Afleveringen
-
This week we've invited JPL's Chief Engineer Emeritus, Rob Manning, back to discuss Mars exploration and, in particular, Mars Sample Return. As we discussed in episode 107, that project is in a bit of trouble. Rob was the Chief Engineer of every Mars rover up through Perseverance and the overall Chief Engineer on Perseverance, and he has some unique insights on how we have explored Mars, why it matters, and what the future holds... especially with regard to returning samples to Earth. Join us!
Headlines:
NASA held a press conference to explain the latest delays with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which stem from issues with a helium leak and concerns about the reaction control thrusters that could lead to a loss of redundancy during reentry The European Space Agency's Euclid Space Telescope returned its first science images, providing stunning new views of galaxies never seen in such detail before to help unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energyMain Topic - Mars Exploration and Sample Return:
Rob Manning recounts his extensive experience with Mars exploration at JPL, from the Sojourner rover and Pathfinder lander in the 90s to the currently operating Curiosity and Perseverance rovers Curiosity confirmed the past presence of water on Mars, while Perseverance is collecting carefully selected rock samples to eventually be returned to Earth The Mars Sample Return mission would bring pristine samples back to Earth for in-depth study, but is an extremely complex and costly endeavor facing budget challenges and potential delays Rob explains why returning samples is so critical - context is key and current meteorite samples have been altered by their journey to Earth, whereas carefully selected samples could reveal much more about Mars' history and potential for life Challenges for Mars Sample Return include the large size of the lander, the need for new parachute and guidance technologies, and planetary protection requirements to prevent contaminating Earth NASA currently has no plans for additional Mars missions beyond sample return, and faces a potential loss of institutional knowledge as a "quiet period" approaches, highlighting the need to maintain momentum in Mars explorationHosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Rob Manning
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
-
Welcome to the Big Glass Wars! That's right, just when you thought you'd heard it all, turns out there's hot competition among a few countries to stay on the cutting edge of optical astronomy, and to do that, you need a great big hunk of glass to gather light from distant galaxies and stellar systems. Enter the Carnegie Observatories and their partners on the Thirty Meter Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope. Both are currently under construction, and both are threatened by budget parsimony from the U.S. Congress. Dr. John Mulchaey, Director of the Carnegie Observatories, joins us to discuss what's happening, why it matters, and what you can do to help maintain U.S. leadership in astronomy, cosmology, and other STEM-related fields.
Headlines:
Boeing's Starliner launch to the ISS delayed again, this time due to a helium leak in the service module. The launch is now targeted for no earlier than May 21st. Blue Origin plans to conduct its first crewed suborbital flight since August 2022 on May 19th, carrying six passengers including the first Black astronaut candidate Ed Dwight. A massive sunspot caused spectacular auroras visible as far south as Alabama and turned skies purple and orange. More solar activity is expected as another large sunspot emerges.
Dr. Mulchaey provides an overview of the Carnegie Observatories, founded in 1904, and their historic telescopes at Mount Wilson that helped launch modern astronomy. He discusses the need for extremely large next-generation ground-based telescopes, the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) and Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), to study earth-like exoplanets and the early universe. These ambitious segmented mirror telescopes will be 5-10 times larger than today's biggest telescopes and cost billions of dollars to construct. While substantial private funding has been raised, the projects need investment from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. government to be completed. However, the NSF has proposed only partial funding. Dr. Mulchaey emphasizes the importance of the U.S. having both telescope projects to provide full-sky coverage, double the observation time, and maintain the nation's leadership in astronomy research or risk losing top talent to competing projects in Europe and China. He notes that delaying a decision on full funding is causing the estimated costs to escalate as the projects are forced to wait. Dr. Mulchaey argues passionately that inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers by investing in these telescopes is critical for the country's future productivity and innovation.
Main Topic: The Big Glass Wars with Dr. John MulchaeyHosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Dr. John Mulchaey
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:wix.com/studio
-
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
-
The Voyager probes have been transiting space since 1977, and they're still at it 46 years later. But late in 2023, Voyager 1, now 15 billion miles distant, started sending what the flight controllers called "gibberish" back to Earth---uncoordinated ones and zeros and a heartbeat tone. They knew it was still alive, but something had gone wrong. The small team of software wizards at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory got to work and came up with a workaround... but due to the age of the program, did not have an old enough computer on the ground to test it! They'd have to eyeball the sequence and send it to overwrite existing programming on the spacecraft. The round-trip radio signal from Earth takes 45 hours... and it was a nail-biter. Join us as we discuss this rescue beyond the solar system with Voyager Mission Scientist Dr. Linda Spilker.
Headlines:
Boeing Starliner launch delayed again due to a "buzzing" valve on the Atlas V rocket, not related to the spacecraft itself James Webb Space Telescope detects weather patterns on an exoplanet 41 light-years away, revealing a regenerating atmosphere on a puffy, molten world Elon Musk shares his thoughts on the lack of evidence for alien visitation, citing SpaceX's 6,000 satellites that have never had to maneuver around a UFOFeedback:
A listener appreciates the discussion on how music relates to space exploration, but points out a missed opportunity to mention Ronald McNair's planned saxophone performance in space, which was tragically halted by the Challenger disaster.Main Topic - Saving Voyager 1 with Dr. Linda Spilker:
Dr. Spilker's career at JPL, starting in 1977 and working on the Voyager mission, Cassini, and returning to Voyager as Project Scientist Voyager's small flight team and science team, many of whom have been with the mission since its inception The spacecraft's journey beyond the heliopause and into interstellar space, making unprecedented measurements of the interstellar medium The ambitious Grand Tour of the outer solar system, visiting Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the remarkable discoveries made at each planet and their moons The recent challenges faced by Voyager 1, including a failed chip and the efforts to restore its function from Earth The limited computing power and memory of the Voyagers compared to modern spacecraft and the ingenuity required to program and communicate with them Pressure Front 2, a mysterious feature in the interstellar medium that Voyager 1 was monitoring before its recent glitch The expected lifespan of the Voyager probes and the need to start shutting down instruments as power decreases in the coming years Dr. Spilker's personal highlights from the mission, including the beauty of Saturn's rings, the geysers on Neptune's moon Triton, and hints of Saturn's moon Enceladus feeding the planet's E-ring Wishes for future exploration of the outer solar system, focusing on the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, Pluto, and other small worlds with ringsHosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Dr. Linda Spilker
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
-
While we may not think of it very often, music has a long history of influencing how we think about spaceflight. From the scores of early silent films to the modern classics we all know, like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the never-ending franchises of Star Trek and Star Wars, we often have a riff going through our minds when we see a space image—few can hear Strauss' Blue Danube without thinking of the space station in 2001, or see a tilted yellow title scroll without hearing that first orchestral crash of John Williams' immortal Star Wars score. And, in real life, we had the talented astronaut Chris Hadfield performing David Bowie's classic hit Major Tom, augmented by upbeat lyrics. Space music is big, and Chris Carberry, CEO of Explore Mars and author of the recently released book The Music of Space, is here to tell us why!
Headlines:
China launches Chang'e-6 mission to the far side of the moon, aiming to collect and return the first-ever samples from this region Boeing completes final flight readiness review for the CFT crew flight test mission, set to launch on May 6th with a 95% chance of good weather James Webb Space Telescope successfully maps weather on exoplanet WASP-43 b, located 280 light years away, showcasing the telescope's potential for studying distant worldsMain Topic: The Music of Space
Chris Carberry discusses his new book "The Music of Space: Scoring the Cosmos in Film and Television" and his motivation for exploring the connection between space and music Early examples of space-related music in film include the scores for "Metropolis" (1927) and the space documentary "Our Heavenly Bodies" (1920) The pivotal role of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" in using classical music to depict space, and how it influenced future filmmakers John Williams' iconic score for "Star Wars" (1977) marked a turning point in film scoring and revitalized orchestral music in cinema The concept of music as a universal language and its potential for communicating with alien civilizations Chris Hadfield's rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on the International Space Station and the challenges of playing music in microgravity The role of music in future space settlements, its impact on mental health, and how it may evolve in different environments like Mars Chris Carberry's previous book "Alcohol in Space" and the history of alcohol consumption in space missions The need for studying the effects of alcohol on human physiology in space as commercial spaceflight advancesHosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Chris Carberry
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:wix.com/studio
-
We've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Boeing's Starliner to fly. First selected in 2010, along with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Starliner has been behind schedule for years. SpaceX got $2.6 billion for its six dragon flights, and Boeing received more at $4.3 billion, so you'd expect Boeing to be first to fly, right? Well, as of today, SpaceX has delivered crews to the International Space Station eight times, to Boeing's... zero. Delayed development, turbulence problems with the capsule on the Atlas launcher, stuck valves, flammable materials, and faulty parachute lines have all contributed to the delays. Boeing has flown two uncrewed missions—the first one a partial failure, with the second, funded by Boeing itself, flown to NASA's satisfaction. Now it's time to put a crew aboard. Will Boeing overcome their issues and deliver the goods? Join us.
Headlines:
Voyager's Return: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirms reestablishment of contact with Voyager 1 after five months of silence, overcoming communication challenges over vast interstellar distances. China's Shenzhou 18 and Tiangong Space Station: China successfully launches Shenzhou 18 to the Tiangong Space Station, which was recently hit by space debris, prompting China to revamp its space debris management strategies. International Partnerships for Lunar Research: China announces new international partnerships for its International Lunar Research Station, contrasting its progress with NASA's Artemis Accords.Main Topic: Boeing Starliner's Upcoming Mission
Starliner's Crewed Test Flight: A detailed discussion on Boeing's upcoming Starliner mission, highlighting the spacecraft's capabilities, the crew's preparations, and the significance of this test flight. Spacecraft and Mission Overview: Insights into the Starliner's design, the choice of Atlas V rockets for the launch, and the planned landing procedures in the southwestern United States. Crew Profiles: Focus on the astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, discussing their backgrounds, roles in the mission, and expectations for the test flight. Closing Thoughts: Rod and Tariq wrap up with final thoughts on the importance of the Starliner mission for Boeing and NASA, discussing potential outcomes and what they signify for the future of commercial spaceflight.Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
-
Unless you've been living under a big red Martian rock, you've likely heard that NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is in trouble. The robotic program has its roots in the 1960s, when NASA started thinking about sending robots to fetch Mars soil even before Mariner 4's first flyby of the planet. The Russians pondered it as well, as the Chinese and Japanese are today. The problem? It's really hard, with multiple spacecraft, possibly on different launches, rendezvousing around the Red Planet to accomplish. And then there are the concerns about the safety of returning possible pathogens to Earth (that said, I could use an extra tentacle). But the showstopper, as usual, is cost—and NASA's not happy. We invited the original Space Ace reporter, Leonard David, to join the discussion.
Headlines:
NASA gives green light to Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered helicopter mission to Saturn's moon Titan, set to launch in 2028 and arrive in 2034 New images from the Perseverance rover reveal the crash site of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, showing scattered debris and broken rotor blades NASA continues to study the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, which experienced more erosion than expected during the Artemis 1 mission, raising concerns for future crewed missionsMain Topic: Mars Sample Return Mission
Leonard David expresses frustration with NASA's recent announcement of significant cost increases and delays for the Mars Sample Return mission NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the current estimated cost of $11 billion is too high and called for innovative ideas from industry and academia to reduce costs and accelerate the timeline They discuss the scientific importance of returning Martian samples to Earth but question whether the current approach is the most effective way to search for life on Mars Leonard suggests that advancements in miniaturized instruments could allow for more comprehensive life detection experiments directly on the Martian surface, reducing the need for sample return The conversation touches on the potential for international collaboration and competition in Mars exploration, with China, Japan, and Russia planning their own missions Rod highlights the critical role of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Mars exploration and expresses concern about the potential loss of expertise if the MSR mission is scaled back or cancelled The TWiS crew concludes by emphasizing the need for a clear, sustainable strategy for Mars exploration that balances scientific objectives, technological capabilities, and budgetary realitiesHosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Leonard David
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:wix.com/studio
-
Unless you've been living under a rock or in Barstow, you probably know all about the solar eclipse on Monday. Rod will be going to Austin, likely to be staring at ever-darkening clouds, and Tariq will be headed to the eclipse path in the Northeast. Where will you be? On today's episode, we're talking to astronomer and meteorologist Joe Rao about the solar eclipse of 2024--what is it, where the moon's shadow cross Earth, how can you maximize what you see (or don't see), and how to view partial phases safely. This last bit is important, and we're going to give you an earful about "solar safety"--the effects of improper viewing can be catastrophic. And, of course, Rod's bringing a terrible eclipse-oriented space joke! Join us.
Headlines:
Chinese Space Debris Sighting: China's Shenzhou-15 crew capsule's orbital module made an uncontrolled reentry, lighting up the skies over California without prior warning. Space Junk Hits a Florida Home: A story of a mysterious cylinder, believed to be part of a NASA battery pallet jettisoned from the ISS, crashing through a Florida man's home, illustrating the unpredictable nature of space debris re-entry.
Main Topic: The Solar Eclipse of 2024
Introduction to Joe Rao: Introduction of Joe Rao, his background, and his excitement for the upcoming eclipse, his 14th total solar eclipse viewing. Eclipse Overview: Joe provides an in-depth look at the upcoming solar eclipse, discussing its path across North America, from Mexico through the United States to Canada, and highlighting its significance compared to past eclipses. Viewing Tips: Discussion on safe viewing practices, including the importance of using certified eclipse glasses and other methods to safely observe the eclipse without damaging one's eyes. Weather Considerations: Joe offers advice on how to choose the best viewing locations based on weather patterns and suggests resources for last-minute location adjustments to avoid cloud cover. Personal Stories and Plans: Tariq shares his plans to view the eclipse with his family, emphasizing the personal significance and communal aspect of experiencing such a rare event. Final Thoughts and Advice: The episode wraps up with Joe stressing the unparalleled experience of witnessing a total solar eclipse firsthand, urging listeners not to miss the opportunity to be in the path of totality.Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Joe Rao
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsor:wix.com/studio
-
Last week's test flight of SpaceX's Starship--its third so far--was a mixed bag. The successful launch, ascent, staging, and testing of propellant transfer and the cargo bay door were all brilliant, yet both vehicles were destroyed before completing their planned trajectories, and the upper stage didn't make it into orbit (though it did reach "orbital velocity," according to Elon). So what's the real story on this test flight? When will the next one be? How close is SpaceX to routine launches of Starship, and when might it be ready to land NASA astronauts on the moon? And finally--an interstellar Starship, really Elon? Space.com ace reporter Mike Wall--that's Dr. Mike Wall to you--joins us with the details.
Headlines:
Soyuz Rocket Pad Abort: A rare occurrence where a Soyuz rocket's launch to the ISS was aborted due to a power issue, highlighting the reliability and challenges of space launches. Boeing Starliner's Crew Test: An update on Boeing's Starliner, poised for its first crewed test flight, marking a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight. Chandra Space Telescope Funding Cuts: Discussion on budgetary decisions impacting the Chandra X-ray Observatory, reflecting on the challenges of sustaining long-term space science missions.Main Topic - SpaceX's Starship Developments:
Starship's Third Test Flight: Starship's third fully stacked test flight on March 14th was the most successful to date, achieving significant milestones but still facing challenges with stage separation and atmospheric reentry. Technical Challenges and Innovations: Discussions on Starship's design choices, such as its stainless steel construction and the choice of methane as fuel, showcasing the innovative approaches to overcoming space travel challenges. NASA's Artemis Program and Starship: NASA's reliance on Starship for future lunar landings underlines the spacecraft's importance in returning humans to the Moon and potentially beyond. The Business Case for Mars: Speculation on how SpaceX plans to finance its Mars colonization ambitions, including the role of commercial and military contracts, point-to-point Earth transportation, and the potential market for Mars travel. Potential for Interstellar Travel: Elon Musk's ambitious vision for Starship's future, including interstellar missions, underscores the long-term goals of SpaceX's space exploration efforts.Get Mike's book "Out There": https://amzn.to/3PBrQlY
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik
Guest: Mike Wall
Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.
Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit
Sponsors:zscaler.com/zerotrustAIwix.com/studio
