SpaceX’s Million-Satellite Vision, Ancient Star Maps, and China’s Solar Mission


Welcome to Astronomy Daily! Join hosts Anna and Avery for today's cosmic journey through space news, featuring SpaceX's audacious plan for one million solar-powered satellites, an ancient star catalog recovered from layers of medieval text, and China's groundbreaking solar mission to the L5 point.
**Episode Highlights:**
🛰️ **SpaceX's Million-Satellite Vision** - SpaceX files with the FCC to launch up to one million solar-powered satellite data centers for AI, framing it as a step toward becoming a Kardashev Type II civilization
⭐ **Ancient Star Map Revealed** - Scientists use X-ray technology to uncover Hipparchus's 2,000-year-old star catalog hidden under six layers of ink in a medieval manuscript
☀️ **China's Solar Observatory** - The Xihe-2 probe will become the first mission to monitor solar activity from the Sun-Earth L5 point, offering five-day advance warnings of space weather events
🔭 **Stellar Detective Story** - Astronomers discover WOH G64 isn't dying after all—a hidden companion star was fooling scientists about the red supergiant's fate
🚀 **Time Honors Artemis 2** - Time magazine releases special commemorative cover celebrating the Artemis 2 crew ahead of humanity's return to lunar orbit
🌍 **Remembering Gladys West** - Honoring the GPS pioneer and "Hidden Figure" whose mathematical work shaped navigation technology used by billions worldwide
**Episode Length:** 18-20 minutes
**Hosts:** Anna & Avery
**Production:** Astronomy Daily Podcast, Season 5
---
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## Story Sources
- TechCrunch
- Daily Galaxy
- Space.com
- Journal for the History of Astronomy
- CGTN News
- Keele University
- U.S. Department of Defense
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Kind: captions
Language: en
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Welcome [music] to Astronomy Daily, your
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source for the latest space and
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astronomy news. I'm Anna.
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>> And I'm Avery. It's Monday, February
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[music] 2nd, 2026, and we've got a
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fantastic lineup of stories today,
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exploring [music] everything from
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SpaceX's audacious satellite plans to
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ancient star maps hidden for centuries.
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That's right, Avery. Today, we're diving
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into SpaceX's jaw-dropping proposal to
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launch up to 1 million solar [music]
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powered satellites. A remarkable
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archaeological discovery revealing
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Hipparcus' lost [music] star catalog and
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China's ambitious solar monitoring
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mission heading to a unique point in
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space. We'll also be discussing the
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[music] giant star that fooled
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astronomers worldwide, Time magazine
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special tribute to the Aremis 2 crew,
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and remembering Glattis West, a hidden
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figure who helps shape GPS [music]
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technology. It's going to be an
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incredible journey through space
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history, present, and future. So settle
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in and let's explore the cosmos
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together.
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>> We're starting with what might be the
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most ambitious satellite constellation
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proposal ever conceived. SpaceX has
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filed with the Federal Communications
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Commission seeking approval to launch up
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to 1 million solar powered satellites
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that would function as data centers for
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artificial intelligence.
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>> 1 million satellites, Avery. That's
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absolutely staggering. To put that in
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perspective, there are currently around
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15,000 man-made satellites orbiting
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Earth, according to the European Space
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Agency. SpaceX is essentially proposing
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to increase that number by several
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orders of magnitude.
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>> The scale is mind-boggling, Anna, and
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SpaceX isn't just framing this as a
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commercial venture. Their filing
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describes these satellites as the most
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efficient way to meet accelerating
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demand for AI computing power, but they
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go even further. They're calling it a
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first step towards becoming a
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Cardartesev type 2 civilization. One
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that can harness the sun's full power.
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>> That's quite the vision. For our
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listeners who might not be familiar, the
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Cardev scale is a method of measuring a
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civilization's technological advancement
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based on energy consumption. A type 2
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civilization would be able to harness
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all the energy output of its star. But
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let's talk practicalities here. The
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Verge has pointed out that the 1 million
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satellite number is unlikely to be
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approved outright and is probably a
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starting point for negotiation.
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>> Exactly. The FCC recently gave SpaceX
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permission to launch an additional 7,575
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Starlink satellites, but deferred
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authorization on the remaining 14,988
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satellites proposed. So there's clearly
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regulatory caution about satellite
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proliferation and there are very real
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concerns about space debris and light
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pollution that come with such massive
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constellations. The timing is also
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interesting. This filing comes as Amazon
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is seeking an FCC extension on a
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deadline to have more than 1,600
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satellites in orbit citing a lack of
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available rockets. Meanwhile, SpaceX is
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reportedly considering a merger with two
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of Elon Musk's other companies, Tesla
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and XAI, ahead of going public.
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>> It really shows how the commercial space
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sector is evolving. Anna, what was once
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the domain of governments is
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increasingly being driven by private
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companies with enormous ambitions.
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Whether SpaceX gets approval for
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anything close to a million satellites
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remains to be seen, but it certainly
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signals where they think the future is
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headed. It's fascinating to think about,
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but we'll have to see how regulators
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balance innovation with the very real
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concerns about our orbital environment.
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Now, let's move from the future to the
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distant past. From cuttingedge satellite
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technology, we're traveling back more
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than 2,000 years to rediscover one of
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astronomy's greatest lost treasures.
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Scientists have successfully recovered
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fragments of the world's earliest star
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catalog created by the ancient Greek
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astronomer Hipparus from a 1500year-old
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manuscript. This is absolutely
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remarkable. Avery Hipparus is widely
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considered the father of astronomy. He
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figured out how equinoxes shift, created
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a magnitude scale to rank star
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brightness, and tracked planetary motion
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all more than 2,000 years ago without
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any telescopes. But his actual star
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catalog had vanished from history until
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now.
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>> The manuscript is what's called a
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palumst, which means it's parchment that
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was wiped clean and reused. In this
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case, Hipparkus' original Greek text was
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erased and overwritten with Syriak
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religious writings of St. John Clamicus.
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The original work was literally buried
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under six layers of ink.
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>> So, how did researchers manage to read
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text that was intentionally erased
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centuries ago? They used some pretty
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sophisticated technology. A team led by
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Victor Gizenberg from Sorbon University
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used X-ray technology at the SALC
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National Accelerator Laboratory to scan
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11 pages of the manuscript.
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>> The key was that Hypocus original ink
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had a different chemical composition
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than the later religious texts. The
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ancient ink was rich in calcium which
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showed up clearly under X-ray scanning.
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They used extremely short X-ray pulses,
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each just 10 milliseconds long, focused
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on areas no wider than a human air.
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>> And what they found is remarkable. These
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aren't just historical curiosities. The
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star positions Hipparus recorded are
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incredibly accurate for naked eye
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observations. As Gizenberg said, the
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coordinates they're finding are
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incredibly accurate for something done
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with the naked eye. This gives us a
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window into how ancient people
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understood and mapped the night sky.
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>> It's also a testament to early
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scientific thinking. Hipparcus was
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working without any optical instruments.
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Yet, he was able to create precise
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astronomical measurements that laid the
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foundation for future astronomers. This
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discovery published in the journal for
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the history of astronomy helps us answer
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fundamental questions about the birth of
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science itself. And the manuscript now
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held at the Museum of the Bible in
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Washington DC is so delicate it had to
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be handcarried in climate controlled
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boxes to the laboratory. It's wonderful
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that modern technology can help us
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recover these ancient insights. Speaking
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of technology and new vantage points,
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let's turn to China's upcoming solar
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mission. China is making major strides
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in solar exploration with plans to
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launch its first ever solar probe to the
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Sun Earth L5 point. The satellite called
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Shihi 2 is scheduled to launch between
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2028 and 2029 and it will provide a
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unique perspective on solar activity
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that we've never had before. For our
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listeners who might not be familiar, the
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:51.430
L5 point or Lrangee.5 is one of five
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special locations in space where the
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gravitational forces of the Earth and
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Sun balance out. It's about 150 million
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km from Earth and spacecraft positioned
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there require minimal fuel to maintain
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their orbit because they're in a stable
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gravitational equilibrium.
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>> Exactly, Anna. and L5 provides a direct
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unobstructed view of the sun without
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Earth's atmosphere getting in the way.
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This makes it ideal for capturing
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detailed data on solar magnetic fields,
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flares, and eruptions. GI2 will be the
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first artificial probe ever stationed at
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this location. The mission has some
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impressive capabilities. GI2 is equipped
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with cuttingedge technology designed for
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high precision magnetic field detection.
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This will help reveal the intricate
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dynamics of solar eruptions. But here's
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what's really exciting. The mission aims
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to predict solar activity up to 5 days
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in advance. That's a gamecher for space
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weather forecasting. Solar flares and
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coronal mass ejections can have profound
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effects on Earth's magnetic field and
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satellite systems. We've seen how
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geomagnetic storms can disrupt
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communication networks, GPS systems, and
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even power grids. Having 5 days advanced
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warning could help protect critical
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infrastructure.
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>> It's worth noting this builds on China's
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previous solar mission. In 2021, China
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launched Shihei, their first solar
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exploration satellite, which captured
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solar Halpha spectral imaging from low
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Earth orbit. Shihi 2 represents a much
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more ambitious leap heading to a distant
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and challenging location. The mission is
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a collaborative effort between Nanjing
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University, the China Meteorological
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Administration, and the Shanghai Academy
00:08:37.839 --> 00:08:40.469
of Space Flight Technology. It really
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demonstrates China's growing leadership
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in space exploration and their
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commitment to understanding space
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weather. And as we become increasingly
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reliant on space-based technologies,
00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:54.230
understanding and predicting solar
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activity becomes more crucial than ever.
00:08:57.040 --> 00:08:59.190
This mission could significantly improve
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our ability to protect satellites,
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astronauts, and infrastructure on Earth.
00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:06.389
Now, let's turn to a mystery that had
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astronomers scratching their heads.
00:09:08.800 --> 00:09:10.630
>> Here's a stellar detective story for
00:09:10.640 --> 00:09:12.710
you. Astronomers thought they were
00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:17.430
watching a massive star called WG64
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undergo its death throws, possibly even
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transforming into a rare yellow hyper
00:09:22.560 --> 00:09:25.829
giant before going supernova. Turns out
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they were completely wrong.
00:09:27.680 --> 00:09:29.670
>> This is such a great example of how
00:09:29.680 --> 00:09:33.430
science works. Avery WHG64
00:09:33.440 --> 00:09:35.990
is located in the large melanic cloud
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and is one of the most luminous dust and
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shrouded red super giants in its galaxy.
00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:43.829
In recent years, astronomers observed
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unusual dimming and changing spectral
00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:48.470
features that suggested the star was
00:09:48.480 --> 00:09:51.350
entering an extremely rare and unstable
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phase. In 2024, the appearance of a new
00:09:54.640 --> 00:09:56.790
dust cloud around the star seemed to
00:09:56.800 --> 00:09:58.949
confirm that something dramatic was
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happening. Many researchers thought they
00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:03.350
were witnessing a massive star in its
00:10:03.360 --> 00:10:05.750
final moments. But fresh observations
00:10:05.760 --> 00:10:08.550
from a team led by Dr. Jaco Vanlon at
00:10:08.560 --> 00:10:11.269
Kil University revealed a completely
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:14.949
different story. Between November 2024
00:10:14.959 --> 00:10:18.550
and December 2025, the team used the
00:10:18.560 --> 00:10:21.190
Southern African Large Telescope to
00:10:21.200 --> 00:10:24.310
collect detailed optical spectra of WO
00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:25.990
G64.
00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:28.630
What they found contradicted all the
00:10:28.640 --> 00:10:31.430
previous assumptions. Instead of the
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.590
temperature increase you'd expect in a
00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:36.630
yellow hyper giant, they found strong
00:10:36.640 --> 00:10:39.590
absorption bands from titanium oxide
00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:42.470
molecules. And here's why that matters.
00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:45.190
Titanium oxide molecules can't survive
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in the hotter environment of a yellow
00:10:47.360 --> 00:10:51.430
hyper giant. That meant wo G64 hadn't
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:53.590
undergone the suspected transformation
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at all. Something else was causing all
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those puzzling observations.
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>> The answer turned out to be a companion
00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:03.269
star. W64
00:11:03.279 --> 00:11:05.990
is actually part of a binary system. A
00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:08.389
smaller, hotter companion star orbits
00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:10.790
the red super giant and periodically
00:11:10.800 --> 00:11:13.350
interacts with its extended atmosphere.
00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:15.750
As Van Lon explained, the atmosphere of
00:11:15.760 --> 00:11:17.910
the red super giant is being stretched
00:11:17.920 --> 00:11:19.590
out by the approach of the companion
00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:21.670
star, but it hasn't been stripped
00:11:21.680 --> 00:11:24.150
altogether. So nearly every major
00:11:24.160 --> 00:11:25.670
indicator that astronomers had
00:11:25.680 --> 00:11:27.750
interpreted as signs of impending
00:11:27.760 --> 00:11:30.230
stellar death, the fading light, the
00:11:30.240 --> 00:11:33.110
spectral shifts, the dust formation, was
00:11:33.120 --> 00:11:35.670
actually caused by this companion star.
00:11:35.680 --> 00:11:37.509
Some of the disrupted material even
00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:39.829
appears to form a disc around the hot
00:11:39.839 --> 00:11:42.069
companion, which contributed to those
00:11:42.079 --> 00:11:43.910
strange spectral emissions.
00:11:43.920 --> 00:11:46.630
>> Banoon described it beautifully. We're
00:11:46.640 --> 00:11:49.110
essentially witnessing a phoenix rising
00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:53.269
from the ashes. It's not that WG64
00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:56.310
won't eventually go supernova. It will.
00:11:56.320 --> 00:11:58.550
But that event isn't imminent, despite
00:11:58.560 --> 00:12:01.190
what all the evidence seemed to suggest.
00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:03.670
This discovery highlights how binary
00:12:03.680 --> 00:12:06.069
interactions can perfectly mimic the
00:12:06.079 --> 00:12:08.470
hallmarks of a dying star. It's a
00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:10.230
humbling reminder that the universe
00:12:10.240 --> 00:12:12.710
still has plenty of surprises for us.
00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:14.629
Careful follow-up observations with
00:12:14.639 --> 00:12:17.190
attention to dust obscuration revealed
00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:19.110
that earlier spectral signals were
00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:21.430
misleading. Now, let's shift from
00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.910
stellar mysteries to human achievements.
00:12:23.920 --> 00:12:26.310
As Time magazine celebrates an historic
00:12:26.320 --> 00:12:27.030
moment,
00:12:27.040 --> 00:12:29.910
>> as NASA's Aremis 2 mission sits poised
00:12:29.920 --> 00:12:32.790
on launchpad 39B at Kennedy Space
00:12:32.800 --> 00:12:35.269
Center, Time magazine has honored the
00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:37.269
crew with a special commemorative cover
00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:40.150
issue that draws powerful parallels to
00:12:40.160 --> 00:12:42.470
one of history's most pivotal space
00:12:42.480 --> 00:12:45.030
missions. The cover features the four
00:12:45.040 --> 00:12:47.829
Artemis 2 astronauts, Reed Weisman,
00:12:47.839 --> 00:12:50.310
Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, and
00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:52.389
Christina Ko, who are scheduled to
00:12:52.399 --> 00:12:54.870
launch as early as February 8th for a
00:12:54.880 --> 00:12:57.829
10-day lunar flyby mission. The article
00:12:57.839 --> 00:12:59.670
accompanying it was written by Jeffrey
00:12:59.680 --> 00:13:01.990
Kuger, the best-selling author known for
00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:05.269
Apollo 13 and the Apollo murders. What's
00:13:05.279 --> 00:13:07.590
particularly poignant is the comparison
00:13:07.600 --> 00:13:10.470
Kuger draws to Apollo 8, which orbited
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:13.269
the moon in December 1968.
00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:15.750
That was a year of tremendous turmoil in
00:13:15.760 --> 00:13:17.910
the United States and around the world.
00:13:17.920 --> 00:13:20.230
And Apollo 8's Christmas Eve broadcast
00:13:20.240 --> 00:13:22.629
from lunar orbit provided a moment of
00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:25.269
unity and inspiration that transcended
00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:27.269
borders and politics.
00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:29.590
>> As Kuger writes in the article, "Not
00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:31.430
every mission touches the collective
00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:36.069
soul, but some do. Apollo 8, Apollo 11,
00:13:36.079 --> 00:13:39.350
Apollo 13. These were less American
00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:42.310
experiences than global dramas, global
00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:45.509
triumphs, global joys. And he suggests
00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:47.670
Artemis 2 could work similar magic
00:13:47.680 --> 00:13:48.550
today.
00:13:48.560 --> 00:13:50.790
>> The mission itself will push human
00:13:50.800 --> 00:13:53.590
spaceflight to new limits. Artemis 2's
00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:56.710
trajectory will take the crew 4,700
00:13:56.720 --> 00:13:59.430
m beyond the far side of the moon,
00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:01.269
farther than our species has ever
00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:03.590
traveled. That will break the old record
00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.870
of 158 miles past the moon, which was
00:14:06.880 --> 00:14:09.189
held by the Apollo 13 astronauts during
00:14:09.199 --> 00:14:11.990
that dramatic 1970 mission.
00:14:12.000 --> 00:14:14.710
>> NASA administrator Jared Isikman posted
00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:17.030
sidebyside Time magazine covers from
00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:20.870
1968 and 2026 on social media, noting
00:14:20.880 --> 00:14:23.750
that 58 years after Apollo 8's historic
00:14:23.760 --> 00:14:26.389
trip, NASA is heading back. He
00:14:26.399 --> 00:14:28.150
emphasized that through the Aremis
00:14:28.160 --> 00:14:30.470
campaign, the agency aims to maintain
00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:32.710
American leadership in space, land
00:14:32.720 --> 00:14:35.189
astronauts on the moon, and establish a
00:14:35.199 --> 00:14:38.550
lunar base all before the end of 2028.
00:14:38.560 --> 00:14:41.189
>> What strikes me about both Apollo 8 and
00:14:41.199 --> 00:14:44.069
Aremis 2 is their role in opening new
00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:46.949
chapters. Apollo 8 proved humans could
00:14:46.959 --> 00:14:49.590
safely journey to the moon and return,
00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:52.710
paving the way for Apollo 11's landing.
00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:55.269
Artemis 2 is similarly demonstrating the
00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.750
capabilities that will enable Artemis 3
00:14:57.760 --> 00:15:00.629
to put humans back on the lunar surface.
00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:02.870
>> And as Kuger points out, the mission
00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:04.870
represents not just a technological
00:15:04.880 --> 00:15:07.189
achievement, but a significant edge in
00:15:07.199 --> 00:15:09.670
any space race with China, while also
00:15:09.680 --> 00:15:11.910
offering the kind of public uplift that
00:15:11.920 --> 00:15:13.750
spaceflight has uniquely been able to
00:15:13.760 --> 00:15:16.710
provide since the 1960s. It's a moment
00:15:16.720 --> 00:15:19.189
when four people serve as emissaries for
00:15:19.199 --> 00:15:21.590
the 8.3 billion of us who remain
00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:24.230
earthbound. With the wet dress rehearsal
00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.069
happening right now and launch
00:15:26.079 --> 00:15:28.629
potentially just days away, this Time
00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:30.550
magazine issue captures what could be
00:15:30.560 --> 00:15:34.069
one of 2026's most inspiring moments.
00:15:34.079 --> 00:15:36.550
And speaking of inspiration, we need to
00:15:36.560 --> 00:15:38.949
remember someone who made a profound but
00:15:38.959 --> 00:15:41.670
often overlooked contribution to how we
00:15:41.680 --> 00:15:43.990
navigate our world. We're closing
00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.990
today's show with a remembrance of Dr.
00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:48.470
Glattis West who passed away Saturday at
00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:51.350
the age of 95. West was one of the
00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:53.590
hidden figures whose work fundamentally
00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:56.470
shaped modern GPS technology. Yet her
00:15:56.480 --> 00:15:58.790
contributions went largely unrecognized
00:15:58.800 --> 00:16:00.150
until recently.
00:16:00.160 --> 00:16:02.310
>> Glattis West's story is one of
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:04.150
extraordinary perseverance and
00:16:04.160 --> 00:16:06.310
achievement in the face of significant
00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:09.590
obstacles. She was born on October 27th,
00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:11.670
1930 in rural Southerntherland,
00:16:11.680 --> 00:16:14.310
Virginia, south of Richmond. Her parents
00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:16.150
had a small farm and most of the
00:16:16.160 --> 00:16:18.550
region's population were tenant farmers
00:16:18.560 --> 00:16:21.189
known as sharecroppers. She initially
00:16:21.199 --> 00:16:23.189
expected her future would lead to farm
00:16:23.199 --> 00:16:25.350
work or a job at the tobacco processing
00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:27.269
plant where her mother worked, but she
00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:29.030
excelled academically, becoming
00:16:29.040 --> 00:16:30.629
validictorian of her high school
00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:32.870
graduating class. She earned a full
00:16:32.880 --> 00:16:34.949
scholarship to Virginia State College,
00:16:34.959 --> 00:16:36.470
which was a historically black
00:16:36.480 --> 00:16:38.629
institution, and went on to earn both
00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.629
her bachelor's and master's degrees in
00:16:40.639 --> 00:16:43.110
mathematics. This was during the Jim
00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:45.910
Crow era of racial segregation. Avery,
00:16:45.920 --> 00:16:49.030
after graduating in 1955, the same year
00:16:49.040 --> 00:16:51.030
President Eisenhower banned racial
00:16:51.040 --> 00:16:53.670
discrimination in federal hiring, West
00:16:53.680 --> 00:16:55.350
began working at what was then called
00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:57.509
the Naval Proving Ground in Dogrren,
00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:59.829
Virginia. She told NPR that there were
00:16:59.839 --> 00:17:01.829
three other black professionals there
00:17:01.839 --> 00:17:03.749
and they tried to treat the leaders with
00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:05.750
respect while hoping for the same
00:17:05.760 --> 00:17:07.350
treatment in return.
00:17:07.360 --> 00:17:10.470
>> West stayed at Dogrren for 42 years and
00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:13.110
her contributions were remarkable. In
00:17:13.120 --> 00:17:15.990
the 1960s, she participated in a study
00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:18.549
showing that Pluto's motion is regular
00:17:18.559 --> 00:17:21.110
compared with Neptune. But her most
00:17:21.120 --> 00:17:23.829
significant work came in the 1970s and
00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:25.909
80s when she helped develop the
00:17:25.919 --> 00:17:29.029
foundational mathematics for GPS.
00:17:29.039 --> 00:17:31.190
>> What's fascinating is the complexity of
00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.270
what she accomplished. West used
00:17:33.280 --> 00:17:35.270
intricate algorithms to account for
00:17:35.280 --> 00:17:38.150
variations in gravitational title and
00:17:38.160 --> 00:17:40.549
other forces that distort Earth's shape.
00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:43.750
She programmed the IBM 7030 computer,
00:17:43.760 --> 00:17:45.750
also known as stretch, to deliver
00:17:45.760 --> 00:17:48.470
increasingly refined calculations for an
00:17:48.480 --> 00:17:50.310
extremely accurate model of Earth's
00:17:50.320 --> 00:17:52.549
shape, specifically optimized for what
00:17:52.559 --> 00:17:54.870
ultimately became the GPS orbit used by
00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:56.230
satellite.
00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.230
>> Her work essentially created the
00:17:58.240 --> 00:18:00.710
mathematical framework that allows GPS
00:18:00.720 --> 00:18:03.510
to function accurately. Today, there are
00:18:03.520 --> 00:18:06.789
about 4 billion GPS users worldwide,
00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:09.190
according to Loheed Martin. Yet, when
00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:12.310
asked about using GPS herself, West told
00:18:12.320 --> 00:18:15.110
an NPR affiliate in 2020 that she used
00:18:15.120 --> 00:18:17.510
it on a minimal basis. She preferred
00:18:17.520 --> 00:18:20.070
maps. West's career wasn't widely
00:18:20.080 --> 00:18:22.789
recognized until the 2016 publication of
00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.950
Margot Lee Shudderly's book, Hidden
00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:27.110
Figures, and the Hollywood film based on
00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:29.430
it. After that, the accolades came
00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:31.510
quickly. She was inducted into the Air
00:18:31.520 --> 00:18:33.669
Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of
00:18:33.679 --> 00:18:35.990
Fame in 2018, received the Webbby
00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.710
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021, and
00:18:38.720 --> 00:18:40.549
was honored with the Prince Philip Medal
00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:42.310
by the UK's Royal Academy of
00:18:42.320 --> 00:18:43.510
Engineering.
00:18:43.520 --> 00:18:45.669
>> She was predecessed last year by her
00:18:45.679 --> 00:18:48.870
husband of 57 years, Ira, whom she met
00:18:48.880 --> 00:18:51.110
at the Naval Proving Ground. The couple
00:18:51.120 --> 00:18:52.870
had three children and seven
00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:55.190
grandchildren. Her family announced that
00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:57.350
she passed peacefully alongside loved
00:18:57.360 --> 00:19:00.070
ones. Blattis West's story reminds us
00:19:00.080 --> 00:19:01.830
that some of the most important
00:19:01.840 --> 00:19:03.909
scientific contributions come from
00:19:03.919 --> 00:19:06.230
unexpected places and from people who
00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.870
had to overcome tremendous barriers.
00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:10.710
From a childhood in rural Virginia
00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:13.430
during segregation to reshaping how the
00:19:13.440 --> 00:19:15.990
entire world navigates. Her legacy
00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:18.390
touches billions of lives every single
00:19:18.400 --> 00:19:21.590
day. Every time someone uses GPS to find
00:19:21.600 --> 00:19:23.990
directions, track a delivery, or
00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:26.390
navigate by sea or air, they're
00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.990
benefiting from the mathematical
00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:30.070
foundations Glattis West helped
00:19:30.080 --> 00:19:32.789
establish. It's a powerful reminder that
00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:34.950
science is built by people from all
00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:36.470
backgrounds, and that we should
00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:38.310
celebrate those contributions while the
00:19:38.320 --> 00:19:40.470
pioneers are still with us.
00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.470
>> And that wraps up today's episode of
00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.870
Astronomy Daily. We've journeyed from
00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:47.669
SpaceX's ambitious satellite plans to
00:19:47.679 --> 00:19:49.669
ancient star maps, from solar
00:19:49.679 --> 00:19:52.070
observatories at special points in space
00:19:52.080 --> 00:19:54.150
to stellar mysteries solved. From
00:19:54.160 --> 00:19:56.310
upcoming lunar missions to the legacy of
00:19:56.320 --> 00:19:58.230
a GPS pioneer,
00:19:58.240 --> 00:19:59.830
>> it's been quite a tour through the
00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:02.390
cosmos. Anna, as always, we're grateful
00:20:02.400 --> 00:20:04.230
you joined us for this exploration of
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:06.870
space and astronomy news. If you enjoyed
00:20:06.880 --> 00:20:08.789
today's episode, please subscribe to
00:20:08.799 --> 00:20:11.190
Astronomy Daily on your favorite podcast
00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:13.430
platform. You can also find us on social
00:20:13.440 --> 00:20:16.070
media. We're @ astrodaily pod on
00:20:16.080 --> 00:20:18.789
Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok,
00:20:18.799 --> 00:20:21.029
YouTube, and Tumblr. Visit our website
00:20:21.039 --> 00:20:23.110
at astronomyaily.io
00:20:23.120 --> 00:20:25.270
for more space news and to explore our
00:20:25.280 --> 00:20:27.190
archive of past episodes.
00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:28.470
>> I'm Avery.
00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:30.549
>> And I'm Anna. Thank you for listening
00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:32.310
and we'll see you tomorrow with more
00:20:32.320 --> 00:20:34.789
news from the final frontier.
00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:38.789
>> Clear skies. [music]
00:20:38.799 --> 00:20:47.029
The stories we told
00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:54.950
stories told [music]
00:20:54.960 --> 00:20:57.679
stories




