NASA’s Astronauts Adjust, A Cosmic Mystery Unveiled, China’s Latest Launch

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Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily.


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I'm Anna, bringing you the latest


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developments in space and astronomy


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news. Today we have a packed episode


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covering a wide range of fascinating


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stories from across the cosmos. We'll


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check in with NASA astronauts Butch


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Wilmore and Sunni Williams as they


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recover from what was meant to be an


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8-day mission, but turned into a 9-month


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stay aboard the International Space


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Station. I'll also tell you about a


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truly mysterious star that pulses every


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44 minutes in both radio waves and


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X-rays, leaving scientists puzzled about


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its true nature. Then, we'll explore


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China's ambitious Tian 2 mission that


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just launched to collect samples from a


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living fossil asteroid.


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We'll round up this week's busy launch


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schedule from around the world and end


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with some slightly unsettling news about


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Earth's long-term orbital stability and


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a potential cosmic fate that thankfully


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remains extremely unlikely. Stay with me


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for all this and more on today's


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Astronomy Daily. Let's kick off with a


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story I'm sure most folks thought was


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done and dusted. Turns out there's an


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epilogue. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore


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and Sunni Williams are making steady


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progress in their recovery after


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returning to Earth following what became


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an unexpectedly extended mission in


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space. What was originally planned as an


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8-day test flight aboard Boeing's


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Starlininer capsule turned into a


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9-month stay on the International Space


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Station when propulsion system issues


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forced NASA to bring the capsule back


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without its crew. The astronauts, now


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back on solid ground since March, have


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been undergoing intensive physical


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therapy as part of the standard 45day


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reconditioning period for long duration


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space


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travelers. Wilmore, who is 62, described


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the challenging readjustment to Earth's


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gravity in a recent interview, noting


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that gravity stinks for a period as


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astronauts deal with balance issues and


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muscle weakness after extended time in


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microgravity.


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Williams, 59, shared that some of her


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post spaceflight side effects were


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slower to resolve. She experienced


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significant fatigue during the later


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stages of recovery as dozens of muscles


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re-engaged after months of disuse. The


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veteran astronaut couldn't maintain her


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preferred early morning routine until


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recently when she happily reported,


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"Then I'm up at 4 in the morning and I'm


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like, aha, I'm back." For Wilmore, the


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return to Earth reintroduced him to some


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familiar discomfort. He had experienced


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neck pain before his mission that


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completely disappeared in the


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weightlessness of space. Remarkably, he


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felt that same pain return while still


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in the Starlininer capsule bobbing in


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the ocean even before extraction teams


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had reached them. The human body, having


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evolved over millions of years in


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Earth's gravity, under significant


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changes during space flight. Without


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gravity's constant pull, astronauts


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experience muscle atrophy,


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cardiovascular shifts, and other


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physical changes that require dedicated


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rehabilitation upon return. While


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recovering physically, both astronauts


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have been ramping up their work


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schedules with Boeing's Starlininer


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program, NASA's space station operations


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in Houston, and agency researchers.


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Williams described the past months as a


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bit of a whirlwind as they balance their


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recovery with professional obligations.


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Meanwhile, NASA faces important


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decisions regarding Boeing's troubled


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Starlininer program. Williams has


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publicly advocated for requiring Boeing


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to fly Starlininer uncrrewed before


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putting humans aboard again, calling it


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the logical thing to do and drawing


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comparisons to Space X and Russian


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spacecraft that underwent similar safety


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validation. NASA officials have


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indicated that additional testing


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planned throughout the summer will


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determine whether Starlininer can carry


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humans on its next flight.


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As you know, I love a good mystery here


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on Astronomy Daily. And here's today's.


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Scientists have discovered a truly


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puzzling cosmic object that's breaking


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all the rules of what we thought we knew


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about stars. It's called ASCAP J, 1832.


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And what makes it so extraordinary is


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its unusual pulsing behavior. It sends


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out bursts of energy every 44 minutes


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with clockwork precision.


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ASCAP J1832 belongs to a rare category


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known as long period radio transients,


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which were only first discovered in


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2022. Unlike typical pulsars that flash


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multiple times per second, these objects


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pulse much more slowly. But what truly


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sets ASCAP J1832 apart is that it's the


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first of its kind to emit both radio


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waves and X-rays on the exact same


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44-minute cycle. This groundbreaking


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discovery came through the combined


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observations of NASA's powerful Chandra


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X-ray Observatory and Australia's ASCAP


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radio telescope. When scientists created


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composite images using data from these


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telescopes along with infrared


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information from NASA's Spitzer Space


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Telescope, they revealed a vivid


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portrait of this stellar enigma. The


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mystery deepened when researchers


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noticed that ASCAP


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J1,832's emissions faded dramatically


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over a six-month period in both radio


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and X-ray wavelengths. This combination


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of short-term pulses with long-term


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changes makes it unlike anything


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previously observed in our Milky Way


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galaxy. Astronomers are struggling to


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explain what could cause such behavior.


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ASCAPJ1,832 doesn't fit neatly into any


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known category of stellar objects. It's


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unlikely to be a typical pulsar or a


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neutron star pulling material from a


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companion star because the intensities


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of its radio and X-ray signals don't


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match what we'd expect. Some of its


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properties suggest it could be an


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extremely magnetic neutron star, what


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astronomers call a magnetar, that's over


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500,000 years old. However, other


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features like its bright and variable


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radio emission are difficult to explain


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for such an aged


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magnetar. Initially, scientists thought


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ASKPJ1832 might be associated with a


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nearby supernova remnant, as these


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exploded stars often contain neutron


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stars. However, further investigations


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suggested this proximity is likely just


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coincidence. The research team is now


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considering more exotic possibilities,


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including that it might be a white dwarf


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star with a companion. If true, it would


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require the strongest magnetic field


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ever recorded for a white dwarf in our


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galaxy. For now, ASK


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APJ1832 remains a one-of-a-kind cosmic


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mystery that could potentially represent


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an entirely new class of astronomical


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objects.


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Next up today, China has taken a major


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step forward in its space exploration


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program with the successful launch of


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the Tienwen 2 probe, the country's first


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ever asteroid sample return mission. A


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long March 3B rocket carrying the


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spacecraft blasted off from the Shiong


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launch site in southwestern Sichuan


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Province early Thursday morning local


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time. About 18 minutes after liftoff,


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the probe was successfully inserted into


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its transfer orbit from Earth to


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asteroid 2016 HO3, also known by its


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official name, Kamo Oalawa. The China


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National Space Administration confirmed


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that the spacecraft deployed its solar


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panels as planned and declared the


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launch a complete success. This


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ambitious mission targets what


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scientists describe as a living fossil


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asteroid measuring between 40 to 100


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meters in diameter. Kamo Oawa orbits


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relatively close to Earth and consists


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of ancient materials that could provide


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crucial insights into the formation of


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our early solar system. What makes Chen


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2 particularly interesting is its


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complex mission profile. The spacecraft


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will spend approximately 30 months on


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its journey to and from the asteroid.


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Once it arrives, it will perform two


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different types of sample collection.


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First, the probe will touch down on the


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asteroid surface to collect material


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using a drill. Then it will perform a


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touchandgo sample collection similar to


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NASA's Osiris Rex mission. In total, the


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spacecraft aims to collect about 1,000 g


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of asteroid material. But the mission


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doesn't end there. After delivering the


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precious samples back to Earth, the main


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spacecraft will continue its journey


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through space. Using Earth's gravity as


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a slingshot, Tanwen 2 will be redirected


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toward a fascinating object called


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311P/Panstars in the main asteroid belt


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between Mars and Jupiter. This second


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target is particularly intriguing to


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scientists because it exhibits


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characteristics of both asteroids and


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comets, making it a valuable subject for


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further investigation. The entire


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mission is expected to last


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approximately a decade. This latest


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achievement represents another


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significant milestone in China's rapidly


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advancing space program, which President


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Xiinping has described as the country's


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space


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dream. In recent years, China has


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established its own space station,


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landed rovers on Mars and the moon, and


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is planning crude lunar missions later


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this


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decade. It's been an exceptionally busy


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week in the rocket launch sector with


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multiple missions taking off from launch


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pads around the world. SP X continues


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its rapid fire cadence with several


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Starlink deployments already underway or


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scheduled in the coming days. On


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Wednesday, a Falcon 9 rocket thundered


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off launch complex 39A at Kennedy Space


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Center in Florida carrying 27 Starlink


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V2 mini satellites into low Earth orbit.


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Despite only a 60% chance of favorable


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weather, SpaceX managed to launch right


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at the beginning of their 4-hour window.


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The mission used booster B 1080, which


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incredibly was flying for its 19th time.


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A remarkable testament to SpaceX's


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reusability program. Looking ahead,


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SpaceX has at least two more launches


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planned this week. On Friday, they're


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scheduled to launch the GPS 3SV08


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mission for the US Space Force from Cape


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Canaveral. This mission was actually


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originally assigned to ULA's Vulcan


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rocket before being reassigned to Falcon


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9. Then just one minute after the GPS


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launch window opens in Florida, another


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Falcon 9 is set to lift off from


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Vandenberg Space Force Base in


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California with yet another batch of


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Starlink satellites. Then early next


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week, SpaceX has scheduled Starlink


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Group 12th 9 to launch from Cape


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Canaveral, continuing their rapid


00:10:10.399 --> 00:10:11.790
deployment of their internet


00:10:11.800 --> 00:10:13.829
constellation. China has also been


00:10:13.839 --> 00:10:15.750
active beyond the Chenwin 2 mission we


00:10:15.760 --> 00:10:17.910
just discussed. The China Aerospace


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Science and Technology Corporation


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launched another mission on Thursday


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using a Chang Jang 2D rocket from the


00:10:24.880 --> 00:10:27.430
Jukuan satellite launch center. The


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payload for this particular flight


00:10:29.040 --> 00:10:31.350
remains undisclosed, marking the fifth


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Chong Jang 2D mission of 2025 and the


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99th overall for this reliable Chinese


00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:39.269
launch vehicle. Meanwhile, Blue Origin


00:10:39.279 --> 00:10:41.110
is preparing for its fourth New Shepard


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mission of the year scheduled for


00:10:43.040 --> 00:10:45.590
Saturday morning. This suborbital flight


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will lift off from their West Texas


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facility carrying six passengers just


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above the Karman line where they'll


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experience a brief period of


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weightlessness before the capsule


00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:57.190
returns to Earth. This will be New


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Shepard's 12th crude flight overall,


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continuing to advance private human


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space flight capabilities.


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Rocket Lab had planned a launch of their


00:11:05.839 --> 00:11:07.430
Electron rocket from New Zealand this


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week, but they've postponed until June


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3rd due to additional checks needed and


00:11:11.760 --> 00:11:13.509
unfavorable weather conditions at the


00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:14.670
launch


00:11:14.680 --> 00:11:17.590
site. Finally, today, please don't let


00:11:17.600 --> 00:11:19.750
this news keep you up at night, but I've


00:11:19.760 --> 00:11:21.590
got some potentially unsettling news


00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:24.150
about Earth's cosmic future. New


00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:25.910
computer simulations have revealed a


00:11:25.920 --> 00:11:27.990
previously underestimated risk to our


00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.230
planet's orbit. While it's not exactly


00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:31.590
time to panic, the findings are


00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.230
certainly intriguing. Astronomers Nathan


00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:36.310
Kib from the Planetary Science Institute


00:11:36.320 --> 00:11:38.150
and Shawn Raymond from the University of


00:11:38.160 --> 00:11:40.310
Bordeaux have discovered that passing


00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:42.630
stars could disrupt our solar system in


00:11:42.640 --> 00:11:45.910
ways we hadn't fully appreciated before.


00:11:45.920 --> 00:11:47.750
Their research shows that these stellar


00:11:47.760 --> 00:11:50.069
flybys could exacerbate an existing


00:11:50.079 --> 00:11:52.030
vulnerability in our planetary


00:11:52.040 --> 00:11:54.150
neighborhood. It turns out Mercury is


00:11:54.160 --> 00:11:56.389
the potential troublemaker here. The


00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:58.389
innermost planet already has a fairly


00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:00.230
elliptical orbit, and Jupiter's


00:12:00.240 --> 00:12:01.910
gravitational influence can make that


00:12:01.920 --> 00:12:04.550
orbit even more ovalshaped over time.


00:12:04.560 --> 00:12:06.870
What these new simulations reveal is


00:12:06.880 --> 00:12:08.629
that when you add the gravitational


00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:11.030
effects of passing stars, Mercury's


00:12:11.040 --> 00:12:12.670
orbit can become dramatically more


00:12:12.680 --> 00:12:15.430
eccentric. Once Mercury goes haywire,


00:12:15.440 --> 00:12:18.310
chaos can unfold. In typical scenarios,


00:12:18.320 --> 00:12:20.069
Mercury might collide with Venus or


00:12:20.079 --> 00:12:22.310
plunge into the sun, but the resulting


00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:24.230
orbital disruption can then trigger a


00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:26.629
cascade of planetary instability. In


00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:29.030
some simulations, Venus or Mars crash


00:12:29.040 --> 00:12:30.870
into Earth or Earth itself collides with


00:12:30.880 --> 00:12:33.350
the sun. Another possibility is that


00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:35.190
Venus and Mars could gravitationally


00:12:35.200 --> 00:12:37.269
slingshot Earth toward Jupiter, which


00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:38.790
could then eject our planet from the


00:12:38.800 --> 00:12:41.670
solar system entirely. Before you start


00:12:41.680 --> 00:12:43.509
planning for cosmic doom, the


00:12:43.519 --> 00:12:44.949
researchers emphasize that the


00:12:44.959 --> 00:12:47.509
probability of such catastrophes is


00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.310
extremely low. Over the next 5 billion


00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:52.629
years, roughly the remaining lifespan of


00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:55.829
our sun, there's only a 0.2% chance of


00:12:55.839 --> 00:12:58.230
Earth meeting such a fate. However,


00:12:58.240 --> 00:12:59.750
that's significantly higher than


00:12:59.760 --> 00:13:01.990
previous studies had calculated, as they


00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:03.829
didn't fully account for the cumulative


00:13:03.839 --> 00:13:06.550
effects of passing stars. The most


00:13:06.560 --> 00:13:08.550
dangerous scenarios involve stars that


00:13:08.560 --> 00:13:10.389
pass particularly close to our solar


00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.350
system within 100 times Earth's distance


00:13:13.360 --> 00:13:15.590
from the sun or stars that move


00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:17.509
relatively slowly extending their


00:13:17.519 --> 00:13:20.310
gravitational influence. There's about a


00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:22.629
5% chance of such a close stellar


00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.750
encounter over the next 5 billion years.


00:13:25.760 --> 00:13:27.670
Interestingly, the simulation suggests


00:13:27.680 --> 00:13:29.870
that distant Pluto faces even greater


00:13:29.880 --> 00:13:32.470
risks. Despite its protective orbital


00:13:32.480 --> 00:13:34.710
resonance with Neptune, passing stars


00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:36.550
could disrupt this arrangement, giving


00:13:36.560 --> 00:13:38.949
Pluto a 4% chance of being ejected or


00:13:38.959 --> 00:13:40.629
colliding with a planet over the same


00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:43.310
time frame, 20 times the risk Earth


00:13:43.320 --> 00:13:45.990
faces. While these cosmic time scales


00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:48.470
far exceed human planning horizons, they


00:13:48.480 --> 00:13:50.230
provide fascinating insights into the


00:13:50.240 --> 00:13:52.470
long-term dynamics of our solar system


00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:54.230
and remind us that even in space,


00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:57.350
nothing lasts forever.


00:13:57.360 --> 00:13:59.910
And with that cheery news, I'll conclude


00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:01.910
our cosmic journey for today on


00:14:01.920 --> 00:14:04.069
Astronomy Daily. From astronauts


00:14:04.079 --> 00:14:06.310
readjusting to Earth's gravity after an


00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:08.629
extended space mission to mysterious


00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:11.269
pulsing stars, asteroid sample missions,


00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:13.509
and even the potential long-term fate of


00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:15.670
our planet the universe continues to


00:14:15.680 --> 00:14:19.030
surprise and fascinate us. I'm Anna, and


00:14:19.040 --> 00:14:20.710
I hope these stories have sparked your


00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:22.870
curiosity about the vast cosmos we're


00:14:22.880 --> 00:14:25.350
all a part of. The beauty of astronomy


00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:27.150
is that there's always something new to


00:14:27.160 --> 00:14:29.670
discover. Whether it's a strange stellar


00:14:29.680 --> 00:14:32.389
object pulsing every 44 minutes or


00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:35.030
understanding how our own planet might


00:14:35.040 --> 00:14:37.750
navigate cosmic challenges billions of


00:14:37.760 --> 00:14:40.150
years from now. If you'd like to stay


00:14:40.160 --> 00:14:41.910
connected with the latest developments


00:14:41.920 --> 00:14:44.710
in space and astronomy, please visit our


00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:46.189
website at


00:14:46.199 --> 00:14:48.069
astronomydaily.io where you can sign up


00:14:48.079 --> 00:14:50.949
for our free daily newsletter. Our site


00:14:50.959 --> 00:14:53.189
features a constantly updating news feed


00:14:53.199 --> 00:14:55.189
with all the latest space and astronomy


00:14:55.199 --> 00:14:57.350
news as it happens. Don't forget to


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subscribe to this podcast on Apple


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Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever


00:15:02.240 --> 00:15:04.550
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an episode. Your support helps us


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continue bringing these fascinating


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stories to you. And if you could, a


00:15:11.040 --> 00:15:13.069
review would be greatly appreciated,


00:15:13.079 --> 00:15:14.949
too. Thank you for listening to


00:15:14.959 --> 00:15:16.710
Astronomy Daily. Until next time, keep


00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:20.310
looking up.


00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:27.310
Stories


00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:30.540
told stories


00:15:30.550 --> 00:15:35.230
[Music]


00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:38.959
told stories