1 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: Hey, or hey, I have a robotics question for you. 2 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:13,680 Speaker 1: All right, Daniel, for the last time, I'm not gonna 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: build you a robotic graduate student. That's just unethical. All right, Well, 4 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,160 Speaker 1: I think my grad students are pretty happy and I 5 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:23,400 Speaker 1: don't even have to program them to say that. But 6 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,600 Speaker 1: my actual question is what's your favorite way to land 7 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 1: a robot on an extra terrestrial surface? That's fun. Now, 8 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: personally I haven't done it myself, but let's see what 9 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 1: we do. Have several options that we've done before. For example, 10 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: we've slow descended on Mars with rockets, and we've also 11 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: used parachutes and air bags to land. That's simple but effective. 12 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: And you know, you gotta give props to the sky crane, 13 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: you know, like the vehicle that use rockets and crane 14 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: to lower the rower on the Mars. That one totally awesome. 15 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 1: It's like science fiction. But you guys thought about you know, 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: something simpler, like you know, a pogo stick. That's a 17 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: great idea. I'll bounce it off of Naha. I am 18 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: more handmade cartoonist and the creator of PhD comments. Hi. 19 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: I'm Daniel. I'm a particle physicist and my son has 20 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: the neighborhood pogo stick record. Oh nice, are you proud? 21 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: What's his record? How many times to Kenny bounce? Or 22 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: how high Kenny bounce? No, it's a number of times 23 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: you can bounce without falling off, and his number is 24 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: somewhere in the thousand. I wouldn't say I'm proud as 25 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: much as impressed, because it's not really about like physical endurance. 26 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: It's mostly about mental endurance, like at some point you 27 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: just get bored and step off. So I don't know 28 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: if you've gotten the memo, Daniel, but as a parents 29 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: should always say you're proud. I'm so proud of my 30 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:04,800 Speaker 1: son's dedication to the pogo sticks championship. I think you're 31 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: trying to say you're shocked. But welcome to our podcast. 32 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:11,959 Speaker 1: Daniel and Jorge Explain the Universe, a production of I 33 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio in which we think about things all around 34 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 1: the universe, from in our neighborhood to the distant reaches 35 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: of space. We talked about the origins of the universe. 36 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: We talk about the end of the universe. We talk 37 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: about what it's all made out of. We think that 38 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:29,480 Speaker 1: wonder belongs to everyone, and that includes your curiosity about 39 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: what's going on in the universe, how it all works, 40 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:34,399 Speaker 1: and what it all means. Yeah, we like to talk 41 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: about the big things like the cosmos, and also the 42 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: small things like the physics of pogo sticks or maybe 43 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: landing on other surfaces, and how pogo sticks can actually 44 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 1: help us explore the universe and understand where everything came from. Yeah, 45 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: pogo sticks are very versatile and they're kind of an 46 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:54,400 Speaker 1: engineering marvel. Do you think about it? I haven't actually 47 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: thought about it. What is the history of the invention 48 00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: of the pogo stick? You have that at your fingertips. 49 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: I don't have Wikipedia on me right now. Unfortunately, we'll 50 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: wait for the endorsement and sponsorship from the Big pogo stick. 51 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: Are you saying it's not one of the fundamental machines 52 00:03:09,480 --> 00:03:11,880 Speaker 1: that you learned about when you become an engineer. You 53 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:13,799 Speaker 1: have to lever the polly the pogo stick. I think 54 00:03:13,800 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 1: you have to. Actually, you mentioned my thesis. My thesis 55 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,679 Speaker 1: did feature a pogostick for real. There you go. It's 56 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: everywhere in science. It's not just a child's toy. Yeah. Yeah, 57 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: I know. You can get you a pH d from 58 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:28,600 Speaker 1: Stanford if you work hard enough at it. In fact, 59 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: I think I had to buy a pogo stick. Oh 60 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 1: my god, Daniel, you're bringing back so many memories. I 61 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: had to buy a pogo stick for my actual doctoral thesis. 62 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 1: So did you get to toys r us to buy 63 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: equipment for your pH d from Stanford? Thanks? So, I 64 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: think I did. I know, I must have. Where else 65 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: can you get a pogo stick? I don't know, but 66 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: I'm pretty sure there's no equipment at the LHC that 67 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 1: was purchased at a toy store. But you know, I'm 68 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: not a Yeah, it's a big place. You never know, Daniel, Yeah, exactly. 69 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:59,520 Speaker 1: But anyways, that we are talking about technology today and 70 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:03,680 Speaker 1: in nearing and specifically how to land a robot on 71 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: another surface, that's right. And we're talking about engineering and 72 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: science working hand in hand solving incredible technical problems to 73 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: help answer deep and fundamental questions about the nature of 74 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: our solar system and the world we live in. Yeah, 75 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: because it's pretty fun to look at the universe through telescopes, 76 00:04:20,080 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: but it's even more fun when you get to go 77 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: out there and bring back samples. Yeah, it's so tactiles. 78 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: They get to have, like rocks from Mars or rocks 79 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: from the Moon, actually in your lab where you can 80 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: zap them with lasers or do all sorts of crazy 81 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: stuff to them. It's much more fun than just looking 82 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,200 Speaker 1: through a telescope and wondering, what is that thing? It's 83 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 1: kind of shiny, and so there's a whole series of 84 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,720 Speaker 1: really crazy, amazing robotic missions planned to bring stuff back 85 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: so we can study it here on Earth now, Daniel, 86 00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: We've landed robots in lots of places in the Solar System, 87 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: and we've done big round rock called the Moon, and 88 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,919 Speaker 1: we've landed robots in a big ground rock called Mars, 89 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:02,080 Speaker 1: and we've landed robots in a ice rock shooting through 90 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: our solar system. Comment, but we're not done yet landing 91 00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: things on things in our Solar system. We're not gonna 92 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 1: be done until we've landed a thing on every kind 93 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: of thing. That's right exactly. We are interested in understanding 94 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: not just the planets of our solar system, not just 95 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: the comments, but the asteroids. The asteroids hold answers to 96 00:05:21,920 --> 00:05:24,360 Speaker 1: questions that we think will help us understand how their 97 00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:28,679 Speaker 1: solar systems formed. They're basically little time capsules untouched since 98 00:05:28,720 --> 00:05:31,599 Speaker 1: the formation of the planets and the Sun. Four and 99 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: a half billion years ago? So did be On the program, 100 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: we'll be asking the question can we land a robot 101 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: on an asteroid? And the bonus question is and can 102 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:47,760 Speaker 1: we scoop up parts of that asteroid and bring them 103 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: back to Earth? Yeah? And I guess the answer, Daniel 104 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:55,800 Speaker 1: is um, yes and no, because technically, did we land 105 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: on an asteroid? Or maybe yes and then no? I 106 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: mean if the fopoco stick us like yes and no 107 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: and yes and no and yes and no? Right right, 108 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 1: all right, now, this is an interesting question, and it's 109 00:06:06,839 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: kind of timely, right because there is right now today 110 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: a mission out in space trying to land on an 111 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:16,920 Speaker 1: asteroid and bring some of it back to Earth. That's right. 112 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: There is a space mission we sent up a few 113 00:06:18,880 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 1: years ago and it's been orbiting an asteroid for a 114 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: little while, and just yesterday, as we record this program, 115 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,479 Speaker 1: it descended to the surface. Yeah. This mission is called 116 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: Osiris REX. Now, Daniel, is this NASA or is this 117 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 1: the European Space Agency who sent this up? This is NASA. 118 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:38,040 Speaker 1: This is an American project and has a pretty awesome 119 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: name Osiris REX, although you know it's a pretty tortured acronym. 120 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 1: What does it stand? For osiris, REX stands for origins, 121 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: Spectral Interpretation, Resource identification. Security regularly explore. Oh, man, that 122 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 1: sounds like like a word salad, like a stream of 123 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: consciousness acronym. I know, but it's a pretty awesome name. 124 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: It sounds a little bit, you know, like an Egyptian 125 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:05,720 Speaker 1: god or a superhero or something. So it's got some 126 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,160 Speaker 1: mystery thing. How many meetings it took to get that acronym, 127 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 1: I don't know. But as usual, we were curious, is 128 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: this something people are hearing about? Is this something only 129 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:17,920 Speaker 1: we are excited about, or is all of humanity at 130 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 1: the edge of their seats waiting to hear back about 131 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: this asteroid lantic? It was usual Daniel went out there 132 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,560 Speaker 1: into the wild of the internet to ask people, can 133 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: we land a probe on an asteroid? Think about it 134 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:30,680 Speaker 1: for a second. Have you heard the news about the 135 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:33,720 Speaker 1: robot landing on an asteroid this week? And if so, 136 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: what would you answer. Here's what people had to say. 137 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: I think we can land a probe on an asteroid, 138 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: and I think it's happened before. I can't remember the 139 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,520 Speaker 1: name of the probe on the mission without looking on 140 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: the internet, but I remember something about it. Landing and 141 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: unexpectedly bouncing and it bounds like a mile high, which 142 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: was a problem, but then it did eventually land and 143 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: it was okay. Um. I guess it's very difficult, but 144 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: I don't see why not if you have the right technology. 145 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: I think the short answer is yes, because we have 146 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: done it in Japan had the ambles do if I remember, 147 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: And also NASA has a probe in a non route 148 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: right now that will land on an asteroid in near future. 149 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: We did land the probe on a comet, so I 150 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: would assume that, uh, if we could do that, we 151 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: can end the probe on an asteroid. Mm hmm. It 152 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:32,320 Speaker 1: might be difficult because I think they move pretty fast 153 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:35,679 Speaker 1: and are really small, but I definitely think that. You know, 154 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 1: it might be a tough engineering challenge, but I think 155 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:42,320 Speaker 1: it's possible. Yes, I believe we definitely can. That's gonna 156 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:46,240 Speaker 1: be tough, and you have to get the trajectories correct, 157 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,679 Speaker 1: but I think you definitely cared. I have no idea. 158 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: I don't I don't know what an asteroid is because 159 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:57,760 Speaker 1: I always mix all the different culturalism of still are 160 00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:02,079 Speaker 1: things that there are, and I think there was an 161 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: approbe that collided with some stellar object. I don't remember 162 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: if it was on asteroid. All right, it's as people 163 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,400 Speaker 1: are pretty confident in human engineers here. You're like, we've 164 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: done it before. We've landed on a moving flying ice rock. 165 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: Surely we can do it on a regular old and 166 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: it's a pretty impressive feat. You know, the Solar System 167 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,840 Speaker 1: is huge in comparison to these objects. So you're gonna 168 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: shoot a bullet out from Earth to this other tiny 169 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: object and matched speed. It's really pretty impressive. On the 170 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: other hand, yeah, we've done it before, so we're capable 171 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: of these really amazing technological feats. And you know, I'm 172 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,199 Speaker 1: saying we hear very broadly because of course I have 173 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:44,520 Speaker 1: no participation in this. I get no credit in it. 174 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,439 Speaker 1: I'm just sort of like in the audience, going, wow, humanity, 175 00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:50,599 Speaker 1: we rock. Well, you're you're using the super royal we 176 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 1: like all of humanity or do you mean like the 177 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: subset of humanity that works for science? What do you think? 178 00:09:56,679 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: What do you think you're using? In your head, I'm 179 00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 1: definitely in the audience here. I'm not involved in this 180 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,600 Speaker 1: community at all. My jaw hits the floor just as 181 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:06,599 Speaker 1: much as your average seven year old space lover, and 182 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: so I'm definitely just in the audience cheering these folks 183 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: on and being glad that they're doing it. Well. All right, 184 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:13,839 Speaker 1: well let's get into it, Daniel. First of all, I 185 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: guess why land on an asteroid? I mean, I can 186 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: see Mars, that's pretty cool. The moon is right here, 187 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: A comment that us super cool? But why landing an asteroid? 188 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 1: Isn't it just like a big rock in space. It 189 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: is a sort of a big rock in space. And 190 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:31,800 Speaker 1: one reason to land on an asteroid is that it's 191 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: a bit of a time capsule. We think that the 192 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: way the Solar System came together about four and a 193 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,120 Speaker 1: half billion years ago is that you had a huge 194 00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: cloud of gas and dust, these timey little bits, and 195 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: then maybe something shocked them, like a nearby supernova went 196 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,960 Speaker 1: off and started the process of gravity gathering everything together. 197 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:51,400 Speaker 1: And that took a few hundred thousand years or so, 198 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: and you know, the Sun form and planets start to form, 199 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: and then the leftover bits turned into asteroids or comments 200 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: or whatever is out there in the Kuiper Belt and 201 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: the cloud. But these leftover bits have basically been inert 202 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:05,959 Speaker 1: since then. It's not like the Earth where there's like 203 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:08,520 Speaker 1: flowing rocks under the ground and all sorts of chemistry 204 00:11:08,559 --> 00:11:11,439 Speaker 1: is happening. It's basically just clumped together and froze and 205 00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 1: it's been unchanged ever since then. And so if we 206 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: have questions about, like, you know, what is the basic 207 00:11:17,360 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: chemistry of the ingredients of the Solar system, then these 208 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,079 Speaker 1: rocks can answer those questions. I see. So it's like 209 00:11:23,120 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: a snapshot of the rocks of the Solar system. Yeah, 210 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: like every other rock is sort of exposed or changed 211 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:34,959 Speaker 1: or moved around, but these are sort of still there. Yeah, 212 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:37,080 Speaker 1: it's like a time capsule. You know, if somebody buried 213 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: something four and a half billion years ago and you 214 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:41,199 Speaker 1: got to dig it up now and you could see, like, 215 00:11:41,280 --> 00:11:43,439 Speaker 1: how are rocks four and a half billion years ago 216 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 1: different from rocks today? Is there a different fraction of stuff? 217 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,280 Speaker 1: You know? Is there different ratios of isotopes? But most interestingly, 218 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,720 Speaker 1: like is the chemistry? Are there amino acids? There are 219 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: there the basic elements we need for life? What do 220 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,079 Speaker 1: they look like? Are they different from the kinds of 221 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,960 Speaker 1: amino acids we have here on Earth? Or are there 222 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:03,520 Speaker 1: no amino acids? And most of them were fabricated here 223 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: on Earth. It's really basic questions about the foundations of 224 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,959 Speaker 1: life and chemistry that can be answered by looking at asteroids. 225 00:12:10,040 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: What wait, so an asteroid might have amino acids. Absolutely, 226 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: amino acids, the basic elements that you need for like 227 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,360 Speaker 1: DNA and for life, are not just here on Earth. 228 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:22,199 Speaker 1: We found them in outer space. But the question is 229 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: like how common are they? And there's lots of different 230 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: amino acids, you know, are there just the amino acids 231 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,559 Speaker 1: that we need for life that are everywhere, or the 232 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:33,400 Speaker 1: amino acids we need for life fairly rare? You know. 233 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:36,480 Speaker 1: Another question is like here on Earth we only use 234 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: left handed amino acids. That's like one particular configuration. Every 235 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: amino acid comes in two varieties, the left handed in 236 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: the right handed. They're just mirror images of each other. 237 00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: And here on Earth we only use the left handed ones. 238 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 1: But we think that left and right should have been 239 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: made in equal numbers by like you know, non biological 240 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 1: chemical processes, but we don't really know. Maybe we'll look 241 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 1: at these asteroids and find only left handed and acids, 242 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: which is weird, or maybe we'll find left and right, 243 00:13:03,320 --> 00:13:05,760 Speaker 1: or maybe mostly right and Earth is weird to mostly 244 00:13:05,800 --> 00:13:08,400 Speaker 1: have left you know, it's it's fascinating the Solar system 245 00:13:08,440 --> 00:13:12,679 Speaker 1: at some point might say, but I am left handed. Yeah, well, 246 00:13:12,720 --> 00:13:15,679 Speaker 1: you know, the universe particle physics is left handed in 247 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: a weird way that we've talked about before. The weak 248 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: force likes left handed particles and ignores right handed particles. 249 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:25,719 Speaker 1: So this this weird connection there where particle physics the 250 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 1: universe at a low level is left handed, and then 251 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,840 Speaker 1: life is also at a much bigger scale left handed. 252 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,600 Speaker 1: And some people have suggested there might even be a connection, 253 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,840 Speaker 1: you know, like cosmic rays from space could have caused 254 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,720 Speaker 1: these things to become left handed amino acids or something. 255 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,360 Speaker 1: That's a whole area of speculation. It could also just 256 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,079 Speaker 1: be a coincidence. But we have basic questions about, you know, 257 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,160 Speaker 1: the left versus right handed nature these amino acids, and 258 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: one way to answer them is to say, well, what 259 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: was around a long long time ago? And that can 260 00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 1: be answered by asteroids. Cool. I guess the question is, 261 00:13:58,679 --> 00:14:01,319 Speaker 1: you know, these rocks are floating out into space. So 262 00:14:01,520 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: even if we get a sample and figure out what 263 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:05,559 Speaker 1: it's made out of, isn't it sort of like a 264 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:08,120 Speaker 1: random sample? How do we know where this asteroid has 265 00:14:08,160 --> 00:14:10,439 Speaker 1: been or where it came from, or what part of 266 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: the Solar system, you know what I mean, Like it's 267 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: floating around in space. Yeah, you're right, and there could 268 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:17,199 Speaker 1: have been collisions and all sorts of stuff. So what 269 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:19,520 Speaker 1: you'd like to do a sample a lot of asteroids 270 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 1: to get a big, broad distribution. You can't do that, 271 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: And so you pick one, and you try to pick 272 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 1: one that you think has had sort of a smaller 273 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: amount of geological activity. And there's a variety of different 274 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: kinds of asteroids that we can study them, and this 275 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,560 Speaker 1: one was picked because it has a really dark surface, 276 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: and so we think that it's mostly just carbon and 277 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:42,560 Speaker 1: these are unlikely to have had a lot of geological activity, 278 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 1: so they're called carbonaceous asteroids, and there's a few different kinds, 279 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: and so we picked this one for that reason that 280 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:50,960 Speaker 1: we think it's a better time capsule. But there's actually 281 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: another fun reason that we picked this particular asteroid. Wait, 282 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,560 Speaker 1: but first, which asteroid did we pick? Like? And how 283 00:14:57,640 --> 00:14:59,320 Speaker 1: did we pick it? Yeah, we picked one. It's called 284 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:02,920 Speaker 1: Benu b E N N you And we picked it 285 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,680 Speaker 1: because we thought, you know, it's about the right size. 286 00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: It's about six hundred feet wide or so, so it's 287 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,160 Speaker 1: something we could land on. To me, we could approach. 288 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: Is big enough that has its own gravity, that's like 289 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 1: as big as an Empire State building something like that. 290 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,600 Speaker 1: It's about as tall as the Empire State building. Yeah, exactly. 291 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 1: But we picked this one also because there's a non 292 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,000 Speaker 1: zero chance that it's going to hit the Earth. What. Yeah, 293 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: they project this thing forward into the future in about 294 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:31,160 Speaker 1: the year. There's a reasonable chance this thing is going 295 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 1: to hit the earth, like not a big chance, but 296 00:15:33,600 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: not a zero chance. Right now. We calculated to be 297 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: about one in two thousand, seven hundred chance, which is 298 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: about as high as it goes around in the Solar system, right. Yeah, 299 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: And we can project the path of these guys pretty 300 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: well in the next couple of hundred years. The more 301 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: measurements you have of something, the easier it is to 302 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: project where it's gonna go, and the further future you 303 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 1: want to project, the larger the uncertainties. But it's you know, 304 00:15:56,400 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: if something's gonna hit the Earth, it might be nice 305 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:00,680 Speaker 1: to know what is it made out of? You know, 306 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: could we knuke it and break it at half? Or 307 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: is it just basically a pile of rubble and nuking 308 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: it would do nothing. So we figured this is a 309 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: good one to study. But what if landing on it 310 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: sort of nudges it in our direction? They think about that. 311 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: I'm sure they did, because you know, one of the 312 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: ways you can affect the flight of an asteroid is 313 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: to use a gravity tractor, which is just to send 314 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: up a really small spaceship and go near the asteroid. 315 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,000 Speaker 1: And even the small gravitational effect of a spaceship will 316 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: have a small impact on the trajectory of the asteroid, 317 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: but hundreds of years later that could be enough of 318 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: a difference, so you miss or hit the Earth. All right, 319 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: So we're test driving our ability to get to asteroids, right, 320 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:42,920 Speaker 1: especially ones that are maybe hard to see or or 321 00:16:43,400 --> 00:16:46,480 Speaker 1: hard to find in the blackness of space. Yeah, exactly. 322 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,480 Speaker 1: And this one's cool because they tried to do it 323 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: on the cheap a little bit. They didn't want to 324 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,600 Speaker 1: spend a huge amounts of money just like burn rocket 325 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: fuel to get there, so they did a couple of 326 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:58,520 Speaker 1: cool tricks where they launched and then they spun around 327 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,600 Speaker 1: the Earth to use it as like a gravitational assist 328 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,640 Speaker 1: to get to the asteroid more quickly. All right, let's 329 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 1: get into how they are sending this probe and what 330 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 1: they're planning to do to land on it. But first 331 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: let's take a quick break. All right, Daniel, we're talking 332 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:30,720 Speaker 1: about Osiris REX, NASA's latest and current mission to land 333 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: a robot on an asteroid and bring back samples from it. 334 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:37,879 Speaker 1: That's right. They want to scoop up extraterrestrial dirt and 335 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: bring it back to Earth. Does it count as extraterrestrial 336 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: if it's an asteroid? I feel like you have to 337 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 1: be from another planet to be extra terrestrial. No, terrestrial 338 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: just means from Earth, and extraterrestrial just means not from Earth. 339 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:53,200 Speaker 1: So everything that's not from Earth is extraterrestrial. You know, 340 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: if we met aliens and they lived on a moon 341 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 1: instead of on a planet, would be like, sorry, you're 342 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 1: not really aliens, You're not extract Yeah, you would have 343 00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: to downgrade them a little bit, you know, like, what 344 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: are you gonna call him? Mooney's Well, you know, I 345 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,040 Speaker 1: think some of the best places to find life in 346 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:12,520 Speaker 1: this older system are on other moons, So you should 347 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,479 Speaker 1: work on your anti moon bigotry there wor Alright, so Daniel, 348 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,879 Speaker 1: this is an ongoing mission. And it launched a few 349 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,120 Speaker 1: years ago, and actually it just landed or just tried 350 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,000 Speaker 1: to land on an asteroid this week. Yeah, that's right. 351 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: They launched it in September and then it took a 352 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,520 Speaker 1: couple of years to get out there. Like I said earlier, 353 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: they swung it around the Earth to save money on 354 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:37,760 Speaker 1: fuel and propulsion because NASA is trying to do these 355 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,159 Speaker 1: missions a little bit cheaper. The thing is about the 356 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: size of an SUV, so it's pretty big, but it's 357 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:46,040 Speaker 1: not massive like the Space Shuttle. And it caught up 358 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,240 Speaker 1: to the asteroid in December eighteen, so after a two 359 00:18:49,359 --> 00:18:52,440 Speaker 1: year flight. Wow, and it's the size of an STUV. 360 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:54,520 Speaker 1: That's huge. How do you even fit down inside of 361 00:18:54,520 --> 00:18:57,360 Speaker 1: a rocket? Like didn't they just launched a test land 362 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 1: that was a little convertible Cooper. Yep, they can fit 363 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:02,760 Speaker 1: that kind of thing on top of a rocket. You 364 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: can look at the launch video on Google if you like. 365 00:19:05,800 --> 00:19:08,679 Speaker 1: But the United Launch Alliance used one of their Atlas 366 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,720 Speaker 1: V rockets and it launched from Cape Canaveral. So this 367 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: kind of thing you can totally fit on the top 368 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:15,639 Speaker 1: of a rocket. But I'm sure you know there are 369 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 1: space constraints there Wow. So this is not a small mission. 370 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 1: I mean in suv that's way bigger than the Mars rover, 371 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: isn't it. I think it's about the same size. The 372 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: latest Mars rovers are really pretty big. They're about suv size. 373 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:30,119 Speaker 1: But yeah, this is not a tiny little cubes at 374 00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:34,080 Speaker 1: This thing cost eight hundred million dollars, so this is 375 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: gonna be some expensive dust that we bring back. So 376 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:39,720 Speaker 1: let's talk about the mission itself. So what's the plan 377 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,399 Speaker 1: for the mission that's just gonna go there? And how 378 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: is it going to get on the asteroid? So we 379 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 1: don't have great pictures of the asteroid before we go, 380 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,720 Speaker 1: so once it arrives, it all of a sudden has 381 00:19:49,800 --> 00:19:52,040 Speaker 1: the best pictures of the surface of this asteroid that 382 00:19:52,080 --> 00:19:55,760 Speaker 1: anybody's ever had. So we couldn't plan in advance where 383 00:19:55,840 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: to land. So they spent like a year or so 384 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: just orbiting the stroid and taking pictures of it and 385 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: trying to figure out like where to land because they 386 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:06,480 Speaker 1: have a very delicate procedure and they need a pretty 387 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,080 Speaker 1: flat spot and they want to gather a bunch of 388 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,480 Speaker 1: like really small particles, So they had to identify a 389 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: location that was flat enough for this thing to land, 390 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,120 Speaker 1: and also that was covered in like sand or bits 391 00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 1: that they could gather up, because remember, this thing is 392 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: far away at the moment that it does it's landing. 393 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,880 Speaker 1: It's like two hundred million miles from Earth, which means 394 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: that you know, light takes minutes and minutes, like fifteen 395 00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 1: minutes to get there from here. So you can't drive 396 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 1: this thing with a joystick. It has to be fairly automatic, 397 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 1: which means you need to orbit it for a while 398 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,080 Speaker 1: and make a really careful plan about where to land. 399 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 1: Woh and it did all that, like it did a 400 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:47,639 Speaker 1: reconnaissance pass, yeah, exactly over the last year just to 401 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 1: get pictures of it. And so it sent back a 402 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,000 Speaker 1: bunch of pictures and then folks at NASA like narrowed 403 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: down to a few landing spots. But actually when they 404 00:20:54,880 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: saw the pictures, they were really surprised by what they 405 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,720 Speaker 1: saw and actually a little bit disappointing. They were expecting 406 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:02,639 Speaker 1: that it was going to be covered like with a 407 00:21:02,720 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 1: sandy beach, lots of really small little particles, but instead 408 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: what they saw was like a big rocky plane with 409 00:21:08,600 --> 00:21:12,240 Speaker 1: lots of like really big, like house sized boulders, which 410 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,879 Speaker 1: is a bit of a nightmare if you're landing a robot. Oh, 411 00:21:14,960 --> 00:21:17,800 Speaker 1: I see, there's no flat surface. It's all pretty rocky. 412 00:21:17,840 --> 00:21:20,919 Speaker 1: It's all pretty rocky. And they were hoping to gather up, 413 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: you know, really small pieces. They're looking to collect bits 414 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: of rocky, know, the size of a small coin. They're 415 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: not going to grab a huge boulder and bring back 416 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 1: to Earth, although that would be pretty awesome. And so 417 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:33,520 Speaker 1: what they need is a pretty flat spot covered in 418 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,159 Speaker 1: small little bits of record. What they found, yeah, it 419 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: was like basically just a huge field of enormous boulders. 420 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:41,760 Speaker 1: So they struggled a little bit to find a place 421 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:45,280 Speaker 1: to land, but they did identify one really promising spot. Alright, 422 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 1: maybe they need a bigger SUV for the bring back 423 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: at all boulder. Yeah, And so the procedure is that 424 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: they identify this spot and it did a couple of 425 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 1: practice runs where like lowers itself down to the surface 426 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 1: a little bit and it's got this arm. So the 427 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 1: pogo stick aspect is that it's got this arm that's 428 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:05,960 Speaker 1: like eleven ft long that will stretch down and the 429 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:08,600 Speaker 1: sampling head is at the tip of that arm, and 430 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,680 Speaker 1: that's the only part that's actually going to touch the surface. Really, 431 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: it's more like a mosquito kind of exactly. It's like 432 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: a huge robot mosquito. It like very gradually lowers itself 433 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 1: down to the surface and then the tip of it 434 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:24,920 Speaker 1: touches the surface. And it's like a pogo stick because 435 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: it has a spring on it, so it touches the 436 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: surface and it's only in contact with the surface for 437 00:22:29,640 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: like five or ten seconds. Wow, I guess as the 438 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: spring in the pogo stick compresses, it's in contact for 439 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:39,720 Speaker 1: it takes five seconds to bounce. It takes five seconds 440 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:42,120 Speaker 1: to bounce. Remember, the gravity here is really really low, 441 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: and they made the spring very gentle, and this thing 442 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:48,119 Speaker 1: is moving very very slowly. But you don't want to 443 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:50,560 Speaker 1: have to have a whole separate propulsion system to lift 444 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 1: yourself off the asteroid afterwards, and you only need a 445 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:55,880 Speaker 1: few seconds to grab it. But you know that means 446 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,240 Speaker 1: that like a four year mission, the crucial bits are 447 00:22:59,320 --> 00:23:02,359 Speaker 1: like four five seconds in the middle of that mission. 448 00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: It's sort of intense. Everything comes down to these few 449 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: seconds of contact and it has to do it on 450 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:09,919 Speaker 1: its own. I mean, it's a robot, you know, fifteen 451 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 1: minutes away from in communication delays, so it has to 452 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:16,240 Speaker 1: do it all by itself. Yeah, it has some smarts 453 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 1: on board as it's lowering itself down to see like, oh, 454 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: I'm I gonna hit the wrong rock. It's got this 455 00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: round sampling head that has to hit a flat surface 456 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:27,359 Speaker 1: and then it's going to use nitrogen to blow stuff 457 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,640 Speaker 1: up from the surface, which will get sucked up into 458 00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: the sampling head. But if that sampling head doesn't hit 459 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,520 Speaker 1: flat on then it could all be wasted. And so 460 00:23:35,680 --> 00:23:37,640 Speaker 1: it has a bunch of AI and it as it's 461 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: coming down, it like maps the surface and tries to 462 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: figure out is this still good spot? Should I bail? 463 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,600 Speaker 1: Should I back up? And as you say, it has 464 00:23:44,640 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: to make that decision itself. It can't wait for its 465 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:51,080 Speaker 1: minders from Earth were fifteen light minutes away. But wait, 466 00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: it's not scooping up dirt or rocks. It's actually like 467 00:23:55,680 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 1: blowing on it and then sucking it up from the air. 468 00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: Or how is it picking up the the Yeah, it's 469 00:24:00,560 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: like a reverse vacuum cleaner sort of. It's got this 470 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: round head and the round head sits on the surface 471 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:09,159 Speaker 1: and then it's got these little canisters of nitrogen that 472 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,240 Speaker 1: blow stuff up from the surface. That will then get 473 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,679 Speaker 1: filtered back into the head. And so this is the idea, 474 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,720 Speaker 1: This is what they think should happen. They can't actually 475 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: watch it happen, so they can tell it to do 476 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 1: its thing. It can say, Okay, I touched the surface, 477 00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: I blew the nitrogen. But it's pretty hard to tell 478 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:30,479 Speaker 1: if they actually got anything. But how does how did 479 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 1: it get into does? Is it then sucking in the 480 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,119 Speaker 1: dust into the probe. It's got sort of like a dome, 481 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:39,080 Speaker 1: and then it blows the nitrogen from the bottom of 482 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: the dome and then the stuff comes up through filters 483 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,800 Speaker 1: and gets caught in this little trap. Oh, it's like 484 00:24:43,920 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 1: a little like a little cup. Yeah, it's sort of 485 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 1: like a little cup exactly. Uh. And then they bring 486 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: the cup back up into the vehicle and then store 487 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:55,120 Speaker 1: it or what They bring the cup back up into 488 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,479 Speaker 1: the vehicle, and then they try to figure out did 489 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:00,680 Speaker 1: we get anything, like, did we catch any thing? And 490 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:03,200 Speaker 1: if so, then they store that in the vehicle and 491 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:06,120 Speaker 1: then the vehicle will come back to Earth. It'll take 492 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:08,080 Speaker 1: a couple of years, and it'll drop it off in 493 00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,639 Speaker 1: our atmosphere to land somewhere in the desert of Utah. Wow. Oh, 494 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: I see, it's just hoping that dust will kind of 495 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 1: fall in it, right, It's like you're holding out a 496 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:21,560 Speaker 1: spoon hoping that dust will some dust will land in it, 497 00:25:21,640 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 1: and then you're bringing that back. It's a tiny bit 498 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:27,000 Speaker 1: more sophisticated than that. Actually, there's a little dome over 499 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 1: it so that all the stuff that gets blown up 500 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,600 Speaker 1: by the nitrogen gets funneled into this collection part, which 501 00:25:32,680 --> 00:25:34,680 Speaker 1: is probably why it's also hard for them to see 502 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:37,600 Speaker 1: what they've captured, because this dome that covers it. And 503 00:25:37,640 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 1: they don't want a whole lot. You know, they're planning 504 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:42,960 Speaker 1: to get somewhere between like sixty grams and you know, 505 00:25:43,160 --> 00:25:46,399 Speaker 1: maybe a kilogram. It's not a whole lot of stuff, 506 00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 1: you know, somewhere between like a candy bar and a 507 00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: really big burrito amount of stuff. But that would be 508 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:54,879 Speaker 1: enough to you know, really do some careful studies of 509 00:25:55,280 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: what's on the surface of the asteroid. But it's sort 510 00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:00,359 Speaker 1: of crazy. You know, you pick one aster word out 511 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,760 Speaker 1: of all the asteroids, and then you pick one spot 512 00:26:02,960 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: on that asteroid, and this costs you like a billion 513 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:09,920 Speaker 1: dollars to get one spoonful of one asteroid, And what 514 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:13,159 Speaker 1: if it's like unusual. What if it's unrepresentative? What if 515 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: that's just a weird spot on a weird asteroid and 516 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 1: we're gonna spend like a decade writing science papers about 517 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 1: the origin of the Solar System. It's funny how science 518 00:26:20,760 --> 00:26:22,680 Speaker 1: work sometimes, but it's all you can do with Daniel, 519 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: are you. Are you saying that they shouldn't do it, 520 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 1: or that if they're going to send one, they should 521 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,280 Speaker 1: send a hundred instead of I'm always in favor of 522 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: sending a hundred robots anywhere. Yes, absolutely, No, I think 523 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,920 Speaker 1: it's interesting. Roots that's good. I got some work for 524 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:39,080 Speaker 1: them to do. Are those the robotic grad students? I 525 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 1: could put them to work? No, But it's always a question, 526 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: you know, if you can get a really difficult to 527 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,879 Speaker 1: gather expensive sample, is it representative? And you have to 528 00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 1: do a lot of you know, interesting statistics to say 529 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:52,600 Speaker 1: like what's the chance that this is really unusual or 530 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,680 Speaker 1: this is typical. But it's the kind of thing we've 531 00:26:54,720 --> 00:26:58,359 Speaker 1: been doing forever in science is generalizing from small experiences, 532 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: Like most of our planetary science is based on looking 533 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:04,960 Speaker 1: at our Earth or our Solar System. It's the only 534 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:07,280 Speaker 1: example we have of a planet with life or a 535 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:10,440 Speaker 1: solar system we can study in detail. And that doesn't 536 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,560 Speaker 1: mean we shouldn't do it. It just means it's you 537 00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:15,480 Speaker 1: have to wonder if we have sample bias. If we have, 538 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:18,119 Speaker 1: you know, if we're looking at an unusual example, it 539 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,520 Speaker 1: makes you wonder if we should have more robots. We 540 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:24,960 Speaker 1: should always have more more robotics jobs. Exactly. I imagine 541 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:28,280 Speaker 1: they're gonna take video and a picture of when it happens, 542 00:27:28,359 --> 00:27:31,320 Speaker 1: so they'll at least have you know, video footage of 543 00:27:31,400 --> 00:27:33,200 Speaker 1: whether or not it kicked up do us and whether 544 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: they could see somebody falling into the cup. Well, they 545 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: can't see that because it's inside the cup. What they 546 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: can do afterwards is take a picture of the head 547 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:42,760 Speaker 1: and see, like, you know, does it have little bits 548 00:27:42,840 --> 00:27:45,200 Speaker 1: on it? If so, then they think it probably went smoothly. 549 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: And then they can do this really cool trick to 550 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,640 Speaker 1: see how much stuff is in the cup by spinning 551 00:27:52,040 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 1: the spaceship around. What do you mean how fast you 552 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: spin depends a little bit on how much stuff you're holding. 553 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: For example, you know how figures eaters as they move 554 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,440 Speaker 1: their arms in and out, it makes it easier or 555 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: harder to spin fast or slow. So if you add 556 00:28:07,680 --> 00:28:10,200 Speaker 1: a cup full of stuff, like a kilogram of stuff 557 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: at the end of an eleven foot arm to the spaceship, 558 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:15,920 Speaker 1: it will make it harder for that spaceship to spin. 559 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:18,800 Speaker 1: So what they did is they spun the spaceship a 560 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,800 Speaker 1: few times to sort of calibrate before it landed, and 561 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:23,640 Speaker 1: now they're going to spin it again a few times 562 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 1: after it did it scoop up to see if it 563 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,439 Speaker 1: spins differently. And it spins differently, they figure, okay, there 564 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,719 Speaker 1: must be some stuff in the cup. What you can 565 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:34,879 Speaker 1: tell the difference, even if it's just a few grams, 566 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 1: you can tell the difference. Yeah, isn't there a better 567 00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 1: way to measure that? Take a picture or use some 568 00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: like X ray or something. This is the cool measument 569 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:45,080 Speaker 1: they came up with, and it's pretty sensitive. You know, 570 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 1: out there there's no air resistance or anything, and so 571 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:51,360 Speaker 1: if you have pretty well calibrated accelerometers, you can tell 572 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:54,520 Speaker 1: the impact of having a few kilograms of stuff at 573 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:57,240 Speaker 1: the end of an eleven foot long arm. Right, that's 574 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: a long level arm for rotational stuff. Don't quite understand 575 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 1: why they don't just have like some sort of direct 576 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,320 Speaker 1: sensor in the cup. You know, as you say, like 577 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,600 Speaker 1: a picture of the inside of the sample container that 578 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,560 Speaker 1: I don't understand, you know, like it seems also crazy 579 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: and indirect. You spend a billion dollars and then you 580 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 1: don't just like look inside the sample container. Yeah, and 581 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: because it's gonna come all the way to Earth and 582 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:24,360 Speaker 1: then we're gonna open this box and hope that some 583 00:29:24,520 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: dust fell into this cup. Basically, yes, well, they're gonna 584 00:29:27,800 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: try their hardest to figure out if there's dust in 585 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,000 Speaker 1: the cup first, and they have these these techniques, right, 586 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,800 Speaker 1: and if there isn't, then they can try again. They 587 00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: can bounce back down like a postick. Yeah exactly. Pogo 588 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: sticks are not disposable, their multi use devices, so it's 589 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: gonna try a few times until it gets it. Yeah exactly. 590 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:47,920 Speaker 1: They have up to three times they can try to 591 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 1: do this pogo stick extraction to gather some stuff before 592 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: it has to come back. All right, Well, they launched 593 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,680 Speaker 1: in and they got there in eighteen and just this 594 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: week they actually got their and possibly landed on this asteroid. 595 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:05,600 Speaker 1: So let's get into whether or not the mission was successful. 596 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:24,360 Speaker 1: But first let's take another quick break. All right, Daniel, 597 00:30:24,400 --> 00:30:29,280 Speaker 1: we sent the robot to the venue asteroid far out 598 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: into the Solar System. Where where in the Solar System 599 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: is this asteroid? Is it right now in nearby or 600 00:30:34,080 --> 00:30:35,920 Speaker 1: is it kind of like out there in one of 601 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: the asteroid belts. It's out there in the asteroid belt, 602 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:40,760 Speaker 1: and it's right now on the other side of the 603 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: Sun from where we are. So Venus and Mercury are 604 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 1: on the same side of the Sun as Us right now, 605 00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:48,720 Speaker 1: and so it's Mars, but it's all the way on 606 00:30:48,800 --> 00:30:50,960 Speaker 1: the other side of the Sun, which is why it's 607 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:54,040 Speaker 1: about two million miles away right now, and it's like 608 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 1: twice the distance to the Sun. So this thing is 609 00:30:57,000 --> 00:30:58,760 Speaker 1: out there in deep space. But didn't it make more 610 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:00,880 Speaker 1: sense to wait until it's closer. Well, we launched it 611 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: quite a while ago, and we launched it in a window, 612 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: and it wouldn't take as long to get to one 613 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:07,440 Speaker 1: of these things. But you know, since then, things have 614 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 1: been revolving around the Sun and so these distances grow. 615 00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: It's been out there for you know, almost two years, 616 00:31:13,720 --> 00:31:15,840 Speaker 1: all right, Well, just this week it had its first 617 00:31:16,440 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: landing attempt, although technically, Daniel, can you call it a 618 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 1: landing attempt? Is this even a lander because it doesn't 619 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:24,479 Speaker 1: really land. It's more of a bouncer, isn't it. It's 620 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,400 Speaker 1: sort of a bouncer. Well, how long do you have 621 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:28,600 Speaker 1: to have your foot on the surface of a planet 622 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: before you could say you've landed on it? Like did 623 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:33,160 Speaker 1: Neil Armstrong put his foot down and then count at 624 00:31:33,240 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 1: ten and then say, okay, I stepped on the surface 625 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 1: of the Moon. I think the first moment of contact, boom, 626 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:41,000 Speaker 1: you've landed. Really, you don't believe in the five second 627 00:31:41,080 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: rule for planetary conquest. I wouldn't eat anything on that asteroid. 628 00:31:46,560 --> 00:31:48,800 Speaker 1: But yeah, I think the first moment you touch it, 629 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:51,120 Speaker 1: you have landed on that asteroid. All right, So even 630 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:53,640 Speaker 1: with a pogo stick, it counts. It counts a slow 631 00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 1: pogo STI alright. So just this week, like yesterday for 632 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: us here recording this now, on a Wednesday, they had 633 00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:04,840 Speaker 1: the first landing attempt. Yeah, it was October twenty and 634 00:32:05,000 --> 00:32:07,080 Speaker 1: they did it. They pressed the button. They thought they 635 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: understood exactly where to go. They picked out this crater 636 00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,520 Speaker 1: called Nightingale. It's about the size of like a small 637 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,479 Speaker 1: parking a lot attached to you know, like a hair 638 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: dresser or something, you know, enough for like five or 639 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 1: six cars. So it's wide enough that they think there 640 00:32:20,440 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 1: was enough room to head down. Wait wait, it's only 641 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: like four parking spaces wide. Yeah for an suv. Yeah, exactly. 642 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: This is a precision operation happening millions of miles away. 643 00:32:33,640 --> 00:32:35,920 Speaker 1: But you know, it's not easy to find a better spot. 644 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 1: This thing is covered in boulders. This particular crater is 645 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,320 Speaker 1: next to a huge boulder that the engineers were really 646 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: worried about. It's like the size of a two story building. 647 00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,600 Speaker 1: And the engineers on the project nicknamed it Mount Doom 648 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: because they were really worried that it would bump into 649 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:54,440 Speaker 1: this boulder on its way down to the surface. But 650 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:56,480 Speaker 1: it had a giant burning I on top of it, 651 00:32:57,240 --> 00:33:01,040 Speaker 1: so they're like, watch out for that. I don't look 652 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:03,320 Speaker 1: directly into the eye, all right. So it picked this 653 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:06,280 Speaker 1: small spot it was gonna land in it bound collect 654 00:33:06,320 --> 00:33:08,800 Speaker 1: some samples. So what happened? Yes, So they did it. 655 00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: They pressed the button and it was like two pm 656 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: Eastern time on the twenty and it fired its thrusters 657 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,320 Speaker 1: and then it descended very slowly towards the surface, about 658 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,800 Speaker 1: half a mile down closer towards the surface, and it 659 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:23,240 Speaker 1: took about four hours and then it was hovering like 660 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:26,680 Speaker 1: four feet above the surface. That did another survey and say, 661 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,840 Speaker 1: aren't do everything look as I expect? Are we clear? 662 00:33:29,960 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 1: For go? And then it's fired its thrusters again and 663 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 1: moved down towards the surface. That cruise just past Mount 664 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 1: Doom and it landed in Nightingale. It took some pictures, 665 00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 1: you know, of the sample head as it got closer 666 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 1: and closer to the surface, and according to the robot, 667 00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: everything went beautiful. It sent back a message that said 668 00:33:49,120 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 1: sample collection is complete. Wow, that's probably the best email 669 00:33:53,880 --> 00:33:57,680 Speaker 1: they've ever received. At the next mission, I know they 670 00:33:57,720 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 1: had to wait fifteen minutes. You know what's that like 671 00:34:00,080 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: to spend you know, a decade building this thing and 672 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: designing it, sending it up, waiting years for it to land, 673 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,080 Speaker 1: then knowing like the crucial moments, a crucial five seconds 674 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,879 Speaker 1: already happened, and you're waiting fifteen minutes just to get 675 00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:15,840 Speaker 1: the news. It's like recording a podcast a week in advance, 676 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:20,040 Speaker 1: knowing people are gonna like it. But have they published 677 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:22,759 Speaker 1: videos or have they published these photos? Like don't they 678 00:34:22,800 --> 00:34:25,279 Speaker 1: have photos and videos of like the moment as the 679 00:34:25,360 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: tip touches it and they can see the dust cloud. 680 00:34:27,520 --> 00:34:29,600 Speaker 1: They think it all went really well, and from the 681 00:34:29,680 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: pictures they have, everything looks great, so they reported positive results. 682 00:34:33,680 --> 00:34:36,400 Speaker 1: They haven't yet done like that spin maneuver, so it's 683 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: going to take them about a week to figure out 684 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:40,800 Speaker 1: if they actually got anything into the cup or not. 685 00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: All the indications suggest everything went well, but they can't 686 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:47,760 Speaker 1: actually tell what's in the cup without doing this spinning maneuver. 687 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,720 Speaker 1: And so what happens if they didn't get any stuff. 688 00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:52,880 Speaker 1: If they didn't get any stuff, if the thing spins 689 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,560 Speaker 1: around the same speed as it did before they went 690 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 1: down and did their poco stick, then they're gonna find 691 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 1: another spot. They have four candidates bots, and they chose 692 00:35:00,840 --> 00:35:03,200 Speaker 1: Nightingale if that was the best chance, But they have 693 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: three other backup spots, and they're just gonna move it 694 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,920 Speaker 1: around and try again, and they're gonna wait until January. 695 00:35:09,719 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: They're gonna scope it out and program it and get 696 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:13,560 Speaker 1: it all set up, and they do a couple of 697 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,440 Speaker 1: rehearsals before they actually go down to the surface, so 698 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,200 Speaker 1: it takes them a couple of months. You know, they're 699 00:35:18,239 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 1: really cautious about all of this stuff. There's there's no rushing, 700 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:23,759 Speaker 1: so the next attempt will be in January. If this 701 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:26,440 Speaker 1: one didn't collect enough stuff, but if it did collect enough, 702 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:28,399 Speaker 1: it's going to come back. Then it's going to come back, 703 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:31,080 Speaker 1: and then it's scheduled to be back here in Earth 704 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:34,799 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three. So this little container that might 705 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,520 Speaker 1: have like secrets of the origins of our solar system 706 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,000 Speaker 1: and fascinating answers to questions about chemistry might be flying 707 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:43,400 Speaker 1: through the Solar system to take years to get to us, 708 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,480 Speaker 1: and it's like candy bar of science. Data will be 709 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: dropping into the Utah Desert in three But I guess 710 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:52,680 Speaker 1: maybe a question I have is if they have to 711 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:55,640 Speaker 1: go to another site to land and get samples, wouldn't 712 00:35:55,640 --> 00:35:58,520 Speaker 1: that contaminate the first sample or do not care from 713 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:00,759 Speaker 1: where exactly in the s roid you got it. No, 714 00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:02,920 Speaker 1: you're definitely right, it's better to get it from just 715 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:05,640 Speaker 1: one site. On the other hand, you know, if you 716 00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:08,960 Speaker 1: are going to sample just one asteroid, maybe their advantages 717 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 1: to having dust from two locations because then you're less 718 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,000 Speaker 1: likely to pick a weird spot. But it definitely sort 719 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,640 Speaker 1: of models the issue. You know, we talked about getting 720 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:20,360 Speaker 1: samples back from Mars. One of the real advantages of 721 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,400 Speaker 1: doing sample returns that you know where the samples are 722 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:25,600 Speaker 1: coming from. You can choose them. You can say it 723 00:36:25,719 --> 00:36:27,600 Speaker 1: was the bottom of a basin, or is under a 724 00:36:27,640 --> 00:36:29,879 Speaker 1: cliff or whatever, rather than just you know, the rocks 725 00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:32,759 Speaker 1: that come here naturally from Mars from getting blasted off 726 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,960 Speaker 1: the surface. So you definitely want to know where it 727 00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: came from. This valuable piece of science advice. But you know, 728 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,640 Speaker 1: if it doesn't work the first time, it's better to 729 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,480 Speaker 1: have something in your container than to have nothing. Okay, 730 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,360 Speaker 1: So then what's the plan once it comes back to 731 00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:48,239 Speaker 1: orbit and then greet it and hold it carefully and 732 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:50,160 Speaker 1: then bring it back down. What's the plan? No, it 733 00:36:50,200 --> 00:36:53,399 Speaker 1: won't be nearly so gentle and arrival. Osirius Rex can't 734 00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 1: land on the surface of the Earth. It's too delicate. 735 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:57,480 Speaker 1: So it's just gonna fly by and it's going to 736 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:00,080 Speaker 1: drop the capsule. It's just gonna sort of jettison it 737 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: and it's going to fall to Earth. What after all 738 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: that a billion dollars, it's just gonna drop it on Earth. Yeah, 739 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:10,839 Speaker 1: these things should be pretty robust. It's tightly held, it's 740 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,400 Speaker 1: not that heavy. It's got a heat shields so it 741 00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 1: can survive re entry, and then it has a small 742 00:37:15,640 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: set of parachutes to slow it down. So it should 743 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:20,480 Speaker 1: just sort of like gently land on the surface of 744 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:23,480 Speaker 1: the planet, and it's targeted towards the big arid flat 745 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:26,880 Speaker 1: deserts of Utah, where aren't buildings or people to hit, 746 00:37:27,360 --> 00:37:29,520 Speaker 1: and so that's what they expect. They'll just gently float 747 00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:31,160 Speaker 1: down to the surface in Utah and there are a 748 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,520 Speaker 1: lot of dust though in the desert there is, but 749 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:35,920 Speaker 1: this thing should be pretty tightly sealed. All right. Well, 750 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:38,560 Speaker 1: that's pretty cool, So stay tuned. Maybe by the time 751 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,720 Speaker 1: you listen to this podcast you can google Osiris rex 752 00:37:41,760 --> 00:37:44,040 Speaker 1: and find out if they did in fact get some 753 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,640 Speaker 1: samples from the story. Yeah, and I'm sure that the 754 00:37:46,719 --> 00:37:49,840 Speaker 1: scientists are already planning their experiments and thinking about what 755 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: to do. They have all sorts of ideas for how 756 00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:54,680 Speaker 1: to study that regular you know, is it made of 757 00:37:54,719 --> 00:37:57,320 Speaker 1: smaller bits or bigger bits? And what's in there? What 758 00:37:57,480 --> 00:37:59,719 Speaker 1: kind of amino acids are in there. They have all 759 00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:02,839 Speaker 1: sort of cool gizmos in their laboratory for figuring out, 760 00:38:03,160 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 1: you know, is there any gas in there, is anything 761 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 1: active in there? All sorts of stuff. So there's a 762 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,760 Speaker 1: whole bunch of scientists like literally licking their lips waiting 763 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 1: for this candy bar from space to be delivered. And 764 00:38:14,200 --> 00:38:17,080 Speaker 1: it should hopefully tell us a lot about our origins, right, 765 00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,440 Speaker 1: I mean, it's in the acronym, but she tell us 766 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:23,000 Speaker 1: a lot about how the Solar system formed and kind 767 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:26,160 Speaker 1: of our place in that history, right yeah, And what's 768 00:38:26,200 --> 00:38:28,799 Speaker 1: typical and what's not typical. And you know, then we'll 769 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:31,280 Speaker 1: have samples from Earth, of course, and we can compare 770 00:38:31,360 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: them to samples from this asteroid, and if they're really different, 771 00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: that will tell us that, you know, the Earth is unusual, 772 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 1: or that all the geological activity on Earth and the 773 00:38:40,080 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: biological activity has changed the mix of stuff that we 774 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:47,160 Speaker 1: started from. And most likely it'll just inspire more questions. 775 00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 1: I'm sure the stuff on the asteroid will be significantly 776 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:51,480 Speaker 1: different from the stuff we have here on Earth, and 777 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:54,000 Speaker 1: then will wonder is it the chemistry of Earth? And 778 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,640 Speaker 1: somebody will say that we better go sample another asteroid 779 00:38:56,719 --> 00:39:00,640 Speaker 1: to figure out what's unusual and what's typical. All right, Well, 780 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:02,879 Speaker 1: the next time you see a poco stick, think about 781 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,640 Speaker 1: the fact that NASA uses them for their engineering to 782 00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:10,279 Speaker 1: land in other extraterrestrial bodies. Do you think there was 783 00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:12,839 Speaker 1: probably a moment of inspiration on the NASA engineering team. 784 00:39:12,880 --> 00:39:15,400 Speaker 1: They were like, I wonder what we could do to 785 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,400 Speaker 1: gently touch the surface of this asteroid. And then one 786 00:39:18,400 --> 00:39:20,040 Speaker 1: of them went home and well, I'm sure, I'm sure 787 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:22,040 Speaker 1: they had a I'm sure they had a brainstorming session. 788 00:39:22,200 --> 00:39:26,640 Speaker 1: Somebody was like, rollerblades, no, skateboards, No, how about a 789 00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:29,520 Speaker 1: pogo stick? Wait a minute, you're imagine they're having this 790 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:31,440 Speaker 1: brainstorming session like at a park and they're just like 791 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 1: watching kids play. How about a kite? Actually, actually that 792 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:42,120 Speaker 1: might just work. Well, whatever they did, it seems to 793 00:39:42,160 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 1: have worked. And so kudos to a cirus Rex team 794 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:47,880 Speaker 1: for proposing this, for getting it built, for a successful launch, 795 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,560 Speaker 1: for an incredible journey to the asteroid, and then hopefully 796 00:39:51,640 --> 00:39:55,239 Speaker 1: a successful pogo stick touchdown onto the surface of an 797 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:59,759 Speaker 1: extraterrestrial object, and hope it comes back safely. I hope 798 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 1: that's a tasty candy bar of science. All right, we 799 00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:04,920 Speaker 1: hope you enjoyed learning about that. Thanks for joining us, 800 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:15,560 Speaker 1: see you next time. Thanks for listening, and remember that 801 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:18,440 Speaker 1: Daniel and Jorge explain the universe is a production of 802 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:21,879 Speaker 1: i heart Radio or more podcast from my heart Radio, 803 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:25,600 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 804 00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.