Transcript
1
00:00:00,009 --> 00:00:03,420
Stuart Gary: This is Space Time
series 26 episode 50 for
2
00:00:03,430 --> 00:00:08,819
broadcast on the 26th of April
2023. Coming up on Space Time
3
00:00:09,130 --> 00:00:13,699
ingenuity achieves its half
century Curiosity gets a major
4
00:00:13,710 --> 00:00:19,120
software update and the biggest
Brown Dwarf ever seen all that
5
00:00:19,129 --> 00:00:22,020
and more coming up on Space
Time.
6
00:00:22,959 --> 00:00:43,639
Generic: Welcome to Space Time
with Stuart Garry NASA's Mars
7
00:00:43,650 --> 00:00:44,229
ingenuity.
8
00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,099
Stuart Gary: Helicopters reached
the half century Mark completing
9
00:00:47,110 --> 00:00:51,220
its 50th flight on the red
planet. The journey was a major
10
00:00:51,229 --> 00:00:54,540
achievement for the tiny tissue
box sized aircraft which was
11
00:00:54,549 --> 00:00:57,939
only ever designed to undertake
a handful of test flights simply
12
00:00:57,950 --> 00:01:01,680
to see if it was possible to fly
on another planet. After all,
13
00:01:01,689 --> 00:01:04,930
the Martian atmosphere is
incredibly thin, just one per
14
00:01:04,940 --> 00:01:07,300
cent of air pressure at sea
level on earth.
15
00:01:07,690 --> 00:01:10,819
The history making Rodic Cota's
latest journey involved
16
00:01:10,830 --> 00:01:13,319
negotiating some of the most
hazardous threat it's
17
00:01:13,330 --> 00:01:17,190
encountered on Mars so far the
flight covered a distance of
18
00:01:17,199 --> 00:01:24,099
322.2 m in 145.7 seconds in the
process setting your altitude
19
00:01:24,110 --> 00:01:29,379
record of 18 m before landing
near the 800 m wide Velva crater
20
00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:32,790
with flight 50 Now in the
mission logbooks, the helicopter
21
00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:36,050
team plan on performing another
repositioning flight before they
22
00:01:36,059 --> 00:01:39,529
explore the full river pass
region of Jero Crater.
23
00:01:39,879 --> 00:01:42,989
Laurie Glees, the Director of
the Planetary Science Division
24
00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,769
at NASA headquarters in
Washington says, just as the
25
00:01:45,779 --> 00:01:47,949
Wright Brothers continue their
experiments.
26
00:01:47,959 --> 00:01:51,480
Well, after that momentous day
at Kitty Hawk in 19 oh three,
27
00:01:51,489 --> 00:01:55,089
the ingenuity team will continue
to pursue and learn from their
28
00:01:55,099 --> 00:01:59,069
flight operations of the first
aircraft on another world
29
00:01:59,370 --> 00:02:03,099
ingenuity landed on the red
planet's Jero Crater in February
30
00:02:03,110 --> 00:02:07,330
2021 attached to the underbelly
of NASA's Mars perseverance
31
00:02:07,339 --> 00:02:11,000
Rover and has just marked the
second anniversary of its first
32
00:02:11,009 --> 00:02:14,710
flight which took place on April
the 19th 2021.
33
00:02:15,089 --> 00:02:18,380
It was designed as a technology
demonstrator that wasn't meant
34
00:02:18,389 --> 00:02:22,470
to fly more than four or five
times. The helicopter was simply
35
00:02:22,479 --> 00:02:25,639
intended to prove that powered
controlled flight on another
36
00:02:25,649 --> 00:02:29,500
planet was possible, but
ingenuity has exceeded
37
00:02:29,509 --> 00:02:32,570
expectations and has now
transitioned into being an
38
00:02:32,580 --> 00:02:34,300
operations demonstration.
39
00:02:34,710 --> 00:02:38,350
Every time ingenuity gets
airborne, it covers new ground,
40
00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:41,759
providing a perspective that no
previous planetary mission could
41
00:02:41,770 --> 00:02:44,029
ever achieve imagery from.
42
00:02:44,039 --> 00:02:47,529
The helicopter has demonstrated
how aircraft could serve as
43
00:02:47,539 --> 00:02:50,539
forward scouts for future
planetary expeditions,
44
00:02:50,550 --> 00:02:53,639
identifying both hazardous
terrain to be avoided and
45
00:02:53,649 --> 00:02:57,020
interesting objects to be
studied by testing this
46
00:02:57,029 --> 00:02:58,210
helicopter's limits.
47
00:02:58,220 --> 00:03:01,050
Engineers are gathering flight
data which will be used by
48
00:03:01,059 --> 00:03:04,229
scientists working on designs
for future possible Mars
49
00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,289
helicopters and that includes
the people designing the
50
00:03:07,300 --> 00:03:10,809
choppers for the Mars sample
return campaign which proposes
51
00:03:10,820 --> 00:03:15,059
to use at least two recovery
helicopters since leaving the
52
00:03:15,070 --> 00:03:17,869
relatively flat confines of Jero
Crater's floor.
53
00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:21,929
On January the 19th ingenuity
has flown 11 times in the
54
00:03:21,940 --> 00:03:26,059
process setting a new speed
record of 6.5 m per second as
55
00:03:26,070 --> 00:03:29,630
well as its new altitude record.
Although the deep chill of
56
00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,300
winter and regional dust storms
which can block the sun's rays
57
00:03:33,309 --> 00:03:36,460
from reaching the helicopter.
Solar panels have now abated.
58
00:03:36,470 --> 00:03:39,610
Ingenuity continues to Brown out
at night.
59
00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:43,550
As a result, the helicopter's
base station on the Rover needs
60
00:03:43,559 --> 00:03:46,979
to search for ingenuity signal
every morning at the time, the
61
00:03:46,990 --> 00:03:50,679
rotocop that's predicted to wake
up and when the helicopter does
62
00:03:50,690 --> 00:03:54,580
fly, it now needs to navigate
rugged and relatively uncharted
63
00:03:54,589 --> 00:03:58,160
terrain and often landing in
spots that can be surrounded by
64
00:03:58,169 --> 00:03:59,009
hazards.
65
00:03:59,410 --> 00:04:02,649
Ingenuity is flying over the
dried up remains of an ancient
66
00:04:02,660 --> 00:04:06,210
river that's filled with sand
dunes, boulders and rocks
67
00:04:06,220 --> 00:04:10,600
surrounded by hills. The flights
are still white knuckle rides
68
00:04:10,610 --> 00:04:12,839
for the mission managers back on
earth.
69
00:04:13,110 --> 00:04:17,040
Beyond facing more challenging
terrain, ingenuity will also fly
70
00:04:17,049 --> 00:04:20,730
at a greater frequency in the
coming days. That's because the
71
00:04:20,739 --> 00:04:24,480
chopper needs to remain within
electronic air shut of the Rover
72
00:04:24,850 --> 00:04:26,920
with its auto nav capabilities.
73
00:04:26,929 --> 00:04:30,959
A perseverance Rover can travel
hundreds of meters every day and
74
00:04:30,970 --> 00:04:34,839
ingenuity relies on perseverance
to act as a communications relay
75
00:04:34,850 --> 00:04:38,769
base between it and mission
controllers back at NASA's Jet
76
00:04:38,779 --> 00:04:42,589
Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California. If the
77
00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,510
Rover gets too far ahead or
disappears behind a hill,
78
00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:47,399
communications could be lost.
79
00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,170
The Rover team has its job to do
and is scheduled to keep. So
80
00:04:51,179 --> 00:04:54,279
it's imperative for the
ingenuity team to keep up and to
81
00:04:54,290 --> 00:04:57,880
lead wherever possible.
Perseverance. Recently completed
82
00:04:57,890 --> 00:05:00,989
exploring Fold dragon, a
scientific target that may
83
00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,630
contain hydrated silica which is
of strong astro biological
84
00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:05,459
interest.
85
00:05:05,470 --> 00:05:08,410
And it's currently headed for
Mount Julian which will provide
86
00:05:08,420 --> 00:05:12,989
a panoramic view onto the nearby
Bel Crater built with lots of
87
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,260
off the shelf components such as
smartphone processors and
88
00:05:16,269 --> 00:05:20,750
cameras. Ingenuity is now 23
earth months and 45 flights
89
00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:22,859
beyond its expected lifetime.
90
00:05:23,390 --> 00:05:28,410
So far, the rooters flowed over
89 minutes and more than 11.6
91
00:05:28,420 --> 00:05:32,420
kilometers. But surpassing
expectations like this comes at
92
00:05:32,429 --> 00:05:36,779
a cost, some of the helicopter's
components are showing signs of
93
00:05:36,790 --> 00:05:40,510
wear and tear and the terrain is
becoming more challenging.
94
00:05:40,890 --> 00:05:45,119
Of course, the ingenuity team
realizes that ultimately every
95
00:05:45,130 --> 00:05:48,690
great mission must come to an
end. But as to whether
96
00:05:48,700 --> 00:05:51,880
ingenuity's mission ends
tomorrow next week or in a
97
00:05:51,890 --> 00:05:55,179
couple of months time from now,
that's something that no-one can
98
00:05:55,190 --> 00:05:58,570
predict at present. But they all
know it will happen.
99
00:05:59,059 --> 00:06:03,209
Generic: This report from NASA
TV, two years ago, ingenuity
100
00:06:03,220 --> 00:06:05,679
proved that we could do the
impossible we can fly on Mars.
101
00:06:06,339 --> 00:06:13,809
Let's talk about what's next
here at the surface.
102
00:06:13,820 --> 00:06:18,140
Robotics. Lab testing is being
done on future Mars helicopters.
103
00:06:18,149 --> 00:06:21,250
Teddy Santos is here with us
today to talk about the
104
00:06:21,260 --> 00:06:25,019
helicopter that started it all
ingenuity. Teddy, what's the
105
00:06:25,029 --> 00:06:26,970
latest ingenuity is doing great.
106
00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,760
Our baby still flying on the
surface of Mars. After two earth
107
00:06:29,769 --> 00:06:32,959
years, one Mars year of total
flight racked up 10 kilometers
108
00:06:32,970 --> 00:06:37,075
or 6.2 miles of total has flown.
Our rotor system. Our little
109
00:06:37,084 --> 00:06:39,635
cell phone processor on board
our off the shelf lithium ion
110
00:06:39,674 --> 00:06:42,434
batteries are all doing
fantastic. One area that we're
111
00:06:42,445 --> 00:06:44,394
looking very closely at is our
solar panel.
112
00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:46,325
You can imagine after two years
of flying on the surface of
113
00:06:46,334 --> 00:06:48,984
Mars, you'll get some dust on
top, but we still have an ample
114
00:06:48,994 --> 00:06:52,334
margin and ample energy to keep
up our flight operations and the
115
00:06:52,345 --> 00:06:55,315
extended mission of continuing
to scout and push the flat
116
00:06:55,325 --> 00:06:56,494
envelope of what's possible.
117
00:06:56,855 --> 00:06:58,815
The testing being done in this
room is part of the next
118
00:06:58,825 --> 00:07:00,714
helicopter mission to Mars
called the sample recovery
119
00:07:00,725 --> 00:07:05,399
helicopters. The goal is to be a
back up to get these samples
120
00:07:05,410 --> 00:07:08,299
back to earth but simply
perseverance collects the sample
121
00:07:08,309 --> 00:07:08,739
tubes.
122
00:07:08,750 --> 00:07:12,070
The sample return Lander will
retrieve those samples directly
123
00:07:12,079 --> 00:07:14,820
for perseverance and then
there's a rocket inside of that
124
00:07:14,829 --> 00:07:16,899
Lander that's actually going to
send those samples back to earth
125
00:07:18,619 --> 00:07:22,670
as a backup to getting those
sample tubes from Mars back to
126
00:07:22,679 --> 00:07:25,940
the Lander. We're designing the
next generation of helicopters
127
00:07:25,950 --> 00:07:29,140
to not only be able to pick up
and carry a sample tube, but
128
00:07:29,149 --> 00:07:30,739
also drive around on the
surface.
129
00:07:30,959 --> 00:07:34,410
Are there any other ways
ingenuity is influencing future
130
00:07:34,420 --> 00:07:35,570
Mars exploration?
131
00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,339
We're looking at a research
concept called Mars Science
132
00:07:38,350 --> 00:07:42,679
helicopter. It's a helicopter.
So six rotors and a ring around
133
00:07:42,690 --> 00:07:43,589
a central structure.
134
00:07:44,540 --> 00:07:46,829
It's about the size of the
Rover. And you can imagine in
135
00:07:46,839 --> 00:07:49,660
the future, you will have fleets
of these Mars Science
136
00:07:49,670 --> 00:07:52,630
helicopters flying around
bringing important payloads to
137
00:07:52,640 --> 00:07:55,100
areas of Mars that we've never
been able to access before.
138
00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,720
What's next for ingenuity?
139
00:07:58,089 --> 00:08:01,929
We're trying to fly faster,
trying to fly higher. We've
140
00:08:01,940 --> 00:08:06,250
added new software capabilities.
We can now detect landing sites
141
00:08:06,260 --> 00:08:09,890
airborne. Those sorts of winds
are coming from the surface of
142
00:08:09,899 --> 00:08:13,029
Mars directly into the design of
the new sample recovery
143
00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,420
helicopters and she's done a
fantastic job. Surpassed any
144
00:08:16,429 --> 00:08:19,000
sort of metric of success that
anyone on the team could have
145
00:08:19,010 --> 00:08:22,350
ever imagined for this little
tiny £4 spacecraft.
146
00:08:27,149 --> 00:08:32,419
Stuart Gary: This is Space Time.
Still to come. Curiosity gets a
147
00:08:32,429 --> 00:08:36,440
major software update and
astronomers discover the biggest
148
00:08:36,450 --> 00:08:41,109
Brown Dwarf ever seen all that
and more still to come on Space
149
00:08:41,119 --> 00:08:41,719
Time.
150
00:08:56,619 --> 00:09:00,929
NASA's Mars Curiosity Rover will
drive faster and reduce wear on
151
00:09:00,940 --> 00:09:04,780
its wheels. Thanks to a major
software download into the six
152
00:09:04,789 --> 00:09:08,760
wheeled car size mobile
laboratory years in the making.
153
00:09:08,770 --> 00:09:12,099
The new update introduces 100
and 80 changes to the Rover's
154
00:09:12,109 --> 00:09:13,289
operating system.
155
00:09:13,549 --> 00:09:18,400
Curiosity landed in the red
planet scale crater back in 2012
156
00:09:18,409 --> 00:09:21,590
on a mission to see if Mars
could once have been habitable
157
00:09:21,599 --> 00:09:25,549
and able to support life and it
quickly answered that question
158
00:09:25,559 --> 00:09:29,840
with a resounding yes, providing
clear and indisputable evidence
159
00:09:29,849 --> 00:09:33,349
of minerals that could only form
in liquid water and pebbles that
160
00:09:33,359 --> 00:09:36,760
could only be rounded by flowing
water in streams.
161
00:09:37,130 --> 00:09:40,520
The groundwork supported the
evidence from earlier rovers and
162
00:09:40,530 --> 00:09:45,000
orbital observations that Mars
was once a warm wet world
163
00:09:45,010 --> 00:09:49,130
capable of supporting life. As
we know it, Curiosity is now
164
00:09:49,140 --> 00:09:50,469
making its way up.
165
00:09:50,510 --> 00:09:54,280
Gel crater's central peak mount
sharp, a five kilometer high
166
00:09:54,289 --> 00:09:57,150
geological layer cake of
different strata which is
167
00:09:57,159 --> 00:10:00,190
providing scientists with a
textbook history of the red
168
00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:04,580
planet's evolution Curiosity
project manager, Katia Samora
169
00:10:04,590 --> 00:10:07,440
Garcia from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in
170
00:10:07,450 --> 00:10:11,340
Pasadena, California says the
new flight software is essential
171
00:10:11,349 --> 00:10:13,580
to the mission planning for this
update.
172
00:10:13,590 --> 00:10:17,489
Goes back to 2016 when Curiosity
received its last software
173
00:10:17,500 --> 00:10:21,489
overhaul, some of the changes
this time round are fairly minor
174
00:10:21,500 --> 00:10:24,440
like making corrections to
messages. The Rover sends back
175
00:10:24,450 --> 00:10:26,179
to mission managers on earth.
176
00:10:26,190 --> 00:10:29,880
Others simplify computer code
that's been modified by multiple
177
00:10:29,890 --> 00:10:34,440
patches since Curiosity touched
down back in 2012. But the
178
00:10:34,450 --> 00:10:37,570
biggest changes will keep
Curiosity rolling more
179
00:10:37,580 --> 00:10:41,479
efficiently for years to come.
The Rover can now do more of
180
00:10:41,489 --> 00:10:45,169
what mission managers call
thinking while driving. That's
181
00:10:45,179 --> 00:10:46,270
something NASA's newest.
182
00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,630
Mars Rover perseverance can
perform in a more advanced way
183
00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:53,510
to navigate around rocks and
sand dunes. When perseverance
184
00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:57,260
drives, it constantly takes
images of the terrain ahead and
185
00:10:57,270 --> 00:11:00,349
then processes them with a
dedicated computer. So it can
186
00:11:00,359 --> 00:11:03,760
autonomously navigate during one
continuous drive.
187
00:11:04,030 --> 00:11:07,599
Although they're siblings,
Curiosity is much older. And so
188
00:11:07,609 --> 00:11:10,489
it doesn't have a dedicated
computer for this purpose.
189
00:11:10,849 --> 00:11:14,890
Instead it drives in segments,
halting to process image of the
190
00:11:14,900 --> 00:11:18,719
train ahead after each segment.
And that means it needs to
191
00:11:18,729 --> 00:11:22,440
constantly start and stop over
the course of a long drive.
192
00:11:22,739 --> 00:11:25,960
The new software will help the
Rover process images faster,
193
00:11:25,969 --> 00:11:29,789
allowing it to spend more time
on the move. Now, it still won't
194
00:11:29,799 --> 00:11:33,849
let Curiosity drive as quickly
as perseverance, but instead of
195
00:11:33,859 --> 00:11:37,330
stopping for a full minute after
each drive segment, it will now
196
00:11:37,340 --> 00:11:41,169
halt for just a moment or two
and spending less time idling
197
00:11:41,179 --> 00:11:44,520
between drive segments also
means using less energy every
198
00:11:44,530 --> 00:11:45,070
day.
199
00:11:45,309 --> 00:11:48,369
Another factor the team are
concerned about is the need to
200
00:11:48,380 --> 00:11:51,690
maintain the health of
Curiosity's aluminum wheels
201
00:11:51,700 --> 00:11:56,200
which began showing signs of
broken treads back in 2013.
202
00:11:56,570 --> 00:12:00,109
When engineers realized that
sharp rocks were chipping away
203
00:12:00,119 --> 00:12:03,710
at the treads, they came up with
an algorithm to improve traction
204
00:12:03,719 --> 00:12:06,460
and reduce wheel wear by
adjusting the Rover's speed
205
00:12:06,469 --> 00:12:08,710
depending on the rocks it's
rolling over.
206
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,580
The new software goes further by
introducing two new mobility
207
00:12:12,590 --> 00:12:16,020
commands that reduce the amount
of steering Curiosity needs to
208
00:12:16,030 --> 00:12:19,580
do while driving in and out
towards a specific way point
209
00:12:19,890 --> 00:12:23,169
with less steering required. The
team can now reach the drive
210
00:12:23,179 --> 00:12:26,770
target quicker and decrease the
amount of wear and tear that
211
00:12:26,780 --> 00:12:28,830
inherently comes with steering.
212
00:12:29,119 --> 00:12:32,080
Overall, the new software will
streamline the task of
213
00:12:32,090 --> 00:12:35,570
Curiosity's human drivers who
have to write complex plans
214
00:12:35,580 --> 00:12:39,530
containing hundreds of commands.
The new software update will
215
00:12:39,539 --> 00:12:42,669
also allow them to upload
software patches more easily
216
00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:46,479
than in the past. And it will
help engineers plan the motions
217
00:12:46,489 --> 00:12:50,119
of Curiosity's robotic arm more
efficiently as well as pointing
218
00:12:50,130 --> 00:12:52,270
its mast camera more accurately.
219
00:12:52,619 --> 00:12:57,640
This Space Time still to come,
the biggest Brown Dwarf ever
220
00:12:57,650 --> 00:13:01,599
discovered. And later in the
science report, Elon Musk
221
00:13:01,609 --> 00:13:05,159
announced plans to develop a
better kinder artificial
222
00:13:05,169 --> 00:13:09,719
intelligence. All that and more
still to come on Space Time.
223
00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:28,599
Astronomers have discovered what
they think may be the largest
224
00:13:28,609 --> 00:13:33,140
Brown Dwarf ever seen. The
gigantic subs stellar object was
225
00:13:33,150 --> 00:13:36,450
discovered using NASA's
transiting exoplanets survey
226
00:13:36,460 --> 00:13:41,200
satellite tests. The Brown Dwarf
has some 77 times the mass of
227
00:13:41,210 --> 00:13:44,650
Jupiter, placing it near the
theoretical upper limit of what
228
00:13:44,659 --> 00:13:47,890
Brown dwarfs can be. Were it
much bigger?
229
00:13:47,900 --> 00:13:50,760
It would have so much mass it
would trigger core nuclear
230
00:13:50,770 --> 00:13:55,380
fusion. And instead of being a
Brown Dwarf, it will be a star.
231
00:13:55,390 --> 00:13:59,330
A report on the pre press
physics website archive dot org
232
00:13:59,340 --> 00:14:03,119
says the Brown Dwarf is orbiting
a spectral type M red dwarf star
233
00:14:03,130 --> 00:14:09,460
known as TII 50,375 located some
400 light years away. Brown
234
00:14:09,469 --> 00:14:13,869
dwarfs are failed stars objects
without enough mass to trigger
235
00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,109
the core nuclear fusion process.
236
00:14:16,119 --> 00:14:20,510
Which make stars like our sun
shine while some Brown dwarfs
237
00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:23,799
are born as such, others
actually do start their lives
238
00:14:23,809 --> 00:14:28,409
out spectra type M red dwarf
stars. But over the course of
239
00:14:28,419 --> 00:14:31,369
their existence, they burn away
enough mass during their
240
00:14:31,380 --> 00:14:35,539
evolution to cease core nuclear
fusion. Turning them from red
241
00:14:35,549 --> 00:14:37,140
dwarfs into Brown dwarfs.
242
00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,960
Brown dwarfs fit into a category
between the largest planets
243
00:14:40,969 --> 00:14:44,390
which have about 13 times the
mass of Jupiter and the smallest
244
00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:49,309
spectra type m red dwarf stars,
which is somewhere between 75 80
245
00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:55,330
times the mass of Jupiter or
about 0.8 solar masses at 77
246
00:14:55,599 --> 00:14:59,090
Jovian masses. This Brown Dwarf
comes close to that limit.
247
00:14:59,330 --> 00:15:02,599
The new found Brown Dwarf
companion has been designated to
248
00:15:02,849 --> 00:15:08,640
I 50,375 B. It's about the same
physical size as Jupiter with an
249
00:15:08,650 --> 00:15:14,820
equilibrium temperature of
between 931 and 1107. Kelvin. It
250
00:15:14,830 --> 00:15:19,190
orbits its host star every 1.72
earth days at an average
251
00:15:19,200 --> 00:15:25,020
distance of 0.25 astronomical
units. An astronomical unit is
252
00:15:25,030 --> 00:15:28,179
the average distance between the
earth and the sun about 100 and
253
00:15:28,190 --> 00:15:31,890
50 million kilometers or 8.3
light minutes.
254
00:15:32,270 --> 00:15:35,500
Astronomers say the discovery
provides them with important
255
00:15:35,510 --> 00:15:40,179
data about the boundary region
between Brown dwarfs and true
256
00:15:40,190 --> 00:16:01,130
stars. This is Space Time and
time matter. Once again, take a
257
00:16:01,140 --> 00:16:03,559
look at some of the other
stories making news in science.
258
00:16:03,570 --> 00:16:04,190
This week.
259
00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:08,789
With the science report, a new
study has shown how vaping acts
260
00:16:08,799 --> 00:16:12,770
as a gateway to cigarette
smoking. The findings reported
261
00:16:12,780 --> 00:16:16,609
in the journal tobacco control
show that early teen smokers who
262
00:16:16,619 --> 00:16:20,950
used e cigarettes were more
likely to continue smoking later
263
00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:24,559
in their teens and adult years.
The study looked at young
264
00:16:24,570 --> 00:16:27,789
smokers in the United Kingdom
and the United States.
265
00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,770
Researchers selected teen who
began smoking tobacco before the
266
00:16:31,780 --> 00:16:35,539
age of 15 and then examined
their vaping and smoking habits.
267
00:16:35,549 --> 00:16:41,070
Over time, they say 57 per cent
of UK and 58 per cent of us
268
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:46,219
early smokers respectively also
vaped as this cohort moved into
269
00:16:46,229 --> 00:16:48,900
their late teens. The
researchers say those who would
270
00:16:48,909 --> 00:16:52,719
use both tobacco and vapes were
far more likely to continue
271
00:16:52,729 --> 00:16:54,229
smoking frequently.
272
00:16:55,599 --> 00:16:58,570
Now, while we're on the subject,
a new study shows that people
273
00:16:58,580 --> 00:17:02,409
exposed to second hand tobacco
smoke may need to eventually use
274
00:17:02,419 --> 00:17:06,290
allergy and asthma medication.
The findings reported in the
275
00:17:06,300 --> 00:17:09,819
journal nature are based on the
study of waste water in a town
276
00:17:09,829 --> 00:17:12,729
with a population of around half
a million people in Southern
277
00:17:12,739 --> 00:17:13,439
China.
278
00:17:13,828 --> 00:17:16,879
Scientists were trying to
determine whether ambient air
279
00:17:16,889 --> 00:17:19,999
pollution and exposure to
tobacco smoke impacted the
280
00:17:20,009 --> 00:17:23,168
amount of allergy and asthma
medications used within the
281
00:17:23,178 --> 00:17:23,958
town.
282
00:17:24,208 --> 00:17:27,218
They say that while days of high
air pollution were not
283
00:17:27,229 --> 00:17:30,649
associated with increased levels
of medication in wastewater,
284
00:17:30,659 --> 00:17:34,558
they did find biomarkers for
exposure to more tobacco smoke
285
00:17:34,568 --> 00:17:38,939
and a higher use of medications.
They say the findings clearly
286
00:17:38,949 --> 00:17:42,800
suggest that reducing exposure
to second hand tobacco smoke
287
00:17:42,810 --> 00:17:45,060
would help people manage their
allergies.
288
00:17:46,530 --> 00:17:50,780
A new study warns that one in
five native Australian mammals
289
00:17:50,790 --> 00:17:54,199
living in Southern and eastern
Australia now faced a threat of
290
00:17:54,209 --> 00:17:58,439
extinction because of population
increase, altered land use and
291
00:17:58,449 --> 00:18:02,300
climate change. The findings
reported in the journal current
292
00:18:02,310 --> 00:18:06,030
biology show that Australian
animals are among those most at
293
00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:08,739
risk of becoming endangered in
the future.
294
00:18:09,060 --> 00:18:12,560
The study's authors use
conservation data to analyze how
295
00:18:12,569 --> 00:18:16,599
future risks caused by climate
change, land use change and
296
00:18:16,609 --> 00:18:20,040
human population increases
interact with the resilience of
297
00:18:20,050 --> 00:18:24,449
specific species and say that
one in five land mammals are now
298
00:18:24,459 --> 00:18:27,750
likely to face two or more
threats within the next 80
299
00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:31,959
years. They say Southern and
eastern Australia together with
300
00:18:31,969 --> 00:18:35,910
Sub Saharan Africa are the
potential hotspots for future
301
00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:37,489
endangered species.
302
00:18:38,869 --> 00:18:42,739
Elon Musk has announced plans to
launch his own artificial
303
00:18:42,750 --> 00:18:46,859
intelligence platform. The
decision follows growing fears
304
00:18:46,869 --> 00:18:50,229
that Ais being developed by
Microsoft and Google are
305
00:18:50,239 --> 00:18:53,239
politically biased that they
could eventually pose a
306
00:18:53,250 --> 00:18:58,079
terminator style threat to
mankind. The founder of spacex
307
00:18:58,089 --> 00:19:02,819
and Tesla told Tucker Carlson on
Fox News that his new truth GPT
308
00:19:03,030 --> 00:19:05,180
AI will provide a
counterbalance.
309
00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:08,949
Musk says it'll challenge the
offerings of Microsoft's Chat,
310
00:19:08,959 --> 00:19:13,140
GPT and also Google's Bard which
has burnt the company's lamb,
311
00:19:13,150 --> 00:19:16,329
the large language model
platform which last year was
312
00:19:16,339 --> 00:19:19,630
rumored to have achieved
singularity and become sentient
313
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:23,430
or self aware, the multi
billionaire accused Google co
314
00:19:23,439 --> 00:19:27,819
founder Larry Page of not taking
AI safety seriously.
315
00:19:28,260 --> 00:19:31,810
In fact, he criticized Open AI
suggesting that they're training
316
00:19:31,819 --> 00:19:37,369
their Chat GPT chatbot to lie.
He says truth GP T will try to
317
00:19:37,380 --> 00:19:40,189
understand the nature of the
universe as this will be the
318
00:19:40,199 --> 00:19:43,800
best path to safety and unlikely
to annihilate human
319
00:19:43,810 --> 00:19:48,589
civilization. With the details
with Jo biology editor Alex
320
00:19:48,599 --> 00:19:53,150
Zaharov-Reuttt from itwire.com,
Elon Musk actually was one of
321
00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:54,760
the co founders of Open AI.
322
00:19:54,819 --> 00:19:56,660
Alex Zaharov-Reutt: He was
supposed to, according to the
323
00:19:56,670 --> 00:20:00,219
reports, I read donate about a
billion dollars to the cause. It
324
00:20:00,229 --> 00:20:03,119
was non profit. In fact, Elon
Musk was saying, I'm not sure
325
00:20:03,130 --> 00:20:06,329
how I ended up donating to a non
profit and suddenly it's getting
326
00:20:06,339 --> 00:20:09,650
$10 billion plus from Microsoft
as a for profit organization.
327
00:20:09,828 --> 00:20:12,248
He was saying that's quite an
incredible thing. He'd love to
328
00:20:12,258 --> 00:20:15,208
figure out how to get onto that
gravy train. And in 2018,
329
00:20:15,218 --> 00:20:17,878
according again to the reports
that I read, he was having a
330
00:20:17,887 --> 00:20:21,567
power struggle with Sam Altman,
the current chair and one of the
331
00:20:21,578 --> 00:20:24,527
top people at Open AI and Elon
Musk lost that fight.
332
00:20:24,537 --> 00:20:27,588
And so he, according to the
reports abruptly withdrew his
333
00:20:27,598 --> 00:20:29,567
support. And even though he was
supposed to keep on giving
334
00:20:29,578 --> 00:20:32,177
money, he stopped so open eyes
and had to scramble to find
335
00:20:32,187 --> 00:20:34,066
other sources of income. They
found a white knight in
336
00:20:34,076 --> 00:20:34,796
Microsoft.
337
00:20:34,806 --> 00:20:39,755
He's also concerned that many of
these people are of the left
338
00:20:39,765 --> 00:20:43,546
persuasion and they are
customizing the eyes for their
339
00:20:43,556 --> 00:20:46,135
philosophies, not for the
philosophies of America's
340
00:20:46,145 --> 00:20:48,735
founding and the constitution
there, they're making it woke
341
00:20:48,745 --> 00:20:52,375
and Elon wants to have truth dot
AI an AI that you can trust.
342
00:20:52,385 --> 00:20:56,345
And he says, look, he wants the
AI that he has to understand the
343
00:20:56,355 --> 00:20:59,754
universe and to understand that
human, a part of this universe.
344
00:20:59,764 --> 00:21:02,313
And we're probably one of the
most interesting things about
345
00:21:02,323 --> 00:21:04,973
this universe. I mean, sure
planets and black holes and
346
00:21:04,984 --> 00:21:07,634
Galaxies and gravity and all the
rest is pretty interesting.
347
00:21:07,644 --> 00:21:11,063
But in the absence of aliens, I
mean, humans are the most
348
00:21:11,073 --> 00:21:13,504
interesting thing about this
universe and an eye that
349
00:21:13,514 --> 00:21:15,723
understands that and wants to
help nurture us is not going to
350
00:21:15,734 --> 00:21:18,904
be the one that wants to kill us
like Skynet has.
351
00:21:18,913 --> 00:21:21,433
And as I've said many times and
I said to you on this program,
352
00:21:21,443 --> 00:21:25,151
I'd like to think of science
fiction movies as a warning from
353
00:21:25,161 --> 00:21:28,291
the minds of science fiction
writers as a warning to
354
00:21:28,302 --> 00:21:31,291
humanity. Don't let this happen
to you, don't build the AI
355
00:21:31,302 --> 00:21:33,182
that's going to kill you. Make
sure there's a kill switch.
356
00:21:33,192 --> 00:21:36,501
Stuart Gary: Muske admits
there's really no off switch.
357
00:21:36,511 --> 00:21:38,472
Alex Zaharov-Reutt: Well, I
mean, there was that famous
358
00:21:38,482 --> 00:21:41,781
documentary where the machines
turned us all into batteries
359
00:21:41,791 --> 00:21:44,991
called the Matrix. I mean, it
was a documentary, wasn't it? Or
360
00:21:45,001 --> 00:21:46,862
was that science fiction? I'm
not really sure.
361
00:21:48,140 --> 00:21:51,329
I mean as wrote the three laws
of robotics because he was sick
362
00:21:51,339 --> 00:21:54,010
to death of all these sci fi
stories of the robots wanted to
363
00:21:54,020 --> 00:21:56,479
kill everybody on the planet.
What are the three laws of
364
00:21:56,489 --> 00:22:00,270
robotics? So the three laws of
robotics are that a robot may
365
00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:04,199
not injure a human being or
through an action allow a human
366
00:22:04,209 --> 00:22:05,540
being to come to harm.
367
00:22:05,579 --> 00:22:10,084
The second rule, a robot must
obey orders, given it by human
368
00:22:10,094 --> 00:22:14,724
beings, except where such order
with the first law. And the
369
00:22:14,734 --> 00:22:17,864
third is that a robot must
protect its own existence. As
370
00:22:17,875 --> 00:22:21,824
long as such protection does not
conflict with the first or
371
00:22:21,834 --> 00:22:22,834
second law.
372
00:22:22,844 --> 00:22:26,454
Stuart Gary: That's Alex Sahara
Roit from it dot com.
373
00:22:42,079 --> 00:22:45,790
And that's the show for now.
SpaceTime is available every
374
00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:49,489
Monday, Wednesday and Friday
through Apple Podcasts, itunes,
375
00:22:49,500 --> 00:22:54,699
Stitcher, Google Podcast, pocket
casts, Spotify, a cast Amazon
376
00:22:54,709 --> 00:22:59,319
music bites dot com, Soundcloud,
YouTube, your favorite podcast
377
00:22:59,329 --> 00:23:03,300
download provider and from Space
Time with Stewart Gary dot com.
378
00:23:03,579 --> 00:23:06,390
SpaceTime is also broadcast
through the National Science
379
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:10,479
Foundation on Science Zone Radio
and on both iheart Radio And
380
00:23:10,489 --> 00:23:11,579
Tune in radio.
381
00:23:11,890 --> 00:23:14,989
And you can help to support our
show by visiting the SpaceTime
382
00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:18,770
Store for a range of promotional
merchandizing goodies or by
383
00:23:18,780 --> 00:23:22,040
becoming a SpaceTime patron,
which gives you access to triple
384
00:23:22,050 --> 00:23:24,869
episode commercial, free
versions of the show as well as
385
00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,199
lots of bonus audio content
which doesn't go to air access
386
00:23:28,209 --> 00:23:32,219
to our exclusive Facebook group
and other rewards just go to
387
00:23:32,229 --> 00:23:35,560
Space Time with Stewart Gary dot
com for full details.
388
00:23:35,810 --> 00:23:38,689
And if you want more Space Time,
please check out our blog where
389
00:23:38,699 --> 00:23:41,500
you'll find all the stuff we
couldn't fit in the show as well
390
00:23:41,510 --> 00:23:45,020
as heaps of images, news
stories, loads of videos and
391
00:23:45,030 --> 00:23:48,140
things on the web. I find
interesting or amusing. Just go
392
00:23:48,150 --> 00:23:51,260
to Space Time with Stewart Gary
dot tumblr dot com.
393
00:23:51,660 --> 00:23:55,589
That's all one word and that's
Tumbler without the e you can
394
00:23:55,599 --> 00:23:59,300
also follow us through at Stuart
Garry on Twitter at Space Time
395
00:23:59,310 --> 00:24:02,859
with Stewart Garry on Instagram
through our Space Time YouTube
396
00:24:02,869 --> 00:24:06,619
channel and on Facebook, just go
to Facebook dot com forward
397
00:24:06,630 --> 00:24:10,489
slash SpaceTime with Stewart
Gary and SpaceTime is brought to
398
00:24:10,500 --> 00:24:13,020
you in collaboration with
Australian Sky and Telescope
399
00:24:13,030 --> 00:24:15,560
Magazine. Your Window on the
Universe.
400
00:24:16,010 --> 00:24:18,819
Generic: You've been listening
to Space Time with Stuart Garry.
401
00:24:19,030 --> 00:24:22,410
This has been another quality
podcast production from bites
402
00:24:22,420 --> 00:24:23,180
dot com.