The Birth of a Black Hole and Mars’ New Navigation

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Kind: captions
Language: en

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This is Spacetime Series 29, episode 24


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for broadcast on the 25th of February


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2026.


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Coming up on Spaceime, the clearest view


00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:13.030
yet of the birth of a black hole, a new


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Martian navigation system for use on the


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red planet, and NASA's SpaceX Crew 12


00:00:18.880 --> 00:00:20.630
arrives aboard the International Space


00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:23.029
Station as the agency approves a sixth


00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:25.830
private mission to the orbiting outpost.


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All that and more coming up on Spaceime.


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Astronomers have discovered a star


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collapsing down to form a black hole


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without the expected blinding blast of a


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supernova explosion. Back in 2014, a


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NASA telescope observed infrared


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emissions coming from a massive star in


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the Andromeda galaxy M31, which


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gradually grew brighter. The star glowed


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more intensely with infrared light for


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around 3 years before finally fading


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dramatically and disappearing, leaving


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behind a shell of dust. Now, astronomers


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have determined what they witnessed was


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a star collapsing and giving birth to a


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stellar mass black hole. The study's


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lead author Kishali D from Columbia


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University says this is an event


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astronomers had anticipated for decades


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but have had limited convincing


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observational evidence for until now.


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The findings reported in the journal


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Science show a star undergoing direct


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collapse turning into a black hole


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without first exploding and becoming a


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supernova. Long believed to be a common


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method for highmass stars to become


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black holes. The progenitor star was a


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huge hydrogen- depleted super giant


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named M31 2014 DS1 located some 2 and a


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half million lighty years away. When


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newly formed, this star was around 13


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times the mass of our sun. But at the


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time of its death, it would have been


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closer to five solar masses, having shed


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most of its mass through powerful


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stellar winds during its life. D says


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the dramatic and sustained fading of the


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star was very unusual and suggests a


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supernova failed to occur leading to the


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collapse of the stars c directly into a


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black hole. Now stars with this sort of


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mass have long been assumed to always


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explode a supernova. The fact that it


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didn't suggests that stars with this


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sort of mass range may or may not


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successfully explode. possibly due to


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how gravity, gas pressure, and powerful


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shock waves interact in chaotic ways


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with each other inside the dying star.


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The manner in which the star turned into


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a black hole suggest that at the end of


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its life, its inner core wasn't pushed


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out in a normal supernova explosion,


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instead undergoing a complete inward


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collapse.


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Now, this process of direct collapse to


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form a black hole may have been seen at


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least once before. It was back in 2010


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in the galaxy NGC6946,


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which is about 10 times further away


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than this star. But the exact nature of


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that event was unclear and hotly debated


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in astronomical circles because it was


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100 times fainter and there wasn't


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enough highquality data available about


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it. Now, astronomers have long known


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that stellar mass black holes are caused


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by the death of massive stars. Black


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holes were first theorized more than 50


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years ago, and today we know of dozens


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in our own galaxy and hundreds of others


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detected from gravitational wave


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observations across the distant


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universe. However, scientists still have


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no clear consensus on which stars turned


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into black holes and how that process


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plays out. This discovery provides the


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clearest insights yet into this and


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indicates that this kind of stellar


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collapse may happen more often than


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scientists had previously thought. The


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authors discovered the star by analyzing


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archival data from NASA's Neoise


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mission. They used a prediction from the


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1970s that theorized that when a star


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underwent direct collapse, it would


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leave behind a faint infrared glow


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caused by the dying gasp of the star


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shedding its outer layers and becoming


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enshrouded in dust. So they conducted


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the largest study of variable infrared


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sources ever carried out, tracking every


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star in the Milky Way and other local


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galaxies to try and search out for these


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events and eventually they came across


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M31 2014 DS1. Further analysis showed


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that this star fitted their predictions


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perfectly. D says, "Unlike finding a


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supernova, which is easy because


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supernova outshine the galaxies they're


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in for weeks at a time, finding


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individual stars that disappear without


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producing an explosion is incredibly


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difficult. So, it comes as a shock that


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a massive star basically disappeared


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without an explosion and nobody noticed


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it for more than 5 years. It impacts


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science's entire understanding of the


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inventory of massive stellar deaths in


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the universe. And it says there are


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things that may be quietly happening out


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there that are easily going unnoticed.


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This is spaceime.


00:05:07.680 --> 00:05:10.390
Still to come, NASA trails a new Martian


00:05:10.400 --> 00:05:12.790
navigation system on the red planet. And


00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.550
a new crew arrives aboard the


00:05:14.560 --> 00:05:16.870
International Space Station as NASA


00:05:16.880 --> 00:05:19.670
approves a sixth private mission to the


00:05:19.680 --> 00:05:21.909
orbiting outpost. All that and more


00:05:21.919 --> 00:05:29.430
still to come on Spaceime.


00:05:29.440 --> 00:05:31.189
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And remember, you'll find the links in


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our show notes,


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squarespace.com/spacetime,


00:06:38.479 --> 00:06:41.670
and the promo code spaceime. NASA has


00:06:41.680 --> 00:06:43.350
developed a new Martian navigation


00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:45.430
system, allowing its Mars Perseverance


00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:47.830
rover to pinpoint its location to within


00:06:47.840 --> 00:06:50.150
25 cm.


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Imagine you're all alone, driving along


00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:54.469
a rocky, unforgiving desert with no


00:06:54.479 --> 00:06:57.670
roads, no map, no GPS, and nothing more


00:06:57.680 --> 00:06:59.909
than a single phone call once a day for


00:06:59.919 --> 00:07:01.990
someone far away telling you where you


00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:05.029
are. Well, that's what the car size six


00:07:05.039 --> 00:07:06.550
wheel Perseverance rover has been


00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:08.550
experiencing ever since landing on the


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red planet almost exactly 5 years ago


00:07:10.880 --> 00:07:13.510
this month. Although it carries time-t


00:07:13.520 --> 00:07:15.589
tested tools for determining its general


00:07:15.599 --> 00:07:17.350
location, the rover has always needed


00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:19.270
mission managers back on Earth to tell


00:07:19.280 --> 00:07:22.230
it precisely where it is until now. A


00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:24.070
new technology developed by NASA's Jet


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Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,


00:07:25.919 --> 00:07:27.990
California will now allow Perseverance


00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:29.830
to figure out its whereabouts without


00:07:29.840 --> 00:07:32.230
needing to phone home for help. called


00:07:32.240 --> 00:07:34.950
Mars Global Localization. The technology


00:07:34.960 --> 00:07:36.870
features an algorithm that rapidly


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compares panoramic images from the


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rover's navigation cameras with onboard


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orbital terrain maps. Running on a


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powerful processor that Perseverance


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originally used to communicate with the


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Ingenuity Mars helicopter. The algorithm


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takes about 2 minutes to pinpoint the


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rover's location within 25 cm.


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Mission managers first used the Mars


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Global Localization Technology in


00:07:59.520 --> 00:08:01.270
successful mission operations on


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February the 2nd, then again on February


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the 16th. JPL's chief engineer of


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robotics operations, Vandy Vuma, says


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it's kind of like giving the rover GPS.


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It means Perseverance will be able to


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drive for much longer distances


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autonomously, thereby allowing more of


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the planet to be explored and more


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science to be gathered. The upgrades


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especially valuable given how well


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Perseverance's auto navigation


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self-driving systems been working.


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AutoNav enables the rover to replan its


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path around obstacles along its way in


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order to reach its pre-established


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destination. It's already proven so


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capable that the distance Perseverance


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can drive without instructions from


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Earth is largely now only limited by the


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rover's uncertainty about its exact


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location. The implementation of Mars


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global localization comes on the heels


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of another innovation from Perseverance


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mission managers. That is the first use


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of generative artificial intelligence to


00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.269
help plan a drive route by selecting way


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points for the rover which are normally


00:08:58.800 --> 00:09:01.829
chosen by human rover operators. Unlike


00:09:01.839 --> 00:09:04.389
on Earth, there are no GPS satellites in


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deep space to locate spacecraft on


00:09:06.560 --> 00:09:09.509
planetary surfaces. So missions whether


00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:11.269
robotic or manned need to come up with


00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:13.670
other ways to determine their location.


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Now, as with NASA's previous Mars


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rovers, Perseverance tracks its position


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using what's called visual odometry,


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analyzing geological features in camera


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images taken every few meters while


00:09:23.760 --> 00:09:26.470
accounting for wheel slippage. But as


00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:28.870
tiny errors in this process add up over


00:09:28.880 --> 00:09:30.630
the course of each drive, the rover


00:09:30.640 --> 00:09:32.470
becomes increasingly unsure about its


00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:35.110
exact location. Now, on long drives,


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that means the rover's sense of its


00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:39.670
position could be up by as much as 35 m.


00:09:39.680 --> 00:09:41.350
believing it may be too close to


00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:43.269
hazardous terrain, Perseverance then


00:09:43.279 --> 00:09:45.590
prematurely may end its drive and wait


00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.310
for fresh instructions from Earth. Verma


00:09:48.320 --> 00:09:50.310
says under those circumstances, people


00:09:50.320 --> 00:09:52.070
have to tell it, "You're not lost.


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You're safe. Keep going." Scientists


00:09:54.560 --> 00:09:55.990
knew that if they could address this


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problem, the rover could travel much


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further every day. After each drive


00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:03.190
comes to a halt, the rover sends a 360°


00:10:03.200 --> 00:10:05.509
panorama to Earth, where mapping experts


00:10:05.519 --> 00:10:07.350
match the imagery with shots of the


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Martian surface taken by NASA's Mars


00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:11.750
Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.


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Mission managers then send the rover its


00:10:13.920 --> 00:10:15.990
location and instructions what to do


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next. Now, that process can take a day


00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:20.870
or more, but with the new Mars global


00:10:20.880 --> 00:10:22.790
localization technology, the rover is


00:10:22.800 --> 00:10:24.870
now able to compare images itself,


00:10:24.880 --> 00:10:27.030
determine its exact location, and roll


00:10:27.040 --> 00:10:30.150
ahead on its pre-planned route.


00:10:30.160 --> 00:10:32.630
Key to Mars global localization is the


00:10:32.640 --> 00:10:34.790
rover's helicopter base station, which


00:10:34.800 --> 00:10:36.630
Perseverance used to communicate with


00:10:36.640 --> 00:10:38.630
the now retired Ingenuity Mars


00:10:38.640 --> 00:10:40.630
helicopter. Equipped with an


00:10:40.640 --> 00:10:42.710
off-the-shelf commercial processor of


00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:44.710
the type fitted to mid2010 era


00:10:44.720 --> 00:10:46.870
smartphones, the technology can run over


00:10:46.880 --> 00:10:48.790
100 times faster than the robot's two


00:10:48.800 --> 00:10:50.550
main computers, which was specially


00:10:50.560 --> 00:10:52.550
developed to survive the radiationheavy


00:10:52.560 --> 00:10:54.310
Martian environment and are based on


00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.509
hardware introduced back in 1997.


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As a technology demonstration designed


00:10:59.519 --> 00:11:01.590
to test capabilities, the Ingenuity


00:11:01.600 --> 00:11:03.590
mission was able to risk employing more


00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:04.949
powerful commercial chips in the


00:11:04.959 --> 00:11:06.710
helicopter base station and on the


00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:08.550
rotocopter itself, even though they


00:11:08.560 --> 00:11:09.990
hadn't been proven in the space


00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:12.150
environment. It was a gamble, but it


00:11:12.160 --> 00:11:15.030
paid off with Ingenuity undertaking 72


00:11:15.040 --> 00:11:16.710
flights compared to the five test


00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.310
flights it was originally planned to


00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.790
undertake. Now, apart from the Mars


00:11:20.800 --> 00:11:22.790
Perseverance rover, this new technology


00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:24.630
could also find its way onto the moon,


00:11:24.640 --> 00:11:26.710
where lighting conditions and long, cold


00:11:26.720 --> 00:11:29.030
lunar nights make knowing exactly where


00:11:29.040 --> 00:11:31.269
a spacecraft's located all the more


00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:34.949
crucial. This report from NASA TV.


00:11:34.959 --> 00:11:37.190
>> Using a new technology called Mars


00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.750
Global Localization, the rover can now


00:11:39.760 --> 00:11:41.910
pinpoint its location without asking


00:11:41.920 --> 00:11:44.630
humans for help. Here's how it works.


00:11:44.640 --> 00:11:47.110
Perseverance takes panoramic images and


00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.910
turns it into a bird's eye view. Then an


00:11:49.920 --> 00:11:52.389
onboard algorithm rapidly compares those


00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:54.630
images to terrain maps from an orbiting


00:11:54.640 --> 00:11:56.870
spacecraft and determines the rover's


00:11:56.880 --> 00:11:59.590
precise location. The key to this quick


00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:01.829
computing is a processor Perseverance


00:12:01.839 --> 00:12:03.670
originally used to communicate with the


00:12:03.680 --> 00:12:06.870
Ingenuity Mars helicopter. Now it's


00:12:06.880 --> 00:12:08.629
helping Perseverance keep moving


00:12:08.639 --> 00:12:10.790
confidently. And global localization


00:12:10.800 --> 00:12:13.030
isn't the only recent innovation. The


00:12:13.040 --> 00:12:15.350
team has started to use generative AI to


00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:17.430
help plan the rover's driving path by


00:12:17.440 --> 00:12:19.350
creating way points for Mars. By


00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:21.430
leveraging decades of Mars knowledge and


00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.350
the latest advancements in technology,


00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:25.269
the rover will be able to drive for much


00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:27.509
longer distances autonomously. So, we'll


00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:29.750
explore more of the planet and get more


00:12:29.760 --> 00:12:30.550
science.


00:12:30.560 --> 00:12:33.509
>> This is space time. Still to come,


00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:36.069
NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 arrives aboard the


00:12:36.079 --> 00:12:37.670
International Space Station as the


00:12:37.680 --> 00:12:39.910
agency approves a new private mission,


00:12:39.920 --> 00:12:42.310
the sixth, to the orbiting outpost. And


00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:44.790
later in the science report, a new study


00:12:44.800 --> 00:12:47.110
warns that over fishing may be one of


00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.269
the key reasons for reef munching crown


00:12:49.279 --> 00:12:51.350
of thorn starfish outbreaks on the Great


00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:53.829
Barrier Reef. All that and more still to


00:12:53.839 --> 00:13:11.030
come on Spaceime.


00:13:11.040 --> 00:13:13.750
NASA's SpaceX Crew 12 Dragon capsule is


00:13:13.760 --> 00:13:14.790
successfully docked with the


00:13:14.800 --> 00:13:16.550
International Space Station, returning


00:13:16.560 --> 00:13:18.550
the orbiting outpost compliment back up


00:13:18.560 --> 00:13:21.509
to its usual seven crew members. The


00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:23.670
crew of two Americans, a Russian and a


00:13:23.680 --> 00:13:25.430
Frenchman, blasted off a day earlier


00:13:25.440 --> 00:13:27.590
aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Space


00:13:27.600 --> 00:13:29.750
Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral


00:13:29.760 --> 00:13:32.389
Space Force Base in Florida. The Dragon


00:13:32.399 --> 00:13:34.470
spacecraft freedom, docked autonomously


00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:36.629
with the space-facing zenith port of the


00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.509
station's Harmony module. Crew 12 will


00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:42.470
now form part of the expedition 7475


00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:45.190
crew undertaking some 250 scientific


00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.590
experiments in orbit. These will include


00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.829
studying pneumonia causing bacteria to


00:13:49.839 --> 00:13:51.910
improve cardiovascular treatments, on


00:13:51.920 --> 00:13:54.230
demand intravenous fluid generation for


00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:56.470
future space missions, and research into


00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.550
how physical characteristics may affect


00:13:58.560 --> 00:14:00.870
blood flow during long duration space


00:14:00.880 --> 00:14:02.870
flight. Other experiments include


00:14:02.880 --> 00:14:04.949
automated plant health monitoring and


00:14:04.959 --> 00:14:07.110
investigating plant and nitrogen fixing


00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:09.110
microbe interactions to enhance food


00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:11.509
production in space. The International


00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.350
Space Station's been under man for about


00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:15.110
a month following the early return to


00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:17.509
Earth of NASA's SpaceX Crew 11 mission


00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:19.670
due to a medical emergency involving one


00:14:19.680 --> 00:14:21.670
of the astronauts.


00:14:21.680 --> 00:14:23.670
Meanwhile, NASA's just approved a new


00:14:23.680 --> 00:14:25.269
private astronaut mission to the


00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:27.269
International Space Station slated for


00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:30.230
later next year. The 14-day mission for


00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:32.550
the company Vast will undertake research


00:14:32.560 --> 00:14:34.550
designed to gain new insights into the


00:14:34.560 --> 00:14:36.629
infrastructure and processes that'll be


00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:38.550
needed to support Vast's own human


00:14:38.560 --> 00:14:40.310
spaceflight missions, which include


00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:41.990
building their own space station in low


00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.110
Earth orbit called Haven in 2027.


00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:46.870
Plans suggest Haven will be about the


00:14:46.880 --> 00:14:48.949
size of a truck with additional modules


00:14:48.959 --> 00:14:51.030
added in future years with the outpost


00:14:51.040 --> 00:14:53.910
becoming permanently manned by 2030.


00:14:53.920 --> 00:14:56.069
Vest's looking at research proposals on


00:14:56.079 --> 00:14:58.230
biology, biotechnology, physical


00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.470
sciences, human research, and technology


00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:03.430
demonstrations. Vast used SpaceX to


00:15:03.440 --> 00:15:05.590
launch the small haven demo spacecraft


00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:08.550
into orbit last year. The other big


00:15:08.560 --> 00:15:10.069
private company that's been flying


00:15:10.079 --> 00:15:11.350
people into space and to the


00:15:11.360 --> 00:15:13.509
International Space Station is Axiom,


00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:15.189
which has undertaken four missions to


00:15:15.199 --> 00:15:17.269
the orbiting outpost. As well as


00:15:17.279 --> 00:15:19.430
developing NASA's Arteimus space suits,


00:15:19.440 --> 00:15:21.350
Axiom Space is also developing their own


00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:23.829
commercial space station. Its initial


00:15:23.839 --> 00:15:25.509
modules will be attached to the existing


00:15:25.519 --> 00:15:27.269
international space station before


00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.030
becoming an independent free-flying


00:15:29.040 --> 00:15:30.870
platform when the international space


00:15:30.880 --> 00:15:34.230
stations retire in 2030. Axiom plan to


00:15:34.240 --> 00:15:35.910
use their space station to undertake


00:15:35.920 --> 00:15:37.750
microgravity research, various


00:15:37.760 --> 00:15:41.110
commercial endeavors, and space tourism.


00:15:41.120 --> 00:15:58.310
This is spaceime.


00:15:58.320 --> 00:16:00.150
And time out to take another brief look


00:16:00.160 --> 00:16:01.670
at some of the other stories making news


00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:03.509
in science this week with a science


00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:06.230
report. A new study warns that people


00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:08.150
are exposed to more air pollution are


00:16:08.160 --> 00:16:10.230
also far more likely to face a higher


00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:12.710
risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.


00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:14.310
The findings reported in the journal


00:16:14.320 --> 00:16:16.230
Plus Medicine looked at how much air


00:16:16.240 --> 00:16:19.269
pollution some 27.8 million people aged


00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:21.749
65 and over were exposed to over an


00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:24.389
18-year period. They found that people


00:16:24.399 --> 00:16:25.829
who had a greater exposure to air


00:16:25.839 --> 00:16:27.829
pollution were also far more likely to


00:16:27.839 --> 00:16:29.509
develop Alzheimer's than those who


00:16:29.519 --> 00:16:31.910
avoided air pollution. And the authors


00:16:31.920 --> 00:16:33.910
found the link was also stronger for


00:16:33.920 --> 00:16:36.069
people who had experienced a stroke.


00:16:36.079 --> 00:16:37.990
However, they found no additional effect


00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.230
in people with high blood pressure or


00:16:40.240 --> 00:16:42.710
with depression.


00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:44.710
Marine biologists are warning that over


00:16:44.720 --> 00:16:46.949
fishing may be the primary cause of reef


00:16:46.959 --> 00:16:49.670
munching crownthorn starfish outbreaks.


00:16:49.680 --> 00:16:51.269
The findings reported in the journal


00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:53.509
current biology found a reduction in the


00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:55.350
number of predatory fish due to over


00:16:55.360 --> 00:16:57.350
fishing is causing a population


00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.910
explosion in the carnivorous starfish.


00:16:59.920 --> 00:17:01.910
The authors compared various areas of


00:17:01.920 --> 00:17:03.670
the great barrier reef that have either


00:17:03.680 --> 00:17:05.909
banned fishing, have limited it, or have


00:17:05.919 --> 00:17:08.309
no restrictions on it. They found in


00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:10.150
areas that banned fishing, there was a


00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:13.029
2.8 8 to 3.6 times higher chance of


00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:15.350
crown of thorns being eaten by predatory


00:17:15.360 --> 00:17:18.069
fish. The authors say the elevated risk


00:17:18.079 --> 00:17:20.150
of the spiny critters in no fishing


00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:22.470
reserves is directly attributable to a


00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:24.710
single species of snapper known as the


00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:27.029
Spangot Emperor, which has some 6.3


00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:29.190
times greater biomass in no fishing


00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:31.430
areas versus those areas where fishing


00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:33.750
is allowed.


00:17:33.760 --> 00:17:35.909
Scientists say glass could be the future


00:17:35.919 --> 00:17:38.310
of long-term data storage for human


00:17:38.320 --> 00:17:40.630
knowledge and recordkeeping. Current


00:17:40.640 --> 00:17:42.549
data preservation techniques such as


00:17:42.559 --> 00:17:44.870
tapes and hard drives tend to degrade


00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:47.110
within a few years or decades and are


00:17:47.120 --> 00:17:49.110
therefore unreliable for long-term


00:17:49.120 --> 00:17:51.830
storage. However, by using lasers to


00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:53.909
encode data onto glass, data could


00:17:53.919 --> 00:17:55.830
withstand moisture, temperature changes,


00:17:55.840 --> 00:17:57.669
and electromagnetic interference for


00:17:57.679 --> 00:17:59.830
centuries. A report in the journal


00:17:59.840 --> 00:18:02.390
Nature claims the system can store 4.8 8


00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:05.190
terabt of data in a 12x 12 cm glass


00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:07.590
sheet with a shelf life of up to 10,000


00:18:07.600 --> 00:18:09.510
years even if stored at high


00:18:09.520 --> 00:18:11.669
temperatures.


00:18:11.679 --> 00:18:13.190
Google have finally launched the new


00:18:13.200 --> 00:18:15.750
Pixel 10a smartphone which one must


00:18:15.760 --> 00:18:17.830
admit is strikingly similar to the


00:18:17.840 --> 00:18:20.549
earlier Pixel 9a. With the details,


00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:22.789
we're joined by technology editor Alex


00:18:22.799 --> 00:18:24.870
Royo from Techadvice St.Life.


00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:27.029
>> Yeah, this is the Pixel 10A. So, this is


00:18:27.039 --> 00:18:29.909
the lower cost version of Google's Pixel


00:18:29.919 --> 00:18:31.669
phones. They normally have the the


00:18:31.679 --> 00:18:34.070
regular Pixel 10 and the the 10 Pro and


00:18:34.080 --> 00:18:35.990
also the 10 Pro XL which is a larger


00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:38.150
version. And then around about this time


00:18:38.160 --> 00:18:40.070
every year, they launch the A version


00:18:40.080 --> 00:18:41.909
which is their more affordable version.


00:18:41.919 --> 00:18:44.390
So this one is $849 Australian,


00:18:44.400 --> 00:18:46.310
obviously less in US dollars, but it


00:18:46.320 --> 00:18:48.390
competes against all those phones that


00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:51.029
are $500 or less, which generally are


00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:53.270
not terribly great phones. I mean that


00:18:53.280 --> 00:18:54.390
look, they'll do what you want them to


00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:55.590
do. They'll do maps, they'll do


00:18:55.600 --> 00:18:56.870
messaging, they'll do various things.


00:18:56.880 --> 00:18:58.310
But if you try and push them with games


00:18:58.320 --> 00:19:00.150
or just try and I don't know do lots of


00:19:00.160 --> 00:19:01.669
video editing or whatever it might be,


00:19:01.679 --> 00:19:03.750
they're clearly not going to be as


00:19:03.760 --> 00:19:06.470
performant as the uh the major devices.


00:19:06.480 --> 00:19:08.150
And that's where the Pixel 10a and also


00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:10.710
the iPhone 16 and the forthcoming 710A,


00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:11.990
which we'll talk about in a moment, come


00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:13.990
in as almost flagship phones under


00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.390
$1,000. Now, the one thing that is


00:19:16.400 --> 00:19:18.310
interesting this year is that whilst the


00:19:18.320 --> 00:19:21.350
10 and 10 Pro have the Tensor G5 chip,


00:19:21.360 --> 00:19:23.430
the 1080 this year does not. It has the


00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:25.270
G4 which is a bit unusual because


00:19:25.280 --> 00:19:26.950
normally you know you you would be


00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:28.470
putting the latest chip but clearly in


00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:31.669
an era where memory storage and even the


00:19:31.679 --> 00:19:33.430
space to make processes or more


00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:35.270
expensive processes on production lines


00:19:35.280 --> 00:19:37.830
is heavily impacted by all of the GPUs


00:19:37.840 --> 00:19:40.630
and uh AI in data centers most of which


00:19:40.640 --> 00:19:41.990
actually hasn't been built yet. It's


00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:43.510
sort of been pre-ordered to fulfill


00:19:43.520 --> 00:19:45.029
demand that it's theoretically supposed


00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:45.590
to be there.


00:19:45.600 --> 00:19:47.510
>> There's finally a date for the Apple


00:19:47.520 --> 00:19:48.070
premiere.


00:19:48.080 --> 00:19:50.230
>> Yeah. So this is March 4th in New York.


00:19:50.240 --> 00:19:52.070
They'll also be holding events within


00:19:52.080 --> 00:19:53.669
Singapore and London. This is where


00:19:53.679 --> 00:19:56.549
we're meant to hear about iPhones 17e


00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:58.549
which in theory will have the same chip


00:19:58.559 --> 00:20:00.150
that is in the iPhone 17 range but


00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:02.070
normally there's one core less for some


00:20:02.080 --> 00:20:03.990
reason. It's like a bind chip one of the


00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:05.350
graphics cores or one of one of the


00:20:05.360 --> 00:20:08.070
cores is not there. So it enables Apple


00:20:08.080 --> 00:20:09.669
to use these chips which still have


00:20:09.679 --> 00:20:11.350
great power but in their cheapest device


00:20:11.360 --> 00:20:14.070
$999 in Australia is what the 16 sells


00:20:14.080 --> 00:20:15.590
for. I expect the price will be the


00:20:15.600 --> 00:20:17.590
same. But more importantly, we are


00:20:17.600 --> 00:20:20.310
expecting to also see the new MacBook.


00:20:20.320 --> 00:20:22.710
Supposedly 12 in screen, so small. I


00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:24.310
mean, I've heard people say 13 in, but


00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:26.789
effectively this will sell presumably in


00:20:26.799 --> 00:20:29.270
the US for about $599. We're yet to find


00:20:29.280 --> 00:20:31.270
out. Supposedly, it only has 8 gig of


00:20:31.280 --> 00:20:33.270
RAM instead of 16, which you would think


00:20:33.280 --> 00:20:35.190
is not as enough as you would have on


00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:37.110
the 16 gig devices that can better run


00:20:37.120 --> 00:20:38.630
Apple intelligence, although we're still


00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:40.310
waiting for the next generation of Siri.


00:20:40.320 --> 00:20:42.310
But this will be a lowc cost Mac running


00:20:42.320 --> 00:20:45.190
an iPhone chip with iPhone chips very


00:20:45.200 --> 00:20:47.190
powerful. I mean uh the latest chips are


00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:49.110
as good as the or better than the M1


00:20:49.120 --> 00:20:51.510
from 5 years ago. And uh that's still a


00:20:51.520 --> 00:20:53.110
great computer. I have an M1 with 8 gig


00:20:53.120 --> 00:20:55.430
of RAM and a 512 gig SSD and it's


00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.830
running everything that my M2 with 24


00:20:57.840 --> 00:21:00.630
ter GB of RAM and a 1 TB SSD can run.


00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:03.190
So, if Apple does that, it will mean


00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:05.270
greater competition for the school


00:21:05.280 --> 00:21:07.029
dollar where you've got Chromebooks and


00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:08.710
you've got iPads and tablets and but


00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:10.710
it'll also give people a cheaper Mac to


00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:13.029
to go for and then they once they start


00:21:13.039 --> 00:21:15.029
using it, they can aspire to better. But


00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:17.110
it will be certainly better than any


00:21:17.120 --> 00:21:19.990
Windows PC that is in the $500,000


00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:21.510
market. It'll just be a vastly better


00:21:21.520 --> 00:21:23.270
device with all the advantages of the


00:21:23.280 --> 00:21:23.669
Macs.


00:21:23.679 --> 00:21:25.029
>> Price of hard drives are going up. the


00:21:25.039 --> 00:21:26.230
cost of these things are going up and


00:21:26.240 --> 00:21:28.070
Western Digital has reported or it's


00:21:28.080 --> 00:21:29.510
been reported online that it has sold


00:21:29.520 --> 00:21:32.870
its entire 2026 allocation of discs to


00:21:32.880 --> 00:21:35.190
data centers. I mean I presume this you


00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:36.950
know still obviously discs in the


00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:39.750
channel uh for consumers but it sold its


00:21:39.760 --> 00:21:41.909
entire 2026 contingent and apparently it


00:21:41.919 --> 00:21:44.230
sold part of its 2027 and 2028


00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:46.470
contingent as well. So the need for


00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:49.110
hardware and electricity to power it is


00:21:49.120 --> 00:21:50.789
paramount. If uh anything's going to


00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:52.390
slow down the revolution, it's going to


00:21:52.400 --> 00:21:54.310
be not having enough of these drives and


00:21:54.320 --> 00:21:56.549
memory and and other GPUs components.


00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:58.390
But I guess the companies buying them up


00:21:58.400 --> 00:22:00.470
in in such volume, making sure that you


00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:02.390
know the data center guys will be okay.


00:22:02.400 --> 00:22:03.909
But it's consumers and businesses that


00:22:03.919 --> 00:22:05.430
will suffer with higher prices.


00:22:05.440 --> 00:22:09.110
>> That's Alex Haravo from techadvice.life


00:22:09.120 --> 00:22:26.070
and this is spacetime.


00:22:26.080 --> 00:22:28.950
and that's the show for now. Spacetime


00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.710
is available every Monday, Wednesday,


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doesn't go to air, access to our


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>> You've been listening to Spacetime with


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Stuart Garry. This has been another


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quality podcast production from


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byes.com.