Launch Delays, Lunar Sunrises, and the Blaze Star’s Celestial Showdown: S04E54

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Language: en

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welcome to astronomy daily your daily


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dose of space and astronomy news I'm


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Anna and today we have a busy show


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covering some of the most exciting


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developments in space exploration and


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astronomy we'll be diving into multiple


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stories about spacecraft launches or


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rather launch postponements as both


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SpaceX and Europe's Space Program faced


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some challenging moments we'll explore


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what these delays mean for their


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respective space programs and the future


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of space exploration we also have some


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truly remarkable news from the the lunar


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surface where Firefly aerospace's Blue


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Ghost Lander has captured breathtaking


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images of its first lunar sunrise this


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historic achievement marks another


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significant step in private company's


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involvement in lunar


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exploration plus we'll look skyward as


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we discuss an upcoming Celestial event


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that astronomers have been eagerly


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anticipating the potential explosion of


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what's known as The Blaze star in our


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night sky I'll tell you exactly where


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and when to look to catch this rare


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astronomical phenomenon


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stay with me as we journey through


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today's fascinating space news and


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discoveries we have a lot to cover and I


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can't wait to share these stories with


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you so let's get started with a bunch of


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high-profile launch


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delays SpaceX called off the latest test


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flight of its Mammoth Starship rocket


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just moments before its scheduled launch


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on Monday the company cited an


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unspecified technical issue with the


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spacecraft marking another delay in the


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development of what Remains the world's


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largest and most powerful rocket the


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launch was set to be starship's eighth


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orbital test flight and anticipation was


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high following the dramatic midair


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explosion over the Caribbean during its


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previous attempt SpaceX has indicated


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they're working to determine the next


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best opportunity to fly with initial


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estimates suggesting a delay of around


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24 hours standing at an impressive 403


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ft tall that's about 100 ft taller than


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the Statue of Liberty Starship


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represents a crucial piece in both


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spacex's Mars colonization Ambitions and


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Artemis program for returning humans to


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the moon the spacecraft has undergone


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numerous upgrades since its last flight


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with SpaceX implementing improvements to


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enhance its reliability and


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performance one of the most interesting


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aspects of this upcoming mission is the


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planned attempt to catch the booster


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stage using the launch Tower's Chopstick


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arms a feat SpaceX has successfully


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achieved twice before the mission plan


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also includes deploying starlink


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satellite simulators though these are


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designed to burn up during atmospheric


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re-entry the challenges facing


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starship's development are significant


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particularly when it comes to achieving


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full


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reusability Elon Musk recently


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highlighted that the toughest problem


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they're tackling is perfecting the


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orbital heat shield a critical component


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that's never been fully solved for a


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fully reusable spacecraft of this size


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while SpaceX believes they're close to


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achieving rapid reusability of the


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booster their ultimate goal is to make


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the entire stack both the rocket and


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booster fully reusable by next year this


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capability is essential for spacex's


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broader Ambitions as they'll need to


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demonstrate complex inorbit refueling


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using other Starships as fuel tankers to


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enable long-distance space travel the


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Federal Aviation Administration is


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closely monitoring these developments


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having only recently cleared Starship to


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return to flight while still finalizing


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its review of spacex's previous Mission


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investigation this careful oversight


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reflects the balance between pushing


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technological boundaries and ensuring


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safety in space flight


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operations next yet another delay in a


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significant setback for European space


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capabilities the inaugural commercial


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mission of Europe's new ariani 6 rocket


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was postponed just minutes before its


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scheduled launch on Monday the culprit a


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dysfunctional valve discovered in one of


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the launchers refueling pipes this delay


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comes at a particularly sensitive time


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for European space independence with


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Russia's so Rockets no longer available


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since the Ukraine Invasion and the


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retirement of The Trusted arani 5 in


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2023 Europe has been struggling to


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maintain its autonomous access to space


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the mission carried extra weight Beyond


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its literal payload a French military


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satellite destined for an 800 km orbit


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it was meant to demonstrate Europe's


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renewed capability to launch critical


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payloads independently a concern that's


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grown more pressing amid recent


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geopolitical shifts European space


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agency officials emphasized the


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Strategic importance of this launch with


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space Transportation director Tony


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tolker neelen stating that Europe must


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ensure its own Security in Space the


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mission has taken on even greater


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significance given recent International


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developments that have prompted European


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nations to strengthen their independent


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capabilities the payload itself the CSO


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3 satellite was intended to complete a


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network of Three French military Imaging


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satellites these sophisticated ated


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orbital cameras are designed to capture


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both visible and infrared imagery


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globally capabilities crucial for


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military operations and strategic


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autonomy while the immediate technical


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issue may be relatively straightforward


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this delay underscores the broader


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challenges Europe faces in maintaining


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competitive space launch capabilities


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the European space industry continues to


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Grapple with increasing competition


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particularly from SpaceX while trying to


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secure its position as an independent


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space Power a new launch date hasn't


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been announced yet but Mission


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controllers remain confident about


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resolving the valve issue as one


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official noted this is a reminder that


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in the space Industry Safety and


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reliability must always take precedence


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over schedule and in more delay news


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NASA's twin missions spherex and punch


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are facing another delay in their


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journey to space with the launch now


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scheduled for Thursday March 6th at


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10:09 p.m. eastern time this marks the


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fourth postp ponent for these ambitious


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scientific missions which will share a


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ride to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9


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rocket from Vandenberg space force base


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in California the sphx telescope


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represents a fascinating approach to


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studying our universe think of it as a


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wider angle version of the James web


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Space Telescope designed to capture


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broad infrared views of space this


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unique perspective will help astronomers


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better understand the early universe and


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study the presence of water ice and


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organic molecules throughout space


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meanwhile punch isn't just one satellite


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but a constellation of four working


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together these specialized observers


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will focus on our own star studying


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phenomena like coronal mass ejections


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and the solar wind This research is


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particularly important because these


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solar events can significantly impact


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our technology on Earth potentially


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causing radio blackouts and disrupting


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satellite


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Communications NASA's decision to pair


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these missions on a single launch


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vehicle showcases a smart approach to


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maximizing Resources by sharing a ride


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to space these two very different


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scientific missions help reduce costs


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and launch vehicle requirements


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demonstrating how modern space


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exploration can be both ambitious and


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efficient the space agency reports that


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the latest delay is needed for


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additional checkouts and processing of


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the Falcon 9 rocket while such delays


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can be frustrating they reflect the


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careful attention to detail required for


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successful space missions after all when


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you're sending sophisticated scientific


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instruments worth millions of dollars


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into space it's better to be safe than


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sorry let's move on to a much more


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positive story this is truly good news


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in an exciting development for lunar


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exploration Firefly aerospace's Blue


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Ghost Lander has successfully touched


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down near mons lree in the mar Chisum


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region of the Moon The Landing which


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took place on Sunday marks another


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significant achievement in what's


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becoming an increasingly busy season for


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lunar missions the spacecraft didn't


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waste any time getting to work within


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hours of Landing Blue Ghost captured a


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breathtaking image of its first lunar


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Sunrise the photo shows the intense


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brightness of the sun contrasting


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dramatically with the shadowed Craters


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of the lunar surface giving us a


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stunning New Perspective of what dawn


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looks like on our Celestial neighbor


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this Mission carries 10 NASA science


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payloads and I'm happy to report that


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many of these instruments are already up


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and running over the next two weeks


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these tools will be studying everything


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from the moon's composition and geology


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to its heat flow patterns and space


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weather conditions one particularly


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interesting experiment will even examine


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how lunar dust behaves at Sunset using


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specialized cameras to capture the


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mysterious way it levitates above the


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surface the successful Landing comes


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after a 46-day journey that began with a


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January 15th launch aboard a SpaceX


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Falcon 9 rocket for Firefly Aerospace


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this represents a major Milestone their


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CEO Jason Kim expressed the company's


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enthusiasm noting that this achievement


00:09:06.160 --> 00:09:08.069
demonstrates their ability to provide


00:09:08.079 --> 00:09:10.069
reliable and affordable access to the


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Moon you could say he looked like a


00:09:12.040 --> 00:09:13.949
proud new dad when making the


00:09:13.959 --> 00:09:16.030
announcement this mission is part of


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NASA's commercial lunar payload Services


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Program which partners with private


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companies to deliver scientific


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instruments to the lunar surface it's


00:09:25.120 --> 00:09:27.190
fascinating to see how these commercial


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Partnerships are helping to pave the way


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for a sustained presence on the moon


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supporting NASA's broader Artemis


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program goals looking ahead Blue Ghost


00:09:36.839 --> 00:09:38.910
will continue its scientific operations


00:09:38.920 --> 00:09:40.790
until the lunar Knight arrives in about


00:09:40.800 --> 00:09:43.790
2 weeks while this marks the end of its


00:09:43.800 --> 00:09:46.150
primary Mission the data it collects


00:09:46.160 --> 00:09:48.310
during this time will contribute


00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:50.150
significantly to our understanding of


00:09:50.160 --> 00:09:52.350
the Moon and help prepare for future


00:09:52.360 --> 00:09:53.949
lunar


00:09:53.959 --> 00:09:56.470
Expeditions stargazers here's something


00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:58.910
truly special to keep an eye on toroni


00:09:58.920 --> 00:10:01.269
Boreal affectionately known as The Blaze


00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:03.389
star is preparing for a rare and


00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.910
dramatic performance in our night sky


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this fascinating Star located about


00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:10.670
3,000 light years away in the corona


00:10:10.680 --> 00:10:13.310
Borealis constellation is expected to


00:10:13.320 --> 00:10:15.949
undergo a spectacular transformation


00:10:15.959 --> 00:10:19.110
that only happens once every 80 years


00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:20.870
earlier predictions suggested this


00:10:20.880 --> 00:10:22.870
Cosmic show would happen between April


00:10:22.880 --> 00:10:26.350
and September of 2024 but the star seems


00:10:26.360 --> 00:10:28.550
to be taking its time which is actually


00:10:28.560 --> 00:10:31.069
good news for observers as we move


00:10:31.079 --> 00:10:33.310
through March viewing conditions are


00:10:33.320 --> 00:10:35.389
becoming increasingly favorable as


00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:37.550
Corona Borealis Rises earlier in the


00:10:37.560 --> 00:10:40.030
evening Sky if you want to catch this


00:10:40.040 --> 00:10:41.949
extraordinary event here's how to find


00:10:41.959 --> 00:10:45.269
it look for the star about 4 hours after


00:10:45.279 --> 00:10:48.230
sunset in the Eastern Sky it's helpfully


00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.269
positioned between two of our brightest


00:10:50.279 --> 00:10:53.750
Stellar landmarks Vega and Arcturus


00:10:53.760 --> 00:10:55.750
start with the Big Dipper follow its


00:10:55.760 --> 00:10:57.670
handles Arc to the orange tinted


00:10:57.680 --> 00:10:59.790
Arcturus then look for the the delicate


00:10:59.800 --> 00:11:01.990
semicircle of Corona Borealis between


00:11:02.000 --> 00:11:04.790
there and the brilliant blue white Vega


00:11:04.800 --> 00:11:06.509
what makes this star so special is that


00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:08.870
it's actually a binary system where a


00:11:08.880 --> 00:11:10.870
white dwarf star is stealing material


00:11:10.880 --> 00:11:13.509
from its red giant companion when enough


00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:15.590
material builds up it triggers a


00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:17.990
thermonuclear explosion that causes the


00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:20.150
star to brighten by more than a thousand


00:11:20.160 --> 00:11:22.750
times during this event it will jump


00:11:22.760 --> 00:11:24.750
from being invisible to the naked eye to


00:11:24.760 --> 00:11:27.190
rivaling Polaris in brightness the


00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:29.990
dimming we observed during 2023 suggests


00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:31.990
this explosive brightening could happen


00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:34.470
at any time when it does we'll have


00:11:34.480 --> 00:11:35.990
about a week to observe it before it


00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:38.590
fades Back Into Obscurity while it won't


00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:41.110
exactly light up the entire night sky it


00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:43.069
will create the remarkable illusion of a


00:11:43.079 --> 00:11:44.590
new star appearing where none was


00:11:44.600 --> 00:11:47.590
visible before now is the perfect time


00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:49.190
to familiarize yourself with its


00:11:49.200 --> 00:11:52.030
location in the night sky after all once


00:11:52.040 --> 00:11:54.430
this Celestial firework show begins you


00:11:54.440 --> 00:11:56.230
won't want to miss it the next


00:11:56.240 --> 00:12:00.230
performance won't be until around 21105


00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:02.230
finally today harking back to our


00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:04.910
previous story for space enthusiasts and


00:12:04.920 --> 00:12:07.190
model Builders alike there's an exciting


00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:08.710
new way to bring a piece of lunar


00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:12.150
exploration home Firefly Aerospace has


00:12:12.160 --> 00:12:13.870
just released a detailed building block


00:12:13.880 --> 00:12:16.269
set of their blue Ghost lunar lander


00:12:16.279 --> 00:12:17.990
perfectly timed with their successful


00:12:18.000 --> 00:12:20.870
moonlanding Mission the model created in


00:12:20.880 --> 00:12:22.790
partnership with business bricks is a


00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:25.870
meticulously designed 118 scale replica


00:12:25.880 --> 00:12:27.350
that's already made appearances in


00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:29.949
Firefly's own mission control in fact


00:12:29.959 --> 00:12:31.790
during quieter moments of the recent


00:12:31.800 --> 00:12:34.269
lunar mission team members were spotted


00:12:34.279 --> 00:12:36.030
assembling these very models between


00:12:36.040 --> 00:12:38.509
their mission duties what makes this kit


00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:40.990
particularly special is its attention to


00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:43.790
Scientific detail the model includes


00:12:43.800 --> 00:12:45.990
accurate representations of several key


00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:47.710
NASA instruments that are currently


00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:50.030
operating on the lunar surface there's


00:12:50.040 --> 00:12:52.269
the Lexi instrument for studying solar


00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.030
wind interactions the Luger navigation


00:12:55.040 --> 00:12:57.389
receiver and even the ngr Retro


00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.710
reflector for measuring Earth Moon


00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:01.790
distances the kit doesn't skip on


00:13:01.800 --> 00:13:04.230
engineering details either Builders can


00:13:04.240 --> 00:13:05.990
assemble everything from the xand


00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:08.710
antenna and solar panels to the reaction


00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.790
control system thrusters and shock


00:13:10.800 --> 00:13:13.310
absorbing Landing legs it's essentially


00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:16.310
a miniature engineering lesson in a box


00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:18.110
there's even a fun hidden detail that


00:13:18.120 --> 00:13:20.150
space enthusiasts might appreciate


00:13:20.160 --> 00:13:22.230
though the model doesn't include it the


00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:24.590
actual Blu ghost Lander carries a small


00:13:24.600 --> 00:13:27.790
image of a rubber duck nicknamed Ducker


00:13:27.800 --> 00:13:29.990
under its antenna serving as both a


00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:32.150
mascot and a material science experiment


00:13:32.160 --> 00:13:34.829
in the harsh environment of space


00:13:34.839 --> 00:13:36.870
available for just under


00:13:36.880 --> 00:13:39.629
$55 this building block set offers more


00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:41.750
than just a display piece it's a


00:13:41.760 --> 00:13:43.189
Hands-On way to understand the


00:13:43.199 --> 00:13:45.829
complexity of lunar exploration and the


00:13:45.839 --> 00:13:47.550
engineering behind successful moon


00:13:47.560 --> 00:13:49.829
landings with firefly planning more


00:13:49.839 --> 00:13:52.509
lunar missions in the future this first


00:13:52.519 --> 00:13:54.870
mission one model could be the beginning


00:13:54.880 --> 00:13:57.509
of an educational collection that grows


00:13:57.519 --> 00:13:59.870
with each new lunar venture


00:13:59.880 --> 00:14:02.110
I'll include a link in the show notes in


00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:04.710
case you're interested in getting


00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.189
one and that brings this episode to a


00:14:07.199 --> 00:14:09.470
close what an incredible show we've had


00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:11.430
today covering everything from dramatic


00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:13.590
launch postponements to Historic lunar


00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.670
Landings and even a building set that


00:14:15.680 --> 00:14:17.829
lets you recreate space exploration at


00:14:17.839 --> 00:14:20.829
home from spacex's Starship to Blu ghost


00:14:20.839 --> 00:14:23.509
lunar Sunrise we've truly seen how space


00:14:23.519 --> 00:14:25.509
exploration continues to push boundaries


00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.430
and capture imaginations


00:14:27.440 --> 00:14:29.829
worldwide before we wrap up I want to


00:14:29.839 --> 00:14:31.550
remind you that space news never stops


00:14:31.560 --> 00:14:33.990
and neither do we for the latest updates


00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:36.310
on all these developing stories and more


00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:38.110
head over to astronomy


00:14:38.120 --> 00:14:40.230
daily. there you can sign up for our


00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:42.749
free curated daily newsletter ensuring


00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:44.550
you never miss a beat in the fast-moving


00:14:44.560 --> 00:14:47.470
world of space exploration our website


00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:50.030
features a constantly updating Newsfeed


00:14:50.040 --> 00:14:51.710
that keeps you informed about everything


00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:54.069
happening beyond our atmosphere this has


00:14:54.079 --> 00:14:56.910
been Anna with astronomy daily until


00:14:56.920 --> 00:14:58.389
next time keep looking up and stay


00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:05.650
curious about the Cosmos


00:15:05.660 --> 00:15:20.019
[Music]