Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / Starship update and China Rocket Moon Mystery

Transcript

Starship update and China Rocket Moon Mystery · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Hi everybody, and welcome back to the show.
• 0:02
  This is where we explore the fascinating intersections of
• 0:05
  SpaceX, Tesla X, Boring Company, and Nerlink.
• 0:09
  This is the Elon Musk Podcast, and I'm your host, Will Walden.
• 0:13
  Today we're diving into a riveting space mystery.
• 0:16
  In March 2022, a piece of Chinese space debris made a
• 0:20
  startling impact on the Moon, leaving behind a particular
• 0:25
  double crater. Now this impacts NASA's upcoming
• 0:29
  flights of Artemis and possibly Spacex's Starship flights to the
• 0:33
  Moon. Now this intriguing event has
• 0:36
  captured the attention of astronomers and researchers
• 0:39
  worldwide. The debris, identified as a part
• 0:42
  of a Chinese Long March 3C rocket booster, collided with a
• 0:46
  lunar surface near the Hertz Sprung crater.
• 0:49
  Researchers from the University of Arizona have published a
• 0:52
  study suggesting this booster carried an undisclosed payload.
• 0:57
  Adding to the mystery now, the story of this lunar anomaly
• 1:01
  dates back to 2015, and astronomers initially mistook
• 1:05
  the debris for a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster.
• 1:09
  However, later analysis confirmed its origins in China's
• 1:12
  lunar Rover mission. The recent study reveals notable
• 1:16
  deviations in the debris behavior in space.
• 1:19
  A typical rocket booster would exhibit some wobbling due to its
• 1:22
  asymmetrical structure. This booster exhibited a stable
• 1:26
  and over and tumbling motion, hinting at additional mass.
• 1:31
  Now this additional mass likely counterbalance the heavy engines
• 1:35
  on the rocket's bottom, and the engines weighed approximately
• 1:38
  1200 lbs each sans the fuel now. The known instruments on the
• 1:42
  booster, however, weighed only about 60 lbs in total, and the
• 1:46
  impact on the Moon created not one, but two distinct craters.
• 1:50
  Such a phenomenon is unprecedented in lunar
• 1:53
  exploration history. Now, this unique double crater
• 1:56
  formation further supports the hypothesis of an extra payload.
• 2:01
  Identifying the nature of this additional payload has proven
• 2:04
  challenging, though. The Change 5T1 mission, launched
• 2:08
  in 2014, was initially involved in this confusion, and the
• 2:12
  mysterious payload could have been anything from extra
• 2:14
  structural support. Two unknown instrumentation.
• 2:19
  NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of these
• 2:23
  craters, providing crucial data for analysis, and the images
• 2:27
  showed 2 overlapping craters at the Hertz Brung crater on the
• 2:31
  Moon's far side. Such a discovery had never been
• 2:34
  seen before in previous NASA moon impacts.
• 2:38
  The University of Arizona researchers conducted a detailed
• 2:41
  analysis using light reflection data and computer simulations,
• 2:45
  and these efforts link the debris to the Change 5T1 rocket.
• 2:48
  And this analysis contradicted the Chinese space agency's claim
• 2:52
  that the rocket had disintegrated in Earth's
• 2:55
  atmosphere. This incident highlights the
• 2:57
  growing need for space situational awareness, and as
• 3:01
  human activities in space increase, monitoring defunct
• 3:04
  space hardware becomes crucial. The University of Arizona Space
• 3:08
  4 Center is actively engaging in this critical research area.
• 3:12
  While the nature of the extra payload might remain a mystery
• 3:15
  for now, the incident offers valuable insights.
• 3:19
  It emphasizes the importance of understanding and tracking
• 3:22
  debris and could affect upcoming missions to the lunar surface.
• 3:26
  NASA's Artemis mission, which is slated for 2024 or 2025, will be
• 3:31
  looking closely at the data to better understand the risks
• 3:34
  involved. Now, keeping on the topic of
• 3:37
  spaceflight and SpaceX, there's a fascinating topic surrounding
• 3:41
  Spacex's Starship, the company's flagship spacecraft designed for
• 3:45
  ambitious missions to Mars and beyond.
• 3:48
  If you're not familiar now, Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX,
• 3:51
  recently shared insights into why the Starship adopts A2 stage
• 3:55
  design rather than a single stage to orbit the SSTO model,
• 4:00
  which is a concept that has been a topic of discussion lately.
• 4:04
  And here's what happened. SpaceX Starship, which is a
• 4:08
  pivotal for the company's plans for space exploration, comprises
• 4:12
  of two main parts. the Super Heavy booster in the spacecraft,
• 4:17
  the Starship itself. Together, it's called the
• 4:19
  Starship Super Heavy, and this design is crucial for its
• 4:22
  intended missions to orbit to the Moon and to Mars.
• 4:25
  And the conversation about Starship design was sparked by a
• 4:28
  user on X. They edited a photo showing the
• 4:31
  Starship without it's super heavy booster, essentially
• 4:34
  presenting it as an SSTO vehicle, just the Starship
• 4:37
  flying to orbit. Musk, known for his interactive
• 4:40
  social media presence, responded to this post explaining the
• 4:44
  impracticality of an SSTO design for Earth due to its higher
• 4:47
  gravity, in contrast to Mars where such a design would be
• 4:51
  more feasible Now. To understand this better, it's
• 4:54
  important to know that SSTO refers to a spacecraft reaching
• 4:58
  orbit with only one stage without shedding parts like
• 5:01
  traditional rockets like boosters falling off and falling
• 5:04
  into the ocean. In this concept, while
• 5:06
  theoretically appealing, has not yet been achieved from Earth.
• 5:10
  Musk's response highlights the significant role of Earth's
• 5:13
  gravity in dictating spacecraft design.
• 5:16
  He points out that Mars, with its surface gravity about 37% of
• 5:20
  Earth, would require less energy to escape its gravitational
• 5:24
  pull, making SSTOA more viable option there.
• 5:28
  Now this insight is crucial that SpaceX continues to develop its
• 5:31
  Starship for interplanetary travel, especially considering
• 5:35
  the recent challenges the spacecraft has faced in recent
• 5:39
  developments. The starship's second launch
• 5:41
  attempt on November 18th encountered a little bit of a
• 5:43
  set back. The mission saw successful stage
• 5:46
  separation, which is great, but the booster experienced an
• 5:49
  explosion shortly thereafter while doing its kickback and
• 5:53
  backflip maneuver. Now, furthermore, the spacecraft
• 5:56
  lost contact with SpaceX after reaching an altitude of nearly
• 6:00
  150 kilometers. That's the Starship part, and
• 6:03
  this failure to complete its intended round trip flight and
• 6:06
  splash down the Pacific Ocean was a success.
• 6:10
  It wasn't quite a failure, but it's not deterrent.
• 6:13
  Musk, showcasing his unwavering determination, announced that
• 6:17
  the hardware for Starship Flight 3 should be ready to fly in
• 6:20
  three to four weeks, indicating Spacex's commitment to
• 6:24
  overcoming these hurdles. Now, the discussion about the
• 6:27
  SSTO and the challenges a spacecraft design in varying
• 6:31
  gravitational environments opens up broader considerations for
• 6:34
  space exploration and as humanity looks towards
• 6:37
  expeditions to Mars and perhaps even beyond.
• 6:40
  The engineering and design choices made right now today by
• 6:43
  SpaceX will lay the groundwork for these future endeavors.
• 6:47
  Musk's insights into Starship design, in the rationale behind
• 6:51
  his two stage configuration, provide a glimpse into the
• 6:53
  complex and multifaceted nature of designing a spacecraft of
• 6:58
  this magnitude that's capable of not just leaving Earth's orbit,
• 7:02
  but also landing on and taking off from other celestial bodies.
• 7:06
  Thank you for joining me today in this episode of the show.
• 7:10
  If you enjoyed this exploration of space mysteries and
• 7:13
  technological advancements, please subscribe or follow on
• 7:16
  your podcast platform. It's simple and it's a freeway
• 7:19
  to stay updated with our content.
• 7:21
  Every single episode of the show is designed to be brief and
• 7:24
  informative, Lasting no more than 10 minutes in.
• 7:26
  This format ensures that you can quickly catch up with the latest
• 7:30
  topics. To support our daily episodes
• 7:32
  and help us continue delivering exciting content, please
• 7:35
  consider visiting patreon.com/stage Zero.
• 7:39
  Your support on Patreon allows us to delve into these
• 7:42
  intriguing subjects every day. We appreciate your engagement
• 7:46
  and your contributions, and also please take care of yourselves
• 7:49
  and each other and I'll see you tomorrow.