TWiS 106: Space Potpourri! - Eclipse Wrap-Up & More Favorite Space Places

TWiS 110: Voyager 1's Brush with Silence - Saving an Icon With Project Scientist Dr. Linda Spilker

The Voyager probes have been transiting space since 1977, and they're still at it 46 years later. But late in 2023, Voyager 1, now 15 billion miles distant, started sending what the flight controllers called "gibberish" back to Earth---uncoordinated ones and zeros and a heartbeat tone. They knew it was still alive, but something had gone wrong. The small team of software wizards at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory got to work and came up with a workaround... but due to the age of the program, did not have an old enough computer on the ground to test it! They'd have to eyeball the sequence and send it to overwrite existing programming on the spacecraft. The round-trip radio signal from Earth takes 45 hours... and it was a nail-biter. Join us as we discuss this rescue beyond the solar system with Voyager Mission Scientist Dr. Linda Spilker.

Headlines:

• Boeing Starliner launch delayed again due to a "buzzing" valve on the Atlas V rocket, not related to the spacecraft itself
• James Webb Space Telescope detects weather patterns on an exoplanet 41 light-years away, revealing a regenerating atmosphere on a puffy, molten world
• Elon Musk shares his thoughts on the lack of evidence for alien visitation, citing SpaceX's 6,000 satellites that have never had to maneuver around a UFO

Feedback:

• A listener appreciates the discussion on how music relates to space exploration, but points out a missed opportunity to mention Ronald McNair's planned saxophone performance in space, which was tragically halted by the Challenger disaster.

Main Topic - Saving Voyager 1 with Dr. Linda Spilker:

• Dr. Spilker's career at JPL, starting in 1977 and working on the Voyager mission, Cassini, and returning to Voyager as Project Scientist
• Voyager's small flight team and science team, many of whom have been with the mission since its inception
• The spacecraft's journey beyond the heliopause and into interstellar space, making unprecedented measurements of the interstellar medium
• The ambitious Grand Tour of the outer solar system, visiting Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, and the remarkable discoveries made at each planet and their moons
• The recent challenges faced by Voyager 1, including a failed chip and the efforts to restore its function from Earth
• The limited computing power and memory of the Voyagers compared to modern spacecraft and the ingenuity required to program and communicate with them
• Pressure Front 2, a mysterious feature in the interstellar medium that Voyager 1 was monitoring before its recent glitch
• The expected lifespan of the Voyager probes and the need to start shutting down instruments as power decreases in the coming years
• Dr. Spilker's personal highlights from the mission, including the beauty of Saturn's rings, the geysers on Neptune's moon Triton, and hints of Saturn's moon Enceladus feeding the planet's E-ring
• Wishes for future exploration of the outer solar system, focusing on the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, Pluto, and other small worlds with rings

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. Linda Spilker

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TWiS 109: Music of the Spheres - Space Music with Chris Carberry

While we may not think of it very often, music has a long history of influencing how we think about spaceflight. From the scores of early silent films to the modern classics we all know, like 2001: A Space Odyssey and the never-ending franchises of Star Trek and Star Wars, we often have a riff going through our minds when we see a space image—few can hear Strauss' Blue Danube without thinking of the space station in 2001, or see a tilted yellow title scroll without hearing that first orchestral crash of John Williams' immortal Star Wars score. And, in real life, we had the talented astronaut Chris Hadfield performing David Bowie's classic hit Major Tom, augmented by upbeat lyrics. Space music is big, and Chris Carberry, CEO of Explore Mars and author of the recently released book The Music of Space, is here to tell us why!

Headlines:

• China launches Chang'e-6 mission to the far side of the moon, aiming to collect and return the first-ever samples from this region
• Boeing completes final flight readiness review for the CFT crew flight test mission, set to launch on May 6th with a 95% chance of good weather
• James Webb Space Telescope successfully maps weather on exoplanet WASP-43 b, located 280 light years away, showcasing the telescope's potential for studying distant worlds

Main Topic: The Music of Space

• Chris Carberry discusses his new book "The Music of Space: Scoring the Cosmos in Film and Television" and his motivation for exploring the connection between space and music
• Early examples of space-related music in film include the scores for "Metropolis" (1927) and the space documentary "Our Heavenly Bodies" (1920)
• The pivotal role of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" in using classical music to depict space, and how it influenced future filmmakers
• John Williams' iconic score for "Star Wars" (1977) marked a turning point in film scoring and revitalized orchestral music in cinema
• The concept of music as a universal language and its potential for communicating with alien civilizations
• Chris Hadfield's rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity" on the International Space Station and the challenges of playing music in microgravity
• The role of music in future space settlements, its impact on mental health, and how it may evolve in different environments like Mars
• Chris Carberry's previous book "Alcohol in Space" and the history of alcohol consumption in space missions
• The need for studying the effects of alcohol on human physiology in space as commercial spaceflight advances

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Chris Carberry

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Sponsor:

• wix.com/studio

TWiS 108: Starliner: Better Late Than Never? - Boeing's College Try

We've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting for Boeing's Starliner to fly. First selected in 2010, along with SpaceX's Crew Dragon, Starliner has been behind schedule for years. SpaceX got $2.6 billion for its six dragon flights, and Boeing received more at $4.3 billion, so you'd expect Boeing to be first to fly, right? Well, as of today, SpaceX has delivered crews to the International Space Station eight times, to Boeing's... zero. Delayed development, turbulence problems with the capsule on the Atlas launcher, stuck valves, flammable materials, and faulty parachute lines have all contributed to the delays. Boeing has flown two uncrewed missions—the first one a partial failure, with the second, funded by Boeing itself, flown to NASA's satisfaction. Now it's time to put a crew aboard. Will Boeing overcome their issues and deliver the goods? Join us.

Headlines:

• Voyager's Return: NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory confirms reestablishment of contact with Voyager 1 after five months of silence, overcoming communication challenges over vast interstellar distances.
• China's Shenzhou 18 and Tiangong Space Station: China successfully launches Shenzhou 18 to the Tiangong Space Station, which was recently hit by space debris, prompting China to revamp its space debris management strategies.
• International Partnerships for Lunar Research: China announces new international partnerships for its International Lunar Research Station, contrasting its progress with NASA's Artemis Accords.

Main Topic: Boeing Starliner's Upcoming Mission

• Starliner's Crewed Test Flight: A detailed discussion on Boeing's upcoming Starliner mission, highlighting the spacecraft's capabilities, the crew's preparations, and the significance of this test flight.
• Spacecraft and Mission Overview: Insights into the Starliner's design, the choice of Atlas V rockets for the launch, and the planned landing procedures in the southwestern United States.
• Crew Profiles: Focus on the astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams, discussing their backgrounds, roles in the mission, and expectations for the test flight.
• Closing Thoughts: Rod and Tariq wrap up with final thoughts on the importance of the Starliner mission for Boeing and NASA, discussing potential outcomes and what they signify for the future of commercial spaceflight.

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

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TWiS 107: Mars Sample Return Blues - Setbacks, Innovations, and the Search for Life With Leonard David

Unless you've been living under a big red Martian rock, you've likely heard that NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is in trouble. The robotic program has its roots in the 1960s, when NASA started thinking about sending robots to fetch Mars soil even before Mariner 4's first flyby of the planet. The Russians pondered it as well, as the Chinese and Japanese are today. The problem? It's really hard, with multiple spacecraft, possibly on different launches, rendezvousing around the Red Planet to accomplish. And then there are the concerns about the safety of returning possible pathogens to Earth (that said, I could use an extra tentacle). But the showstopper, as usual, is cost—and NASA's not happy. We invited the original Space Ace reporter, Leonard David, to join the discussion.

Headlines:

• NASA gives green light to Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered helicopter mission to Saturn's moon Titan, set to launch in 2028 and arrive in 2034
• New images from the Perseverance rover reveal the crash site of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, showing scattered debris and broken rotor blades
• NASA continues to study the Orion spacecraft's heat shield, which experienced more erosion than expected during the Artemis 1 mission, raising concerns for future crewed missions

Main Topic: Mars Sample Return Mission

• Leonard David expresses frustration with NASA's recent announcement of significant cost increases and delays for the Mars Sample Return mission
• NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated that the current estimated cost of $11 billion is too high and called for innovative ideas from industry and academia to reduce costs and accelerate the timeline
• They discuss the scientific importance of returning Martian samples to Earth but question whether the current approach is the most effective way to search for life on Mars
• Leonard suggests that advancements in miniaturized instruments could allow for more comprehensive life detection experiments directly on the Martian surface, reducing the need for sample return
• The conversation touches on the potential for international collaboration and competition in Mars exploration, with China, Japan, and Russia planning their own missions
• Rod highlights the critical role of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Mars exploration and expresses concern about the potential loss of expertise if the MSR mission is scaled back or cancelled
• The TWiS crew concludes by emphasizing the need for a clear, sustainable strategy for Mars exploration that balances scientific objectives, technological capabilities, and budgetary realities

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Leonard David

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space.

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Sponsor:

• wix.com/studio

TWiS 106: Space Potpourri! - Eclipse Wrap-Up & More Favorite Space Places

Eclipse Wrap-Up & More Favorite Space Places

Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

For full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space/episodes/106