Latest / Space News Today / Nuclear Moon Power, Mars Ocean Evidence, and Brains in Space

Transcript

Nuclear Moon Power, Mars Ocean Evidence, and Brains in Space · Space News Today

0:00
Hello everyone and welcome to Astronomy
0:03
Daily. I'm Anna
0:05
>> and I'm Avery. Thanks for joining us
0:07
this Tuesday, January 14th, 2026. We've
0:11
got a fantastic lineup of space news for
0:13
you today.
0:14
>> We really do. We're covering everything
0:16
from nuclear reactors on the moon to
0:19
ancient Martian oceans, plus some
0:22
fascinating discoveries about how space
0:24
flight affects astronaut brains. And
0:27
we'll be talking about a major ISS
0:29
update, a new privately funded space
0:32
telescope, and scientists finally
0:34
solving a six decade old mystery about
0:37
the moon's two faces.
0:39
>> It's going to be an exciting episode.
0:41
So, let's dive right in.
0:43
>> Anna, let's start with some big news
0:45
from NASA and the Department of Energy.
0:47
The United States is getting serious
0:49
about putting a nuclear reactor on the
0:51
moon by 2030.
0:53
>> That's right, Avery. This isn't just
0:56
talk anymore. Last week, NASA
0:58
Administrator Jared Isaacman and US
1:00
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright signed
1:03
a memorandum of understanding that
1:05
reaffirms their commitment to meet that
1:07
ambitious deadline.
1:09
>> And this comes on the heels of President
1:11
Trump's executive order from December
1:14
calling for construction to begin on a
1:16
lunar base by 2030 with a nuclear
1:18
reactor ready to launch by that same
1:20
year. Isacman said something really
1:23
interesting in the announcement. He
1:25
said, "Achieving this future requires
1:28
harnessing nuclear power. This agreement
1:31
enables closer collaboration between
1:33
NASA and the Department of Energy to
1:35
deliver the capabilities necessary to
1:38
usher in the golden age of space
1:40
exploration and discovery.
1:42
>> It makes sense when you think about it.
1:44
Nuclear power can generate electricity
1:46
continuously for years without
1:48
refueling. And it's not affected by the
1:50
moon's two week long nights or changing
1:53
weather conditions like solar panels
1:54
would be. And this isn't the first time
1:57
NASA and the Department of Energy have
1:59
worked together on space nuclear
2:01
systems. They've been collaborating for
2:03
more than half a century.
2:05
>> Right. Many of NASA's deep space robotic
2:08
explorers have used radioisotope
2:10
thermmoelect electric generators or RTGs
2:13
as a power source. We're talking about
2:15
missions like the Cassini Saturn orbiter
2:18
and the Curiosity and Perseverance Mars
2:20
rovers.
2:21
>> But this lunar reactor would be
2:23
something different entirely. It would
2:25
be designed to power one or more bases
2:28
on the lunar surface as part of NASA's
2:30
Aremis program. Secretary Wright made a
2:33
connection to America's historic
2:35
achievements. He said, "History shows
2:37
that when American science and
2:39
innovation come together, from the
2:41
Manhattan Project to the Apollo mission,
2:43
our nation leads the world to reach new
2:46
frontiers once thought impossible. This
2:49
agreement continues that legacy." For
2:51
NASA's Aremis program, having a
2:54
reliable, long-term power source on the
2:56
moon is absolutely critical. If we're
2:59
going to establish a permanent presence
3:01
there and use it as a stepping stone to
3:04
Mars, we need infrastructure that can
3:06
operate reliably for years.
3:08
>> And the 2030 timeline is really
3:11
aggressive. We're talking about just
3:13
over 4 years from now. That's incredibly
3:15
fast for a project of this magnitude.
3:18
>> It is. But with the renewed focus on
3:20
lunar exploration and the competition
3:23
with other space fairing nations,
3:25
particularly China, there's definitely
3:27
motivation to move quickly.
3:30
>> Speaking of space developments, we have
3:32
an important update on the crew 11
3:34
situation at the International Space
3:36
Station. Mission managers have
3:38
officially given the go for the crew's
3:40
return to Earth tomorrow.
3:42
>> That's right. NASA astronauts Zena
3:44
Cardman and Mike Fininky along with Jaxa
3:47
astronaut Kimya Yu and Ross Cosmos
3:50
cosminaut Oleg Platonov are scheduled to
3:53
undock from the Harmony module at 5:05
3:56
p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
3:58
>> And they're coming home aboard the
4:00
SpaceX Dragon crew spacecraft with
4:02
Cardman commanding and finy piloting.
4:05
The weather forecast is looking
4:07
excellent for their parachute assisted
4:08
splashdown off the coast of California,
4:11
which is scheduled for 3:41 a.m. on
4:14
Thursday. Yesterday, the crew spent most
4:16
of their time preparing for departure.
4:19
They packed cargo, reviewed return to
4:22
Earth procedures, and transferred
4:24
hardware. Hardman and her crew mates
4:26
also trained on how to use respirators
4:29
during unlikely emergency events like
4:32
anemmonially. NASA is planning extensive
4:35
coverage of the event. NASA Plus will
4:37
begin live coverage at 3 p.m. on
4:39
Wednesday when the crew enters the
4:41
Dragon spacecraft and says goodbye to
4:44
the remaining crew on the station.
4:45
>> Coverage continues at 4:45 p.m. for the
4:49
actual undocking, then returns at 2:15
4:53
a.m. Thursday for the descent, and
4:55
finally at 5:45 a.m. for the post
4:58
splashdown news conference. You can
5:01
watch all of this on NASA Plus, Amazon
5:04
Prime, or NASA's YouTube channel.
5:06
>> As we discussed yesterday, this is the
5:08
first medical evacuation in ISS history.
5:12
The crew was originally scheduled to
5:14
stay until after crew 12 arrived in
5:16
midFebruary, but an undisclosed medical
5:19
condition affecting one of the four crew
5:21
members prompted NASA to bring them home
5:23
early. After crew 11 leaves, expedition
5:27
74 will be commanded by Rosscosmos
5:30
cosminaut Sergey Kuds Ferkov, leading
5:33
flight engineers Sergey Mikv and NASA's
5:37
Chris Williams. That's a skeleton crew
5:39
of just three people running the entire
5:42
station. Yesterday, Kutz Virkoff and
5:45
Mikv participated in a study assessing
5:48
how crews make decisions and work
5:50
together in space, which is especially
5:52
relevant given they'll be operating with
5:54
a reduced crew for a while.
5:56
>> BASA is still evaluating whether they
5:58
can move up the crew 12 launch date to
6:01
replenish the station crew sooner than
6:03
originally planned.
6:04
>> Now, let's talk about Mars. Anna,
6:06
there's exciting new evidence that an
6:08
ancient ocean once covered half the
6:10
planet. This is really fascinating
6:13
research, Avery. A team led by Ignatius
6:16
Argadestia, a PhD student at the
6:19
University of Burn, has identified
6:21
features in Mars' Val Marinys that look
6:25
remarkably similar to river deltas here
6:28
on Earth.
6:29
>> Val Marinys is that massive canyon
6:32
system on Mars. Right. The largest in
6:34
the solar system.
6:35
>> Exactly. Along with Olympus Mons, it's
6:38
one of Mars' most defining features.
6:41
This research focused specifically on
6:43
the southeast part of a subc canyon
6:46
called Capradus Chazma.
6:48
>> The researchers used images from
6:50
multiple orbital cameras, CTX and
6:53
high-rise on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
6:56
Orbiter and CASSIS
6:59
on the ESA/ Rosscosmos trace gas
7:03
orbiter. They also worked with digital
7:05
elevation models to examine what they
7:07
call scarp fronted deposits.
7:10
>> These scarp fronted deposits or SFDs are
7:14
fan-shaped sediment deposits that form
7:17
where a river empties into a body of
7:19
standing water. The team identified
7:22
three of these features in Capraatus
7:24
Chazma and they're almost identical to
7:26
river deltas we see on Earth.
7:29
>> Professor Fritz Schlunger put it really
7:31
clearly. He said, "The structures that
7:33
we were able to identify in the images
7:35
are clearly the mouth of a river into an
7:37
ocean.
7:38
>> What's particularly compelling is that
7:40
all three SFDs are at the same
7:43
elevation. That suggests they were all
7:46
deposited at the same water level,
7:48
essentially marking an ancient
7:50
coastline." The researchers believe
7:52
these deposits were formed sometime
7:54
between the late Hisperian period and
7:57
the early Amazonian period. That's
7:59
roughly between 3.7 billion and 3
8:02
billion years ago.
8:03
>> Reed author Argodestia said something
8:06
interesting in the press release. He
8:08
said, "When measuring and mapping the
8:10
Martian images, I was able to recognize
8:13
mountains and valleys that resemble a
8:15
mountainous landscape on Earth. However,
8:18
I was particularly impressed with the
8:20
deltas that I discovered at the edge of
8:22
one of the mountains." Previous research
8:25
had suggested Mars had a large ocean,
8:28
but this study provides much more
8:29
concrete evidence. Slungjugger noted
8:32
that earlier claims were based on less
8:34
precise data and sometimes indirect
8:36
arguments.
8:37
>> But their reconstruction of the sea
8:39
level is based on clear evidence of an
8:42
actual coastline thanks to these
8:44
highresolution images. The paleo
8:46
shoreline they identified extends from
8:49
Val Marinus all the way to the northern
8:52
lowlands. Argadestia summed it up
8:55
nicely. With our study, we were able to
8:57
provide evidence for the deepest and
8:59
largest former ocean on Mars to date. An
9:02
ocean that stretched across the northern
9:04
hemisphere of the planet. This has huge
9:07
implications for Mars's past
9:09
habitability. As the authors write,
9:12
their findings will impact research on
9:14
the evidence for potential life on Mars.
9:17
Since this represents a period when Mars
9:20
had the highest water availability,
9:22
>> it's amazing to think that billions of
9:24
years ago, Mars might have looked very
9:26
different from the cold, dry desert we
9:28
see today.
9:30
>> Speaking of things changing, Avery,
9:32
let's talk about a fascinating new study
9:34
on how spaceflight literally changes
9:37
astronauts brains.
9:39
>> This is wild, Anna. A team led by Rachel
9:42
Sidler at MIT took MRI scans of 26
9:45
astronauts and 24 non-stronaut
9:47
participants and they found that
9:49
spaceflight causes astronauts brains to
9:52
shift position inside their skull. The
9:54
study was published just yesterday. The
9:57
researchers found a consistent pattern
9:59
of the brain shifting backward and
10:01
upward and rotating upward after time in
10:04
microgravity. And here's the kicker.
10:07
Some of these positional changes were
10:09
still detectable months after astronauts
10:12
returned to Earth.
10:14
>> Instead of looking at the brain as one
10:15
whole unit, they divided it into 130
10:19
separate regions and examined each one
10:21
individually. This regional analysis
10:24
showed many areas with significant
10:26
displacement across two spatial axes.
10:29
>> The data set included astronauts with
10:31
different mission lengths, roughly 2
10:33
weeks, 6 months, and one year. They
10:36
found significant positional shifts
10:38
across large portions of the brain with
10:41
some displacements measured as high as
10:44
2.52 mm in subjects with the most time
10:48
in space.
10:49
>> To put that in perspective, that's about
10:51
a tenth of an inch. It might not sound
10:53
like much, but when we're talking about
10:55
the brain inside your skull, that's
10:57
actually quite significant. The
10:59
researchers also compared astronauts
11:02
with people who participated in a long
11:04
duration headdown tilt bed rest
11:07
experiment which is used to simulate
11:09
some effects of microgravity on Earth.
11:12
>> And they found some interesting
11:14
differences. Astronauts showed stronger
11:16
upward movement while the bed rest
11:18
participants showed stronger backward
11:20
movement. Only some of the brain shape
11:22
changes observed after space flight
11:24
appeared in the bed rest group. This
11:27
tells us that head down bed rest, while
11:30
useful, doesn't perfectly replicate what
11:32
happens to the brain in actual
11:34
microgravity, there are unique effects
11:37
that only real space flight produces.
11:40
>> One of the most important findings was
11:42
the connection to balance problems. The
11:44
study found that displacement affecting
11:46
sensory related brain regions correlated
11:48
with larger declines in astronauts
11:50
balance after space flight.
11:53
>> Right? We know that when astronauts
11:55
return from space, they often experience
11:57
balance issues because their inner ears
12:00
sense of direction isn't immediately
12:02
restored. This study helps explain why
12:05
that happens.
12:06
>> And while astronauts normally find their
12:08
footing within a week or so, the
12:10
physical shifts in their brains
12:12
persisted for up to 6 months post space
12:15
flight. That's quite remarkable. The
12:17
authors note that this underscores the
12:20
longlasting effects of spaceflight on
12:22
neuroanatomy. They recommend future
12:25
studies with larger astronaut crews on a
12:28
broad range of mission lengths to better
12:30
understand how quickly these shifts
12:32
begin and how they evolve.
12:35
>> This research is crucial as we plan
12:37
longer missions to the moon and
12:38
eventually to Mars. Understanding how
12:41
extended space flight affects the brain
12:43
will help us better prepare astronauts
12:45
and develop countermeasures. Avery,
12:47
let's shift gears and talk about a
12:49
really exciting development in space
12:51
telescope technology. There's a new
12:54
privately funded observatory called
12:56
Lazuli that could change how we build
12:58
flagship class telescopes. This is
13:01
fascinating, Anna. The Lazuli Space
13:03
Observatory is being funded by Eric
13:05
Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, and
13:08
his wife Wendy through their
13:09
philanthropic organization Schmidt
13:11
Sciences. We're talking about a $500
13:14
million investment. The whole premise is
13:17
applying the new space philosophy to
13:19
space telescopes. You know that Silicon
13:22
Valley mindset of move fast and don't
13:24
break things. The idea is to prove that
13:27
you don't need decades and billions of
13:29
dollars to build a flagship level space
13:31
observatory.
13:33
>> Right? Compare this to the James Webb
13:35
Space Telescope which cost 10 billion or
13:38
the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space
13:40
Telescope which is on track for $3
13:42
billion. These huge costs come from
13:45
using completely derisked flight proven
13:47
technology to ensure taxpayer dollars
13:50
don't literally go up in flames. But
13:52
Schmidt has a $ 36 billion fortune. So
13:55
even if Lzulli fails, he can afford the
13:58
loss. And that's kind of the point. This
14:01
is an experiment to see if the approach
14:03
even works for expensive flagship level
14:05
observatories.
14:07
>> To keep costs down, up to 80% of the
14:09
telescope will use off-the-shelf
14:11
components. and operating under Schmidt
14:13
Sciences alleviates a lot of the
14:15
bureaucratic and political
14:16
decision-making that inevitably delays
14:18
government- funded programs.
14:20
>> So, where does Lazuli fit in the bigger
14:23
picture? Web is obviously already
14:25
operational, sending back spectacular
14:27
images. Roman is next, scheduled to
14:30
launch in May 2027, but both have
14:33
weaknesses when tracking transient
14:35
phenomena.
14:36
>> Exactly. Events like kilon nove or
14:39
gravitational wave producing black hole
14:41
mergers happen on time scales of hours
14:43
not days. They require almost immediate
14:46
response from observatories to catch
14:48
them before they end.
14:49
>> And web just can't slew. That's the term
14:52
for rotating to a new target fast
14:54
enough. It captures extremely
14:56
highresolution images, but it takes too
14:59
long to get into position. On the other
15:01
hand, Roman is a survey telescope that
15:04
looks at white swaps of sky, but doesn't
15:06
have the resolution to examine
15:08
individual systems like Lazuli will.
15:10
>> So, Lazil's sweet spot is target of
15:14
opportunity tracking. It's designed to
15:16
slew within an hour and a half to
15:18
observe short-lived events. It'll work
15:20
in concert with groundbased
15:22
observatories like LIGO, the
15:24
gravitational wave detector. But it has
15:27
the advantage of being in space, so no
15:29
cloud cover or daylight to worry about.
15:32
Lazuli will also have a wild field
15:34
context camera with 23 separate SEMOS
15:37
sensors, kind of like Roman, to detect
15:39
things like exoplanet transits.
15:41
>> And here's something really cool. It
15:44
should be able to directly image
15:46
exoplanets using a vector vortex
15:48
coronagraph along with deformable
15:50
mirrors to suppress starlight by up to
15:52
10 million times. This same technology
15:55
is planned for NASA's Habitable Worlds
15:58
Observatory, which won't launch for
15:59
decades. So, Lazuli will actually serve
16:02
as a technology demonstration platform
16:04
well before the taxpayer funded mission.
16:07
Perhaps the most impressive aspect is
16:09
the timeline. Schmidt Sciences is
16:11
planning a 3 to 5ear development cycle
16:14
for this massive space observatory.
16:16
That's exponentially faster than any
16:18
comparable government-led system. Though
16:21
to be fair, new space leaders do have a
16:23
tendency to underestimate timelines.
16:26
Even if it takes twice as long, though,
16:28
we'd still get another flagship level
16:30
observatory within a decade.
16:32
>> And here's something amusing. If Schmidt
16:34
just leaves his remaining $ 36 billion
16:37
in an S&P 500 index fund, he'd make back
16:40
around 40 times what the entire project
16:43
cost over a 5-year period. So,
16:45
financially, this is barely a blip for
16:47
him. Either we get an amazing new space
16:50
telescope or we get a $500 million
16:52
lesson in what can go wrong when
16:54
applying speed to large-scale
16:56
astrophysics projects. Either way, the
16:58
scientific community learned something
17:00
valuable.
17:01
>> For our final story today, Avery,
17:04
scientists may have finally solved a
17:06
mystery that's puzzled them for over 60
17:09
years. Why does the moon look so
17:12
different on its near and far sides?
17:15
This is based on analysis of dust
17:17
collected from the lunar far side by
17:19
China's Chong A6 mission which returned
17:22
the first ever samples from the moon's
17:24
hidden hemisphere in 2024.
17:26
>> The material came from the south pole
17:29
8kin basin which is believed to be the
17:32
site of the largest impact in the solar
17:34
system. This colossal crater spans
17:37
nearly a quarter of the lunar surface. A
17:41
team letter by Hangi Tan from the
17:43
Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted
17:45
isotopic analysis of potassium and iron
17:48
found in the farside dust and compared
17:51
it with samples from the moon's near
17:53
side collected during the Apollo
17:54
missions and by China's Chang A5
17:57
spacecraft.
17:58
>> The results showed a significant
18:00
difference. Nearside samples contained
18:03
more light isotopes while the far side
18:06
material was richer in heavier isotopes.
18:10
particularly of potassium.
18:12
>> This type of isotopic separation
18:14
couldn't be explained by normal volcanic
18:16
activity. Instead, the researcher
18:19
suggest the south pole akin impactor
18:22
generated such extreme heat that lighter
18:24
isotopes were vaporized and lost,
18:27
leaving behind a heavier chemical
18:29
fingerprint. The researchers wrote,
18:32
"This feature most likely resulted from
18:35
potassium evaporation caused by the
18:37
South Pole 8kin basin forming impactor,
18:41
demonstrating the profound influence of
18:43
this event on the moon's deep interior.
18:47
>> What's particularly interesting is that
18:49
the study suggests the impact may have
18:51
punched through the crust and into the
18:53
mantle, permanently changing the moon's
18:55
inner composition. The sample analysis
18:58
revealed that potassium isotopes on the
19:01
far side appear to originate from a
19:04
mantle source distinct from that of the
19:06
near side. This implies widespread
19:09
internal melting and chemical
19:12
redistribution.
19:13
>> The team even proposes that the impact
19:15
might have triggered hemispherewide
19:17
mantle convection, a process that could
19:20
reshape a planet's crust and inner
19:22
layers over time. As they noted in their
19:25
study, this finding also implies that
19:28
largecale impacts are key drivers in
19:31
shaping mantle and crustal compositions.
19:34
>> So, planetary impacts leave far more
19:37
than just visible craters. They can set
19:39
off longlasting internal transformations
19:42
that remain detectable billions of years
19:44
later.
19:45
>> Hang Ton summed it up nicely. With our
19:49
study, we were able to provide evidence
19:51
for the deepest and largest former ocean
19:54
on Mars to date. Wait, that's the wrong
19:57
quote.
19:59
>> Wrong planet, Anna.
20:00
>> Oh my goodness. Let me get that right.
20:02
Pan said, "With the Chang A6 samples,
20:06
scientists now have their first hard
20:08
evidence from the moon's far side, an
20:11
area once entirely out of reach." This
20:14
discovery is particularly timely as
20:17
multiple nations gear up for lunar
20:19
exploration missions, including NASA's
20:21
Aremis program and China's continuing
20:23
Chang missions. Understanding the moon's
20:27
geological history and internal
20:29
structure will be crucial as we plan to
20:32
establish permanent bases there. Each
20:35
new sample and discovery helps us piece
20:38
together the story of how our nearest
20:40
celestial neighbor formed and evolved.
20:43
Well, that brings us to the end of
20:45
today's episode of Astronomy Daily. What
20:47
an incredible day of space news. From
20:50
nuclear reactors on the moon and the
20:53
Crew 11 undocking tomorrow to ancient
20:56
Martian oceans and shifting astronaut
20:59
brains, plus a privately funded space
21:02
telescope and solving the moon's
21:04
two-faced mystery. We've covered a lot
21:07
of ground today. If you enjoyed today's
21:09
episode, please subscribe to Astronomy
21:11
Daily wherever you get your podcasts.
21:13
And don't forget to leave us a review.
21:15
It really helps other space enthusiasts
21:17
discover the show. You can find us on
21:19
social media and at our website for more
21:22
space news and updates. On the socials,
21:25
search for astroaily pod and our website
21:28
can be found at astronomyaily.io.
21:32
Thanks so much for listening everyone.
21:34
>> Until next time, keep looking up.
21:36
>> Clear skies. Sunny day
21:40
stories told
21:56
stories