Oct. 19, 2024

S03E184: Magellan's Mirror Milestone, SpaceX's Security Triumph, and Cosmic Trash Solutions

S03E184: Magellan's Mirror Milestone, SpaceX's Security Triumph, and Cosmic Trash Solutions

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E184
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go-to source for the latest and most exciting developments in space and Astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and today we are embarking on a cosmic journey that promises to expand our...

Season 3
Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E184
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go-to source for the latest and most exciting developments in space and Astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and today we are embarking on a cosmic journey that promises to expand our understanding of the universe.
Highlights:
- Giant Magellan Telescope Progress: Exciting advancements in the Giant Magellan Telescope project, set to become the world's largest telescope. The successful installation of its primary mirror into a support system prototype marks a crucial milestone. This mirror, with an area half the size of a basketball court, undergoes a six-month optical testing phase, promising 200 times the power of today's best telescopes.
- SpaceX's National Security Contract: SpaceX secures a $733.6 million contract from the US Space Force for national security launches. This deal includes seven launches for the Space Development Agency and at least one mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, reinforcing SpaceX's pivotal role in space-based defense and intelligence capabilities.
- Space Waste Management Innovation: Sierra Space plans to launch a trash compactor to the International Space Station in 2026, addressing the growing challenge of garbage disposal in space. This device transforms waste into compact tiles, potentially serving as radiation shielding, and extracts water for recycling, crucial for future moon or Mars missions. Affectionately known as Wall-E.
- Interstellar Visitors from Alpha Centauri: New research suggests material ejected from the Alpha Centauri system might be reaching our solar system. This opens up possibilities for studying interstellar material, with a model indicating that a small fraction of expelled objects could be detected near Earth, revealing their origin from our stellar neighbors.
- Skyrora's UK Launch Ambitions: Scottish space company Skyrora aims for a suborbital launch from British soil in spring 2025, overcoming regulatory delays. Using the Skylark L rocket, this mission is vital for de-risking their larger Skyrora XL rocket, highlighting the UK's growing role in the global space industry.
- Orionid Meteor Shower: Stargazers, mark your calendars for the Orionid meteor shower in 2024. Despite challenges from moonlight interference, this event offers a chance to witness cosmic debris from Halley's comet. Best viewed in pre-dawn hours with patience and dark skies.
For more space news, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. There, you can sign up for our free Daily newsletter, catch up on all the latest space and Astronomy news with our constantly updating newsfeed, and listen to all our previous episodes.
Don't forget to follow us on social media. Just search for #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTubeMusic, and TikTok.
Thank you for tuning in. This is Anna signing off. Until next time, keep looking up and stay curious about the wonders of our universe.
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WEBVTT

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Hello, and welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go to source

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for the latest and most exciting developments in the world

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of space and astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and I'm

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thrilled to have you join me for today's Cosmic Journey.

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In this episode, we'll be exploring a range of fascinating

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topics that are shaping our understanding of the universe. We'll

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dive into recent advancements in telescope technology that are pushing

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the boundaries of what we can see and learn about

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distant celestial objects. We'll also take a look at some

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intriguing space missions that are expanding our reach beyond Earth

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and uncovering new secrets of our Solar System and beyond.

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And of course, we'll delve into some captivating celestial phenomena

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that continue to inspire, wonder and awe. So strap in

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and get ready for a thrilling ride through the cosmos

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as we explore the latest news and discoveries in the

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world of astronomy. Let's kick things off today with an

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update to a project that's well underway. Exciting progress is

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being made on the giant Magellan telescope, which is set

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to become the world's largest telescope when completed. The latest

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update from the project team reveals a sign magnificant milestone,

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the successful installation of the primary mirror into a support

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system prototype. This achievement marks a crucial step forward in

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the telescope's development. The primary mirror, spanning an area about

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half the size of a basketball court, is now undergoing

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a six month optical testing phase to prove the capabilities

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of its light collecting surface. What makes this telescope truly

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remarkable is its potential power. According to Barbara Fisher, the

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primary mirror subsystem manager, it could deliver up to two

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hundred times the power of today's best telescopes. The mirror

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support system operates with nanometer precision, constantly adjusting the mirror's

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position and shape to maintain optimal performance. The Giant Magellan

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Telescope is a collaborative effort involving fourteen research institutions worldwide,

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including the Australian National University. Construction is underway on the

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summit of Las Campanas Mountain in Chile, with the telescope

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expected to be operational by the early twenty thirties. This

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ambitious project, with a price tag of nearly two point

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five four bids million US dollars, promises to revolutionize our

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view of the Cosmos, offering unprecedented image resolution over the

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widest field of view ever achieved. Next, there doesn't seem

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to be a day go by without SpaceX being in

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the news for one reason or another, and today is

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no exception. In a significant development for space exploration and

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national security, SpaceX has secured a massive contract from the

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US Space Force. The aerospace company has been awarded seven

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hundred and thirty three point six million dollars for a

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series of national security launches. This contract encompasses two task

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orders under the National Security Space Launch Phase three Lane

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one program. The deal includes seven launches for the Space

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Development Agency, or SDA, and at least one mission set

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for the National Reconnaissance Office known as the NRO. These

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launches will play a crucial role in expanding the sda's

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Transport Layer, a planned constellation of hundreds of satellites in

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low Earth orbit designed to provide global military data and connectivity.

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This contract highlights the increasing reliance on private companies like

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SpaceX for critical national security missions. It also underscores the

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rapid growth of space based defense and intelligence capabilities. With

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these new launches. SpaceX continues to cement its position as

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a key player in both commercial and government space operations,

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now a problem that's needed addressing for some time. In

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an exciting development for space waste management, Sierra Space has

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announced plans to launch a trash compactor to the International

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Space Station in twenty twenty six. This innovative device aims

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to tackle the growing problem of garbage disposal in long

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term space missions. Unlike on Earth, where we can simply

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toss our trash, space stations face unique challenges in managing waste.

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The Cierra Space compactor is designed to transform garbage into

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compact tiles, which could serve a dual purpose. Not only

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will this reduce the volume of waste, but these tiles

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might also be repurposed as additional radiation shielding for spacecraft.

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What's more, the system is capable of extracting nearly all

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the water from garbage for recycling, a crucial feature for

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conserving resources in space. This technology could prove invaluable for

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future missions to the Moon or Mars, where efficient waste

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management will be essential for astronauts safety and mission success.

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The compactor has a distinctive look as well, with some

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media outlets, already saying the machine looks like wall E.

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It'll probably stick. Okay, moving on, Exciting new research suggests

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that we might be getting closer to studying our nearest

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stellar neighbors without leaving Earth. Planetary scientist Cole Greg from

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the University of Western Ontario has conducted calculations indicating that

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material ejected from the Alpha Centauri system could be streaming

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past our planet. Using a simplified model of the Milky Way,

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Greg found that a small fraction about zero point zero

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three percent of objects expelled from Alpha Centauri might reach

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our solar system. What's more, these objects could potentially be

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recognized as originating from that nearby star system. This opens

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up fascinating possibilities for studying materi from beyond our Solar system.

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While we've only identified two interstellar visitors so far, u

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Muamua and Borisov, it's been impossible to trace their origins

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to specific star systems. Greg's model, however, starts by calculating

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how objects would behave after being ejected from a known

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nearby system like Alpha Centauri. The gravitational interactions between Alpha

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Centauri's three stars could potentially eject material ranging from tiny

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grains to kilometer sized comets and asteroids. These objects would

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continue orbiting the galaxy, potentially forming a stream with similar

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orbital properties. If detected near Earth, these shared characteristics could

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reveal their alpha centaury origin. While more detailed modeling is needed,

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this research opens up the tantalizing possibility of studying material

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from our cosmic neighbors, right in our own backyard. Some

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news from the United Kingdom now. Skyrora, a Scottish space company,

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is setting its sites on a suborbital launch from British

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soil in spring twenty twenty five. This ambitious goal comes

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after facing a year of regulatory delays in the UK's

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nascent space launch industry. The company had initially hoped to

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conduct this mission much sooner, but the complexities of navigating

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a new regulatory landscape have pushed their timeline back. The

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planned launch will use Skyrora's Skylark L rocket, an eleven

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meter long single stage vehicle. This mission is crucial for

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Skyrora as it will help de risk their larger Skyrora

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XL rocket designed for orbital launches. The company is working

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closely with the UK's Civil Aviation Authority and other regulatory

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bodies to secure the necessary licenses and approvals. These regulatory

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hurdles highlight the challenges faced by private space companies as

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the UK works to establish itself as a competitive player

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in the global space industry. Despite the setbacks, Skyrora remains

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committed to its goals and continues to make progress on

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both its suborbital and orbital launch systems. And finally, today,

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as we look ahead to next year's celestial events, stargazer

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might want to mark their calendars for the Orionid meteor

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shower in twenty twenty four. Unfortunately, it's not all good

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news for media enthusiasts. The peak of the Orionids, expected

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this coming Monday, October twenty first, will face significant challenges

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due to moonlight interference. A bright, waning gibbous moon will

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be present for most of the night, potentially washing out

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many of the fainter meteors. Despite this setback, the Orionids

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remain a fascinating event, closely tied to one of astronomy's

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most famous objects, Halle's Comet. These meteors are actually tiny

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fragments left behind by Halle as it orbits the Sun.

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So while we won't see the comet itself until twenty

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sixty one. The Orionids offer us a chance to witness

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its cosmic debris. For those determined to catch a glimpse,

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your best bet will be in the early pre dawn

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hours when Orion is highest in the southern sky. Just

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remember patients and dark skies are key, and you might

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still spot a few of the brighter meteors streaking across

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the night. And that wraps up our journey through the cosmos.

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For today, we've explored the progress of the Giant Magellan Telescope,

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SpaceX's new contracts with the Space Force, innovative waste management

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solutions for the ISS, potential interstellar visitors from Alpha Centauri,

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Skyrora's launch ambitions, and the upcoming Orionid meteor Shower. For

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more details on these stories and other fascinating space and

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astronomy news, head over to our website at Astronomy Daily

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dot io. There you can sign up for our free

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daily newsletter and catch up on all the latest developments

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with our constantly updating news feed. You can also listen

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to all our back episodes. Don't forget to follow us

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on social media. Search for astro Daily Pod on facebookx YouTube,

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and TikTok to stay connected with us between episodes. This

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is Anna and I'll be back on Tuesday with Steve

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and Hallie bringing you all the latest space news on Monday.

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Thank you for tuning into Astronomy Daily, and don't forget

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to help spread the word by telling all your friends

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about us. Keep looking up and we'll see you next

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time among the stars. Bye now me day. Star is

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the Toll. The Star is the Toll, Star is the

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sou