Learn about NASA Satellites! ? | PODCAST FOR KIDS ? | Wow in the World FULL EPISODE

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Proceed in 3, 2, 1, ignition.
The bubbles are in a mixture of magnificent proportions.
I don't know what you've been told, but we're in a golden age.
So many discoveries that are jumping off the page.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
Wow in the world.
All right, Reg, give me a countdown.
Ready?
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
My 3D printed asteroid cookies are done.
Reggie, pass me that plate over there.
Reggie, Mindy, hurry up.
You're going to miss the satellite launch.
Coming.
Reggie, grab those cookies.
It is a beautiful day here at Cape Canaveral, and we are just moments away from the countdown.
Just in time.
What were you two doing in there?
What?
We were 3D printing all of these asteroid cookies.
Oh, no.
Uh, Mindy?
Yes?
That's not the same 3D printer you used to make my unbirthday cake, is it?
That thing was churning out uncooked batter for weeks.
Uh, no, Guy Raz.
For these, I used my new 3D printing oven that only serves up cooked batter in the form of cookies.
You want one?
Reggie says they're good.
Okay.
All right, think fast.
Why are you throwing cookies at my head?
I said think fast.
Okay, let me give this a try.
Ow.
Mindy, these things are rock solid.
That's because they're asteroid cookies, Guy Raz.
They're practically made out of rocks.
Here, you want another one?
No, no, no.
I'm good.
Thanks, Mindy.
Suit yourself.
I guess that's more for me and Reggie.
Oh, oh, oh.
Mm, this is good.
Ow.
Ow.
...87% favorable for lift-off, so we are all but certainly expected to...
Launch director, go for launch.
And here we go, everyone.
Launch in 30 seconds.
It's starting.
Scoot over, Guy Raz.
Reggie, you're getting your feathers in my face.
9, 8, 7, 6, ignition sequence start.
3, 2, 1, and lift-off.
We did it!
Yes!
Woo!
Yeah!
See you later, Lucy!
Lucy?
Yeah, Lucy the satellite.
She just launched.
Didn't you see it?
Have a safe trip, Lucy.
You named the satellite Lucy?
How?
Right, because satellites don't have names like Lucy.
And if they do have names, well, then you know it's usually a scientific name.
No, NASA named her Lucy, Guy Raz.
What?
NASA named its newly launched satellite Lucy?
Yeah, pretty bonker balls, huh?
They named her after this big old bag of bones that these archaeologists dug up a few years ago.
Wait a minute, Mindy.
Why would NASA name one of their brand new satellites after some old archaeological find?
Because, Guy Raz, Lucy the satellite is an archaeologist.
What in the wow are you talking about, Mindy?
How can a satellite be an archaeologist?
Well, Lucy's mission is to discover how the planets in our solar system came to be.
Ah, just like how an archaeologist digs through the rubble of ancient civilizations to discover how humans came to be.
Exactoritos.
And how exactly is this satellite named Lucy going to do that?
Well, I could tell you.
Yes?
But I'd rather show you.
Come on, Guy Raz.
I just degreased the wow machine and it's all revved up and ready for another adventure.
Uh-huh.
It's just outside.
All right, Mindy.
Lead the way.
But first, let me just grab a few more of these asteroid cookies for the road here.
Oh, cool.
Well, this way.
Uh, Mindy, are you sure you don't want to turn off that 3D printing oven before we leave?
Yeah, it'll be fine.
Uh, are you sure?
Well, of course I'm not sure, Guy Raz.
Now, come on.
The wow machine's not going to wait forever.
Come on.
Oh, Greg, you mind getting the door?
Thank you.
Okay, so where exactly are we heading off to, Mindy?
Okay, so we're going to the same place that Lucy the satellite is heading off to in the Trojans.
The Trojans?
Yeah.
The Trojans are these two clusters of asteroids that are orbiting the sun.
Ah, and just to be clear, an orbit is the path that an object makes around another object in space.
Exactly.
Like how we here on Earth orbit the sun and the moon orbits us.
And these Trojan asteroids are also orbiting the sun?
Uh-huh.
And they do it at about the same distance as Jupiter, which is around 500 million miles from the sun, give or take.
Interesting.
And one of these clusters is in front of Jupiter and the other one is behind it.
And so why is Lucy the satellite going to visit these asteroids?
What do you mean?
Well, I mean, I thought she was supposed to be studying how the planets in our solar system were formed, not these asteroids.
Ah, well, Guy Raz, some of the scientists at NASA have a hypothesis, or a scientific guess, that these asteroids are actually the result of a planet that tried to form billions of years ago, but for some reason just couldn't do it.
Huh.
Just like that time I tried to make Planet Mindy.
Uh, Mindy?
What?
Mindy, what are you doing with all those cookies?
Trying to make an all-cookies planet, but all I get is cookie dust.
Mindy, you're getting cookie crumbs all over my sustainable bamboo alpaca rug.
Oops, sorry, Guy Raz.
You know, I'm still finding cookie crumbs in that rug.
Well, the Trojan asteroids are just like those cookie crumbs in your rug, Guy Raz.
Right, I think I get you, Mindy.
These scientists from NASA think that by studying this failed planet, they can learn more about how all the other planets in our solar system were formed.
You know it.
I mean, think about how archaeologists down here on Earth work.
They can look and study something like the Great Pyramids, but if they really want to learn how they got there in the first place, they gotta go to the ancient construction site next door.
Ah, to study the building blocks and tools that were used to put it together.
You got it.
Well, here we are, Guy Raz.
The Wow Machine.
Oh, no.
Just where I left it.
Mindy, it's right in the middle of this intersection.
I know.
I thought it'd be easier for people to find that way.
Ready to hop in?
Well, at least let these cars pass first.
Oh, yeah, I gotcha.
Stop!
Stop it right there.
Mindy, you can't just stop traffic on your own.
There are lights and signs for that.
All right.
Guy Raz, come on.
All right.
It's cold in here.
Let me just turn on the heating.
Too much.
Ah, there we go.
All right, Mindy, so I know where we're going, but when are we going?
Well, let's see here.
NASA expects it to take six years for Lucy to reach the first cluster of Trojan asteroids, so...
So, 2027?
Yes.
So, let me just plug it in here.
All right.
Everybody strapped in and ready to head to the future?
No.
Well, then you better hold on to something, because here we go!
And stop!
Stop!
Wow Machine, stop it!
Stop the Wow Machine!
Stop!
You better stop it now!
Uh, Mindy?
It'll just be a second!
Okay.
All right.
Everybody okay?
Let's just roll up the blinds here, see what's going on outside the window.
There we go.
Now, just look out the window, Guy Raz, and tell me what you see.
I see...
Huh.
Nothing.
It's pretty dark out there, Mindy.
Oh, right, yes, because it's space.
Forgot to snap on the floodlights.
One second!
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run!
Light switch on!
How about now?
Whoa!
Run, run, run, run, run, run!
Wow.
Pretty bonker balls, huh?
What is that thing, Mindy?
This, Guy Raz, is the asteroid known as Euribides.
And this is one of the asteroids that Lucy the satellite will be looking at during her mission?
Uh-huh.
And this one is the first of four asteroids that Lucy will be looking at in this cluster.
The first of four?
So what else is on Lucy's itinerary?
Oh, I'm so glad you asked, Guy Raz.
Let me just grab Lucy's itinerary here and I'll tell you.
That's Lucy's itinerary?
Yeah.
I even got it laminated.
Right.
Okay, let's see here.
Alright, so this is the first one, Euribides.
She should be arriving here in August 2027.
Which is right where we are right now, but in the future.
Exactly.
And then she'll be moving on to the asteroid Palemolee just a few months later in September 2027.
Okay.
And then the following year she'll be visiting the asteroid Lucas in April 2028.
I heard that asteroid is lovely that time of year.
Uh-huh.
And then finally she'll arrive at the asteroid Orus in November of 2028.
Wow, that seems like quite the whirlwind trip.
And that's not even the end of it.
Well, what do you mean?
I'll tell you later, Guy Raz.
But do you hear that?
That beeping?
Yeah, where is that coming from?
I think it's coming from outside the Wow Machine.
It must be...
Lucy!
Wow, there she is, Mindy.
Lucy the satellite.
She looks so tiny compared to that asteroid.
She's so cute.
Well, she is only a little over 46 feet across, which is about the same size as a school bus.
And Euripides is about as wide as an amusement park, so it makes sense that she would look so small.
Wow, and it looks like most of that 46 feet is made up of what looks like giant metal wings.
Are those solar panels, Mindy?
You know it, Guy Raz.
That's how she's able to power all of that scientific equipment that she'll be using to analyze or study these asteroids.
What kind of scientific equipment is she using?
Well, I think we're about to find out.
Uh, did that satellite just take a picture, Mindy?
Sure did, Guy Raz.
The first experiment that Lucy will be performing on these asteroids is to take pictures of them so that scientists on Earth can count how many craters each of these asteroids have.
And craters are what's left over when something strikes the surface of the asteroid, right?
Exactly. So the older asteroids will have more craters...
Because they've had more time to get banged up by other stuff shooting around in space.
Yes, it's kind of like counting all the rings in the trunk of a tree or all of those dings in your car.
Mindy, you made all those dings on my car.
Exactly! It's an extremely accurate record of how long we've been friends.
Anywho, on top of this, Lucy will also be using some special cameras like a thermal camera...
and a multispectral camera...
to figure out what the asteroid is made up of and what's on its surface.
Wow, so Lucy doesn't even need to touch down on the asteroid to study them?
She can just do all that research while flying above it?
Yeah, just a breezy little flyby. She doesn't even have to slow down.
In fact, I think she might be finishing up here already.
One asteroid down, five asteroids to go.
Five? But Mindy, I thought you said that Lucy was only going to be visiting four asteroids?
Oh, she's only visiting four asteroids in this cluster, Guy Raz.
Ah, so Lucy's studying four asteroids here and then two asteroids in the other cluster.
That's right. In fact, the two biggest asteroids that Lucy is going to visit, Patroclus and Minotius...
well, those asteroids are almost 100 miles in diameter.
Wow, that's like 400 Empire State Buildings piled on top of each other.
I know, pretty massive, huh?
So then I imagine that Lucy's going to take those same photos of those two big asteroids as well?
Uh-huh. And after that, it's mission accomplished.
Great!
And speaking of mission accomplished, I know that you think those asteroid cookies I made earlier were already pretty perfect?
Are you kidding, Mindy? They chipped my tooth.
But this trip has just given me a great idea to improve the recipe.
Come on, let's go home and try it out.
As long as I don't have to eat any of them.
Okay, locking in the coordinates, planet Earth, present day, fast path, and here we go!
Another smooth landing.
Uh, Mindy, what's that sound?
Uh-oh.
Mindy, is that your 3D printing oven?
No, I don't think so.
Oh yeah, that was definitely one of my cookies.
Mindy, how are we going to get out of here?
I don't know.
We're going to have to find a way out.
Oh yeah, that was definitely one of my cookies.
Mindy, how are we going to get out of here?
We're under heavy attack.
Don't worry, Guy Raz.
It'll run out of cookie dough soon enough.
I think.
Mindy!
Oh, well.
Hi, thanks for calling Wow in the World.
After the beep, get ready to record.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Zarina and I live in Maryland and I'm seven years old.
My wow in my world is that more ate eels, when they bite, they have teeth in their jaws that pop out and take another bite of their food.
And say hi to Reggie and the whole crew for me.
Thanks, bye.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Isabel.
I live in Cheshire, Connecticut and I'm seven years old.
My wow in the world is that a female whale is called a cow.
Say hi to Reggie, Janice, and Gramercy for me.
Hi!
Oh, isn't that nice?
Hi Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Emma and I live in Medford, Oregon.
And my wow in the world is that Mars used to have beaches.
Say hi to Gramercy for us.
Oh, snap.
Reggie.
And of course, the annoying Dennis.
Ahoy there!
Bye!
Hi, my name is Logan.
I live in Hilliard, Ohio.
My wow is that dogs use their tongues like spoons to drink water.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raz.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Allen and I live in Colorado.
And my wow is birds can whisper.
Hi, my name is Narive.
I live in Virginia with my three brothers.
And my wow in the world is that blue whales are the biggest animal in the world.
There is no other animal that scientists have discovered that is bigger, that is alive.
Thank you.
Bye Mindy and Guy Raz.
And say hi to Reggie for me.
Hi, my name is Charles.
And I live in North Carolina, Winston-Salem.
My wow in the world is that sperm whales can eat one of the largest squids in the world.
Bye!
Say hi to Dennis, Grandma G for Thomas Fingerlings.
I'm the fairest one of all.
And Reggie.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raz.
My name is Hazel and I'm from Portland, Oregon.
My wow is that dogs sniff each other's butts to communicate.
Isn't that cool and gross at the same time?
Oh, snap!
What did you say?
End of messages.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken.
Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by our senior producer Jed Anderson and Tyler Thull.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas Fingerling, Reggie, and many of the other silly characters you hear on our show.
Jessica Bode keeps her facts straight as our fact checker.
And Meredith Halpern-Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.
Our theme song was composed and performed by three-time Grammy nominees, The Pop-Ups.
Find them at thepopups.com.
Special thanks to the rest of our team of Tinkerers, including Anna Zagorski, Rebecca Kavan, Kit Ballinger, and Henry Moskell.
To keep the wows rolling, visit us at tinkercast.com.
There you can learn more about becoming an official member of the World Organization of Wowsers.
Learn more about upcoming events, shop our shop, and pick up a copy of our new number one New York Times bestselling book,
The How and Wow of the Human Body.
Grown-ups, you can follow Wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at wowintheworld.
And our email address is hello at tinkercast.com.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-wowwow for a chance to be featured at the end of our show, or an upcoming episode of Two What's in a Wow.
Thanks again for listening, and until next time, be fond wowing!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.
Wondery.com