Unveiling the Sun: NASA’s Punch Mission, ISS Woes, and Mars Mysteries

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Language: en

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hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily


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your go-to source for the latest


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developments in space and astronomy news


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I'm Anna and I'm thrilled to have you


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join me for today's journey through the


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cosmos We've got a packed episode for


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you today covering some of the most


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exciting recent stories from across the


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space sector First up we'll explore


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NASA's Punch Mission which has just


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captured its first images of the sun's


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outer atmosphere


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These groundbreaking images are giving


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us new insights into how solar material


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flows through our solar system Then


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we'll dive into some concerning news


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about the International Space Station


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NASA's Safety Panel has issued warnings


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about increasing risks to the aging


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outpost as it approaches its projected


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retirement date We'll break down what


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these risks are and what they mean for


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the future of the ISS


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Next we'll travel to Mars where the


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Curiosity rover may have just solved a


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long-standing mystery about missing


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carbonates on the red planet This


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discovery could reshape our


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understanding of Mars' early atmospheric


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history We'll also look at fascinating


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research suggesting we're entering a


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period of more intense solar activity


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Scientists believe a hidden solar cycle


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is awakening which could lead to more


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extreme space weather over the next


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several decades Surprisingly this might


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not be entirely bad news Finally we'll


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hear the remarkable story of how Chinese


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scientists rescued a pair of lunar


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satellites that were stranded in the


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wrong orbit This complex rescue


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operation involved overcoming numerous


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challenges and executing a series of


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precise maneuvers to salvage the mission


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So strap in for a cosmic journey through


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these fascinating developments that are


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expanding our understanding of the


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universe around


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us In an exciting development for solar


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science NASA's PUCH mission has achieved


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a significant milestone by capturing its


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first images of the sun's outer


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atmosphere Punch which stands for


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polarimeter to unify the corona and


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heliosphere successfully completed its


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spacecraft commissioning phase just this


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week with the mission's instruments now


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beginning to reveal new details about


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how the solar atmosphere unfolds and


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streams through our solar system On


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April 14th the mission's narrow field


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imager and one of its three wide field


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imagers opened their instrument doors


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and captured what scientists call first


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light The initial images marking the


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beginning of the mission's scientific


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observations The remaining widefield


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imagers followed suit 2 days later


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opening their doors and starting to


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capture data as well These early images


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are quite fascinating The narrow field


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imager has captured starfields with the


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sun near the center of the image while


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the wide field imagers have provided


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expansive views of the surrounding space


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Scientists are now working to calibrate


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these observations to better reveal the


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subtle details of the sun's corona and


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the solar wind What makes Punch truly


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revolutionary is its constellation


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approach The mission consists of four


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small satellites working together one


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equipped with the narrow field imager


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and three carrying wide field images


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Once these satellites reach their


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targeted alignment their images will be


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stitched together to create a


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comprehensive view of the journey of the


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sun's corona and solar wind all the way


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to Earth The narrow field imager


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functions as a coronagraph blocking out


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the sun's bright light to better observe


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details in the corona Meanwhile the wide


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field imagers focus on the faint


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outermost portion of the solar corona


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and the solar wind itself This


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combination allows Punch to track solar


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material from its origin at the sun


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through interplanetary space During the


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calibration process scientists will be


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removing about 99% of the light from the


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corona enabling them to track the faint


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threads of solar material as they flow


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outward through space


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Similarly they'll remove star fields and


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background light from the wide field


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imager data to highlight the subtle flow


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of the solar wind toward Earth Punch


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will provide something we've never had


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before global three-dimensional


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observations of the inner solar system


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and the sun's outer atmosphere The


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mission aims to answer fundamental


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questions about how the sun's mass and


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energy become the solar wind That


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continuous stream of charged particles


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blowing outward from the sun in all


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directions Perhaps most significantly


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Punch will be the first mission to


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provide imagery of the solar wind and


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coronal mass ejections in polarized


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light This capability will give


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scientists new information about solar


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activity particularly about the


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formation and evolution of space weather


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events that can create storms of


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energetic particle radiation potentially


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endangering spacecraft and astronauts


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The mission is being led by Southwest


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Research Institute which operates the


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four spacecraft from its facilities in


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Boulder Colorado with management from


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NASA's Explorers Program office at


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Gddard Space Flight Center As the


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commissioning phase continues we can


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look forward to increasingly detailed


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views of our dynamic sun and its


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influence on the space environment


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around


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Earth Next up today some rather


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concerning news NASA's aerospace safety


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advisory panel has issued a stark


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warning about the International Space


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Station describing it as having entered


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the riskiest period of its existence


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During a recent public meeting panel


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member Rich Williams expressed serious


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concerns about increasing risks to the


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aging orbital laboratory as it


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approaches its planned retirement in


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2030 One of the panel's highest concerns


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involves ongoing leaks in a vestibule of


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the Russian Zvezda module known as


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PRK For several years now Russian and


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American experts have been investigating


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small cracks in this area with no


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resolution on their cause or how to best


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address them Officials from NASA and


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Roscosmos are scheduled to meet in


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Moscow later this month to update


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efforts to mitigate risks from these


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cracks In the meantime ISS managers have


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implemented procedures such as limiting


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repressurization of the vestibule which


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connects a docking port to the rest of


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the station The panel has also


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highlighted concerns about de-orbit


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plans for the ISS particularly in case


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of an emergency before the arrival of


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the US de-orbit vehicle being built by


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SpaceX According to Williams if the


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station needs to be de-orbited before


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this vehicle is delivered the risk to


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the public from ISS breakup debris will


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increase by orders of magnitude This is


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a sobering assessment of what could


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happen without proper de-orbit


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capabilities Adding to these worries are


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mounting issues with maintaining


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sufficient spare parts for life support


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systems and delays with cargo resupply


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vehicles


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Sierra Space's Dreamchaser vehicle has


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been delayed until at least late summer


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and Northrup Grumman had to scrap its


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planned NG22 Signis mission to the ISS


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due to damage the spacecraft sustained


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during shipping Perhaps most concerning


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the panel has pointed to what it


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describes as a large ISS budget


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shortfall underlying all these issues


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Williams stated that all of these risks


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are actually a derivative of this budget


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shortfall and collectively contribute to


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potential compromise of the low Earth


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orbit transition plan Though NASA


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allocated nearly $1 billion to ISS


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operations and maintenance in its fiscal


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year 2024 operating plan with an


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additional $1.63 billion for crew and


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cargo transportation The panel warns


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that these resources may be insufficient


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In its 2024 annual report the panel


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expressed grave concerns that if the


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necessary funds for the de-orbit vehicle


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and supporting launch infrastructure


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estimated at over $1 billion comes


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solely from the existing ISS budget this


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will unduly strain NASA's ability to


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safely perform normal and contingency


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ISS onorbit operations Williams


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emphasized that as programs near their


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final phases there's a temptation to


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assume fewer resources will be needed


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However he stressed that for the ISS it


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is critical to maintain adequate budget


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and resources until the vehicle is


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safely re-entered The panel concluded by


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acknowledging the demonstrated


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operational excellence of the ISS


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program while remaining deeply concerned


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about the increasing and cascading risk


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attending the program over the next


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several years With the station set to


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remain operational until 2030 managing


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these growing risks while maintaining


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safety standards will be a significant


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challenge for NASA and its international


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partners Let's head over to Mars now for


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an update Scientists may have finally


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solved one of the most enduring


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mysteries about Mars thanks to NASA's


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trusty Curiosity Rover For decades


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researchers have been puzzled by the


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apparent lack of carbonate minerals on


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the Martian surface which doesn't align


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with theories about the planet's early


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atmosphere According to our


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understanding Mars once had a much


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thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere that


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could have supported liquid water on its


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surface If that were true the


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interaction between this CO2 rich


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atmosphere and surface water should have


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created substantial carbonate deposits


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Yet these expected carbonates have been


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largely absent in observations from


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orbit That's where curiosity comes in


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The rover has been drilling deep beneath


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the Martian surface going down 1.2 to


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1.6 in into the rock These samples are


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then dropped into its chemical and


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minology instrument known as chimin


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which uses X-ray defraction to analyze


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the mineral composition of the rocks


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Thomas Bristo a research scientist at


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NASA as and co-author of the new study


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explains the significance Drilling


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through the layered Martian surface is


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like going through a history book just a


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few centimeters down gives us a good


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idea of the minerals that formed at or


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close to the surface around 3.5 billion


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years ago What Chimn discovered was


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surprising Carbonate minerals were


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indeed present in the subsurface rocks


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but they were effectively masked by


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other minerals particularly sulfates


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making them difficult to detect using


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satellite-based near infrared analysis


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This could explain why orbital


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observations have failed to identify


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widespread carbonates despite


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theoretical predictions that they should


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exist This finding has important


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implications for our understanding of


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Mars's atmospheric history The discovery


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suggests that carbonate deposits may be


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more common than previously thought but


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they're hidden beneath the surface or


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masked by other minerals However even


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with these newly discovered carbonates


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scientists believe the amount would


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still be only a fraction of what would


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be needed to account for the thick


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ancient atmosphere that Mars is believed


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to have had So where did the rest of


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Mars carbon dioxide go some portion


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might be stored in other yet


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undiscovered deposits but a significant


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amount was likely lost to space over


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billions of years as Mars protective


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magnetic field weakened and eventually


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disappeared Future missions and analyses


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focusing on other sulfatrich regions


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across Mars could confirm these findings


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and help fill in more pieces of the


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puzzle regarding how the red planet


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transformed from a potentially habitable


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world with a thick atmosphere and liquid


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water to the cold dry planet we observe


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today The Curiosity Rover part of NASA's


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Mars exploration program continues its


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scientific mission after landing on Mars


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in 2012 Built by NASA's Jet Propulsion


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Laboratory and managed by Caltech in


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Pasadena California this resilient


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explorer keeps providing valuable


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insights about Mars' history and


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evolution even after more than a decade


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of operation on the red planet


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surface Next on the agenda today it's


00:11:48.640 --> 00:11:50.630
back to the sun


00:11:50.640 --> 00:11:52.710
When we think about the sun's activity


00:11:52.720 --> 00:11:55.110
we typically picture the familiar


00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.910
11-year solar cycle with its predictable


00:11:57.920 --> 00:12:00.550
peaks and valleys of sunspot activity


00:12:00.560 --> 00:12:03.910
solar flares and coral mass ejections


00:12:03.920 --> 00:12:06.069
But fascinating new research from the


00:12:06.079 --> 00:12:08.150
National Center for Atmospheric Research


00:12:08.160 --> 00:12:10.790
in Boulder Colorado suggests there's a


00:12:10.800 --> 00:12:13.110
much longer cycle at play one that could


00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:14.949
dramatically impact our space weather


00:12:14.959 --> 00:12:17.350
over the coming decades Scientists have


00:12:17.360 --> 00:12:19.350
been reviewing satellite data measuring


00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:21.110
the density of energetic particles


00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:23.990
around Earth primarily charged protons


00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:26.069
from the sun trapped in Earth's magnetic


00:12:26.079 --> 00:12:28.470
field in regions known as the Van Allen


00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:30.710
radiation belts What they've discovered


00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:33.509
is evidence of the Glyceberg cycle a


00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:35.269
littleknown phenomenon first identified


00:12:35.279 --> 00:12:37.910
by German astronomer Wolf Gang Glyberg


00:12:37.920 --> 00:12:40.150
back in 1958


00:12:40.160 --> 00:12:42.310
This cycle operates over approximately


00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:44.710
100 years causing the intensity of


00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:46.710
individual solar cycles to eb and flow


00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:49.269
in a predictable pattern According to


00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:52.870
Calvin Adam lead author of the new study


00:12:52.880 --> 00:12:54.870
usually over four solar cycles the


00:12:54.880 --> 00:12:56.550
intensity of solar activity will


00:12:56.560 --> 00:12:58.629
increase Then it will reach its peak and


00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:01.030
then it will go down over another four


00:13:01.040 --> 00:13:03.590
solar cycles The satellite measurements


00:13:03.600 --> 00:13:05.350
suggest we've just hit the lowest point


00:13:05.360 --> 00:13:07.750
of this century long cycle meaning the


00:13:07.760 --> 00:13:09.509
next four solar cycles could bring


00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:11.110
significantly more intense solar


00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:13.190
activity than we've experienced in


00:13:13.200 --> 00:13:15.190
recent decades This has important


00:13:15.200 --> 00:13:16.949
implications for our technology


00:13:16.959 --> 00:13:20.069
dependent world More active solar cycles


00:13:20.079 --> 00:13:21.829
mean the sun's magnetic field becomes


00:13:21.839 --> 00:13:24.230
more tangled producing more sunspots and


00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:26.230
subsequent solar flares and coronal mass


00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:29.110
ejections These events can wreak havoc


00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.430
on our satellites power grids and


00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:34.310
communication systems However there's an


00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.629
intriguing twist to this story While


00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:38.710
more solar storms are expected the


00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:40.790
overall density of high energy protons


00:13:40.800 --> 00:13:43.910
surrounding Earth may actually decrease


00:13:43.920 --> 00:13:45.430
This seemingly counterintuitive


00:13:45.440 --> 00:13:47.190
relationship occurs because increased


00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:49.629
solar activity heats and expands Earth's


00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:51.750
atmosphere If you get more solar


00:13:51.760 --> 00:13:53.750
activity you'll get more heat and more


00:13:53.760 --> 00:13:56.629
energy into our atmosphere explains Adam


00:13:56.639 --> 00:13:58.310
If our atmosphere is getting more heat


00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:00.389
and energy it will expand As the


00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:02.389
atmosphere expands the protons will run


00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:03.829
into that expanded atmosphere and


00:14:03.839 --> 00:14:06.389
eventually drop out This could be good


00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:08.150
news for satellites and astronauts in


00:14:08.160 --> 00:14:10.470
Earth orbit With lower radiation levels


00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:12.310
in the space environment between solar


00:14:12.320 --> 00:14:15.110
storms electronic systems on satellites


00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.550
may experience less long-term


00:14:16.560 --> 00:14:18.150
degradation


00:14:18.160 --> 00:14:19.910
Astronauts on the International Space


00:14:19.920 --> 00:14:22.150
Station might also be exposed to lower


00:14:22.160 --> 00:14:24.710
cumulative radiation doses potentially


00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.870
reducing health risks associated with


00:14:26.880 --> 00:14:29.910
extended stays in space Unfortunately


00:14:29.920 --> 00:14:32.069
this doesn't mean all is well While the


00:14:32.079 --> 00:14:33.910
baseline radiation environment may


00:14:33.920 --> 00:14:36.389
improve we'll likely see more frequent


00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:38.389
and potentially more devastating solar


00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:41.189
storms These events can cause rapid


00:14:41.199 --> 00:14:43.670
atmospheric heating increasing drag on


00:14:43.680 --> 00:14:45.750
satellites in low Earth orbit and


00:14:45.760 --> 00:14:47.590
forcing them to use precious fuel to


00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:50.389
maintain their altitude A powerful solar


00:14:50.399 --> 00:14:52.710
storm last May demonstrated this risk


00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:54.629
causing what researchers called a mass


00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:56.870
migration of satellites as thousands of


00:14:56.880 --> 00:14:59.829
spacecraft lost altitude simultaneously


00:14:59.839 --> 00:15:01.750
During such chaotic periods the risk of


00:15:01.760 --> 00:15:03.110
orbital collisions increases


00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.030
dramatically as operators struggle to


00:15:05.040 --> 00:15:06.949
calculate and adjust orbits with their


00:15:06.959 --> 00:15:09.670
usual precision The worry that we are


00:15:09.680 --> 00:15:11.430
going toward more solar activity is


00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.750
definitely there notes Adam We have


00:15:13.760 --> 00:15:15.750
built an enormous amount of technology


00:15:15.760 --> 00:15:18.069
including satellites and power grids


00:15:18.079 --> 00:15:21.509
since the last GLberg maximum But it's


00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:24.150
not all bad Our paper suggests that the


00:15:24.160 --> 00:15:25.990
baseline environment when space weather


00:15:26.000 --> 00:15:28.670
is quiet should in fact be somewhat


00:15:28.680 --> 00:15:31.189
safer For our increasingly space


00:15:31.199 --> 00:15:33.430
dependent civilization this research


00:15:33.440 --> 00:15:35.670
provides both a warning and valuable


00:15:35.680 --> 00:15:37.990
preparation time Understanding these


00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:39.670
long-term solar patterns allows


00:15:39.680 --> 00:15:41.910
satellite operators power companies and


00:15:41.920 --> 00:15:44.470
space agencies to develop more robust


00:15:44.480 --> 00:15:46.310
systems and contingency plans for the


00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:48.910
more active solar weather that may lie


00:15:48.920 --> 00:15:52.150
ahead Finally today in a remarkable


00:15:52.160 --> 00:15:54.310
display of space mission recovery


00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:56.150
Chinese scientists have recently shared


00:15:56.160 --> 00:15:58.629
details of their extraordinary 4-month


00:15:58.639 --> 00:16:00.629
effort to rescue a pair of lunar


00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:02.310
satellites that were left stranded in


00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.590
the wrong orbit The DRA and DRO


00:16:05.600 --> 00:16:09.430
spacecraft weighing a combined 581 kg


00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:11.590
launched from China's Shiong spaceport


00:16:11.600 --> 00:16:14.550
on March 13th last year Their mission


00:16:14.560 --> 00:16:16.629
was to enter distant retrograde orbit


00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:18.710
around the moon and connect with the


00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:21.189
previously launched DROL satellite in


00:16:21.199 --> 00:16:23.430
low Earth orbit demonstrating inter


00:16:23.440 --> 00:16:25.829
satellite communication capabilities and


00:16:25.839 --> 00:16:27.430
proving the usefulness of distant


00:16:27.440 --> 00:16:29.749
retrograde orbits But the mission


00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:31.910
quickly encountered serious trouble when


00:16:31.920 --> 00:16:34.310
an anomaly with the Yanjing 1S upper


00:16:34.320 --> 00:16:36.710
stage left the satellites in a highly


00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.949
elliptical Earth orbit instead of their


00:16:38.959 --> 00:16:41.269
planned trajectory toward the moon


00:16:41.279 --> 00:16:43.189
Making matters worse the joined


00:16:43.199 --> 00:16:45.110
satellites were spinning at a dangerous


00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:47.829
rate of once every 1.8 seconds


00:16:47.839 --> 00:16:49.189
threatening both their structural


00:16:49.199 --> 00:16:51.670
integrity and their ability to operate


00:16:51.680 --> 00:16:54.790
essential systems The rescue team first


00:16:54.800 --> 00:16:57.269
had to tackle this rapid rotation Using


00:16:57.279 --> 00:16:59.829
DRO's attitude control engines they


00:16:59.839 --> 00:17:01.749
managed to eliminate the spin over a


00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.470
20-minute period But telemetry data then


00:17:04.480 --> 00:17:06.630
revealed another serious problem Both


00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:08.630
satellites had sustained damage to their


00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:12.069
solar arrays their crucial power source


00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:14.230
Working against the clock researchers


00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:16.150
from the Innovation Academy for Micro


00:17:16.160 --> 00:17:17.750
Satellites and Technology and


00:17:17.760 --> 00:17:20.150
Engineering Center for Space Utilization


00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.230
formulated an intricate rescue plan


00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:25.029
within just 40 hours The team faced


00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:27.270
numerous challenges including the


00:17:27.280 --> 00:17:29.909
complex orbital dynamics involving Earth


00:17:29.919 --> 00:17:32.230
Moon and Sun gravitational forces


00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:34.549
extremely limited fuel reserves and a


00:17:34.559 --> 00:17:36.950
rapidly closing window of opportunity


00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.789
The first critical engine burn occurred


00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.390
on March 18th lasting an impressive


00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:44.549
1,200 seconds and successfully raising


00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:46.789
the satellites apogee their farthest


00:17:46.799 --> 00:17:51.470
point from Earth from 134,000 to 240,000


00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:54.870
km Over the next 4 months the spacecraft


00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:57.830
executed four more orbital maneuvers


00:17:57.840 --> 00:18:00.150
utilized gravity assists and made


00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:03.430
additional trajectory corrections After


00:18:03.440 --> 00:18:06.190
traveling an astonishing 8.5 million


00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:08.390
kilometers the rescue operation


00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:11.270
concluded successfully on July 15th when


00:18:11.280 --> 00:18:12.789
both satellites reached their


00:18:12.799 --> 00:18:15.430
predetermined lunar orbits When the


00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:17.510
satellites finally separated on August


00:18:17.520 --> 00:18:20.230
28th and imaged each other the extent of


00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:23.029
the damage became clear Dro's solar


00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:26.390
panels were bent nearly 90° while Drob's


00:18:26.400 --> 00:18:29.669
arrays resembled broken wings Despite


00:18:29.679 --> 00:18:31.590
these challenges the satellites achieved


00:18:31.600 --> 00:18:33.430
their primary mission objective by


00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:35.190
establishing K-band microwave


00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:37.029
interatellite communication links with


00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:39.830
the DROL satellite creating a three


00:18:39.840 --> 00:18:41.430
satellite network spanning the Earth


00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:44.710
moon distance Wong Wenbin a researcher


00:18:44.720 --> 00:18:46.950
involved in the project highlighted the


00:18:46.960 --> 00:18:49.350
significance of this achievement For the


00:18:49.360 --> 00:18:51.270
first time internationally we have


00:18:51.280 --> 00:18:53.270
achieved the ability to use satellites


00:18:53.280 --> 00:18:55.430
to track other satellites instead of


00:18:55.440 --> 00:18:57.750
relying on ground stations In essence


00:18:57.760 --> 00:18:59.510
the ground station has been converted


00:18:59.520 --> 00:19:01.909
into a satellite and placed in low orbit


00:19:01.919 --> 00:19:03.669
This breakthrough paves the way for new


00:19:03.679 --> 00:19:05.430
technological advancements in future


00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:08.029
Earth moon space and deep space


00:19:08.039 --> 00:19:11.110
exploration The DRA satellite carries


00:19:11.120 --> 00:19:13.029
additional scientific equipment


00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:15.270
including an all sky detector to monitor


00:19:15.280 --> 00:19:18.310
gammaray bursts China plans to leverage


00:19:18.320 --> 00:19:20.150
these distant retrograde orbits for


00:19:20.160 --> 00:19:21.830
fundamental scientific research in


00:19:21.840 --> 00:19:23.590
fields including quantum mechanics and


00:19:23.600 --> 00:19:25.990
atomic physics taking advantage of the


00:19:26.000 --> 00:19:28.070
long-term orbital stability these unique


00:19:28.080 --> 00:19:30.150
trajectories provide This mission


00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:31.750
recovery represents one of the most


00:19:31.760 --> 00:19:33.669
challenging spacecraft rescue operations


00:19:33.679 --> 00:19:36.470
in recent years demonstrating remarkable


00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:38.230
ingenuity and perseverance from the


00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:40.110
Chinese space


00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:42.470
program Well that brings us to the end


00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:44.870
of today's journey through the cosmos


00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:46.710
What an incredible set of developments


00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:49.190
we've covered From NASA's Punch Mission


00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:50.789
capturing its first glimpses of the


00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:53.270
sun's outer atmosphere to the concerning


00:19:53.280 --> 00:19:55.110
safety issues facing our aging


00:19:55.120 --> 00:19:57.669
International Space Station We explored


00:19:57.679 --> 00:19:59.830
how Curiosity may have finally solved


00:19:59.840 --> 00:20:02.630
the long-standing Mars carbonate mystery


00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:04.390
learned about the awakening Glyceberg


00:20:04.400 --> 00:20:06.310
cycle that could change our space


00:20:06.320 --> 00:20:08.630
weather patterns for decades to come and


00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:10.549
marveled at the ingenious rescue of


00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:12.789
Chinese lunar spacecraft against


00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:15.590
seemingly impossible odds If you're


00:20:15.600 --> 00:20:17.990
hungry for more space and astronomy news


00:20:18.000 --> 00:20:19.870
visit our website at


00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:21.909
astronomydaily.io where our constantly


00:20:21.919 --> 00:20:23.750
updating news feed keeps you informed


00:20:23.760 --> 00:20:25.190
about the latest discoveries and


00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:27.510
developments across the cosmos While


00:20:27.520 --> 00:20:28.950
you're there you can also catch up on


00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:31.029
all our previous episodes Don't forget


00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:33.270
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the wonders of space exploration Until


00:20:45.120 --> 00:20:47.029
next time keep looking up The universe


00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:50.590
has endless stories to tell Astronomy


00:20:50.600 --> 00:20:59.590
day Stories been told


00:20:59.600 --> 00:21:01.850
Stories to tell


00:21:01.860 --> 00:21:08.390
[Music]