*Hosted by Steve Dunkley and AI sidekick Hallie***"
. **Main Stories:** - **Moon Rocks:** Where are they now? Stored at NASA's Lunar Sample Curation Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Dr. Julian Gross, former Deputy Apollo Sample Curator, discusses the Lunar Curation Facility and the excitement for the Artemis mission's new lunar samples. - **Japan's Space Endeavors:** Japan's HIA Launch Vehicle is nearing retirement but not before launching the Slim lunar lander and the X-ray imaging and spectroscopy mission X-ray telescope. The ZRISM X-ray Observatory aims to study various cosmic phenomena, and the Slim Lander seeks to land successfully on the moon, carrying the SoraQ Mini Rover designed by Tomi, the creators of Transformers toys. - **Asteroids:** NASA's efforts in tracking asteroids. Dr. Amy Mainzer from NASA explains the challenges of finding asteroids and the importance of early detection for planetary defense.
2. **Short Takes:** - **SpaceX Crew 7:** Successful docking at the International Space Station, replacing Crew 6. - **Contrails:** An in-depth look at contrails, their formation, and their impact on the environment. Debunking the chemtrail conspiracy with insights from experts at MIT and Harvard.
3. **Personal Stories:** - Steve Dunkley shares a childhood memory of seeing a Moon Rock in Canberra, which ignited his passion for astronomy.
4. **Reminders:** - Register at bites.com and space nuts.com for the Astronomy Daily newsletter for daily top astronomy stories. - Check out back episodes of Astronomy Daily and the parent podcast with Andrew Dunkley at bitesz.com and space nuts.com.
Join Steve Dunkley and Hallie next time for more exciting stories from the world of astronomy!

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