S02E17: Protecting New Worlds: Planetary Policies and Feeding Black Holes

Welcome to Astronomy Daily! In today's episode, we discuss the importance of planetary protection policies and the role of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) in formulating and updating them. These policies aim to prevent the harmful introduction of biological and organic contamination during space missions and ensure that scientific exploration does not adversely impact the new worlds we visit. We also highlight the complex process of displaying the space shuttle Endeavour vertically at the California Science Center. This six-month project involves stacking the shuttle's components, replicating its appearance on a launch pad. Endeavour, which flew 25 missions between 1992 and 2011, will be displayed in its vertical launch position at the Samuel Oscar Nair and Space Center. In another story, astronomers observe a surprising event involving a supermassive black hole named J2-219-51. This black hole's feeding frenzy on surrounding matter generates one of the brightest transient events ever recorded. While scientists are uncertain about the exact cause of this phenomenon, it could be the result of a star venturing too close to the black hole and being torn apart—a process known as spaghettification. Next, we bid farewell to Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, which has officially retired after a successful final launch. The Ariane 5 has served as the European Space Agency's workhorse launch vehicle since 1996, and its last mission deployed telecommunication satellites for the German and Italian governments. However, with the Ariane 5's retirement, Europe faces a gap in available launch vehicles until the completion of the Ariane 6, which has experienced development delays. Lastly, we share a special story about the University of Glasgow's celebration of its links to Albert Einstein. Researchers from the School of Physics and Astronomy planted an apple tree cutting on the campus, taken from Einstein's Summer Home. This tribute honors Einstein's visit to the university 90 years ago, where he received an honorary degree for his contributions to physics. Glasgow scientists have also played a significant role in gravitational wave research, contributing to the detection of these waves and confirming Einstein's theory. That's it for today's episode of Astronomy Daily. For more information, visit spacenuts.io and bitesz.com.
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