Spacetime With Stuart Gary

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 123*Virgin plans its first New Mexico space launch this monthVirgin Galactic plans to undertake its first manned space flight from its new New Mexico spaceport within the next few weeks.*Rocket lab launches its fifth flight this yearThere’s still no launch date for Rocket labs first Electron flight from its new Wallops Island Launch complex on the Virginian Mid-Atlantic coast.*A second cable fails at the Arecibo ObservatoryEngineers are working to stabilize key equipment at the 305 metre Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico after another of the giant radio telescope’s main support cable suddenly snapped.*The Science ReportProduction begins in Australia on a COVID-19 vaccine.Being exposed to cannabis in the womb may negatively affect kids' mental health.Mega-droughts lasting two decades or longer –to increase because of climate change.Coffee could lower your risk of colorectal cancer.Alex on Tech: Some Android apps to vanish next year and new IOS security updates laun

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 122*More evidence linking Magnetars to mysterious Fast Radio BurstsAstronomers have identified a sudden and violent outburst from a type of neutron star called a magnetar, as the likely source for those mysterious events known as Fast Radio Bursts.*New data release helps explain the evolution of the Milky Way GalaxyAstronomers have just released GALAH DR3 – the largest set of stellar chemical data ever compiled. The study was undertaken at the Siding Spring Observatory in far western New South Wales.*A new way of discovering Brown DwarfsAstronomers have for the first time ever detected a failed star known as a brown dwarf from its radio emissions.*The Science ReportEarly phase three trial results showing a better than 90% success rate for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.Global warming causing the planet’s fresh water lakes to begin heating up.New study claims it’s best to just be yourself on facebook.Researchers say it’s not just how much you exercise but also intensity

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 121*Ancient galactic mystery deepensA new study of distant galaxies in the very early universe has found that they were already far more massive and mature than previously thought.*Pristine extraterrestrial organic compounds discovered in fireball meteoriteScientists have discovered pristine extraterrestrial organic compounds in samples recovered from a fireball meteorite.*How NASA will phone home from the MoonNASA has selected Nokia Bell Labs to develop a lunar communications network based on cellular 4G Technology.*The Science ReportA new study claims higher vitamin A, E, and D intake could be linked to fewer respiratory complaints.The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in one of the largest drops in global CO2 emissions in history.Microplastic pollution has a greater impact on fish survival and behaviour.The new wearable device at could charge you cell phone as you walk.The nutty claims some people make to try and prove they’ve seen a ghost. Sponsor Details:This epi

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 120*A Mars-sized Rogue planet discoveredAstronomers have detected a Mars-sized rogue planet travelling through interstellar space.*Celebrating twenty years of continuous human presence on the International Space StationThe International Space Station has just celebrated twenty years of continuous human presence in space.*Russia’s new spy satellite cloaking technologyThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has patented a cloaking spacecraft to avoid co-called inspector satellites.*The Science ReportSocial distancing important for controlling COVIDE-19 infections.Growing concerns that research on human brain stem cells could be reaching an ethical crossroads.Australia has become a major source for the horrific trade of shark fins for soup.New lithium-ion battery for cars that can be charged up to 90% of its power in just six minutes.Alex on techSponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support of ExpressVPN - Rated No.1 by TechRadar...and as

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 119*NASA back in touch with Voyager 2 in interstellar spaceNASA has re-established command control of the Voyager 2 spacecraft.  The Agency’s 70 metre Canberra Deep Space Network radio dish – the only antenna capable of contacting the 43-year-old spacecraft -- successfully sent a series of commands to the probe.*The mystery of the CentaursAstronomers have discovered a rare active centaur in the dark expanse of the outer solar system.*The meaning of a blue moonThis year’s Halloween occurred on a so-called blue moon.  Now anyone who bothered to look as twilight descended on All Hallows' Eve -- would have seen that the Moon didn’t really turn blue -- but remained its usual white-yellow colour.  So why call it a blue moon?*The Science Report2020 on track to be one of the warmest years on record.COVID deaths could be significantly reduced if 95 percent of people wore a face mask in public.A new study warns that multi-screening may be bad for your memory.Scientists disco

SpaceTime 20201106 Series 23 Episode 118*When we look at the stars is there anyone looking back?Three decades after Cornell astronomer Carl Sagan suggested that Voyager 1 snap a picture of the Earth from billions of kilometres away -- resulting in the iconic Pale Blue Dot photograph -- two astronomers now offer another unique cosmic perspective.*Another delay for Russian Space Station moduleThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos says it now plans to launch its Nauka science module to the International Space Station in April next year.*Congress warned about China’s new space stationThe US Congress has been warned that it was crucial for America to maintain a significant presence in low Earth orbit once the International Space Station is decommissioned – in order to prevent China from gaining a strategic advantage.*November SkywatchThe seven sisters, the Andromeda Galaxy, and three meteor showers highlight the night skies of November.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support o

SpaceTime 20201104 Series 23 Episode 117*OSIRIS-Rex sample return capsule overflowing with regolithTwo days after touching down on asteroid Bennu, NASA OSIRIS-REx mission managers confirmed that the spacecraft collected more than enough material to meet one of its main mission objectives -- acquiring at least 60 grams of the asteroid’s surface material.*The best place in the universe to live isn’t EarthA new study claims Earth is not necessarily the best planet in the universe. Astronomers have identified two dozen planets outside our solar system that may have conditions more suitable for life than the third rock from the Sun.*Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation systemThe European Space Agency’s Galileo constellation is the most accurate satellite navigation system in the world.*The Science ReportYoung people who come out as bi are more likely to smoke.The Atlantic Ocean has just experienced its hottest decade in three millennia.Paleontologists discover a new species of Pterosaur in China.Nearly a tonne of

The Astronomy, Technology and Space Science News Podcast.SpaceTime 20201102 Series 23 Episode 116*Lunar water is more abundant than previously thoughtAstronomers have found that water may be far more abundant on the Moon than previously thought.*The Milky Way’s clumpy galactic haloA new study has concluded that our Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by a lumpy halo of hot gases continuously being fed by material ejected by the birth and death of stars.*Expedition 63 crew return safely to EarthAfter 196 days aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 63 crew have returned safely to Earth aboard their Soyuz MS-16 capsule.*The Science ReportConfirmation that physical distancing measures can keep the COVID-19 coronavirus at bay.Koala populations on the New South Wales north coast in a steady decline for decades.New super white paint that will reflect more heat back into space.Archaeologists discover a 2100-year-old image of a cat on Peru’s famous Nazca plateau.Skeptics guide: study claims 61 per cent of A

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 115*BepiColombo undertakes its first Venus flybyThe BepiColombo mission has completed the first of two Venus flybys needed to set it on course with the Solar System’s innermost planet, Mercury.*Problems worsen aboard the International Space StationRussian mission managers say the International Space Station is working normally with no threat to the safety of the crew despite a string of problems and equipment failures.*China carries out its first sea launchChina has carried out its first ocean space launch sending a Long March 11 rocket into orbit from a floating launch pad in the Yellow Sea.*Amateur Astronomy growing in popularityAmateur Astronomy has always been popular – and that popularity has been growing over recent months thanks to the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 coronavirus.*The Science ReportThis year’s ozone hole over the Antarctic is one of the largest and deepest in recent years.Extracting drinking water out of thin air.Study claims drinking

SpaceTime with Stuart GarySeries 23 Episode 114*OSIRIS-REx successfully touches down on asteroid BennuNASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has successfully touched down on the surface of the boulder-strewn asteroid Bennu – collecting samples of the space rocks regolith before returning to orbit.*Pluto’s snow-capped mountainsIn 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft discovered spectacular snow-capped mountains on Pluto, which are strikingly similar to mountains on Earth.*Another space junk near missA disused Soviet Union era satellite and a spent Chinese rocket upper stage have narrowly missed a major orbital collision in the skies south of New Zealand.*The Science ReportGlobal warming is now increasing temperatures even at the very bottom of the oceans.Healthy life expectancy increasing -- but not enough to match overall life expectancy.Australia’s new Loyal Wingman unmanned aircraft to fly before the end of the year.A new study has found that cows prefer a face-to-face chat with people.Alex on Tech social media Twit-F

SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Series 23 Episode 113*Betelgeuse closer and smaller than thoughtA new study has found the red supergiant star Betelgeuse is closer and smaller than previously thought.*Thunderbolts and lightning very very frighteningTwo extreme bolts of lightning have smashed previous records for duration and distance.*Dream chaser getting closer to its maiden flightSierra Nevada Dream Chaser spaceplane has completed its wind tunnel testing as it moves closer to its planned first mission to the International Space Station which is less than a year away -- currently slated for September 2021.*The Science ReportGreat Barrier Reef coral populations down by over 50 per cent since the mid-1990s.A new study warns that babies are consuming up to 16 million microplastic particles in each litre of formula.Scientists have set a new superconductivity temperature record.Letting your kids play in dirt may be good for their immune systems.Australian Skeptics 2020 Bent Spoon AwardSponsor Details:This episode of Sp

*Nearby supernova exploded just two and a half million years agoScientists have found telltale chemical signatures of a massive star between 11 and 20 times the mass of our Sun going supernova just two and a half million years ago in our stellar neighbourhood.*A successful 13th test flight for New ShepardBlue Origin has successfully completed its13th and latest test flight of its New Shepard spacecraft which will eventually carry tourists to the edge of space.*New top-secret satellite ground station begins operationsA new highly classified Satellite Ground Station for the Wideband Global Satellite Communications system has now gone operational near Geraldton in Western Australia.*The Science ReportSmartphone abuse linked to suicidal behaviour in teens.Trying to save the endangered sawfish.The new solar panel design which could increase light absorption by 125%.Purr-fecting the art of bonding with cats.Skeptics guide to Northern Territory politics. Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with t

*The Neutron Star collision that’s still producing X-rays three years laterAstronomers are still detecting X-rays being emitted from where two neutron stars collided three years ago.*Record-setting flight to the space stationThe expedition 64 crew has safely arrived aboard the International Space Station following a record-breaking two-orbit fast rendezvous flight aboard their Russian Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft.*Crew fail to fix air leak on the space stationThe crew aboard the International Space Station have finally found the leak which has been venting atmosphere into space from the orbiting outpost for more than a year now.*The Science ReportThe first confirmed case of COVID-19 reinfection in the United States.Levels of the greenhouse gas Nitrous-Oxide jump by 30 per cent.Blood pressure treatments linked to cognitive decline in older people.Tasmanian Devils reintroduced to the Australian mainland for the first time in 3000 years.Alex on Tech reviews the new iPhone 12 rangeSponsor Details:This episode of SpaceT

*One of life’s building blocks produced faster than thoughtA new study has found that stars produce carbon – one of the key building blocks of life as we know it -- 34 per cent faster than previously thought.*OSIRIS Rex about to touch down on asteroid BennuThe final countdown is now underway in preparation for NASA’s OSIRIS-Rex spacecraft to touch down onto the surface of the asteroid Bennu to collect samples for eventual return to Earth.*North Korea’s monstrous new missileThe world got a wake-up call this week when North Korea unveiled its monstrous new intercontinental ballistic missile during a military parade in Pyongyang celebrating the dictatorships 75th anniversary.*The Science ReportNew studies show COVID-19 can survive for up to 28 days on some common surfaces.Claims moderate exercise is just as effective as high-intensity exercise in keeping older people healthy.Scientists focus on decimated fish populations in the Murray Darling river system.A new species of mosasaur discovered in northern Morocco.

*Venus might have been a habitable world if not for JupiterA new study claims Venus might not be the sweltering, waterless hellscape it is today if Jupiter hadn't altered its orbit around the Sun.*A new view of the northern skyNASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite – TESS – has provided astronomers with a new view of the northern skies revealing a panorama of both familiar stars and newly discovered worlds.*Is Earth about to get another moonEvery now and then a passing near Earth asteroid gets caught up in the planet’s gravitational field and ends up spending a couple of days, months or even years in Earth orbit as another moon.*Soyuz rideshare missionThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos has launched three telecommunications satellites into orbit aboard a Soyuz 2-1b rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome 800 kilometres north of Moscow.*The Science ReportWarnings that Earth’s sea levels could rise by more than 38 centimetres by the turn of the century.New study shows avoiding cow milk in early life co

*NASA’s Dragonfly drone mission to TitanA new study has found relatively fresh exposed water ice in impact craters on the surface of the Saturnian moon Titan. The findings could prove beneficial in plans for the proposed Dragon fly mission to send a drone aircraft to Titan.*Mars Close ApproachThe red planet Mars is putting on its best show in years right now.*New comic commode rockets into orbit – the dynamic space dunny To go where no man has ever gone before might no longer be accurate – but a new space toilet has been delivered to the international space station.*The Science ReportOne of the world’s most important food crops the sweet potato another victim of global warming.The CSIRO says some 14 million tonnes of microplastics now polluting the ocean floor.Paleontologists have described a new species of Mosasaur.New study claims dogs don’t look at faces the same way humans do.Alex on Tech checks out Apple Watch Series 6Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support of ExpressVPN

*More liquid water lakes found on MarsResearchers have found evidence of a patchwork of salty liquid water lakes below the surface of the red planet Mars.*Einstein’s description of gravity just got harder to beatThey say you don’t bet against Einstein – and that’s been proven yet again in a new study of supermassive black holes.*COVID-19 delays NASA’s Northern Territory launch programEquatorial Launch Australia says it will be the middle of next year before NASA begins launching rockets from its new East Arnhem Land facility.  Restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic forced NASA to delay its Northern Territory launch program which should have been underway by now.*The Science ReportAn estimated one in ten people worldwide now infected with the COVID-19 corona virus.The 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez.Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.The 2020 Nobel Prize in Medicine awarded to Harvey Alter, Michael Ho

*Discovery of an unknown stellar population at the galactic centreAstronomers have found an unknown population of stars near the very heart of the Milky Way galaxy.*Sweden to stop helping China’s space programStockholm has announced that Sweden will cease providing satellite ground station services to China or accept new Chinese space business because of changes in what it euphemistically calls the global political landscape. *New Spanish Earth Observation satelliteAfter leaving the Airbus premises in Madrid on 24 September, the Spanish high-resolution land imaging mission, known as SEOSAT-Ingenio, has arrived safely at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, where it will be prepared for launch later this year.*Space Station air leak still thereThe Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos says cosmonauts have narrowed down the air leak aboard the International Space Station to somewhere in the Zvezda service module.*The Science ReportThe new study showing that folate, magnesium, and dairy products may help stave

*A missing ingredient in dark matter theoriesAstronomers have discovered that there may be a missing ingredient in our cosmic recipe of how dark matter behaves.*First detection of a planet larger than the star it’s orbitingFor the first time ever, astronomers have discovered a giant exoplanet orbiting a small white dwarf star.*New Chinese surveillance satelliteChina has launched a new ocean-monitoring satellite.*The Science ReportScientists have identified a new gene linked to obesity.Study finds silk face masks may be more effective than cotton or polyester versions.Dooms Day planes launch not linked to POTUS COVID-19 diagnosis.Chromium steel manufacture discovered in Persia a thousand years earlier than in the west.Working dog breeds aren't just hard workers, they're also the most playful.Alex on Tech checks out the latest iPad.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to with the support of ExpressVPN - rated No.1 by TechRadar and as used by us. For our special offer, visit www.tryexpressvpn.com

*Answering the question: is anyone out there?Forget what you’ve seen on Star Trek, it looks like our part of the Alpha Quadrant is quite devoid of advanced alien life.*Second alignment plane of solar system discoveredAstronomers have found a second alignment plane in the solar system. The findings have important implications for models of how comets originally formed in the solar system.*School bus-sized asteroid sweeps past EarthAn asteroid the size of a bus has zoomed past the Earth flying just 21 thousand kilometres above the planet’s surface – that’s closer than many Earth orbiting satellites.*The Science ReportGreenland's ice sheet likely to lose more this century than any time in the last 12,000 years.A new study has identified 41 areas of genetic code linked to left-handedness.New research has confirmed that kids really are less likely to get COVID-19.Early to bed really does help your health.The Nigerian church that doesn’t turn the other cheek.Sponsor Details:This episode of SpaceTime is brought to w