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SpaceTime with Stuart Gary Gary - Series 29 Episode 24
In this episode of SpaceTime , we uncover astonishing discoveries about the birth of black holes, a revolutionary Martian navigation system, and the arrival of NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 at the International Space Station.
The Birth of a Black Hole: A New Perspective
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing a star in the Andromeda Galaxy collapsing into a black hole without the expected supernova explosion. The star, catalogued as M31 2014 DS1, was seen glowing brightly in infrared light before fading away, leaving behind a dust shell. This event, which had been anticipated for decades, suggests that massive stars may collapse directly into black holes, challenging long-held assumptions about stellar deaths. The findings, published in the journal Science, provide new insights into the processes that govern black hole formation and indicate that such direct collapses may be more common than previously thought.
NASA's New Martian Navigation System
NASA has introduced an innovative navigation system for its Perseverance rover, allowing it to determine its location on Mars with remarkable precision—within 25 centimeters. The new technology, called Mars Global Localization, enables the rover to autonomously compare panoramic images with orbital terrain maps, eliminating the need for Earth-based assistance. This advancement significantly enhances the rover's ability to explore the Martian surface independently, paving the way for more extensive scientific investigations.
SpaceX Crew 12 Arrives at the ISS
NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 has successfully docked with the International Space Station, restoring the crew complement to seven members. The mission includes a diverse crew of two Americans, a Russian, and a French astronaut, who will conduct approximately 250 scientific experiments in orbit. Additionally, NASA has approved a sixth private mission to the ISS, slated for next year, which aims to support new research initiatives and infrastructure development for future human spaceflight missions.
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/)
✍️ Episode References
Journal Science, NASA Reports
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-with-stuart-gary--2458531/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/31877069?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 This is Spacetime Series 29, episode 24
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 for broadcast on the 25th of February
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 2026.
00:00:07 --> 00:00:10 Coming up on Spaceime, the clearest view
00:00:10 --> 00:00:13 yet of the birth of a black hole, a new
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 Martian navigation system for use on the
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 red planet, and NASA's SpaceX Crew 12
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 arrives aboard the International Space
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 Station as the agency approves a sixth
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 private mission to the orbiting outpost.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:44 All that and more coming up on Spaceime.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 Astronomers have discovered a star
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 collapsing down to form a black hole
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 without the expected blinding blast of a
00:00:51 --> 00:00:55 supernova explosion. Back in 2014, a
00:00:55 --> 00:00:56 NASA telescope observed infrared
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 emissions coming from a massive star in
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 the Andromeda galaxy M31, which
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 gradually grew brighter. The star glowed
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 more intensely with infrared light for
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 around 3 years before finally fading
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 dramatically and disappearing, leaving
00:01:10 --> 00:01:14 behind a shell of dust. Now, astronomers
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 have determined what they witnessed was
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 a star collapsing and giving birth to a
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 stellar mass black hole. The study's
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 lead author Kishali D from Columbia
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 University says this is an event
00:01:25 --> 00:01:28 astronomers had anticipated for decades
00:01:28 --> 00:01:29 but have had limited convincing
00:01:29 --> 00:01:32 observational evidence for until now.
00:01:32 --> 00:01:34 The findings reported in the journal
00:01:34 --> 00:01:37 Science show a star undergoing direct
00:01:37 --> 00:01:38 collapse turning into a black hole
00:01:38 --> 00:01:40 without first exploding and becoming a
00:01:40 --> 00:01:43 supernova. Long believed to be a common
00:01:43 --> 00:01:45 method for highmass stars to become
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 black holes. The progenitor star was a
00:01:48 --> 00:01:50 huge hydrogen- depleted super giant
00:01:50 --> 00:01:54 named M31 2014 DS1 located some 2 and a
00:01:54 --> 00:01:57 half million lighty years away. When
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 newly formed, this star was around 13
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 times the mass of our sun. But at the
00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 time of its death, it would have been
00:02:03 --> 00:02:05 closer to five solar masses, having shed
00:02:05 --> 00:02:07 most of its mass through powerful
00:02:07 --> 00:02:10 stellar winds during its life. D says
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 the dramatic and sustained fading of the
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 star was very unusual and suggests a
00:02:15 --> 00:02:17 supernova failed to occur leading to the
00:02:17 --> 00:02:19 collapse of the stars c directly into a
00:02:19 --> 00:02:22 black hole. Now stars with this sort of
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 mass have long been assumed to always
00:02:24 --> 00:02:27 explode a supernova. The fact that it
00:02:27 --> 00:02:29 didn't suggests that stars with this
00:02:29 --> 00:02:31 sort of mass range may or may not
00:02:31 --> 00:02:33 successfully explode. possibly due to
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 how gravity, gas pressure, and powerful
00:02:35 --> 00:02:37 shock waves interact in chaotic ways
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 with each other inside the dying star.
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 The manner in which the star turned into
00:02:42 --> 00:02:44 a black hole suggest that at the end of
00:02:44 --> 00:02:47 its life, its inner core wasn't pushed
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 out in a normal supernova explosion,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 instead undergoing a complete inward
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 collapse.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 Now, this process of direct collapse to
00:02:56 --> 00:02:57 form a black hole may have been seen at
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 least once before. It was back in 2010
00:03:01 --> 00:03:04 in the galaxy NGC6946,
00:03:04 --> 00:03:06 which is about 10 times further away
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 than this star. But the exact nature of
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 that event was unclear and hotly debated
00:03:11 --> 00:03:13 in astronomical circles because it was
00:03:13 --> 00:03:14 100 times fainter and there wasn't
00:03:14 --> 00:03:16 enough highquality data available about
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 it. Now, astronomers have long known
00:03:19 --> 00:03:22 that stellar mass black holes are caused
00:03:22 --> 00:03:24 by the death of massive stars. Black
00:03:24 --> 00:03:26 holes were first theorized more than 50
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 years ago, and today we know of dozens
00:03:28 --> 00:03:30 in our own galaxy and hundreds of others
00:03:30 --> 00:03:32 detected from gravitational wave
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 observations across the distant
00:03:34 --> 00:03:37 universe. However, scientists still have
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 no clear consensus on which stars turned
00:03:39 --> 00:03:41 into black holes and how that process
00:03:41 --> 00:03:44 plays out. This discovery provides the
00:03:44 --> 00:03:46 clearest insights yet into this and
00:03:46 --> 00:03:47 indicates that this kind of stellar
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 collapse may happen more often than
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 scientists had previously thought. The
00:03:52 --> 00:03:54 authors discovered the star by analyzing
00:03:54 --> 00:03:56 archival data from NASA's Neoise
00:03:56 --> 00:03:59 mission. They used a prediction from the
00:03:59 --> 00:04:01 1970s that theorized that when a star
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 underwent direct collapse, it would
00:04:03 --> 00:04:06 leave behind a faint infrared glow
00:04:06 --> 00:04:08 caused by the dying gasp of the star
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 shedding its outer layers and becoming
00:04:10 --> 00:04:13 enshrouded in dust. So they conducted
00:04:13 --> 00:04:15 the largest study of variable infrared
00:04:15 --> 00:04:17 sources ever carried out, tracking every
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 star in the Milky Way and other local
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 galaxies to try and search out for these
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 events and eventually they came across
00:04:24 --> 00:04:28 M31 2014 DS1. Further analysis showed
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 that this star fitted their predictions
00:04:30 --> 00:04:33 perfectly. D says, "Unlike finding a
00:04:33 --> 00:04:34 supernova, which is easy because
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 supernova outshine the galaxies they're
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 in for weeks at a time, finding
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 individual stars that disappear without
00:04:40 --> 00:04:42 producing an explosion is incredibly
00:04:42 --> 00:04:45 difficult. So, it comes as a shock that
00:04:46 --> 00:04:48 a massive star basically disappeared
00:04:48 --> 00:04:50 without an explosion and nobody noticed
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 it for more than 5 years. It impacts
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 science's entire understanding of the
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 inventory of massive stellar deaths in
00:04:57 --> 00:05:00 the universe. And it says there are
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 things that may be quietly happening out
00:05:02 --> 00:05:05 there that are easily going unnoticed.
00:05:05 --> 00:05:07 This is spaceime.
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 Still to come, NASA trails a new Martian
00:05:10 --> 00:05:12 navigation system on the red planet. And
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 a new crew arrives aboard the
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 International Space Station as NASA
00:05:16 --> 00:05:19 approves a sixth private mission to the
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 orbiting outpost. All that and more
00:05:21 --> 00:05:29 still to come on Spaceime.
00:05:29 --> 00:05:31 This podcast is brought to you by
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 Squarespace. If you want to look
00:05:33 --> 00:05:35 polished online without any headaches,
00:05:35 --> 00:05:37 Squarespace is the all-in-one website
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00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 And when you're ready to launch, use the
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00:06:30 --> 00:06:32 squarespace.com/spacetime.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 And remember, you'll find the links in
00:06:34 --> 00:06:35 our show notes,
00:06:35 --> 00:06:38 squarespace.com/spacetime,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 and the promo code spaceime. NASA has
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 developed a new Martian navigation
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 system, allowing its Mars Perseverance
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 rover to pinpoint its location to within
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 25 cm.
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 Imagine you're all alone, driving along
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 a rocky, unforgiving desert with no
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 roads, no map, no GPS, and nothing more
00:06:57 --> 00:06:59 than a single phone call once a day for
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 someone far away telling you where you
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 are. Well, that's what the car size six
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 wheel Perseverance rover has been
00:07:06 --> 00:07:08 experiencing ever since landing on the
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 red planet almost exactly 5 years ago
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 this month. Although it carries time-t
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 tested tools for determining its general
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 location, the rover has always needed
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 mission managers back on Earth to tell
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 it precisely where it is until now. A
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 new technology developed by NASA's Jet
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 California will now allow Perseverance
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 to figure out its whereabouts without
00:07:29 --> 00:07:32 needing to phone home for help. called
00:07:32 --> 00:07:34 Mars Global Localization. The technology
00:07:34 --> 00:07:36 features an algorithm that rapidly
00:07:36 --> 00:07:38 compares panoramic images from the
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 rover's navigation cameras with onboard
00:07:41 --> 00:07:43 orbital terrain maps. Running on a
00:07:43 --> 00:07:45 powerful processor that Perseverance
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 originally used to communicate with the
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 Ingenuity Mars helicopter. The algorithm
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 takes about 2 minutes to pinpoint the
00:07:51 --> 00:07:55 rover's location within 25 cm.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 Mission managers first used the Mars
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 Global Localization Technology in
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 successful mission operations on
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 February the 2nd, then again on February
00:08:03 --> 00:08:06 the 16th. JPL's chief engineer of
00:08:06 --> 00:08:08 robotics operations, Vandy Vuma, says
00:08:08 --> 00:08:12 it's kind of like giving the rover GPS.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 It means Perseverance will be able to
00:08:13 --> 00:08:15 drive for much longer distances
00:08:15 --> 00:08:17 autonomously, thereby allowing more of
00:08:17 --> 00:08:18 the planet to be explored and more
00:08:18 --> 00:08:21 science to be gathered. The upgrades
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 especially valuable given how well
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 Perseverance's auto navigation
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 self-driving systems been working.
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 AutoNav enables the rover to replan its
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 path around obstacles along its way in
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 order to reach its pre-established
00:08:33 --> 00:08:36 destination. It's already proven so
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 capable that the distance Perseverance
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 can drive without instructions from
00:08:39 --> 00:08:42 Earth is largely now only limited by the
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 rover's uncertainty about its exact
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 location. The implementation of Mars
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 global localization comes on the heels
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 of another innovation from Perseverance
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 mission managers. That is the first use
00:08:52 --> 00:08:55 of generative artificial intelligence to
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 help plan a drive route by selecting way
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 points for the rover which are normally
00:08:58 --> 00:09:01 chosen by human rover operators. Unlike
00:09:01 --> 00:09:04 on Earth, there are no GPS satellites in
00:09:04 --> 00:09:06 deep space to locate spacecraft on
00:09:06 --> 00:09:09 planetary surfaces. So missions whether
00:09:09 --> 00:09:11 robotic or manned need to come up with
00:09:11 --> 00:09:13 other ways to determine their location.
00:09:13 --> 00:09:15 Now, as with NASA's previous Mars
00:09:15 --> 00:09:17 rovers, Perseverance tracks its position
00:09:17 --> 00:09:19 using what's called visual odometry,
00:09:19 --> 00:09:21 analyzing geological features in camera
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 images taken every few meters while
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 accounting for wheel slippage. But as
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 tiny errors in this process add up over
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 the course of each drive, the rover
00:09:30 --> 00:09:32 becomes increasingly unsure about its
00:09:32 --> 00:09:35 exact location. Now, on long drives,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 that means the rover's sense of its
00:09:36 --> 00:09:39 position could be up by as much as 35 m.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 believing it may be too close to
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 hazardous terrain, Perseverance then
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 prematurely may end its drive and wait
00:09:45 --> 00:09:48 for fresh instructions from Earth. Verma
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 says under those circumstances, people
00:09:50 --> 00:09:52 have to tell it, "You're not lost.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 You're safe. Keep going." Scientists
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 knew that if they could address this
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 problem, the rover could travel much
00:09:57 --> 00:10:00 further every day. After each drive
00:10:00 --> 00:10:03 comes to a halt, the rover sends a 360°
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 panorama to Earth, where mapping experts
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 match the imagery with shots of the
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 Martian surface taken by NASA's Mars
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:13 Mission managers then send the rover its
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 location and instructions what to do
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 next. Now, that process can take a day
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 or more, but with the new Mars global
00:10:20 --> 00:10:22 localization technology, the rover is
00:10:22 --> 00:10:24 now able to compare images itself,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 determine its exact location, and roll
00:10:27 --> 00:10:30 ahead on its pre-planned route.
00:10:30 --> 00:10:32 Key to Mars global localization is the
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 rover's helicopter base station, which
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 Perseverance used to communicate with
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 the now retired Ingenuity Mars
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 helicopter. Equipped with an
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 off-the-shelf commercial processor of
00:10:42 --> 00:10:44 the type fitted to mid2010 era
00:10:44 --> 00:10:46 smartphones, the technology can run over
00:10:46 --> 00:10:48 100 times faster than the robot's two
00:10:48 --> 00:10:50 main computers, which was specially
00:10:50 --> 00:10:52 developed to survive the radiationheavy
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 Martian environment and are based on
00:10:54 --> 00:10:57 hardware introduced back in 1997.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 As a technology demonstration designed
00:10:59 --> 00:11:01 to test capabilities, the Ingenuity
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 mission was able to risk employing more
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 powerful commercial chips in the
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 helicopter base station and on the
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 rotocopter itself, even though they
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 hadn't been proven in the space
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 environment. It was a gamble, but it
00:11:12 --> 00:11:15 paid off with Ingenuity undertaking 72
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 flights compared to the five test
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 flights it was originally planned to
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 undertake. Now, apart from the Mars
00:11:20 --> 00:11:22 Perseverance rover, this new technology
00:11:22 --> 00:11:24 could also find its way onto the moon,
00:11:24 --> 00:11:26 where lighting conditions and long, cold
00:11:26 --> 00:11:29 lunar nights make knowing exactly where
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 a spacecraft's located all the more
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 crucial. This report from NASA TV.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 >> Using a new technology called Mars
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 Global Localization, the rover can now
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 pinpoint its location without asking
00:11:41 --> 00:11:44 humans for help. Here's how it works.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:47 Perseverance takes panoramic images and
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 turns it into a bird's eye view. Then an
00:11:49 --> 00:11:52 onboard algorithm rapidly compares those
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 images to terrain maps from an orbiting
00:11:54 --> 00:11:56 spacecraft and determines the rover's
00:11:56 --> 00:11:59 precise location. The key to this quick
00:11:59 --> 00:12:01 computing is a processor Perseverance
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 originally used to communicate with the
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 Ingenuity Mars helicopter. Now it's
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 helping Perseverance keep moving
00:12:08 --> 00:12:10 confidently. And global localization
00:12:10 --> 00:12:13 isn't the only recent innovation. The
00:12:13 --> 00:12:15 team has started to use generative AI to
00:12:15 --> 00:12:17 help plan the rover's driving path by
00:12:17 --> 00:12:19 creating way points for Mars. By
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 leveraging decades of Mars knowledge and
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 the latest advancements in technology,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 the rover will be able to drive for much
00:12:25 --> 00:12:27 longer distances autonomously. So, we'll
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 explore more of the planet and get more
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 science.
00:12:30 --> 00:12:33 >> This is space time. Still to come,
00:12:33 --> 00:12:36 NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 arrives aboard the
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 International Space Station as the
00:12:37 --> 00:12:39 agency approves a new private mission,
00:12:39 --> 00:12:42 the sixth, to the orbiting outpost. And
00:12:42 --> 00:12:44 later in the science report, a new study
00:12:44 --> 00:12:47 warns that over fishing may be one of
00:12:47 --> 00:12:49 the key reasons for reef munching crown
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 of thorn starfish outbreaks on the Great
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 Barrier Reef. All that and more still to
00:12:53 --> 00:13:11 come on Spaceime.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:13 NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 Dragon capsule is
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 successfully docked with the
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 International Space Station, returning
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 the orbiting outpost compliment back up
00:13:18 --> 00:13:21 to its usual seven crew members. The
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 crew of two Americans, a Russian and a
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 Frenchman, blasted off a day earlier
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral
00:13:29 --> 00:13:32 Space Force Base in Florida. The Dragon
00:13:32 --> 00:13:34 spacecraft freedom, docked autonomously
00:13:34 --> 00:13:36 with the space-facing zenith port of the
00:13:36 --> 00:13:39 station's Harmony module. Crew 12 will
00:13:39 --> 00:13:42 now form part of the expedition 7475
00:13:42 --> 00:13:45 crew undertaking some 250 scientific
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 experiments in orbit. These will include
00:13:47 --> 00:13:49 studying pneumonia causing bacteria to
00:13:49 --> 00:13:51 improve cardiovascular treatments, on
00:13:51 --> 00:13:54 demand intravenous fluid generation for
00:13:54 --> 00:13:56 future space missions, and research into
00:13:56 --> 00:13:58 how physical characteristics may affect
00:13:58 --> 00:14:00 blood flow during long duration space
00:14:00 --> 00:14:02 flight. Other experiments include
00:14:02 --> 00:14:04 automated plant health monitoring and
00:14:04 --> 00:14:07 investigating plant and nitrogen fixing
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 microbe interactions to enhance food
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 production in space. The International
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 Space Station's been under man for about
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 a month following the early return to
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 Earth of NASA's SpaceX Crew 11 mission
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 due to a medical emergency involving one
00:14:19 --> 00:14:21 of the astronauts.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 Meanwhile, NASA's just approved a new
00:14:23 --> 00:14:25 private astronaut mission to the
00:14:25 --> 00:14:27 International Space Station slated for
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 later next year. The 14-day mission for
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 the company Vast will undertake research
00:14:32 --> 00:14:34 designed to gain new insights into the
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 infrastructure and processes that'll be
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 needed to support Vast's own human
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 spaceflight missions, which include
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 building their own space station in low
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 Earth orbit called Haven in 2027.
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 Plans suggest Haven will be about the
00:14:46 --> 00:14:48 size of a truck with additional modules
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 added in future years with the outpost
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 becoming permanently manned by 2030.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:56 Vest's looking at research proposals on
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 biology, biotechnology, physical
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 sciences, human research, and technology
00:15:00 --> 00:15:03 demonstrations. Vast used SpaceX to
00:15:03 --> 00:15:05 launch the small haven demo spacecraft
00:15:05 --> 00:15:08 into orbit last year. The other big
00:15:08 --> 00:15:10 private company that's been flying
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 people into space and to the
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 International Space Station is Axiom,
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 which has undertaken four missions to
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 the orbiting outpost. As well as
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 developing NASA's Arteimus space suits,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:21 Axiom Space is also developing their own
00:15:21 --> 00:15:23 commercial space station. Its initial
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 modules will be attached to the existing
00:15:25 --> 00:15:27 international space station before
00:15:27 --> 00:15:29 becoming an independent free-flying
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 platform when the international space
00:15:30 --> 00:15:34 stations retire in 2030. Axiom plan to
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 use their space station to undertake
00:15:35 --> 00:15:37 microgravity research, various
00:15:37 --> 00:15:41 commercial endeavors, and space tourism.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:58 This is spaceime.
00:15:58 --> 00:16:00 And time out to take another brief look
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 at some of the other stories making news
00:16:01 --> 00:16:03 in science this week with a science
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 report. A new study warns that people
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 are exposed to more air pollution are
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 also far more likely to face a higher
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 The findings reported in the journal
00:16:14 --> 00:16:16 Plus Medicine looked at how much air
00:16:16 --> 00:16:19 pollution some 27.8 million people aged
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 65 and over were exposed to over an
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 18-year period. They found that people
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 who had a greater exposure to air
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 pollution were also far more likely to
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 develop Alzheimer's than those who
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 avoided air pollution. And the authors
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 found the link was also stronger for
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 people who had experienced a stroke.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 However, they found no additional effect
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 in people with high blood pressure or
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 with depression.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 Marine biologists are warning that over
00:16:44 --> 00:16:46 fishing may be the primary cause of reef
00:16:46 --> 00:16:49 munching crownthorn starfish outbreaks.
00:16:49 --> 00:16:51 The findings reported in the journal
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 current biology found a reduction in the
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 number of predatory fish due to over
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 fishing is causing a population
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 explosion in the carnivorous starfish.
00:16:59 --> 00:17:01 The authors compared various areas of
00:17:01 --> 00:17:03 the great barrier reef that have either
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 banned fishing, have limited it, or have
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 no restrictions on it. They found in
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 areas that banned fishing, there was a
00:17:10 --> 00:17:13 2.8 8 to 3.6 times higher chance of
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 crown of thorns being eaten by predatory
00:17:15 --> 00:17:18 fish. The authors say the elevated risk
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 of the spiny critters in no fishing
00:17:20 --> 00:17:22 reserves is directly attributable to a
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 single species of snapper known as the
00:17:24 --> 00:17:27 Spangot Emperor, which has some 6.3
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 times greater biomass in no fishing
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 areas versus those areas where fishing
00:17:31 --> 00:17:33 is allowed.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 Scientists say glass could be the future
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 of long-term data storage for human
00:17:38 --> 00:17:40 knowledge and recordkeeping. Current
00:17:40 --> 00:17:42 data preservation techniques such as
00:17:42 --> 00:17:44 tapes and hard drives tend to degrade
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 within a few years or decades and are
00:17:47 --> 00:17:49 therefore unreliable for long-term
00:17:49 --> 00:17:51 storage. However, by using lasers to
00:17:51 --> 00:17:53 encode data onto glass, data could
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 withstand moisture, temperature changes,
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 and electromagnetic interference for
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 centuries. A report in the journal
00:17:59 --> 00:18:02 Nature claims the system can store 4.8 8
00:18:02 --> 00:18:05 terabt of data in a 12x 12 cm glass
00:18:05 --> 00:18:07 sheet with a shelf life of up to 10
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 years even if stored at high
00:18:09 --> 00:18:11 temperatures.
00:18:11 --> 00:18:13 Google have finally launched the new
00:18:13 --> 00:18:15 Pixel 10a smartphone which one must
00:18:15 --> 00:18:17 admit is strikingly similar to the
00:18:17 --> 00:18:20 earlier Pixel 9a. With the details,
00:18:20 --> 00:18:22 we're joined by technology editor Alex
00:18:22 --> 00:18:24 Royo from Techadvice St.Life.
00:18:24 --> 00:18:27 >> Yeah, this is the Pixel 10A. So, this is
00:18:27 --> 00:18:29 the lower cost version of Google's Pixel
00:18:29 --> 00:18:31 phones. They normally have the the
00:18:31 --> 00:18:34 regular Pixel 10 and the the 10 Pro and
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 also the 10 Pro XL which is a larger
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 version. And then around about this time
00:18:38 --> 00:18:40 every year, they launch the A version
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 which is their more affordable version.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 So this one is $849 Australian,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 obviously less in US dollars, but it
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 competes against all those phones that
00:18:48 --> 00:18:51 are $500 or less, which generally are
00:18:51 --> 00:18:53 not terribly great phones. I mean that
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 look, they'll do what you want them to
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 do. They'll do maps, they'll do
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 messaging, they'll do various things.
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 But if you try and push them with games
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 or just try and I don't know do lots of
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 video editing or whatever it might be,
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 they're clearly not going to be as
00:19:03 --> 00:19:06 performant as the uh the major devices.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 And that's where the Pixel 10a and also
00:19:08 --> 00:19:10 the iPhone 16 and the forthcoming 710A,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 which we'll talk about in a moment, come
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 in as almost flagship phones under
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 $1. Now, the one thing that is
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 interesting this year is that whilst the
00:19:18 --> 00:19:21 10 and 10 Pro have the Tensor G5 chip,
00:19:21 --> 00:19:23 the 1080 this year does not. It has the
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 G4 which is a bit unusual because
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 normally you know you you would be
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 putting the latest chip but clearly in
00:19:28 --> 00:19:31 an era where memory storage and even the
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 space to make processes or more
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 expensive processes on production lines
00:19:35 --> 00:19:37 is heavily impacted by all of the GPUs
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 and uh AI in data centers most of which
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 actually hasn't been built yet. It's
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 sort of been pre-ordered to fulfill
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 demand that it's theoretically supposed
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 to be there.
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 >> There's finally a date for the Apple
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 premiere.
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 >> Yeah. So this is March 4th in New York.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 They'll also be holding events within
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 Singapore and London. This is where
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 we're meant to hear about iPhones 17e
00:19:56 --> 00:19:58 which in theory will have the same chip
00:19:58 --> 00:20:00 that is in the iPhone 17 range but
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 normally there's one core less for some
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 reason. It's like a bind chip one of the
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 graphics cores or one of one of the
00:20:05 --> 00:20:08 cores is not there. So it enables Apple
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 to use these chips which still have
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 great power but in their cheapest device
00:20:11 --> 00:20:14 $999 in Australia is what the 16 sells
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 for. I expect the price will be the
00:20:15 --> 00:20:17 same. But more importantly, we are
00:20:17 --> 00:20:20 expecting to also see the new MacBook.
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 Supposedly 12 in screen, so small. I
00:20:22 --> 00:20:24 mean, I've heard people say 13 in, but
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 effectively this will sell presumably in
00:20:26 --> 00:20:29 the US for about $599. We're yet to find
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 out. Supposedly, it only has 8 gig of
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 RAM instead of 16, which you would think
00:20:33 --> 00:20:35 is not as enough as you would have on
00:20:35 --> 00:20:37 the 16 gig devices that can better run
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 Apple intelligence, although we're still
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 waiting for the next generation of Siri.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 But this will be a lowc cost Mac running
00:20:42 --> 00:20:45 an iPhone chip with iPhone chips very
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 powerful. I mean uh the latest chips are
00:20:47 --> 00:20:49 as good as the or better than the M1
00:20:49 --> 00:20:51 from 5 years ago. And uh that's still a
00:20:51 --> 00:20:53 great computer. I have an M1 with 8 gig
00:20:53 --> 00:20:55 of RAM and a 512 gig SSD and it's
00:20:55 --> 00:20:57 running everything that my M2 with 24
00:20:57 --> 00:21:00 ter GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD can run.
00:21:00 --> 00:21:03 So, if Apple does that, it will mean
00:21:03 --> 00:21:05 greater competition for the school
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 dollar where you've got Chromebooks and
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 you've got iPads and tablets and but
00:21:08 --> 00:21:10 it'll also give people a cheaper Mac to
00:21:10 --> 00:21:13 to go for and then they once they start
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 using it, they can aspire to better. But
00:21:15 --> 00:21:17 it will be certainly better than any
00:21:17 --> 00:21:19 Windows PC that is in the $500
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 market. It'll just be a vastly better
00:21:21 --> 00:21:23 device with all the advantages of the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 Macs.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 >> Price of hard drives are going up. the
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 cost of these things are going up and
00:21:26 --> 00:21:28 Western Digital has reported or it's
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 been reported online that it has sold
00:21:29 --> 00:21:32 its entire 2026 allocation of discs to
00:21:32 --> 00:21:35 data centers. I mean I presume this you
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 know still obviously discs in the
00:21:36 --> 00:21:39 channel uh for consumers but it sold its
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 entire 2026 contingent and apparently it
00:21:41 --> 00:21:44 sold part of its 2027 and 2028
00:21:44 --> 00:21:46 contingent as well. So the need for
00:21:46 --> 00:21:49 hardware and electricity to power it is
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 paramount. If uh anything's going to
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 slow down the revolution, it's going to
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 be not having enough of these drives and
00:21:54 --> 00:21:56 memory and and other GPUs components.
00:21:56 --> 00:21:58 But I guess the companies buying them up
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 in in such volume, making sure that you
00:22:00 --> 00:22:02 know the data center guys will be okay.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:03 But it's consumers and businesses that
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 will suffer with higher prices.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:09 >> That's Alex Haravo from techadvice.life
00:22:09 --> 00:22:26 and this is spacetime.
00:22:26 --> 00:22:28 and that's the show for now. Spacetime
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