Van Allen Probe’s Fiery Farewell and NASA’s Mobile Launcher Setback

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Kind: captions
Language: en

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This is Spaceime Series 29, episode 34


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for broadcast on the 20th of March 2026.


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Coming up on Spaceime, NASA's Van Allen


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Probay comes to a fiery end. The AY's


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mobile launcher 2 project put on hold


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and a spectacular failure for a Japanese


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rocket. All that and more coming up on


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Spaceime.


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>> Welcome to Spaceime with Stuart Garry.


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After a mission lasting some 14 years,


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NASA's Ven Allen Probase spacecraft has


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entered Earth's atmosphere in a fiery


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death plunge, burning up over the


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Pacific Ocean. Between 2012 and 2019,


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the spacecraft together with its twin


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Van Allen probe B flew through the Van


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Allen radiation belts, rings of charged


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particles trapped by its magnetic field


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to understand how the ionized particles


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were gained and lost. The belt shield


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Earth and its inhabitants from cosmic


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radiation, from solar storms, and the


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constantly streaming solar wind, all of


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which can be harmful to humans and


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damage technology. So, understanding


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these belts is important. Last week, the


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United States Space Force predicted the


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600 kg probe was experiencing enough


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orbital decay to re-enter the Earth's


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atmosphere within a few days. As


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expected, most of the spacecraft burnt


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up as it passed through the atmosphere,


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but some components made out of titanium


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and stainless steel were expected to


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survive the heat of re-entry, splashing


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down in the ocean. Originally designed


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for just a 2-year mission, the Van Allen


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probes A and B were launched back on the


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30th of August 2012 and gathered


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unprecedented data for almost 7 years on


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Earth's two permanent radiation belts,


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named in honor of the scientist James


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Van Allen. NASA ended the mission after


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the two spacecraft finally ran out of


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fuel and were no longer able to orient


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themselves towards the sun. The Van


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Allen probes were the first spacecraft


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specifically designed to operate and


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gather scientific data for many years


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inside the radiation belts. It's a


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region around our planet where most


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spacecraft and astronaut missions try to


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minimize their time there in order to


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avoid damaging radiation. The NASA


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mission, managed and operated by John's


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Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab,


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made several major discoveries about how


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the belts operate, including the first


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data showing the existence of a


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transient third radiation belt, which


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forms during times of intense solar


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activity.


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>> We're learning much more about the


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dynamics and the evolution of the


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radiation belts, why they're changing,


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how they're changing. We've seen them


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almost disappear completely. We've seen


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new belts that we didn't even know exist


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appear. Traditionally, we've always


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thought of an inner and an outer belt.


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What we found now is that the outer belt


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has much more structure in it. And there


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is a storage ring, a separate ring,


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almost a permanent third belt that's


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there that we think is actually the home


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to the particles that are filling the


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outer belt.


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>> This 2-year mission didn't quite get off


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the ground as originally expected. It


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was first delayed for 24 hours for a


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technical issue and then it was followed


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up by some bad weather which eventually


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led to another delay.


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>> Then Hurricane Isaac rolled in to the


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Cape that really put us back almost a


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full week. We actually had to roll the


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rocket back into the integration


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facility and shut the doors and protect


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it. But a few days later, we were back


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out again, ready to go. And it was worth


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every second of the stress of waiting


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for it. We launched at the end of August


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and it was almost like the sun knew we'd


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launched and immediately switched on. We


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hadn't seen really any space weather


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events for really quite a long period of


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time. And yet within the first couple of


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days of the mission being up there, the


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sun threw a beautiful event our way. We


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were able to see a lot of very very


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interesting science that we wouldn't


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have seen if we hadn't had this large


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event. And we certainly would never have


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seen it without the tremendous


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instrumentation on the two spacecraft.


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We've always known that there are waves


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and magnetic and electric fluctuations


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that go on in these belts. But with the


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more traditional one spacecraft, um we


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could just see see the wave and it would


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disappear. With the two spacecraft and


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also the most sophisticated instruments


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that we've flown in the belts, we're


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actually able to look at how these waves


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evolve, how they change, and how long


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they last. These waves are very


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important because they actually carry


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the particles that are in the belts.


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It's almost like the particles surf on


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these waves.


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>> That's Ven Allen Prob's deputy project


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scientist Nikki Fox from the John's


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Hopkins University Applied Physics


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Laboratory. When the mission finally


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came to an end in 2019 and was suggested


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the spacecraft would reenter Earth


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atmosphere sometime around 2034.


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However, those calculations were made


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before the current solar cycle reached


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its climax, which has proven to be far


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more active than expected. The increased


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stream of particles flowing out from the


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sun causes the Earth's atmosphere to


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wobble like a jellyfish, contracting in


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some places and expanding in others. In


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2024, scientists confirmed the sun had


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reached its solar maximum, triggering


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intense space weather events, and these


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conditions increased atmospheric drag on


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the spacecraft beyond the initial


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estimates, resulting in an earlier


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thanex expected re-entry. While Van


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Allen probe A is now down, its twin


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still not expected to re-enter before


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2030. Data from NASA's Van Allen probes


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mission still plays an important role in


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understanding space weather and its


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effects. By reviewing the archived data


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from this mission, astronomers can study


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the radiation belt surrounding the


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Earth, which are key to predicting how


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solar storm activity impacts satellites,


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affects astronauts, and interferes with


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communication systems, navigation


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signals, and even power grids on the


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ground. By observing these dynamic


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regions, the Van Allen probes contribute


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to improving forecasts for space weather


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events and their potential consequences.


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This is spaceime. Still to come, mobile


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launcher 2 project put on hold and a


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spectacular failure for a Japanese


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rocket. All that and more still to come


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on Spaceime.


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Last week's announcement of changes in


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the Artemis moon launch schedule has now


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resulted in NASA pulling the plug on


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further work on its mobile launcher 2


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project which had been under


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construction at the Kennedy Space Center


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in Florida over the past 2 years. While


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the current mobile launcher one was


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built for Artemus 1, 2, and three block


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one configurations of the SLS space


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launch system rockets, mobile launcher 2


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was intended for the taller rockets


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planned for block 1b and block two


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configurations, which would appear in


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the guise of Arteimus 4 onwards. As well


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as changing the Artemis 3 mission from a


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manned lunar landing to a low Earth


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orbit practice and test flight, the


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changes also see an increased cadence in


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flights to the moon with launches now


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expected to take place roughly once


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every 10 months and importantly the


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scrapping of the new exploration upper


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stage intended for use on Artemis 4


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onwards. The existing intram cryogenic


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propulsion upper stage which was used on


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Artemus 1 and will also be used on


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Artemises 2 and three is based on the


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upper stage of the Delta II and Delta IV


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launch vehicles built by the United


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Launch Alliance. It features a single


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aerjet rocket RL10 engine and was meant


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to simply be a temporary solution until


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the new bigger purpose-built exploration


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upper stage was available. The


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exploration upper stage was designed for


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use in Artemis 4 onwards and was to be


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taller and more powerful, designed to


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carry far larger payloads into trans


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lunar orbit. To do this, instead of


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having just one, it was to be fitted


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with four RL10 C3 engines, and it would


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have become standard for blocks 1B and


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block 2 versions of the SLS. In order to


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accommodate the new larger rocket, NASA


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decided to rebuild one of its existing


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spare mobile launches, Mobile Launcher


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2, to mate with the SLS equipped with


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this new taller upper stage. But now,


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with the new purpose-built exploration


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upper stage scrapped, NASA will instead


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use an upper stage based around the


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United Launch Alliance's Centaur second


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stage, which is used on the Atlas 5 and


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Vulcan launch vehicles known as the


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Centaur 5. This upper stage will be


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equipped with two RL10 engines and will


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be able to be accommodated on the


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existing mobile launcher one structure.


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So what happens to mobile launcher 2?


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The problem is it's already 90%


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complete. Primary contractor Becktel


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added the last modular block to the


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tower in the middle of last year


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bringing its total height to some 65 m


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and construction on the entire project


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was expected to be complete before the


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end of this year. As to what happens


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now, well, that remains to be explained.


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This is spaceime. Still to come, a


00:09:19.279 --> 00:09:21.350
spectacular failure for a new Japanese


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rocket. And later in the science report,


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why some domestic house cats are prone


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to chronic kidney disease. All that and


00:09:28.560 --> 00:09:45.670
more still to come on Spaceime.


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Space 1 have failed in their third


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attempt to become the first private


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Japanese company to put a satellite into


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orbit. The 18 m tall solidfueled


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carriers rocket fell just 29 seconds


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after launch from the Wakama launch site


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in western Japan spiraling back into the


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ground. The cause of the failure is


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still being investigated. The company


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says no major anomalies were identified


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within the vehicle during the flight and


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it remained on course, suggesting the


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fault must have been with a flight


00:10:12.959 --> 00:10:15.430
termination self-destruct system. The


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mission was carrying a number of small


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satellites, including one for a Tokyo


00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:21.670
high school project. The company's first


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launch attempt back in 2024 ended in


00:10:24.320 --> 00:10:26.230
failure following an explosion seconds


00:10:26.240 --> 00:10:28.710
after launch. Then a second launch


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attempt ended when mission managers were


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forced to issue a self-destruct order


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following a technical problem aboard the


00:10:34.480 --> 00:10:53.269
vehicle. This is spacetime


00:10:53.279 --> 00:10:55.030
and time out of tech. Another brief look


00:10:55.040 --> 00:10:56.550
at some of the other stories making news


00:10:56.560 --> 00:10:58.470
in science this week with the science


00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:00.790
report. There are new warnings today


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that the rate of climate change has


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surged since 2015.


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The findings reported in the journals


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Geoysical Research Letters and Nature


00:11:09.040 --> 00:11:10.630
showed that the rate has now nearly


00:11:10.640 --> 00:11:13.110
doubled to what it was back in the 1970s


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and much faster than many estimates. The


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authors say their new analysis captures


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a more accurate picture because it


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accounts for the effects of natural


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factors such as the El Nino weather


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pattern. Most climate scientists agree


00:11:24.880 --> 00:11:27.269
that warming is accelerating partly due


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to a reduction in sun reflecting air


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pollution.


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A 56-year-old man with liver failure has


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become the first patient to be


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surgically connected to a genetically


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modified pig liver. A report in the


00:11:40.160 --> 00:11:42.389
journal Nature claims the procedure


00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:44.870
known as an excaporal profusion involved


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surgeons connecting the man to a pig


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liver outside his body so that it could


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filter harmful waste products from his


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bloodstream. The man was disconnected


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from the system after 3 days to reduce


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the risk of infection. But there were no


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signs of rejection while he was


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connected. He later received a human


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liver transplant and is now recovering.


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Scientists from the University of


00:12:06.800 --> 00:12:08.629
Nottingham have uncovered a surprising


00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:10.949
biological quirk in domestic house cats,


00:12:10.959 --> 00:12:12.949
which may help explain why some of them


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are so prone to chronic kidney disease.


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Unlike dogs and most other mammals, cats


00:12:17.680 --> 00:12:19.750
appear to accumulate unusual fats inside


00:12:19.760 --> 00:12:21.509
the cells of their kidneys, sometimes


00:12:21.519 --> 00:12:24.230
from a very young age. The new study


00:12:24.240 --> 00:12:25.910
reported in the journal Frontiers of


00:12:25.920 --> 00:12:28.069
Veterary Science discovered that cats


00:12:28.079 --> 00:12:29.829
accumulate a rare group of modified


00:12:29.839 --> 00:12:31.910
triglycerides, the most common type of


00:12:31.920 --> 00:12:33.829
fat in the body, essential for storing


00:12:33.839 --> 00:12:36.230
excess energy from food. And some of


00:12:36.240 --> 00:12:38.470
these triglycerides are showing unusual


00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:40.550
chemical bonds and branch structures,


00:12:40.560 --> 00:12:42.389
which are very rarely observed in other


00:12:42.399 --> 00:12:45.030
mammals. Many of these fats have special


00:12:45.040 --> 00:12:46.790
ether linkages and behave differently


00:12:46.800 --> 00:12:49.509
from typical dietary fats. The authors


00:12:49.519 --> 00:12:51.269
proposed that this distinctive lipid


00:12:51.279 --> 00:12:53.350
buildup inside kidney cells could be an


00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.509
early sign of long-term stress within


00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:57.509
the kidney, potentially contributing to


00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.389
tissue damage over time. The hope now is


00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:02.550
to develop a supplement or modified diet


00:13:02.560 --> 00:13:04.389
to help prevent these unusual lipid


00:13:04.399 --> 00:13:07.670
structures from accumulating.


00:13:07.680 --> 00:13:09.509
Time for another Bigfoot story. And the


00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:10.790
one that's doing the rounds at the


00:13:10.800 --> 00:13:13.030
moment are claims that the FBI are


00:13:13.040 --> 00:13:14.949
investigating possible existence of


00:13:14.959 --> 00:13:16.550
Sasquatch.


00:13:16.560 --> 00:13:18.550
But as the skeptics Tim Mendum points


00:13:18.560 --> 00:13:20.710
out, that's not what's really happening.


00:13:20.720 --> 00:13:22.230
>> People are talking about in news stories


00:13:22.240 --> 00:13:24.710
that recently declassified documents


00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:26.629
revealed that the US FBI had


00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:28.870
correspondence with a Bigfoot hunter in


00:13:28.880 --> 00:13:32.389
7677 who offered up some hair and skin


00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:34.310
that he had collected to be tested by


00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:36.629
the FBI in labs. This actually story has


00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:37.750
been around for a while. I mean, I I


00:13:37.760 --> 00:13:39.030
heard about this story years and years


00:13:39.040 --> 00:13:41.509
ago. It tends to stop there. story and


00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.389
that FBI have tested quote Bigfoot close


00:13:44.399 --> 00:13:47.110
quote hair, you know, material, etc. And


00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:48.389
people say, "Well, that's fantastic. If


00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:50.389
the FBI treats it seriously, it must be


00:13:50.399 --> 00:13:51.509
true." Well, they didn't treat it


00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:53.030
seriously for a long, long time. They


00:13:53.040 --> 00:13:54.550
were finally persuaded by this rather


00:13:54.560 --> 00:13:56.150
annoying person who kept insisting that


00:13:56.160 --> 00:13:57.590
they tested it. They tested it and they


00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:59.110
came back and said, "It's deer hair,


00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.949
right? It's not a Bigfoot, it's deer."


00:14:00.959 --> 00:14:03.110
They say nothing there. So, this hidden


00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:04.949
documentation that's been recently


00:14:04.959 --> 00:14:06.550
declassified, but not recently


00:14:06.560 --> 00:14:08.150
declassified, proves nothing. In fact,


00:14:08.160 --> 00:14:09.590
it proves the opposite of what this guy


00:14:09.600 --> 00:14:11.350
was saying. the declassified documents,


00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:12.790
the pro people will say, "It's been


00:14:12.800 --> 00:14:15.430
tested by FBI. It must be true." People


00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:17.269
will look at it and say, "It's tested by


00:14:17.279 --> 00:14:19.430
FBI and they found out it was a deer."


00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:20.790
>> They'll grab what they can full of


00:14:20.800 --> 00:14:21.750
legitimacy, won't they?


00:14:21.760 --> 00:14:23.030
>> They'll take things out of context.


00:14:23.040 --> 00:14:24.710
They'll sort of snip and sort of chop


00:14:24.720 --> 00:14:26.150
something short without the obvious


00:14:26.160 --> 00:14:27.990
conclusion that would be there just by


00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:30.550
saying like CIA have checked have tested


00:14:30.560 --> 00:14:32.470
psychics. Yes, they have. And they found


00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:33.990
them to be useless. It's the second half


00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:35.910
of that judgment that the psychics don't


00:14:35.920 --> 00:14:37.829
like saying. The fact that FBI have


00:14:37.839 --> 00:14:39.990
checked the Bigfoot or that the CIA have


00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:41.509
checked out psychics trying to find


00:14:41.519 --> 00:14:43.110
something some weapon that they can use.


00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:45.030
And in both cases, they found nothing is


00:14:45.040 --> 00:14:47.189
indicative that the pro will always take


00:14:47.199 --> 00:14:49.750
a sting of of a claim and the skeptics


00:14:49.760 --> 00:14:51.430
will go take a few steps further and


00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:52.710
say, "But hang on, what was the


00:14:52.720 --> 00:14:53.269
conclusion?"


00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:55.269
>> Well, there was a Bigfoot program I was


00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:56.870
watching the other day on the Animal


00:14:56.880 --> 00:14:58.629
Planet. Not only did they talk about


00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:00.550
Bigfoot, but they also talked about


00:15:00.560 --> 00:15:02.870
using remote readings. There's also


00:15:02.880 --> 00:15:04.550
people in in the UFO community who are


00:15:04.560 --> 00:15:05.750
doing the same sort of thing, using


00:15:05.760 --> 00:15:08.150
psychics to bring UFOs down, not if they


00:15:08.160 --> 00:15:09.670
crash, just to bring them closer so they


00:15:09.680 --> 00:15:11.030
can look at them more closely. It


00:15:11.040 --> 00:15:12.470
doesn't help that the case any if


00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:13.189
there's no evidence.


00:15:13.199 --> 00:15:15.910
>> That's the skeptics Tim Mum and this is


00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:31.990
Spacetime.


00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:34.790
And that's the show for now. Spacetime


00:15:34.800 --> 00:15:36.629
is available every Monday, Wednesday,


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00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:22.069
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00:16:22.079 --> 00:16:24.230
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