It has been yet one more thrilling and eventful yr in area — from minor malfunctions to eclipses.
ASMA KHALID, HOST:
Right here on Earth, plenty of issues occurred in 2024. However for a few minutes, let’s depart our planet and take into account what occurred this yr in area. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce is right here to remind us of the highlights and the lowlights. Good morning, Nell.
NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE, BYLINE: Hey, there.
KHALID: So I’ve acquired to think about {that a} massive spotlight should have been that photo voltaic eclipse again within the spring.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: That is proper. Thousands and thousands of individuals noticed the whole photo voltaic eclipse, or perhaps they noticed this massive photo voltaic storm that triggered widespread auroras within the night time sky. However, you realize, there have been additionally lowlights. I assume in case you needed to speak about that, the principle one must be these astronauts, you realize, these astronauts that NASA…
KHALID: Yeah.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: …Says are undoubtedly not stranded.
KHALID: OK, so they’re nonetheless in orbit, although, proper?
GREENFIELDBOYCE: They’re.
KHALID: OK.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: They’re. So in case you recall, they went up there in June on what was purported to be this quick check flight of a spacecraft made by Boeing referred to as Starliner. After which NASA determined it was too dangerous for them to come back house in it, in order that they needed to simply chill on the Worldwide House Station, ready for a return trip. And so, you realize, they’re there. And NASA mentioned initially they’d be capable of return to Earth in February, however they simply mentioned it will be longer than that, most likely, like, March.
KHALID: That is a bummer for them.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: It’s, yeah.
KHALID: So how are they ultimately going to get house?
GREENFIELDBOYCE: So SpaceX. So SpaceX has this capsule that repeatedly takes astronauts to and from the area station. And this was a giant yr for SpaceX. Not solely did it kind of, like, take over Boeing’s return flight, nevertheless it lastly acquired its mega-rocket into area. That is SpaceX’s Starship. It is the largest rocket ever constructed. In order that was a giant deal. SpaceX additionally did the first-ever personal spacewalk. So principally, there was this orbiting capsule and two crew members opened the hatch and form of caught their heads outdoors. I imply, till then, like, solely nationwide area packages had ever tried these so-called extravehicular actions, in order that was a very massive deal.
KHALID: And I perceive that a type of spacewalkers may turn out to be the brand new head of NASA. What are you able to inform us about that?
GREENFIELDBOYCE: In order that’s Jared Isaacman. He is this rich entrepreneur. He is a personal astronaut, and he is Donald Trump’s choose to steer the area company. And you realize, Donald Trump has this alliance with Elon Musk of SpaceX, who supported his marketing campaign. And Musk and Isaacman have this monetary connection by means of SpaceX. And so it’s going to most likely be an fascinating affirmation course of within the Senate. Nobody is aware of what all of this may imply for NASA and this costly rocket that NASA has acquired to attempt to get folks again to the moon.
KHALID: OK so talking of NASA, the place do issues stand with its efforts to return to the moon?
GREENFIELDBOYCE: So NASA had been planning to ship astronauts to orbit the moon subsequent yr. However a few weeks in the past, officers introduced that that journey has been pushed off to 2026 on the earliest. And so meaning truly touchdown on the moon would not occur till, like, 2027.
KHALID: On the earliest.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: Proper.
KHALID: OK, so now we have been speaking about folks in area. What about robotic missions?
GREENFIELDBOYCE: So this yr, we acquired the primary rock samples returned from the far facet of the moon. I imply, that was a robotic mission from China. After which NASA additionally now has this probe that is going to Europa. That is this moon of Jupiter. It launched in October. And, you realize, Europa appears to have this liquid water ocean beneath a layer of ice. And in order that place might have components for all times. So it is a cool mission, however Jupiter is so far-off. Spacecraft will not get there till 2030.
KHALID: What about 2025? What is going to we get to see within the new yr in area?
GREENFIELDBOYCE: So we will look ahead to SPHEREx. In order that’s a NASA telescope. It’ll create, like, a 3D map of all the sky, mapping a whole lot of hundreds of thousands of stars and galaxies. And the knowledge it should collect will inform us extra about this actually transient however highly effective second simply after the large bang.
KHALID: Oh, wow.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: That is when the new child universe simply, like, all of a sudden and dramatically expanded.
KHALID: That sounds actually fascinating. So you are going to have to come back again on the present when that occurs and inform us all about it.
GREENFIELDBOYCE: Positively will.
KHALID: All proper, that is NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce.
(SOUNDBITE OF BEACH HOUSE SONG, “SPACE SONG”)
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