Hubble Telescope

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People have gone up to manually work on the hubble telescope a five service missions in order to repair it or upgrade it. The last mission up there was in two thousand and nine, and now it's very much a case of tronto, fix things from back on earth. Despite its age, it is still a superimportant thing, rightno, it's massively oversubscribed. Still, astronomers want to get on it, to use it to look at things. And it's been involved in so many discoveries over the years. We know so much more about space because of its existence.

Spineless sea squirts shed light on vertebrate evolution, and an iodine-fuelled engine powering a satellite in space.

In this episode:

00:45 A story of sea squirts, ancient vertebrates and missing genes

When a PhD student set out to study the developmental pathways of a strange sea creature, he hoped to shed light on the origins of vertebrate animals. Instead, researchers found themselves investigating a strange case of missing genes. We hear why gene loss could be a more significant factor in evolutionary processes than was previously thought.

Research article: Ferrández-Roldán et al.

08:17 Research Highlights

The unusual crystal that gives a beetle its glittering green sheen, and the genetics of a fish’s 200 year lifespan.

Research Highlight: Weird crystal makes beetle a living jewel

Research Highlight: Some of Earth’s longest-lived fish show how to reach extreme ages

10:43 An iodine-fuelled engine for satellites

In space, many satellites use xenon-fuelled ‘electric propulsion systems’ to maneuver. However, xenon is rare and requires high-pressure storage systems, so researchers have been working to develop alternative fuels. This week, a team publish details of the first in-space test of an iodine-powered electric propulsion system, which they say has many advantages over xenon systems.

Research article: Rafalskyi et al

16:37 Briefing Chat

We discuss some highlights from the Nature Briefing. This time, issues aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, and what the discovery of a theorised mineral reveals about processes deep within the Earth.

Wired: NASA Tries to Save Hubble, Again

Nature: Diamond delivers long-sought mineral from the deep Earth

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