Dec. 25, 2025

Super Kilonova Surprise: Unravelling the Mystery of Cosmic Explosions

Show Notes
Transcript

In this episode of SpaceTime, we uncover groundbreaking astronomical events and the latest advancements in space exploration.
First Ever Super Kilonova Detected
Astronomers have made a significant discovery with the potential detection of the first ever super kilonova explosion. This extraordinary event, cataloged as AT 2025ULZ, is believed to have been triggered by a double supernova explosion, producing both gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation. Lead author Manzi Kasliwal from Caltech's Palomar Observatory discusses how this unique phenomenon could reshape our understanding of stellar evolution and the formation of heavy elements in the universe. With only one confirmed kilonova event to date, this new discovery presents an exciting opportunity to explore the complexities of cosmic explosions.
Blue Ghost 2 Spacecraft Shake Test
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 2 spacecraft has undergone rigorous shake testing at NASA's Environmental Test Laboratory. This critical assessment simulates the intense vibrations and acoustics experienced during launch, ensuring the spacecraft can withstand the harsh conditions of a rocket ascent. JPL engineer Michael Williams explains the importance of these tests in preparing spacecraft for successful missions, as the Blue Ghost 2 aims to deliver multiple payloads to the lunar far side next year.
Shenzhou 20 Capsule Returns Safely
China's Shenzhou 20 spacecraft has successfully completed an unmanned return to Earth after sustaining damage from space debris. Initially intended to bring a crew of Tigernauts back home, mission managers opted for a safe return without the crew due to concerns over a crack in the capsule's viewport. This decision highlights the importance of safety in space missions, while also providing valuable data for future flights.
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com
✍️ Episode References
Astrophysical Journal Letters
NASA Reports
Nature Communications
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-your-guide-to-space-astronomy--2458531/support.
(00:00:00) This is Space Time Series 28, Episode 152 for broadcast on 26 December 2025
(00:00:47) Astronomers detect what could be the first ever super kilonova explosion
(00:15:30) Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost 2 spacecraft undergoes shake testing at NASA's JPL
(00:20:10) China's Shenzhou 20 capsule returns safely to Earth after damage from space debris
(00:25:00) New study reveals the benefits of swearing during physical exertion

The Astronomy, Space, Technology & Science News Podcast.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.879
This is Spacetime Series twenty eight, episode one hundred and

2
00:00:02.919 --> 00:00:05.719
fifty two, for broadcast on the twenty sixth of December

3
00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:06.719
twenty twenty five.

4
00:00:07.440 --> 00:00:10.599
Coming up on space Time, detection of what could be

5
00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:11.679
the first ever.

6
00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:16.199
Superkiller nover explosion. The Blue goes to spacecraft, gets all

7
00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:20.920
shook up, and China's damage shen Zu twenty capsule returns

8
00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:25.640
safely to Earth. All that and more coming up on space.

9
00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:30.199
Time Welcome to space Time with Stuart Garry.

10
00:00:46.280 --> 00:00:50.920
Astronomers have detected what may be the first ever superkiller nova.

11
00:00:51.359 --> 00:00:54.200
It's thought this deep space event was caused by a

12
00:00:54.240 --> 00:00:58.600
star exploding in a supernova not once, but twice. The

13
00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:02.679
historic double explosion reported in the Astrophysical Journal Letters may

14
00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:07.599
have produced birth gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation. When the

15
00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:10.560
most massive stars reach the end of their lives, they

16
00:01:10.599 --> 00:01:14.719
blow up in spectacular supernova explosions, which then seed the

17
00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:18.560
universe with heavy elements such as carbon and nickel. In fact,

18
00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:20.640
the iron in your blood and the calcium in your

19
00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:25.159
bones is made in stars. But another type of explosion,

20
00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:28.599
a killinova, occurs with a pair of neutron stars, a

21
00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:31.480
super dense cause of stars that have already gone supernova

22
00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:36.560
smashed together forging even heavier elements such as gold and uranium.

23
00:01:36.840 --> 00:01:39.840
Such heavy elements are among the basic building blocks of

24
00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:44.400
stars and planets. Now, so far, only one kilan nova

25
00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:47.920
has been unambiguously confirmed to date, an a historic event

26
00:01:48.040 --> 00:01:51.519
known as GW one seven zero eight one seven, which

27
00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:55.359
took place back in twenty seventeen. In that event, two

28
00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:59.519
neutron stars merge together, sending ripples through space time in

29
00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:03.120
the form of gravitational waves as well as electromagnetic radiation

30
00:02:03.239 --> 00:02:06.640
in the form of light waves. That cosmic blast was

31
00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:10.599
detected in gravitational waves by the National Science Foundation's Ligo

32
00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:15.599
Laser INTERFROMEEDA Gravitational Wave Observatories in Louisiana and Washington State,

33
00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:19.879
and by its European counterpart, the Virgo Gravitational Wave Detector

34
00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:23.080
in Italy, and it was also detected by dozens of

35
00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:27.919
ground and space based telescopes. Now, Astronomer is a reporting

36
00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:30.759
evidence of what could be a possible second Killanova event,

37
00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:34.639
but the case is not yet closed. In fact, the

38
00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:39.280
situation's much more complex because the candidate Killinova, cataloged as

39
00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:43.080
at twenty twenty five ULZ is thought to have stemmed

40
00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:46.560
from a supernova blast that went off hours earlier, ultimately

41
00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:48.120
obscuring astronomer's view.

42
00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:49.400
The studies.

43
00:02:49.479 --> 00:02:53.719
Lead author Mansie Castlewell from Caltex Palamar Observatory, says the

44
00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:57.039
eruption looked just like the first Killanova in twenty seventeen,

45
00:02:57.159 --> 00:03:00.039
at least for the first three days, but then it

46
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:01.879
started to look more like a supernova.

47
00:03:02.599 --> 00:03:03.080
She says.

48
00:03:03.080 --> 00:03:06.039
The evidence suggested this odd ball event may be a

49
00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:10.000
first of its kind super killinova or a Killinov spurred

50
00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:13.960
by a supernova. Such an event had been hypothesized, but

51
00:03:14.120 --> 00:03:18.599
never before seen. Evidence for the possible rarity first came

52
00:03:18.680 --> 00:03:21.759
on August the eighteenth, when the twin detectors of Ligo

53
00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:24.560
and Louisiana and Washington, as well as Virgo in Italy,

54
00:03:24.759 --> 00:03:29.199
picked up a new gravitational waves signal. Within minutes, the

55
00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:31.879
team that operates the detectors sent an alert to the

56
00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:35.520
astronomical community letting them know that gravitational waves have been

57
00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:39.039
registered from what appeared to be a merger between two objects,

58
00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.360
with at least one of them being unusually small. The

59
00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.599
alert included a rough map of the source location. Astronomers

60
00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:49.159
are continuing to analyze the data, and it's clear that

61
00:03:49.159 --> 00:03:51.759
at least one of these colliding objects is less massive

62
00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:54.919
than a typical neutron star. A few hours later this

63
00:03:55.080 --> 00:03:58.840
vicky transient facility, a survey camera at the Palmer Observatory

64
00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:02.639
pinpointed a dly fading red object about one point three

65
00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:05.919
billion light years away, which they then cataloged as at

66
00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:09.360
twenty twenty five ULZ, and which is thought to have

67
00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:12.280
originated at the same location as the source of the

68
00:04:12.319 --> 00:04:16.879
gravitational waves. About a dozen other telescopes quickly set their

69
00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:20.959
sights on the target to learn more. Those observations confirmed

70
00:04:20.959 --> 00:04:23.759
that the eruption of light had faded fast and glowed

71
00:04:23.800 --> 00:04:27.279
in red wavelengths, just as the GW one seven zero

72
00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:30.879
eight one seven killanover had done eight years earlier. In

73
00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.120
the case of that killing over, the red colors came

74
00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:36.519
from heavy elements like gold. These atoms have more electron

75
00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:39.560
energy levels than lighter atoms, so they block out more

76
00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:41.199
of the blue light that let red.

77
00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:42.000
Light pass through.

78
00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:45.560
Then, in the days after the blast at twenty twenty

79
00:04:45.560 --> 00:04:49.360
five ULZ started to brighten again. It turned blue and

80
00:04:49.399 --> 00:04:53.279
showed signs of hydrogen. Its spectra all very suggestive of

81
00:04:53.319 --> 00:04:57.079
a supernova, not a killing over, more specifically a stripped

82
00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:01.480
envelope call collapse super and ova. Thing is, supernervae from

83
00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:05.759
distant galaxies aren't generally expected to generate enough gravitational waves

84
00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:09.439
to be detectable by the Lago and Virgo observatories, whereas

85
00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:13.160
killer novae are, and this led some astronomers to conclude

86
00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:16.040
that eight twenty twenty five eul Z was triggered by

87
00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.079
a typical supernova and not in fact related to the

88
00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:23.839
gravitational wave signal. Casswalls says several clues tipped her off

89
00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:27.560
that something unusual was going on. Although at twenty twenty

90
00:05:27.600 --> 00:05:31.079
five ul Z didn't resemble a classic killinova, it also

91
00:05:31.199 --> 00:05:34.959
did not look like an average supernova. Additionally, the Lago

92
00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:38.079
Virgo gravitational wave data had revealed that at least one

93
00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:40.839
of the neutron stars in this merger was less massive

94
00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:43.439
than our Sun, and that's a hint that one or

95
00:05:43.480 --> 00:05:47.079
two small neutron stars may have merged to produce a killinova.

96
00:05:47.920 --> 00:05:48.639
Bit of background.

97
00:05:48.720 --> 00:05:52.480
Now, neutron stars are left over remains of massive stars

98
00:05:52.560 --> 00:05:56.639
that explode US type to supernovae. Stars go through their

99
00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:00.839
lives fusing progressively heavier and heavier elements hygi gender helium,

100
00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:04.399
helium to carbon and oxygen, and eventually all the way

101
00:06:04.439 --> 00:06:07.759
to iron. However, no matter how massive a star is,

102
00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:11.160
it can't fuse iron into heavier elements, and without the

103
00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.800
outward push of nuclear energy keeping the star imbalance, it

104
00:06:14.839 --> 00:06:19.160
collapses inwards under its own gravity in the process, exploding

105
00:06:19.279 --> 00:06:22.360
in the tremendous blast called the core collapse or type

106
00:06:22.399 --> 00:06:26.560
two supernova. The super dense remnants that are left the

107
00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:29.959
crush core of the original star is called a neutron star.

108
00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:34.160
They're the densest objects in the universe other than black holes.

109
00:06:34.959 --> 00:06:37.600
In fact, just a t spoon of neutron star material

110
00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:41.240
would weigh billions of tons. Neutron stars are thought to

111
00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:45.079
average around twenty five kilometers wide and with masses ranging

112
00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:47.639
from one point two to around three times that of

113
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:48.199
our Sun.

114
00:06:48.920 --> 00:06:49.079
Now.

115
00:06:49.160 --> 00:06:52.160
Some theorists have proposed ways in which neutron stars could

116
00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:54.639
be even smaller, with even less mass than the Sun,

117
00:06:54.800 --> 00:06:57.839
but none of these have been observed so far. The

118
00:06:57.839 --> 00:07:00.879
theorists have inverked two possible scenarios to explain how a

119
00:07:00.920 --> 00:07:04.720
neutron star could be that small. One hypothesis involves a

120
00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:08.439
rapidly spinning star going supernova and then splitting into two

121
00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:12.560
tiny subsolar neutron stars in a process called fission. In

122
00:07:12.600 --> 00:07:16.399
the second scenario, known as fragmentation, the rapidly spinning star

123
00:07:16.519 --> 00:07:19.279
again goes super and Ova, but this time a disk

124
00:07:19.360 --> 00:07:23.160
of material forms around the collapsing star, and this lumpy

125
00:07:23.240 --> 00:07:26.560
disc material then coalesces into a tiny neutron star in

126
00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:29.879
a manner very similar to how planets form. With Lago

127
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:33.920
and Virgo having now detected at least one subsolar neutron star,

128
00:07:34.199 --> 00:07:37.160
it's possible, according to theories proposed by co author Brian

129
00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:41.040
Metzga from Columbia University, that two newly fort neutron stars

130
00:07:41.040 --> 00:07:44.600
could have spiraled together, merged, and erupted into a Kilanova,

131
00:07:44.600 --> 00:07:48.439
which then sent gravitational waves ripping through the cosmos. As

132
00:07:48.439 --> 00:07:51.399
the Killanov churned out heavy metals, it would have initially

133
00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.879
glowed in red as seen by Vicki and other telescopes,

134
00:07:55.439 --> 00:07:58.839
and the expanding debris from this initial supernova blast would

135
00:07:58.839 --> 00:08:01.920
have obscured the astronomy view of the hidden killin over.

136
00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:05.120
In other words, super and Ova may have given birth

137
00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:08.000
to twin baby neutron stars that then merge to make

138
00:08:08.040 --> 00:08:10.759
the killin ov The only way theorists have come up

139
00:08:10.759 --> 00:08:13.519
with a birth subsular neutron star would be joined the

140
00:08:13.560 --> 00:08:17.600
collapse of a very rapidly spinning star. Metzkus says if

141
00:08:17.639 --> 00:08:21.319
these forbidden stars pair up and merge by emitting gravitational waves,

142
00:08:21.439 --> 00:08:23.920
it's possible that such an event would be accompanied by

143
00:08:23.920 --> 00:08:27.079
a supernova rather than be seen as a bear killin' over.

144
00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:31.279
But while this theory is tantalizing and interesting to consider

145
00:08:31.639 --> 00:08:34.399
the author's stress, there's still not enough evidence to make

146
00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:37.960
any firm claims. So the only way to really test

147
00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:40.759
this super killin'over theory is to find more of them.

148
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:45.600
This is space time still to come. The blue Ghost

149
00:08:45.679 --> 00:08:49.440
to spacecraft gets all shook up, and China's damaged Shenzu

150
00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:51.840
twenty capsule returns to Earth empty.

151
00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:55.399
All that and more still to come on space time.

152
00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:13.559
One of the most important tests that spacecraft goes through

153
00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:15.960
prior to its launch is a good shake, rattle and

154
00:09:16.080 --> 00:09:19.840
roll passing. The riggers of this test helps confirm whether

155
00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:23.639
spacecraft will survive the violence of a rocket launch. The

156
00:09:23.799 --> 00:09:26.600
eight and a half minutes it takes spacecraft to fly

157
00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:29.919
from the launch pad into orbit involves brutal shaking and

158
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:35.039
astonishingly loud acoustics, so test facilities on the ground need

159
00:09:35.120 --> 00:09:37.720
to be able to accurately mimic those conditions in order

160
00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:41.720
to ensure mission hardware can't survive the real ordeal. And

161
00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:45.279
that's where a facility like NASA's Environmental Test Laboratory at

162
00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:48.360
its ship proportion Laboratory in Passing to California comes in.

163
00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:52.159
Dozens of spacecraft have gone there where it's subjected to

164
00:09:52.240 --> 00:09:56.240
powerful jants, extended rattling, high descibel blasts, the sound and

165
00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:00.840
temperatures arranging from frigid to scorching. The latest to get

166
00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:04.919
this treatment our Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission two vehicles,

167
00:10:05.120 --> 00:10:07.919
which is slated to launch the lunar Farcide next year.

168
00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:11.600
First built back in the nineteen sixties and then modernized

169
00:10:11.639 --> 00:10:15.480
over several years, the Environmental Test Laboratory has prepared every

170
00:10:15.559 --> 00:10:19.240
NASA spacecraft built or assembled at JPL for the rigors

171
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:22.440
of space, from the Ranger spacecraft back at the dawn

172
00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:25.519
of the space age, to the Mass Perseverance Rover which

173
00:10:25.559 --> 00:10:27.519
is currently on the surface of the Red Planet, and

174
00:10:27.559 --> 00:10:30.240
the Europa Clipper mission, which is currently on its way

175
00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:33.879
to the Jovian System, and that legacy is also supporting

176
00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.080
industry efforts to return to the Moon as part of

177
00:10:36.159 --> 00:10:40.320
NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative and its Artemis campaign,

178
00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.120
which will bring astronauts back to the lunar surface in

179
00:10:43.159 --> 00:10:46.720
the next few years. In recent months, a full scale

180
00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:50.080
model of fireflies Blue Ghost Mission two spacecraft was put

181
00:10:50.159 --> 00:10:53.639
through its paces in the Labs Vibration and Acoustic Testing facilities.

182
00:10:54.279 --> 00:10:57.519
Lessons learned with this structural qualification unit will be applied

183
00:10:57.559 --> 00:11:00.519
to upcoming testing of the actual spacecraft that will fly

184
00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:04.960
to the Moon next year. JPL Environmental Test Laboratory Engineer

185
00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:07.799
Michael william says there's a lot of knowledge gained over

186
00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:11.399
the years, passed down from one generation of JPL engineers

187
00:11:11.399 --> 00:11:14.480
to the next, and that's all brought to bear to

188
00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:19.440
support today's missions. The Environmental Test Laboratory team led environmental

189
00:11:19.440 --> 00:11:22.559
testing for Fireflyer's Blue Ghost Mission ie lander back in

190
00:11:22.600 --> 00:11:25.440
twenty twenty four, and they were able to see the

191
00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:29.919
spacecraft achieve a soft moon landing in March. Fireflis next

192
00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:34.440
Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative. Delivery involves a dual spacecraft

193
00:11:34.440 --> 00:11:38.360
configuration carrying modible international payloads, as well as the company's

194
00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:42.000
own Elightra dark orbital vehicle. Stacked below the Blue Ghost

195
00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:46.000
lunar lander. Standing more than seven meters high, the full

196
00:11:46.039 --> 00:11:48.240
stack is more than three times as tall as the

197
00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:52.759
mission Ie lander. Over several months, a structural qualification model

198
00:11:52.759 --> 00:11:55.120
of the full Stack was clamped to a shaker table

199
00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:58.480
inside a clean room at JPL and repeatedly rattled in

200
00:11:58.519 --> 00:12:03.360
three directions while hundred of sensors monitor its rapid movement. Then,

201
00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:07.279
inside a separate acoustic testing chamber, giant horns blast that

202
00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:09.960
add it from openings built inside the rooms. Forty one

203
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:13.960
centiment of thick can't create walls. These horns use compressed

204
00:12:14.039 --> 00:12:16.519
nitrogen gas to pummel the spacecraft with up to one

205
00:12:16.559 --> 00:12:19.639
hundred and fifty three decibels of noise that's light enough

206
00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:22.799
to cause permanent hearing loss in a human. Each type

207
00:12:22.799 --> 00:12:28.519
of test to JPL involves several increasingly intenselterations between rounds.

208
00:12:28.720 --> 00:12:32.679
Jpo's dynamics environment experts analyze the data to compare what

209
00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:37.240
the spacecraft experienced to computer model predictions. Sometimes that a

210
00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.279
screpancy leads to hardware modifications. And sometimes it's simply a

211
00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.679
tweak to a computer model. Of course, engineers and technicians

212
00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:47.159
are careful to push the hardware to its limits, but

213
00:12:47.320 --> 00:12:51.639
not beyond. Williams says you can either undertest or overtest,

214
00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.480
and both are bad. If you overtest, you can break

215
00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:57.000
the hardware. If you under test the hardware can end

216
00:12:57.080 --> 00:12:59.960
up breaking the launch vehicle. So it's a fine line.

217
00:13:00.360 --> 00:13:02.679
The problem is there are some tests you simply can't

218
00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:06.799
do on structural qualification models since the model itself isn't

219
00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:10.360
launching to the moon. Firefly's recent environmental test laboratory visit

220
00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:13.799
didn't include several types of trials that are generally completed

221
00:13:13.879 --> 00:13:17.600
only for flight hardware. A launch pad bound spacecraft will

222
00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:21.240
also undergo electromagnetic testing in order to ensure that signals

223
00:13:21.279 --> 00:13:23.720
from its electronic standard to fee with each other or

224
00:13:23.759 --> 00:13:27.720
with ground systems, and what's probably the best known environmental

225
00:13:27.720 --> 00:13:31.039
test flight bound hardware is baked or chilled at extreme

226
00:13:31.080 --> 00:13:35.399
temperatures in a thermal vacuum chamber. The modible thermal vacuum

227
00:13:35.440 --> 00:13:39.960
chamber facilities at JPL include two large historic space simulators

228
00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.120
built within NASA's first few years of existence. One chamber

229
00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:46.039
that's almost three meters in diameter and another that's almost

230
00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:50.360
eight meters across. Still, the completion of environmental test Laboratory

231
00:13:50.360 --> 00:13:54.159
testing on Firefly's structural qualification model helps prove the eventual

232
00:13:54.200 --> 00:13:57.840
operational spacecraft will survive its ride out of Earth's atmosphere.

233
00:13:57.840 --> 00:13:59.519
Aboard SpaceX's Falcon.

234
00:13:59.320 --> 00:14:03.360
Nine rocket, Fireflies BLUEGOS two mission team are out turning

235
00:14:03.399 --> 00:14:06.240
their focus to completing the assembly and testing of the

236
00:14:06.279 --> 00:14:10.000
actual flight hardware for launch. Once at the Moon, the

237
00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:12.679
Blue Ghost Lander will touch down on the far side,

238
00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:17.720
delivering its payloads to the lunar surface. These include Lucy Knight,

239
00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:20.919
a radio telescope that's part of a joint effort by NASA,

240
00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.440
the US Department of Energy, and the University of California, Berkeley.

241
00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:28.519
There's also a payload developed by JPL called User Terminal,

242
00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:31.320
which will test a compact, low cost s band radio

243
00:14:31.320 --> 00:14:35.080
communication system which could enable future far side missions to

244
00:14:35.120 --> 00:14:39.240
talk with each other and to relate orbiters. Meanwhile, Fireflies

245
00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:42.279
are lightra dark orbital vehicle will have deployed into lunar

246
00:14:42.399 --> 00:14:46.960
orbit the European Space Agency's Lunar pathfind their communications satellite.

247
00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:50.360
Both Bluegos two mission vehicles will remain in orbit around

248
00:14:50.360 --> 00:14:53.360
the Moon acting as relay satellites, sending data from the

249
00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:57.799
lunar farside back to Earth. And it's all possible thanks

250
00:14:57.840 --> 00:15:01.919
to testing at the environment Tesla Borro this report.

251
00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:07.759
The mission of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is to explore

252
00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:12.320
space in pursuit of scientific discoveries that benefit humanity. To

253
00:15:12.360 --> 00:15:16.759
fulfill this mission, tests performed at JPL's Environmental Test Laboratory

254
00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:20.399
ensure spacecraft can survive the rigors at launch and operate

255
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:25.480
in the extreme environments of space. Every JPL spacecraft is

256
00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:30.919
tested in the Environmental Test Laboratory. Vibration testing simulates the

257
00:15:30.960 --> 00:15:37.840
mechanical vibrations experienced during launch. In order to have a

258
00:15:37.879 --> 00:15:42.039
successful mission, JPL spacecraft must first survive the ride to space.

259
00:15:44.279 --> 00:15:48.559
The reverberant chamber simulates the acoustic noises and sound waves

260
00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:53.399
generated from launch. Acoustic testing is particularly stressing to large

261
00:15:53.399 --> 00:15:58.279
surfaces such as spacecraft bodies and antennas. Shock testing simulates

262
00:15:58.279 --> 00:16:01.120
the shock waves that occur during some operation events from

263
00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:04.960
launch and throughout the mission. The tunable shock beam provides

264
00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:09.200
a reliable and repeatable method for simulating these highly energetic

265
00:16:09.240 --> 00:16:16.200
and instantaneous conditions. The spin balance machine measures mass properties

266
00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:20.240
for accurate guidance and control of spacecraft as they navigate

267
00:16:20.240 --> 00:16:23.960
through space, enter orbits around a planet, and land on

268
00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:28.879
the surface of Mars. Static load testing simulates the intense

269
00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:35.039
structural loads experienced during launch and landing. Instrumentation services are

270
00:16:35.080 --> 00:16:39.080
provided for all environmental testing to monitor the hardware under

271
00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:44.960
test and record and process the critical test data. Test

272
00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:48.919
method consultation is provided to all JPL flight programs to

273
00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:53.679
help plan and prepare for their testing needs. Thermal vacuum

274
00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:57.480
chambers can simulate the extreme temperatures and vacuum of space

275
00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:02.240
and of other planets the spacecraft is orbiting Earth, landing

276
00:17:02.279 --> 00:17:05.440
on Mars, or exploring the outer planets of our Solar System.

277
00:17:05.920 --> 00:17:10.079
Thermal vacuum chambers of different sizes and capabilities are available

278
00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:13.000
to meet all the different environments and testing needs of

279
00:17:13.079 --> 00:17:17.039
JPL missions. The twenty five foot Space Simulator is the

280
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:21.279
largest thermal vacuum chamber at JPL. Built in nineteen sixty one,

281
00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:24.640
the chamber is twenty five feet in diameter and over

282
00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:28.559
eighty feet tall. Using high powered lamps and mirrors, the

283
00:17:28.599 --> 00:17:31.960
twenty five foot Space simulator can simulate a uniform solar

284
00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:36.160
beam with an intensity of up to two suns from

285
00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:40.160
Voyager to Cassini to Perseverance and the Mars Helicopter. The

286
00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.799
twenty five foot space simulator provides the precise environments to

287
00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:47.839
test and certify JPL spacecraft for their mission in the

288
00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:51.720
quest for scientific discovery under the extreme conditions of space

289
00:17:51.799 --> 00:17:56.240
and other planets. Environmental testing is essential to every JPL mission.

290
00:18:07.799 --> 00:18:11.799
This is space time still to come. China's damage Shenzu

291
00:18:11.880 --> 00:18:15.319
twenty spacecraft returned safely to Earth empty and later in

292
00:18:15.359 --> 00:18:19.599
the science report, a new study claims profanities aren't just fun,

293
00:18:19.720 --> 00:18:22.880
they may actually be a secret superpower. All that and

294
00:18:22.960 --> 00:18:41.599
more still to come on space time. After being rejected

295
00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:44.400
for its planned crew returned mission to Earth following damage

296
00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:48.359
by space debris, China's Shenzu twenty spacecraft has undertaking a

297
00:18:48.359 --> 00:18:52.240
successful unmanned return to Earth, landing safe and sound in

298
00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:55.960
the inner Mongolian Desert. The spacecraft was slated to carry

299
00:18:55.960 --> 00:18:58.759
three Tigernaughts back to Earth last month following their six

300
00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:03.079
month stay aboard Aijing's Tiangong space station, but as they

301
00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:06.400
were preparing their craft, the Shenzi twenty crews spotted damage

302
00:19:06.440 --> 00:19:09.960
to the capsule's viewport, describing it as a triangular paint

303
00:19:10.119 --> 00:19:13.440
like mark. They then proceeded to photograph the damage from

304
00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:17.359
mudible angles and under different lighting conditions. At the same time,

305
00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:22.880
cameras on the space station's robotic arm took supplemental external images. Eventually,

306
00:19:22.960 --> 00:19:27.880
mission managers identified the floor as a penetrating crack, something

307
00:19:28.000 --> 00:19:31.960
most likely space debris hit the spacecraft hard that would

308
00:19:32.000 --> 00:19:34.200
be responsibles, thought to have been just a millimeter or

309
00:19:34.200 --> 00:19:37.799
so in size, but traveling at very high speed. Ground

310
00:19:37.799 --> 00:19:42.000
teams then conducted simulation tests and commissioned two research institutes

311
00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:45.680
to perform their own wind tunnel testing for independent verification.

312
00:19:46.440 --> 00:19:49.359
The findings all suggest that in the worst case scenario,

313
00:19:49.559 --> 00:19:52.839
the cracks could spread, causing the outer paint to detach,

314
00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:55.039
which then could lead to the failure of the inner

315
00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:59.440
pressure ceiling glass. That would mean cabin depressurization and the

316
00:19:59.640 --> 00:20:02.880
ingress of high speed super hot gases, killing the crew.

317
00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:06.720
Mission managers decided it was simply too dangerous to send

318
00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:10.119
the crew back to Worth aboard the spacecraft. Eventually, they

319
00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:13.599
instructed the returning crew to instead use the newly arrived

320
00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:17.720
Chanzu twenty one spacecraft. The Shenzu twenty one had docked

321
00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.359
just days earlier, carrying a replacement crew. Of course, it

322
00:20:21.400 --> 00:20:24.440
was a risky decision because it meant that Shenzu twenty

323
00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:27.039
one crew were now without their own escape system in

324
00:20:27.079 --> 00:20:30.079
the event of an emergency abought the space station. The

325
00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:33.799
good news is China had a spare capsule and rocket available.

326
00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:38.160
They launched the Shenzu twenty two spacecraft days later, providing

327
00:20:38.160 --> 00:20:41.559
a new return vehicle for the orbiting crew, and it

328
00:20:41.640 --> 00:20:44.759
wasn't a total loss. The Shenzu twenty un manned return

329
00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:48.200
mission has provided lots of meaning for real ward experimental data,

330
00:20:48.240 --> 00:20:52.680
which will be applied to subsequent flights this space time

331
00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:11.240
and time that to take another brief look at some

332
00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:13.519
of the other stories making news and science this week

333
00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:17.000
with a science report. There are new warnings today that

334
00:21:17.079 --> 00:21:20.920
dingy fever is increasing, claiming lives on Australia's doorstep, and

335
00:21:20.960 --> 00:21:24.640
that Australian outbreaks are often traced to travelers returning home

336
00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:28.319
from popular holiday spots in Asia are reporting. The general

337
00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:32.079
Nature Communications warns that the problems expected to get worse,

338
00:21:32.359 --> 00:21:35.119
and so Australian researchers are now rolling out an early

339
00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:39.000
warning system to help detect outbreaks in Southeast Asian nations.

340
00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:43.440
Dingy fever affects some four hundred million people globally each year,

341
00:21:43.799 --> 00:21:48.480
and it's expanding across tropical and subtropical regions. Being able

342
00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:51.559
to predict DNGY outbreaks weeks or even months in advance

343
00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:56.240
will save lives, the studies authors say. New computer models

344
00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:58.920
and early warning frontline public health teams are now being

345
00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:03.359
rolled out across selecttion regions of Vietnam's Mekon Delta. This

346
00:22:03.440 --> 00:22:05.960
will be one of the first large scale early warning

347
00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:10.119
systems to be trialed in the real world, and it's

348
00:22:10.160 --> 00:22:13.519
not the early mescado borne disease medical authorities are worried about.

349
00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:16.839
There's a fresh warning today about an increased risk of

350
00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:21.440
catching ross river virus as temperatures increase across Australia. A

351
00:22:21.559 --> 00:22:24.160
report in the Australian New Zealand Journal of Public Health,

352
00:22:24.200 --> 00:22:26.960
which is around three thousand cases of the mosquito borne

353
00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:30.839
disease and now being reported in Australia each year. Ross

354
00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:34.440
River virus causes a rash, fever and joint pain, which

355
00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:38.519
in some cases can lead to chronic symptoms. Australian researchers

356
00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:41.880
of analyzed thirty studies investigating the impact of temperature on

357
00:22:42.000 --> 00:22:45.519
Ross River virus infections, as well as on Barma forest virus.

358
00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:49.519
They say higher maximum temperatures were linked to higher Ross

359
00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:53.359
River risk for most of coastal Australia, although some studies

360
00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:56.799
found minimum temperatures appear to increase infection risk in Darwin

361
00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:00.960
and some inland regions of South Australia, Victoria in Queensland,

362
00:23:01.640 --> 00:23:06.160
but research on inland Australia remains limited. The best way

363
00:23:06.160 --> 00:23:09.319
to avoid infection is to keep covered when the squitas

364
00:23:09.319 --> 00:23:14.359
are about, especially at dawn and dusk. A new study

365
00:23:14.440 --> 00:23:17.640
claims profanities aren't just fun. There may be a secret

366
00:23:17.759 --> 00:23:22.319
superpower boosting your strength and staying power. The findings, reported

367
00:23:22.319 --> 00:23:25.359
in the journal American Psychologist, are based on research asking

368
00:23:25.400 --> 00:23:27.640
one hundred ninety two people to either turn the air

369
00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:31.039
blue or say something neutral every two seconds while doing

370
00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:34.440
push ups, and they found that foulmouth participants did more

371
00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:37.519
push ups for longer than the others. The authors think

372
00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:41.240
it maybe because swearring helps you overcome inhibitions, pushing you

373
00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:45.759
harder in tests of strength and endurance. Debate on the

374
00:23:45.759 --> 00:23:48.599
benefits of drinking water fluoridation has been raised again in

375
00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:51.640
the United States, and that means people in Australia are

376
00:23:51.640 --> 00:23:55.880
also taking notice. Fluoridation's long being heralded as a public

377
00:23:55.920 --> 00:23:59.400
health triumph, but some US counties and even a few

378
00:23:59.519 --> 00:24:04.039
entire staff have now switched off their fluoridation equipment skeptics.

379
00:24:04.079 --> 00:24:07.359
Timendum says he's said to see such a backward step

380
00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:08.079
being taken.

381
00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:10.480
It's such a sad situation whereas all these sort of

382
00:24:10.559 --> 00:24:13.880
established medical practices which have been proving to be highly

383
00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:16.720
effective are being wound back just because of some pseudo

384
00:24:16.839 --> 00:24:19.799
scientific claims and things. It's now fluor rite fluoride has

385
00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:22.480
been around for ages. In Australia, it's been around since

386
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:25.559
nineteen fifty three, so that was in Tasmania actually, as

387
00:24:25.599 --> 00:24:27.960
in America, it's been around eighty years or so, and

388
00:24:28.039 --> 00:24:31.359
it's been thoroughly proved to be effective in reducing two

389
00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:33.920
decay and that sort of thing, especially amongst the young people,

390
00:24:34.119 --> 00:24:37.079
and that has a major financial, sort of a health

391
00:24:37.119 --> 00:24:40.559
benefit down the track. And yet nonetheless this practice of

392
00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:43.920
local councils, et cetera adding fluoride to the drinking water

393
00:24:43.960 --> 00:24:45.480
has been under assault.

394
00:24:45.680 --> 00:24:47.359
What are the main arguments against it?

395
00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:51.039
The major issue that excessive fluoride will actually damage your teeth.

396
00:24:51.079 --> 00:24:53.160