Exploring the Mysteries of Space

Cosmic Queries with Natalie Starkey: Exploring Comets, Asteroids, and Extraterrestrial Life

Star Talk's Cosmic Queries is a successful fan-favorite segment where listeners can ask questions about space and astrophysics.
To officially ask questions, one must be a member of Star Talk's Patreon network, which starts at $5/month.
Natalie Starkey is a science communicator and producer at the Royal Society of Chemistry in Cambridge, England. She has written two books and produced a planetarium show at the American Museum of Natural History.
Starkey's book, Catching Stardust, focuses on the history and future of comets and asteroids, including missions to study them and their potential for mining and preventing collisions with Earth.
Comets and asteroids contain amino acids, the building blocks of life, and Stardust was the first mission to return samples of cometary dust to Earth.
There is a risk of contamination when studying extraterrestrial samples, which is why NASA has a division called planetary protection to prevent forward contamination (sending Earth life to space) and backward contamination (bringing extraterrestrial life to Earth).
Chirality refers to the twisting of molecules, and life on Earth has a specific handedness to its molecules. It is unclear if extraterrestrial life would have the same chirality.
A planet or moon needs to have a hot, active core to create a magnetic field, which is important for protecting against solar wind and radiation.
Cryovolcanism, or icy volcanism, occurs on moons with subsurface oceans of liquid water, methane, or ammonia. Tidal forces from giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn create heat and movement in the interior, leading to cryovolcanic eruptions.
If a moon like Io was not next to Jupiter, it would not be the most volcanically active object in the solar system. Tidal forces from the planet create heat and movement in the moon's interior.
Star Talk's Cosmic Queries is a popular and engaging way for listeners to learn about space and astrophysics from experts like Natalie Starkey.
To officially ask questions on Cosmic Queries, one must be a member of Star Talk's Patreon network, which starts at $5/month.Geological Pressures, Detecting Life Outside Earth, and the JUICE Mission
Volcanic pressure build-up and eruption varies depending on the volcano and the amount of gas contained within the magma.
Earth's Kilauea volcano erupts at lower pressure due to less dissolved gas in the magma, while Mount St. Helens erupted at higher pressure due to more gas.
In space, volcanic activity depends on the individual celestial body, with smaller bodies like Mars and Venus having active volcanoes, but activity varying among different volcanoes.
The best way to detect life outside of Earth is to look for habitable environments, such as those with liquid water and heat, which are good for microbial life to thrive.
Fossilized microbes are hard to find, and the best bet is to look for saline and watery environments that might have hosted life in the past.
There is no point in looking for life until we find the right environment first.
Current methods of detecting life outside Earth include sending radio signals out into space and looking for planets within the habitable zone.
The JUICE Mission (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer) is a European Space Agency mission set to arrive at the Jupiter system in 2031.
The JUICE Mission will be looking at Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, while NASA's Europa Clipper Mission will only focus on Europa.
The Europa Clipper Mission is set to launch next year and will investigate the signs of life on Europa.
The JUICE Mission will investigate the surfaces and compositions of Jupiter's moons, complementing the Europa Clipper Mission's focus on Europa.
To travel to celestial bodies in space, spacecraft must have sufficient energy to go straight there, or rely on gravity assist through slingshots in the solar system.Exploring Planetary Surfaces and Harnessing Energy from Earth's Core
Planetary surfaces can be studied by measuring particles coming off the surfaces and investigating liquid oceans underneath the surface.
Most moons in our solar system have more liquid water than Earth's oceans, with Ganymede being the largest moon.
Europa has a 100-mile deep ocean, and James Cameron plans to explore it for potential movie material.
Geothermal energy can be harnessed from Earth's core by drilling down to the mantle that generates heat from radioactive decay.
Iceland has shifted from fossil fuels to geothermal energy, which heats roads and provides all their electricity.
New Zealand also uses geothermal energy due to high heat flow.
Lake Vostok in Antarctica is an analog for exploring ice moons like Europa, as it has remained pristine and untouched for millions of years.
Extreme environments, such as the bottom of Earth's oceans, are where extremophiles thrive and likely where life originated.
While Lake Vostok is not the same as Europa, it can still provide valuable information before sending a spacecraft.
Pumping water from the ocean to ship to Mars to prevent coastal flooding from melting ice is not practical due to the high cost of launching bulk into space.
Launching bulk into space is expensive, so space missions are designed with small and light instruments.
Overthinking ideas can lead to impractical solutions, and simple solutions like switching to renewable energy can be effective in addressing climate change.Exploring Space: Water in Space, Volcanoes on the Moon, and the Search for Life
Launching mass into space is expensive due to the need for more rocket fuel, making it necessary to keep spacecraft light.
Water is limited in space, and recycling urine is necessary for the International Space Station.
Generating water on the moon and Mars will be essential for creating human bases, and mining asteroids for water is more efficient than launching it from Earth.
The cost to launch a pound of anything into space is between $5,000 and $10,000.
Volcanoes on the moon were mostly basaltic and flowy, with some explosive eruptions that caused fire fountains.
Magma from these eruptions was too dense to escape the moon's surface, and most material fell back down.
Cryo volcanoes emit gases that can escape more easily, but gravity determines whether materials can escape entirely.
The moon has a stronger gravity than many other moons in the solar system.
Looking for life in other elements may not make sense, but other solvents like methane could potentially host life.
Organic material needs liquid to move and find other bits of organic material to create life.
Liquid water is not necessarily needed for life, but it is a good starting point since it is a solvent that works.
Investigating other forms of life that we don't currently understand is not practical since we wouldn't know how to recognize or detect it.