Van Allen Probe's Fiery Farewell and NASA's Mobile Launcher Setback

This episode of SpaceTime with Stuart Gary covers several major space and science developments. NASA's Van Allen Probe A concluded its 14-year mission with a fiery re-entry into Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, having far exceeded its original two-year design life. The twin probes revolutionized our understanding of Earth's radiation belts, revealing a transient third belt and uncovering how particles are transported via electromagnetic waves. Increased solar activity during the current solar maximum accelerated atmospheric drag, causing an earlier-than-expected re-entry. Meanwhile, NASA has paused work on Mobile Launcher 2 at Kennedy Space Center due to changes in the Artemis program, including a shift to more frequent launches and the cancellation of the new Exploration Upper Stage in favor of a modified Centaur 5 stage compatible with the existing Mobile Launcher 1. In Japan, Space One's third attempt to launch its Karius rocket ended in failure just 29 seconds after liftoff, with the cause still under investigation. The episode also touches on climate change accelerating since 2015, a groundbreaking pig liver perfusion procedure for a human patient, and a surprising lipid buildup in cat kidneys linked to chronic kidney disease. Finally, a myth-busting segment debunks claims that the FBI is investigating Bigfoot, clarifying that declassified documents show the FBI tested alleged Bigfoot hair and found it to be deer hair.