SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 139 *Mars helicopter sets new altitude record NASA's Mars Ingenuity helicopter has set a new altitude record on its 35th flight on the red planet. *Dark matter could be made up of dark photons A team of scientists have hypothesized that a mysterious substance called dark matter could be composed of something they’re calling dark photons. *NASA’s Mars InSight lander still operational – but only just NASA’s Mars InSight mission is still alive and operating despite a maj...
Dec 23, 2022•31 min
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 138 *First-ever sound recording of dust devils on Mars Astronomers get the first ever sound recording of a dust devil twisting its way across the surface of Mars. *What the first galaxies were, and weren't, like Researchers have been able to make some key determinations about the first galaxies to exist, in one of the first astrophysical studies of the period in the early universe when the first stars and galaxies formed, known as the cosmic dawn. *Taikonauts return h...
Dec 21, 2022•24 min•Season 25Ep. 138
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 137 *The mysterious meteor that changes everything Astronomers believe that a meteor which streaked across the darkened skies of central Alberta didn’t originate in the inner solar system but from the far reaches of the distant Oort cloud. *NASA’s Artemis 1 mission declared a massive success NASA’s Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft has successfully splashed down in the North Pacific Ocean, 160 kilometres west of Baja California ending its record-breaking 2.6-million-kilometr...
Dec 19, 2022•52 min•Season 25Ep. 137
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 136 *What Earth’s volcanic history can tell us about Venus A new study claims volcanic activity lasting hundreds to thousands of centuries and erupting massive amounts of material may have helped transform Venus from a warm wet world like the Earth in to the acidic hothouse it is today. *The Moonlight initiative The European Space Agency has commenced development of the Moonlight initiative -- a new project designed to ultimately provide autonomous lunar communication...
Dec 16, 2022•27 min•Season 25Ep. 136
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 135 *Astronomers identify a paradigm-changing cosmic explosion Our standard Astronomy text books will need to be re-written after scientists discovered a distant blast unlike anything ever seen before. *Saturn’s rings and tilt could have been caused by an ancient, missing moon A new study suggests that the majestic ringed world of Saturn may ow its spectacular ring system and tilt to an ancient missing moon. *New spy satellite launched by the Kremlin The Kremlin has l...
Dec 14, 2022•33 min•Season 25Ep. 135
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 134 *A giant mantle plume identified on Mars A new study suggests the Martian core could still be at least partially molten liquid. The findings reported in the journal Nature Astronomy are based on the detection of what appears to be a deep mantle plume – a region of liquid magma heated by the planet’s core and rising towards the surface. *A new technique to study planetary interiors Seismologists from The Australian National University have developed a new technique...
Dec 12, 2022•33 min•Season 25Ep. 134
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 133 *The mysteriously bright flash pointing straight at Earth Earlier this year, astronomers detected an extraordinary bright flash in a part of the sky half way across the universe where no such light had ever been observed before. *Construction begins on the Square Kilometre Array We’ve been talking about it for more than a dozen years planning for it almost as long …Now finally construction of the world’s largest radio astronomy observatory, the SKA Observatory is ...
Dec 09, 2022•55 min•Season 25Ep. 133
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 132 *Martian dust storms generate Earth like clouds ESA's Mars Express has revealed that Mars churns up surprisingly Earth-like cloud patterns that are reminiscent of those in our planet's tropical regions. *Solar storm smashes a crack in Earth’s magnetosphere. It’s been revealed that a solar storm which smashed the Earth last month cracked a hole in the planet’s magnetosphere triggering rare pink auroras. *Dragon arrives at Space Station SpaceX's 26th commercial Drag...
Dec 07, 2022•38 min•Season 25Ep. 132
*Artemis 1 on its way home NASA’s Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft is on its way home after completing its distant retrograde lunar orbit around the Moon. *More possible organic compounds found in Mars crater rocks Scientists are reporting the detection of more possible organic compounds in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater. *Astrophysicists hunt for second-closest supermassive black hole Two astrophysicists have suggested a new way to observe what could be the second-closest supermassive black hole to E...
Dec 05, 2022•29 min•Season 25Ep. 131
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 130 *Are the Sun’s solar cycles getting weaker New computer modelling suggests the Sun’s 11 year solar cycle is getting weaker, and scientists aren’t sure how that will affect the Earth. *New NASA climate change mission ready to launch NASA has greenlighted the launch of its Surface Water and Ocean Topography or SWOT spacecraft on December 12. The two thousand kilogram satellite will fly aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and p...
Dec 02, 2022•26 min•Season 25Ep. 130
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 129 *Are we seeing the first light in the universe The Webb Space Telescope is now unveiling what could be light from the very first stars in the universe – revealing a very rich cosmos where the first forming galaxies look remarkably different from the mature galaxies seen around us today. *Innermost structure of quasar jet Astronomers using a global network of radio telescopes have observed the narrowing of a quasar jet for the first time. *NASA’s Perseverance Rover...
Nov 30, 2022•30 min•Season 25Ep. 129
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 128 *Orion’s historic journey around the Moon NASA’s Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft has arrived safely in lunar orbit and has now well into its distant retrograde orbit which is taking the mission some 92,195 kilometres beyond the Moon – further than any other human rated spaceship. *Scientists find a field full of meteorites from asteroid explosion over South Australia Scientists have discovered one of the largest meteorite-strewn fields in Australia. The six kilometre l...
Nov 28, 2022•29 min•Season 25Ep. 128
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 127 *How black holes control star formation New observations using NASA’s Webb Space Telescope are showing astronomers how black holes control star formation in galaxies. *Euclid completes thermal vacuum testing The European Space Agency's new Euclid spacecraft has completed a key phase of its pre-flight thermal testing program as engineers and scientists prepare the probe for next year's launch to orbit. *Last Atlas V launch from California Skywatchers have witnessed...
Nov 25, 2022•26 min•Season 25Ep. 127
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 126 *Hubble captures three faces of an evolving supernova NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has images three different moments at once in a far-off supernova explosion that happened 11 billion years ago. *New study claims planets grow with their host stars A new study suggests planetary formation in the Solar System started much earlier than previously thought, with the building blocks of planets growing at the same time as the Sun. *A new prototype robotic Venus balloon ...
Nov 23, 2022•29 min•Season 25Ep. 126
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 125 *Lift off NASA’s Artemis-1 Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon The world’s most powerful rocket NASA’s Space Launch System has successfully blasted into orbit on its maiden flight. The spectacular nighttime launch from pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida carried the Artemis-1 Orion spacecraft on the first leg of a journey that will ultimately return humans to the Moon. *NASA's CAPSTONE arrives at the moon NASA’s CAPSTONE spacecraft has successfully slipp...
Nov 21, 2022•41 min•Season 25Ep. 125
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 124 *Sharpest image ever of universe’s most massive known star Astronomers have taken their best image yet of the most massive known star in the universe. *The Martian crust is more complex and evolved than previously thought A new study claims the early Martian crust may be more complex and evolved than previously thought—and may even be similar to our own planet’s original crust. *Crippled Cygnus cargo ship docks with space station A crippled Northrop Grumman Cygnus...
Nov 18, 2022•36 min•Season 25Ep. 124
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 123 *Data suggests Magnetars have solid surfaces A signature in the X-ray light emitted by a highly magnetised neutron star known as a magnetar suggests the star has a solid surface with no atmosphere. *SpaceX could try launching its new starship rocket to orbit next month There’s growing speculation that SpaceX could try an orbital test flight of its new Starship superheavy colonial transport rocket next month. *Rocket Lab fails its mid-air rocket retrieval after lau...
Nov 16, 2022•39 min•Season 25Ep. 123
The Astronomy, Technology, and Space Science News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 122 *Mysterious cosmic radiation storms targeting the Earth Mystery continues to surround a series of strange cosmic radiation storms which have been battering the Earth at regular intervals for thousands of years. *Another delay to the Artemis 1 moon mission Hurricane Nicole has made landfall along Florida's east coast as a Category 1 storm. The cyclone forced another delay to the planned launch of NASA’s Art...
Nov 14, 2022•36 min•Season 25Ep. 122
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 121 *NASA to continue with the Psyche mission despite software issues NASA has decided to go forward with its Psyche mission with a new launch window opening on October 10, 2023. *Searching for the Milky Way galaxy’s original nucleus Astronomers have discovered what they believe to be the original nucleus of the Milky Way galaxy. *SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy SpaceX has launched its most powerful currently operational rock – the massive Falcon Heavy – carrying a h...
Nov 11, 2022•19 min•Season 25Ep. 121
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 120 *Largest potentially hazardous asteroid detected in eight years Astronomers have detected three near Earth asteroids hiding in the glare of the Sun including a one and a half kilometre wide monster which could one day pose a threat to Earth. *Planning for the historic Mars sample return mission moves forward The next step in the unprecedented campaign to return scientifically selected samples from Mars has been taken with a formal agreement between NASA and the Eu...
Nov 09, 2022•25 min•Season 25Ep. 120
The Astronomy, Technology, and Space Science News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 119 *Giant asteroid discovered just a day before it flew past the Earth Astronomers discovered a huge asteroid as big as a sky scraper just a day before it zoomed past the Earth. *Discovering the origins of the oldest known Martian Meteorite Scientists have located the exact point of origin of the oldest and most famous Martian meteorite ever found on Earth. *Seeing some of the oldest star clusters in the univ...
Nov 07, 2022•32 min•Season 25Ep. 119
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 118 *Curiosity reaches a key target NASA’s Mars Curiosity Rover finally arrived at a long sought after target on its journey to climb the red planet’s Mount Sharp. *NASA orders more Orion Spacecraft NASA has ordered three more Orion Crew capsules from Lockheed Martin for future manned missions to the Moon. *A food run to the space station A Russian Progress cargo ship has successfully docked to the International Space Station’s Poisk module two days after launching ab...
Nov 04, 2022•46 min•Season 25Ep. 118
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 117 *A major blow in the search for life on other worlds Planetary scientists have suffered a significant setback in their search for exoplanets with life – discovering an Earth like planet with no atmosphere, orbiting the most common type of star in the galaxy. *Making oxygen on Mars with MOXIE On the red and dusty surface of Mars, nearly 160 million kilometres from Earth, an instrument the size of a school lunchbox is proving it can reliably make as much oxygen as a...
Nov 02, 2022•30 min•Season 25Ep. 117
The Astronomy, Technology, and Space Science News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 116 *NASA’s Dragonfly mission to the distant world of Titan NASA have undertaken a major survey of the Saturnian moon Titan’s Selk crater region which will be one of the primary targets of the Dragonfly helicopter mission in 2034. *Crunch time for Perseverance’s search for life on the red planet NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has started collecting rock core samples from an area long considered to be a top pro...
Oct 31, 2022•29 min•Season 25Ep. 116
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 115 *Discovery of two interstellar objects which reached the Earth Astronomers have confirmed that two meteors which burned up in Earth’s atmosphere were both alien visitors from interstellar space. *NASA’s new time lapse movie of the universe NASA’s NEOWISE spacecraft has provided astronomers with a new time lapse movie of the universe showing how its evolved over the past decade. *New SpaceX record breaking launch SpaceX is continuing to set new records with an unpr...
Oct 28, 2022•26 min•Season 25Ep. 115
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 114 *Over 30 thousand near Earth Asteroids now discovered Astronomers have reached a major milestone with the discovery of the thirty thousandth near Earth asteroid. *NASA's Lucy spacecraft swoops past the Earth NASA’s Lucy spacecraft, the first mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, has just undertaken a spectacular gravity assist flyby of the Earth – skimming the planet’s atmosphere, passing a mere 350 kilometres above the surface – that’s lower than the orbit of ...
Oct 26, 2022•26 min•Season 25Ep. 114
The Astronomy, Technology, and Space Science News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 113XX *Discovery of the nearest black hole to Earth Astronomers have discovered the nearest black hole to Earth. *How galaxies grow from the cosmic web A new study has found that galaxies tend to be oriented so that their spin is aligned to the nearest cosmic web filament. *Dragon returns to Earth NASA-SpaceX crew four has returned safely to Earth splashing down in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Flo...
Oct 24, 2022•45 min•Season 25Ep. 113
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 112 *New evidence for liquid water beneath the Martian south polar ice cap Scientists have revealed new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. *Fresh hints for a possible planet X in the outer solar system There are fresh hints for a possible planet X beyond Pluto in the outer solar system. *NASA targeting November 14 for the next Artemis 1 launch attempt NASA says it will wait until mid-November before attempting ...
Oct 21, 2022•31 min•Season 25Ep. 112
SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 111 *Astronomers have been given one of their best views yet of the birth of a black hole Astronomers have been given one of their best views yet of the birth of one of the universe’s most infamous monsters – a black hole. *The largest known asteroid impact on Earth A new study suggests the largest known asteroid impact on Earth may have been even bigger than previously thought and at least twice the size of the one that killed all the non-avian dinosaurs. *Australian...
Oct 19, 2022•24 min•Season 25Ep. 111
The Astronomy, Technology, and Space Science News Podcast. SpaceTime Series 25 Episode 110 *Scientists change an asteroid’s orbit. Scientists have altered the orbit of a celestial object for the first time in history. *Huge Gamma Ray Burst detected Astronomers have just detected a record-breaking Gamma Ray Burst. *TESS spacecraft placed in safe mode NASA's planet-hunting TESS spacecraft has been placed into safe mode after a sudden computer glitch. *Rocket Lab sets a new launch record Rocket Lab...
Oct 17, 2022•33 min•Season 25Ep. 110
