August 10, 2025 • 63 mins
From cutting-edge missions to cosmic curiosities, this episode takes you across the universe. We’ll break down NASA’s latest plans for the Moon, reveal how alien life could survive off cosmic rays, and unpack the biggest explosion since the Big Bang. Plus, we’ll explore a CERN discovery that might explain why matter exists at all.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Time for this nation to take a clearly leading role
in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the
key to our future on Earth. M one all fair
(00:22):
promram on Bia. Today is a day from morning and
remember Nancy and I are gained the core, but the
tragedy of the Shuttle challenge. The following program may contain
(00:45):
fullse language, adult teens, and bad attempts of human listener discretion.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Is a vibe. What is President Trump's goal?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
What is his vision?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
He wants to put an American flag on Mars.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Rippin angality days here the Angle Landing.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I am your host jay E doublef also known as
a cosmic bard over on x slash Twitter, and this
is the Lost Wonder podcast or August tenth, twenty twenty five,
Happy Sunday evening and welcome aboard the serenade. Now, if
you grew up with star charts taped to your wall,
(01:56):
Jim Lovell was one of the quiet voices in your
head that taught you how to read them, not with
poetry or slogans, but with the steady cadence of a
naval aviator who knew that in the dark checks lists
are a form of love. On August seventh, twenty twenty five,
(02:17):
Lovell died at the age of ninety seven in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The country lost a hero, spaceflight lost one of its
best navigators, and the rest of us lost the calm
between the beeps. Level's road to legend was flown, not
declared selected. In nineteen sixty two was part of NASA's
(02:41):
New nine. He joined a cohort that would take America
from Rendezvous practice to the Moon itself. He would end
up flying four missions Gemini seven, Gemini twelve, Apollo eight,
and Apollo thirteen, logging roughly seven hundred and fifteen hours
in space, a record in his era until Skylab stretched
(03:02):
the yardstick. Gemini seven December nineteen sixty five was a
marathon fourteen cramped days with Frank Borman to prove humans
could endure the length of lunar mission Gemini twelve and
November sixty six paired level with Buzz Aldrin and helped
to rewrite how we space well systematically with handholds and
(03:22):
foot restraints instead of just brute force. Those flights built
the muscle memory for what came next. Then came Apollo
eight in December sixty eight. The first crude voyage to
lunar orbit with Frank Borman and Bill Anders. Level became
one of the first three humans to circle basically another world.
I know you can get technical, but it is what
(03:42):
it is. They read from Genesis. On Christmas Eve, Andrews
photographed Earth rise and Level. The command module pilot kept
the numbers tight while the whole planet stared back at
himself from two hundred and forty thousand miles away. That
mission didn't plant flags, It planted perspective. But the story
(04:06):
that engraved his name in the history didn't begin with Triumph.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Began kind of with a bang.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Apollo thirteenth launched on April eleventh, nineteen seventy, and three
days later, an oxygen tank exploded, crippling the ship. The
line most people remember, Houston, we have a problem, was
Lovell's voice, level and clear reporting catastrophe. What followed was
an unprecedent exercise in real time problem solving. Engineers on
(04:36):
the ground and astronauts in space became one crew jury
rigging co two scrubbers, conserving power, and plotting at tradectory
that would slingshot the crippled spacecraft around the Moon back home.
No one on that mission set foot on the lunar surface,
but survival, well, let's face it was its own kind
of victory. Levell never flew again after Apollo thirteen, retiring
(05:01):
from NASA and the Navy in nineteen seventy three, but
the end of one mission simply began another. He took
on executive roles in the industry, first with Cintel Corporation
and telecommun Communications, then as president of Fiske Telephone Systems,
and later and senior leadership at Cintel's parent company. The
(05:22):
cool headed systems thinking that kept Apollo thirteen alive turned
out to be just as valuable in boardrooms as.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
In space capsules.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
But he didn't stay clustered into corporate life. He was
a tireless public speaker, crossing the country to share not
just the war stories from his flights, but the lessons
beneath them, the value of preparation, the power of teamwork,
and the grace of steady hands under pressure. His memoir
(05:53):
Lost Moon, co author with Jeffrey Klueger, became the blueprint
for Ron Howard's Apollo thirteen, where Tom Hanks would end
up betraying him with the same quiet steadiness, A back
home in Illinois, Level also embraced his community. He and
his family opened Levels of Lake Forest, a restaurant that
(06:14):
sort of doubled as a space history gallery. Diners could
eat prime rib beneath the berry, maps and memorabilia that
had flown to the Moon. The upstairs bar displayed a
model the Apollo thirteen command module, and the man himself
would sometimes stopped by the Greek guest telling stories that
didn't make it to the movie. Even in his later years,
(06:35):
he remained a go to voice whenever humanity's eyes turned skyward,
whether commenting on shuttle flights, the return of lunar planning,
or the rise of commercial space flight. He saw Artemis
announce the Ryan Tested and a new generation of astronauts
training for the same journey he once made. And now,
(06:55):
with his passing a page turns, the roll call of
those who have flown to the Moon grow shorter, and
with it, a firsthand chapter of history recedes into memory.
So tonight, as you maybe step outside and look up
(07:17):
at the moon and it's near full glory, remember that
Jim Lovel's hands once traced every crater in Mari from
just sixty nautical miles away. He didn't get a chance
to walk on its surface, but he navigated the long
road there and navigated the longer road back, and in
(07:42):
doing so he showed us that heroism isn't about planting
the flag.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It's about finding the way.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Home when your map has been burned and on your
screen again is something I've done for the Apollo. Here
is people have flown to or to on the Moon.
(08:10):
There's not many in there with the green status of
living legend anymore. We really are losing the last of
some great heroes. It's kind of sad when you think
about it. But from the Saturn Fies fire that lit
(08:40):
the path to the Moon, we turned to a new
kind of rocket flame, one aim not at lunar seas
of tranquility, but at the rusty plains of Mars.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
And this time the.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Boarding pass.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Well, it belongs to Italy.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
There is a new passenger on the manifest for humanity's
trip to Mars, and it isn't another billionaire with a
selfie stick. The Italian Space Agency assigned a deal with
Space existend scientific payloads aboard future starship missions to the
Red planet. Now this isn't a ride along for a
little itty bitty single cube set. It's a package of
(09:19):
experiments designed to test technologies, biology and instruments in the
very environment we've been chasing for decades. This will mark
the first commercial Mars flight agreement for starship, and the
plan is bold. Rather than waiting for NASA or Essay
(09:40):
to fly a flagship mission, Italy's experiments will hitch a
rido in the privately operated spacecraft, aiming hopefully for the
end of the twenty twenties when orbital mechanics line up
for the next optimal ERRS Earth Mars transfer. The specifics
are still a little bit under wraps, but the science
wish list includes testing life support systems, measuring the Martian
(10:04):
atmospheres dust and radiation profile, and assessing how electronics handle
months of deep space exposure. If it works, this will
set a precedent Mars science doesn't have to wait for
(10:24):
decade long government timelines. You could see universities, private labs,
and even smaller national agencies booking cargo space to run
their own experiments. And it's a bit of a seismic
shift Mars research moving from rare flagship missions to something
approaching a more regular service. Of course, there's a big
(10:52):
if in the equation. Well, let's face it, starship hasn't
flown beyond Earth orbit, and Mars bound flights will demand
an entirely new level of reliability and orbit refueling and
precision entry into Martian atmosphere. But at the same vehicle
that's been designed to very cargo to Earth orbit in
(11:13):
the Moon can also make the crossing the Mars. Then
Multiplanetary stops a quit kind of being a slogan and
will start being a shipping schedule. Somewhere in a labin
room there's probably a small metal container no bigger than
a bread box will one day look out a viewport
and see the planet Mars looming larger by the minute.
(11:35):
And when that happens, it won't just be a win
for Italy or space X. It will be another step
toward the day when Mars may even have its own
customs office and your experiments don't have to clear it
by rate it go. But before we can talk about
(11:57):
the first Italian experiment landing on Mars, oh, we have
we have to bring some current travelers home, and their
runway is the curve of the Earth itself. After one
hundred and eighty four days orbiting at seventeen thousand, five
hundred miles per hour, The four astronauts of Space Exis
(12:18):
Crew ten mission have come back to the only home
they've ever known, even if it now looks a little
smaller from their point of view. The crew Dragon's capsule
unducked from the ISS and began his long, precise ballet
of burns and re entry targeting, culminating in a splash
shot down off the coast of Florida. Its mission was
(12:39):
more than just a half year in micro gravity. Crewten's roster,
commander Matthew Dominic pilot Michael Barrett, and mission specialists Jeannette
EPs and Alexander Grimbeccon juggled over two hundred and fifty
science experiments, maintenance on the ISS's aging modules and multiple spacewalks.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
They monitored how the human.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Body changes in low gravity, tested autonomous docking software, and
worked on power systems upgrades that kept the station alive
as it approaches its third decade in service. Our re
entry always comes with a little bit of a dose
of drama. As Dragon hit the upper atmosphere, it's heat
shield face temperatures hotter than molten rock, the parachutes were
(13:22):
deployed in sequence, slowing it from hundreds of miles per
hour or two a gentle bobbing in the Atlantic. Recovery
crews were on site within minutes, pulling the spacecraft onto
the deck and beginning the post flight medical checks. Now
this isn't done because the astronauts were in danger, but
because half a year without without gravity kind of rewires
(13:43):
your sense of balance and muscle control. For the astronauts,
this return isn't just about science data and spacecraft checkout.
It's about hearing waves instead of fans, smelling salt air
instead of recycled oxygen, and feeling the press of their
own once more. But it's also a bit of a
(14:04):
reminder for all our talk and dreams of Mars and
Moons missions, Earth is still currently the only planet with
a welcome mat. But that's said, not everyone is happy
with what SpaceX is doing. I know, shocker, And while
(14:29):
we're big fans of their work here on the show,
science has a way of pointing out where even your
favorite player may be stepping out of bounds. Astronomers have
been sifting through a staggering archive seventy six million radio
telescope images to hunt for signals from the distant universe.
(14:50):
But in a perhaps surprising twist, some of these images
are full of radio interference and frequencies where no transmissions
are supposed to. Researchers are saying the patterns are likely
stress that word likely from SpaceX to Starlinks satellites, though
(15:12):
they can't really confirm it with absolute certainty as of yet,
and it's worth noting that other satellite constellations have been
called possibly causing similar problems. But of course they're only
going to mention SpaceX because of ELON. But that said,
we do love science here. So the study comes from
(15:32):
researchers analyzing data from the Low Frequency Array or Low FAR,
a network of inn tennis spread across Europe that listens
to the universe and long radio waves. These frequencies are
meant to be quiet zones where terrestrial transmitters are regulated
or outright bands to protect astronomical observations, Yet the data
(15:54):
shows faint, unintended emissions that seem to line up with
Starlink's orbits. Now, the good news is these aren't delivered broadcasts.
They are a byproduct of electronics, some solar panel wiring
and onboard systems interacting with the space environment. The bad
news is that as Starlink and other satellite constellations multiply,
(16:16):
the interference can add up, making it harder to detect
faint cosmic signals, kind of like you know, the whisper
of hydrogen from the early universe, or maybe even the
signatures of distant pulsars. SpaceX has already been in conversation
with astronomers on just how to reduce optical brightness from
its satellites. They've tested darker coatings and sunshades and implemented
(16:40):
some of these.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Now the focus.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
May shift to electrical quieting, maybe more shielding, and design
tweaks that can suppress these unintended emissions. That said, it
is a fixable problem, but one that will require cooperation
between commercial operators and the scientific community. Astronomy has always
been about looking outward, but keeping this guy in the
(17:05):
airwaves clean enough to hear the universe means sometimes turning
our attention back toward what we've launched into it. And
if history is any guide, when engineers and scientists sit
at the same table as Jim Lovell and Apollo thirteen proofs,
solutions tend to follow. And speaking of SpaceX and Science
(17:32):
trying to work together. Nothing says cooperation quite like strapping
a container of disease causing bacteria to a rocket.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
And shooting it into orbit. But don't worry.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Unlike that fun stuff in China, this one, Oh, come
to think of it, that fun stuff in China might
have been anyway, this one is on purpose. If you've
ever wished you could just launch your problems into space,
NASA and SpaceX have done you one better. They've launched
your problems problems on board. A recent resupply mission to
(18:07):
the ISS was a carefully contained batch of disease causing
bacteria well for one of the most unusual medical experiments
in orbit. Now the coal isn't to give astronauts a
very bad day. It's to study how bacteria behave in microgravity.
Decades of space flight research have shown that certain microbes
(18:30):
can change their growth rates, violence, and even genetic expression
when gravity isn't around to pull on them. In some cases,
bacteria become more aggressive or restraint a resistant to antibiotics
in space, which is exactly, you know, the kind of
thing you'd want to understand before all. I don't know
sending humans on multi year vollages to Mars. Now the
(18:56):
experiment will monitor these microbes and sealed triple contains the
lab modules aboard the ISS astronauts will conduct controlled growth
and sampling, while ground teams analyze how the bacteria's biologies
shifts compared to identical samples being kept on Earth. The
(19:16):
findings could lead to better infection control strategies for future crews,
and even offer insights into how bacteria adapt to new
environments here on the ground. Of course, there is a
bit of certain man had scientists quality to deliberately sending
germs in the orbit, but in the long run this
(19:36):
may actually be, you know, quite a good defensive move.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
The more we know about.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
How pathogens adapt the space, the better we can protect
both astronauts and planetary environments from microbial surprises. So the
next time you hear about, you know, a rocket launch,
remember it might not just be carrying satellites or you know,
astronauts might be carrying tee t microscopic hitchhikers with maybe
(20:04):
a lot to teach us. But while we're on this
subject of astronaut health and orbit, we do have some
news that's a little less uh oh and a lot
more oh. Okay for living on the ISS means adapting
(20:27):
to a world really without up or down. But it
turns out your cardiovascular system maybe better adapting at it
than we previously thought. A new study has found the
astronaut's arteries remain healthy even after long duration space flights,
challenging earlier concerns that munths in microgravity could accelerate arterial
(20:49):
stiffening or cardiovascular disease. Researchers have long known that space
travel does in fact change the human body. Fluid shifts
toward the head, muscle atrophy without constant use, and bones
lose density without the daily stress of gravity. Previous studies
hinted that arteries, the vessels that carry that oxygen rich
(21:10):
blood from the heart, might stiffen and microgravity, potentially raising
some very bad long term cardio vascular risk. But this
latest research tracked astronauts before, during, and after extended missions
using ultrasound scans and other diagnostics, and the results. While
(21:30):
there are temporary changes in the blood flow and vessel
diameter during flight, astronauts arteries generally returned to their preflight
condition within weeks of coming home. There's no signs of
accelerated vascular aging being detected now this is good news
(21:51):
for future exploration. It suggests that with regular exercise, proper diets,
and careful health monitoring, the human cardiovascular system can handle
the months and maybe even years of travel needed for
missions to the Moon, Mars, or beyond. It also underscores
(22:12):
the value that has been the ISS as a long
term human health lab where we can learn not just
how to survive in space, but maybe just maybe how
to thrive there. So the next time you may picture
an astronaut floating in the station's modules, remember their heart
(22:33):
is still strong, their arteries are still subtle and well.
At least for now, the vacuum of space hasn't found
a way to age their circulatory system faster than the
Earth can.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Now.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
As weird as this may sound, not every astronaut dreams
of staying aboard the ISS, so they're already looking past
it towards worlds where up and down means something again.
(23:10):
For some astronauts, arriving at the ISS as the pinnacle
of a career. For others, it's a step on the
way to somewhere else. And that's exactly how one newly
arrived crew member feels. Openly sharing that while they're thrilled
to be part of an ISS mission, their heart is
(23:32):
set on a more distant destination, the Moon or maybe
even Mars. This candid perspective came during a life press
event shortly after docking. The astronaut, now settling into the
station's routine of science, maintenance and international camaraderie, described the
ISS as quote an amazing laboratory and an engineering marvel unquote,
(23:55):
but also emphasized that human's future lies beyond Lew Earth Orbit.
Intimate is echoing a growing feeling in the space community.
The ISS is an incredible achievement, but it's also a
launch bad figurattly and perhaps one day literally for deeper exploration.
(24:16):
From the vantage point of the ISS, the Moon hangs
as a brilliant crescent against the black and Mars is
a dim red dot in the same sky. Now, those
views are constant reminder that they're still quite the frontier
to cross. While working in that microgravity, conducting experiments and
collaborating with crewmates probably from around the world, this astronaut
(24:39):
is already thinking about boots and regular the long shadows
of lunar mountains, maybe the dusty sunsets of another planet,
and that ambition matters. The ISS won't orbit forever, it's
the orbit is planned for the early twenty third, and
(25:01):
the astronauts of today will be the veterans leading tomorrow's
voyages outward wanting more. Well, it doesn't diminish the value
of the ISS. It honors it by treating it as
the training ground that is the next great leap. So
while the missions horizon is just two hundred and fifty
miles above the Earth, the astronauts' personal horizon is measured
(25:24):
in hundreds of thousand, even millions of miles. And let's
face it, that's exactly the kind of mindset you need
when the future you're aiming for isn't just higher, it's
potentially farther than maybe you've even dreamed before. Now from
(25:49):
a nation preparing to plant foot prints and lunar dust
again or for the first time, depending on your perspective,
to the people here on are still staring up, wondering
what's next.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Well, yes, what we have something for you? Yes.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
China is making methodical moves toward putting its own astronauts
on the Moon, and the latest milestone brings them one
step closer. Engineers have just completed a full scale test
of their new lunar lander, and it passed the two
hardest parts of the job, sticking the landing and lifting
(26:50):
off again. Now, this test took place in a specialized
facility that simulates the Moon's weaker gravity. Using suspension rigs
and precision monitor motion systems and descent mode, the lander
adjusted its course using hazard avoid and simpsus to dodge
mark craters and borders. Maybe they should try that with
their rockets and cows and settled gently onto the simulated surface.
(27:17):
Minutes later the ascent stage ignite. It's separated from the
landing platform and client toward a stand in for the
return spacecraft waiting in quote unquote lunar orbit. It's all
part of China's plan to land humans on the Moon
by twenty thirty, building on a string of robotic successes
from rovers on the near and faresides to sample return
(27:38):
missions by proving both hands of the mission here on
Earth are reducing the unknowns before human lives are at stake.
If successful, this mission would mark the first human footsteps
on the Moon in over fifty years, and the first
not made by Americans. Now, whether you view it as competition,
cooperation potential, or just another chapter in the exploration story.
(28:02):
One thing is for certain. The next space race is
already under the way, whether you know it or not.
And it looks like the Moon is back on the menu.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Boys.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
And while rehearsing landings on the Moon's was not enough,
China's eyes are still on Mars, for it is setting
its sight on one of planetary science most ambition prizes
bringing back samples from Mars. Their plan would see a
spacecraft launched to the red planet, collecting material from the
(28:43):
surface and return it safely to Earth, all potentially before
NASA and ESA complete their own Mars sample return mission.
The proposed mission builds on china success with T and
Win one, which put an orbiter in on Mars in
twenty twenty one. The next step is a two launch campaign.
(29:04):
One spacecraft of land gather samples and then launch it
back into Mars orbit, and another to capture that sample
container and ferry it all the way back home. If
it works, China could become the first nation to pull
off a round trip from Mars. Now what is less
(29:25):
certain is whether this will be a solo effort or
maybe even a shared one. International cooperation has been a
backbone of major space science projects, I mean just from
the ISS two telescopes like James Web. But geopolitical tensions
have strained China's ties with NASA, and US law currently
bars direct bi lateral cooperation. So at least potential partners
(29:49):
like ESA or maybe even emerging space nations as possible collaborators.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
And already I agree a read China red planet coincidence,
I think not. Now.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
If China does proceed alone, the mission would still be
a huge scientific achievement, returning rocks and soil that could
reveal mars ancient climate and any traces of past life. Now,
if they do find a way to collaborate, could also
be a bridge building moment in space diplomacy. Either way,
the clock is now ticking, Mars launches coming roughly twenty
(30:23):
six month windows, and the sooner the mission is locked
in the sooner their samples could land in the lab
here back on Earth. So with that, we're going to
take a short break and when we come back, we're
heading probably you know, right back.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
To the Moon.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
Because I'm sensing a bit of a theme tonight, because
we do have some plans for a nuclear reactor and
you know some politics behind it.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Then maybe from there we'll go.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
Visit a black hole, talk about alien life on Mars
and Europa, and maybe the biggest cosmic explosions since the
Big Bang, and a few strange new fines you'll want
to hear about.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
So stay with us.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
After oh, we'll go with two minutes and fifty one seconds,
we will be right back in.
Speaker 5 (31:14):
The quieting nights with my ready searching.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
For the signal.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
I'm picking up any in signals from the distance start
in the fastest stands up signing.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
Side just down, hoping for.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
From the costs. I'm taking up signal from the.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Distant Star.
Speaker 6 (32:02):
The basic stands up phase when you have no sycombs
and chrockles side transtime, comping for the message from cosmic marks.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
I'm picking up paying signals from distant Star.
Speaker 6 (32:31):
In BASTI stars up stands with.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
You have no.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
Secrets to day? Can you series salt?
Speaker 5 (32:46):
In the other he had a I'm picking up paying
signals from distant Star the fastest start subspace for me.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
M no.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I keep on listen to the cosmic symphony as long
as it tastes to find a friendly infinity.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
See students.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
And they know.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
I'm figuring up the signal from the distance.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Start in the fastest style sub space.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
For me, have no.
Speaker 4 (33:54):
And welcome back aboard, and we're gonna kick off the
second half of the show with a ride to the
Moon's Southern Pole courtesy of NASA and a company, well,
a company that we just love her. I mean love them,
We love them here. That's that's yeah, that's that's that's
what I meant.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
So anyway, NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace. Let's all take
a moment. Mmmm Morgan, Okay, back on, back, back in focus,
and back on focus.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
NASA has awarded a one hundred and seventy seven million
dollar contract to deliver not one, not two, but three
rovers to the Moon's South Pole in twenty twenty six.
The mission is part of NASA's Commuter Commercial Lunar Paylood
Service program, which taps private companies to carry scientific instruments
and hardware to the lunar surface ahead of crude artemis missions.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Now firef Flies Lander.
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Will target a region near the South Pole called Rodinger's Basin,
a scientifically rich area with permanently shadowed craters.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Believed to hold water ice.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
The three rovers will work together, one scouting terrain, one
handling scientific measurements, and one carrying instruments to study the
environment in real time. By coordinating, they can cover more
ground and less time, increasing the science return from each
lunar day. Now, this isn't just about explorations. It's a
(35:35):
technology test bed. The rovers will be assessing how to
navigate extreme lighting conditions, cope with temperature swings from blistering
sunlight to deep deep cold, and communicate effectively in terrain
where line of sight to Earth is limited. The data
they collect will help shape it and design the future
lunar habitates, power systems, and resource extraction equipment. It's also
(36:00):
a demonstration of how commercial partnerships are really accelerating the
Artemis timeline. Instead of NASA building every piece of hardware
in house, companies like Firefly can well, let's face it,
move faster, take more design risk, and deliver payloads that
meet NASA science goals while advancing their own engineering chops.
(36:22):
If all goes to plan by late twenty twenty six,
three small but capable machines will be trundling across one
of the Moon's most famous and remote frontiers, and every sample,
scan and bite of data will help us prepare for
the day astronauts will eventually walk there themselves again for
the first time, depending on your perspective. And hey, since
(36:45):
we're already talking about Firefly aerospace, hmm Morgan, they are
aiming for orbit of a different kind. This one involves
the stock market. The company has filed for initial public
offering that could raise as much as six hundred and
(37:05):
thirty two million dollars, valuing Firefly at nearly five and
a half billion with a B dollars. It's a big move,
and it comes on the heels of an even bigger
one back in March, the landing of their Blue Ghost
lander on the Moon. All that touchdown wasn't just a
company first, it was a historic first for any commercial lander.
(37:27):
Blue Ghosts carried NASA science instruments to the lunar surface
under the Commercial Lunar Payload Service program, touchdown softly and
completed its objectives without a mission ending failure. In an
era where even experience based program sometimes well, let's face it,
lose landers, pulling off a perfect first shot is a
(37:49):
rare achievement. Now the IPO will put sixteen point two
million shares up for sale. Sixteen point two that's I'm
not mistaken, that's in hands. That's actually the size of secretariat.
I don't know why I still have that my brain anyway.
These sixteen point two million shares up for sale at
an expected price between thirty five and thirty nine dollars
each all goes as plan that influx of capital will
(38:10):
help Firefly scale up production of the Alpha rockets, develop
a follow on Blue Ghost landers, and expand into more
lunar missions, which means maybe we'll get to see Morgan more.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
I count that as a win win. Now.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
Going public, though, does come with a different kind of risk.
Investors will be buying not just in the Firefly's engineering success,
but into the future of the commercial moon market itself,
a market that's still more vision than revenue. Mining water, ice,
building habitats, and providing regular cargo mounts are all on
the horizon, but well they're not yet profitable industries. Still,
(38:52):
Firefly's timing is smart. The unnice program is ramping up
in the demand for reliable lunar delivery partners is well
only going to grow rapidly by turning public capital into hardware.
Firefly can cement itself as one of the go to
companies for getting things and maybe someday people to the Moon,
(39:13):
And if their next missions go as smoothly as Blue Ghosts,
the company might just prove that in the new space
economy there's room for rockets, rovers and reactors and returns
for the people bold enough to back them. And speaking
of reactors, how about we go over to NASA, because
they're already thinking about how to power what comes next,
(39:36):
not with solar panels, but something something, far, far more potent.
NASA is accelerating plans to place a nuclear reactor on
the Moon by twenty thirty, and interim Administrator Sean Dahi
is making sure it moves from blueprint to reality. The
push isn't just about engineering, it's really strategy survival and
(39:56):
making sure that when humans return to the Moon for
first time to stay, they can actually keep the lights on.
A solar power works well in Earth orbit and on
Mars and certain conditions. But the mood's poles, where much
of the long term acceleration will focus, are well, they're
very different animals. The lunarite lasts about fourteen Earth days.
(40:20):
That means two straight weeks without any sunlight, and temperatures
are well, you know, just randomly plunging to around a
minus two hundred and eighty degrees fahrenheit. Dust can blanket
solar panels, further slashing efficiency just when energy is most critical.
And these conditions, batteries, they batteries alone aren't enough. You're
(40:45):
going to need a constant, independent power source. And that's
where FISHI and surface power comes in. NASA's target is
a compact one hundred kilo white reactor capable of running
continuously for at least ten years without refueling. That's enough
electricity to power a cluster habitats, science labs, rovers, life
(41:05):
support systems, communication gear, and even industrial equipment like water
ice extraction rigs.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
The idea is.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
To make a lunar base truly self sufficient, able to
operate day or night and dust storms or during emergencies. Now,
Sehn Duffy has been blunt about the motivation US, whether
people want to admit it or not, is in a
race with China or sustained presence on the moon. Whoever
(41:34):
is stops just reliable infrastructure first, Well, they kind of
get to, you know, shape the rules of lunar exploration
for decades and his words, energy is the key to
that foothold. Without it a base, a base is just
a camping trip. And like we talked on last episode, yes,
(41:55):
South Korea is looking at it too, and we don't
want hot South Koreans beating the Americans unless they have
YouTube cameras and their fees live.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
But you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (42:08):
Now.
Speaker 4 (42:08):
The reactor concepts being studied are remarkably compact, small enough
to fit inside a single lunar lander. One design uses
uranium fuel rots surrounded by passive heat pipes. These pipes
moothe reactor's heat to a set of sterling engines, which
quietly convert it to electricity without any moving parts inside
the reactor core. Fewer moving parts meanwhile, fewer breakdowns and
(42:31):
absolute necessity, you know, when you're operating a quarter million
miles from the nearest repair shop. That said, this isn't
just about keeping astronauts alive. Constant power really opens the
door to technologies that would be impossible on a sunlight
only schedule. Ice mining for rocket fuel requires power hungry
(42:51):
drills and processing plants. Scientific experiments like particle detectors or
deep space radio arrays can run without inner greenhouses could
grow food year round instead of in fits and starts,
and even construction robots could work around through the long
lunar night, building new habitats and infrastructure. All that said,
(43:16):
NASA's timeline is ambitious. Testing has already begun with the
small scale prototypes here on Earth, with the Department of
Energy and private contractors working alongside NASA engineers. The goal
was to have a flight ready unit tested and qualified
for space by the end of the decade. If they succeed,
the first human crews living on the Moon will have
a steady supply of electricity no matter the weather, the dust,
(43:38):
or given the angle of the Sun. And I think
that's that's the real shift here. The Apollo missions proved
we could visit the Moon. I know there are some
out there we didn't go, But instead of just visiting
the Moon, a nuclear reactor would prove we could actually
(44:00):
live there. It really is a difference between a temporary
campsite and a permanent outpost, between a place you you know,
just go.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
And a place you can stay.
Speaker 4 (44:19):
I said, we have been talking about building rockets and
you know, landing on the Moon, But what if your
next spacecraft didn't even carry its own fuel. What what
if it was pushed by light itself?
Speaker 3 (44:33):
And what if the destination of all places was all
the way to a black hole.
Speaker 4 (44:45):
An astrophysicist has put forward a bold idea, a laser
propelled many spacecraft capable of traveling to the nearest black
hole in the fraction of the time chemical rockets can manage.
Now this concept bar is from the well known solar
sale idea light pressure to push a craft forward, but
replaces sunlight with an immense focused laser being fired from
(45:06):
Earth or lunar orbit. Now here's the challenge with sending anything.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
To a black hole.
Speaker 4 (45:16):
They're a little bit away, just you know, out there,
a little bit. Even the closest known candidate, SAGITTARIUSA, sits
in the center of our galaxy twenty six thousand light
years away. But there are some smaller black holes much closer,
and still there's hundreds or thousands of light years out.
A conventional spacecraft, even with our fastest propultion, would take
(45:39):
millennia to get there. The proposed mini spacecraft would be
incredibly light, perhaps no bigger than a shoe box. With
the reflective sail as thin as human hair and dozens
of meters across. The laser array would accelerate it to
the significant fraction of light speed over the course of
weeks or months, allowing it to reach a nearby stellar
(46:01):
mass black hole within human lifetime. No, I know, one
of the questions is obvious. Why, Well, getting close to
black hole is like standing at the edge of physics itself.
The craft could study the accretion disk, the jets of
(46:23):
matter eject at you know, at near light speed, and
the warping of space time in real time. These are
environments right now we can only model in supercomputers. A
direct mission could confirm or overturn some of the most
fundamental theories about gravity and quantum mechanics.
Speaker 3 (46:43):
That it won't be easy. There are some hurdles.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
First, building a laser powerful enough to push your probe
to such speeds would require enormous infrastructure, possibly you know,
on the Moon to avoid atmospheric distortion. The sale itself
would have to survive years in deep space, dodging interstellar
dust at relativistic speeds. And yeah, this won't be like Nascar.
(47:10):
It's gonna need like, you know, stay straight, you know,
navigation will be a little bit of a bitch, because
course corrections get tricky when you're riding a beam of
laser light. But still the payoff is tantalizing in a way.
It's the perfect fusion of engineering, ambition and scientific curiosity.
A mission that starts at a launch pad but ends
(47:31):
at one of the universe's strangest frontiers, and let's face it,
that makes it the perfect gateway into the science side
of our journey the rest of the way through. So
you may have been, you know, imagining riding that beam
yourself of light to the black hole, even though we've
(47:52):
all seen that movie. Think god Disney hasn't remade it yet.
But now let's reel it back toward home and ask
where life might be hiding a little bit closer to
our solar system and what it might be, you know,
living on it if it is in sunlight. This next
story is brought to you by the Exective Producer. Scientists
(48:15):
are expanding the boundaries of what we call habitable. A
new study suggests that morez Europa and Insulatus, along with
icy moons and even rud planets a far from any star,
might sustain life using a power source that never rises
or sets. Cosmic rays a Cosmic rays are high energy
particles from deep space, born in the chaos of supernova
(48:36):
and other violent cosmic events on worlds with little to
no atmosphere or no magnetic field to block, and these particles
can penetrate several feet into the surface. When they strike
water ice, they can break apart molecules, releasing electrons in
a process called radialysis. Simple microbes could use these electrons
(48:56):
as an energy source, a potential lifeline places where sunlight
is non existent. Lead researcher Demetra at Tree and her
team calculated how much biomas cosmic rays could support on
three of the Solar System's most intriguing worlds, and Solatus
came out on top, enough to support a thin but
(49:19):
persistent layer of microbial life beneath the surface. Ice Mars
ranked second, where such life might hide in permafrost just
below the surface, and Europa, Jupiter's cracked, streeked ocean moon
was third. But even here, cosmic rays could power life
(49:40):
in the shallow pockets of salty liquid water close to
the surface, maybe even closer than we once thought. And yes, Sordia,
it has taught me this word very well. Now the
team has given this zone, of course, a name, the
radiolic habitable zone, the sweet spot below the world's surface.
Were costic grays de liver enough energy to support life
(50:02):
without overwhelming it with radiation damage. It's a definition that
works regardless of how close a world is to the star.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
It could apply equally to Pluto.
Speaker 4 (50:13):
The planet you know, or maybe even a rogue planet
drifting between stars. Now, this, of course, doesn't mean cogna
grays are the only possible power source for alien life.
You do have hydrothermal events left over, volcanic heat, and
even faint traces of sunlight might contribute in some environments.
But radiolysis as a new durable pathway, one that might
(50:36):
keep ecosystems alive for bions of years on worlds, Well,
maybe we've been overlooking. In short, the habitable zone just
got maybe a little bit bigger, a little bit stranger,
and I think much more exciting. And some of the
best places to find life may be cold, dark corners
(50:56):
of our cosmic backyard. But let's swing hard into a
different direction.
Speaker 6 (51:05):
Here.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
There's something so bright, so violent, it makes most of
the universe look like it's on a dimmer switch.
Speaker 3 (51:16):
Now Z five.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
Biebelel Brox once said, the best bang since the Big One. We,
of course, you know the triple breasted horror of Eroticon six.
But out here an hour known universe, the title might
belong to a cosmic explosion so enormous it's been nicknamed
the Boats the brightest of all time. Officially it's GRB
(51:43):
two two one zero zero nine A, which is a
gamma ray burst, the most energetic kind of stellar death
in the cosmos. These events happen when a massive stars
core collapse into a black hole, releasing titanic jets of
energy that blast outwards at nearly the speed of light.
Most gamma ray bursts last only seconds. Yeah, rub it in,
(52:05):
and their afterglows fade quickly. But the Boat was different.
It erupted two point four billion with a B late
years away, slammed into our detectors with such ferocity that
it briefly blinded some of them, and it's been growing
or glowing ever since.
Speaker 3 (52:27):
Now.
Speaker 4 (52:28):
For astronomers, this is like winning the cosmic lottery. The
burst unusual proximity by gamma ray standards, combined with its
staggering intensity, meant we could study it in exquisite detail
across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to the
highest energy gamma photons ever recorded from such events, And
(52:50):
the scary thing is it's still not done teaching us.
The after glow has revealed jets that are narrow and
more finely structured than models predicted, suggesting magnetic fields may
play a bigger role in shaping these explosions than previously Salt,
the high energy photons that have continued arriving years later
are pushing the limits of our theories about particle acceleration.
Speaker 3 (53:13):
Take that Sern in the physics.
Speaker 4 (53:15):
Of shock fronts. All these explosions aren't just spectacular, they're
cosmic alchemists. The extreme conditions inside them forge the element's gold, platinum,
uranium and spew them across their host galaxies, seating future
generations of stars and planets. In a sense, the metal
(53:37):
in your wedding ring if you're married may have once
been a part of a gamma ray burst shrapnel. Kind
of disgusting if you think about it in a way anyway.
For scientists, the boat is a gift that keeps giving,
letting us piece together a story that begins and the
death throes of a star and ends in the chemical
enrichment of the universe. Centrica may hold her crown in
(54:02):
certain circles, but when it comes to cosmic scale fireworks,
the boat makes a very strong case for second place,
And unlike zey Fot's favorite, this one comes with hard
data and not just a reputation to withhold. And somewhere,
(54:25):
just somewhere, I can picture board prefect taking notes on
the entry for gamma ray burst and it having right
after it avoid standing directly in front of one and
(54:46):
yes from hitchhikers to the all four mentioned concerns large
Hadron collider. Well, physicists have taken another step toward answering
a question so fundamental it's almost unsettling.
Speaker 3 (55:09):
Why does anything exist?
Speaker 4 (55:15):
According to our best understandings of physics, the Big Bang
should have created matter and antimatter and equal amounts. Now,
this symmetry, of course, sounds elegant, But there's a catch.
If matter and antimatter are perfect mere twins, they annihilate
each other on contact, Equal amounts would mean nothing but
radiation left behind. No stars, no planets know us. Yet
(55:40):
we live in a universe made almost entirely of matter
anti matter exist, but it's fleeting, rare and usually made
artificially in labs so we can study it. This mismatch,
the fact that matter somehow one is one of the
greatest mysteries in cosmology. G The new CERN hashtags stern
(56:03):
is innocent. Results focus on particles called b masons. These
short lived particles, made of a bottom quirk down to
another quark, are created in high energy collisions inside the LHC.
Alongside them, the same collisions produce their antimatter counterparts, antib masons. Now,
in a perfectly symmetrical universe, the decay of B massons
(56:25):
and antib massons and two later particles would be identical.
But that's not what CERN detectors saw. Instead, the decay
shows a subtle but persistent difference, a violation of the
combined symmetry known as CP for charge and parity. Charge
refers to swapping particles with these antiparticles. Parody refers to
(56:47):
flipping their spatial coordinates like a mere image. If CP
symmetry held perfectly, matter and antimatter would behave the same
way in decay. The fact that they don't means there's
a built in bias in the laws of physics, one
that in the early universe could have tipped the scales
towards matter. Now, this isn't the first time CP violation
(57:10):
has been observed innce have shown up in chaons and
other massons before, but each new measurement is sharpening that picture.
The imbalanced cern has found is small. Are too small
to explain the entire matter anti matter asymmetry by itself,
(57:31):
so that means there must be other processes, perhaps involving
undiscovered particles or interactions, that contributed to the early bias. Now,
the stakes here are cosmic. If the universe had been
perfectly symmetrical, every proton would have been matched with an
anti proton, every electron with a positron, and all of
(57:55):
it would have vanished in mutual annihilation. There'd be no gaslexies,
no chemistry, no biology. The only way to win would
be not to play, and that seems to be what
they are doing. The fact that the scales tipped ever
so slightly towards matter billions of years ago is the
reason you're hearing this sentence now. And yes, yes, I
(58:18):
just dropped a war games of reference in the middle
of the physics lessons I've come such a long way
on this program. Now the word concern isn't just about
confirming the standard model. It's about probing its limits. Further experiments,
perhaps at even higher energies or the next generation detectors,
could reveal new sources of CP violations. That well, we'll
(58:39):
complete the entire story. Every collision in the LHC is
a bit of the role of the cosmic dice, looking
for the rare throws that don't match the script. And yes,
that is a tease to a certain show coming back soon.
Speaker 3 (58:59):
Now, for now we know this.
Speaker 4 (59:01):
Somewhere in the universe's earliest moments, Nature broke the rules
just enough to let matter win, and from that tiny
imbalance came everything stars, planets, oceans, clouds, and even those
curious primates who traded leaves for monetary gain. But one
(59:25):
day those primates would build machines to figure out how
it all began and why.
Speaker 3 (59:30):
It was such a mistake.
Speaker 4 (59:33):
No, all, friends, let's lace up your moon boots, because
the sky over the next two weeks has more action
than maybe even a Douglas Adam's pub crawl. We begin
with our old travel companion, the moon, now in it's
waiting giveus phase as we open the week. By August nineteenth,
at two twenty six am Eastern, she'll be a delicate,
(59:56):
waning crescent, only forty percent lit like half my audience,
probably perfect for stargazing before the dawn. The new moon
arrives August twenty fourth at five sixteen am, cooking the
night in darkness so deep even the Milky Way will
seem brighter than usual. And yes, yes, we just passed
(01:00:17):
the full surgeon moon on August ninth. The Anashanabi people,
well you know, they called it the Manoon Mehika Gesis,
or the racing Moon, marking the season when wild races
gather from the lakes. A reminder that even the heavens
keep time with the turning of the Earth. Now, if
(01:00:39):
you're up late, Saturn will rise in the southeast around
nine pm, a nice creamy yellow jewel just pasted opposition,
bringing up to see even with modest binoculars. But if
you've got a telescope, those famous rings are tilted nicely
right now, giving them that minism frisbee look that we
(01:01:01):
all love about Saturn. Jupiter follows close behind, rising just
before midnight in the east.
Speaker 3 (01:01:07):
Big and bold.
Speaker 4 (01:01:09):
It's four largest moons. I owe Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
We'll line up in different configurations every night, like cosmic
beads on a string. Mars Well, Mars is still hugging
the morning horizon in the east, faint but red. If
you catch it in an hour before sunrise, think of
it as a shy dinner guest who shows up just
(01:01:30):
before you do the dishes. We all know how guests are,
and the percy and media your shower peak just before
our forecast window. But let's face it, stragglers are still
streaking through the night, and with the moon dimming toward
new you'll actually have a solid chance to catch a
(01:01:51):
few fiery trails in the northeast after midnight and overhead
the summer try angle made a vega. Then an out
here commands the night sky looking straight up, find the bright,
bluish star vega and you in your start at your
tour of one of Summer's most iconic constellations. And final thought,
(01:02:16):
so whether you're looking for Saturn's rings, chasing the last
of the perseeds, or just leaning back and you know
to watch the slow dance of the summer triangle. Remember,
the best seat in the universe is the one you
take the time to sit in. So that's it for
tonight's show. Thank you for tuning in when and however
(01:02:38):
and whyever you do. Special thanks to NASA SpaceX, space
dot Com, our technical NASA space Flight, Popular Mechanics, and
more for the stories and inspiration tonight with me at
the helm, the EP setting course, and the ship's computer
in the back was spring Star Maps through the static.
(01:02:59):
This is the Lost wander until next Door of it.
I hope you enjoyed the show, learned a little bit
along the way, and maybe had a laugh or two
as well.
Speaker 2 (01:03:13):
The universe is a pretty big place.
Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before.
Speaker 6 (01:03:24):
So if it's just us, it seems like an awful
waste of space. Right when I was young, it seemed
that I was so wonderful.
Time for this nation to take a clearly leading role
in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the
key to our future on Earth. M one all fair
(00:22):
promram on Bia. Today is a day from morning and
remember Nancy and I are gained the core, but the
tragedy of the Shuttle challenge. The following program may contain
(00:45):
fullse language, adult teens, and bad attempts of human listener discretion.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Is a vibe. What is President Trump's goal?
Speaker 3 (01:07):
What is his vision?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
He wants to put an American flag on Mars.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
Rippin angality days here the Angle Landing.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I am your host jay E doublef also known as
a cosmic bard over on x slash Twitter, and this
is the Lost Wonder podcast or August tenth, twenty twenty five,
Happy Sunday evening and welcome aboard the serenade. Now, if
you grew up with star charts taped to your wall,
(01:56):
Jim Lovell was one of the quiet voices in your
head that taught you how to read them, not with
poetry or slogans, but with the steady cadence of a
naval aviator who knew that in the dark checks lists
are a form of love. On August seventh, twenty twenty five,
(02:17):
Lovell died at the age of ninety seven in Lake Forest, Illinois.
The country lost a hero, spaceflight lost one of its
best navigators, and the rest of us lost the calm
between the beeps. Level's road to legend was flown, not
declared selected. In nineteen sixty two was part of NASA's
(02:41):
New nine. He joined a cohort that would take America
from Rendezvous practice to the Moon itself. He would end
up flying four missions Gemini seven, Gemini twelve, Apollo eight,
and Apollo thirteen, logging roughly seven hundred and fifteen hours
in space, a record in his era until Skylab stretched
(03:02):
the yardstick. Gemini seven December nineteen sixty five was a
marathon fourteen cramped days with Frank Borman to prove humans
could endure the length of lunar mission Gemini twelve and
November sixty six paired level with Buzz Aldrin and helped
to rewrite how we space well systematically with handholds and
(03:22):
foot restraints instead of just brute force. Those flights built
the muscle memory for what came next. Then came Apollo
eight in December sixty eight. The first crude voyage to
lunar orbit with Frank Borman and Bill Anders. Level became
one of the first three humans to circle basically another world.
I know you can get technical, but it is what
(03:42):
it is. They read from Genesis. On Christmas Eve, Andrews
photographed Earth rise and Level. The command module pilot kept
the numbers tight while the whole planet stared back at
himself from two hundred and forty thousand miles away. That
mission didn't plant flags, It planted perspective. But the story
(04:06):
that engraved his name in the history didn't begin with Triumph.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Began kind of with a bang.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Apollo thirteenth launched on April eleventh, nineteen seventy, and three
days later, an oxygen tank exploded, crippling the ship. The
line most people remember, Houston, we have a problem, was
Lovell's voice, level and clear reporting catastrophe. What followed was
an unprecedent exercise in real time problem solving. Engineers on
(04:36):
the ground and astronauts in space became one crew jury
rigging co two scrubbers, conserving power, and plotting at tradectory
that would slingshot the crippled spacecraft around the Moon back home.
No one on that mission set foot on the lunar surface,
but survival, well, let's face it was its own kind
of victory. Levell never flew again after Apollo thirteen, retiring
(05:01):
from NASA and the Navy in nineteen seventy three, but
the end of one mission simply began another. He took
on executive roles in the industry, first with Cintel Corporation
and telecommun Communications, then as president of Fiske Telephone Systems,
and later and senior leadership at Cintel's parent company. The
(05:22):
cool headed systems thinking that kept Apollo thirteen alive turned
out to be just as valuable in boardrooms as.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
In space capsules.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
But he didn't stay clustered into corporate life. He was
a tireless public speaker, crossing the country to share not
just the war stories from his flights, but the lessons
beneath them, the value of preparation, the power of teamwork,
and the grace of steady hands under pressure. His memoir
(05:53):
Lost Moon, co author with Jeffrey Klueger, became the blueprint
for Ron Howard's Apollo thirteen, where Tom Hanks would end
up betraying him with the same quiet steadiness, A back
home in Illinois, Level also embraced his community. He and
his family opened Levels of Lake Forest, a restaurant that
(06:14):
sort of doubled as a space history gallery. Diners could
eat prime rib beneath the berry, maps and memorabilia that
had flown to the Moon. The upstairs bar displayed a
model the Apollo thirteen command module, and the man himself
would sometimes stopped by the Greek guest telling stories that
didn't make it to the movie. Even in his later years,
(06:35):
he remained a go to voice whenever humanity's eyes turned skyward,
whether commenting on shuttle flights, the return of lunar planning,
or the rise of commercial space flight. He saw Artemis
announce the Ryan Tested and a new generation of astronauts
training for the same journey he once made. And now,
(06:55):
with his passing a page turns, the roll call of
those who have flown to the Moon grow shorter, and
with it, a firsthand chapter of history recedes into memory.
So tonight, as you maybe step outside and look up
(07:17):
at the moon and it's near full glory, remember that
Jim Lovel's hands once traced every crater in Mari from
just sixty nautical miles away. He didn't get a chance
to walk on its surface, but he navigated the long
road there and navigated the longer road back, and in
(07:42):
doing so he showed us that heroism isn't about planting
the flag.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
It's about finding the way.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Home when your map has been burned and on your
screen again is something I've done for the Apollo. Here
is people have flown to or to on the Moon.
(08:10):
There's not many in there with the green status of
living legend anymore. We really are losing the last of
some great heroes. It's kind of sad when you think
about it. But from the Saturn Fies fire that lit
(08:40):
the path to the Moon, we turned to a new
kind of rocket flame, one aim not at lunar seas
of tranquility, but at the rusty plains of Mars.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
And this time the.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Boarding pass.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
Well, it belongs to Italy.
Speaker 4 (08:59):
There is a new passenger on the manifest for humanity's
trip to Mars, and it isn't another billionaire with a
selfie stick. The Italian Space Agency assigned a deal with
Space existend scientific payloads aboard future starship missions to the
Red planet. Now this isn't a ride along for a
little itty bitty single cube set. It's a package of
(09:19):
experiments designed to test technologies, biology and instruments in the
very environment we've been chasing for decades. This will mark
the first commercial Mars flight agreement for starship, and the
plan is bold. Rather than waiting for NASA or Essay
(09:40):
to fly a flagship mission, Italy's experiments will hitch a
rido in the privately operated spacecraft, aiming hopefully for the
end of the twenty twenties when orbital mechanics line up
for the next optimal ERRS Earth Mars transfer. The specifics
are still a little bit under wraps, but the science
wish list includes testing life support systems, measuring the Martian
(10:04):
atmospheres dust and radiation profile, and assessing how electronics handle
months of deep space exposure. If it works, this will
set a precedent Mars science doesn't have to wait for
(10:24):
decade long government timelines. You could see universities, private labs,
and even smaller national agencies booking cargo space to run
their own experiments. And it's a bit of a seismic
shift Mars research moving from rare flagship missions to something
approaching a more regular service. Of course, there's a big
(10:52):
if in the equation. Well, let's face it, starship hasn't
flown beyond Earth orbit, and Mars bound flights will demand
an entirely new level of reliability and orbit refueling and
precision entry into Martian atmosphere. But at the same vehicle
that's been designed to very cargo to Earth orbit in
(11:13):
the Moon can also make the crossing the Mars. Then
Multiplanetary stops a quit kind of being a slogan and
will start being a shipping schedule. Somewhere in a labin
room there's probably a small metal container no bigger than
a bread box will one day look out a viewport
and see the planet Mars looming larger by the minute.
(11:35):
And when that happens, it won't just be a win
for Italy or space X. It will be another step
toward the day when Mars may even have its own
customs office and your experiments don't have to clear it
by rate it go. But before we can talk about
(11:57):
the first Italian experiment landing on Mars, oh, we have
we have to bring some current travelers home, and their
runway is the curve of the Earth itself. After one
hundred and eighty four days orbiting at seventeen thousand, five
hundred miles per hour, The four astronauts of Space Exis
(12:18):
Crew ten mission have come back to the only home
they've ever known, even if it now looks a little
smaller from their point of view. The crew Dragon's capsule
unducked from the ISS and began his long, precise ballet
of burns and re entry targeting, culminating in a splash
shot down off the coast of Florida. Its mission was
(12:39):
more than just a half year in micro gravity. Crewten's roster,
commander Matthew Dominic pilot Michael Barrett, and mission specialists Jeannette
EPs and Alexander Grimbeccon juggled over two hundred and fifty
science experiments, maintenance on the ISS's aging modules and multiple spacewalks.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
They monitored how the human.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Body changes in low gravity, tested autonomous docking software, and
worked on power systems upgrades that kept the station alive
as it approaches its third decade in service. Our re
entry always comes with a little bit of a dose
of drama. As Dragon hit the upper atmosphere, it's heat
shield face temperatures hotter than molten rock, the parachutes were
(13:22):
deployed in sequence, slowing it from hundreds of miles per
hour or two a gentle bobbing in the Atlantic. Recovery
crews were on site within minutes, pulling the spacecraft onto
the deck and beginning the post flight medical checks. Now
this isn't done because the astronauts were in danger, but
because half a year without without gravity kind of rewires
(13:43):
your sense of balance and muscle control. For the astronauts,
this return isn't just about science data and spacecraft checkout.
It's about hearing waves instead of fans, smelling salt air
instead of recycled oxygen, and feeling the press of their
own once more. But it's also a bit of a
(14:04):
reminder for all our talk and dreams of Mars and
Moons missions, Earth is still currently the only planet with
a welcome mat. But that's said, not everyone is happy
with what SpaceX is doing. I know, shocker, And while
(14:29):
we're big fans of their work here on the show,
science has a way of pointing out where even your
favorite player may be stepping out of bounds. Astronomers have
been sifting through a staggering archive seventy six million radio
telescope images to hunt for signals from the distant universe.
(14:50):
But in a perhaps surprising twist, some of these images
are full of radio interference and frequencies where no transmissions
are supposed to. Researchers are saying the patterns are likely
stress that word likely from SpaceX to Starlinks satellites, though
(15:12):
they can't really confirm it with absolute certainty as of yet,
and it's worth noting that other satellite constellations have been
called possibly causing similar problems. But of course they're only
going to mention SpaceX because of ELON. But that said,
we do love science here. So the study comes from
(15:32):
researchers analyzing data from the Low Frequency Array or Low FAR,
a network of inn tennis spread across Europe that listens
to the universe and long radio waves. These frequencies are
meant to be quiet zones where terrestrial transmitters are regulated
or outright bands to protect astronomical observations, Yet the data
(15:54):
shows faint, unintended emissions that seem to line up with
Starlink's orbits. Now, the good news is these aren't delivered broadcasts.
They are a byproduct of electronics, some solar panel wiring
and onboard systems interacting with the space environment. The bad
news is that as Starlink and other satellite constellations multiply,
(16:16):
the interference can add up, making it harder to detect
faint cosmic signals, kind of like you know, the whisper
of hydrogen from the early universe, or maybe even the
signatures of distant pulsars. SpaceX has already been in conversation
with astronomers on just how to reduce optical brightness from
its satellites. They've tested darker coatings and sunshades and implemented
(16:40):
some of these.
Speaker 3 (16:41):
Now the focus.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
May shift to electrical quieting, maybe more shielding, and design
tweaks that can suppress these unintended emissions. That said, it
is a fixable problem, but one that will require cooperation
between commercial operators and the scientific community. Astronomy has always
been about looking outward, but keeping this guy in the
(17:05):
airwaves clean enough to hear the universe means sometimes turning
our attention back toward what we've launched into it. And
if history is any guide, when engineers and scientists sit
at the same table as Jim Lovell and Apollo thirteen proofs,
solutions tend to follow. And speaking of SpaceX and Science
(17:32):
trying to work together. Nothing says cooperation quite like strapping
a container of disease causing bacteria to a rocket.
Speaker 3 (17:40):
And shooting it into orbit. But don't worry.
Speaker 4 (17:44):
Unlike that fun stuff in China, this one, Oh, come
to think of it, that fun stuff in China might
have been anyway, this one is on purpose. If you've
ever wished you could just launch your problems into space,
NASA and SpaceX have done you one better. They've launched
your problems problems on board. A recent resupply mission to
(18:07):
the ISS was a carefully contained batch of disease causing
bacteria well for one of the most unusual medical experiments
in orbit. Now the coal isn't to give astronauts a
very bad day. It's to study how bacteria behave in microgravity.
Decades of space flight research have shown that certain microbes
(18:30):
can change their growth rates, violence, and even genetic expression
when gravity isn't around to pull on them. In some cases,
bacteria become more aggressive or restraint a resistant to antibiotics
in space, which is exactly, you know, the kind of
thing you'd want to understand before all. I don't know
sending humans on multi year vollages to Mars. Now the
(18:56):
experiment will monitor these microbes and sealed triple contains the
lab modules aboard the ISS astronauts will conduct controlled growth
and sampling, while ground teams analyze how the bacteria's biologies
shifts compared to identical samples being kept on Earth. The
(19:16):
findings could lead to better infection control strategies for future crews,
and even offer insights into how bacteria adapt to new
environments here on the ground. Of course, there is a
bit of certain man had scientists quality to deliberately sending
germs in the orbit, but in the long run this
(19:36):
may actually be, you know, quite a good defensive move.
Speaker 3 (19:40):
The more we know about.
Speaker 4 (19:41):
How pathogens adapt the space, the better we can protect
both astronauts and planetary environments from microbial surprises. So the
next time you hear about, you know, a rocket launch,
remember it might not just be carrying satellites or you know,
astronauts might be carrying tee t microscopic hitchhikers with maybe
(20:04):
a lot to teach us. But while we're on this
subject of astronaut health and orbit, we do have some
news that's a little less uh oh and a lot
more oh. Okay for living on the ISS means adapting
(20:27):
to a world really without up or down. But it
turns out your cardiovascular system maybe better adapting at it
than we previously thought. A new study has found the
astronaut's arteries remain healthy even after long duration space flights,
challenging earlier concerns that munths in microgravity could accelerate arterial
(20:49):
stiffening or cardiovascular disease. Researchers have long known that space
travel does in fact change the human body. Fluid shifts
toward the head, muscle atrophy without constant use, and bones
lose density without the daily stress of gravity. Previous studies
hinted that arteries, the vessels that carry that oxygen rich
(21:10):
blood from the heart, might stiffen and microgravity, potentially raising
some very bad long term cardio vascular risk. But this
latest research tracked astronauts before, during, and after extended missions
using ultrasound scans and other diagnostics, and the results. While
(21:30):
there are temporary changes in the blood flow and vessel
diameter during flight, astronauts arteries generally returned to their preflight
condition within weeks of coming home. There's no signs of
accelerated vascular aging being detected now this is good news
(21:51):
for future exploration. It suggests that with regular exercise, proper diets,
and careful health monitoring, the human cardiovascular system can handle
the months and maybe even years of travel needed for
missions to the Moon, Mars, or beyond. It also underscores
(22:12):
the value that has been the ISS as a long
term human health lab where we can learn not just
how to survive in space, but maybe just maybe how
to thrive there. So the next time you may picture
an astronaut floating in the station's modules, remember their heart
(22:33):
is still strong, their arteries are still subtle and well.
At least for now, the vacuum of space hasn't found
a way to age their circulatory system faster than the
Earth can.
Speaker 3 (22:49):
Now.
Speaker 4 (22:49):
As weird as this may sound, not every astronaut dreams
of staying aboard the ISS, so they're already looking past
it towards worlds where up and down means something again.
(23:10):
For some astronauts, arriving at the ISS as the pinnacle
of a career. For others, it's a step on the
way to somewhere else. And that's exactly how one newly
arrived crew member feels. Openly sharing that while they're thrilled
to be part of an ISS mission, their heart is
(23:32):
set on a more distant destination, the Moon or maybe
even Mars. This candid perspective came during a life press
event shortly after docking. The astronaut, now settling into the
station's routine of science, maintenance and international camaraderie, described the
ISS as quote an amazing laboratory and an engineering marvel unquote,
(23:55):
but also emphasized that human's future lies beyond Lew Earth Orbit.
Intimate is echoing a growing feeling in the space community.
The ISS is an incredible achievement, but it's also a
launch bad figurattly and perhaps one day literally for deeper exploration.
(24:16):
From the vantage point of the ISS, the Moon hangs
as a brilliant crescent against the black and Mars is
a dim red dot in the same sky. Now, those
views are constant reminder that they're still quite the frontier
to cross. While working in that microgravity, conducting experiments and
collaborating with crewmates probably from around the world, this astronaut
(24:39):
is already thinking about boots and regular the long shadows
of lunar mountains, maybe the dusty sunsets of another planet,
and that ambition matters. The ISS won't orbit forever, it's
the orbit is planned for the early twenty third, and
(25:01):
the astronauts of today will be the veterans leading tomorrow's
voyages outward wanting more. Well, it doesn't diminish the value
of the ISS. It honors it by treating it as
the training ground that is the next great leap. So
while the missions horizon is just two hundred and fifty
miles above the Earth, the astronauts' personal horizon is measured
(25:24):
in hundreds of thousand, even millions of miles. And let's
face it, that's exactly the kind of mindset you need
when the future you're aiming for isn't just higher, it's
potentially farther than maybe you've even dreamed before. Now from
(25:49):
a nation preparing to plant foot prints and lunar dust
again or for the first time, depending on your perspective,
to the people here on are still staring up, wondering
what's next.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Well, yes, what we have something for you? Yes.
Speaker 4 (26:29):
China is making methodical moves toward putting its own astronauts
on the Moon, and the latest milestone brings them one
step closer. Engineers have just completed a full scale test
of their new lunar lander, and it passed the two
hardest parts of the job, sticking the landing and lifting
(26:50):
off again. Now, this test took place in a specialized
facility that simulates the Moon's weaker gravity. Using suspension rigs
and precision monitor motion systems and descent mode, the lander
adjusted its course using hazard avoid and simpsus to dodge
mark craters and borders. Maybe they should try that with
their rockets and cows and settled gently onto the simulated surface.
(27:17):
Minutes later the ascent stage ignite. It's separated from the
landing platform and client toward a stand in for the
return spacecraft waiting in quote unquote lunar orbit. It's all
part of China's plan to land humans on the Moon
by twenty thirty, building on a string of robotic successes
from rovers on the near and faresides to sample return
(27:38):
missions by proving both hands of the mission here on
Earth are reducing the unknowns before human lives are at stake.
If successful, this mission would mark the first human footsteps
on the Moon in over fifty years, and the first
not made by Americans. Now, whether you view it as competition,
cooperation potential, or just another chapter in the exploration story.
(28:02):
One thing is for certain. The next space race is
already under the way, whether you know it or not.
And it looks like the Moon is back on the menu.
Speaker 3 (28:16):
Boys.
Speaker 4 (28:21):
And while rehearsing landings on the Moon's was not enough,
China's eyes are still on Mars, for it is setting
its sight on one of planetary science most ambition prizes
bringing back samples from Mars. Their plan would see a
spacecraft launched to the red planet, collecting material from the
(28:43):
surface and return it safely to Earth, all potentially before
NASA and ESA complete their own Mars sample return mission.
The proposed mission builds on china success with T and
Win one, which put an orbiter in on Mars in
twenty twenty one. The next step is a two launch campaign.
(29:04):
One spacecraft of land gather samples and then launch it
back into Mars orbit, and another to capture that sample
container and ferry it all the way back home. If
it works, China could become the first nation to pull
off a round trip from Mars. Now what is less
(29:25):
certain is whether this will be a solo effort or
maybe even a shared one. International cooperation has been a
backbone of major space science projects, I mean just from
the ISS two telescopes like James Web. But geopolitical tensions
have strained China's ties with NASA, and US law currently
bars direct bi lateral cooperation. So at least potential partners
(29:49):
like ESA or maybe even emerging space nations as possible collaborators.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
And already I agree a read China red planet coincidence,
I think not. Now.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
If China does proceed alone, the mission would still be
a huge scientific achievement, returning rocks and soil that could
reveal mars ancient climate and any traces of past life. Now,
if they do find a way to collaborate, could also
be a bridge building moment in space diplomacy. Either way,
the clock is now ticking, Mars launches coming roughly twenty
(30:23):
six month windows, and the sooner the mission is locked
in the sooner their samples could land in the lab
here back on Earth. So with that, we're going to
take a short break and when we come back, we're
heading probably you know, right back.
Speaker 3 (30:39):
To the Moon.
Speaker 4 (30:40):
Because I'm sensing a bit of a theme tonight, because
we do have some plans for a nuclear reactor and
you know some politics behind it.
Speaker 3 (30:50):
Then maybe from there we'll go.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
Visit a black hole, talk about alien life on Mars
and Europa, and maybe the biggest cosmic explosions since the
Big Bang, and a few strange new fines you'll want
to hear about.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
So stay with us.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
After oh, we'll go with two minutes and fifty one seconds,
we will be right back in.
Speaker 5 (31:14):
The quieting nights with my ready searching.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
For the signal.
Speaker 5 (31:27):
I'm picking up any in signals from the distance start
in the fastest stands up signing.
Speaker 6 (31:46):
Side just down, hoping for.
Speaker 3 (31:52):
From the costs. I'm taking up signal from the.
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Distant Star.
Speaker 6 (32:02):
The basic stands up phase when you have no sycombs
and chrockles side transtime, comping for the message from cosmic marks.
Speaker 5 (32:24):
I'm picking up paying signals from distant Star.
Speaker 6 (32:31):
In BASTI stars up stands with.
Speaker 1 (32:34):
You have no.
Speaker 6 (32:40):
Secrets to day? Can you series salt?
Speaker 5 (32:46):
In the other he had a I'm picking up paying
signals from distant Star the fastest start subspace for me.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
M no.
Speaker 6 (33:06):
I keep on listen to the cosmic symphony as long
as it tastes to find a friendly infinity.
Speaker 5 (33:21):
See students.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
And they know.
Speaker 6 (33:35):
I'm figuring up the signal from the distance.
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Start in the fastest style sub space.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
For me, have no.
Speaker 4 (33:54):
And welcome back aboard, and we're gonna kick off the
second half of the show with a ride to the
Moon's Southern Pole courtesy of NASA and a company, well,
a company that we just love her. I mean love them,
We love them here. That's that's yeah, that's that's that's
what I meant.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:18):
So anyway, NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace. Let's all take
a moment. Mmmm Morgan, Okay, back on, back, back in focus,
and back on focus.
Speaker 3 (34:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
NASA has awarded a one hundred and seventy seven million
dollar contract to deliver not one, not two, but three
rovers to the Moon's South Pole in twenty twenty six.
The mission is part of NASA's Commuter Commercial Lunar Paylood
Service program, which taps private companies to carry scientific instruments
and hardware to the lunar surface ahead of crude artemis missions.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Now firef Flies Lander.
Speaker 4 (35:01):
Will target a region near the South Pole called Rodinger's Basin,
a scientifically rich area with permanently shadowed craters.
Speaker 3 (35:09):
Believed to hold water ice.
Speaker 4 (35:12):
The three rovers will work together, one scouting terrain, one
handling scientific measurements, and one carrying instruments to study the
environment in real time. By coordinating, they can cover more
ground and less time, increasing the science return from each
lunar day. Now, this isn't just about explorations. It's a
(35:35):
technology test bed. The rovers will be assessing how to
navigate extreme lighting conditions, cope with temperature swings from blistering
sunlight to deep deep cold, and communicate effectively in terrain
where line of sight to Earth is limited. The data
they collect will help shape it and design the future
lunar habitates, power systems, and resource extraction equipment. It's also
(36:00):
a demonstration of how commercial partnerships are really accelerating the
Artemis timeline. Instead of NASA building every piece of hardware
in house, companies like Firefly can well, let's face it,
move faster, take more design risk, and deliver payloads that
meet NASA science goals while advancing their own engineering chops.
(36:22):
If all goes to plan by late twenty twenty six,
three small but capable machines will be trundling across one
of the Moon's most famous and remote frontiers, and every sample,
scan and bite of data will help us prepare for
the day astronauts will eventually walk there themselves again for
the first time, depending on your perspective. And hey, since
(36:45):
we're already talking about Firefly aerospace, hmm Morgan, they are
aiming for orbit of a different kind. This one involves
the stock market. The company has filed for initial public
offering that could raise as much as six hundred and
(37:05):
thirty two million dollars, valuing Firefly at nearly five and
a half billion with a B dollars. It's a big move,
and it comes on the heels of an even bigger
one back in March, the landing of their Blue Ghost
lander on the Moon. All that touchdown wasn't just a
company first, it was a historic first for any commercial lander.
(37:27):
Blue Ghosts carried NASA science instruments to the lunar surface
under the Commercial Lunar Payload Service program, touchdown softly and
completed its objectives without a mission ending failure. In an
era where even experience based program sometimes well, let's face it,
lose landers, pulling off a perfect first shot is a
(37:49):
rare achievement. Now the IPO will put sixteen point two
million shares up for sale. Sixteen point two that's I'm
not mistaken, that's in hands. That's actually the size of secretariat.
I don't know why I still have that my brain anyway.
These sixteen point two million shares up for sale at
an expected price between thirty five and thirty nine dollars
each all goes as plan that influx of capital will
(38:10):
help Firefly scale up production of the Alpha rockets, develop
a follow on Blue Ghost landers, and expand into more
lunar missions, which means maybe we'll get to see Morgan more.
Speaker 3 (38:26):
I count that as a win win. Now.
Speaker 4 (38:28):
Going public, though, does come with a different kind of risk.
Investors will be buying not just in the Firefly's engineering success,
but into the future of the commercial moon market itself,
a market that's still more vision than revenue. Mining water, ice,
building habitats, and providing regular cargo mounts are all on
the horizon, but well they're not yet profitable industries. Still,
(38:52):
Firefly's timing is smart. The unnice program is ramping up
in the demand for reliable lunar delivery partners is well
only going to grow rapidly by turning public capital into hardware.
Firefly can cement itself as one of the go to
companies for getting things and maybe someday people to the Moon,
(39:13):
And if their next missions go as smoothly as Blue Ghosts,
the company might just prove that in the new space
economy there's room for rockets, rovers and reactors and returns
for the people bold enough to back them. And speaking
of reactors, how about we go over to NASA, because
they're already thinking about how to power what comes next,
(39:36):
not with solar panels, but something something, far, far more potent.
NASA is accelerating plans to place a nuclear reactor on
the Moon by twenty thirty, and interim Administrator Sean Dahi
is making sure it moves from blueprint to reality. The
push isn't just about engineering, it's really strategy survival and
(39:56):
making sure that when humans return to the Moon for
first time to stay, they can actually keep the lights on.
A solar power works well in Earth orbit and on
Mars and certain conditions. But the mood's poles, where much
of the long term acceleration will focus, are well, they're
very different animals. The lunarite lasts about fourteen Earth days.
(40:20):
That means two straight weeks without any sunlight, and temperatures
are well, you know, just randomly plunging to around a
minus two hundred and eighty degrees fahrenheit. Dust can blanket
solar panels, further slashing efficiency just when energy is most critical.
And these conditions, batteries, they batteries alone aren't enough. You're
(40:45):
going to need a constant, independent power source. And that's
where FISHI and surface power comes in. NASA's target is
a compact one hundred kilo white reactor capable of running
continuously for at least ten years without refueling. That's enough
electricity to power a cluster habitats, science labs, rovers, life
(41:05):
support systems, communication gear, and even industrial equipment like water
ice extraction rigs.
Speaker 3 (41:12):
The idea is.
Speaker 4 (41:13):
To make a lunar base truly self sufficient, able to
operate day or night and dust storms or during emergencies. Now,
Sehn Duffy has been blunt about the motivation US, whether
people want to admit it or not, is in a
race with China or sustained presence on the moon. Whoever
(41:34):
is stops just reliable infrastructure first, Well, they kind of
get to, you know, shape the rules of lunar exploration
for decades and his words, energy is the key to
that foothold. Without it a base, a base is just
a camping trip. And like we talked on last episode, yes,
(41:55):
South Korea is looking at it too, and we don't
want hot South Koreans beating the Americans unless they have
YouTube cameras and their fees live.
Speaker 3 (42:02):
But you know what I mean.
Speaker 6 (42:08):
Now.
Speaker 4 (42:08):
The reactor concepts being studied are remarkably compact, small enough
to fit inside a single lunar lander. One design uses
uranium fuel rots surrounded by passive heat pipes. These pipes
moothe reactor's heat to a set of sterling engines, which
quietly convert it to electricity without any moving parts inside
the reactor core. Fewer moving parts meanwhile, fewer breakdowns and
(42:31):
absolute necessity, you know, when you're operating a quarter million
miles from the nearest repair shop. That said, this isn't
just about keeping astronauts alive. Constant power really opens the
door to technologies that would be impossible on a sunlight
only schedule. Ice mining for rocket fuel requires power hungry
(42:51):
drills and processing plants. Scientific experiments like particle detectors or
deep space radio arrays can run without inner greenhouses could
grow food year round instead of in fits and starts,
and even construction robots could work around through the long
lunar night, building new habitats and infrastructure. All that said,
(43:16):
NASA's timeline is ambitious. Testing has already begun with the
small scale prototypes here on Earth, with the Department of
Energy and private contractors working alongside NASA engineers. The goal
was to have a flight ready unit tested and qualified
for space by the end of the decade. If they succeed,
the first human crews living on the Moon will have
a steady supply of electricity no matter the weather, the dust,
(43:38):
or given the angle of the Sun. And I think
that's that's the real shift here. The Apollo missions proved
we could visit the Moon. I know there are some
out there we didn't go, But instead of just visiting
the Moon, a nuclear reactor would prove we could actually
(44:00):
live there. It really is a difference between a temporary
campsite and a permanent outpost, between a place you you know,
just go.
Speaker 3 (44:12):
And a place you can stay.
Speaker 4 (44:19):
I said, we have been talking about building rockets and
you know, landing on the Moon, But what if your
next spacecraft didn't even carry its own fuel. What what
if it was pushed by light itself?
Speaker 3 (44:33):
And what if the destination of all places was all
the way to a black hole.
Speaker 4 (44:45):
An astrophysicist has put forward a bold idea, a laser
propelled many spacecraft capable of traveling to the nearest black
hole in the fraction of the time chemical rockets can manage.
Now this concept bar is from the well known solar
sale idea light pressure to push a craft forward, but
replaces sunlight with an immense focused laser being fired from
(45:06):
Earth or lunar orbit. Now here's the challenge with sending anything.
Speaker 3 (45:13):
To a black hole.
Speaker 4 (45:16):
They're a little bit away, just you know, out there,
a little bit. Even the closest known candidate, SAGITTARIUSA, sits
in the center of our galaxy twenty six thousand light
years away. But there are some smaller black holes much closer,
and still there's hundreds or thousands of light years out.
A conventional spacecraft, even with our fastest propultion, would take
(45:39):
millennia to get there. The proposed mini spacecraft would be
incredibly light, perhaps no bigger than a shoe box. With
the reflective sail as thin as human hair and dozens
of meters across. The laser array would accelerate it to
the significant fraction of light speed over the course of
weeks or months, allowing it to reach a nearby stellar
(46:01):
mass black hole within human lifetime. No, I know, one
of the questions is obvious. Why, Well, getting close to
black hole is like standing at the edge of physics itself.
The craft could study the accretion disk, the jets of
(46:23):
matter eject at you know, at near light speed, and
the warping of space time in real time. These are
environments right now we can only model in supercomputers. A
direct mission could confirm or overturn some of the most
fundamental theories about gravity and quantum mechanics.
Speaker 3 (46:43):
That it won't be easy. There are some hurdles.
Speaker 4 (46:46):
First, building a laser powerful enough to push your probe
to such speeds would require enormous infrastructure, possibly you know,
on the Moon to avoid atmospheric distortion. The sale itself
would have to survive years in deep space, dodging interstellar
dust at relativistic speeds. And yeah, this won't be like Nascar.
(47:10):
It's gonna need like, you know, stay straight, you know,
navigation will be a little bit of a bitch, because
course corrections get tricky when you're riding a beam of
laser light. But still the payoff is tantalizing in a way.
It's the perfect fusion of engineering, ambition and scientific curiosity.
A mission that starts at a launch pad but ends
(47:31):
at one of the universe's strangest frontiers, and let's face it,
that makes it the perfect gateway into the science side
of our journey the rest of the way through. So
you may have been, you know, imagining riding that beam
yourself of light to the black hole, even though we've
(47:52):
all seen that movie. Think god Disney hasn't remade it yet.
But now let's reel it back toward home and ask
where life might be hiding a little bit closer to
our solar system and what it might be, you know,
living on it if it is in sunlight. This next
story is brought to you by the Exective Producer. Scientists
(48:15):
are expanding the boundaries of what we call habitable. A
new study suggests that morez Europa and Insulatus, along with
icy moons and even rud planets a far from any star,
might sustain life using a power source that never rises
or sets. Cosmic rays a Cosmic rays are high energy
particles from deep space, born in the chaos of supernova
(48:36):
and other violent cosmic events on worlds with little to
no atmosphere or no magnetic field to block, and these particles
can penetrate several feet into the surface. When they strike
water ice, they can break apart molecules, releasing electrons in
a process called radialysis. Simple microbes could use these electrons
(48:56):
as an energy source, a potential lifeline places where sunlight
is non existent. Lead researcher Demetra at Tree and her
team calculated how much biomas cosmic rays could support on
three of the Solar System's most intriguing worlds, and Solatus
came out on top, enough to support a thin but
(49:19):
persistent layer of microbial life beneath the surface. Ice Mars
ranked second, where such life might hide in permafrost just
below the surface, and Europa, Jupiter's cracked, streeked ocean moon
was third. But even here, cosmic rays could power life
(49:40):
in the shallow pockets of salty liquid water close to
the surface, maybe even closer than we once thought. And yes, Sordia,
it has taught me this word very well. Now the
team has given this zone, of course, a name, the
radiolic habitable zone, the sweet spot below the world's surface.
Were costic grays de liver enough energy to support life
(50:02):
without overwhelming it with radiation damage. It's a definition that
works regardless of how close a world is to the star.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
It could apply equally to Pluto.
Speaker 4 (50:13):
The planet you know, or maybe even a rogue planet
drifting between stars. Now, this, of course, doesn't mean cogna
grays are the only possible power source for alien life.
You do have hydrothermal events left over, volcanic heat, and
even faint traces of sunlight might contribute in some environments.
But radiolysis as a new durable pathway, one that might
(50:36):
keep ecosystems alive for bions of years on worlds, Well,
maybe we've been overlooking. In short, the habitable zone just
got maybe a little bit bigger, a little bit stranger,
and I think much more exciting. And some of the
best places to find life may be cold, dark corners
(50:56):
of our cosmic backyard. But let's swing hard into a
different direction.
Speaker 6 (51:05):
Here.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
There's something so bright, so violent, it makes most of
the universe look like it's on a dimmer switch.
Speaker 3 (51:16):
Now Z five.
Speaker 4 (51:17):
Biebelel Brox once said, the best bang since the Big One. We,
of course, you know the triple breasted horror of Eroticon six.
But out here an hour known universe, the title might
belong to a cosmic explosion so enormous it's been nicknamed
the Boats the brightest of all time. Officially it's GRB
(51:43):
two two one zero zero nine A, which is a
gamma ray burst, the most energetic kind of stellar death
in the cosmos. These events happen when a massive stars
core collapse into a black hole, releasing titanic jets of
energy that blast outwards at nearly the speed of light.
Most gamma ray bursts last only seconds. Yeah, rub it in,
(52:05):
and their afterglows fade quickly. But the Boat was different.
It erupted two point four billion with a B late
years away, slammed into our detectors with such ferocity that
it briefly blinded some of them, and it's been growing
or glowing ever since.
Speaker 3 (52:27):
Now.
Speaker 4 (52:28):
For astronomers, this is like winning the cosmic lottery. The
burst unusual proximity by gamma ray standards, combined with its
staggering intensity, meant we could study it in exquisite detail
across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, from radio waves to the
highest energy gamma photons ever recorded from such events, And
(52:50):
the scary thing is it's still not done teaching us.
The after glow has revealed jets that are narrow and
more finely structured than models predicted, suggesting magnetic fields may
play a bigger role in shaping these explosions than previously Salt,
the high energy photons that have continued arriving years later
are pushing the limits of our theories about particle acceleration.
Speaker 3 (53:13):
Take that Sern in the physics.
Speaker 4 (53:15):
Of shock fronts. All these explosions aren't just spectacular, they're
cosmic alchemists. The extreme conditions inside them forge the element's gold, platinum,
uranium and spew them across their host galaxies, seating future
generations of stars and planets. In a sense, the metal
(53:37):
in your wedding ring if you're married may have once
been a part of a gamma ray burst shrapnel. Kind
of disgusting if you think about it in a way anyway.
For scientists, the boat is a gift that keeps giving,
letting us piece together a story that begins and the
death throes of a star and ends in the chemical
enrichment of the universe. Centrica may hold her crown in
(54:02):
certain circles, but when it comes to cosmic scale fireworks,
the boat makes a very strong case for second place,
And unlike zey Fot's favorite, this one comes with hard
data and not just a reputation to withhold. And somewhere,
(54:25):
just somewhere, I can picture board prefect taking notes on
the entry for gamma ray burst and it having right
after it avoid standing directly in front of one and
(54:46):
yes from hitchhikers to the all four mentioned concerns large
Hadron collider. Well, physicists have taken another step toward answering
a question so fundamental it's almost unsettling.
Speaker 3 (55:09):
Why does anything exist?
Speaker 4 (55:15):
According to our best understandings of physics, the Big Bang
should have created matter and antimatter and equal amounts. Now,
this symmetry, of course, sounds elegant, But there's a catch.
If matter and antimatter are perfect mere twins, they annihilate
each other on contact, Equal amounts would mean nothing but
radiation left behind. No stars, no planets know us. Yet
(55:40):
we live in a universe made almost entirely of matter
anti matter exist, but it's fleeting, rare and usually made
artificially in labs so we can study it. This mismatch,
the fact that matter somehow one is one of the
greatest mysteries in cosmology. G The new CERN hashtags stern
(56:03):
is innocent. Results focus on particles called b masons. These
short lived particles, made of a bottom quirk down to
another quark, are created in high energy collisions inside the LHC.
Alongside them, the same collisions produce their antimatter counterparts, antib masons. Now,
in a perfectly symmetrical universe, the decay of B massons
(56:25):
and antib massons and two later particles would be identical.
But that's not what CERN detectors saw. Instead, the decay
shows a subtle but persistent difference, a violation of the
combined symmetry known as CP for charge and parity. Charge
refers to swapping particles with these antiparticles. Parody refers to
(56:47):
flipping their spatial coordinates like a mere image. If CP
symmetry held perfectly, matter and antimatter would behave the same
way in decay. The fact that they don't means there's
a built in bias in the laws of physics, one
that in the early universe could have tipped the scales
towards matter. Now, this isn't the first time CP violation
(57:10):
has been observed innce have shown up in chaons and
other massons before, but each new measurement is sharpening that picture.
The imbalanced cern has found is small. Are too small
to explain the entire matter anti matter asymmetry by itself,
(57:31):
so that means there must be other processes, perhaps involving
undiscovered particles or interactions, that contributed to the early bias. Now,
the stakes here are cosmic. If the universe had been
perfectly symmetrical, every proton would have been matched with an
anti proton, every electron with a positron, and all of
(57:55):
it would have vanished in mutual annihilation. There'd be no gaslexies,
no chemistry, no biology. The only way to win would
be not to play, and that seems to be what
they are doing. The fact that the scales tipped ever
so slightly towards matter billions of years ago is the
reason you're hearing this sentence now. And yes, yes, I
(58:18):
just dropped a war games of reference in the middle
of the physics lessons I've come such a long way
on this program. Now the word concern isn't just about
confirming the standard model. It's about probing its limits. Further experiments,
perhaps at even higher energies or the next generation detectors,
could reveal new sources of CP violations. That well, we'll
(58:39):
complete the entire story. Every collision in the LHC is
a bit of the role of the cosmic dice, looking
for the rare throws that don't match the script. And yes,
that is a tease to a certain show coming back soon.
Speaker 3 (58:59):
Now, for now we know this.
Speaker 4 (59:01):
Somewhere in the universe's earliest moments, Nature broke the rules
just enough to let matter win, and from that tiny
imbalance came everything stars, planets, oceans, clouds, and even those
curious primates who traded leaves for monetary gain. But one
(59:25):
day those primates would build machines to figure out how
it all began and why.
Speaker 3 (59:30):
It was such a mistake.
Speaker 4 (59:33):
No, all, friends, let's lace up your moon boots, because
the sky over the next two weeks has more action
than maybe even a Douglas Adam's pub crawl. We begin
with our old travel companion, the moon, now in it's
waiting giveus phase as we open the week. By August nineteenth,
at two twenty six am Eastern, she'll be a delicate,
(59:56):
waning crescent, only forty percent lit like half my audience,
probably perfect for stargazing before the dawn. The new moon
arrives August twenty fourth at five sixteen am, cooking the
night in darkness so deep even the Milky Way will
seem brighter than usual. And yes, yes, we just passed
(01:00:17):
the full surgeon moon on August ninth. The Anashanabi people,
well you know, they called it the Manoon Mehika Gesis,
or the racing Moon, marking the season when wild races
gather from the lakes. A reminder that even the heavens
keep time with the turning of the Earth. Now, if
(01:00:39):
you're up late, Saturn will rise in the southeast around
nine pm, a nice creamy yellow jewel just pasted opposition,
bringing up to see even with modest binoculars. But if
you've got a telescope, those famous rings are tilted nicely
right now, giving them that minism frisbee look that we
(01:01:01):
all love about Saturn. Jupiter follows close behind, rising just
before midnight in the east.
Speaker 3 (01:01:07):
Big and bold.
Speaker 4 (01:01:09):
It's four largest moons. I owe Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
We'll line up in different configurations every night, like cosmic
beads on a string. Mars Well, Mars is still hugging
the morning horizon in the east, faint but red. If
you catch it in an hour before sunrise, think of
it as a shy dinner guest who shows up just
(01:01:30):
before you do the dishes. We all know how guests are,
and the percy and media your shower peak just before
our forecast window. But let's face it, stragglers are still
streaking through the night, and with the moon dimming toward
new you'll actually have a solid chance to catch a
(01:01:51):
few fiery trails in the northeast after midnight and overhead
the summer try angle made a vega. Then an out
here commands the night sky looking straight up, find the bright,
bluish star vega and you in your start at your
tour of one of Summer's most iconic constellations. And final thought,
(01:02:16):
so whether you're looking for Saturn's rings, chasing the last
of the perseeds, or just leaning back and you know
to watch the slow dance of the summer triangle. Remember,
the best seat in the universe is the one you
take the time to sit in. So that's it for
tonight's show. Thank you for tuning in when and however
(01:02:38):
and whyever you do. Special thanks to NASA SpaceX, space
dot Com, our technical NASA space Flight, Popular Mechanics, and
more for the stories and inspiration tonight with me at
the helm, the EP setting course, and the ship's computer
in the back was spring Star Maps through the static.
(01:02:59):
This is the Lost wander until next Door of it.
I hope you enjoyed the show, learned a little bit
along the way, and maybe had a laugh or two
as well.
Speaker 2 (01:03:13):
The universe is a pretty big place.
Speaker 1 (01:03:17):
It's bigger than anything anyone has ever dreamed of before.
Speaker 6 (01:03:24):
So if it's just us, it seems like an awful
waste of space. Right when I was young, it seemed
that I was so wonderful.
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