00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Stuart Gary: This is space Time Series 28, Episode 58,
00:00:03 --> 00:00:05 for broadcast on the 14th of May, 2025.
00:00:06 --> 00:00:09 Coming up on Space Time, is there a new kind
00:00:09 --> 00:00:12 of dark matter in the galactic center? The Lunar
00:00:12 --> 00:00:15 Gateway Space Station's first habitation module arrives in
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 the United States. And more space junk
00:00:18 --> 00:00:21 threatens the International Space Station. All
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 that and more coming up on, Space Time.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:27 Voice Over Guy: Welcome to Space Time with Stuart
00:00:27 --> 00:00:28 Gary Gary.
00:00:44 --> 00:00:47 Stuart Gary: Astronomers have uncovered a mysterious phenomenon in the center of
00:00:47 --> 00:00:50 the Milky Way Galaxy which could reveal a new,
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 different kind of less massive dark matter.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 Dark matter is a mysterious, invisible substance which
00:00:56 --> 00:00:58 makes up some 85% of all the mass in the universe.
00:00:58 --> 00:01:01 Yet scientists have absolutely no idea what it
00:01:01 --> 00:01:04 is. They know it exists because they can see
00:01:04 --> 00:01:07 its gravitational effect on, surrounding space, keeping
00:01:07 --> 00:01:10 galaxies from 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 first of its kind study, scientists have taken a
00:01:16 --> 00:01:18 step closer to understanding this elusive substance by taking
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 another look at a previously dismissed candidate for dark
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 matter that could be behind unexplained chemical
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 reactions seen taking place at the centre of the Milky
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 Way. One of the study's authors, Sham Balaji
00:01:30 --> 00:01:33 from King's College London, says the key could be huge
00:01:33 --> 00:01:36 clouds of positively charged hydrogen located at
00:01:36 --> 00:01:38 the center of our galaxy. Their existence has been a
00:01:38 --> 00:01:41 mystery for decades because normally the gas should be
00:01:41 --> 00:01:44 neutral. So that raises the question of
00:01:44 --> 00:01:47 what's supplying enough energy to knock all the negatively charged
00:01:47 --> 00:01:49 electrons out of these clouds.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:52 Bulli says the energy signatures radiating from this
00:01:52 --> 00:01:55 part of the galaxy suggest that there's a constant roiling
00:01:55 --> 00:01:58 source of power doing that. And his data suggests
00:01:58 --> 00:02:01 that it might well be from a much lighter form of dark
00:02:01 --> 00:02:03 matter than what current models are considering
00:02:04 --> 00:02:07 now. Most established hypotheses designed to
00:02:07 --> 00:02:09 explain dark matter describe it as likely being
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 weakly interacting massive particles,
00:02:12 --> 00:02:15 tiny subatomic particles which pass through regular
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 matter without much interaction. And that makes them extremely hard
00:02:18 --> 00:02:21 to detect. However, this new study, reported
00:02:21 --> 00:02:23 in the journal Physical Review Letters, has potentially
00:02:23 --> 00:02:26 revived another type of dark matter, one with
00:02:26 --> 00:02:29 far lower mass than your traditional wimp.
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 The authors think these tiny dark matter particles are crashing
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 into each other and as a result, are, producing new charged
00:02:35 --> 00:02:38 particles in a process called annihilation. And
00:02:38 --> 00:02:40 it's these newly produced charged particles that are
00:02:40 --> 00:02:42 subsequently ionizing the hydrogen gas.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:46 Previous attempts to explain the ionization process in
00:02:46 --> 00:02:49 these gas clouds has always relied on cosmic rays,
00:02:49 --> 00:02:51 fast and energetic particles which travel throughout the
00:02:51 --> 00:02:54 universe. However, that explanation has some
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 difficulties. For example, the energy signature
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 recorded from observations of this area, known as the central
00:03:00 --> 00:03:03 molecular zone, isn't large enough to be attributed to
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 cosmic rays. And such a process doesn't
00:03:05 --> 00:03:08 seem to be possible with WIMPs either. So the
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 research team have been left with an explanation that this
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 energy source which is causing the annihilation is slower than
00:03:14 --> 00:03:17 a cosmic ray and less massive than a wimp.
00:03:17 --> 00:03:20 Balaji says that search for dark matter has seen
00:03:20 --> 00:03:23 a lot of experiments here on Earth, and none of them have
00:03:23 --> 00:03:26 produced anything conclusive. But by using gas
00:03:26 --> 00:03:28 at the galactic center for a different kind of observation,
00:03:28 --> 00:03:31 astronomers might be getting straight to the source.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:35 And the data is telling scientists that dark matter
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 could potentially be a lot lighter than they thought.
00:03:38 --> 00:03:40 The finding may simultaneously explain wider
00:03:40 --> 00:03:43 mysteries in our galaxy as well, such as a specific type
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 of X ray observation found at the center of the Milky Way known
00:03:46 --> 00:03:49 as the 511 kiloelectron volt emission line.
00:03:50 --> 00:03:53 See this specific energy signature could also be due to the same
00:03:53 --> 00:03:55 low mass dark matter colliding and producing charged
00:03:55 --> 00:03:58 particles. It's an interesting hypothesis,
00:03:58 --> 00:04:01 and it follows a trend where other low mass candidates for
00:04:01 --> 00:04:03 dark matter have already been postulated.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:07 This is space time still to
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 come. The Lunar Gateway Space Station's first
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 habitation module arrives in the United States ready for
00:04:12 --> 00:04:15 final fit out, and then it's up to orbit. And speaking
00:04:15 --> 00:04:18 of space stations, more space junk is threatening the
00:04:18 --> 00:04:21 International Space Station now. NASA have been forced to take
00:04:21 --> 00:04:23 evasive action. All that and more still to come
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 on space time.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 The first habitation module for the new Lunar Gateway
00:04:43 --> 00:04:46 Space Station has finally arrived in the United States.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 Known as the Habitation and Logistics Outpost, or
00:04:50 --> 00:04:53 HALO module, it'll be a core element of the Lunar
00:04:53 --> 00:04:55 Gateway Space Station, which will be humanity's first
00:04:55 --> 00:04:58 lunar space station. The pressurized module
00:04:58 --> 00:05:01 was fabricated by Thallus Alenius Space in Turin,
00:05:01 --> 00:05:04 Italy, and then shipped to Northrop Grumman's facility in
00:05:04 --> 00:05:07 Gilbert, Arizona for final fit out. It'll
00:05:07 --> 00:05:10 then be sent to NASA's Kennedy Space center in Florida, where
00:05:10 --> 00:05:13 it will be integrated with the space station's ppe, or
00:05:13 --> 00:05:15 Power and Propulsion Element. The two components
00:05:15 --> 00:05:18 will then be launched together into lunar orbit aboard a
00:05:18 --> 00:05:21 SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket ahead of the Artemis 4
00:05:21 --> 00:05:24 manned lunar mission. Gateway is important to the
00:05:24 --> 00:05:26 Artemis program because it will provide a staging post
00:05:26 --> 00:05:29 for manned missions to the lunar surface and eventually
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 manned missions going to Mars. HALO will
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 operate as the Command and Control Hub 4 Gateway.
00:05:35 --> 00:05:38 It's equipped with multiple docking ports which will be used by
00:05:38 --> 00:05:40 spacecraft such as NASA's Orion, as well as lunar
00:05:40 --> 00:05:43 landers and cargo and logistics vehicles.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:46 And it will provide data handling, energy storage, power
00:05:46 --> 00:05:49 distribution, thermal regulation and communications and
00:05:49 --> 00:05:52 tracking capabilities for the space station.
00:05:52 --> 00:05:55 HALO will also include the telecommunications section
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 of the European Space Agency's Sprite service
00:05:57 --> 00:05:59 module that will be slated to launch in
00:05:59 --> 00:06:02 2027 and will include a small windowed
00:06:02 --> 00:06:05 habitation section as well as more docking ports, an
00:06:05 --> 00:06:08 airlock and refueling infrastructure for the space station
00:06:08 --> 00:06:11 and for lunar landers. Another component,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 called the International Habitation Module or ihab, is now
00:06:14 --> 00:06:17 being jointly built by the European Space Agency and the
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency jaxa.
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 It will also launch sometime next year.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:26 IHAB will also include a new Canadian Space Agency
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 built robotic arm. Other proposed
00:06:28 --> 00:06:31 segments include more logistics modules for supplies
00:06:31 --> 00:06:34 and storage and a purpose built airlock module for
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 extra vehicle or activities outside the space station, as well
00:06:37 --> 00:06:40 as additional docking ports for deep space transports.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:43 The current plan is to have astronauts occupy the 40 ton
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 space station for up to 90 days at a time.
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 Although it's called a lunar space station, it's actually quite a bit
00:06:50 --> 00:06:53 away from the Moon. See Gateway will be positioned
00:06:53 --> 00:06:56 in a highly elliptical trans lunar orbit known as the
00:06:56 --> 00:06:58 near rectilinear Halo orbit. Instead of
00:06:58 --> 00:07:01 orbiting directly around the Moon in low lunar orbit like the
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 International Space Station does around the Earth, Gateway will follow
00:07:04 --> 00:07:07 a highly eccentric path. At its
00:07:07 --> 00:07:10 closest, it'll pass about 3 kilometers above the
00:07:10 --> 00:07:13 lunar surface, but its orbit will then swing it out
00:07:13 --> 00:07:16 to some 70km away at its most distant
00:07:16 --> 00:07:18 orbital position. Now, this design will allow
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 Gateway to be both relatively close to the Moon for
00:07:21 --> 00:07:24 excursions down to the lunar surface, but also allow for
00:07:24 --> 00:07:27 shorter trips to the space station by spacecraft traveling to
00:07:27 --> 00:07:30 and from the Earth with crew and supplies. See
00:07:30 --> 00:07:32 Most current rockets don't have the power to reach the
00:07:32 --> 00:07:35 Moon directly in one go, but they could reach Gateway.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 So after liftoff, only a moderate maneuver will be needed to
00:07:39 --> 00:07:42 slow a visiting spacecraft for rendezvous with
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 Gateway. For example, it means Europe's Ariane
00:07:44 --> 00:07:47 6 could be used to deliver supplies for astronauts for use
00:07:47 --> 00:07:50 on missions to the Moon or deeper into space.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:53 And at the other end of the journey, NASA will be using a modified
00:07:53 --> 00:07:56 version of SpaceX's Starship known as the SpaceX
00:07:56 --> 00:07:59 Human Landing System, or HLS as Lunar
00:07:59 --> 00:08:02 Shuttle Transporting crews, robot supplies and
00:08:02 --> 00:08:05 infrastructure from Gateway down to the lunar surface when
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 the space station's closest to the Moon. And the that'll happen
00:08:08 --> 00:08:11 about once every seven days. Likewise, a
00:08:11 --> 00:08:14 transfer window to Gateway opens about every seven days for
00:08:14 --> 00:08:16 the return trip from the lunar surface to the space
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 station, and Gateway's orbit will rotate together
00:08:19 --> 00:08:22 with the Moon as seen from Earth. It'll Appear a
00:08:22 --> 00:08:25 little bit like a lunar halo. Now orbits like this are
00:08:25 --> 00:08:28 possible because of the interplay between the Earth and the Moon's
00:08:28 --> 00:08:31 gravitational forces. As the two large bodies
00:08:31 --> 00:08:34 dance through space. A smaller object can be caught in
00:08:34 --> 00:08:37 a variety of stable and near stable positions in relation
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 to the orbiting masses, Also known as light vibration or
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 Lagrangian points. Such locations are
00:08:42 --> 00:08:45 perfect for planning long term missions and to some extent
00:08:45 --> 00:08:48 they'll dictate the design of the spacecraft, what it can carry
00:08:48 --> 00:08:51 to and from orbit, and how much energy it needs to get and
00:08:51 --> 00:08:54 stay there. Traveling on the near rectilinear
00:08:54 --> 00:08:57 halo orbit, One revolution of Gateway in its orbit around
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 the Moon will take seven Earth days. This
00:08:59 --> 00:09:02 period was chosen to limit the number of eclipses when Gateway
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 would be shrouded by the Earth or Moon's shadow.
00:09:05 --> 00:09:08 However, near rectilinear halo orbits are slightly
00:09:08 --> 00:09:11 unstable and objects in these orbits do have a tendency
00:09:11 --> 00:09:14 of drifting away. That means regular small
00:09:14 --> 00:09:17 station keeping maneuvers will be needed to keep Gateway in
00:09:17 --> 00:09:20 position. We've learned how to do that by keeping the International
00:09:20 --> 00:09:23 Space Station in its correct orbital height above the Earth.
00:09:23 --> 00:09:26 This report on the Gateway project by NASA
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 tv.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:34 NASA TV: Gateway is in and of itself a humongous
00:09:34 --> 00:09:37 technological marvel. It is the first
00:09:37 --> 00:09:40 space station around the Moon. It is going to be a very
00:09:40 --> 00:09:43 important part of our future exploration
00:09:43 --> 00:09:46 missions. We know how to live and work
00:09:46 --> 00:09:49 in low Earth orbit. But now it's time to
00:09:49 --> 00:09:52 go further. Artemis is going to take us to parts of the moon that
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 we haven't been to before.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:56 Stuart Gary: Going back to the moon has to be an international
00:09:56 --> 00:09:59 cooperation. The resources and the efforts
00:09:59 --> 00:10:01 required to make this
00:10:01 --> 00:10:04 happen are just too much for any single nation to,
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 to go on their own.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:08 NASA TV: There's the old saying that if, you want to go fast, you
00:10:08 --> 00:10:11 go alone. If you want to go for
00:10:11 --> 00:10:14 a long time, you go together. And so
00:10:14 --> 00:10:17 it's going to take a humankind effort to go
00:10:17 --> 00:10:20 to the moon and then use that as a stepping stone to go to
00:10:20 --> 00:10:23 Mars. To be able to go and do
00:10:23 --> 00:10:26 lunar surface exploration missions and do sustainable missions,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 be able to do long duration missions, go to the moon to stay,
00:10:29 --> 00:10:32 rather than just to visit like we did during Apollo. We need
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 a Space Station and GatewaySat Station.
00:10:34 --> 00:10:37 The International crews and the international astronauts
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 that will perform these missions will be the first
00:10:40 --> 00:10:42 humans that are making their home in deep space.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:46 NASA TV: I think about all that we've learned from the International Space
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 Station as a.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 Stuart Gary: low Earth orbit laboratory.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 NASA TV: Gateway will be an extension of that and
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 continue that legacy of science and discovery.
00:10:56 --> 00:10:58 NASA TV: We are going to be learning about deep space
00:10:58 --> 00:11:01 exploration. When we're in low Earth orbit,
00:11:01 --> 00:11:04 we're protected. When we're around
00:11:04 --> 00:11:07 the Moon, we don't have that protection. So it is
00:11:07 --> 00:11:09 going to affect everything.
00:11:10 --> 00:11:13 We have the very unique ability at
00:11:13 --> 00:11:15 Gateway to study that radiation.
00:11:16 --> 00:11:19 Gateway sounds so science fiction, but
00:11:19 --> 00:11:22 it's real and we're building it. And science will
00:11:22 --> 00:11:23 never be the same.
00:11:23 --> 00:11:26 NASA TV: In one of the first steps of our Artemis lunar
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 exploration plans, we have selected Maxar
00:11:28 --> 00:11:31 Technologies to provide the power and propulsion
00:11:31 --> 00:11:34 element for our lunar gateway. The
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 power and propulsion element is a spacecraft that will
00:11:37 --> 00:11:40 use high power solar electric propulsion to
00:11:40 --> 00:11:43 give our explorers aboard the gateway access to the
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 entire surface of the Moon. It will also
00:11:45 --> 00:11:48 enable the Gateway to serve as a mobile command and
00:11:48 --> 00:11:51 service module by providing a communications relay
00:11:52 --> 00:11:54 for human and robotic expeditions to the lunar
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 surface.
00:11:55 --> 00:11:58 Stuart Gary: This is a critical capability for not just
00:11:58 --> 00:12:01 a sustainable lunar return, but also an
00:12:01 --> 00:12:03 eventual journey to Mars.
00:12:03 --> 00:12:06 NASA TV: NASA's current lunar exploration plans call
00:12:06 --> 00:12:09 for a return to the moon. The sustained human presence
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 on and around the moon by 2028.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:19 Stuart Gary: This is space time. Still to come,
00:12:19 --> 00:12:22 more space junk threatens the International Space Station.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 And later in the science report, new insights
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 into how the Earth's continents are moving. All that
00:12:27 --> 00:12:30 and more still to come on, space time.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 NASA has been forced to move the International Space Station again
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 to avoid some large fragments of space junk. The
00:12:51 --> 00:12:54 orbital correction maneuver involved the Russian Progress
00:12:54 --> 00:12:57 MS.30 cargo ship which was docked at the space station,
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 firing its thrusters for a 212.79
00:12:59 --> 00:13:02 second burn, in the process increasing the station's
00:13:02 --> 00:13:05 orbital altitude by 540 metres.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:08 Now, without this maneuver, NASA estimated the fragment could have come
00:13:08 --> 00:13:11 within 6 km of the space station. That's too
00:13:11 --> 00:13:14 close for comfort. The space junk has been identified
00:13:14 --> 00:13:17 as part of a Chinese Long March M rocket launched back in
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 2005. Space Junk has become
00:13:20 --> 00:13:23 a constant problem for crew aboard the orbiting outpost, with
00:13:23 --> 00:13:25 collision avoidance maneuvers now being undertaken
00:13:25 --> 00:13:28 multiple times every year. Each time
00:13:28 --> 00:13:31 it happens, crew have to stop what they're doing, take
00:13:31 --> 00:13:34 refuge inside one of the dock capsules just in
00:13:34 --> 00:13:37 case something hits the space station and they're forced to make an
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 emergency evacuation and return to Earth.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 And the trouble is that problem's only going to get worse.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 This is space time
00:14:00 --> 00:14:03 and time now to take another brief look at some of the other stories making
00:14:03 --> 00:14:06 news in science this week with a science report.
00:14:07 --> 00:14:09 A computer simulation of Earth's population growth
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 has shown that humans will need to have more babies than the
00:14:12 --> 00:14:15 current rates if the species is meant to avoid
00:14:15 --> 00:14:18 extinction. The findings reported in the journal
00:14:18 --> 00:14:21 plos One, shows that Homo sapiens survival
00:14:21 --> 00:14:24 requires every woman of childbearing age to have an average of
00:14:24 --> 00:14:27 at least 2.7 children, much higher than the
00:14:27 --> 00:14:30 2.1 previously thought would be enough to keep people
00:14:30 --> 00:14:32 going. The researchers say the previous
00:14:32 --> 00:14:35 2.1 kids per woman rate doesn't account for
00:14:35 --> 00:14:38 random differences in how many kids people have, or things like
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 birth rates, gender ratios and the fact that some
00:14:40 --> 00:14:43 people never have children at all. They say the
00:14:43 --> 00:14:46 research shows that women need to have at least 2.7
00:14:46 --> 00:14:49 kids to reliably avoid eventual extinction of the
00:14:49 --> 00:14:52 species, especially in populations that are already
00:14:52 --> 00:14:55 small. So it's one kid for mum, one
00:14:55 --> 00:14:57 for dad, one for and one for humanity.
00:14:59 --> 00:15:01 A new analysis of lava flows that solidified
00:15:01 --> 00:15:04 and broke apart over a massive crack in the earth's crust in
00:15:04 --> 00:15:07 Turkey has brought new insights into how continents
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 move. The findings, reported in the journal
00:15:09 --> 00:15:12 Communications Earth and Environment, will help improve
00:15:12 --> 00:15:15 science's understanding of earthquake risks. The
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 new research by Curtin University has revealed that
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 Tsugalu Fault zone, a more than 200 kilometer long
00:15:20 --> 00:15:23 geological structure visible from space, is slowly
00:15:23 --> 00:15:26 pulling apart, providing a rare glimpse into the forces
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 that shape Earth's crust when plates collide.
00:15:29 --> 00:15:31 The study solves a long standing mystery about the
00:15:31 --> 00:15:34 fault's movement, unambiguously revealing that the
00:15:34 --> 00:15:37 fault is pulling apart at a rate of about 1 millimeter
00:15:37 --> 00:15:40 per year, rather than, as other studies have suggested,
00:15:40 --> 00:15:43 it's shifting sideways. Understanding
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 these movements is crucial not just for assessing volcanic
00:15:46 --> 00:15:49 and earthquake threats, but also for improving global models
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 of continental deformation.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:55 A new study has shown that teenagers diagnosed with a
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 mental health condition report spending about 50 minutes
00:15:57 --> 00:16:00 extra per day on social media compared to their
00:16:00 --> 00:16:03 peers. The findings, reported in the journal Nature
00:16:03 --> 00:16:06 Human Behavior, looked at self reported social media
00:16:06 --> 00:16:09 use among more than 3 teens, 16%
00:16:09 --> 00:16:12 of whom had at least one diagnosed mental health condition.
00:16:12 --> 00:16:15 The researchers say participants with depression or anxiety
00:16:15 --> 00:16:18 disorders reported comparing themselves to others on
00:16:18 --> 00:16:21 social media more frequently. They also reported
00:16:21 --> 00:16:24 being less happy with the number of friends or followers they have
00:16:24 --> 00:16:27 on social media, and that their mood was more strongly being
00:16:27 --> 00:16:30 impacted by how many likes, shares and comments
00:16:30 --> 00:16:33 they get. Apple have
00:16:33 --> 00:16:36 started rolling out their latest series of updates for iPhones,
00:16:36 --> 00:16:38 tablets and Macs. With the details, we're joined by
00:16:38 --> 00:16:41 technology editor Alex Zaharov-Reutt Vroid from TechAdvice
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 Life
00:16:42 --> 00:16:45 Alex Zaharov-Reutt: The ritual of updating all of our, devices
00:16:45 --> 00:16:48 on seemingly a monthly basis is about to start up again
00:16:48 --> 00:16:50 with iOS 18.5. Currently
00:16:50 --> 00:16:53 I'm running the release candidate, but by the time
00:16:53 --> 00:16:56 people are hearing this iOS 18.5 should be out.
00:16:56 --> 00:16:59 And whilst there's the usual bug fixes and
00:16:59 --> 00:17:02 new wallpapers, there is sometimes some new feature.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:05 And the feature that really caught my eye was that the
00:17:05 --> 00:17:08 emergency SOS and messaging features that were
00:17:08 --> 00:17:11 debuted with the iPhone 14 and then
00:17:11 --> 00:17:14 were available with the iPhone 15 and 16 are actually going
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 to be backported to the iPhone 13.
00:17:17 --> 00:17:20 So this is big. I mean they clearly had the technology ready to
00:17:20 --> 00:17:23 go at the time, but the satellites weren't in place or maybe
00:17:23 --> 00:17:25 they just weren't ready to launch it. This is going to
00:17:25 --> 00:17:28 be something that enables millions more people in the
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 case of an emergency.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:33 Stuart Gary: I think the satellites up there, I think that's the key.
00:17:33 --> 00:17:35 Alex Zaharov-Reutt: One of the flights had launched 29 more satellites. I mean Elon is
00:17:35 --> 00:17:38 launching more and more satellites all the time. And he's also
00:17:38 --> 00:17:41 upgrading his satellites to version 2, which can
00:17:41 --> 00:17:44 do higher bandwidth and will in the future
00:17:44 --> 00:17:47 enable voice and video calls as well as high
00:17:47 --> 00:17:50 speed data. I mean, at the moment most people are just using it to
00:17:50 --> 00:17:53 send messages for emergencies, but also if they're off the
00:17:53 --> 00:17:55 beaten track, they can send find my notifications
00:17:56 --> 00:17:58 to relatives who know that they can't otherwise
00:17:58 --> 00:18:01 track their loved ones on some hiking trail
00:18:01 --> 00:18:04 because there's no 4G or 5G infrastructure. So yeah, the
00:18:04 --> 00:18:07 satellite re really accelerated and
00:18:07 --> 00:18:10 by 2030 being able to access voice and
00:18:10 --> 00:18:13 data from virtually anywhere on the planet, unless you're deep
00:18:13 --> 00:18:16 underground, is going to be just taken for granted, just
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 in the same way that we take mobile phones for granted today. And
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 yet in the 80s it was car phones.
00:18:21 --> 00:18:23 Stuart Gary: So these updates, will they be extended to other products as
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 well?
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 Alex Zaharov-Reutt: Yes, they'll be 18.5 for iPad, OS
00:18:26 --> 00:18:29 15.5 for macOS, should be 11.5 for the
00:18:29 --> 00:18:32 WatchOS and new versions 2.5 for the
00:18:32 --> 00:18:35 Vision Pro OS. So yeah, all the different Apple devices.
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 If your device can still get updates, expect an update
00:18:38 --> 00:18:41 by the time you're hearing this, and if not, it'll be in in the very few days
00:18:41 --> 00:18:44 thereafter. But, new updates coming all the time stay updated.
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 Stuart Gary: That's Alex Zaharov-Reutt vroid from M TechAdvice
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 Live.
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