Spacetime With Stuart Gary

SpaceTime 20201106 Series 23 Episode 118*When we look at the stars is there anyone looking back?Three decades after Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan suggested that Voyager 1 snap a picture of the Earth from billions of kilometres away -- resulting in the iconic Pale Blue Dot photograph -- two astronomers now offer another unique cosmic perspective.*Another delay for Russian Space Station moduleThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos says it now plans to launch its Nauka science module to the International Space Station in April next year.*Congress warned about China’s new space stationThe US Congress has been warned that it was crucial for America to maintain a significant presence in low Earth orbit once the International Space Station is decommissioned – in order to prevent China from gaining a strategic advantage.*November SkywatchThe seven sisters, the Andromeda Galaxy, and three meteor showers highlight the night skies of November.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support o

SpaceTime 20201104 Series 23 Episode 117*OSIRIS-Rex sample return capsule overflowing with regolithTwo days after touching down on asteroid Bennu, NASA OSIRIS-REx mission managers confirmed that the spacecraft collected more than enough material to meet one of its main mission objectives -- acquiring at least 60 grams of the asteroid’s surface material.*The best place in the universe to live isn’t EarthA new study claims Earth is not necessarily the best planet in the universe. Astronomers have identified two dozen planets outside our solar system that may have conditions more suitable for life than the third rock from the Sun.*Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation systemThe European Space Agency’s Galileo constellation is the most accurate satellite navigation system in the world.*The Science ReportYoung people who come out as bi are more likely to smoke.The Atlantic Ocean has just experienced its hottest decade in three millennia.Paleontologists discover a new species of Pterosaur in China.Nearly a tonne of

The Astronomy, Technology and Space Science News Podcast.SpaceTime 20201102 Series 23 Episode 116*Lunar water is more abundant than previously thoughtAstronomers have found that water may be far more abundant on the Moon than previously thought.*The Milky Way’s clumpy galactic haloA new study has concluded that our Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by a lumpy halo of hot gases continuously being fed by material ejected by the birth and death of stars.*Expedition 63 crew return safely to EarthAfter 196 days aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 63 crew have returned safely to Earth aboard their Soyuz MS-16 capsule.*The Science ReportConfirmation that physical distancing measures can keep the COVID-19 coronavirus at bay.Koala populations on the New South Wales north coast in a steady decline for decades.New super white paint that will reflect more heat back into space.Archaeologists discover a 2100-year-old image of a cat on Peru’s famous Nazca plateau.Skeptics guide: study claims 61 per cent of A

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 115*BepiColombo undertakes its first Venus flybyThe BepiColombo mission has completed the first of two Venus flybys needed to set it on course with the Solar System’s innermost planet, Mercury.*Problems worsen aboard the International Space StationRussian mission managers say the International Space Station is working normally with no threat to the safety of the crew despite a string of problems and equipment failures.*China carries out its first sea launchChina has carried out its first ocean space launch sending a Long March 11 rocket into orbit from a floating launch pad in the Yellow Sea.*Amateur Astronomy growing in popularityAmateur Astronomy has always been popular – and that popularity has been growing over recent months thanks to the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus.*The Science ReportThis year’s ozone hole over the Antarctic is one of the largest and deepest in recent years.Extracting drinking water out of thin air.Study claims drinking

SpaceTime with Stuart GarySeries 23 Episode 114*OSIRIS-REx successfully touches down on asteroid BennuNASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully touched down on the surface of the boulder-strewn asteroid Bennu – collecting samples of the space rocks regolith before returning to orbit.*Pluto’s snow-capped mountainsIn 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft discovered spectacular snow-capped mountains on Pluto, which are strikingly similar to mountains on Earth.*Another space junk near missA disused Soviet Union era satellite and a spent Chinese rocket upper stage have narrowly missed a major orbital collision in the skies south of New Zealand.*The Science ReportGlobal warming is now increasing temperatures even at the very bottom of the oceans.Healthy life expectancy increasing -- but not enough to match overall life expectancy.Australia’s new Loyal Wingman unmanned aircraft to fly before the end of the year.A new study has found that cows prefer a face-to-face chat with people.Alex on Tech social media Twit-F

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 113*Betelgeuse closer and smaller than thoughtA new study has found the red supergiant star Betelgeuse is closer and smaller than previously thought.*Thunderbolts and lightning very very frighteningTwo extreme bolts of lightning have smashed previous records for duration and distance.*Dream chaser getting closer to its maiden flightSierra Nevada Dream Chaser spaceplane has completed its wind tunnel testing as it moves closer to its planned first mission to the International Space Station which is less than a year away -- currently slated for September 2021.*The Science ReportGreat Barrier Reef coral populations down by over 50 per cent since the mid-1990s.A new study warns that babies are consuming up to 16 million microplastic particles in each litre of formula.Scientists have set a new superconductivity temperature record.Letting your kids play in dirt may be good for their immune systems.Australian Skeptics 2020 Bent Spoon AwardSponsor Details:This episode of Sp

*Nearby supernova exploded just two and a half million years agoScientists have found telltale chemical signatures of a massive star between 11 and 20 times the mass of our Sun going supernova just two and a half million years ago in our stellar neighbourhood.*A successful 13th test flight for New ShepardBlue Origin has successfully completed its13th and latest test flight of its New Shepard spacecraft which will eventually carry tourists to the edge of space.*New top-secret satellite ground station begins operationsA new highly classified Satellite Ground Station for the Wideband Global Satellite Communications system has now gone operational near Geraldton in Western Australia.*The Science ReportSmartphone abuse linked to suicidal behaviour in teens.Trying to save the endangered sawfish.The new solar panel design which could increase light absorption by 125%.Purr-fecting the art of bonding with cats.Skeptics guide to Northern Territory politics. Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with t

*The Neutron Star collision that’s still producing X-rays three years laterAstronomers are still detecting X-rays being emitted from where two neutron stars collided three years ago.*Record-setting flight to the space stationThe expedition 64 crew has safely arrived aboard the International Space Station following a record-breaking two-orbit fast rendezvous flight aboard their Russian Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft.*Crew fail to fix air leak on the space stationThe crew aboard the International Space Station have finally found the leak which has been venting atmosphere into space from the orbiting outpost for more than a year now.*The Science ReportThe first confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection in the United States.Levels of the greenhouse gas Nitrous-Oxide jump by 30 per cent.Blood pressure treatments linked to cognitive decline in older people.Tasmanian Devils reintroduced to the Australian mainland for the first time in 3000 years.Alex on Tech reviews the new iPhone 12 rangeSponsor Details:This episode of SpaceT

*One of life’s building blocks produced faster than thoughtA new study has found that stars produce carbon – one of the key building blocks of life as we know it -- 34 per cent faster than previously thought.*OSIRIS Rex about to touch down on asteroid BennuThe final countdown is now underway in preparation for NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft to touch down onto the surface of the asteroid Bennu to collect samples for eventual return to Earth.*North Korea’s monstrous new missileThe world got a wake-up call this week when North Korea unveiled its monstrous new intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade in Pyongyang celebrating the dictatorships 75th anniversary.*The Science ReportNew studies show COVID-19 can survive for up to 28 days on some common surfaces.Claims moderate exercise is just as effective as high-intensity exercise in keeping older people healthy.Scientists focus on decimated fish populations in the Murray Darling river system.A new species of mosasaur discovered in northern Morocco.

*Venus might have been a habitable world if not for JupiterA new study claims Venus might not be the sweltering, waterless hellscape it is today if Jupiter hadn't altered its orbit around the Sun.*A new view of the northern skyNASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite – TESS – has provided astronomers with a new view of the northern skies revealing a panorama of both familiar stars and newly discovered worlds.*Is Earth about to get another moonEvery now and then a passing near Earth asteroid gets caught up in the planet’s gravitational field and ends up spending a couple of days, months or even years in Earth orbit as another moon.*Soyuz rideshare missionThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has launched three telecommunications satellites into orbit aboard a Soyuz 2-1b rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome 800 kilometres north of Moscow.*The Science ReportWarnings that Earth’s sea levels could rise by more than 38 centimetres by the turn of the century.New study shows avoiding cow milk in early life co

*NASA’s Dragonfly drone mission to TitanA new study has found relatively fresh exposed water ice in impact craters on the surface of the Saturnian moon Titan. The findings could prove beneficial in plans for the proposed Dragon fly mission to send a drone aircraft to Titan.*Mars Close ApproachThe red planet Mars is putting on its best show in years right now.*New comic commode rockets into orbit – the dynamic space dunny To go where no man has ever gone before might no longer be accurate – but a new space toilet has been delivered to the international space station.*The Science ReportOne of the world’s most important food crops the sweet potato another victim of global warming.The CSIRO says some 14 million tonnes of microplastics now polluting the ocean floor.Paleontologists have described a new species of Mosasaur.New study claims dogs don’t look at faces the same way humans do.Alex on Tech checks out Apple Watch Series 6Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support of ExpressVPN

*More liquid water lakes found on MarsResearchers have found evidence of a patchwork of salty liquid water lakes below the surface of the red planet Mars.*Einstein’s description of gravity just got harder to beatThey say you don’t bet against Einstein – and that’s been proven yet again in a new study of supermassive black holes.*COVID-19 delays NASA’s Northern Territory launch programEquatorial Launch Australia says it will be the middle of next year before NASA begins launching rockets from its new East Arnhem Land facility.  Restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic forced NASA to delay its Northern Territory launch program which should have been underway by now.*The Science ReportAn estimated one in ten people worldwide now infected with the COVID-19 corona virus.The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez.Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Harvey Alter, Michael Ho

*Discovery of an unknown stellar population at the galactic centreAstronomers have found an unknown population of stars near the very heart of the Milky Way galaxy.*Sweden to stop helping China’s space programStockholm has announced that Sweden will cease providing satellite ground station services to China or accept new Chinese space business because of changes in what it euphemistically calls the global political landscape. *New Spanish Earth Observation satelliteAfter leaving the Airbus premises in Madrid on 24 September, the Spanish high-resolution land imaging mission, known as SEOSAT-Ingenio, has arrived safely at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, where it will be prepared for launch later this year.*Space Station air leak still thereThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos says cosmonauts have narrowed down the air leak aboard the International Space Station to somewhere in the Zvezda service module.*The Science ReportThe new study showing that folate, magnesium, and dairy products may help stave

*A missing ingredient in dark matter theoriesAstronomers have discovered that there may be a missing ingredient in our cosmic recipe of how dark matter behaves.*First detection of a planet larger than the star it’s orbitingFor the first time ever, astronomers have discovered a giant exoplanet orbiting a small white dwarf star.*New Chinese surveillance satelliteChina has launched a new ocean-monitoring satellite.*The Science ReportScientists have identified a new gene linked to obesity.Study finds silk face masks may be more effective than cotton or polyester versions.Dooms Day planes launch not linked to POTUS COVID-19 diagnosis.Chromium steel manufacture discovered in Persia a thousand years earlier than in the west.Working dog breeds aren't just hard workers, they're also the most playful.Alex on Tech checks out the latest iPad.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support of ExpressVPN - rated No.1 by TechRadar and as used by us. For our special offer, visit www.tryexpressvpn.com

*Answering the question: is anyone out there?Forget what you’ve seen on Star Trek, it looks like our part of the Alpha Quadrant is quite devoid of advanced alien life.*Second alignment plane of solar system discoveredAstronomers have found a second alignment plane in the solar system. The findings have important implications for models of how comets originally formed in the solar system.*School bus-sized asteroid sweeps past EarthAn asteroid the size of a bus has zoomed past the Earth flying just 21 thousand kilometres above the planet’s surface – that’s closer than many Earth orbiting satellites.*The Science ReportGreenland's ice sheet likely to lose more this century than any time in the last 12,000 years.A new study has identified 41 areas of genetic code linked to left-handedness.New research has confirmed that kids really are less likely to get COVID-19.Early to bed really does help your health.The Nigerian church that doesn’t turn the other cheek.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to w

*Asteroid Bennu proves life is full of Vesta situationsA new study suggests material from the main belt asteroid Vesta has been discovered on the surface of the near Earth asteroid Bennu.*NASA signs agreement with US Space ForceNASA has signed a new memorandum of understanding with the new United States Space Force.*Nebra Sky Disk iron not bronze ageA new study claims the Nebra Sky Disk – an ancient cosmological sky map – thought to be the world's oldest depiction of the cosmos -- is actually a thousand years younger than previously thought.*October SkywatchThe spectacular Southern Cross and the stars of our nearest neighbouring star system Alpha Centauri are highlights of the October night skies on Skywatch. Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support of ExpressVPN - rated No.1 by TechRadar and more importantly...as used by us. We love it! For your free bonus offer, just visit www.tryexpressvpn.com/space and help support the show. Thank you...NameCheap.com….your online presence b

*New study claims the Sun may have had a binary partnerA new study suggests the Sun may once have been part of a binary star system with a companion of similar mass.*A new more puzzling view of the universeNew data from the Slone Digital Sky Survey suggests the current rate of expansion of the universe – known as the Hubble Constant -- is about 10 percent lower than the expansion rate measured from distances to very nearby galaxies.*Astra Rocket Launch failureSpace is hard as Astra aerospace now knows following the failure of its latest launch attempt from the Alaskan Pacific Space Port Complex on Kodiak Island.*The Science ReportNew study confirms wildlife populations have plunged by 68% between 1970 and 2016.Claims turmeric extract may help to combat pain in people with osteoarthritis in their knees.The locus of male sexual desire has been uncovered in specific regions of the brain.Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a 2600 year old royal building in Jerusalem.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTi

*A new type of supernovaeA new study suggests that an unusual fast-spinning highly magnetic type of exploding star in the early universe may be responsible for creating some of the heaviest naturally occurring elements on the periodic table.*New data shows Saturnian ice moon Enceladus resurfacing its frozen crustNew data suggests the northern hemisphere of Saturn’s ice moon Enceladus has recently been resurfaced with material from the frozen world’s interior.*China’s toxic space programThe dangers of China’s decision to continue using highly toxic hydrazine fuel have been highlighted again with the first stage of a Long March 4B rocket crashing back to Earth next to a local school and blanketing the area in a poisonous orange cloud.*The Science ReportCalifornia’s wildfires increasing in severity by about ten percent per decade since 1984.Growing concerns over early-phase clinical-trial data for Russia’s coronavirus vaccine.A new study finds that diagnostic errors occur in up to one in seven clinical encounter

*Solar cycle 25 formally underwayScientists have determined that our local star has now formally moved into a new solar cycle which is expected to peak with a new Solar Maximum in 2025.*Asteroid Bennu ejecting particles into spaceWhen NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft arrived at asteroid Bennu, mission scientists knew that their spacecraft was orbiting something strange.*Sentinel 6A getting ready for launchRecords show that, on average, global sea levels have risen by 3.2 millimetres per year between 1993 and 2018 due to global warming.*Another Space Station near missThe International Space Station’s has been acting more like a dodgem car in recent weeks undertaking several Debris Avoidance Manoeuvres to keep clear of orbiting space junk.*The Science ReportArctic wildfires pump a record 244 megatonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.New evidence that being an unpopular teen affects your heart health in later life.Kids who live at high altitudes are born shorter and grow more slowly.A new study shows seagulls look to se

*First flights from Southern Launch’s new Australian rocket range a big successSouthern Launch has undertaken its first flights from its new rocket test range in western South Australia.*263 new Near-Earth objects detected over the past monthThe latest data from the European Space Agency’s Near-Earth Objects co-ordination centre indicates there are now at least 23 thousand 423 asteroids and 111 comets on orbits which bring them close to Earth’s orbit around the Sun.*Another successful test for SpaceX’s new Starship prototypeSpaceX has successfully conducted a sixth test flight of a prototype test article for Elon Musk’s long dreamed of Starship interplanetary colonial transport.*The Science ReportNew claims COVID-19 was invented in a Chinese government laboratory.A massive 110 square kilometre chunk of Greenland’s ice cap has broken off.How the death of a family pet can trigger a sense of grief that is profound and prolonged.The new DNA study to determine which Vikings plundered and pillaged which countries.T