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Rockets often bend their trajectories due to the complexities of gravity, thrust, and atmospheric conditions. Meanwhile, NASA's latest breakthrough on Saturn's moon promises to expand our understanding of the solar system, offering new insights into planetary science.
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00:00Prepare for blast-off, because there's some exciting news from NASA coming our way.
00:06Care to look into the fascinating world of Saturn's moon, Titan?
00:11NASA's groundbreaking Dragonfly Rotorcraft Lander is set to take off in 2027,
00:17looking to explore this mysterious space object.
00:21Now let me introduce you to Titan.
00:23It's an icy celestial body with an atmosphere filled with nitrogen,
00:27and it might even have an underground ocean.
00:31Titan is also home to rivers and lakes that flow on its surface.
00:35But guess what? They're not filled with water like our lovely planet.
00:39They have methane instead.
00:43Now let's check out Titan's celestial credentials.
00:46It's not just any moon. It's the second largest in our entire solar system.
00:51It's only 2% smaller than the biggest moon we have hanging around our neighborhood,
00:56which is Jupiter's Ganymede.
00:59Titan's size even puts Mercury to shame.
01:02And did I mention that its atmosphere is 4 times denser than that of Earth's?
01:07Thanks to Titan's lower gravity and thick atmosphere,
01:11Dragonfly is the perfect robotic companion to uncover its hidden treasures.
01:16Let's move on to Dragonfly, the star of NASA's upcoming mission to Titan.
01:21This cosmic drone is not your average explorer.
01:25Equipped with a full array of interesting gadgets,
01:28Dragonfly is like a flying laboratory, ready to uncover more secrets of Titan.
01:33It's the first interplanetary rotorcraft lander probe,
01:37designed to take us on an epic journey of discovery.
01:41And don't let its name fool you.
01:43Dragonfly won't just buzz around aimlessly.
01:46This technological marvel is able to glide for several miles
01:50between different locations on Titan's surface.
01:52Think of it as a cosmic uber-service for scientists.
01:56And speaking of technology,
01:58Dragonfly is carrying some seriously cool equipment.
02:01It'll feature the Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics,
02:05Draco, instrument,
02:07which will help us scoop out material from Titan.
02:09While the Dragonfly mass spectrometer,
02:12RAMS,
02:13will analyze what these samples are made of.
02:17But how did we stumble upon Titan?
02:20It was March 25, 1655,
02:23when a Dutch astronomer was out there with his telescope,
02:26exploring the cosmos.
02:28Lo and behold,
02:29he spotted something amazing.
02:31It was Titan,
02:33the biggest moon of Saturn.
02:36Fast forward almost 300 years to 1944,
02:39when another cool astronomer jumped into the picture.
02:42He was doing some experiments with light,
02:45when he figured out that Titan actually has its very own atmosphere.
02:50There's more to this story.
02:52In 1979,
02:54the Pioneer 11 spacecraft
02:56decided to take a joyride through the Saturn system.
03:00It confirmed all the cool things scientists had previously speculated about Titan,
03:05like its temperature and mass.
03:07However,
03:08there was one tiny mistake.
03:10Those sneaky scientists thought Titan might be the biggest moon in the entire solar system.
03:15Oops,
03:16wrong guess.
03:17Nevertheless,
03:18Titan had this mysterious,
03:20dense atmosphere
03:21that kept everyone on their toes.
03:24Now let's zoom in on the 1980s,
03:27when the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft make their grand entrance.
03:31These cosmic explorers flew past Saturn,
03:34and they wanted to get a good look at Titan's surface.
03:37That's when Titan decided to play a game of hide-and-seek with them.
03:42Its hazy atmosphere made it impossible to see what was going on down there.
03:46So all the Voyagers managed to capture
03:48were images of a lonely orange world.
03:52However,
03:52they did spot a fancy blue haze
03:55hanging out in the upper atmosphere.
03:58Things started to get really exciting in the 1990s.
04:01The Hubble Space Telescope joined the party
04:04and decided to take some cool snapshots of Titan
04:07using special infrared light.
04:09This clever device managed to pierce through the haze.
04:12And,
04:13voila!
04:14The Hubble images revealed differently colored areas on Titan,
04:18almost like a giant cosmic chessboard.
04:21We now know that there's even a bright spot
04:24as wide as Australia down there.
04:27However,
04:28despite these fantastic pictures,
04:29the mystery of what lay beneath Titan's haze
04:32was still unsolved.
04:35It was 2004 when the stage was set
04:38for Cassini and its European sidekick,
04:40the Huygens Probe.
04:42They were like the ultimate dynamic duo,
04:45ready to take on Saturn.
04:47Cassini started orbiting the ringed planet
04:49and immediately focused its attention on Titan.
04:52The big moment finally arrived.
04:54On January 14, 2005,
04:57the Huygens Probe pierced through Titan's atmosphere.
05:02During its descent,
05:03Huygens collected all sorts of amazing data,
05:06snapping images and analyzing the atmosphere.
05:09The probe then transmitted this valuable information
05:12back to Cassini,
05:13which, like a cosmic courier,
05:15sent it to us eagerly waiting Earthlings.
05:18Over the next 13 years,
05:20Cassini flew close to Titan over 100 times,
05:23using all sorts of fancy instruments
05:26to get a good look at the moon's surface and atmosphere.
05:29Scientists could finally confirm
05:31that Titan had clouds, lakes, and rivers.
05:34And there was also some rain pouring down its surface.
05:40Thankfully for us,
05:42Titan isn't the only moon in our solar system
05:44that could technically harbor life.
05:47Take the wondrous moon of Neptune called Triton.
05:50For starters,
05:51it's the largest moon of Neptune.
05:53But it's also a real oddball.
05:57Among the many moons out there,
05:58only five are known to be geologically active.
06:01And guess what?
06:03Triton is proudly part of this exclusive club.
06:06It loves to show off its geysers,
06:08which spew nitrogen gas.
06:12Picture Triton as a fashionista
06:14in an icy ensemble.
06:16Its surface is mainly frozen nitrogen,
06:19giving it a chill, frosty vibe.
06:21You might want to bring a warm coat if you ever visit.
06:24Now, you may be wondering
06:26how Triton manages to keep warm
06:28in such a frigid environment.
06:30Well, it's got a secret weapon called tidal forces.
06:34Imagine Triton and Neptune engaged in a cosmic dance,
06:38creating gravitational friction.
06:40This dance seems to generate some heat,
06:43helping to warm up Triton's waters.
06:45With all this talk about heat,
06:47you might be getting excited
06:49about the possibility of life on Triton.
06:52However,
06:53finding life on this moon
06:54is about as likely as
06:55finding a unicorn riding a skateboard.
06:58Voyager 2,
06:59the only mission to ever fly by Triton,
07:01made its journey back in 1989.
07:04And if you're hoping for another mission
07:06to Triton anytime soon,
07:07well, let's just say
07:09the stars aren't aligning in our favor.
07:11Literally.
07:12The window for a mission to Triton
07:14opens up only once every 13 years,
07:17because our planet and Jupiter
07:19need to be perfectly aligned
07:21for the landing to work.
07:23Scientists would use the gravitational pull
07:25of the largest planet in our solar system
07:27to safely deliver a probe on Triton.
07:31Now, let's address the elephant in the room,
07:33or should I say the polar bear?
07:35It's so cold on Triton
07:37that hopes for life to survive unfrozen
07:40are about as slim as a toothpick.
07:42Sorry, potential little microbes,
07:44you might need a few extra sweaters
07:46to set up shop down there.
07:48Even though Triton may not be
07:50the most welcoming place for life,
07:52it's still a celestial gem worth exploring.
07:57Scientists also believe Triton
07:59wasn't always a part of Neptune's crew.
08:02As it turns out,
08:03Triton was most likely
08:05just minding its business,
08:06hanging around aimlessly
08:08in the distant Kuiper belt.
08:10Along came Neptune
08:11with its mighty gravitational pull
08:13and snatched Triton right out,
08:16officially making it a moon of its own.
08:19Just like our trusty satellite,
08:21Triton is also stuck
08:23in a permanent face-off with Neptune.
08:26One side of Triton
08:27always has its eyes locked on the planet.
08:31As for this amazing moon's fate,
08:33things aren't looking so good in the long run.
08:36It's already getting closer and closer
08:39to Neptune every day.
08:40Why is that, you might wonder?
08:42The problem is with those tidal interactions,
08:45which are playing some cosmic tricks on Triton.
08:48They're causing its orbit to wither away,
08:51like a slow-motion dance towards Neptune.
08:55Scientists predict that in about 3.6 billion years,
08:59Triton will cross an invisible boundary.
09:01If these current calculations are correct,
09:03there are two possible scenarios.
09:05It'll either have a collision with Neptune's atmosphere,
09:08or it might just break up into tiny pieces.
09:13If the latter happens,
09:14an all-new ring system would form around Neptune,
09:17just like the one we see around Saturn nowadays.
09:21Triton is not the only satellite
09:23that might end up this way.
09:25Phobos, one of the Martian moons,
09:27is likely to disintegrate too,
09:29and sooner,
09:30in 30 to 50 million years.
09:33Have you ever wondered why rockets are launched
09:36right next to the equator or the sea?
09:38Or why do we launch them vertically
09:40and not like airplanes?
09:42Let's answer all the possible,
09:44not stupid, questions about rockets.
09:48Question 1.
09:49How does the Earth affect the rocket's launch?
09:52Let's remember some school physics.
09:54The gravity of the Earth is incredibly strong.
09:57To overcome this force,
09:59we need to develop a huge speed.
10:02Fortunately,
10:03rockets are capable of developing it,
10:05but it would be much more difficult
10:06if the Earth itself didn't help it.
10:09The Earth rotates around the sun
10:11at a speed of 67,000 miles per hour.
10:14Very fast, to put it mildly.
10:16And we are all moving with it,
10:18so getting off the Earth
10:20is like getting out of a moving car.
10:22For some time,
10:23the rocket will move along our planet by inertia.
10:26It's like a helpful push.
10:28The rocket takes off from Earth
10:30at a certain speed already,
10:32and then it just needs to accelerate
10:34a bit more with the help of its fuel.
10:36By the way,
10:38this isn't the only scientific trick
10:40in launching rockets.
10:41To get to the maximum benefit from this push,
10:44they're launched into Earth's orbit
10:46from west to east.
10:48Why?
10:49Because the Earth rotates
10:50from west to east, of course.
10:52This way,
10:53the rocket receives maximum inertia.
10:57Question 2.
10:58Why are rockets launched
11:00next to the equator?
11:01The answer is related
11:03to the previous question.
11:05Believe it or not,
11:06the Earth's surface
11:07is moving faster at the equator.
11:09The school lied to us a little.
11:11The Earth isn't perfectly round.
11:14Rather,
11:14it's a flattened ellipse.
11:16And the equator
11:17is the widest point
11:18on our planet.
11:19Now,
11:20what is speed?
11:22It's the distance
11:23divided by time.
11:25And since the distance
11:26at the equator
11:26is the largest,
11:27about 25,000 miles,
11:29then the rotation speed
11:30there will be higher.
11:32So,
11:33imagine that you
11:34and your friend
11:35were standing
11:35at two different points
11:36of the Earth.
11:37You are at the equator,
11:39and your friend
11:39is closer to the North Pole.
11:42After standing there
11:43for the entire day,
11:44you would fly more miles
11:45than your friend,
11:46which technically means
11:48that you moved faster.
11:49So,
11:50yep,
11:50the rotation speed
11:51at the equator
11:52is higher.
11:53Naturally,
11:54it's most profitable
11:55for us
11:56to launch rockets
11:57from places
11:57where the initial
11:58thrust velocity
11:59will be as high
12:00as possible.
12:01And launching
12:02from the equator
12:03causes the spacecraft
12:04to move
12:05almost 300 miles
12:06per hour faster.
12:09Question 3.
12:10How do scientists
12:11choose the places
12:12for the launch pads?
12:14Rockets are gigantic,
12:16complex monsters
12:17weighing several thousand pounds.
12:19Needless to say,
12:20dozens of errors
12:21may occur during startup.
12:23Probably the most dangerous one
12:25is a mid-flight failure.
12:26That's when something
12:27goes wrong in a rocket
12:29that's still in the sky.
12:30If the burning debris
12:31falls to the Earth,
12:33it may cause
12:33a huge disaster.
12:35Now,
12:36let's look at a map
12:37of the location
12:38of launch pads
12:39in the world.
12:40You can see
12:41that many of them
12:42are located
12:43near the coast.
12:44For example,
12:45the Kennedy Space Center
12:46in Florida, USA
12:47or the Satish Dalwan Space Center
12:49in Sriharakota, India.
12:51That's the way
12:52to minimize
12:53and ideally eliminate
12:54altogether
12:55the risk of debris
12:56falling on your head.
12:58If something goes wrong
12:59during the launch,
13:00it will fall
13:01into the ocean waters,
13:02far from densely populated areas.
13:04And yeah,
13:05there are a bunch
13:06of launch pads
13:07located far from the sea.
13:08That's because
13:09many other things
13:10also play a role
13:12in choosing the location.
13:13For example,
13:14the availability.
13:16The launch pad
13:17should be ideally accessible
13:18from land,
13:19air,
13:20and sea.
13:22Question 4.
13:23Wait,
13:24doesn't Florida
13:25have crazy weather?
13:26Why did they choose
13:27this state?
13:29For more than 70 years,
13:31NASA has been launching rockets
13:32from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
13:34It's because Florida
13:35has a very humid
13:37and tropical climate.
13:38There are more thunderstorms
13:40a year
13:40than in any other place.
13:42This can greatly interfere
13:44with rocket launches.
13:45It's very dangerous.
13:47Moreover,
13:48one time
13:48it actually happened.
13:50In 1987,
13:51lightning struck
13:52an AC-67 rocket
13:54before takeoff.
13:55Its systems failed
13:56and eventually
13:57the rocket was destroyed.
13:59Fortunately,
14:00there were no people
14:01on board.
14:02Another big weather threat
14:03is hurricanes.
14:04And yes,
14:05they also happen in Florida
14:06more often
14:07than in any other state.
14:09But despite all this,
14:11NASA still chose
14:12this cursed place
14:13to launch their rockets.
14:14Why?
14:15Well,
14:16probably because
14:17all the crazy things,
14:18including rocket launches,
14:19must happen in Florida.
14:21But on a serious note,
14:22before NASA moved
14:24to Cape Canaveral,
14:25rockets were launched
14:26from another place,
14:27from the White Sands
14:29test site
14:29located in New Mexico.
14:31Back then,
14:32since White Sands
14:33was located
14:34in a remote area
14:35of the country,
14:36everything was
14:36more or less safe.
14:38If the rockets had fallen,
14:39they wouldn't affect
14:40or destroy anything.
14:42But as time went on,
14:43our technologies developed.
14:45The rockets got bigger
14:46and needed much more space
14:48for their launches.
14:49As a result,
14:50the danger zone
14:51also increased.
14:52White Sands
14:53was just 26 miles
14:55from Las Cruces,
14:56New Mexico,
14:56and 70 miles
14:58from El Paso, Texas.
14:59In other words,
15:01it was surrounded
15:02by settlements.
15:03Therefore,
15:04scientists began
15:04to look for safer places.
15:06The East Coast
15:07seemed like the best option.
15:09Can you guess why?
15:11Not only is the East Coast
15:13closer to the equator,
15:14but it's also located
15:16near the Atlantic Ocean.
15:17We already know
15:19that this actually adds
15:20plus one to the security.
15:22That's why in the 1950s,
15:23NASA moved its launches
15:25to Florida.
15:26The first one
15:27was the launch
15:28of the Bumper 8 rocket,
15:30which took place
15:30on July 24, 1950.
15:33And then,
15:33this place became
15:34a full-fledged spaceport.
15:38Question 5.
15:39Why are rockets
15:40launched vertically?
15:42Rockets are thin,
15:44cylindrical, tall things
15:45that go into space vertically
15:46and leave behind
15:47a giant cloud of smoke.
15:49But why are they launched
15:51that way
15:51and not like airplanes,
15:52for example?
15:53Well, this sounds
15:55a bit crazy.
15:56To implement it,
15:57we'd have to make
15:58a lot of changes
15:59to the current rocket designs.
16:01But the most important thing
16:02is that it would waste
16:03a lot of resources.
16:06This may surprise you,
16:07but planes and rockets
16:08are designed
16:09a little differently.
16:10The plane's main task
16:12is to fly in the atmosphere.
16:13The rocket's main task
16:15is to leave the atmosphere
16:17as soon as possible.
16:18Due to the air resistance
16:20in the sky,
16:21the rocket loses
16:22most of its energy
16:23while flying.
16:24Therefore,
16:25we need to make sure
16:26that it has left
16:26the Earth's atmosphere
16:27before its fuel
16:28is completely used up.
16:30And since it needs
16:31a lot more fuel
16:32than an airplane,
16:33it's easier
16:34and more economical
16:35to launch it straight up.
16:37So,
16:37it will use
16:38a minimum of fuel,
16:40just what it takes
16:40to kick gravity
16:41in the face.
16:44Question 6.
16:45Why does the trajectory
16:46of a rocket
16:47change after launch?
16:49Remember that we said
16:50that the rocket's main task
16:52is to escape gravity
16:53by any means
16:54and reach space?
16:55Now forget about it.
16:57Technically, it's true,
16:58but it doesn't show
16:59the full picture.
17:00The very task
17:01of getting into space
17:02isn't particularly difficult.
17:04The space
17:05isn't actually that high.
17:07You'll officially
17:08become an astronaut
17:09if you go to an altitude
17:10of about 60 miles
17:12above Earth.
17:13But it's all about
17:14staying in orbit.
17:16The orbit
17:16is the boundary
17:17of two worlds.
17:18Here,
17:19the gravitational pull
17:20of the Earth
17:21is still large enough
17:22that the rocket
17:22doesn't fly
17:23into outer space,
17:25but at the same time,
17:26low enough
17:26that it doesn't
17:27fall back to Earth.
17:29So,
17:30if you reach it,
17:31there's no need
17:31to waste fuel anymore.
17:33The spacecraft
17:34will simply fly
17:35in zero gravity
17:36by inertia.
17:37If the rocket
17:38flies purely
17:39in a straight line,
17:40it will simply
17:41fly into outer space.
17:42To enter orbit,
17:44it needs to fly
17:45in an arc.
17:46Therefore,
17:47after starting,
17:48it begins to tilt
17:49to the side
17:49and gradually
17:50increases this slope.
17:52Getting into orbit
17:53is a very difficult
17:54task, actually.
17:55The fuel should be
17:56enough to reach
17:56an insane speed
17:57of 18,000 miles per hour.
18:00That's why we invented
18:01this optimization method.
18:03Smart people call it
18:04gravitational reversal.
18:06So,
18:06a rocket bends
18:07its trajectory
18:08after launch
18:09because it has to
18:10go into Earth's orbit.
18:12Congrats!
18:12That was a long journey.
18:14But now you,
18:15hopefully,
18:16learned a bit more
18:17about rocket launching.
18:18We'll see you next time.
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