SciShow's 10 Favorite Pins of the Month | Compilation

This episode of SciShow Space highlights ten of the most popular pins released during the show’s “Pin of the Month” program. Each pin commemorates a significant moment or object in space exploration, including the Arecibo Observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope’s servicing missions, the crawler transporter, Venera 7, a dark matter star, and the Apollo 11 command module. The episode also explores the intricacies of the Apollo program, considering its political motivations, the risks associated with space exploration, and the lasting impact of the Apollo missions on our understanding of the universe.

Arecibo Observatory

• 00:00:27 The Arecibo Observatory was a large radio telescope located in Puerto Rico, featured in a James Bond film, and was known for its iconic appearance and large size. It collected radio waves from the sky and transmitted a binary message to outer space in 1974. In 2020, the telescope’s receiver assembly collapsed due to a combination of age, climate, and difficulty in repairs.

Hubble Space Telescope

• 00:06:35 The Hubble Space Telescope, which had a faulty mirror, was launched in 1990 and has been serviced multiple times by astronauts. The telescope was designed to be serviceable in orbit, with modular components that could be easily replaced. Servicing missions have kept Hubble operational for over 30 years.

Crawlers

• 00:12:29 NASA’s crawlers are large self-powered vehicles that transport launch vehicles from the assembly building to the launchpad. They are unsung heroes of space exploration and have been used for decades, most recently transporting the space shuttle and preparing for the Artemis missions. Crawler Transporter 2 is currently being refitted to carry the new Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.

Venera 7

• 00:18:21 Venera 7 was the first probe to survive landing on the surface of another planet, Venus. The probe was designed to withstand the extreme atmospheric pressure and temperature on Venus, and it successfully transmitted data for 23 minutes after landing. This success paved the way for future missions to Venus.

Dark Matter Star

• 00:32:21 Dark matter stars are theoretical objects that could be made up of dark matter particles, which do not interact with light. One team of researchers modeled how a hypothetical dark matter particle called a neutralino could form a dark matter star. Such a star would emit infrared light and gamma rays, offering a potential way to detect them.

Shark & Polaris

• 00:37:36 A viral claim suggests that sharks are older than Polaris, the North Star. The statement is partially true, as sharks are indeed older than Polaris B, which is estimated to be 2.1 billion years old. Polaris AA, on the other hand, is much younger, estimated to be 75 million years old, making it younger than the first sharks. However, the ages of these stars remain uncertain due to the difficulty in measuring the distance of a bright star.

Zombie World

• 00:45:48 A theory suggests that two large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs) found deep within Earth’s mantle could be remnants of the ancient planet Thea. Thea collided with Earth 4.5 billion years ago, forming the moon. This theory suggests that the LLVPs are denser than Earth’s mantle and could be composed of material from Thea that sank into Earth’s mantle after the collision.

Lunar Roving Vehicle

• 00:51:26 The Lunar Roving Vehicle, also known as the “moon buggy,” was a four-wheeled vehicle used by astronauts on Apollo 15, 16, and 17 to explore the lunar surface. It was designed to be light, sturdy, and able to carry two astronauts, their tools, and moon rocks. It had four-wheel drive, a TV camera controllable from Earth, and a revolutionary navigation computer. The moon buggy enabled astronauts to travel farther and collect more samples than previous missions, helping us to better understand the Moon.

Apollo 11 Command Module

• 00:57:19 The Apollo 11 command module was the spacecraft that carried Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon and back. This was a monumental moment in human history, signifying our ability to travel to another world and inspiring future generations to explore space. The episode concludes by reflecting on the risks and rewards of the Apollo program and the significance of its achievements.