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This episode of SpaceTime delves into the latest revelations in the cosmos, exploring groundbreaking theories about dark matter and the future of lunar exploration.
New Insights into Dark Matter
Astronomers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding dark matter, revealing a potential new type of less massive dark matter at the center of the Milky Way. This study, published in Physical Review Letters, suggests that huge clouds of positively charged hydrogen may be linked to this elusive substance. The findings challenge existing models of dark matter, proposing that lighter particles may be responsible for unexplained chemical reactions observed in the galactic center.
Lunar Gateway Space Station Takes Shape
In an exciting development for lunar exploration, the first habitation module for the Lunar Gateway Space Station has arrived in the United States. Known as the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), this module will serve as a command hub for future missions to the Moon and Mars. We discuss the integration of HALO with the Power and Propulsion Element and the implications for the Artemis program.
Space Junk Threatens the ISS
We also cover the alarming increase in space debris, as NASA is forced to maneuver the International Space Station to avoid a potential collision with fragments of a Chinese rocket. This ongoing issue highlights the growing challenges of maintaining a safe orbital environment for astronauts aboard the ISS.
www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com (https://www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com/)
✍️ Episode References
Physical Review Letters
https://journals.aps.org/prl/ (https://journals.aps.org/prl/)
NASA Lunar Gateway
https://www.nasa.gov/gateway (https://www.nasa.gov/gateway)
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support (https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/spacetime-space-astronomy--2458531/support?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss) .
00:00 This is Space Time Series 28, Episode 58 for broadcast on 14 May 2025
00:54 New insights into dark matter in the Milky Way
10:30 The Lunar Gateway Space Station's HALO module arrives
17:15 Space junk threatens the International Space Station
20:45 Science report: Insights into Earth's population growth and continental movement
Episode link: https://play.headliner.app/episode/27120457?utm_source=youtube
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 This is Spacetime series 28, episode 58
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 for broadcast on the 14th of May,
00:00:05 --> 00:00:09 2025. Coming up on Spaceime, is there a
00:00:09 --> 00:00:11 new kind of dark matter in the galactic
00:00:11 --> 00:00:13 center? The Luna Gateway Space Station's
00:00:13 --> 00:00:15 first habitation module arrives in the
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 United States, and more space junk
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 threatens the International Space
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 Station. All that and more coming up on
00:00:23 --> 00:00:25 Spaceime.
00:00:25 --> 00:00:29 Welcome to Spaceime with Stuart Garry.
00:00:29 --> 00:00:36 [Music]
00:00:44 --> 00:00:46 Astronomers have uncovered a mysterious
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 phenomenon in the center of the Milky
00:00:48 --> 00:00:50 Way galaxy which could reveal a new
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 different kind of less massive dark
00:00:52 --> 00:00:55 matter. Dark matter is a mysterious
00:00:55 --> 00:00:57 invisible substance which makes up some
00:00:57 --> 00:00:59 85% of all the mass in the universe. Yet
00:00:59 --> 00:01:02 scientists have absolutely no idea what
00:01:02 --> 00:01:04 it is. They know it exists because they
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 can see its gravitational effect on
00:01:06 --> 00:01:08 surrounding space, keeping galaxies from
00:01:08 --> 00:01:10 spinning apart as they revolve and
00:01:10 --> 00:01:13 bending light from distant objects. Now,
00:01:13 --> 00:01:16 in a firstofits-kind study, scientists
00:01:16 --> 00:01:17 have taken a step closer to
00:01:17 --> 00:01:19 understanding this elusive substance by
00:01:19 --> 00:01:21 taking another look at a previously
00:01:21 --> 00:01:23 dismissed candidate for dark matter that
00:01:23 --> 00:01:25 could be behind unexplained chemical
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 reactions seen taking place at the
00:01:27 --> 00:01:29 center of the Milky Way. One of the
00:01:29 --> 00:01:31 studies authors, Shambalaji from King's
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 College London, says the key could be
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 huge clouds of positively charged
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 hydrogen located at the center of our
00:01:37 --> 00:01:39 galaxy. Their existence has been a
00:01:39 --> 00:01:41 mystery for decades because normally the
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 gas should be neutral. So that raises
00:01:44 --> 00:01:46 the question of what's supplying enough
00:01:46 --> 00:01:47 energy to knock all the negatively
00:01:47 --> 00:01:50 charged electrons out of these
00:01:50 --> 00:01:52 clouds. Says the energy signatures
00:01:52 --> 00:01:54 radiating from this part of the galaxy
00:01:54 --> 00:01:56 suggest that there's a constant roaring
00:01:56 --> 00:01:58 source of power doing that and his data
00:01:58 --> 00:02:00 suggests that it might well will be
00:02:00 --> 00:02:02 coming from a much lighter form of dark
00:02:02 --> 00:02:03 matter than what current models are
00:02:03 --> 00:02:06 considering. Now, most established
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 hypotheses designed to explain dark
00:02:08 --> 00:02:10 matter describe it as likely being
00:02:10 --> 00:02:12 weakly interacting massive particles or
00:02:12 --> 00:02:14 wimps, tiny subatomic particles which
00:02:14 --> 00:02:16 pass through regular matter without much
00:02:16 --> 00:02:18 interaction, and that makes them
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 extremely hard to detect. However, this
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 new study reported in the journal
00:02:22 --> 00:02:24 Physical Review Letters has potentially
00:02:24 --> 00:02:26 revived another type of dark matter, one
00:02:26 --> 00:02:28 with far lower mass than your
00:02:28 --> 00:02:31 traditional WIMP. The authors think
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 these tiny dark matter particles are
00:02:32 --> 00:02:34 crashing into each other and as a result
00:02:34 --> 00:02:36 are producing new charged particles in a
00:02:36 --> 00:02:39 process called annihilation. And it's
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 these newly produced charged particles
00:02:41 --> 00:02:42 that are subsequently ionizing the
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 hydrogen gas. Previous attempts to
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 explain the ionization process in these
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 gas clouds has always relied on cosmic
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 rays, fast and energetic particles which
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 travel throughout the universe. However,
00:02:54 --> 00:02:56 that explanation has some difficulties.
00:02:56 --> 00:02:58 For example, the energy signature
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 recorded from observations of this area
00:03:00 --> 00:03:02 known as the central molecular zone
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 isn't large enough to be attributed to
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 cosmic rays. And such a process doesn't
00:03:06 --> 00:03:09 seem to be possible with wimps either.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:10 So the research team have been left with
00:03:10 --> 00:03:13 an explanation that this energy source
00:03:13 --> 00:03:15 which is causing the annihilation is
00:03:15 --> 00:03:16 slower than a cosmic ray and less
00:03:16 --> 00:03:19 massive than a wimp. Belgi says the
00:03:19 --> 00:03:21 search for dark matter has seen a lot of
00:03:21 --> 00:03:23 experiments here on Earth and none of
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 them have produced anything conclusive.
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 But by using gas at the galactic center
00:03:28 --> 00:03:29 for a different kind of observation,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:31 astronomers might be getting straight to
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 the source. And the data is telling
00:03:34 --> 00:03:36 scientists that dark matter could
00:03:36 --> 00:03:38 potentially be a lot lighter than they
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 thought. The finding may simultaneously
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 explain wider mysteries in our galaxy as
00:03:43 --> 00:03:45 well, such as a specific type of X-ray
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 observation found at the center of the
00:03:46 --> 00:03:48 Milky Way, known as the 511 kilo
00:03:48 --> 00:03:51 electron volt emission line. See, this
00:03:51 --> 00:03:53 specific energy signature could also be
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 due to the same low mass dark matter
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 colliding and producing charged
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 particles. It's an interesting
00:03:58 --> 00:04:00 hypothesis and it follows a trend where
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 other low mass candidates for dark
00:04:02 --> 00:04:05 matter have already been postulated.
00:04:05 --> 00:04:08 This is spaceime still to come. The
00:04:08 --> 00:04:10 Lunar Gateway Space Station's first
00:04:10 --> 00:04:12 habitation module arrives in the United
00:04:12 --> 00:04:14 States ready for final fit out and then
00:04:14 --> 00:04:17 it's up to orbit. And speaking of space
00:04:17 --> 00:04:19 stations, more space junk is threatening
00:04:19 --> 00:04:21 the International Space Station. NASA
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 have been forced to take evasive action.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:27 All that and more still to come on
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 Spaceime. Okay, let's take a break from
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00:06:13 --> 00:06:15 spaceime. And for more information,
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00:06:17 --> 00:06:28 And now it's back to our show.
00:06:28 --> 00:06:32 [Music]
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 The first habitation module for the new
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 Luna Gateway Space Station has finally
00:06:36 --> 00:06:38 arrived in the United States. Known as
00:06:38 --> 00:06:41 the habitation and logistics outpost or
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 Halo module, it'll be a core element of
00:06:43 --> 00:06:45 the Luna Gateway Space Station, which
00:06:45 --> 00:06:47 will be humanity's first Luna space
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 station. The pressurized module was
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 fabricated by Thaloselenia Space In
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 Italy and then shipped to Northrop
00:06:54 --> 00:06:56 Grumman's facility in Gilbert, Arizona
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 for final fit out. It'll then be sent to
00:06:58 --> 00:07:00 NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida
00:07:00 --> 00:07:02 where it'll be integrated with the space
00:07:02 --> 00:07:05 station's PPE or power and propulsion
00:07:05 --> 00:07:07 element. The two components will then be
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 launched together into lunar orbit
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 aboard the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 ahead of the Artemus 4 manned lunar
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 mission. Gateway is important to the
00:07:15 --> 00:07:17 Artemis program because it'll provide a
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 staging post for man missions to the
00:07:18 --> 00:07:20 lunar surface and eventually man
00:07:20 --> 00:07:23 missions going to Mars. Halo will
00:07:23 --> 00:07:25 operate as the command and control hub
00:07:25 --> 00:07:27 for gateway. It's equipped with multiple
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 docking ports which will be used by
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 spacecraft such as NASA's Orion as well
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 as Luna landers and cargo and logistics
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 vehicles. And it will provide data
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 handling, energy storage, power
00:07:37 --> 00:07:39 distribution, thermal regulation, and
00:07:39 --> 00:07:41 communications and tracking capabilities
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 for the space station. Halo will also
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 include the telecommunications section
00:07:46 --> 00:07:48 of the European Space Ay's Sprite
00:07:48 --> 00:07:50 service module that'll be slated to
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 launch in 2027 and will include a small
00:07:53 --> 00:07:55 windowed habitation section as well as
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 more docking ports, an airlock and
00:07:57 --> 00:07:59 refueling infrastructure for the space
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 station and for lunar landers. Another
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 component called the International
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 Habitation Module or IHAB is now being
00:08:05 --> 00:08:07 jointly built by the European Space
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 Agency and the Japan Aerospace
00:08:09 --> 00:08:11 Exploration Agency JAXA. It'll also
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 launch sometime next year. An IHAB will
00:08:14 --> 00:08:17 also include a new Canadian Space Agency
00:08:17 --> 00:08:19 built robotic arm. Other proposed
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 segments include more logistics modules
00:08:21 --> 00:08:23 for supplies and storage and a
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 purpose-built airlock module for extra
00:08:25 --> 00:08:27 vehicle activities outside the space
00:08:27 --> 00:08:29 station as well as additional docking
00:08:29 --> 00:08:32 ports for deep space transports. The
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 current plan is to have astronauts
00:08:33 --> 00:08:35 occupy the 40 ton space station for up
00:08:35 --> 00:08:38 to 90 days at a time. Now although it's
00:08:38 --> 00:08:40 called a lunar space station, it's
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 actually quite a bit away from the moon.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:44 Se gateway will be positioned in a
00:08:44 --> 00:08:46 highly elliptical trans lunar orbit
00:08:46 --> 00:08:48 known as a near rectal linear halo
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 orbit. Instead of orbiting directly
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 around the moon in low lunar orbit like
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 the International Space Station does
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 around the Earth, Gateway will follow a
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 highly eccentric path. At its closest,
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 it'll pass about 3 km above the
00:09:01 --> 00:09:03 lunar surface, but its orbit will then
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 swing it out to some 70 km away at
00:09:06 --> 00:09:08 its most distant orbital position. Now,
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 this design will allow Gayway to be both
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 relatively close to the moon for
00:09:12 --> 00:09:14 excursions down to the lunar surface,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 but also allow for shorter trips to the
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 space station by spacecraft traveling to
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 and from the Earth with crew and
00:09:19 --> 00:09:22 supplies. See, most current rockets
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 don't have the power to reach the moon
00:09:24 --> 00:09:26 directly in one go, but they could reach
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Gateway. So after liftoff only a
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 moderate maneuver will be needed to slow
00:09:30 --> 00:09:33 a visiting spacecraft for rendevu with
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 gateway for example it means Europe's
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 Aran 6 could be used to deliver supplies
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 for astronauts for use on missions to
00:09:39 --> 00:09:42 the moon or deeper into space and at the
00:09:42 --> 00:09:44 other end of the journey NASA will be
00:09:44 --> 00:09:46 using a modified version of SpaceX's
00:09:46 --> 00:09:48 Starship known as the SpaceX human
00:09:48 --> 00:09:51 landing system or hls as lunar shuttle
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 transporting crews robot supplies and
00:09:53 --> 00:09:55 infrastructure from gateway down to the
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 lunar surface when the space stations
00:09:57 --> 00:09:59 closest to the moon and that will happen
00:09:59 --> 00:10:02 about once every 7 days. Likewise, a
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 transfer window to gateway opens about
00:10:04 --> 00:10:06 every 7 days for the return trip from
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 the lunar surface to the space station.
00:10:08 --> 00:10:10 And gateways orbit will rotate together
00:10:10 --> 00:10:13 with the moon. As seen from Earth, it'll
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 appear a little bit like a lunar halo.
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 Now, orbits like this are possible
00:10:17 --> 00:10:18 because of the interplay between the
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 Earth and the Moon's gravitational
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 forces. As the two large bodies dance
00:10:23 --> 00:10:25 through space, a smaller object can be
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 caught in a variety of stable and
00:10:26 --> 00:10:28 nearstable positions in relation to the
00:10:28 --> 00:10:31 orbiting masses, also known as libration
00:10:31 --> 00:10:34 or lrangeian points. Such locations are
00:10:34 --> 00:10:35 perfect for planning long-term missions,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:37 and to some extent, they'll dictate the
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 design of the spacecraft, what it can
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 carry to and from orbit, how much energy
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 it needs to get and stay there.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:45 traveling on the near rectal linear halo
00:10:45 --> 00:10:47 orbit. One revolution of gateway in its
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 orbit around the moon will take seven
00:10:49 --> 00:10:52 Earth days. This period was chosen to
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 limit the number of eclipses when
00:10:53 --> 00:10:55 gateway would be shrouded by the earth
00:10:55 --> 00:10:57 or moon shadow. However, near rectal
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 linear halo orbits are slightly unstable
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 and objects in these orbits do have a
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 tendency of drifting away. That means
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 regular small station keeping maneuvers
00:11:06 --> 00:11:08 will be needed to keep gateway in
00:11:08 --> 00:11:10 position. We've learned how to do that
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 by keeping the International Space
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 Station in its correct orbital height
00:11:13 --> 00:11:16 above the Earth. This report on the
00:11:16 --> 00:11:18 Gateway project by NASA
00:11:18 --> 00:11:21 [Music]
00:11:21 --> 00:11:24 TV. Gateway is in and of itself a
00:11:24 --> 00:11:27 humongous technological marvel. It is
00:11:27 --> 00:11:30 the first space station around the moon.
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 It is going to be a very important part
00:11:32 --> 00:11:36 of our future exploration missions. We
00:11:36 --> 00:11:38 know how to live and work in low Earth
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 orbit, but now it's time to go further.
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 Artemis is going to take us to parts of
00:11:42 --> 00:11:45 the moon that we haven't been to before.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:47 Going back to the moon has to be an
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 international cooperation. The resources
00:11:49 --> 00:11:53 and the efforts required to make this
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 happen are just too much for any single
00:11:55 --> 00:11:57 nation to to go on their own. There's
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 the old saying that if you want to go
00:12:00 --> 00:12:02 fast, you go alone. If you want to go
00:12:02 --> 00:12:06 for a long time, you go together. And so
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 it's going to take a humankind effort to
00:12:08 --> 00:12:11 go to the moon and then use that as a
00:12:11 --> 00:12:13 stepping stone to go to Mars. To be able
00:12:13 --> 00:12:16 to go and do lunar surface exploration
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 missions and do sustainable missions, be
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 able to do long duration missions, go to
00:12:19 --> 00:12:21 the moon to stay rather than just to
00:12:21 --> 00:12:23 visit like we did duro, we need a space
00:12:23 --> 00:12:26 station and gateways that station. The
00:12:26 --> 00:12:28 international crews and the
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 international astronauts that'll perform
00:12:29 --> 00:12:32 these missions will be the first humans
00:12:32 --> 00:12:34 that are making their home in deep
00:12:34 --> 00:12:36 space. I think about all that we've
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 learned from the International Space
00:12:37 --> 00:12:40 Station as a low Earth orbit laboratory.
00:12:40 --> 00:12:43 Gateway will be an extension of that and
00:12:43 --> 00:12:45 continue that legacy of science and
00:12:45 --> 00:12:47 discovery.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:50 We are going to be learning about deep
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 space exploration. When we're in low
00:12:52 --> 00:12:54 Earth orbit, we're
00:12:54 --> 00:12:56 protected. When we are around the moon,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:59 we don't have that protection. So, it is
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 going to
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 affect
00:13:01 --> 00:13:04 everything. We have the very unique
00:13:04 --> 00:13:07 ability at Gateway to study that
00:13:07 --> 00:13:10 radiation. Gateway sounds so science
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 fiction, but it's real and we're
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 building it and science will never be
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 the same. In one of the first steps of
00:13:16 --> 00:13:19 our Aremis lunar exploration plans, we
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 have selected Maxar Technologies to
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 provide the power and propulsion element
00:13:23 --> 00:13:26 for our lunar gateway. The power and
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 propulsion element is a spacecraft that
00:13:28 --> 00:13:30 will use high-ower solar electric
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 propulsion to give our explorers aboard
00:13:33 --> 00:13:35 the gateway access to the entire surface
00:13:35 --> 00:13:38 of the moon. It will also enable the
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 gateway to serve as a mobile command and
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 service module by providing a
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 communications relay for human and
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 robotic expeditions to the lunar
00:13:46 --> 00:13:49 surface. This is a critical capability
00:13:49 --> 00:13:52 for not just a sustainable lunar return,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:55 but also an eventual journey to Mars.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:57 NASA's current lunar exploration plans
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 call for a return to the moon that
00:13:59 --> 00:14:01 sustained human presence on and around
00:14:01 --> 00:14:06 the moon by 2028.
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 [Music]
00:14:08 --> 00:14:11 This is Spaceime. Still to come, more
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 space junk threatens the International
00:14:13 --> 00:14:15 Space Station. And later in the science
00:14:15 --> 00:14:17 report, new insights into how the
00:14:17 --> 00:14:19 Earth's continents are moving. All that
00:14:19 --> 00:14:31 and more still to come on
00:14:31 --> 00:14:36 [Music]
00:14:37 --> 00:14:39 Spaceime. NASA has been forced to move
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 the International Space Station again to
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 avoid some large fragments of space
00:14:42 --> 00:14:45 junk. The orbital correction maneuver
00:14:45 --> 00:14:47 involved the Russian Progress MS30 cargo
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 ship which was docked to the space
00:14:48 --> 00:14:51 station firing its thrusters for a
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 212.79 second burn in the process
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 increasing the station's orbital
00:14:55 --> 00:14:58 altitude by 540 m. Now without this
00:14:58 --> 00:15:00 maneuver NASA estimated the fragment
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 could have come within 6 kilometers of
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 the space station. That's too close for
00:15:04 --> 00:15:06 comfort. The space junk's been
00:15:06 --> 00:15:08 identified as part of a Chinese long mar
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 rocket launched back in 2005.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:13 Space junk has become a constant problem
00:15:13 --> 00:15:15 for crew aboard the orbiting outpost
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 with collision avoidance maneuvers now
00:15:17 --> 00:15:19 being undertaken multiple times every
00:15:19 --> 00:15:22 year. Each time it happens, crew have to
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 stop where they're doing, take refuge
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 inside one of the dock capsules just in
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 case something hits the space station
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 and they're forced to make an emergency
00:15:29 --> 00:15:32 evacuation and return to Earth. And the
00:15:32 --> 00:15:34 trouble is that problem is only going to
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 get worse. This is
00:15:37 --> 00:15:48 [Music]
00:15:52 --> 00:15:54 spacetime. And time now to take another
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 brief look at some of the other stories
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 making news in science this week with a
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 science report. A computer simulation of
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 Earth's population growth has shown that
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 humans will need to have more babies
00:16:04 --> 00:16:07 than the current rates if the species is
00:16:07 --> 00:16:09 meant to avoid extinction. The findings
00:16:09 --> 00:16:11 reported in the journal plus one shows
00:16:11 --> 00:16:14 that homo sapien survival requires every
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 woman of childbearing age to have an
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 average of at least 2.7 children, much
00:16:18 --> 00:16:20 higher than the 2.1 previously thought
00:16:20 --> 00:16:23 would be enough to keep people going.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:25 The researchers say the previous 2.1
00:16:25 --> 00:16:27 kids per woman rate doesn't account for
00:16:27 --> 00:16:29 random differences in how many kids
00:16:29 --> 00:16:31 people have or things like birth rates,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 gender ratios, and the fact that some
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 people never have children at all. They
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 say the research shows that women need
00:16:37 --> 00:16:40 to have at least 2.7 kids to reliably
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 avoid eventual extinction of the
00:16:41 --> 00:16:44 species, especially in populations that
00:16:44 --> 00:16:47 are already small. So, it's one kid for
00:16:47 --> 00:16:51 mom, one for dad, and one for humanity.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 A new analysis of lava flows that
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 solidified and broke apart over a
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 massive crack in the earth's crust in
00:16:57 --> 00:16:59 Turkey has brought new insights into how
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 continents move. The findings reported
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 in the journal communications earthn
00:17:03 --> 00:17:05 environment will help improve science's
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 understanding of earthquake risks. The
00:17:08 --> 00:17:10 new research by Curtain University has
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 revealed that Sugaloo Fold zone, a more
00:17:12 --> 00:17:14 than 200 km long geological structure
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 visible from space, is slowly pulling
00:17:16 --> 00:17:18 apart, providing a rare glimpse into the
00:17:18 --> 00:17:20 forces that shape Earth's crust when
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 plates collide. The study solves a
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 long-standing mystery about the fault's
00:17:25 --> 00:17:27 movement, unambiguously revealing that
00:17:27 --> 00:17:29 the fault is pulling apart at a rate of
00:17:29 --> 00:17:31 about 1 mm per year, rather than, as
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 other studies have suggested, it's
00:17:33 --> 00:17:36 shifting sideways. Understanding these
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 movements is crucial not just for
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 assessing volcanic and earthquake
00:17:39 --> 00:17:41 threats, but also for improving global
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 models of continental
00:17:44 --> 00:17:46 defamation. A new study has shown that
00:17:46 --> 00:17:48 teenagers diagnosed with a mental health
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 condition report spending about 50
00:17:50 --> 00:17:52 minutes extra per day on social media
00:17:52 --> 00:17:55 compared to their peers. The findings
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 reported in the journal Nature Human
00:17:56 --> 00:17:59 Behavior looked at self-reported social
00:17:59 --> 00:18:01 media use among more than 3 teens,
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 16% of whom had at least one diagnosed
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 mental health condition. The researchers
00:18:06 --> 00:18:08 say participants with depression or
00:18:08 --> 00:18:10 anxiety disorders, reported comparing
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 themselves to others on social media
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 more frequently. They also reported
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 being less happy with the number of
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 friends or followers they have on social
00:18:17 --> 00:18:19 media and that their mood was more
00:18:19 --> 00:18:21 strongly being impacted by how many
00:18:21 --> 00:18:24 likes, shares, and comments they
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 get. Apple have started rolling out
00:18:26 --> 00:18:28 their latest series of updates for
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 iPhones, tablets, and Macs. With the
00:18:30 --> 00:18:32 details, we're joined by technology
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 editor Alex Haravo from techadvice.live.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 the ritual of updating all of our
00:18:37 --> 00:18:40 devices on seemingly a monthly basis is
00:18:40 --> 00:18:43 about to start up again with iOS 18.5.
00:18:43 --> 00:18:45 Currently, I'm running the release
00:18:45 --> 00:18:47 candidate, but by the time people are
00:18:47 --> 00:18:49 hearing this, iOS 18.5 should be out.
00:18:49 --> 00:18:52 And uh whilst there's the usual bug
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 fixes and new wallpapers, there is
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 sometimes some new features. And the
00:18:56 --> 00:18:58 feature that really caught my eye was
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 that the emergency SOS and messaging
00:19:00 --> 00:19:03 features that were debuted with the
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 iPhone 14 and then were available with
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 the iPhone 15 and 16 are actually going
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10 to be backported to the iPhone 13. So
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 this is big. I mean, they clearly had
00:19:12 --> 00:19:14 the technology ready to go at the time,
00:19:14 --> 00:19:16 but the satellites weren't in place or
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 maybe they just weren't ready to launch
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 it. This is going to be something that
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 enables millions more people in the case
00:19:22 --> 00:19:25 of an emergency. I think satellites up
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 there. I think that's the key. One of
00:19:26 --> 00:19:28 the flights had launched 29 more
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 satellites. I mean, Elon is launching
00:19:29 --> 00:19:31 more and more satellites all the time.
00:19:31 --> 00:19:33 And uh he's also upgrading his
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 satellites to version two, which can do
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 higher bandwidth and will in the future
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 enable voice and video calls as well as
00:19:40 --> 00:19:42 high-speed data. I mean, at the moment,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:44 most people are just using it to send
00:19:44 --> 00:19:46 messages for emergencies, but also if
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 they're off the beaten track, they can
00:19:48 --> 00:19:50 send find my notifications to relatives
00:19:50 --> 00:19:53 who know that they can't otherwise track
00:19:53 --> 00:19:55 their loved ones on some hiking trail
00:19:55 --> 00:19:57 because there's no 4G or 5G
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 infrastructure. So, yeah, the satellite
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 revolution has really accelerated and by
00:20:01 --> 00:20:04 2030, being able to access voice and
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 data from virtually anywhere on the
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 planet, unless you're deep underground,
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 is going to be just taken for granted.
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 Just in the same way that we take mobile
00:20:11 --> 00:20:13 phones for granted today and yet in the
00:20:13 --> 00:20:15 80s it was car phones. So these updates
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 will they be extended to other products
00:20:17 --> 00:20:20 as well? Yes, there'll be 18.5 for iPad
00:20:20 --> 00:20:23 OS, 15.5 for Mac OS, should be 11.5 for
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 the watch OS and new versions 2.5 for
00:20:25 --> 00:20:27 the Vision Pro OS. So yeah, all the
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 different Apple devices. If your device
00:20:29 --> 00:20:31 can still get updates, expect an update
00:20:31 --> 00:20:33 by the time you're hearing this. And if
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 not, it'll be in in the very few days
00:20:34 --> 00:20:37 thereafter. But uh new updates coming
00:20:37 --> 00:20:39 all the time. Stay updated. That's Alex
00:20:39 --> 00:20:43 Haravo from
00:20:43 --> 00:20:56 [Music]
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 techadvice.life. And that's the show for
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00:21:51 --> 00:21:53 You've been listening to Spacetime with
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