Latest / Space News Today / Countdown to the Moon: Artemis II Crew in Quarantine

Transcript

Countdown to the Moon: Artemis II Crew in Quarantine · Space News Today

0:00
Hello and welcome to Astronomy Daily.
0:03
I'm Anna.
0:04
>> And I'm Avery. It is Saturday, February
0:06
21st, 2026, and you are locked in for
0:09
season 5, episode 45. We have got a
0:13
packed show for you today.
0:14
>> We really do. We are just 2 weeks away
0:17
from what could be one of the most
0:19
significant launches in the history of
0:21
human space flight. And the crew is now
0:24
officially in quarantine. Humanity is
0:27
going back to the moon, people. beyond
0:30
the moon. Actually, for the first time
0:32
since 1972, we'll have the full Artemis
0:35
2 update in just a moment. Plus,
0:37
scientists may be challenging the very
0:39
foundations of dark matter theory.
0:42
There's a solar storm brewing that could
0:44
light up the skies as early as tomorrow
0:45
night.
0:46
>> Mars is holding water a lot closer to
0:49
home than we thought. Great news if
0:51
you're planning to move there. And
0:53
astronomers have confirmed that super
0:55
massive black holes are not content with
0:58
just destroying their own galaxies.
1:01
Apparently, they've been going after the
1:03
neighbors, too.
1:04
>> Serial killers of the cosmos. We'll
1:07
explain, and we'll wrap up with a SpaceX
1:09
story that came very close, their words,
1:12
not ours, to being a very bad day.
1:15
>> Let's get into it.
1:17
>> All right, let's start with the big one.
1:18
As of yesterday evening, Friday,
1:20
February 20th, 2026, the four astronauts
1:24
of NASA's Aremis 2 mission have
1:26
officially entered quarantine in
1:28
Houston, Texas.
1:29
>> And if you know anything about space
1:31
mission protocols, entering quarantine
1:33
is one of the clearest signals you can
1:36
get that a launch is genuinely imminent.
1:38
BASA is targeting no earlier than
1:41
Friday, March 6th, and that clock is now
1:43
ticking.
1:44
>> So, let's set the scene for anyone who
1:46
needs a quick refresher. Artemis 2 is
1:49
the second mission of NASA's Aremis
1:52
program and it will be the first crude
1:54
mission to travel beyond low Earth orbit
1:57
since Apollo 17 back in December 1972.
2:02
We're talking more than 50 years.
2:04
>> 53 years to be precise. And the crew
2:07
that will make this historic journey
2:10
consists of four astronauts. Commander
2:12
Reed Wisman, pilot Victor Glover, and
2:15
mission specialist Christina from
2:17
NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy
2:20
Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency.
2:23
>> They entered quarantine at approximately
2:25
5:00 p.m. local time on Friday evening
2:27
in Houston. The quarantine period is
2:29
typically about 14 days, during which
2:32
the crew limits their exposure to other
2:34
people to make sure they stay in good
2:36
health before launch. They'll fly down
2:38
to Kennedy Space Center in Florida about
2:40
5 days before launch day.
2:42
>> And the reason NASA is feeling confident
2:44
enough to put them into quarantine now
2:46
is the success of the second wet dress
2:49
rehearsal which took place on Thursday,
2:51
February 19th. Now Avery, for the
2:54
uninitiated, what exactly is a wet dress
2:57
rehearsal?
2:58
>> Great question. A wet dress rehearsal is
3:01
essentially a full dress rehearsal of
3:03
launch day, except you don't actually
3:05
light the engines at the end. The teams
3:07
load the rocket with its full complement
3:09
of cryogenic propellants. In the case of
3:12
the space launch system, that's more
3:14
than 700,000 gall of super cold liquid
3:17
hydrogen and liquid oxygen and then run
3:20
through the entire launch countdown
3:22
sequence right down to the final
3:24
seconds. And the reason they needed a
3:26
second rehearsal was that the first
3:28
attempt on February 3rd had to be called
3:31
off when a hydrogen leak was detected.
3:34
Engineers replaced seals and a filter in
3:36
the ground support equipment. And on
3:38
Thursday night, they ran the whole thing
3:41
again, and this time hydrogen
3:43
concentrations stayed within safe limits
3:45
throughout.
3:46
>> They actually ran through the terminal
3:48
countdown, the final 10 minutes twice.
3:51
The test concluded at 10:16 Eastern
3:53
time, stopping at tminus 29 seconds as
3:56
planned. Now, there was a minor
3:58
communications glitch in the launch
4:00
control center that caused a brief delay
4:02
early in the test and a booster avionics
4:05
voltage anomaly that paused the terminal
4:07
countdown for a short time, but both
4:09
were resolved and NASA declared the
4:11
rehearsal a success.
4:13
>> So, what happens next? Data from the
4:16
rehearsal is being reviewed. There's
4:18
final work to complete at the launchpad,
4:21
including retesting the flight
4:23
termination system, and then a flight
4:25
readiness review has to take place
4:27
before a formal launch date can be set.
4:30
But all signs are pointing to March 6th.
4:33
>> Launch windows for lunar missions are
4:35
quite tight, by the way. They're
4:37
determined by the alignment of the Earth
4:39
and Moon, so you can't just pick any
4:41
day. The available windows are March 6th
4:44
through 9th with an additional
4:46
opportunity on March 11th. If Artemis 2
4:49
launches successfully, it will send four
4:52
human beings on a 10day journey around
4:55
the moon using a free return trajectory,
4:58
meaning that even if the Orion
5:00
spacecraft's propulsion system doesn't
5:02
perform as planned, the crew will still
5:05
safely return to Earth. They splash down
5:07
in the Pacific Ocean.
5:09
>> It will not orbit the moon or land.
5:11
That's Artemis 3's job. But it will take
5:13
people further from Earth than any
5:15
humans have been in over half a century.
5:18
And that is extraordinary.
5:20
>> It really is. We will be following every
5:23
step of this one very closely. March
5:26
6th, people mark your calendars. Now,
5:29
from the very near future to the very
5:32
deep past, cosmologists have spent
5:34
decades trying to understand dark
5:36
matter, the mysterious invisible
5:38
substance that appears to make up about
5:40
27% of the universe and which we've
5:43
never directly detected. And a new paper
5:46
just published in Physical Review D is
5:48
making a bold claim.
5:51
>> Bold claim is something of an
5:52
understatement. The authors say their
5:55
findings represent, and I want to make
5:57
sure I get this right, the first step
6:00
towards the end of dark matter theory.
6:03
>> That's a sentence that would cause an
6:05
awkward silence at a cosmology
6:07
conference.
6:08
>> I imagine so. So, what are they actually
6:11
saying? The paper reports the discovery
6:13
of a significant number of new berionic
6:16
dark matter signals. Now, berionic
6:19
matter is essentially ordinary matter.
6:22
The stuff made of protons, neutrons, and
6:24
electrons. The kind of matter that makes
6:26
up you, me, planets, stars, everything
6:30
we can see and touch.
6:32
>> Right? And the conventional model of
6:34
dark matter says that the mysterious
6:36
missing mass in the universe is made of
6:38
something else entirely. Non-barionic
6:41
matter, exotic particles that don't
6:43
interact with light, which is why we
6:45
can't see it directly. We infer its
6:47
existence from its gravitational effects
6:49
on galaxies.
6:51
>> So if these researchers are finding that
6:53
a lot of what we've been attributing to
6:55
exotic dark matter can actually be
6:58
explained by ordinary berionic matter
7:00
that we just hadn't accounted for
7:02
properly. That's a very significant
7:05
challenge to the standard model.
7:07
>> Now to be clear, the paper doesn't claim
7:09
dark matter doesn't exist. It claims
7:12
this is the beginning of the end of dark
7:14
matter theory as it currently stands.
7:17
Whether that means a revision or a
7:19
revolution, we'll have to wait and see.
7:21
This is the kind of paper that will
7:23
generate a lot of discussion in the
7:25
community over the coming months. We'll
7:27
be keeping a close eye on the responses
7:29
and follow-up research. Fascinating
7:31
stuff.
7:32
>> Now, a very timely heads up for all you
7:35
sky watchers out there. And by timely, I
7:37
mean you may want to check your local
7:39
forecast for tomorrow night. That's
7:41
right. Space weather forecasters are
7:43
currently tracking a large coronal hole
7:46
on the sun that has rotated into what's
7:48
called a geoeffective position, meaning
7:51
it is now pointing directly at Earth.
7:54
So, a coronal hole is a region on the
7:57
sun where the magnetic field lines open
7:59
outward rather than looping back in.
8:01
That configuration allows fastmoving
8:04
solar wind to escape directly into
8:06
space. And when that fast solar wind is
8:09
aimed at us, it can interact with
8:10
Earth's magnetic field and trigger
8:12
geomagnetic storms.
8:14
>> And geomagnetic storms are what drive
8:17
auroras, the northern and southern
8:19
lights. The effects from this particular
8:22
coronal hole are currently expected to
8:24
arrive around February 22nd. That's
8:27
tomorrow. Forecasters are predicting the
8:30
solar wind interaction could disturb
8:32
Earth's magnetic field and boost aurora
8:35
activity.
8:36
>> Conditions today are relatively quiet.
8:39
The corona hole driven effects from a
8:41
previous solar windream are fading, but
8:43
tomorrow night could be a different
8:45
story. If you're in higher latitude
8:47
regions, northern parts of the US,
8:50
Canada, the UK, Scandinavia, southern
8:54
New Zealand, and Australia, it's worth
8:56
watching the skies after dark.
8:58
>> We should also mention that in the past
9:00
few days, Earth's sky has been tracking
9:02
some very dramatic solar features. Twin
9:05
prominences visible on opposite sides of
9:08
the sun simultaneously, glowing in data
9:11
from the GO 19 satellite. Solar activity
9:15
is really putting on a show right now.
9:17
We're deep in solar cycle 25 and the sun
9:20
is reminding us who's boss.
9:22
>> Keep an eye on spaceweather.com and
9:25
earthsy for live updates as that solar
9:27
wind approaches. And fingers crossed for
9:30
clear skies.
9:31
>> All right, let's head to the red planet.
9:34
If there's one resource that will make
9:36
or break any long-term human presence on
9:38
Mars, it's water. You need it for
9:41
drinking, for growing food, for
9:43
producing rocket fuel. And new research
9:46
is suggesting that accessible water ice
9:48
on Mars may be closer to the equator
9:51
than scientists previously believed.
9:54
>> This matters enormously from an
9:56
exploration standpoint. When we talk
9:58
about water ice on Mars, we typically
10:00
think of the poles. There are
10:02
substantial ice caps at both Martian
10:05
poles, and they're well doumented. But
10:07
the poles are extremely difficult to
10:09
reach. They're incredibly cold and they
10:12
fall under strict planetary protection
10:14
protocols because of the possibility of
10:16
contaminating any potential microbial
10:18
life.
10:19
>> So, the ideal scenario for human
10:22
explorers and for rovers doing science
10:25
has always been to find water ice at
10:27
lower latitudes closer to the equator
10:30
where temperatures are more manageable
10:32
and landing is easier. And this new
10:34
research from a paper published in ACTA
10:37
Astronautica suggests that may be more
10:40
achievable than we thought.
10:42
>> The researchers proposed new methods for
10:44
dealing with one of the key challenges
10:46
of equatorial water ice extraction, the
10:49
jagged, clingy nature of Martian
10:51
regalith or lunar dust. Martian dust
10:54
gets into everything. and they describe
10:57
flexible electronamic dust shields that
11:00
could help manage the dust problem and
11:02
make water extraction at equatorial
11:04
sites more viable.
11:06
>> So, the picture is increasingly
11:08
optimistic for Mars exploration. If
11:10
future missions can confirm accessible
11:12
ice deposits at mid latitudes and
11:15
develop the technology to extract and
11:18
process that water efficiently, a
11:20
long-term human presence on Mars becomes
11:22
significantly more realistic. one step
11:25
at a time, but each of these steps
11:27
matters. Really encouraging research.
11:30
>> Now, I mentioned in the intro that super
11:33
massive black holes have been going
11:35
after the neighbors. Let me explain what
11:37
I mean by that because the new research
11:40
here is genuinely striking.
11:42
>> We've known for some time that active
11:44
super massive black holes, the kind
11:47
found that the centers of galaxies that
11:49
are actively feeding on material, can
11:51
have a profound effect on their host
11:53
galaxy. Specifically, they can heat and
11:56
disperse gas, shutting down the
11:58
conditions needed for new stars to form.
12:01
Effectively, they can kill their own
12:03
galaxy. But astronomers have now found
12:06
evidence that the most luminous of
12:08
these, called quazars, don't stop there.
12:11
New research using data from the James
12:13
Web telescope shows that the powerful
12:16
radiation and outflows of quazars can
12:19
suppress star formation in neighboring
12:21
galaxies as well. galaxies that aren't
12:24
even directly hosting the black hole.
12:27
>> They're basically firing across the
12:29
cosmic neighborhood. The energy output
12:31
of an active quazar is so immense that
12:33
its effects can extend beyond its own
12:35
galaxy and reach into surrounding
12:37
systems, cutting off the gas supply
12:40
those nearby galaxies need to form new
12:42
stars. Researchers are now calling them
12:45
super massive serial killers. And
12:47
honestly, given what the data shows,
12:49
that label feels pretty accurate. What's
12:52
particularly significant is the
12:54
implication for our understanding of
12:56
galaxy evolution. If black holes can
12:58
shape not just their host galaxies, but
13:01
entire cosmic neighborhoods, that's a
13:04
much bigger role than we previously
13:06
appreciated. The James Web Space
13:08
Telescope continues to rewrite the
13:10
textbooks. This research adds another
13:12
compelling chapter to the story of how
13:14
these extraordinary objects have helped
13:16
sculpt the large-scale structure of the
13:18
universe we see today. terrifying and
13:21
magnificent in equal measure, which is
13:24
kind of the theme of black hole research
13:26
generally.
13:27
>> And finally, let's end on a story that's
13:29
part triumph, part nailbiter. On
13:32
Thursday, February 19th, SpaceX launched
13:35
29 Starling satellites from Cape
13:37
Canaveral and successfully landed the
13:39
Falcon 9 first stage booster, not at
13:41
their usual landing zones in Florida or
13:43
their drone ships in the Atlantic or
13:45
Pacific, but in the Bahamas. Now, this
13:48
is only the second time ever that SpaceX
13:51
has landed a Falcon 9 booster in the
13:53
Bahamas. The first time was not very
13:56
long ago, so this is still very much a
13:58
novelty. And what made this one
14:00
particularly dramatic was the quote that
14:02
came out of SpaceX after the landing.
14:05
>> Yes, someone at SpaceX said, and I
14:08
quote, "We almost did have a really
14:10
terrible day."
14:12
>> Which is not the kind of post-launch
14:13
statement that fills you with warmth and
14:15
reassurance. SpaceX haven't elaborated
14:18
extensively on what almost went wrong,
14:20
but the fact that the booster landed
14:22
safely is obviously the key outcome
14:24
here.
14:25
>> The Bahamas landing site gives SpaceX
14:27
more flexibility for certain orbital
14:29
trajectories, particularly for Starlink
14:31
missions launching from Cape Canaveral,
14:33
where the geometry of the orbit makes a
14:35
Bahamas landing more efficient than
14:37
trying to bring the booster all the way
14:39
back to Florida. SpaceX have now
14:41
launched and landed hundreds of Falcon 9
14:43
boosters. The reusability program has
14:46
fundamentally transformed the economics
14:48
of spaceflight. But moments like this
14:51
are a reminder that rocket recovery,
14:53
even after hundreds of successful
14:55
attempts, still demands total precision
14:58
every single time.
15:00
>> Every landing is a controlled miracle
15:02
when you think about it. Very glad this
15:04
one worked out. Congratulations to the
15:06
SpaceX team.
15:07
>> And that is your Astronomy Daily for
15:10
Saturday, February 21st, 2026. What a
15:13
lineup. Artemis 2 on the launchpad with
15:16
the crew in quarantine. Dark matter
15:18
theory under pressure. Solar storms
15:21
heading our way. Water on Mars getting
15:23
more accessible. Black holes on a
15:25
neighborhood killing spree. And a SpaceX
15:28
rocket making only its second ever
15:30
Bahamas landing. Not a bad day's news
15:32
from the cosmos.
15:34
>> If you enjoyed today's episode, please
15:36
subscribe wherever you get your
15:37
podcasts. Leave us a review. It really
15:39
does help the show grow. and share us
15:42
with a fellow space enthusiast. You can
15:44
find all our show notes, links, and more
15:46
over at astronomyaily.io
15:48
and follow us on social media at
15:50
astroaily pod.
15:51
>> We'll be back Monday with more of the
15:53
universe's finest headlines. Until then,
15:56
keep looking up
15:57
>> and stay curious, everyone. Take care.
16:11
Stories told
16:19
stories