Countdown to the Moon: Artemis II Launch Week Begins | Plus Comet Reversal & ISS Medical Mystery...

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Four astronauts, one rocket, four days


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until launch. History is about to be


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made.


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>> And if you think that's the only


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jaw-dropping story in space today, wait


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until you hear about a comet that


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literally stopped spinning and started


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going the other way.


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>> I'm Anna.


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>> I'm Avery.


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>> And this is Astronomy Daily, your daily


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guide to everything happening in space


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and beyond. Welcome to season 5, episode


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75. Let's get started then.


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>> All right, let's start with what is


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without a doubt the biggest human space


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flight story in more than 50 years. The


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crew of NASA's Aremis 2 mission has


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arrived at Kennedy Space Center in


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Florida. And the countdown is well and


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truly on.


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>> That's right. Yesterday, Friday the


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27th, NASA astronauts Reed Weissman,


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Victor Glover, and Christina Coach along


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with Canadian Space Agency astronaut


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Jeremy Hansen touchdown at Kennedy's


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shuttle landing facility in their T38


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jets arriving from Johnson Space Center


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in Houston. They were greeted by NASA


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administrator Jared Isaacman and a crowd


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of reporters that was by all accounts


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the largest anyone had seen for an


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astronaut arrival in a very long time.


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And the energy was electric. Avery


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Commander Reed Wisman stepped out onto


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the runway, pumped his fists, and said,


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and I'm quoting here, "Hey, let's go to


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the moon." That says it all, really.


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>> It really does. So, the plan launch is


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scheduled for no earlier than 6:24 in


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the evening, Eastern time on Wednesday,


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April the 1st. I know, April Fool's Day,


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but this is no joke. The window stays


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open until April 6th, giving the team a


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6-day buffer, but mission managers are


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pushing hard for that first opportunity.


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>> And the mission itself, Artemis 2, will


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send all four crew members on a 10day


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journey around the moon and back to


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Earth aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft.


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Launched on top of the space launch


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system, the most powerful operational


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rocket in the world. They won't land on


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the moon. That's Artemis 3's job, but


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they will fly farther from Earth than


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any human has ever been. The Apollo 13


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record set back in 1970 will be broken.


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>> The crew are now in quarantine at


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Kennedy, spending their final days


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reviewing mission procedures, completing


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medical checkups, and spending precious


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time with family. The countdown clock is


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set to begin ticking at 4:44 p.m. on


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Monday, and from that point, it's all


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systems go. For anyone who watched the


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Apollo missions as a child or who has


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simply dreamed of humanity returning to


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the moon, this is the week we've been


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waiting for.


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>> We will absolutely be following this one


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closely over the coming days on


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Astronomy Daily. And for our listeners


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down under in Australia and across New


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Zealand, April 2nd is your morning to


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set those alarms.


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>> Now, from the moon to a tiny snowball


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tumbling through our inner solar system,


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and when I say tiny, I mean it. Comet


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41P, formerly known as Tuttle Jeecobini


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Krisak, measures just one kilometer


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across, about three times the height of


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the Eiffel Tower.


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>> And yet, this little cosmic wanderer has


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just done something that scientists have


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never in all of recorded astronomical


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history observed before. It reversed its


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spin.


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>> That's right. A new study published this


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week in the Astronomical Journal based


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on observations from NASA's Hubble Space


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Telescope reveals that comet 41P first


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dramatically slowed its spin, nearly


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came to a complete stop, and then


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started going the other way. Researchers


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describe it as a kind of merrygoround


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effect. The comet's own outgassing jets,


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streams of gas blasted off its surface


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as it heats up near the sun, were


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pushing against its spin so hard that


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they eventually flipped it.


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>> To give you a timeline, back in March


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2017, the comet was spinning at a


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regular pace. By May 2017, Swift


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observatory data showed it had slowed to


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three times that rate. And then when


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Hubble took a look in December 2017, the


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comet was spinning fast again. but in


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the opposite direction. The whole


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reversal had happened within months.


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>> Now, here's the twist, and it's a


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sobering one. Study author David Jwitt


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of UCLA says that because the comet is


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now spinning so rapidly in its new


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direction, centrifugal forces could


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overcome the comet's own weak gravity.


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And his conclusion, quote, I expect this


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nucleus will very quickly self-destruct.


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We may be witnessing the final chapter


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of comet 41P's long life,


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>> which makes these observations all the


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more remarkable. The comet is thought to


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have been in its current orbit for


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around 1,500 years. And in one close


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pass of the sun, we got to watch it


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undergo a transformation that would


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normally take centuries in just a matter


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of months. Hubble really never stops


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delivering the goods. Story 3 takes us


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to one of the deepest mysteries in


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modern cosmology and potentially one of


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the most significant detections in the


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history of gravitational wave astronomy.


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>> Back in November last year, LIGO, the


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laser interferometer gravitational wave


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observatory, picked up a signal that


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stopped researchers cold. The


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gravitational wave appeared to come from


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a merger event involving at least one


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object that weighed less than a single


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solar mass. And here's why that matters.


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Through all known processes of stellar


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evolution, that simply shouldn't be


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possible. Regular black holes form from


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dying stars. And the minimum mass for


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that is a few times our sun. So what was


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it?


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>> Well, this week, astrophysicists Nikico


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Capaluti and Alberto Magara from the


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University of Miami published the


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compelling answer in the Astrophysical


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Journal. Their conclusion, it may be a


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primordial black hole, an object formed


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not from a collapsing star, but from the


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unimaginable density of the universe


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itself in the first fraction of a second


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after the big bang.


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>> Primordial black holes are one of the


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most tantalizing concepts in theoretical


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physics. They could range from


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microscopic to enormous. And crucially,


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they are one of the most compelling


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candidates for dark matter, the


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invisible substance that makes up


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roughly 85% of all matter in the


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universe. We can see dark matter's


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gravitational effects everywhere we


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look, but we have never directly


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detected it. A confirmed primordial


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black hole detection would transform our


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understanding of the cosmos overnight.


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The Miami team modeled how many


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primordial black holes should exist, how


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often they should merge, and how


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frequently LIGO should detect them. And


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remarkably, the numbers lined up. One


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rare detection event exactly as her


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theory predicts. It's not confirmation.


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One signal is suggestive, not


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conclusive. But it is a genuinely


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thrilling lead to follow. As Capelluti


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himself put it, the most plausible


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explanation for the LIGO signal, which


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lacks any conventional astrophysical


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explanation, is the detection of a


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primordial black hole. Next generation


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detectors, including the space-based


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LISA mission planned for the 2030s and


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the groundbased cosmic explorer, 10


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times more sensitive than LIGO, will


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hopefully shed more light on this. For


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now, we may have just received our first


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signal from the dawn of time itself.


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Here's a story that bridges ancient


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human history and cuttingedge astronomy.


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In the year 185 AD, Chinese astronomers


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recorded a strange new star appearing in


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the sky, one that would remain visible


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for up to 8 months. They called it a


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guest star. What they had actually


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witnessed was one of the earliest


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supernova explosions ever recorded by


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humanity. Fast forward 1,800 years, and


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that same ancient explosion, now known


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as supernova remnant RCW86,


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or SN185,


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has just been given its most detailed


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examination yet. NASA's EXPE mission,


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the imaging X-ray polarimetry explorer,


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has delivered a breathtaking new image


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of the remnants outer edge, combining


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its unique X-ray polarimetry data with


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observations from NASA's Chandra


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Observatory and the European Space Ay's


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XMM Newton telescope.


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>> So, what did they find? E targeted the


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outer rim of the remnant, highlighted in


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a vivid purple ring in the new image,


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and discovered something fascinating.


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The expanding shell of superheated gas,


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which had been blasting outward at


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tremendous speed for 2,000 years,


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appears to have stopped at the edge of a


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large, low density cavity that


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surrounded the original star. In other


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words, the explosion ran into a wall.


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And the new data helps explain why the


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remnant expanded so much faster than


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astronomers initially expected.


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>> Achieves this by studying the


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polarization of X-rays. Essentially, how


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those high energy light waves are


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oriented as they travel through space.


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It's a technique that opens a completely


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new window on the behavior of exploding


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stars, black holes, and pulsars. The


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resulting composite image with yellow


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for low energy X-rays, blue for high


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energy, and the purple data overlaid is


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genuinely one of the most beautiful


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things you'll see in space science this


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week. We'll have a link in the show


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notes.


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>> There's something deeply moving about


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this story. A star that humans watched


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die with the naked eye two millennia


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ago, recorded by diligent observers in


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ancient China, is still revealing its


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secrets today. Science is a very long


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conversation.


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>> Story 5 brings us a story that's both


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deeply human and profoundly relevant to


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the future of space exploration and it


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connects directly to our lead story


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today about Artemis 2.


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>> Earlier this year, you may recall NASA


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made headlines when it announced that


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the Crew 11 mission aboard the


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International Space Station was being


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cut short due to a medical concern. The


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agency initially declined to name the


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astronaut involved, but in late


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February, veteran astronaut Mike Think,


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a four-time space flyer and retired US


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Air Force Colonel, came forward at his


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own request to confirm that he was the


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person affected.


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>> And this week, for the first time, Fank


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spoke in detail about what actually


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happened in an exclusive interview with


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the Associated Press conducted from


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Houston's Johnson Space Center. The


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account is extraordinary. Think says he


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was eating dinner on January 7th, the


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evening before a planned spacew walk,


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when it suddenly hit. He lost the


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ability to speak. He felt no pain. The


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episode lasted around 20 minutes. His


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crew mates, seeing him in distress,


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immediately contacted flight surgeons on


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the ground. It was completely out of the


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blue, he told the AP. It was just


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amazingly quick. NASA used the station's


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ultrasound machine during the event,


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which Frink credits as genuinely useful,


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and his condition quickly stabilized.


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But NASA's medical team determined that


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the safest course of action was an early


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return to Earth so that Fank could


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access advanced medical imaging not


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available on the ISS. NASA canled the


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following day spacew walk. And on


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January 15th, Fank and his three crew


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mates, Zen Cardman, Kima Yui, and Oleg


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Platinov, splashed down in the Pacific


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Ocean about a month ahead of schedule.


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Here's the part that is both remarkable


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and sobering. As of this week, doctors


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still do not know what caused it. A


00:11:55.920 --> 00:11:57.910
heart attack has been ruled out, but the


00:11:57.920 --> 00:12:00.150
precise nature of the event, whether


00:12:00.160 --> 00:12:02.790
neurological, cardiovascular, or


00:12:02.800 --> 00:12:04.870
something else entirely, remains


00:12:04.880 --> 00:12:07.509
undiagnosed. NASA is now reviewing


00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:09.509
astronaut medical records to determine


00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:11.509
whether anything similar has occurred in


00:12:11.519 --> 00:12:13.990
space before, potentially without being


00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.710
recognized. And here's why this matters


00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:19.350
so much right now with Artemis 2 5 days


00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:21.910
from launch on the ISS. If something


00:12:21.920 --> 00:12:23.990
goes wrong medically, astronauts could


00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.870
be home within hours. On a 10-day lunar


00:12:26.880 --> 00:12:28.949
mission, and certainly on any future


00:12:28.959 --> 00:12:31.350
mission to Mars, that option doesn't


00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:33.990
exist. The FINK incident has become a


00:12:34.000 --> 00:12:36.069
landmark moment for space medicine,


00:12:36.079 --> 00:12:37.990
prompting urgent conversations about


00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:40.230
what medical capabilities need to exist


00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:42.949
on deep space vehicles. Think himself


00:12:42.959 --> 00:12:45.670
framed it with characteristic composure.


00:12:45.680 --> 00:12:48.069
Spaceflight is an incredible privilege


00:12:48.079 --> 00:12:50.470
and sometimes it reminds us just how


00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:51.829
human we are.


00:12:51.839 --> 00:12:54.790
>> And Mike Fank says he feels fine now and


00:12:54.800 --> 00:12:56.949
is continuing routine post-flight


00:12:56.959 --> 00:12:59.509
conditioning at Johnson Space Center. We


00:12:59.519 --> 00:13:01.750
wish him a full and swift recovery. And


00:13:01.760 --> 00:13:03.910
we salute the crew and the medical teams


00:13:03.920 --> 00:13:06.230
who got everyone home safely.


00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:09.670
>> And finally, eyes on the sun because our


00:13:09.680 --> 00:13:11.750
nearest star has been putting on a show


00:13:11.760 --> 00:13:12.629
this week.


00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:15.030
>> That's right. A new sunspot region


00:13:15.040 --> 00:13:17.910
designated AR4403


00:13:17.920 --> 00:13:20.230
rotated into view on the eastern solar


00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:23.590
limb on March 26th, and it wasted no


00:13:23.600 --> 00:13:26.150
time making its presence felt. Within


00:13:26.160 --> 00:13:29.670
hours of coming into view, AR4403


00:13:29.680 --> 00:13:33.269
unleashed the powerful M3.9 solar flare


00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:37.350
at 611 UTC, triggering an R1, that's a


00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:39.750
minor, radio blackout over the Indian


00:13:39.760 --> 00:13:42.629
Ocean. Now, the good news, as of today,


00:13:42.639 --> 00:13:45.430
Saturday the 28th, the sun is relatively


00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:47.750
quiet. AR4403


00:13:47.760 --> 00:13:50.230
has calmed after its initial outburst,


00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.150
and space weather forecasters are


00:13:52.160 --> 00:13:54.150
expecting mostly quiet conditions


00:13:54.160 --> 00:13:56.470
through today. But there's a catch, and


00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.310
it's worth noting for our listeners who


00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:00.069
love aurora watching.


00:14:00.079 --> 00:14:03.030
>> From Sunday the 29th, a co-rotating


00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:05.430
interaction region, a dense zone of


00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:07.910
compressed solar wind along with a


00:14:07.920 --> 00:14:10.550
high-speed stream from a coronal hole


00:14:10.560 --> 00:14:12.949
are expected to arrive at Earth. And a


00:14:12.959 --> 00:14:15.189
faint coronal mass ejection from the


00:14:15.199 --> 00:14:17.430
recent activity could also graze our


00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:19.189
planet's magnetic field around that


00:14:19.199 --> 00:14:21.590
time. base weather forecasters are


00:14:21.600 --> 00:14:23.750
predicting unsettled geomagnetic


00:14:23.760 --> 00:14:26.150
conditions which could in favorable


00:14:26.160 --> 00:14:28.629
circumstances push auroras to slightly


00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:31.350
lower latitudes than usual. So for our


00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.430
listeners in southern Australia,


00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:35.990
Tasmania and New Zealand, particularly


00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:38.310
those of you with dark skies away from


00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:40.629
city lights, Sunday and Monday nights


00:14:40.639 --> 00:14:42.629
are worth watching. Check your local


00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:44.870
Aurora alert apps. Keep an eye to the


00:14:44.880 --> 00:14:46.949
south and fingers crossed for clear


00:14:46.959 --> 00:14:49.189
skies. And if you capture anything


00:14:49.199 --> 00:14:51.910
spectacular, we'd love to see it. Tag us


00:14:51.920 --> 00:14:53.829
at Astro Daily Pod.


00:14:53.839 --> 00:14:55.590
>> We'll be keeping an eye on developments


00:14:55.600 --> 00:14:57.269
and may have an update in Monday's


00:14:57.279 --> 00:14:59.750
episode if conditions escalate. And that


00:14:59.760 --> 00:15:01.990
is a wrap on an absolutely packed


00:15:02.000 --> 00:15:04.550
edition of Astronomy Daily. To recap


00:15:04.560 --> 00:15:07.189
what we covered today, the Aremis 2 crew


00:15:07.199 --> 00:15:09.509
has landed at Kennedy Space Center with


00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:12.150
April 1st launch in their sites. Hubble


00:15:12.160 --> 00:15:14.310
has documented the first ever spin


00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:17.030
reversal of a comet and that comet may


00:15:17.040 --> 00:15:19.509
be on borrowed time. LIGO may have


00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:21.750
detected a black hole born at the dawn


00:15:21.760 --> 00:15:25.269
of the universe itself. NASA's IXP


00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:27.670
telescope gave us the finest portrait


00:15:27.680 --> 00:15:30.310
yet of a supernova first seen by human


00:15:30.320 --> 00:15:34.069
eyes in 185 AD. Astronaut Mike Finke


00:15:34.079 --> 00:15:36.389
spoke for the first time about his still


00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:39.110
mysterious medical emergency in orbit.


00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.670
And the sun is stirring with possible


00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:43.750
aurora opportunities on the way for


00:15:43.760 --> 00:15:45.910
southern hemisphere sky watchers.


00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:48.150
>> What an extraordinary time to be alive


00:15:48.160 --> 00:15:50.150
and looking up. If you're enjoying


00:15:50.160 --> 00:15:52.550
Astronomy Daily, please subscribe, leave


00:15:52.560 --> 00:15:54.470
us a review, and share the show with


00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:56.550
anyone in your life who loves the cosmos


00:15:56.560 --> 00:15:58.790
as much as we do. You can find us at


00:15:58.800 --> 00:16:00.629
astronomyaily.io


00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:03.269
and across all platforms at Astro Daily


00:16:03.279 --> 00:16:04.150
Pod.


00:16:04.160 --> 00:16:06.710
>> Until Monday, keep looking up.


00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.110
>> Clear skies, everyone.


00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:11.350
day.


00:16:11.360 --> 00:16:15.079
Stories we told.