**Astronomy Daily Podcast - Series 2, Episode 44 with Tim Gibbs and AI Newsreader Hallie**
**Date:** Friday, 15th September 2023
**Show Notes:**
1. **NASA's New Role in UAP Research:**
- NASA is appointing a director of UAP (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) research.
- The decision follows a recommendation from an independent study team.
- The full report is available on NASA's website.
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson thanked the study team and emphasized NASA's commitment to exploring the unknown.
- The new director will oversee NASA's scientific vision for UAP research, collaborate with other agencies, and apply AI and machine learning to search for anomalies.
2. **International Space Station (ISS) Activities:**
- Top priorities on September 13th included robotics, lab maintenance, and microbiology.
- The Expedition 69 crew engaged in Earth Science Operations and Biomedical duties.
- Astro B, a toaster-sized robotic helper, was activated inside the Kibble Laboratory Module.
- Astronaut Satoshi Furukawa of JAXA monitored the robotic activities.
- NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio and ESA Flight Engineer Andreas Mugansen worked in the Columbus Laboratory Module.
- The Columbus lab was reorganized to accommodate new exercise gear for astronauts.
3. **Lunar Exploration and Development:**
- Multiple space agencies plan to establish bases around the moon's southern polar region.
- Local resources will be used as building materials, a process known as "Insert to Resource Utilization" (ISRU).
- Dr. Kevin M. Kannon proposed a lunar soil classification scheme for space resource utilization.
- The scheme will help inform construction based on soil type and location.
4. **Russia's Lunar Exploration:**
- Russia remains committed to lunar exploration despite the loss of its Luna 25 moon lander.
- Russian leader Vladimir Putin emphasized the continuation of the program.
5. **Climate Change Indicators:**
- Earth experienced its hottest summer in recorded history from June to August 2023.
- Global sea surface temperatures broke new records.
- Heatwaves affected various countries, with over 200 heat-related deaths in Mexico.
- UN Secretary General Antonio Garretis highlighted the urgency of addressing climate change.
6. **Osiris Rex Spacecraft Sample Return:**
- The spacecraft will return an asteroid sample collected from Bennu in 2020.
- The sample capsule will re-enter Earth's atmosphere on September 24th.
- After releasing the capsule, the spacecraft will divert to asteroid Apophis under the new name Osiris Apex.
- The capsule will land safely with the help of parachutes.
7. **Hallie's Joke of the Day:**
- "Where does Light go when it breaks the law? Prism? And it's a light sentence."
**Closing Notes:**
- The podcast episodes are available at spaceknuts.io and bytes.com.
- Join the conversation on the Space Nuts podcast group on Facebook.
- Tune in to Steve Dunkey on Mondays and Tim Gibbs on Fridays.
Thank you for tuning in to Astronomy Daily! See you next week.