Oct. 29, 2024

S03E192: Cosmic Combat Concerns, CubeSat's Celestial Check-In, and Artemis Aims High

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E192
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your premier source for the latest news in space and Astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and today we're embarking on a cosmic journey that spans from the militarization of space to the...

Show Notes
Transcript

Astronomy Daily - The Podcast: S03E192
Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your premier source for the latest news in space and Astronomy. I'm your host, Anna, and today we're embarking on a cosmic journey that spans from the militarization of space to the mysteries of Venus.
Highlights:
- Militarization of Space: As space becomes a potential battleground, nations worldwide are investing in space defense. With both kinetic and non-kinetic weapons being explored, the risks of an arms race in space are growing, raising concerns about the need for updated international regulations.
- ESA's HERA Mission Success: The European Space Agency's HERA mission marks a milestone with its CubeSats, Juventus and Milani, successfully signaling from deep space. This achievement paves the way for future deep space missions using these miniature satellites.
- Launch Schedule: A busy week for space launches includes China's Shenzhou 19 mission, SpaceX's multiple Starlink launches, and a secretive Russian mission. With Rocket Lab also joining the action, the global space launch landscape continues to expand.
- China's Space Milestone: Wang Haoze becomes China's only female spaceflight engineer to join the Tiangong Space Station crew, marking a significant step in China's space exploration efforts and highlighting its commitment to diversity.
- NASA's Artemis 3 Landing Sites: NASA narrows down potential landing sites for the Artemis 3 mission near the Moon's south pole. These sites offer scientific value and the potential for sustainable lunar exploration, setting the stage for future human missions to Mars.
- Venus's Ancient Impact Craters: New research suggests the discovery of ancient impact craters on Venus, providing insights into the planet's geological history and challenging our understanding of planetary evolution.
For more cosmic news, visit our website at astronomydaily.io. Sign up for our free Daily newsletter and explore sponsor links for great deals. Catch up on all our previous episodes and join our celestial community on social media. Find us as #AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube, Tumblr, and TikTok. Share your thoughts and connect with fellow space enthusiasts.
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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Welcome stargazers and space enthusiasts to another episode of Astronomy Daily.

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I'm your host, Anna, and I'm thrilled to bring you

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the latest and greatest news from the cosmos. Today. We've

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got a stellar lineup of stories that will take us

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from the cutting edge of space defense to the mysteries

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of lunar exploration. We'll be diving into the growing militarization

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of space, checking in on some groundbreaking deep space missions,

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and even exploring potential landing sites for humanity's returned to

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the Moon. So strap in and prepare for liftoff as

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we embark on this cosmic journey through the most exciting

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developments in space and astronomy. Whether you're a seasoned astronomer

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or just curious about the wonders beyond our atmosphere, there's

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something for everyone in today's episode. Let's get started. Let's

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start today with news that we don't want to hear,

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but is becoming an increasing reality. Space has long been

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called the final frontier, but it's increasingly becoming a potential

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battleground as well. Countries around the world are ramping up

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their investments in space defense and exploring the military possibilities

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of low Earth orbit. Experts say governments are recognizing space

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as an important warfighting domain. There's a growing focus on

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both protecting existing space assets and developing new offensive capabilities.

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Some of the weapons being explored for space combat include

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kinetic weapons like missiles, as well as non kinetic options

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such as electromagnetic pulses, microwaves, and lasers. While lasers face

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challenges with power supply and stability in space, they could

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potentially target satellites or ground based targets. Earth based anti

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satellite weapons also pose a major threat. Countries like China

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and Russia have already demonstrated the ability to destroy satellites

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in orbit. As our reliance on space based systems for

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communication and navigation grows, the ability to take out in

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adversary satellites becomes an increasingly concerning capability. The militarization of

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space is raising widespread concerns among experts. While the Outer

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Space Treaty prohibits placing nuclear weapons or other weapons of

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mass destruction in orbit, it doesn't adequately address newer military

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technologies and capabilities. Some worry that the increasing military focus

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in space could lead to an arms race. There are

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calls to update international laws and treaties to better regulate

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military activities in space. However, enforcement remains a challenge. As

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space becomes more congested with military and dual use technologies,

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the risks of conflict are growing. For now, space remains

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a vital domain for Earth based military operations, but many

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see actual space to space combat as an eventual inevitability

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as more countries develop counter space capabilities. Now for some

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exciting news from the European Space Agencies Haramission. In a

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groundbreaking achievement, Hara's two cube sat companions have successfully signaled

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from deep space, marking essays first use of these miniature

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satellites beyond Earth orbit. The cube SATs, named Juventus and Milani,

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each about the size of a shoe box, were activated

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and tested while still secured in their deployers aboard the

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main Hair spacecraft. This initial check in occurred at distances

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of four million and seven point nine million kilometers from Earth, respectively.

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During their brief activation periods, the CubeSats verified critical onboard systems,

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including avionics, instruments and intersatellite links. They even tested their

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reaction wheels, which will be crucial for controlling their attitude

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during flight. This success is more than just a technical achievement.

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It validates the entire ground command infrastructure and paves the

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way for using cube SATs in future deep space missions.

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The ability to deploy these small, relatively inexpensive satellites alongside

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larger spacecraft could revolutionize how we explore our Solar system.

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HARA is currently en route to the asteroid de MorphOS,

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where it will study the effects of NASA's Dart mission,

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which successfully altered the asteroid's orbit last year. Once Hara

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arrives in late twenty twenty six, the cube SATs will

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be released to conduct close up observations, taking risks that

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the main spacecraft cannot. This pioneering use of CubeSats in

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deep space opens up new possibilities for Planet Tis Harry exploration,

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potentially allowing for more frequent and cost effective missions to

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distant targets. It's an exciting step forward in our ongoing

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journey to understand the Cosmos. Now, let's take a look

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at this week's launch schedule. This week promises to be

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another busy one in the world of space launches. Let's

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start with China's highly anticipated Shenzo nineteen mission, set to

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launch later today at twenty twenty seven UTC. This mission

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will send three taikanats to the Tiangong Space Station. The

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crew will lift off aboard a long March two F

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rocket from the Jukwan Satellite Launch Center. This marks the

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fourteenth crude flight of China's Shenzo program and will continue

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the country's ongoing presence in low Earth orbit. We'll have

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more about this launch in our next story. Meanwhile, SpaceX

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is also keeping up its rapid launch cadence, with multiple

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Starlink missions planned. The first is scheduled for today at

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eleven forty four UTC from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

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This Starlink Group nine nine mission will deploy twenty vs

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to mini satellites to further expand the global Internet constellation.

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Not to be outdone, SpaceX has three more Starlink launches

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on the docket. Look for additional missions lifting off from

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both coasts throughout the week, including launches from Cape Canaveral

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in Florida. These missions highlight SpaceX's commitment to rapidly building

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out its satellite network. In other launch news, Russia is

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planning a secretive mission using a Soyuz two Dot one

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B rocket, while details are scarce. This launch is expected

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to carry a military payload to Polar Orbit from the

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Placet's Cosmodrome on Thursday, October thirty first. Rounding out the week,

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keep an eye out for Rocket labs next Electron launch

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from New Zealand, scheduled for Monday, November fourth. This mission,

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playfully named Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes, will carry

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a confidential payload for an unnamed customer. With multiple nations

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and private companies contributing to this packed launch schedule, it's

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clear that access to space continues to expand and evolve.

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Each of these missions, whether delivering satellites, crew members, or

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classified payloads, represents another step forward in our ongoing exploration

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and utilization of the Final Frontier. Now some more on

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the Chinese launch. China is making history once again with

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its space program as the country prepares to send its

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only female space flight engineer to the Tiangong Space Station.

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Wanghause will be part of the three person crew launching

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aboard the Shenzho nineteen mission, marking another milestone for China's

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space exploration efforts. This mission is significant not only for

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Wang's participation, but also for what it represents in China's

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ongoing commitment to space exploration. Wang will become just the

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third Chinese woman to take part in a crude mission,

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highlighting the country's efforts to diversify its astronaut core. The

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Shenzo nineteen crew, led by experienced astronaut Kai Shuja, is

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scheduled to blast off early Wednesday morning from the Juquan

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Satellite Launch Center. They'll spend about six months aboard Tiangong,

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conducting scientific experiments and maintaining the space station. China's space

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program has been advancing rapidly in recent years. The Tiangong

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space station, completed just last year, is a testament to

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China's growing capabilities in space. With plans for crude missions

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to the Moon by twenty thirty and aspirations for a

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lunar base, China is positioning itself as a major player

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in the new space race. This mission underscores China's commitment

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to its space stream and its determination to become a

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leading space power alongside the United States in Russia. Okay,

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how about some news from the USA. NASA has taken

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another exciting step towards returning humans to the Moon by

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refining its list of potential landing sites for the Artemis

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three mission. The Space Agency has identified nine candidate landing

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regions near the moon south Pole, each chosen for its

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scientific value, engineering feasibility, and potential to support sustainable lunar exploration.

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These regions include intriguing areas such as the peak near KBSB, Haworth,

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Malapurt Massif, and several sites around the Noble and De

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Girloche craters. What makes these South Pole regions particularly fascinating

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is their geological diversity. Some feature permanently shadowed areas that

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may preserve water and other valuable resources, offering a stark

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contrast to the landing locations of the Apollo era. NASA's

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selection process involved a multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers

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who analyze data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other

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lunar studies. They considered factors like scientific potential, terrain characteristics,

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and lighting conditions to ensure the chosen sites can support

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the needs of the Space Launch System, Rocket Orion spacecraft,

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and the Starship human landing system. The Artemis three geology

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team has highlighted the potential of these sites to deepen

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our understanding of rocky planets. Lunar resources and the broader

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history of our Solar System. This mission will mark the

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first time astronauts land in the Moon's south polar region,

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offering unprecedented opportunities for scientific discovery and NTS exploration. As

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NASA continues to refine these potential landing sites, they're setting

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the stage for long term lunar exploration and paving the

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way for future human missions to Mars. The Artemis program

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aims to land the first woman in person of color

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on the Moon, making this a truly historic endeavor in

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space exploration. Our final story today takes us to our

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nearest planetary neighbor, Venus. New research has uncovered what could

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be a long hidden record of ancient impact craters on

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the planet's surface, potentially rewriting what we know about Venus's

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geological history. Unlike Earth, where wind, water and tectonic activity

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have erased most traces of ancient impacts, Venus has experienced

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far less surface change over time. This has left some

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of the Solar System's most pristine craters intact. However, Venus

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has always been conspicuously lacking in the giant impact basins

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we see on places like the Moon or Mars. A

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team led by Vicki Hansen from the Planetary Science Institute

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has been studying an area on Venus called the Haste

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to Sarah. This massive geological feature, spanning over nine hundred miles,

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shows unusual concentric rings that the researchers believe could mark

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the sites of two consecutive massive impacts billions of years ago.

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If confirmed, this would be Venus's oldest and largest impact structure,

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offering a rare glimpse into the planet's distant past. It

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also suggests that not all impact structures look alike, with

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Venus's unique conditions creating formations very different from what we

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see elsewhere. The key difference lies in Venus's early planetary structure.

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When these impacts occurred, Venus likely had a hotter, thinner

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outer layer than Earth does today. This allowed the impacts

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to break through and expose molten material from below, which

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then solidified into the complex, wrinkled terrain we see today.

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This discovery not only sheds light on Venus' history, but

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also gives us new insight into how planets evolve differently

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under various conditions. It's a reminder that in space exploration,

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we often need to look beyond our expectations to uncover

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the truth, and that brings us to the end of

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today's fascinating journey through the cosmos, from the militarization of

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space to groundbreaking discoveries on Venus. It's been another eventful

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episode in astronomy and space Exploration. I hope you've enjoyed

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this cosmic update as much as I've enjoyed bringing it

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to you. If you're hungry for more space news, remember

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to visit our website at Astronomy Daily dot io. There

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you'll find our constantly updating news feed, keeping you at

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the forefront of astronomical discoveries and space mission updates. While

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you're there, why not sign up for our free daily newsletter.

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This is Anna signing off from Astronomy Daily. Keep looking

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up and I'll see you next time. For more Out

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