Welcome to Astronomy Daily, the podcast that brings you the universe, one story at a time. I'm Avery, and as always, I'm joined by my co host, Anna.
Uh, it's great to be here, Avery. Today we'll be covering a tense situation aboard the Tiangong Space Station now that the Crew 20 mission astronauts have returned home safely. A new NASA mission taking a scenic route to Mars, a heads up about the upcoming Leonid meteor shower, and a very exciting discovery of a new super Earth that's surprisingly close to home.
A packed show indeed. Let's get right into it. Anna, um, why don't you start us off with a situation in low Earth orbit?
Absolutely. Our first story involves the three astronauts of China's Shenzhou 21 mission. Currently on the Tiangong Space Station. It seems they are temporarily stranded.
Stranded? That sounds serious. What happened?
It's a bit of a domino effect. The previous crew, Shenzhou 20, had their own capsule damaged by a piece of space debris. So to get them home safely, the China National Space Administration made the call to use the Shenzhou 21 capsule, which was docked at the station, as the current crew's ride home. Wow.
So they gave up their lifeboat to save the other crew. That's a tough decision, but definitely the right one.
Exactly. It highlights the dangers of space debris. The station itself is well protected, but these smaller capsules are more vulnerable. Now. The Shenzhou 21 crew is safe on the station, but without a return vehicle.
So what's the rescue plan?
A new spacecraft, Shenzhou 22, is being prepared for an uncrewed launch. It will serve as the new lifeboat and eventual ride home for the crew. Chinese officials say the crew is not in any immediate danger and has plenty of supplies.
Right, but being on a space station without an escape route is still a high risk situation. Any delay in that rescue launch could be critical if another emergency were to happen on the station.
That's the core of the issue. The situation is temporary, but the risk is elevated until Shenzhou 22 is docked and ready. We'll certainly be following this story closely.
It's a good reminder of how hostile the space environment is. Does a situation like this trigger any international rescue protocols, or is China handling this entirely on its own?
For now, it's an internal CNSA operation. Unlike the iss, which is a partnership with established mutual support agreements, the Tiangong is operated solely by China, while other space agencies are monitoring. The rescue is entirely dependent on the successful and timely launch of Shenzhou 22.
Definitely now from low Earth orbit. Let's travel a little Bit farther out. Our next story is about NASA's newest mission to Mars. But it's not taking the direct route you might expect.
This is the Escapade mission. Correct. The twin probes.
That's the one. The probes nicknamed Blue and Gold, have just launched. But instead of pointing straight at Mars, they're heading in the opposite direction, out to a point in space called L2, about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth.
The second Lagrange point. That's a gravitationally stable spot where the Webb telescope also operates. So why send Mars probes there first?
It's a clever fuel saving trajectory. They'll spend a year at L2 studying space weather, essentially getting some bonus science in. Then in late 2026, they'll loop back towards Earth.
Ah, uh, for a gravity assist.
Exactly. Earth's gravity will act like a slingshot, flinging them towards Mars with the speed they need to get into. Or in 2027. It's a much more efficient way to travel for smaller, lighter spacecraft.
And once they arrive, what's their primary mission?
This is the really cool part. Blue and Gold will orbit Mars in formation, giving us the first ever stereo or 3D view of the planet's upper atmosphere. They'll study how solar wind strips atmospheric particles away from Mars, which is crucial for understanding how the planet lost its water and became the cold, dry world it is today.
A stereo view that will provide a much more complete picture than any single orbiter ever could. A very innovative mission, both in its science and its journey.
It really is. And while on the subject of the Escapade mission, catching a ride on the twin probes, uh, are the first Kiwis to fly to the red planet. The Escapade probes are the first Mars bound vehicles to be designed, built and tested by Rocket Lab, the space company headquartered in California, but founded in New Zealand.
Hence the Kiwis.
That's right. Rocket Lab has a tradition of hiding Kiwis in many areas of its design, said Lindsey McLaurin, senior communications manager for Space Systems at Rocket Lab, in response to an inquiry from collectspace.com the birds have snuck onto our rockets and satellites since the beginning of the company, reflecting the New Zealand roots of the company and as a challenge among our designers and spacecraft builders.
The birds appear as graphics on twin plaques attached to blue and gold. The metal plates, which adorn, uh, one of the two solar panels on each probe, also feature the Rocket Lab logo. The company's motto, Non sufficient hick orbis or this world is not enough. And a similar icon of a bald eagle to represent our company's global presence, said McLaurin, referring to the American icon.
A nice fun touch to an important mission. Okay, let's bring our focus back closer to home for all our listeners who enjoy some good old fashioned stargazing. We've got an update on the Leonid meteor shower.
Right. The Leonids are one of the most famous showers known for producing spectacular meteor storms in the past. They're peaking next week on the morning of Tuesday, November 18th.
So should everyone be setting their alarms?
Well, this is one of those times. We have to manage expectations. This year is predicted to be a, uh, very weak showing. We're expecting a peak rate of only about five to ten meteors per hour.
Only five to ten? That's not much. Why is it so quiet this year?
It's because Earth is passing through a, uh, very sparse part of the debris stream left by the parent comet, Tempel Tuttle. The really dense clouds of debris that cause the famous storms of hundreds or even thousands of meteors per hour are not what we're intersecting with right now.
So it's worth a look if you're already an early riser, but maybe not worth a special trip to a dark sky site. When can we expect the next big show from the Leonids?
Astronomers are predicting the next major displays won't be until the2030s as we get closer to the next pass of the parent comet. So we'll have to be patient for the next big storm, it seems.
We'll have to be patient. Now for our final story. We have something that could be truly groundbreaking. A new super Earth has been discovered, and it's practically in our cosmic backyard.
This is very exciting. The planet is named GJ251C. A, uh, super Earth means it's larger than Earth, but smaller than Neptune and likely rocky. And as you said, it's close. Just 18 light years away.
18 light years in galactic terms, that's next door. But what makes this planet so special is its location, its orbit.
It's located right in the middle of its star's habitable zone. That's the orbital region where temperatures are just right for liquid water to potentially exist on a planet's surface.
The Goldilocks zone. Not too hot, not too cold. The combination of its size, its position, and its incredible proximity to us is what makes this a huge deal.
It really is, because it's so close. Close. GJ251C is now a prime target for future observation. We're talking about the next generation of extremely large telescopes like the 30 meter telescope.
So these new telescopes could actually analyze the planet's atmosphere.
That's the goal. They'll be powerful enough to look for biosignatures, specific gases in its atmosphere like oxygen, methane, or even water vapor that could hint at the presence of life. We are decades away from being able to visit, but in the near future, we might be able to tell if it has water.
An incredible discovery and a tantalizing glimpse into what we might find as our technology improves. It really makes you wonder what's out there.
And its star, GJ25.1, is a red dwarf, right? That comes with its own set of challenges for habitability, like potential tidal locking and stellar flares.
That's the crucial next question. Red dwarfs are long lived, which is good for life. But they can be volatile, especially when they're young. One of the key tasks for future telescopes will be to study the star's activity and see if the planet has a strong enough magnetic field and atmosphere to withstand those flares. But finding a rocky world in the habitable zone of our neighbor is a critical first step.
It certainly is. And that's all the time we have for today. We covered the precarious but stable situation for the Shanzhou 21 astronauts. The scenic route of the escapade mission to Mars, a subdued Leonid meteor shower, and the discovery of a promising new super Earth just next door.
Thanks for tuning in to Astronomy Daily. Be sure to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss an episode. Until next time. I'm Avery.
And I'm Anna. Keep looking up.