Mars Oceans Unveiled, Spinning Asteroids & Crew Evacuations | Space Nuts: Astronomy Insights &...

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Hi there. Thanks for joining us on


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another episode of Space Nuts. Great to


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have your company. My name is Andrew


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Dunley, your host, and hope you can


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stick around because we've got a


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jam-packed show. We're once again going


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to Mars because they've looked at some


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new evidence that uh does suggest Mars


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oceans may have been vast. That is


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really exciting news. We're also going


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to look at the fastest spinning asteroid


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yet discovered. This one's uh really in


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a in a spin. It's making everybody


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dizzy. And the evacuation of the


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International Space Station uh due to


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ill health. We'll see if we can uh get


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some news on that because that's


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actually happening as Fred and I are


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recording today. That's all coming up on


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this edition of Space Nuts.


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>> 15 seconds. Guidance is internal. 10 9


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Ignition sequence start.


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>> Space Nuts. 5 4 3 [music] 2


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>> 1 2 3 4 5 5 4 3 2 1


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>> space nurse


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>> astronauts reported feels good


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>> and he's back again to furnish us with


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his knowledge. He is Professor Fred


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Watson, astronomer at large. Hello Fred.


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>> Hello Andrew. I was just doing a quick


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calculation there for a number that I


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want to use um later in the chat.


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>> Ah okay. Now, I I need to apologize in


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advance because they're working across


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the road and I think they're using uh


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dynamite because it's pretty [laughter]


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it's pretty noisy.


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>> Um but hopefully it won't mess me up too


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much. I can hear it, but I don't know if


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it's coming through the system. It's got


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all sorts of filters, but um you know,


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some things you can't stop. Um, now


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Fred, I I did want to actually mention a


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couple of things before we start on our


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topics because uh I I meant to do this


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last week for our first show back of the


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year just to highlight some of the


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things that are coming up in 2026 that


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we can look forward to and that you and


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I will probably talk about.


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>> The Arteimus 2 launch is slated. Uh


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whether or not it'll be delayed again


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remains to be seen, but um that will see


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a crew doing a lap around the moon. Uh,


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and that'll be the first time humans


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have been back uh in orbit around the


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moon since the 70s, which uh is exciting


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and probably too long, but u that'll be


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good. Um, this one I know will excite


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you. The Grace Roman Space Telescope is


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going to be launched. That one um is is


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going to u open so many doors for us, I


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suspect. Um the Plato mission uh which


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will be searching for rocky planets. Uh


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it'll be doing a lot more than that, but


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that's that's one of the things that


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it's being sent out to do. Uh China is


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to launch its own space telescope as


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well um in the hunt for dark matter and


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dark energy.


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And there's another mission that's going


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to be studying uh the moon and Mars.


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Well, several missions, not just one.


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More Chinese and Japanese missions


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involved there. And I think this is one


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you and I have talked about before. The


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smile mission, uh, which will be


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studying Earth's magnetic field and how


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the sun interacts with our atmosphere,


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uh, is due to be launched this year as


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well. I'm sure there's a lot more going


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on than that, but there's some of the


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highlights of 2026.


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So, uh, we'll have a lot to talk about.


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Fred,


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>> could I add a couple more as well?


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>> Oh, go for it. Um, we've just uh heard


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that the Pandora spacecraft has entered


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orbit uh which I think is a spacecraft


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uh again looking at um looking at


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exoplanets [clears throat] uh to try and


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sort of tell us a bit more about how


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their atmospheres might reveal stuff. Um


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China has just filed for 200,000


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satellites constellation with the


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International Telecommunications Union.


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>> Which is Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's not the


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biggest yet. The biggest was back in


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2020 when the Rwanda government filed


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for over 300,000. Um, uh, since then


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they've launched one cube set, I think.


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So, um, that looked like a a filing that


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was more getting your foot in the door.


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Uh, and just turning to nature, we've


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got some interesting events coming up.


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Uh, March the 3, total eclipse of the


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moon, visible certainly from our


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hemisphere in Australia, not sure about


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North America and Europe. Um there's uh


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uh towards the end of the year and this


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will happen twice uh which is great


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because you can see it on different


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sides of the earth. I think it's October


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sometime in October and sometime in


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November there will be an occultation of


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the planet Jupiter by the moon. That


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means the moon will pass in front of


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Jupiter. And certainly for us in


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November here in Australia it will be


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during the daytime. So get your


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binoculars out during the daytime and


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check out the moon and watch for Jupiter


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disappearing. Ooh, that'll be good. I


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Yeah, that'd be good one for a backyard


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telescope, wouldn't it?


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>> Absolutely. Perfect. Yes.


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>> Awesome. Um I I had my six-year-old


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granddaughter here uh the other day and


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uh the moon was was out in the east and


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um it was still daytime, but it was


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pretty prominent. So I grabbed the


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telescope and gave her a look and uh I


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tried to explain to her what craters


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were and she struggled with the concept


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but she eventually I think figured it


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out but uh yeah I took a couple of


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photos of her looking through the


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telescope. She was very excited


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>> when she sent to me. It was uh lovely to


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see. Yeah. Yeah. Lovely lovely shots. A


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youngster looking through a telescope


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with granddad in the background. It's


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great.


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>> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, she's got blonde hair


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and blue eyes and her brothers and


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sisters are all brownhaired and


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browneyed. So,


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>> okay. [laughter]


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>> She she seems to have picked up Judy's


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side of the family jeans because Judy's


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blondie blonde with blue eyes. But, um,


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>> yeah, she's the only one in the in the


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family that's that's gone that that way.


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[laughter] It happens though, doesn't


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it? It's just the way it is. That's DNA.


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Uh, okay, Fred, let's uh let's get stuck


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into it because uh we're heading off to


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Mars and we're doing this because of a


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study that's just been published uh in


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fact in the last uh week or two about


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observations of Mars that suggest that


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its oceans were once vast. Now, we


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always knew there was probably surface


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water, but we didn't really know whether


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they were, you know, pockets or separate


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oceans or or what, but now they're


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thinking this the oceans might have been


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enormous.


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Uh yes, that's right. And I mean, you


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know, we we re we revisit this story


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probably on average once every month or


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two. Uh the last time we covered this


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and I wrote it wrote it up actually in


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Australian Geographic article um not


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that I did the research but this is


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other people's research and that was


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pointing in the same direction Andrew it


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was um a group that looked at the way um


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rivers ancient rivers on Mars meandered


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uh because you can learn something from


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the meandering about the size of the


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body of water that they're emptying into


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uh and they came to the same conclusion


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the the river meanders tell you that


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there was a large body of water at the


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end of it at the mouth of these rivers


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uh rather than just a few puddles or a


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few lakes and things of that sort. Uh


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and this new uh piece of work um whilst


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it's a different uh you know it's got a


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different emphasis comes up with exactly


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the same answer. Uh and it's scientists


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uh who have looked uh at the if I


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remember rightly there in uh in


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Switzerland. Yeah. University of Burn.


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Uh it's scientists who have looked at


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the region around uh Val's Marinaris.


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You know that great huge chasm in the uh


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in the surface of Mars near Mars's


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equator. Uh something that makes the


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Grand Canyon look like a bit of a


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scratch on the on the surface of the


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Earth.


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>> Yeah. Is it right that the Grand Canyon


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would fit into one of its tributaries or


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something?


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>> That's right. I think that's correct.


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Yeah. Amazing.


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>> Um, so they've been looking in that


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region and certainly on the northern


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side and the northern flanks there are


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valleys that um sort of open out onto


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the plains of Mars because that valley


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Marinaris is kind of right at the start


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of the highland areas of the southern


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hemisphere of Mars. Mars has got this


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dichotomy. The northern hemisphere is


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flat and low. southern hemisphere 3


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kilometers higher on average full of


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craters, mountains and all the rest of


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it. So um um what they've done is


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they've looked at uh regions where you


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know where there's this transition from


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the mountainous highlands of the south


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to the lowlands of the north and they've


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looked very carefully from at data from


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uh several orbiting spacecraft. Um I


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guess Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is one


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and some of the other ones um actually


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even um uh uh um ESOS uh Exom Mars Trace


00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:06.710
Gas Orbiter uh Mars Express another issa


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sorry not issa uh European space agency


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another um uh orbiting spacecraft


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they've taken the data from these looked


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at the the height the topography and


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looked at the geomorph let me get it gem


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ofological um um features that they can


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find. Um what have they spotted? They've


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spotted uh a whole succession of ancient


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river deltas. Um this is to say regions


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where a river mouth opened into what


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they are calling now an ocean uh and


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deposited its um its sediments. the


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sediments out of the river fall down to


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the floor uh of the ocean and build up


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uh the the the basically a rock form uh


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which is preserved today. It's a kind of


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fossilized river delta. There's


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something similar going on uh as you and


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I have spoken about many times at Jezro


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Crater which is why um Perseverance is


00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.190
there because there's a a river delta


00:10:07.200 --> 00:10:08.949
there. But I think these are on a much


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larger scale. And um the great thing is


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that when you look at them, they they


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sort of define a shoreline um because


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they're you know these are all occurring


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at the same topographical height in


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Mars's geography. And so they basically


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uh define a shoreline and that shoreline


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tells you that um there would have been


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a lot of water in Mars's northern


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hemisphere for the water level to reach


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the height that we find those deltas at.


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Uh so really yeah really nice piece of


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work uh done with characteristic Swiss


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precision I think uh that's been widely


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reported. Um there's several articles on


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the on the science news feeds um which


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basically support this idea. Very nice


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uh piece of research indeed.


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>> And they think it was as big as the


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Arctic Ocean on Earth just by


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comparison. And how big is the Arctic


00:11:06.959 --> 00:11:09.670
Ocean? It's 14 million square kilometers


00:11:09.680 --> 00:11:13.350
or 5 12 million square miles


00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:13.990
>> big


00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.150
>> uh in size. So that's that's a lot of


00:11:16.160 --> 00:11:18.230
water on Mars and it's a lot of it's


00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:19.670
still there, Fred.


00:11:19.680 --> 00:11:21.829
>> Yeah, that's right. With um we know from


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uh particular the Phoenix mission that


00:11:23.600 --> 00:11:25.269
just scraped the surface in the Martian


00:11:25.279 --> 00:11:26.550
Arctic and sure enough there was


00:11:26.560 --> 00:11:29.030
perafrost underneath. Uh so a lot of


00:11:29.040 --> 00:11:30.550
it's still there. There's still water


00:11:30.560 --> 00:11:32.790
locked up in the in the two ice caps of


00:11:32.800 --> 00:11:35.829
Mars. Um but probably not. Well, I don't


00:11:35.839 --> 00:11:37.030
know. It's actually really interesting.


00:11:37.040 --> 00:11:38.630
I do remember reading quite some time


00:11:38.640 --> 00:11:40.389
ago that if you thawed out this even


00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:42.949
just the Antarctic ice cap of Mars,


00:11:42.959 --> 00:11:44.710
you'd cover the whole planet to a depth


00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:48.150
of several meters. Um now whether that


00:11:48.160 --> 00:11:49.990
still holds good with what we've


00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:51.590
discovered since then. That was quite an


00:11:51.600 --> 00:11:53.509
old I think that was probably 20 years


00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:55.910
15 years ago or so that that comment was


00:11:55.920 --> 00:11:57.350
made. It would be interesting to know


00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:59.509
how we evaluate that now. But I think


00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:01.750
it's still true uh that a lot of that


00:12:01.760 --> 00:12:05.750
water is is still there. Yeah, it is a


00:12:05.760 --> 00:12:07.110
fascinating story.


00:12:07.120 --> 00:12:08.710
>> Water means life.


00:12:08.720 --> 00:12:11.190
>> Yes. Well, we Yes. Yes. We've said that


00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:13.509
many times. And you just don't know, do


00:12:13.519 --> 00:12:14.150
you?


00:12:14.160 --> 00:12:15.590
>> You don't.


00:12:15.600 --> 00:12:17.829
>> Although the uh the mission to retrieve


00:12:17.839 --> 00:12:21.350
those um cylinders that contain


00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:23.269
potential evidence of that


00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:25.509
>> has been scotched. So, it's just going


00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:29.590
to sit in obeyance for um an indefinite


00:12:29.600 --> 00:12:30.710
period. Sorry.


00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:34.150
>> Yeah. I I think um so so this is news


00:12:34.160 --> 00:12:37.110
that um the Senate have um basically


00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.110
agreed with the White House in saying


00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:42.069
that um the Miles sample return mission


00:12:42.079 --> 00:12:44.870
uh should be cancelled. Uh and so that


00:12:44.880 --> 00:12:46.710
will probably go through. It's not been


00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:49.590
voted on yet, I don't think. But um and


00:12:49.600 --> 00:12:51.350
so that means yes, we've got these


00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:53.670
canisters on Mars uh carefully dropped


00:12:53.680 --> 00:12:57.269
by Perseverance. Uh but with with a


00:12:57.279 --> 00:13:00.389
joint European Space Agency NASA mission


00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:03.430
to retrieve them uh which whose cost has


00:13:03.440 --> 00:13:05.590
blown out uh we've talked about this


00:13:05.600 --> 00:13:08.470
before. Uh and not perhaps surprising


00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:10.710
that it's now had a line drawn under it.


00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:12.629
Now that's


00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:14.790
bad news because we really would like to


00:13:14.800 --> 00:13:16.150
get hold of these samples. there's one


00:13:16.160 --> 00:13:18.150
in particular that may contain actually


00:13:18.160 --> 00:13:21.750
fossilized microbes. Uh you know um so


00:13:21.760 --> 00:13:24.310
it's um there's every keenness to do


00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:28.150
that. Uh um and I think I think it will


00:13:28.160 --> 00:13:30.150
will there'll certainly be a revisiting


00:13:30.160 --> 00:13:33.110
of this idea. I think is still going


00:13:33.120 --> 00:13:34.629
ahead with their half of the bargain


00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:36.710
which was I think to build the orbiter


00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:38.150
which would actually bring the samples


00:13:38.160 --> 00:13:40.870
back to Mars. NASA's part was gathering


00:13:40.880 --> 00:13:42.470
them up on the surface and sending them


00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:45.590
up to orbit around Mars. Uh, so I, you


00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.389
know, it's it's it's it's bad news.


00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.069
There's a bright side to it, though, in


00:13:50.079 --> 00:13:51.829
that the money that's being saved will


00:13:51.839 --> 00:13:52.870
probably go to some of the other


00:13:52.880 --> 00:13:54.470
missions that are that are being


00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:57.110
planned. So, name your favorite planet.


00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:58.710
You might get some good news out of


00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:00.389
this. I know your favorite, and probably


00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:03.430
mine, too, is Mars. Uh, but um anyway,


00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:05.990
we'll see what happens. I I I wouldn't


00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:08.310
write uh the Mars sample return off


00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:11.189
altogether. in my flights of fantasy


00:14:11.199 --> 00:14:13.670
last night while [sighs and gasps] my uh


00:14:13.680 --> 00:14:16.150
respiratory tract infection was making


00:14:16.160 --> 00:14:19.269
me cough all night. I was thinking maybe


00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:21.750
the Chinese could bring them back


00:14:21.760 --> 00:14:22.870
>> because I think they're planning a


00:14:22.880 --> 00:14:25.430
sample return mission as well. So maybe


00:14:25.440 --> 00:14:27.350
we do a deal there which would be


00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:29.509
fabulous international cooperation.


00:14:29.519 --> 00:14:31.189
>> It would. It would indeed. Of course we


00:14:31.199 --> 00:14:32.949
could all always start the conspiracy


00:14:32.959 --> 00:14:34.629
and say what does NASA and the US


00:14:34.639 --> 00:14:35.990
government know that they're not telling


00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:37.700
us?


00:14:37.710 --> 00:14:39.990
[sighs and gasps] It's not no return.


00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:41.910
>> Be careful what you what you say,


00:14:41.920 --> 00:14:42.629
Andrew. [laughter]


00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:44.870
>> No, look, I'm just kidding around. But,


00:14:44.880 --> 00:14:46.310
uh,


00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:48.230
>> it's just money, isn't it? That's that's


00:14:48.240 --> 00:14:48.710
the thing.


00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:50.230
>> It's all about money. That's right. It's


00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:51.910
not about finding something with legs


00:14:51.920 --> 00:14:53.829
that you don't want anybody to know


00:14:53.839 --> 00:14:55.750
about. [laughter]


00:14:55.760 --> 00:14:57.030
>> Yes. That's been done in a lot of


00:14:57.040 --> 00:14:58.069
science fiction films.


00:14:58.079 --> 00:15:00.949
>> Yeah, it has. And Yes.


00:15:00.959 --> 00:15:02.949
>> All right. Great story about the oceans


00:15:02.959 --> 00:15:04.470
of Mars, though. If you'd like to check


00:15:04.480 --> 00:15:07.670
it out, it's on the fizz phys.org. org


00:15:07.680 --> 00:15:09.990
website or you can read the paper that's


00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:12.949
been published in the journal NPJ Space


00:15:12.959 --> 00:15:15.269
Exploration. This is Space Nuts with


00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:20.550
Andrew Dunley and Professor Fred Watson.


00:15:20.560 --> 00:15:22.389
>> Roger. Here also


00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:27.189
>> Space Nuts to our next story, Fred. And


00:15:27.199 --> 00:15:29.670
this is uh a really good one for a


00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:31.350
couple of reasons. It's something we


00:15:31.360 --> 00:15:32.790
haven't seen before, but it also


00:15:32.800 --> 00:15:36.069
involves the uh Reuben Observatory,


00:15:36.079 --> 00:15:40.550
which u has already uh done things that


00:15:40.560 --> 00:15:43.110
uh other observatories have not been


00:15:43.120 --> 00:15:45.269
able to do and promises to do so much


00:15:45.279 --> 00:15:47.829
more. This is the fastest spinning


00:15:47.839 --> 00:15:50.310
asteroid yet discovered. And a couple of


00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:52.069
headlines I've read suggested, why


00:15:52.079 --> 00:15:54.870
hasn't it thrown itself to pieces?


00:15:54.880 --> 00:15:56.870
because of the speed at which it's


00:15:56.880 --> 00:15:58.069
rotating.


00:15:58.079 --> 00:16:01.189
>> Um and and and the rate is is rather


00:16:01.199 --> 00:16:03.110
high when you look at what the average


00:16:03.120 --> 00:16:05.030
asteroid does.


00:16:05.040 --> 00:16:06.949
>> Yeah, it's so that the the it is a


00:16:06.959 --> 00:16:09.749
record breaker. It's the the fastest


00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:13.189
spinning asteroid for its size


00:16:13.199 --> 00:16:15.350
because I think smaller things can spin


00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:18.870
faster than this. It's uh 710 m long,


00:16:18.880 --> 00:16:23.030
nearly 3/4 of a kilometer. Uh so it's


00:16:23.040 --> 00:16:25.590
not a small asteroid at all. This is


00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:29.030
quite a large one. Uh and it spins at


00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:32.710
the rate of one rotation every 1 minute


00:16:32.720 --> 00:16:34.790
53 seconds.


00:16:34.800 --> 00:16:38.310
>> Uh so that is one heck of a spin. So


00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:40.389
that's its day length. Andrew, if you


00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:42.150
were standing on it, your day will be 1


00:16:42.160 --> 00:16:44.150
minute 53 seconds.


00:16:44.160 --> 00:16:48.230
>> Night and day, not 24 hours. Um but uh


00:16:48.240 --> 00:16:49.670
you're right. You're absolutely right. I


00:16:49.680 --> 00:16:51.189
think it's interesting for two reasons.


00:16:51.199 --> 00:16:53.990
One is exactly as you've said. It uh


00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:56.470
underlines just how powerful the Reubin


00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.749
Observatory is going to be. Uh these the


00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:02.710
observations of this object were made


00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:04.870
during the sort of commissioning period


00:17:04.880 --> 00:17:06.710
for the telescope's instruments which


00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:09.110
was earlier uh last year, April and May


00:17:09.120 --> 00:17:10.789
2025.


00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:14.470
uh and um that you know that um as you


00:17:14.480 --> 00:17:16.069
probably remember I think they released


00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:18.470
uh uh information saying they got they


00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:19.829
discovered more than a thousand


00:17:19.839 --> 00:17:22.470
asteroids in 10 hours of observing which


00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:25.110
is pretty fantastic. Uh the telescope's


00:17:25.120 --> 00:17:27.350
capabilities will allow it to survey the


00:17:27.360 --> 00:17:31.029
entire southern sky every three nights


00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:33.430
uh with an 8 mclass telescope. That is


00:17:33.440 --> 00:17:36.950
an astonishing achievement and that that


00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:40.390
we we must find something incredible.


00:17:40.400 --> 00:17:43.830
>> Yeah, we will. Yeah, that kind of things


00:17:43.840 --> 00:17:45.510
that come out of the woodwork. Uh it's


00:17:45.520 --> 00:17:49.430
what we call um uh sort of timesensitive


00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:51.110
astronomy or transient astronomy. You're


00:17:51.120 --> 00:17:52.630
looking for things that either move or


00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:55.110
change in the sky and it's going to be


00:17:55.120 --> 00:17:58.230
so good at finding them. And um yeah, so


00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:00.789
the the real the real observing uh


00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.750
campaign, the large synoptic survey uh


00:18:03.760 --> 00:18:07.270
will start uh sometime this year uh sort


00:18:07.280 --> 00:18:09.190
of when they're ready to hit the the go


00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:11.029
button. Uh but I think everybody at the


00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:12.470
Reubin is pretty happy with the way


00:18:12.480 --> 00:18:15.909
things are going. Um and just to uh sort


00:18:15.919 --> 00:18:19.110
of highlight that you know to to it's a


00:18:19.120 --> 00:18:21.110
a telescope with this kind of capability


00:18:21.120 --> 00:18:23.830
to make many observations over a short


00:18:23.840 --> 00:18:26.470
period of time of the same area of sky


00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.830
that has allowed uh the scientists to


00:18:29.840 --> 00:18:33.430
discover the very rapid rotation of this


00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.029
asteroid because what you have to


00:18:35.039 --> 00:18:37.190
produce uh to look at the way an


00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:38.710
asteroid rotates is what's called a


00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:39.990
light curve. you look at the way its


00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.270
brightness changes uh because it's most


00:18:43.280 --> 00:18:45.190
asteroids are quite asymmetric. They're


00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:46.789
either shaped like a potato or a


00:18:46.799 --> 00:18:49.270
dumbbell. Uh very few are anything


00:18:49.280 --> 00:18:51.909
remotely spherical. Um uh this


00:18:51.919 --> 00:18:53.830
particular one is I think quite


00:18:53.840 --> 00:18:57.590
elongated and so as it as it rotates uh


00:18:57.600 --> 00:18:59.669
it you know different sides of it catch


00:18:59.679 --> 00:19:01.350
the sunlight and you get a variation in


00:19:01.360 --> 00:19:03.750
the light that we see from it. Uh and so


00:19:03.760 --> 00:19:06.310
that uh has allowed because it's you


00:19:06.320 --> 00:19:08.630
know it's only one minute 53 seconds for


00:19:08.640 --> 00:19:11.430
one complete revolution that has allowed


00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:13.990
the scientists to to determine that


00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.710
fact. Um so to the asteroid itself


00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:18.390
you're right it's interesting it


00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:22.310
rejoices in the name of 2025 MN45 a


00:19:22.320 --> 00:19:25.830
classic asteroid name. Um and it's in


00:19:25.840 --> 00:19:28.549
the main asteroid belt. That's a good


00:19:28.559 --> 00:19:31.270
place for it to be between Jupiter and


00:19:31.280 --> 00:19:34.070
Mars where most of the asteroids are. Uh


00:19:34.080 --> 00:19:37.190
but it's uh its rotation is what


00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:40.230
highlights the um you know the unusual


00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:42.470
nature of it because as you and I have


00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:45.270
spoken about before many asteroids are


00:19:45.280 --> 00:19:46.950
basically what we call rubble piles.


00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:49.430
They're just piles of debris which stick


00:19:49.440 --> 00:19:51.830
together loosely under their own under


00:19:51.840 --> 00:19:55.350
their own uh gravity. um little little


00:19:55.360 --> 00:19:58.870
uh Demorphos uh and Diddimos, the two uh


00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:01.270
objects that NASA did the the dart test


00:20:01.280 --> 00:20:03.190
on a few years ago. They are probably


00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:04.630
rubber piles. They've got the


00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:06.310
characteristic rubber pile shape, which


00:20:06.320 --> 00:20:10.150
is like two cones uh on back to back. Uh


00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:12.950
this if it was a rubber pile, it would


00:20:12.960 --> 00:20:16.549
have flown apart gazillions of years ago


00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:18.789
uh when it with that short period of


00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:22.470
rotation, 1 minute 53 seconds. So, um,


00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:25.270
uh, and when you look at the size of it


00:20:25.280 --> 00:20:27.750
and, uh, interpret what the rotation


00:20:27.760 --> 00:20:29.430
means, it tells you it's probably made


00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:31.270
of absolutely solid rock. This is


00:20:31.280 --> 00:20:33.830
something that is, um, going to be hard


00:20:33.840 --> 00:20:36.870
to pull apart, uh, to rotate for for it


00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:39.110
to be that big, rotate at that speed.


00:20:39.120 --> 00:20:42.390
It's got to be solid rock. Um, making


00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:44.070
it, you know, in some ways even more


00:20:44.080 --> 00:20:45.430
interesting because we think the rubble


00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:47.510
piles are perhaps the more common uh,


00:20:47.520 --> 00:20:50.310
asteroids that we see. Do we do we have


00:20:50.320 --> 00:20:52.390
any idea what would make it different?


00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:53.909
Why it would be different? Is it a piece


00:20:53.919 --> 00:20:56.949
of a a destroyed planet? Thea.


00:20:56.959 --> 00:20:57.430
[laughter]


00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:59.830
>> Well, yeah, could be. Uh might be part


00:20:59.840 --> 00:21:03.430
of the one that created the moon uh


00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:05.590
after after it collided with the Earth.


00:21:05.600 --> 00:21:07.990
It's more likely. You're you're right.


00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:10.789
It's probably um you know, maybe part of


00:21:10.799 --> 00:21:14.230
the the outer mantle of what would have


00:21:14.240 --> 00:21:17.270
been a protolanet uh in the early solar


00:21:17.280 --> 00:21:19.110
system. These things were the building


00:21:19.120 --> 00:21:20.789
blocks of planets. They collided and


00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:22.710
sometimes they blasted each other apart.


00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:25.669
Sometimes they uh they stuck together to


00:21:25.679 --> 00:21:28.070
form what we see in the solar system


00:21:28.080 --> 00:21:31.430
today. Um and uh I think some of the


00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:32.710
collisions that would have happened in


00:21:32.720 --> 00:21:36.070
the early solar system uh may well have


00:21:36.080 --> 00:21:37.990
set an object like this spinning very


00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:39.590
rapidly. In fact, it might have, you


00:21:39.600 --> 00:21:41.909
know, initially been spinning even more


00:21:41.919 --> 00:21:43.909
rapidly than it is now because we're


00:21:43.919 --> 00:21:45.909
looking at probably several billion


00:21:45.919 --> 00:21:48.470
years ago when when whatever happened to


00:21:48.480 --> 00:21:51.830
it happened. So, uh an object of some


00:21:51.840 --> 00:21:55.190
interest and um one that I I'm sure will


00:21:55.200 --> 00:21:57.909
be studied uh in greater detail. We we


00:21:57.919 --> 00:21:59.909
might want to know things like um you


00:21:59.919 --> 00:22:01.510
know the infrared signature of its


00:22:01.520 --> 00:22:03.669
surface which gives you an idea of what


00:22:03.679 --> 00:22:05.430
the surface is like, how rough it is,


00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:07.350
whether it's a


00:22:07.360 --> 00:22:09.270
whether it's a smooth surface, what


00:22:09.280 --> 00:22:11.750
materials are likely to be uh found on


00:22:11.760 --> 00:22:13.110
its surface. That can all come from


00:22:13.120 --> 00:22:15.270
spectroscopy and also the science of


00:22:15.280 --> 00:22:17.110
polarime


00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:18.789
to to know whether something's highly


00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.950
reflective or or rather rough and


00:22:20.960 --> 00:22:23.430
diffuse. So yeah, um I think there's


00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:27.590
lots to learn about uh 2025 MN45.


00:22:27.600 --> 00:22:30.710
>> Indeed. Uh so it's in the asteroid belt


00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:34.470
between Mars and Jupiter. Um people


00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:37.110
probably imagine that to be just a a


00:22:37.120 --> 00:22:39.430
wall of rocks that how do we get through


00:22:39.440 --> 00:22:41.430
it? But it it's it's quite sparse, isn't


00:22:41.440 --> 00:22:41.990
it?


00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:44.549
>> It is. Yeah. Yeah. It's uh it's it's you


00:22:44.559 --> 00:22:46.950
know, it's sparse enough that um several


00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:48.470
spacecraft have actually gone through it


00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:50.390
unscathed.


00:22:50.400 --> 00:22:52.070
Um, so yes, it's


00:22:52.080 --> 00:22:53.990
>> Well, I have never heard of a spacecraft


00:22:54.000 --> 00:22:55.350
actually running into anything out


00:22:55.360 --> 00:22:56.789
there.


00:22:56.799 --> 00:22:58.230
>> Not that there have been that many that


00:22:58.240 --> 00:22:59.430
have gone through, but that's


00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:02.549
>> that's right. But it but you know, as um


00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:05.590
uh was it Douglas Adams? Space is big.


00:23:05.600 --> 00:23:06.230
Yes.


00:23:06.240 --> 00:23:06.549
>> Yes.


00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:08.310
>> You might think it's a long way down to


00:23:08.320 --> 00:23:10.149
the chemist at the corner of the street,


00:23:10.159 --> 00:23:12.950
but that's nothing compared with space.


00:23:12.960 --> 00:23:16.230
I think that was what he said.


00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:18.789
>> Yes, indeed. Uh so if you would like to


00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:21.750
learn more about what the Vera C rubin


00:23:21.760 --> 00:23:23.830
Observatory has discovered, you can do


00:23:23.840 --> 00:23:26.310
that at the universitytoday.com


00:23:26.320 --> 00:23:28.390
website or you can read the paper in the


00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:31.350
astrophysical journal letters which was


00:23:31.360 --> 00:23:33.750
uh only published on January the 7th. So


00:23:33.760 --> 00:23:35.190
they're getting down to business early


00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:37.590
this year, aren't they? This is space


00:23:37.600 --> 00:23:38.470
with


00:23:38.480 --> 00:23:38.870
>> sorry


00:23:38.880 --> 00:23:40.870
>> I was just going to say um we always get


00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:44.070
a really um good crop of news stories at


00:23:44.080 --> 00:23:45.750
this time of year because it's right at


00:23:45.760 --> 00:23:47.669
the beginning of January that the


00:23:47.679 --> 00:23:49.990
American Astronomical Society has its


00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:52.310
has its annual meeting


00:23:52.320 --> 00:23:55.190
and um so there's always some great


00:23:55.200 --> 00:23:58.149
stories. So, you know, that's why it was


00:23:58.159 --> 00:23:59.430
uh you know it was published last week.


00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:00.149
I'm sure that's


00:24:00.159 --> 00:24:01.669
>> it's actually it's actually very clever


00:24:01.679 --> 00:24:03.830
because as someone who worked in the


00:24:03.840 --> 00:24:08.230
media for 40 years and um had to work a


00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:11.110
lot of Christmases and New Year's, you


00:24:11.120 --> 00:24:13.190
quite often find you're struggling.


00:24:13.200 --> 00:24:13.590
>> Yeah.


00:24:13.600 --> 00:24:15.750
>> For stories because everything's shut


00:24:15.760 --> 00:24:17.190
down. So, you're not getting the


00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:19.990
information that you normally get. So to


00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:22.390
actually be in a position to do stories


00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:25.510
like this at this time of year is um


00:24:25.520 --> 00:24:29.029
yeah and it it's it's well positioned as


00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:31.669
we would say. Uh you can read all about


00:24:31.679 --> 00:24:35.350
it of course and uh we uh will certainly


00:24:35.360 --> 00:24:37.110
be keeping a very close eye on what the


00:24:37.120 --> 00:24:39.750
Ver Rubin Observatory is going to be


00:24:39.760 --> 00:24:43.750
doing um from now on because it's uh


00:24:43.760 --> 00:24:46.630
it's it's it's all up and running and uh


00:24:46.640 --> 00:24:49.269
already doing some remarkable things.


00:24:49.279 --> 00:24:50.950
This is Space Nuts with Andrew Dunley


00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:54.870
and Fred Watson


00:24:54.880 --> 00:24:56.070
and I feel


00:24:56.080 --> 00:24:58.950
>> space nuts. Now Fred, uh by the time


00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:00.870
people hear us talking about this story,


00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:03.750
things will have uh changed a bit, but


00:25:03.760 --> 00:25:07.350
as we speak, uh we understand that the


00:25:07.360 --> 00:25:11.269
Crew Dragon spacecraft is docking at the


00:25:11.279 --> 00:25:13.830
International Space Station to do the


00:25:13.840 --> 00:25:16.870
first ever crew evacuation. Now, after


00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:19.750
25 years, I'm surprised this is the


00:25:19.760 --> 00:25:21.510
first time this has happened, but uh


00:25:21.520 --> 00:25:23.029
there's been a medical issue. They won't


00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:25.830
elaborate on who or what. Uh but it's


00:25:25.840 --> 00:25:28.230
got to be serious if somebody's um if


00:25:28.240 --> 00:25:29.830
they're bringing the whole crew back.


00:25:29.840 --> 00:25:32.070
It's a crew of four. There's seven on


00:25:32.080 --> 00:25:33.269
board at the moment, but they're


00:25:33.279 --> 00:25:35.350
bringing four back. Correct. That's


00:25:35.360 --> 00:25:38.310
right. So, uh there is a crew of three


00:25:38.320 --> 00:25:40.789
uh now. So, as we speak, I think um I


00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:43.350
think they've probably undocked the Crew


00:25:43.360 --> 00:25:45.430
Dragon spacecraft from the International


00:25:45.440 --> 00:25:46.870
Space Station. I think that happened an


00:25:46.880 --> 00:25:50.950
hour ago. uh and um they will then


00:25:50.960 --> 00:25:53.909
re-enter and bring the crew back in a


00:25:53.919 --> 00:25:56.630
pretty routine fashion uh landing in a


00:25:56.640 --> 00:25:59.269
few hours from now. Um so you're right,


00:25:59.279 --> 00:26:04.070
it's uh crew 11 uh the SpaceX uh um


00:26:04.080 --> 00:26:05.990
what's what's called the SpaceX crew 11


00:26:06.000 --> 00:26:07.350
because they're the ones that go up and


00:26:07.360 --> 00:26:09.590
down in the crew dragon uh rather than


00:26:09.600 --> 00:26:11.669
the Soyots which is the space vehicle


00:26:11.679 --> 00:26:13.830
that will bring the other the remaining


00:26:13.840 --> 00:26:15.909
three astronauts down when the their


00:26:15.919 --> 00:26:18.230
time comes to an end. Uh you're right.


00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:20.310
It's a medical evacuation. That crew,


00:26:20.320 --> 00:26:22.950
Crew 11, consists of um if I remember


00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:27.590
rightly, two NASA uh astronauts, one uh


00:26:27.600 --> 00:26:31.430
Russian cosmonaut and uh a Japanese uh


00:26:31.440 --> 00:26:33.669
astronaut as well. Uh so they're coming


00:26:33.679 --> 00:26:36.149
home. Uh they're coming home something


00:26:36.159 --> 00:26:39.190
like a month early and we are told as


00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:40.710
exactly as you've said that this is


00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:42.549
because of a medical issue which


00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.669
apparently is not uh an emergency. It's


00:26:45.679 --> 00:26:47.350
not urgent, but it's thought to be


00:26:47.360 --> 00:26:48.950
something that is going to be much


00:26:48.960 --> 00:26:51.590
better dealt with on Earth. Uh we don't


00:26:51.600 --> 00:26:53.750
know which of the astronauts has the


00:26:53.760 --> 00:26:56.549
issue. Um I saw a picture of them posed


00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:58.390
just before they evacuated the


00:26:58.400 --> 00:27:02.070
spacecraft uh um last night and they all


00:27:02.080 --> 00:27:05.430
looked fairly cheerful. Uh but um so you


00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:09.110
know you can't really read um


00:27:09.120 --> 00:27:10.789
read read from people's faces how


00:27:10.799 --> 00:27:13.110
they're feeling. um which is just as


00:27:13.120 --> 00:27:14.789
well cuz I feel pretty croo at the


00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:16.390
moment.


00:27:16.400 --> 00:27:19.830
So that's because of my uh upper resp


00:27:19.840 --> 00:27:21.669
respiratory tract infection. Sorry to


00:27:21.679 --> 00:27:23.269
keep hopping on about it. Anyway, going


00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:26.470
back to the more important story,


00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:27.510
>> it's a good thing you're not in the


00:27:27.520 --> 00:27:29.190
International Space Station feeling like


00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:29.510
that.


00:27:29.520 --> 00:27:30.950
>> Well, that's right. Else you you'd have


00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:34.789
the same thing, too. Uh so yeah so um uh


00:27:34.799 --> 00:27:36.870
interesting but your comments well made


00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:38.390
you know the fact that it's the first


00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:43.590
time in the 25 year history of the ISS


00:27:43.600 --> 00:27:47.830
of the ISS being permanently occupied um


00:27:47.840 --> 00:27:50.070
the first time this has happened and I


00:27:50.080 --> 00:27:51.990
think it was Jared Isaacman the the


00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:54.789
newly appointed NASA administrator the


00:27:54.799 --> 00:27:58.389
boss of of NASA who made the comment it


00:27:58.399 --> 00:28:00.149
might be somebody else but it's one of


00:28:00.159 --> 00:28:03.430
the one of the you high-ups in NASA made


00:28:03.440 --> 00:28:05.350
the comment that they when they planned


00:28:05.360 --> 00:28:07.350
the ISS and they were working towards


00:28:07.360 --> 00:28:09.590
it, they expected that there would be


00:28:09.600 --> 00:28:11.269
something like this happening every 3


00:28:11.279 --> 00:28:14.070
years. Uh so they've done pretty well to


00:28:14.080 --> 00:28:16.470
get through 25 years without um needing


00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:17.909
to bring people home because of a


00:28:17.919 --> 00:28:19.269
medical issue.


00:28:19.279 --> 00:28:21.590
>> Yeah. Look, while you've been talking,


00:28:21.600 --> 00:28:23.990
Fred, I've just been looking online to


00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:25.830
see where things are up to, and I found


00:28:25.840 --> 00:28:29.669
a um they did a live stream of the Crew


00:28:29.679 --> 00:28:31.190
Dragon docking at the International


00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:34.389
Space Station through uh I think it's


00:28:34.399 --> 00:28:36.310
NASA's YouTube channel.


00:28:36.320 --> 00:28:36.870
>> Mhm.


00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:39.510
>> And you can you can actually log on and


00:28:39.520 --> 00:28:42.630
and watch what happened and uh and see


00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:44.310
the whole process. It's quite incredible


00:28:44.320 --> 00:28:46.310
what we can do now, isn't it, with um


00:28:46.320 --> 00:28:48.630
live coverage from space as as things


00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:52.070
unfold. It's it's a far cry from those


00:28:52.080 --> 00:28:54.230
times back in the 60s and 70s when we


00:28:54.240 --> 00:28:55.830
were looking at those really fuzzy black


00:28:55.840 --> 00:28:59.190
and white pictures off the moon


00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:01.029
>> which was miraculous in its day.


00:29:01.039 --> 00:29:03.269
>> Oh, it was in itself. Yes. Yes.


00:29:03.279 --> 00:29:04.389
>> Yeah.


00:29:04.399 --> 00:29:06.310
>> I actually I am watching Crew Dragon


00:29:06.320 --> 00:29:08.789
detach as we speak. So that happened


00:29:08.799 --> 00:29:09.909
probably


00:29:09.919 --> 00:29:13.269
>> 30 minutes ago, give or take our time.


00:29:13.279 --> 00:29:15.830
>> Yeah. Um it's it's like a slow motion


00:29:15.840 --> 00:29:17.750
ballet, isn't it? Can they


00:29:17.760 --> 00:29:21.029
>> uh things in spacecraft up there?


00:29:21.039 --> 00:29:22.149
>> Well, you don't want to bang into


00:29:22.159 --> 00:29:23.190
anything.


00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:25.830
>> Yeah. Anyway, I hope all is well with


00:29:25.840 --> 00:29:28.950
the uh individual involved. I'm I'm not


00:29:28.960 --> 00:29:31.510
sure we'll ever find out what exactly


00:29:31.520 --> 00:29:33.510
the issue is, that's that's subject to


00:29:33.520 --> 00:29:35.669
privacy from what I understand. But the


00:29:35.679 --> 00:29:39.029
fact that they've been able to go up


00:29:39.039 --> 00:29:40.950
there, get them bring them back and deal


00:29:40.960 --> 00:29:43.750
with the problem is is extraordinary


00:29:43.760 --> 00:29:46.230
because, you know, go back to the 70s


00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:48.870
when Skylab was was in orbit. If someone


00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:51.590
got sick or or injured in that


00:29:51.600 --> 00:29:54.389
situation, I don't know if we would have


00:29:54.399 --> 00:29:58.470
been able to do much in a hurry.


00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:00.549
Um, yeah, maybe not. I mean, there would


00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:03.750
have been contingency plans in in place.


00:30:03.760 --> 00:30:08.389
Uh it's um I I think some of the things


00:30:08.399 --> 00:30:09.750
that might have brought somebody home


00:30:09.760 --> 00:30:11.830
from Skyab might be things that could


00:30:11.840 --> 00:30:13.269
have been fixed on the International


00:30:13.279 --> 00:30:15.510
Space Station because there is quite a


00:30:15.520 --> 00:30:17.750
you know a fair a fair amount of medical


00:30:17.760 --> 00:30:19.909
expertise up there and some of the kit


00:30:19.919 --> 00:30:21.110
but you don't want people taking


00:30:21.120 --> 00:30:23.029
appendices out and things like that in


00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:23.350
space.


00:30:23.360 --> 00:30:25.029
>> No, not really.


00:30:25.039 --> 00:30:26.470
>> Have to wipe down the walls afterwards


00:30:26.480 --> 00:30:28.116
and that's not fun.


00:30:28.126 --> 00:30:28.630
>> [laughter]


00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:31.110
>> Although I I should um counter it by


00:30:31.120 --> 00:30:33.430
saying we did recently have a situation


00:30:33.440 --> 00:30:35.510
where a a crew got stuck on the


00:30:35.520 --> 00:30:37.590
International Space Station for very


00:30:37.600 --> 00:30:40.230
unusual reasons due to uh incompatible


00:30:40.240 --> 00:30:42.230
space suits because of a failure in the


00:30:42.240 --> 00:30:44.230
Boeing Star Liner.


00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:46.310
>> So you know [laughter]


00:30:46.320 --> 00:30:48.470
>> that wasn't a quick rescue that one but


00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:50.389
it didn't involve illness or injury. So,


00:30:50.399 --> 00:30:53.430
it wasn't as urgent, but uh sometimes it


00:30:53.440 --> 00:30:56.870
it it can be a slow process. But, um uh


00:30:56.880 --> 00:30:58.789
yeah, but NASA's been very quick to


00:30:58.799 --> 00:31:00.389
point out that this has got nothing to


00:31:00.399 --> 00:31:03.029
do with an operational issue. It's um


00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:04.630
it's a personal issue, nothing to do


00:31:04.640 --> 00:31:07.269
with an injury or accident on board.


00:31:07.279 --> 00:31:09.669
They want to make that pretty clear.


00:31:09.679 --> 00:31:11.590
>> Um so, uh yeah, we wish them well.


00:31:11.600 --> 00:31:13.110
They're on their way back as we speak,


00:31:13.120 --> 00:31:15.669
and by the time you hear this podcast,


00:31:15.679 --> 00:31:18.710
they will have returned, no doubt.


00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:21.190
Um, that's it, Fred. Well, gosh, we got


00:31:21.200 --> 00:31:22.630
through that in a mighty hurry, didn't


00:31:22.640 --> 00:31:23.669
we?


00:31:23.679 --> 00:31:25.830
>> Um,


00:31:25.840 --> 00:31:29.430
yes, I think we we gave it due due


00:31:29.440 --> 00:31:31.269
recognition. [laughter] We've been


00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:35.110
talking for well over an hour, Andrew.


00:31:35.120 --> 00:31:37.990
>> Oh, have we? [laughter]


00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:41.990
>> Doesn't feel like it. Um, but no. Um,


00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:44.230
Pardon? 38 minutes. I'm sorry. I'm I'm


00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:46.389
misreading my my clock. You're right.


00:31:46.399 --> 00:31:47.990
>> That's okay. Well, we got through that,


00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:48.549
you know,


00:31:48.559 --> 00:31:49.990
>> you're probably you're probably reading


00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:51.830
a Mars clock because we talked about


00:31:51.840 --> 00:31:53.909
that recently. That's it's going a bit


00:31:53.919 --> 00:31:56.070
faster.


00:31:56.080 --> 00:31:58.789
>> Um, now if you were to follow up those


00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:00.149
stories, I've I've told you where to go


00:32:00.159 --> 00:32:02.710
and look for them, but uh you can also


00:32:02.720 --> 00:32:04.470
read the show notes on our website,


00:32:04.480 --> 00:32:08.549
spacenutspodcast.com or spacenuts.io.


00:32:08.559 --> 00:32:10.389
And while you're there, uh you might


00:32:10.399 --> 00:32:13.269
like to um check out all the uh all the


00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:17.190
tabs and uh links on our on our website,


00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:18.950
uh the astronomy daily feed. You can


00:32:18.960 --> 00:32:20.630
subscribe for your daily dose of


00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:23.190
astronomy and space science news. Uh


00:32:23.200 --> 00:32:25.269
don't forget reviews. We really do


00:32:25.279 --> 00:32:26.870
appreciate your reviews. The more


00:32:26.880 --> 00:32:29.750
reviews, the more we get noticed. The


00:32:29.760 --> 00:32:31.269
more we get noticed, the more people


00:32:31.279 --> 00:32:33.830
listen and then, you know, we can buy


00:32:33.840 --> 00:32:35.350
ourselves an ice cream at the end of the


00:32:35.360 --> 00:32:39.029
day. Uh, you can also send questions or


00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:41.990
comments in through the AMA link and so


00:32:42.000 --> 00:32:43.509
on and so forth. And don't forget to


00:32:43.519 --> 00:32:45.590
visit the Space Nuts shop. Uh, that's


00:32:45.600 --> 00:32:48.630
one thing that Hugh um did some years


00:32:48.640 --> 00:32:51.190
ago and it's been very popular. All the


00:32:51.200 --> 00:32:53.269
Space Nuts memorabilia if you if you


00:32:53.279 --> 00:32:54.710
want to get hold of it. I've got I've


00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:56.549
got my Space Nuts cup here somewhere.


00:32:56.559 --> 00:32:59.350
Here it is. Look. Look at this.


00:32:59.360 --> 00:32:59.830
>> There it is.


00:32:59.840 --> 00:33:02.042
>> I never I never got one of those.


00:33:02.052 --> 00:33:02.230
[laughter]


00:33:02.240 --> 00:33:06.149
>> Um I I had to buy it.


00:33:06.159 --> 00:33:07.990
That'll be good. That's [laughter] good.


00:33:08.000 --> 00:33:09.350
I'm too stingy.


00:33:09.360 --> 00:33:11.830
>> But we got shirts, we've got hoodies,


00:33:11.840 --> 00:33:13.990
we've got uh all sorts of bits and bobs


00:33:14.000 --> 00:33:16.710
at the Space Nuts shop uh at our


00:33:16.720 --> 00:33:18.789
website. Uh thank you, Fred. We'll leave


00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:20.070
it there. We'll catch you on the next


00:33:20.080 --> 00:33:21.110
episode.


00:33:21.120 --> 00:33:22.630
>> Look forward to it, Andrew. See you


00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:23.509
soon.


00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:25.430
>> Professor Fred Watson, astronomer at


00:33:25.440 --> 00:33:27.430
large. And thanks to Hugh in the studio


00:33:27.440 --> 00:33:29.830
who couldn't be with us today. He had to


00:33:29.840 --> 00:33:32.630
be evacuated after attempting a Michael


00:33:32.640 --> 00:33:35.430
Jackson moonwalk. Not good at his age.


00:33:35.440 --> 00:33:37.430
No. And from me, Andrew Dunley, thanks


00:33:37.440 --> 00:33:38.950
for your company. We'll catch you on the


00:33:38.960 --> 00:33:42.230
next episode of Space Nuts. Bye-bye.


00:33:42.240 --> 00:33:43.190
>> Space Nuts.


00:33:43.200 --> 00:33:45.269
>> You've been listening to the Space Nuts


00:33:45.279 --> 00:33:47.590
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00:33:47.600 --> 00:33:49.858
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