Moon Safe! Asteroid Threat Ends + Cosmic Laser Record + Solar Storm Hits Mars

WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:02.710
Hey everyone, welcome back to Astronomy


00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:04.390
Daily. I'm Anna.


00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:07.269
>> And I'm Avery. Happy Friday, space fans.


00:00:07.279 --> 00:00:09.509
We've got a great one for you today.


00:00:09.519 --> 00:00:12.870
>> We do. Six stories. And honestly, this


00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:14.870
is one of the more varied lineups we've


00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:17.189
had in a while. We've got planetary


00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.070
defense, a cosmic laser from halfway


00:00:20.080 --> 00:00:22.950
across the universe, a solar supertorrm


00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:25.910
hitting Mars, a SpaceX rocket polluting


00:00:25.920 --> 00:00:28.230
the atmosphere on its way down. A


00:00:28.240 --> 00:00:30.070
mystery satellite launched from the


00:00:30.080 --> 00:00:32.870
other side of the world. And my personal


00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:35.510
favorite, scientists trying to grow


00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:38.709
chickpeas on the moon. Moon hummus.


00:00:38.719 --> 00:00:40.869
Avery, that's where we're headed.


00:00:40.879 --> 00:00:42.950
>> Moon hummus. Let's go.


00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:45.430
>> Okay, first up, great news for anyone


00:00:45.440 --> 00:00:47.590
who's been losing sleep over asteroid


00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:51.910
2024 YR4. NASA has now officially ruled


00:00:51.920 --> 00:00:54.389
out any chance of it hitting the moon in


00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:55.750
2032.


00:00:55.760 --> 00:00:57.990
>> Right. So, let's quickly recap the story


00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:00.389
for anyone who hasn't been following it.


00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:02.389
This asteroid was discovered back in


00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:05.670
December 2024, and for a while, it was


00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:08.149
genuinely alarming. It briefly became


00:01:08.159 --> 00:01:10.230
the most dangerous asteroid identified


00:01:10.240 --> 00:01:13.109
in the last 20 years with a small but


00:01:13.119 --> 00:01:15.830
very real chance it could hit Earth.


00:01:15.840 --> 00:01:18.230
>> That Earth impact risk was ruled out


00:01:18.240 --> 00:01:20.469
fairly quickly. But when the asteroid


00:01:20.479 --> 00:01:22.630
faded from view last year, astronomers


00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:24.630
were left with something almost as


00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.990
intriguing. a lingering 4% chance it


00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:30.630
could strike the moon on December 22nd,


00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:31.990
2032.


00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.109
>> 4% sounds small, but in asteroid terms,


00:01:35.119 --> 00:01:37.270
that's enormous. We're talking about a


00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:40.149
60 m rock, roughly the same size as what


00:01:40.159 --> 00:01:43.270
caused the Tangusa event in 1908, or


00:01:43.280 --> 00:01:46.069
what dug out Meteor Crater in Arizona.


00:01:46.079 --> 00:01:47.990
If it hit the near side of the moon, it


00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:49.830
would have created a crater about a


00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:52.149
kilometer wide and put on the most


00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:54.710
spectacular light show humanity has ever


00:01:54.720 --> 00:01:55.990
seen from Earth.


00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.910
>> So, everyone's been watching very


00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.709
closely. The problem was by spring last


00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:03.190
year, the asteroid had drifted so far


00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:05.429
away it was invisible to pretty much


00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:08.469
every telescope on Earth and in space


00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:11.670
with one exception. The James Webb Space


00:02:11.680 --> 00:02:14.150
Telescope, which pushed itself to its


00:02:14.160 --> 00:02:16.869
very limit to catch this thing. A team


00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:18.790
led by the John's Hopkins Applied


00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:21.030
Physics Laboratory use Web's near


00:02:21.040 --> 00:02:23.110
infrared camera in two observation


00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:26.150
windows in February the 18th and the


00:02:26.160 --> 00:02:29.190
26th to track down this incredibly faint


00:02:29.200 --> 00:02:31.510
speck against the background of stars.


00:02:31.520 --> 00:02:33.830
>> And the result was clear. The new


00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:36.150
measurements allowed scientists to map


00:02:36.160 --> 00:02:39.270
2024 YR4 forest trajectory with enough


00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.309
precision to rule out a lunar collision.


00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:44.229
Instead of hitting the moon, it's going


00:02:44.239 --> 00:02:47.589
to pass at a distance of about 13,200


00:02:47.599 --> 00:02:50.309
m from the lunar surface, which is yes,


00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.030
closer than some satellites orbit Earth,


00:02:53.040 --> 00:02:54.390
but it's a miss.


00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:57.670
>> 13,200 m is basically next door in


00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.309
astronomical terms, but next door is


00:03:00.319 --> 00:03:03.190
still a miss. The moon is safe. Earth is


00:03:03.200 --> 00:03:07.030
safe and 2024 YR4 is just going to keep


00:03:07.040 --> 00:03:07.910
trucking.


00:03:07.920 --> 00:03:09.830
>> NASA says they'll observe it again when


00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:12.790
it swings back near Earth in 2028. So,


00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.430
the story isn't quite over, but for now,


00:03:15.440 --> 00:03:17.910
the threat is officially off the table.


00:03:17.920 --> 00:03:19.990
>> Good news to kick off the show. What's


00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:20.710
next?


00:03:20.720 --> 00:03:23.270
>> Okay, story two. This one comes out of


00:03:23.280 --> 00:03:25.430
South Africa and it involves what


00:03:25.440 --> 00:03:28.070
scientists are describing as a cosmic


00:03:28.080 --> 00:03:31.270
laser. And I mean that almost literally.


00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.910
Tell me more. Lasers in space sounds


00:03:33.920 --> 00:03:35.990
like something I need in my life.


00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:38.550
>> So, astronomers using the Mircat radio


00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.190
telescope in the Ku Desert have detected


00:03:41.200 --> 00:03:44.470
the most distant hydroxal megaer ever


00:03:44.480 --> 00:03:46.949
found. It's located in a violently


00:03:46.959 --> 00:03:49.430
merging galaxy more than 8 billion


00:03:49.440 --> 00:03:51.990
lightyear away. And the signal is so


00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.309
powerful that researchers are actually


00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:56.630
calling it a gigamaser rather than a


00:03:56.640 --> 00:03:57.830
megaer.


00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.830
>> Okay, let's break this down for people.


00:03:59.840 --> 00:04:03.350
What exactly is a hydroxal megamaser?


00:04:03.360 --> 00:04:06.630
>> Right. So on earth, a laser works by


00:04:06.640 --> 00:04:09.350
exciting atoms or molecules until they


00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:11.750
release light in a very tight amplified


00:04:11.760 --> 00:04:14.630
beam. The same basic physics can happen


00:04:14.640 --> 00:04:17.189
in space. But instead of visible light,


00:04:17.199 --> 00:04:19.430
it happens at radio wavelengths.


00:04:19.440 --> 00:04:22.230
Hydroxal molecules, that's one hydrogen,


00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:25.350
one oxygen, in massive gas clouds, can


00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:27.590
be excited by the energy of colliding


00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:30.310
galaxies and amplify radio waves in


00:04:30.320 --> 00:04:33.189
exactly the same way. When the signal is


00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:35.430
extraordinarily bright, it's called a


00:04:35.440 --> 00:04:36.790
megaer.


00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:39.270
>> So, it's a natural radio laser powered


00:04:39.280 --> 00:04:41.189
by two galaxies smashing into each


00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:41.990
other.


00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.550
>> Exactly. And the one Mircatound


00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:53.590
cataloged as H A T L A SJ142935.3-002836


00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:56.230
is the most distant and luminous example


00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:58.710
ever detected. We're seeing it as it


00:04:58.720 --> 00:05:00.790
existed when the universe was less than


00:05:00.800 --> 00:05:02.550
half its current age.


00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:04.310
>> And you said there was a gravitational


00:05:04.320 --> 00:05:06.150
lens involved as well.


00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:08.870
>> Yes. This is the really lovely part of


00:05:08.880 --> 00:05:11.510
the story. On its 8 billionyear journey


00:05:11.520 --> 00:05:13.909
to Earth, the radio signal happened to


00:05:13.919 --> 00:05:16.790
pass directly behind another completely


00:05:16.800 --> 00:05:19.430
unrelated galaxy sitting between us and


00:05:19.440 --> 00:05:22.070
the source. That foreground galaxy's


00:05:22.080 --> 00:05:25.110
gravity bent and warped space around it,


00:05:25.120 --> 00:05:27.510
acting like a natural magnifying glass


00:05:27.520 --> 00:05:29.909
and amplifying the signal even further


00:05:29.919 --> 00:05:32.629
before it reached Mircat. So, we have a


00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:35.029
natural space laser being focused by a


00:05:35.039 --> 00:05:37.270
natural gravitational telescope.


00:05:37.280 --> 00:05:39.110
>> That is genuinely delightful. The


00:05:39.120 --> 00:05:40.950
universe just handed astronomers a


00:05:40.960 --> 00:05:42.230
cosmic gift.


00:05:42.240 --> 00:05:45.350
>> The lead researcher, Dr. Tho Monla from


00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:47.990
the University of Ptoria, described it


00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:49.990
beautifully. He said they were seeing


00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.550
the radio equivalent of a laser halfway


00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:54.790
across the universe and that it was a


00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:57.110
wonderfully serendipitous discovery.


00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:58.629
>> And the bigger picture here is that


00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:00.710
Mircat is a precursor to the square


00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:03.189
kilometer array, the SKA, which is going


00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:05.189
to be even more powerful. So this is


00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:07.270
just a start of what's possible.


00:06:07.280 --> 00:06:10.070
>> Exactly. Bonamela's team wants to find


00:06:10.080 --> 00:06:12.230
hundreds, even thousands of these


00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.189
objects. And when the SKA comes online,


00:06:15.199 --> 00:06:16.710
that's going to become a real


00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:17.990
possibility.


00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:20.309
>> Incredible. All right, story three.


00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:22.790
>> And a bit of recent space history.


00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:25.510
>> Story three takes us back to May 2024


00:06:25.520 --> 00:06:27.749
and to Mars. You might remember that in


00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:30.390
May 2024, Earth was hit by the biggest


00:06:30.400 --> 00:06:33.110
solar storm recorded in over 20 years.


00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:35.189
Spectacular auroras were seen as far


00:06:35.199 --> 00:06:38.150
south as Mexico. I remember it well.


00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:40.070
Half the world was posting aurora


00:06:40.080 --> 00:06:41.189
photos,


00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:43.350
>> right? But that same storm also slammed


00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:45.990
into Mars. And thanks to ISA's two Mars


00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:48.950
orbiters, Mars Express and ExoMars Trace


00:06:48.960 --> 00:06:50.950
Gas Orbital, we now know in


00:06:50.960 --> 00:06:53.029
unprecedented detail what that actually


00:06:53.039 --> 00:06:55.029
looked like. A new paper published today


00:06:55.039 --> 00:06:56.950
in Nature Communications reveals the


00:06:56.960 --> 00:06:58.150
full picture.


00:06:58.160 --> 00:07:00.230
>> So what happened to Mars?


00:07:00.240 --> 00:07:02.870
>> In short, Mars got absolutely hammered.


00:07:02.880 --> 00:07:05.189
The storm sent fastmoving, energetic,


00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:07.749
magnetized plasma and X-rays flooding


00:07:07.759 --> 00:07:09.510
towards the red planet. When this


00:07:09.520 --> 00:07:11.830
barrage hit Mars' upper atmosphere, it


00:07:11.840 --> 00:07:13.909
stripped electrons from neutral atoms,


00:07:13.919 --> 00:07:15.589
causing two distinct layers of the


00:07:15.599 --> 00:07:17.350
atmosphere to fill up with charged


00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:21.270
particles at altitudes of around 110 and


00:07:21.280 --> 00:07:22.870
130 km.


00:07:22.880 --> 00:07:25.029
>> How much of an effect are we talking?


00:07:25.039 --> 00:07:26.950
The electron density in those layers


00:07:26.960 --> 00:07:31.670
surged by 45% in one and a whopping 278%


00:07:31.680 --> 00:07:34.070
in the other. Lead author Jacob Parrot


00:07:34.080 --> 00:07:35.990
from issa described it as the biggest


00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:38.230
response to a solar storm ever seen at


00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:39.189
Mars.


00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:41.110
>> And the orbiters themselves were


00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:42.469
affected too, right?


00:07:42.479 --> 00:07:45.189
>> They were. Both spacecraft suffered


00:07:45.199 --> 00:07:47.029
computer errors from the energetic


00:07:47.039 --> 00:07:49.510
particles which is a known hazard of


00:07:49.520 --> 00:07:52.390
space weather. But crucially, both had


00:07:52.400 --> 00:07:54.550
been designed with radiation resistant


00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:57.110
components and error correction systems,


00:07:57.120 --> 00:08:00.150
so they recovered fast. And the timing


00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:02.309
was incredibly fortunate. The


00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:04.309
researchers were able to capture the


00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:06.629
aftermath of the storm using a technique


00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:09.350
called radio occultation. Just 10


00:08:09.360 --> 00:08:11.830
minutes after a large solar flare hit


00:08:11.840 --> 00:08:12.710
Mars.


00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:15.350
>> Radial occultation. For our listeners,


00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:17.510
that's where one spacecraft beams a


00:08:17.520 --> 00:08:20.150
radio signal to another at precisely the


00:08:20.160 --> 00:08:22.390
moment it disappears over the planet's


00:08:22.400 --> 00:08:24.950
horizon. The signal gets bent by the


00:08:24.960 --> 00:08:27.430
atmosphere on the way, and scientists


00:08:27.440 --> 00:08:29.589
can read all sorts of information about


00:08:29.599 --> 00:08:31.909
the atmospheric layers from the way it


00:08:31.919 --> 00:08:32.870
bends.


00:08:32.880 --> 00:08:34.550
>> It's a technique that's been used for


00:08:34.560 --> 00:08:37.029
decades here at Earth, but only recently


00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:38.630
has it been applied between two


00:08:38.640 --> 00:08:41.190
spacecraft at Mars. This was a perfect


00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:43.750
demonstration of how powerful it can be.


00:08:43.760 --> 00:08:45.990
And there's a broader significance here,


00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:48.949
isn't there? Mars has no global magnetic


00:08:48.959 --> 00:08:51.350
field the way Earth does, which is why


00:08:51.360 --> 00:08:54.150
the storm hits so much harder.


00:08:54.160 --> 00:08:56.710
>> Exactly. On Earth, our magnetic field


00:08:56.720 --> 00:08:58.870
deflects a lot of the solar particles


00:08:58.880 --> 00:09:00.790
and channels the rest toward the poles


00:09:00.800 --> 00:09:03.910
as auroras. Mars lost its magnetic field


00:09:03.920 --> 00:09:05.910
billions of years ago, and that's almost


00:09:05.920 --> 00:09:08.150
certainly why it also lost most of its


00:09:08.160 --> 00:09:10.550
atmosphere and its liquid water over


00:09:10.560 --> 00:09:13.030
time. This study helps us understand


00:09:13.040 --> 00:09:15.670
that ongoing process and it has very


00:09:15.680 --> 00:09:17.990
practical implications for future crude


00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:20.630
missions and radar operations on and


00:09:20.640 --> 00:09:21.990
around Mars.


00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.070
>> Really fascinating stuff.


00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:26.630
>> Okay, story four. And this one has a bit


00:09:26.640 --> 00:09:29.190
more of an edge to it. So, this story


00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:31.910
starts with a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper


00:09:31.920 --> 00:09:35.590
stage that back in February 2025 failed


00:09:35.600 --> 00:09:38.310
to execute its planned de-orbit burn


00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:41.030
after delivering 22 Starlink satellites


00:09:41.040 --> 00:09:44.470
to orbit. It drifted uncontrolled for 18


00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:47.110
days before beginning an uncontrolled


00:09:47.120 --> 00:09:50.550
re-entry about 100 km off the west coast


00:09:50.560 --> 00:09:51.829
of Ireland.


00:09:51.839 --> 00:09:53.990
>> I remember this one. Some debris came


00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:56.150
down in Poland, which caused a fairly


00:09:56.160 --> 00:09:59.110
significant diplomatic incident. Poland


00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:01.509
dismissed its head of space agency over


00:10:01.519 --> 00:10:03.269
the lack of communication about where


00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:05.990
the thing was going to land. Right. But


00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:07.990
now there's a new dimension to this


00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:10.470
story. A paper just published in


00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:13.269
communications earth and environment by


00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:15.590
Robin Wing and her colleagues at the


00:10:15.600 --> 00:10:17.750
Libnitz Institute for Atmospheric


00:10:17.760 --> 00:10:20.310
Physics in Germany has for the first


00:10:20.320 --> 00:10:23.190
time ever directly tied a specific


00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:25.509
rocket re-entry to a measurable


00:10:25.519 --> 00:10:27.829
atmospheric pollution plume.


00:10:27.839 --> 00:10:29.269
>> How did they do that?


00:10:29.279 --> 00:10:31.670
>> They were operating a highly sensitive


00:10:31.680 --> 00:10:34.470
resonance fluoresence LAR system in


00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:37.110
Koulensbornne Germany. essentially a


00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:39.430
laserbased atmospheric monitoring


00:10:39.440 --> 00:10:41.509
instrument. They weren't specifically


00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:43.430
watching for the rocket. They were just


00:10:43.440 --> 00:10:45.110
doing their regular atmospheric


00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.670
observations. But right around midnight


00:10:47.680 --> 00:10:51.509
on the 20th of February 2025, just 20


00:10:51.519 --> 00:10:54.310
hours after the Falcon 9 came down, they


00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.110
detected a spike in lithium vapor levels


00:10:57.120 --> 00:10:59.110
in the upper atmosphere.


00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:01.190
>> Lithium, which is not something that


00:11:01.200 --> 00:11:03.269
should be up there in any quantity.


00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.670
Normally lithium in the upper atmosphere


00:11:05.680 --> 00:11:09.269
sits at about 3 atoms per cubic cm. They


00:11:09.279 --> 00:11:13.350
measured a spike to 31 atoms per cm at


00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:17.509
an altitude of between 94 and 97 km.


00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:20.710
That's a tfold increase. And lithium is


00:11:20.720 --> 00:11:22.630
in the rocket because


00:11:22.640 --> 00:11:25.670
>> Falcon 9 upper stages carry an estimated


00:11:25.680 --> 00:11:28.790
30 kg of lithium in lithium ion


00:11:28.800 --> 00:11:31.269
batteries and in the aluminum lithium


00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:33.750
alloy that makes up the whole plating.


00:11:33.760 --> 00:11:36.470
Critically, that alloy starts melting at


00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:40.550
precisely 98.2 km altitude, which


00:11:40.560 --> 00:11:42.710
matches exactly where the pollution


00:11:42.720 --> 00:11:44.550
cloud was detected.


00:11:44.560 --> 00:11:46.630
>> That's a pretty compelling fingerprint.


00:11:46.640 --> 00:11:48.310
But did they need to do more than just


00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:50.310
say, "Well, there's lithium up there and


00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:51.990
a rocket just fell down."


00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:55.430
>> They did. They ran 8,000 simulations of


00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:57.750
backward wind trajectories from the LAR


00:11:57.760 --> 00:12:00.069
station in Germany all the way back to


00:12:00.079 --> 00:12:02.389
the re-entry point over Ireland. They


00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:05.030
checked every other possible source and


00:12:05.040 --> 00:12:07.190
everything pointed to the rocket. The


00:12:07.200 --> 00:12:08.790
case is solid.


00:12:08.800 --> 00:12:11.030
>> So, what are the implications? Is a


00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:13.190
lithium cloud in the upper atmosphere a


00:12:13.200 --> 00:12:15.829
big deal? That's actually still an open


00:12:15.839 --> 00:12:17.910
question and the researchers are honest


00:12:17.920 --> 00:12:19.910
about that. We don't yet fully


00:12:19.920 --> 00:12:22.069
understand the impact on atmospheric


00:12:22.079 --> 00:12:24.230
chemistry. But what this paper


00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.710
represents is a first. It's the first


00:12:26.720 --> 00:12:29.750
time a specific re-entry event has been


00:12:29.760 --> 00:12:32.389
directly linked to a specific pollution


00:12:32.399 --> 00:12:34.470
plume. And with the growth of mega


00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.030
constellations, hundreds and eventually


00:12:37.040 --> 00:12:39.030
thousands of satellites being launched


00:12:39.040 --> 00:12:41.350
and de-orbited, this is going to become


00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:44.230
an increasingly important area of study.


00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:45.990
>> And presumably, we need to start


00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:47.590
thinking about whether controlled


00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:50.069
re-entries can be designed to minimize


00:12:50.079 --> 00:12:52.230
this kind of chemical contamination.


00:12:52.240 --> 00:12:54.310
>> Exactly. That's the question the paper


00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:56.870
ends with. It's not alarmist. It's more


00:12:56.880 --> 00:12:59.110
of a we need to start measuring this


00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:01.590
properly moment, which this paper very


00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:04.310
much is. Good. Story five. Slightly


00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:05.110
lighter.


00:13:05.120 --> 00:13:07.190
>> It's mystery launch time.


00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:10.150
>> Okay. Story five. Rocket Lab launched an


00:13:10.160 --> 00:13:12.069
Electron rocket from its New Zealand


00:13:12.079 --> 00:13:14.389
site yesterday evening local time,


00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:16.629
marking the company's 83rd launch to


00:13:16.639 --> 00:13:19.590
date. The mission is called Insight at


00:13:19.600 --> 00:13:21.990
Speed is a friend indeed, which is


00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:24.150
exactly the kind of cryptic mission name


00:13:24.160 --> 00:13:26.470
that drives people absolutely mad on the


00:13:26.480 --> 00:13:27.590
space forums.


00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:28.870
>> What do we know about it?


00:13:28.880 --> 00:13:30.949
>> Almost nothing, which is rather the


00:13:30.959 --> 00:13:33.350
point. Rocket Lab announced the launch


00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:35.750
just a few hours before liftoff, which


00:13:35.760 --> 00:13:38.389
is unusually short notice even for them.


00:13:38.399 --> 00:13:40.389
They confirmed it's a single satellite


00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:42.870
for a confidential commercial customer


00:13:42.880 --> 00:13:46.310
deployed to an orbit about 470 km above


00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:47.829
Earth. That's it.


00:13:47.839 --> 00:13:50.069
>> The mission name is interesting though.


00:13:50.079 --> 00:13:52.470
Insight at Speed. That sounds like it


00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:54.310
could be an Earth observation or


00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:56.710
intelligence related payload. Fast


00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:58.550
access to imagery. Maybe


00:13:58.560 --> 00:14:00.310
>> that's been the general speculation.


00:14:00.320 --> 00:14:03.030
Yes. small fast satellite for rapid


00:14:03.040 --> 00:14:05.269
imaging. But Rocket Lab isn't saying


00:14:05.279 --> 00:14:07.590
anything beyond confidential commercial


00:14:07.600 --> 00:14:09.670
customer. And the customer isn't saying


00:14:09.680 --> 00:14:11.350
anything either, which is of course


00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.150
they're right.


00:14:12.160 --> 00:14:14.230
>> Rocket Lab has carved out quite a niche


00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:16.710
for exactly this kind of mission. Small


00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:18.949
dedicated launches on relatively short


00:14:18.959 --> 00:14:20.629
notice for customers who want


00:14:20.639 --> 00:14:22.629
discretion. It's a good business to be


00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:23.189
in.


00:14:23.199 --> 00:14:25.110
>> 83 launches in counting. They're doing


00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.990
just fine. Okay, last story. And I've


00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:29.670
been looking forward to this one all


00:14:29.680 --> 00:14:32.470
morning. That can only mean one thing.


00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:34.550
It's a food related story,


00:14:34.560 --> 00:14:36.790
>> right? Scientists at the University of


00:14:36.800 --> 00:14:39.829
Texas at Austin, working with Texas A&M


00:14:39.839 --> 00:14:41.829
have successfully grown and harvested


00:14:41.839 --> 00:14:44.470
chickpeas in simulated moon dirt


00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:46.790
published today in scientific reports.


00:14:46.800 --> 00:14:48.870
First time it's ever been done.


00:14:48.880 --> 00:14:50.790
>> Okay, tell me everything.


00:14:50.800 --> 00:14:53.030
>> So, the challenge with lunar regalith,


00:14:53.040 --> 00:14:54.790
which is the technical name for moon


00:14:54.800 --> 00:14:57.189
dirt, is that it is spectacularly


00:14:57.199 --> 00:14:59.829
hostile to plant life. It's fine as


00:14:59.839 --> 00:15:02.710
talcum powder. It's abrasive and clingy.


00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:05.189
It has no organic material whatsoever,


00:15:05.199 --> 00:15:07.990
no microbes, and it contains toxic heavy


00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:10.949
metals like aluminum, copper, and zinc.


00:15:10.959 --> 00:15:12.710
Previous attempts to grow plants in


00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:15.509
actual Apollo lunar samples resulted in


00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:17.990
stressed, stunted plants that absorbed


00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:19.910
dangerous levels of metals.


00:15:19.920 --> 00:15:22.470
>> So, how did the Texas team crack it?


00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:25.110
>> Two ingredients. First, vermic compost,


00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:27.750
which is essentially worm castings. Red


00:15:27.760 --> 00:15:30.069
Wigler earthworms were fed food scraps


00:15:30.079 --> 00:15:32.310
and cotton waste, the kind of organic


00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:34.389
material that would naturally accumulate


00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:36.710
on a long lunar mission anyway. And


00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.509
their output provided a rich microbially


00:15:39.519 --> 00:15:41.670
diverse soil amendment that could be


00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:43.670
mixed with the regalith simulant.


00:15:43.680 --> 00:15:45.910
>> Okay, so worm poo. Got it


00:15:45.920 --> 00:15:48.230
>> precisely. Second ingredient are


00:15:48.240 --> 00:15:51.910
buscular microisal fungi AMF which were


00:15:51.920 --> 00:15:53.749
used to coat the chickpea seeds before


00:15:53.759 --> 00:15:56.470
planting. These fungi are remarkable.


00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:58.629
They extend into the soil like a


00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:00.629
secondary root system, improving


00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:02.949
nutrient uptake while simultaneously


00:16:02.959 --> 00:16:05.350
helping to sequester heavy metals away


00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:07.350
from the plant. They also produce


00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:09.350
proteins that bind loose regalith


00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:11.430
particles together, making the stuff


00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:13.590
behave more like actual soil.


00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:14.949
>> And it worked.


00:16:14.959 --> 00:16:18.230
>> It worked with caveats. Mixtures of up


00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:20.710
to 75% regulative simulant could


00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:22.629
successfully produce flowering


00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:26.550
seedbearing plants. go above 75% and the


00:16:26.560 --> 00:16:28.550
plants started showing serious stress


00:16:28.560 --> 00:16:31.269
and dying early. And across the board,


00:16:31.279 --> 00:16:33.509
the regalith plants produced fewer seeds


00:16:33.519 --> 00:16:35.189
than the control plants grown in


00:16:35.199 --> 00:16:37.829
ordinary earth soil, though the


00:16:37.839 --> 00:16:40.310
individual seeds that did grow were


00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:42.470
comparable in size and weight.


00:16:42.480 --> 00:16:44.150
>> Can they eat them?


00:16:44.160 --> 00:16:46.870
>> Not yet. The chickpeas are currently


00:16:46.880 --> 00:16:49.350
being tested for metal accumulation.


00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:51.269
They need to make sure no dangerous


00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:53.670
levels of aluminum or other heavy metals


00:16:53.680 --> 00:16:55.910
made it into the seeds before anyone


00:16:55.920 --> 00:16:58.550
takes a bite. The lead researcher,


00:16:58.560 --> 00:17:01.670
Jessica Atkin, said, and I love this,


00:17:01.680 --> 00:17:04.390
"Before anyone makes moon hummus, we


00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:06.230
need to confirm they are safe and


00:17:06.240 --> 00:17:08.870
nutritious." She has also promised to be


00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:11.029
the first one to make moon hummus if


00:17:11.039 --> 00:17:12.390
they pass.


00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:15.029
>> That is a fantastic quote, and I love


00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:17.110
that she played Bad Moon Rising to


00:17:17.120 --> 00:17:19.189
encourage the plants in the lab. She


00:17:19.199 --> 00:17:21.189
hung a poster of chickpeas growing on


00:17:21.199 --> 00:17:22.949
the moon above the growth chamber as


00:17:22.959 --> 00:17:25.189
well. Kind of silly, but something to


00:17:25.199 --> 00:17:28.150
aim for. This is the energy we want in


00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:29.669
space science.


00:17:29.679 --> 00:17:31.909
>> So, what's the bigger picture here? This


00:17:31.919 --> 00:17:34.390
isn't just about hummus, I assume.


00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:36.870
>> No. Although the hummus angle is doing a


00:17:36.880 --> 00:17:38.310
lot of heavy lifting for the press


00:17:38.320 --> 00:17:41.510
coverage, the real significance is this.


00:17:41.520 --> 00:17:43.990
As we plan for long-term human presence


00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:45.990
on the moon through the Aremis program


00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:48.789
and beyond, food sustainability is a


00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.270
genuine challenge. You cannot shuttle


00:17:51.280 --> 00:17:53.110
all the food you need from Earth to a


00:17:53.120 --> 00:17:55.750
lunar base indefinitely. The cost is


00:17:55.760 --> 00:17:58.630
prohibitive. So being able to grow crops


00:17:58.640 --> 00:18:01.110
from local resources, converting sterile


00:18:01.120 --> 00:18:04.070
regalith into living soil using biology


00:18:04.080 --> 00:18:06.150
that future astronauts could actually


00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:08.630
bring with them and maintain is a


00:18:08.640 --> 00:18:10.870
crucial piece of the puzzle. And


00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:12.630
chickpeas specifically are a great


00:18:12.640 --> 00:18:14.789
choice for this, right? High protein,


00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:16.390
resilient plant.


00:18:16.400 --> 00:18:19.830
>> Exactly. High protein, nitrogen fixing.


00:18:19.840 --> 00:18:21.750
They actually put nutrients back into


00:18:21.760 --> 00:18:24.070
the soil as they grow and relatively


00:18:24.080 --> 00:18:26.789
hardy. The team is now exploring whether


00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:28.870
seeds from the moon grown chickpeas can


00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:31.430
grow a second generation and what the


00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:33.430
nutritional profile of the harvest looks


00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:36.390
like. It's early days, but Sarah Santos,


00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.390
the principal investigator, summed it up


00:18:38.400 --> 00:18:41.190
well. This is a small first step toward


00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:43.669
growing crops on the moon, but we have


00:18:43.679 --> 00:18:45.990
shown this is feasible and we are moving


00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:47.830
in the right direction.


00:18:47.840 --> 00:18:50.630
>> Moon hummus coming to a lunar outpost


00:18:50.640 --> 00:18:52.789
near you eventually.


00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:54.950
>> I will be first in line


00:18:54.960 --> 00:18:57.110
>> and that's your astronomy daily for


00:18:57.120 --> 00:19:01.190
Friday the 6th of March 2026. I'm Anna


00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:03.029
>> and I'm Avery. Thanks so much for


00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.190
listening, space fans. If you enjoyed


00:19:05.200 --> 00:19:07.190
today's show, please leave us a review


00:19:07.200 --> 00:19:09.270
wherever you get your podcasts. It


00:19:09.280 --> 00:19:11.110
genuinely makes a difference.


00:19:11.120 --> 00:19:13.510
>> You can find show notes, our blog, and a


00:19:13.520 --> 00:19:16.710
whole lot more at astronomy.io.


00:19:16.720 --> 00:19:19.270
And we're at Astro Daily Pod on X,


00:19:19.280 --> 00:19:21.350
Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, and


00:19:21.360 --> 00:19:22.310
elsewhere.


00:19:22.320 --> 00:19:24.390
>> We'll be back tomorrow with more of the


00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:26.950
universe's greatest hits. Until then,


00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:28.310
keep looking up.


00:19:28.320 --> 00:19:32.950
>> Clear skies, everyone.


00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:40.950
Stories told


00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:48.870
stories told


00:19:48.880 --> 00:19:51.600
stories