S03E141: Starliner’s Uncrewed Return, Solar Sail Deployment, and Blue Origin’s Suborbital Triumph

welcome to astronomy daily your go-to podcast for the latest and greatest news in space in astronomy I'm your host Anna and I'm thrilled to be guiding you through today's top stories we have some fascinating updates from the cosmos spanning from groundbreaking scientific missions to the latest in space tourism Adventures whether you're a seasoned astronomer or just a curious Stargazer there's something here for everyone so let's dive into some exciting content that's sure to ignite your imagination and fuel your passion for all things Celestial stay tuned and let's explore the wonders of the universe together NASA and Boeing are gearing up for an uncrewed return mission of the CST 100 Starliner spacecraft NASA teams along with Boeing have completed a comprehensive deltaf flight test Readiness review giving the green light for the mission to proceed the spacecraft is slated to undock from the International Space Station no earlier than 6:04 p.m. EDT on Friday September 6th depending on weather and operational Readiness once Starliner undocks it will begin a roughly 6-hour journey to its designated Landing site at wh sand space Harbor in New Mexico the spacecraft is expected to land around 12:03 a.m. on Saturday September 7th to ensure a gentle touchdown the Starliner will deploy parachutes and use inflated airbags to soften the impact recovery teams will be on hand at Whit Sands to secure the spacecraft and prepare it for transport back to Boeing Starliner Factory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida this Mission follows NASA's decision on August 24th to conduct the Starliner return without a human crew in preparation Mission managers and flight controllers have updated the spacecraft systems with Mission specific data ensuring that Starliner can perform a fully autonomous return to Earth the spacecraft will be monitored and controlled remotely from Starliner Mission Control in Houston and Boeing Mission Control Center in Florida with teams on standby to intervene if necessary during undocking re-entry and Landing procedures Starliner has previously demonstrated its capability for autonomous return with success uccessful uncrewed entries and landings during earlier orbital flight tests this mission is a crucial Milestone as it continues to prove the capabilities and reliability of autonomous space flight Paving the way for even more ambitious missions in the future NASA is certainly in the news today having just announced a significant Milestone with the successful deployment of its Advanced composite solar s system this Innovative technology is blazing a trail for the future of space exploration on August 29th Mission operators confirmed the deployment of the sail hoisting boom system this marked a key milestone for the mission at exactly 133 p.m. EDT the solar sail which now spans approximately 860 Square ft around the size of half a tennis court has been flawlessly extended and photographed by four onboard cameras these highresolution images are expected to be released soon giving us a detailed look at this pioneering technology over the next several weeks the mission team will conduct a series of extensive tests to assess assess the sales maneuverability they'll be looking at how well it can adjust the spacecraft's orbit aiming to gather critical data that could influence the design and operation of future solar sale missions positioned at twice the altitude of the International Space Station the sale could even be visible from Earth depending on your location and timing for those interested in catching a glimpse NASA has promised to keep us updated through their website and social media channels this achievement not only demonstrates the viability of the advanced composite solar sales system but also opens the door for its potential applications in scientific and exploratory missions the success of these preliminary tests could pave the way for a new era in space travel driven by this cuttingedge technology so keep your eyes on the skies and stay tuned to NASA's official channels for more updates the next few weeks promise to be an exciting time as we witness the unfolding potential of solar sale technology truly the future of space exploration looks as bright as ever blue origin has yet again reached New Heights successfully completing its eighth human space flight with Mission NS 26 this latest Venture included a diverse group of six Thrill Seekers among them Carson kitchen a 21-year-old senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who became the youngest woman to ever cross the Carmen Line This boundary located 100 km above Earth's surface marks the edge of space and is a significant milestone in suborbital tourism the mission took off from Blue Origins launch site one base in West Texas at 8:00 a.m. local time the Sleek new sheeper rocket which boast zero carbon emissions blasted off into the sky after liftoff the capsule separated from its booster which performed a precise vertical Landing back on Earth as the capsule soared beyond the Carmen line passengers unbuckled their seat belts to experience the thrill of weightlessness and to catch a sight of the Earth's Majestic curvature from the darkness of space the entire FL lasted between 10 to 11 minutes offering these space tourists a brief but extraordinary glimpse into the cosmos among those on board was Rob furl a researcher funded by NASA who had the unique opportunity to conduct an experiment during the flight describing the experience he said being there in the darkness of space there's no way to talk about how impressive that is blue origin continues to forge ahead in the nent field of suborbital Tourism making space accessible to more people than ever before although the company has not publicly disclosed the cost of its tickets they are believed to range significantly depending on the individual and what they bring to the company both in financial terms and Social Capital notably the first seat sold in a 2021 Charity Auction went for an astonishing $28 million While Blue origin's main competitor in the suborbital space Market Virgin Galactic is currently on a 2-year pause from commercial operations blue origin presses on expanding the bound boundaries of Civilian space travel and setting the stage for more groundbreaking missions in the near future in other NASA news today it's been announced they have awarded a lucrative contract to intuitive machines for an ambitious lunar south pole research delivery this collaboration is poised to significantly expand our knowledge of the moon's Uncharted territories bringing us closer to unveiling its many Mysteries the mission will focus on the lunar South Pole an area of great interest due to its unique conditions and potential ice deposit these discoveries could be instrumental for future missions possibly providing essential resources for astronauts or being utilized in a variety of scientific research projects in essence this contract marks a major step forward in lunar exploration Paving the way for groundbreaking findings in future Expeditions imagine taking the concept of a Sci-Fi warp drive and testing what happens if it enters a black hole that's exactly what researchers Remo gratini and kol zof have been exploring their recent study delves into whether a warp bubble the key element in a warp drive could survive the intense gravitational field of a black hole according to their findings it turns out that under specific conditions a warp bubble might just pull it off specifically if the ship enters a Schwarz child black hole which has no charge and doesn't rotate at a speed slower than that of light the bubble could be sustained the black hole's gravity would actually decrease the amount of negative energy needed to maintain the warp field making it more feasible this study is more than just a fascinating thought experiment it opens up the possibility for future Research into creating smaller lab based warp drive models plus it challenges our current understanding of both warp drives and black holes pushing the boundaries of theoretical physics while practical warp drive technology might still be decades or even centuries away this pioneering research is laying the groundwork who knows someday we might actually see a spacecraft use a warp drive to travel across the Universe navigating even the most dangerous black holes the universe continues to amaze with its endless possibilities and that wraps up today's episode of astronomy daily with your host Anna thank you so much for joining me as we explored the latest happenings from the cosmos if you're eager for more space news between our episodes make sure to visit our website at astronomy daily. there you can easily sign up for our free daily newsletter keeping you up to-date on everything space related from new discoveries to thrilling misss our website also features a constantly updating news feed so you're always in the loop with the latest developments and if you missed any of our previous episodes fear not you can listen to all our back episodes at your leisure don't forget to connect with us on social media just search for Astro daily pod on Facebook X YouTube and Tik Tok we're constantly sharing exciting updates fascinating facts and much more thank you for being part of our Cosmic Journey today until next time keep looking up asy day the stories Been Told [Music]