Solar Probe’s Record Run, Blue Origin’s Milestone, and the Enigmatic Black Moon: S03E244

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welcome to astronomy daily your source


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for the latest space and astronomy news


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I'm your host Anna and today we've got


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an exciting lineup of stories from


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Parker solar probe's historic solar


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approach to a rare astronomical event


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closing out the year there's certainly a


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lot going on even though it's holiday


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time so let's get started with today's


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history making news


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first in a remarkable achievement NASA's


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Parker solar probe has just successfully


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completed its closest ever pass to the


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sun breaking its own previous record on


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December 24th the spacecraft flew an


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astounding 3.8 million miles above the


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solar surface hurdling through the solar


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atmosphere at a blazing speed of 430,000


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mph faster than any human-made object in


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history the mission teams received


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confirmation late on December 26th when


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it phoned home so to speak that the


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spacecraft had successfully survived


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this extreme encounter and is operating


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normally this incredible feat wasn't


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just a one-time event it's the first of


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several planned passes at this distance


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setting up the probe for unprecedented


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scientific observations of our star the


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spacecraft has spent the last six years


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preparing for this moment using seven


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strategic flybys of Venus to gradually


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adjust its orbit following its final


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Venus flyby in November Parker solar


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probe reached its optimal trajectory


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which will bring it close to the Sun


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every 3 months near enough to study


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mysterious solar processes but


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maintaining a safe distance from the


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sun's intense heat and radiation to


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survive these Close Encounters the probe


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relies on a sophisticated carbon foam


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Shield that protects it from


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temperatures exceeding 1 million de F in


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the Solar Corona while the shield itself


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heats up to around 1, 1800° fah it keeps


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the scientific instruments behind it at


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a comfortable room temperature these


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close passes are already revolutionizing


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our understanding of the sun previous


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approach have revealed that the outer


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boundary of the corona is more complex


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than expected with unexpected wrinkles


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and valleys the probe has also


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identified the origin of important solar


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wind structures and is helping


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scientists better understand how the


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solar wind accelerates as it leaves the


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sun this Mission represents a historic


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moment in space exploration marking


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Humanity's First Direct investigation of


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a star and Promises to unlock new


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mysteries about our Sun's behavior and


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its effects throughout the solar system


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moving on Blue origin has just hit two


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major milestones in their Journey


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towards launching their massive new


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Glenn rocket the company successfully


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completed an integrated hot fire test of


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the fully assembled launch vehicle at


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launch complex 36 in Cape Canaveral


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Florida during this crucial 24 second


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test all seven B4 engines operated


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flawlessly including 13 seconds at full


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thrust this wasn't just a simple engine


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test the demonstration involved the


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complete flight vehicle including both


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first and second stages along with test


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versions of the payload Fairing and


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various other components teams conducted


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multiple days of preparation including


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tanking tests with both liquid natural


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gas and liquid oxygen in the first stage


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and liquid hydrogen and oxygen in the


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second stage adding to this technical


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achievement the Federal Aviation


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Administration has granted blue origin a


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part 450 commercial launch license for


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new Glenn this 5-year authorization


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marks a significant regulatory Milestone


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clearing the way for actual flight


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operations new Glenn stands an


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impressive 321 ft tall with a first


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stage designed to land propulsively


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similar to spacex's Falcon 9 those seven


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B4 engines that performed so well in the


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test are the same ones currently


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powering United launch alliance's Vulcan


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rocket giving blue origin valuable


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flight experience with their engine


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design before new Glenn's first launch


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when new Glenn does take flight it will


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carry the blue ring Pathfinder as its


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first payload this Mission will serve as


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a crucial step in certifying the rocket


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for National Security space launch


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missions potentially opening the door to


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lucrative government


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contracts with multiple Vehicles already


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in production and a growing manifest of


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commercial and government customers blue


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origin appears well positioned to join


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the ranks of major launch providers in


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the near


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future you know how I keep telling you


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to get outside and look up well it's


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about to pay off stargazers and


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astronomy enthusiasts are in for a treat


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as we approach the end of December with


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a rare astronomical phenomenon known as


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a black moon set to occur on December


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30th at 5:27 p.m. eastern time while the


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term isn't officially recognized by


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astronomers it refers to the second new


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moon occurring within a single calendar


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month similar to how a blue moon


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describes a second full moon in a month


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during a new moon the Sun and moon share


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the same Celestial longitude meaning the


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illuminated side of the moon faces away


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from Earth making it invisible to


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observers while we can't see the moon


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itself this absence of moonlight creates


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perfect conditions for viewing other


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celestial objects the timing couldn't be


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better for winter stargazing in North


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America where the typically drier air


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offers exceptional viewing conditions


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through telescopes the night sky will be


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particularly active with several planets


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visible to observers Venus and Saturn


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will Grace the southwestern sky in the


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evening hours while Jupiter will be


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prominently positioned in the East


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appearing near the bright star Al dearin


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in Taurus the winter constellations will


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be on full display with Orion the hunter


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taking center stage in the Eastern Sky


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look for the distinctive three stars of


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Orion's Belt and the bright stars


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Beetlejuice and Riel marking his


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shoulder and foot the HED star cluster


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forming the face of Taurus the Bull will


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be visible above Orion while Sirus the


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brightest star in our night sky will


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shine brilliantly as part of Canis Major


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below for those willing to stay up later


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Leo the Lion will rise in the east


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marked by the bright star regulus and


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its distinctive sickle-shaped pattern of


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stars forming the lion's mane this


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moonless night offers an exceptional


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opportunity to observe these Celestial


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wonders in all their Glory


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enjoy in more news today about our star


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the sun put on quite a Christmas light


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show this year with our star unleashing


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four powerful solar flares within just 2


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and 1/2 hours on December 25th the most


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significant of these eruptions was


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classified as an M7 three flare bursting


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forth from a region known as AR


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3,938 at 105 p.m. eastern time these


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synchronized explosions known as


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sympathetic solar flares are quite rare


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and occurred across three different


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Sunspot regions ar


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3,938 ar 393


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3 and AR


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3936 what makes this event particularly


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interesting is that despite being


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spatially separated on the sun's surface


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these regions were actually connected by


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invisible magnetic Loops causing them to


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erupt in concert like a cosmic Chain


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Reaction the National Oceanic and


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Atmospheric administration's solar


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monitoring satellites captured these


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spectacular eruptions which resembled


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festive twinkling lights on a cosmic


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scale while these flares were impressive


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the resulting coronal mass ejection


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that's the supercharged plasma bubble


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that gets hurled into space is expected


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to pass just north of Earth meaning


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we'll likely miss out on any Aurora


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displays this time however there's still


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hope for some Celestial fireworks before


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the year ends scientists are confident


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that the sun will maintain its active


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State through the remainder of


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2024 all it takes is one well- aimed


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powerful flare to treat us to a


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spectacular Aurora show as we approach


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the new year so keep looking up these


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Christmas flares serve as another


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reminder of Our Stars incredible power


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and unpredictability as we continue to


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Monitor and study its Dynamic Behavior


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the sun's increasing activity gives


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scientists valuable opportunities to


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better understand these powerful solar


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phenomena and their potential impacts on


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Earth in a significant development for


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Mars exploration NASA administrator Bill


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Nelson Has revealed that a major


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announcement about the Mars sample


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return Mission redesign is coming in


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early January this highly anticipated


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decision aims to address the mounting


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concerns over the Project's timeline and


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budget that have emerged in recent


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months the original Mission design


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carrying an estimated price tag of 11


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billion and a sample return date of 2040


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was deemed unsustainable by NASA


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leadership Nelson emphasized that this


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timeline would conflict with NASA's


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broader Mars exploration goals


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particularly since the agency plans to


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Have astronauts on the red planet by the


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2040s the redesign effort has taken an


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Innovative approach by actively


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involving Private Industry Partners


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alongside NASA's traditional centers


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early indications suggest this strategy


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is yielding promising results with


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proposals that could significantly


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reduce costs and accelerate the mission


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timeline this shift in strategy comes


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after a comprehensive review by an


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independent review board highlighted


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serious concerns about the Project's


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scope and feasibility the mission's


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complexity is substantial involving


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multiple spacecraft components including


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a Lander a rocket to launch samples from


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Mars's surface and an Orbiter to


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transport the samples back to Earth the


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urgency behind this redesign is driven


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by the fact that the perseverance Rover


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is already on Mars actively collecting


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and caching samples these precious


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materials represent an unprecedented


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opportunity to study mars' geological


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history and potential signs of ancient


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life making the success of the sample


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return Mission crucial for our


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understanding of the red planet NASA's


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leadership is optimistic that the new


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industry involved approach will provide


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a more practical path forward ensuring


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these valuable Martian samples make it


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back to Earth for study before human


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missions begin the upcoming announcement


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is expected to detail significant


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changes to the mission architecture


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while maintaining its core scientific


00:10:26.640 --> 00:10:29.509
objectives and that's it for today this


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is Anna signing off from another


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fascinating episode of astronomy daily


00:10:33.880 --> 00:10:35.310
if you want to stay up toate with all


00:10:35.320 --> 00:10:36.750
the latest developments in space


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exploration and astronomy head over to


00:10:38.959 --> 00:10:40.670
our website at astronomy


00:10:40.680 --> 00:10:43.110
daily. where our Newsfeed is constantly


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updated with the most recent stories


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from across the cosmos and don't forget


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to join our growing community on social


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media you can find us as Astro daily pod


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music and Tik Tok until next time keep


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looking up and stay curious about our


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amazing Universe see you soon