S03E55: Moon Rocks & Exoplanet Blocks: China's Chang'e 6 and NASA's Roman Revolution

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Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go
to source for the latest updates in space

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and astronomy. I'm your host Anna. Today we have a compelling lineup of

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stories for you. First, we'll
dive into China's chang six mission, which

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is preparing for an ambitious sample return
mission on the far side of the Moon.

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Next, we'll explore how NASA's Roman
Space Telescope and its innovative coronagraph instrument

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could revolutionize our ability to image distant
planets. Also on the agenda, we'll

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discuss how dimming plant glow detectable via
satellite can serve as an early warning system

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for flash droughts, a discovery that
could have significant implications for agriculture. These

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are just a few of the fascinating
topics we'll cover, so stay tuned for

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an engaging and enlightening episode podcast.
China's Changay six mission is gearing up for

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an ambitious sample return mission on the
far side of the Moon. The spacecraft

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is currently in orbit, busily scouting
landing sites in the South Pole Aitken Basin,

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one of the Moon's oldest and largest
impact structures. Scheduled to touch down

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in early June, chang A six
will drill into the lunar surface to collect

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rock and soil samples. Within forty
eight hours of landing, these valuable lunar

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specimens will be loaded onto an ascender
that will dock with the orbiter for the

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return journey to Earth. The entire
mission will last fifty three days, culminating

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with the return capsule landing in China's
Inner Mongolia region, bringing back these unprecedented

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samples for scientific study. The Nancy
Grace Roman Space Telescope is on the verge

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of deploying groundbreaking technology with its coronagraph
instrument, which aims to transform how we

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image distant planets. The coronagraph instrument
functions by blocking the overwhelming light from stars,

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thereby allowing astronomers to detect the faint
glow of planets that would otherwise remain

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hidden in the glare. This innovative
technology, known as the Roman coronagraph,

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utilizes advanced tools to achieve its goal. Key components include deformable mirrors backed by

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thousands of tiny pistons which adjust to
block out unwonted starlight more effectively than ever

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before. This active coronagraph can make
precise changes to compensate for imperfections in the

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telescope's optics, a critical capability for
observing planets that are billions of times dimmer

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than their parent stars. By enhancing
the ability to directly image exoplanets, the

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Roman Coronagraph instrument will significantly aid the
search for habitable worlds. It will demonstrate

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techniques that future missions can build upon
to eventually detect Earth like planets in habitable

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zones around sunlike stars. This undertaking
marks a monumental step forward in our quest

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to find life beyond our Solar system. Flash drouts here on Earth are incredibly

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challenging to predict as they develop rapidly
and can cause significant agricultural damage. However,

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scientists at NASA have made a groundbreaking
discovery that could change the game.

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Utilizing satellite data, they've found that
the dimming glow of plants and indication not

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visible to the human eye, can
serve as an early warning signal for these

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sudden droughts. This glow, known
as solar induced fluorescence, diminishes as plants

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experience moisture stress, providing crucial data
weeks sometimes even months before a flash drought

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occurs. This early detection system could
be a game changer for farmers and communities,

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allowing them to take proactive measures to
mitigate the impact of these sudden weather

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events. The US Space Force is
exploring new frontiers and satellite maintenance with Starfish

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Space's Otter spacecraft. This mission represents
a significant leap forward in satellite servicing technology.

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The Otter is designed to autonomously rendezvous, dock and provide additional propulsion to

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satellites that were never originally aquipped for
such maneuvers. By attaching itself to these

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satellites, the Otter can extend their
life and enhance their maneuverability, effectively boosting

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their operational lifespan by up to two
years. This initiative underscores the growing importance

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of InOrbit servicing, ensuring that our
satellite infrastructure remains robust and flexible in the

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ever evolving space environment. The UK
space industry is gearing up for new launches

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with developments across various spaceports. One
significant milestone comes from rocket factory Augsburg RFA,

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which recently conducted successful static fire tests
of its RFA one rocket at sax

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Offord Spaceport in Shetland. This marks
a crucial step towards the first vertical orbital

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launch from the UK. The stainless
steel constructed first stage of the RFA one

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underwent a twenty second hot fire test
where its helix engines were ignited in sequence,

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demonstrating flawless performance. Sax Oford Spaceport
has also obtained the nest necessary licenses

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from the Civil Aviation Authority, bringing
it closer to becoming fully operational. If

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all goes according to plan, the
first vertical orbital launch from this site could

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take place as early as September.
Other UK spaceport projects include Sutherland Spaceport,

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which has started construction under the management
of Orbex, and Prestwick Spaceport, which

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aims to rival Cornwall in the horizontal
launch market. These advancements mark an exciting

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time for the UK's growing space sector. NASA's latest heliophysics experiment is setting the

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stage for groundbreaking discoveries as it prepares
to hitch a ride on a European mission

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aimed at studying the Sun. This
collaborative effort is designed to deepen our understanding

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of solar phenomena, which includes solar
flares and coronal mass ejections, events that

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can have significant impacts on space weather, space weather affects a variety of human

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technologies, such as satellites and communications
systems, making this research critically important.

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By investigating the Sun's behavior more closely, NASA and its European partners hope to

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develop better predictive models, ultimately improving
the resilience of our technological infrastructure against solar

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disruptions. This experiment represents a promising
step forward in safeguarding our increasingly interconnected planet.

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Thank you for joining us on this
episode of Astronomy Daily. Remember to

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visit our website, Astronomy Daily dot
io for the latest space news and updates.

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I'm Ana, and we'll be back soon

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with more exciting updates from the world
of space and astronomy. Thanks for listening.

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Suday Stars, The Star is the
Toll. Star is Thetrole