredibly rare, making up less than one in 100,000 stars in the Milky Way. Among the sampled stars in the Large Magellanic cloud, one stood out due to its unusually low levels of heavier elements, like carbon, compared to iron. This star's composition suggests it formed shortly after the first stellar generation without undergoing multiple cycles of star birth and death that enrich most stars with heavier elements. This peculiar star challenges our current understanding of early stellar evolution. The team's findings indicate that the element formation processes in the early universe might not have been as uniform as previously thought. The differences in elemental enhancement between this star and similar ones in the Milky Way suggests that the early universe's conditions varied significantly from place to place. For Chitti and his colleagues, this discovery marks an exhilarating step forward. They now aim to map out a larger portion of the southern sky to uncover more of these second generation stars, particularly within the large magellanic cloud. Each new star offers a snapshot of the universe's primordial conditions, helping to piece together the cosmic puzzle of how the first elements formed and dispersed. This work serves as a testament to the importance of stellar archaeology, a field dedicated to reconstructing the history of the universe through its oldest stars. By studying these ancient celestial objects, scientists can glean valuable insights into the processes that shaped our cosmic environment billions of years ago. In conclusion, the discovery of this rare second generation star is not just a remarkable scientific achievement. It's a window into the dawn of the universe. It underscores the varied and complex processes that have been at work since the earliest times and opens up new avenues for research and discovery. As, uh, scientists continue to explore these stellar relics, each finding brings us closer to understanding the universe's earliest chapters. Stay tuned as we follow these exciting developments in our ongoing quest to uncover the cosmos's deepest secrets.

Tuesday's Atlas V launch marks the 58th and final national security mission

United Launch alliance, or ULA, is gearing up for a significant event, the launch of its final national security mission. Using the Atlas V rocket. Scheduled for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This mission represents the culmination of nearly two decades of reliable service from the Atlas V. The exact launch is set for 06:45 a.m. EDT today with a three hour window, and there's a slight 55% chance of rain which might cause some delays for those eager to watch. The launch will be streamed live on ULA's website. This mission, designated USSF 51, carries a top secret payload for the US Space Force Systems Command. It's a bittersweet moment for many involved, marking the 58th and final national security mission for the Atlas V, a rocket that's become quite the workhorse since its first launch back in 2002. On Saturday, ULA rolled the 196 foot tall Atlas V to the launch pad, which signaled the beginning of the final preparations. The rocket has had a storied career with numerous successful launches, including the notable Starliner crew flight test to the International Space Station this past June. For Colonel Jim Horn, a senior official with the Space Forces launch execution Delta, this launch is particularly sentimental. Horn reminisced about his experience sitting at the console during the very first national security launch of Atlas back in 2007. Following Tuesday's mission, ULA's focus will shift to the Vulcan rocket, the successor to Atlas V and the now retired Delta IV. The Vulcan rocket recently completed a successful debut in January and is set to become the primary launch vehicle for future missions. With the Atlas V's five solid rocket boosters mounted around its core, it's impressive to consider just how reliable and capable this rocket has been. Over the years, Atlas V has not only supported national security missions, but has also played a key role in commercial and non defense missions, including human spaceflight and scientific exploration missions. ULA, a partnership between aerospace giants Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing defense, space and security, was founded in 2006 and has since garnered a reputation for dependable and versatile launch services. So as we prepare to witness the final launch of the Atlas V rocket, it's a moment to celebrate the past achievements of this incredible vehicle while looking ahead to the promising future. With the Vulcan rocket marking the beginning of a new era in space exploration and national security missions, Rocket Lab is gearing up for an exciting mission that's set to expand our understanding of the red planet. The company has finalized the integration and testing of two spacecraft for NASA's escapade mission, and these twin explorers will soon be making their journey to Mars. Escapade, which stands for escape and plasma acceleration and dynamics explorers, aims to study plasma and magnetic fields around Mars, offering us valuable insights into how atoms are stripped from the martian atmosphere and magnetosphere. This research is crucial for unraveling the mysteries of Mars climate evolution over time. The spacecraft, aptly named blue and gold, were developed by Rocket Lab in collaboration with the Space Science Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. These aren't just ordinary spacecraft. They are based on Rocket Lab's versatile explorer platform designed for high delta V interplanetary missions. This platform includes numerous components and subsystems manufactured by rocket Lab, such as solar panels, star trackers, propellant tanks, reaction wheels, reaction control systems, and radios. What makes this mission particularly noteworthy is the speed at which these spacecraft were developed. Typically, Mars missions can take a decade or more from the initial proposal phase to the actual launch. However, Rocket Lab has managed to develop blue and gold in just three and a half years. This rapid progress is a testament to their extent, experience in spacecraft development and their vertically integrated supply chain, which allows for efficient and streamlined production. Rocket labs founder and CEO Sir Peter Beck highlighted the significance of this achievement, stating, building one Mars spacecraft is an achievement, but building to and doing it on an accelerated timeline is a testament to our team's deep experience and our vertical integration strategy. We are immensely proud to partner again with NASA and UCB to deliver new and important science from Mars. The mission principal investigator, Rob Lillis, who is also the associate director for planetary science at UH, UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, echoed these sentiments. He praised rocket Lab's team for their rapid and constructive responses to challenges during development. Emphasizing the value of this partnership, Lillis remarked, we are proud to be flying with rocket Lab to Mars. Once blue and gold are shipped to Cape Canaveral in August, they will be integrated onto Blue Origin's new Glenn rocket for the journey to Mars. This mission not only aims to gather data essential for understanding martian atmospheric loss, but also showcases rocket Lab's capability to quickly turn around complex interplanetary missions as these twin explorers prepare to embark on their historic journey, the data they collect will undoubtedly deepen our comprehension of Mars atmospheric processes and contribute to the broader field of planetary science. So mark your calendars and join us in eagerly awaiting the launch of rocket Lab's twin spacecraft as they set their sights on Mars. This mission promises to be a significant step forward in our quest to understand the dynamics of our neighboring planet.

And that's a wrap for today's episode of Astronomy Daily. Thank you so much for tuning in and joining me, Anna, on this cosmic journey. We've covered some extraordinary stories today, from NASA and JAXA's laser signals on the moon to the discovery of a rare second generation star beyond the Milky Way, the final national security mission, launch of the Atlas V rocket, and Rocket Lab's impressive Mars mission preparations. I hope you found these stories as fascinating as I did. If you want to stay updated with the latest in space exploration and celestial discoveries. Be sure to visit our website at astronomydaily IO. There you can catch up on all the latest news. Sign up for our free Daily newsletter and listen to all our past episodes. Dont forget you can also follow us on social media. Just look for AstroDailyPod, Dailypod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, and TikTok. This way you wont miss out on any cosmic updates or exciting space news. Stay curious, keep exploring, and remember the universe is vast and full of wonders just waiting to be discovered. We'll be back soon with more thrilling stories from the final frontier. Until then, keep looking up and dreaming big. Have a stellar day.