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This is Space Time series 26 episode 100 and 10 for broadcast
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on the 13th of September 2023. Coming up on Space Time, it's
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all systems go for the reentry of a Sarus Rex Discovery of some
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of the longest long period exoplanets ever seen. And China
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releases details of its planned manned Moon missions, all that
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and more coming up on Space Time.
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Welcome to Space Time with Stuart Garry.
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NASA has completed its final test run in preparation for this
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month's return to Earth of the Osiris Rex sample return capsule
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which will re enter the atmosphere and parachute down
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into the skies above the Utah desert on September the 24th on
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board in a specially sealed contamination proof chamber. A
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sample is from the half kilometer wide potentially
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hazardous asteroid canoe.
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The test run used a mock up of the entry capsule which was
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dropped by an aircraft above the US Department Of Defense's West
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Desert Utah Test and training range just outside Salt Lake
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City. The drop test followed a series of early rehearsals
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capsule recovery, spacecraft engineering operations and
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sample curation procedures which had been conducted over the past
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six months.
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It was the final stage in preparing everyone for the
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arrival of the real thing, Nicola Fox, the associate
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administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in
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Washington says scientists are now just a few weeks away from
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receiving a piece of the solar system's history on Earth and
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the successful drop test ensures they're ready.
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She says the pristine material from the asteroid Bano will help
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shed light on the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion
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years ago and perhaps even on how life on Earth began, the
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2110 kg origin spectral interpretation resources,
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identification security, regular explorer or Asari Rex for short
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was launched aboard an Atlas Five rocket from the Cape
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Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida back on September the
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8th 2016 on a 2 billion kilometer seven year sample
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return mission.
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The spacecraft arrived at Bannu two years later in October 2018.
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The Cyrus Rex mission marked many firsts in space
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exploration. It was the first American mission to carry
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samples from an asteroid back to Earth and the largest sample
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returned from space since the Apollo era.
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It was also the first probe to study a primitive B type
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asteroid which is an asteroid rich in the carbon or organic
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molecules that make up life on Earth. It was also the first
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mission to study a potentially hazardous asteroid and to try
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and determine the sorts of factors which can alter an
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asteroid's course.
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Bringing it on a collision course with the Earth Cyrus Rex
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's scientific payload included a thermal spectrometer, a visible
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and infrared spectrometer, a laser altimeter, an x-ray
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spectrometer and a suite of cameras.
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The spacecraft spent three years orbiting the asteroid Bano at
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various altitudes, often getting down just Five kilometers above
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the surface. It studied the new 's surface and geology, its
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evolution, composition, chemistry and mineralogy.
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The data collected by a Cyrus Rex helped develop detailed
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survey maps of the ancient craggy boulder through an
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asteroid which allowed scientists to eventually select
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a site for touchdown and sample return.
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The probe ultimately collected some 60 g of regular dust, dirt
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and rocks. A Cyrus Rex finally left Bannu orbit in March 2021
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bound for Earth. Beno is the name of a mythological Egyptian
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bird. The asteroid is listed as a potentially hazardous object.
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It has a one in 2700 chance of hitting the Earth sometime
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between 21 75 and 21 99. But to get an accurate assessment of be
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's probability of Earth impact will require a detailed
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understanding of the asteroid's shape and composition that'll
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determine the magnitude and direction of the Jakosky effect.
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The Jakosky effect is caused by sunlight warming the day side
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surface of a rotating body such as an asteroid as the asteroid
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turns the night side of it cools and releases this heat which
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acts as a small amount of thrust and therefore exerts a force
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which can over a period of time affect an asteroid's direction.
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Now, if this half kilometer wide asteroid were to collide with
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the Earth, scientists estimate the amount of kinetic energy
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released would be equivalent to 1200 megatons of TNT.
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What we know for certain is that Bannu will pass 750
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kilometers above the Earth's surface on September 23rd, 2060.
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Now, this close approach will cause a divergence in the next
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close approach that Bannu takes on September the 25th, 2100 and
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35. It'll be somewhere between 400 kilometers.
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Now, there's no chance of collision with Earth during the
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2100 and 35 event, but it will be cutting it close and this is
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where it gets really important that 2100 and 35 close approach
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could position beu to pass through a 55 kilometer wide
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gravitational keyhole and that is what could create an impact
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scenario at a future encounter. This report from NASA TV.
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Rex is NASA's first asteroid sample return mission. It
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launched in September 2016 on a journey to explore a near Earth
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asteroid called Bennu. After arriving in 2018, Osiris Rex
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spent nearly two years orbiting Bennu mapping and studying its
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rugged terrain. Before carrying out its science objective.
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On October 20th 2020 the spacecraft ventured to a small
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crater in the asteroids northern hemisphere. It dodged jagged
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rocks and towering boulders and plunged its arm into the loose
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surface excavating six tons of debris while collecting about
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250 g of material.
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Rex stowed its bounty and closed its sample return capsule. It
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bid farewell to Bennu in May 2021 embarking on a 1.2 billion
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mile cruise back to Earth.
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Now, two years and four months after leaving Bennu O Cyrus Rex
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is closing in on the place where its journey began on September
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24. Th the spacecraft will approach to nearly 63 miles
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from Earth. It will power up and release its sample return
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capsule at 4:42 a.m. mountain time.
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The capsule must be jettisoned within a narrow time frame and
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at just the right angle to hit its target an area of roughly
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250 square miles in Utah's West Desert. Once the capsule is
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away, oy Rex will fire its thrusters to avoid colliding
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with Earth.
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At 8:42 a.m. The capsule will streak into the atmosphere at a
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blistering 27 MPH. It will race across the Western us and
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begin to glow with heat allowing infrared trackers on the ground
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to chart its progress.
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It pushes deeper into the atmosphere. The capsule will
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rapidly accelerate, subjecting the Bannu samples to a punishing
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32 GS about two minutes after entry. It will slow them up 1.4
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and deploy its stroke parachute stabilizing its descent.
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The capsule will enter special use airspace at 8:46 a.m. Almost
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10 miles above the Department Of Defense Utah Test and training
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range radar stations will lock on and track it to within 30 ft
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of its landing site.
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At 8:50 a.m. The capsule will extract and deploy its main
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parachute one mile above the ground. It will make its final
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descent at a leisurely 11 MPH like a marathon runner savoring
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a victory lap before touching down in the desert soil at 8 55.
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After ground teams retrieve the capsule, the Bennu samples will
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be taken to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The
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sample canister will be opened in the astro materials
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acquisition and curation facility and the samples will be
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curated, distributed and studied for decades to come.
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Having delivered its cargo. The Osiris Rex spacecraft will
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depart Earth but its journey will not quite be finished in a
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daring encore. The renamed Osiris Apex will enter an
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elliptical orbit of the sun repeatedly passing within the
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orbit of Venus and pushing the limits of its thermal design.
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Beginning in 2029. It Will Chase down and investigate Apophis, a
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1200 ft stony asteroid destined to make an exceptionally close
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fly by of Earth.
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After 13 years in deep space at the start of a new decade alone
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on a new world, the journey will continue.
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This Space Time still to come. Discovery of some of the longest
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long period exoplanets ever seen. And we look at China's
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manned Moon program, all that and more still to come on Space
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Time, astronomers have discovered two of the longest
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period exoplanets ever found.
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The two planets are orbiting a spectral type k orange dwarf
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star that's a star a little smaller and cooler than the sun.
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It's been cataloged as T I 4600 and it's located 815 light years
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away. Now, of these two planets orbiting the star TII 4600. B
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takes 82.69 Earth days. That's nearly three months to complete
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its orbit around its host star.
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While the other exoplanet TII 4600 C is much further out with
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an orbital period of 482.82 Earth days or some 16 months.
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Now, from what we can tell the inner planet is around seven
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times Earth's radius and that places it somewhere in size
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between Neptune and Saturn.
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The other more distant sibling is about 9.5 times Earth's
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radius, meaning it's roughly the same size as Saturn astronomers
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think both these worlds are likely gas giants and they've
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been classified as warm Jupiters. The findings reported
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in the Astrophysical journal letters suggest the more distant
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planet as a temperature of around 191 Kelvin while the
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inner planet has a more temperate 347.
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Kelvin that's 74 °C. The distance between these two
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planets, which is about the same as the distance between mercury
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and Mars indicates that there could be other yet to be
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discovered planets orbiting in this system.
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The two planets were discovered using NASA's transiting
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exoplanets survey satellite tests and they were then
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followed up for confirmation using ground based
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observatories. The study's lead author, Ishmael Moles from the
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University Of New Mexico says the planets were initially
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detected using the transit method in which light from the
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host star is dipped by a planet passing or transiting in front
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of the star as seen from Earth.
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The follow up observations involve the good old wobble or
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rate of velocity measurement in which the planet's gravity
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causes a slight wobble in the Hertz star as the planet
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circles. It, the authors say the main thing now is to try and
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uncover more about these planets formation because based on what
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we know about exoplanets.
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So far, nothing we've found really looks like anything we've
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seen in our own solar system. In fact, despite finding over 5000
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exoplanets so far, astronomers have found absolutely nothing
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that matches our solar system and that is raising some really
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interesting questions.
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This is Space Time still to come. China are planning to send
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Tinas to the Moon will look at the spacecraft they're
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developing for the mission. And later in the science report, a
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new study warns that hotter temperatures could lead to more
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heart attacks all that and more still to come on Space Time.
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China has released preliminary details of their first manned
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lunar lander which will send Tarka nauts to the lunar surface
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by 2030. Beijing's design appears very similar to America
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's old 19 sixties Apollo Lunar Excursion module.
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The LEM it has two parts a landing stage to get down to the
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lunar surface and which will then act as a launch pad for an
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ascent stage which will accommodate the crew and be used
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to get back into lunar orbit like the limb. The Chinese
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lander will accommodate a crew of two and it will carry a lunar
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rover which will be used to transport Taos across the lunar
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surface.
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The rover will have a mass of about 200 kg and a range of
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about 10 kilometers. But unlike the Apollo program's single
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massive Saturn Five rocket which carried both the command and
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service module as well as the lunar excursion module all on
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the one vehicle to the Moon.
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Beijing will use two separate three stage long March 10
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rockets to get there. One will carry China's lunar module and
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the other a new 26 tonn spacecraft which will be capable
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of holding up to seven crew members. Although only three
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will be used on lunar missions, the crew spacecraft will
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rendezvous and dock in lunar orbit with the lunar module
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ahead of a lunar landing attempt.
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Unlike China's existing Shenzhou manned spacecraft which are
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based heavily on Russian Soyuz designs. A new spacecraft will
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again follow the American Apollo concept of using a single
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command module which will act as a re entry vehicle and a service
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module which will carry all the auxiliary equipment and be
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jettisoned prior to atmospheric reentry.
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But where China differs from American practice is in the
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universality of the new spacecraft. America have decided
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they want separate manned spacecraft for different
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missions.
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Crew transfers to and from the international space station in
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low Earth orbit, rely on SpaceX dragon capsules and once they
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get the thing going, they'll be joined by Boeing starliner. On
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the other hand, deep space missions will be entrusted to
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the Lockheed Martin Orion capsule, which is of a
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completely different design.
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So far, China's carried out Five robotic missions to the Moon and
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deployed two lunar rovers. The most recent mission, Changi Five
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was a sample return. The next mission. Chai Six will be
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another sample return this time landing on the lunar far side in
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2026 Changi seven will focus on the lunar South pole.
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Well, Changi Eight's mission currently slated for around 2028
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will be an in situ resource utilization and 3D printing
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technology mission testing different methods to build a
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base on the Moon using local materials.
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This is Space Time and time that take another brief look at some
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of the other stories making news in science this week with the
00:15:58
Science report, scientists are warning that hotter temperatures
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are leading to more heart attacks for patients on common
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heart medications.
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The findings reported in the journal nature cardiovascular
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research are based on an analysis of data from almost 2.5
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1000 heart attack victims. The patient data was compared to
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their medication intake and daily weather information.
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Scientists found that the risk of non fatal heat related heart
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attacks may be increasing among patients using antiplatelet
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medication and beta blockers, especially for those between the
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ages of 25 and 59. The findings have a special significance as
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the planet continues to warm due to climate change.
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A new study has found that humans are using or trading
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roughly a third of all animals and they pose a threat to some
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39 per cent of all species. The findings reported in the journal
00:16:53
communications biology suggests that people's actions are
00:16:56
hundreds of times more impactful than other non human predators.
00:17:01
Scientists analyzed data on the use and trade of 47 animals
00:17:07
and estimated the number of species whose use or trade by
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humans involved removal from wild populations including for
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food, clothing, medicines or as pets.
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They then compared this to data on endangered species and also
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data on non human predators and the food chain finding human
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impact was up to 300 times greater than that for other
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predators while not all human use is threatened to these
00:17:32
animals. The authors say it's important to keep in mind that
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people's actions really do have far broader consequences on the
00:17:39
functions of ecosystems.
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A bit of good news now and a new study suggests that Earth's
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ozone layer is on track for recovery within about four
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decades. And researchers say the global phase out of ozone
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depleting chemicals is also helping to mitigate climate
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change. The findings were presented at the annual meeting
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of the American Meteorological Society in Denver Colorado.
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It confirms the phase out of nearly 99 per cent of banned
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ozone depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons has
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succeeded in safeguarding the ozone layer with recovery
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expected around 2066 over the Antarctic and by 2045 over the
00:18:18
Arctic with the rest of the world considered safe.
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By 2040 the reduction in hydrofluorocarbons is also
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estimated to avoid a 0.3 to 0.5 °C warming of the planet by
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2100. However, a report in the journal nature warns that China
00:18:36
remains the world's biggest producer of ozone depleting
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chemicals with massive production continuing of CFC
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containing chemicals such as Tri chloro fluro methane, which is
00:18:46
being used for insulation.
00:18:49
Google is about to launch its New Pixel eight smartphones.
00:18:53
With the details. We're joined by technology editor Alex Sahara
00:18:56
Roy from Tech Avis start live to.
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The fourth in the US. It's to be the fifth in Australia. Google
00:19:02
will have plenty of AI smarts to talk about, they'll have
00:19:04
improved cameras, improved processors and of course, they
00:19:07
will want to make their pixel eight and pixel eight pro
00:19:09
competitive with the iphone 15 that's launching this week,
00:19:12
which will have all the details on next week.
00:19:14
But it's smartphone launching season. It's technology
00:19:16
launching season. In fact, later this month, we'll have Microsoft
00:19:19
launching all their new surface devices. So it's definitely
00:19:22
everyone gearing up to have new tech ready for Christmas ready
00:19:25
for that Black Friday Christmas holiday shopping season.
00:19:27
Google is also celebrating its 25th birthday. Wow.
00:19:31
Yeah, they launched on September the 4th 1998 and in fact, they
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had their first event.
00:19:35
How old does that make me?
00:19:37
Well, that's right. Yeah, we're all getting older unfortunately,
00:19:40
but hopefully the technology, you know, AI and nanobots are
00:19:43
going to come to help us live much longer lives. But yeah,
00:19:46
Google's 25th anniversary, I mean, they've been around for a
00:19:49
long time in the year 2000, they actually reached 1 billion
00:19:52
pages.
00:19:53
And in the year 2008, according to a Google blog post, they had
00:19:55
over one trillion unique. But as of earlier this year, they had
00:19:59
trillions of pages online, but about 30 to 50 billion actual
00:20:02
pages that they're putting into their index now, although there
00:20:05
's 7.33 billion smartphones worldwide estimated to be that
00:20:09
many and about half of those are Android users.
00:20:11
Many Google users actually obviously have more than one
00:20:14
device. And so not all of those, that half of that 7.3 billion
00:20:18
are actually Google accounts. So they've got 15 different
00:20:21
products. Google has that have more than half a billion people
00:20:24
and businesses as users. And another six products that have
00:20:26
more than 2 billion users each.
00:20:28
And of course, there's been a lot of concern that Google is
00:20:32
falling behind chat, GPT and Microsoft Bing AI in the AI
00:20:35
race. But interestingly, Google still has more than 95 per cent
00:20:38
market share for its search engine. Bing has about three per
00:20:41
cent. Yahoo is about one per cent and the rest is he also
00:20:44
rans and Google does talk about wanting to be very responsible
00:20:47
with AI.
00:20:48
So we just have to wait and see if they really do deliver upon
00:20:51
that. Of course, now they have their own hardware, the pixel
00:20:53
eight and eight pro series, which as we spoke about last
00:20:56
week are going to have Five years of O updates. So they're
00:20:59
fighting as hard as they can against Samsung and Apple and
00:21:01
everybody else.
00:21:02
What did we have before Google? I'm just trying to think.
00:21:05
Well, just as we have over 7000.
00:21:09
I think was there? Yeah.
00:21:10
Well, one of them, but just as we have over 7000 A I services
00:21:13
in the days before Google, we had dozens of different search
00:21:16
engines. We had looksmart G dog, MSN Search. We had Alta Vista
00:21:24
the original.
00:21:28
And so they were otherwise.
00:21:30
You just typed it straight in the Netscape.
00:21:32
That's right. But also we had Google, it was an opportunity
00:21:34
for Yahoo to buy Google for something like million dollars
00:21:38
or something at the time and they passed it up. They didn't
00:21:40
do it. Yeah.
00:21:40
But of course, had Yahoo purchased Google, there's no
00:21:43
guarantee that Google would have then become the huge search
00:21:46
engine and the huge tech company that is today. But yeah, 25
00:21:50
years of Google, let's hope that the next 25 years are going to
00:21:52
be just as fruitful and beneficial to humanity.
00:21:55
Microsoft set to remove word pad from windows. Look, the thing.
00:21:58
About word pad is that it was a very single program. It did RTF
00:22:03
plus which text form files and there was a little bit bit of a
00:22:06
notepad, but most people just aren't using it. And it's
00:22:08
another piece of software that they have to continually
00:22:10
maintain to make sure there are no security vulnerabilities that
00:22:13
someone can hack into and then break into your operating
00:22:16
system.
00:22:16
You've got free Google Docs, you've got free office online
00:22:19
from Microsoft, even though they would like you to pay for office
00:22:22
365. There's three alternatives out there, even Libra Office,
00:22:26
which is a fully Microsoft office compatible clone and
00:22:28
there are others besides.
00:22:29
So look, it, it's reducing the attack surface that hackers can
00:22:33
use to break into your computer. And it's been around for 28
00:22:37
years. Most people don't use it these days. It's just sort of
00:22:39
sitting there. So it's just one less piece of craft that
00:22:42
Microsoft is not having to deal with. And they've decided after
00:22:45
28 years since Windows 95 in 1995 to remove it.
00:22:50
And what else is on tech advice? Do life this week? Well, there's
00:22:52
an.
00:22:52
Article from CNET and another one from Yahoo that's explaining
00:22:55
why you should blur home on Google Maps and Apple Maps.
00:22:59
There's Microsoft special event on September the 21st in the US
00:23:02
that we spoke about with all the new surface tablets and laptops.
00:23:05
China is unveiling a $41 billion fund to supercharges domestic
00:23:10
chip production after being banned by the US and Japan and
00:23:14
Europe from being able to access the latest semiconductor tools
00:23:16
and more so. Check it all out at tech dot That's.
00:23:20
Alex Sahara Roy from tech advice dot live and that's the show for
00:23:40
now. SpaceTime is available every Monday, Wednesday and
00:23:44
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