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This Thursday, the first test launch of SpaceX Starship rocket ended in a fiery explosion over the Gulf of Mexico. Despite the outcome, SpaceX does not consider its first test launch to be a failure.
Firstly, let’s talk about why this launch is so significant. SpaceX has already flown 162 missions using their Falcon rockets, all of which were a success. But the launch this Thursday was different, not just because of the outcome, but also the promise of the Starship rocket missions in the future.
The Starship rocket is a fully reusable most powerful launch vehicle ever constructed standing at the combined height of 120 meters and able to carry between 100 and 150 tons of payload. It consists of a booster called Super Heavy and spacecraft – Starship.
The Starship spacecraft is designed to reach Mars and is still at the early stages of testing. That is the main reason why so many eyes around the globe were fixated on the outcome of the Thursday’s launch. This is one of the first steps of many in the quest of humans reaching Mars.
So, what exactly happened? The spacecraft successfully lifted off the launch platform in Brownsville, Texas reaching maximum altitude of around 39 kilometers. During the ascend some of the 33 Raptor engines in the Super Heavy booster stopped working. The Starship spacecraft was supposed to separate from the Super Heavy booster once most of the fuel is used up. That did not happen.
Just four minutes into the launch the spacecraft started tumbling in the air, triggering the flight termination system that blew up the rocket, so it did not start careening off course.
Why is the launch not considered a failure then? Well, it is important to note that how SpaceX develops their space vehicles is very different from NASA. SpaceX works on the principal of trial and error, doing as much flight testing as possible, while NASA develops spacecrafts for sometimes decades, trying to make sure that the very first launch is a success.
SpaceX can afford this hands-on R&D method due to much lower costs of building the rocket than their counterpart NASA.
SpaceX considers just the lift-off from the launchpad to be a success for this first test launch.
Last week its more than likely that you have seen at least one article about the US Debt ceiling crisis, but what does it all mean? Do you need to be worried? Also, what actions are currently in place to avoid an economic disaster?
The United States debt ceiling is a set limit on the amount of debt that the US government can issue. US accumulates debt by issuing Treasury bills, notes, bonds, and US saving bonds. The United States operates on a national deficit year on year, spending more money than it brings in. The current debt ceiling limit of the US is at $31.4tn.
If the US does not raise the debt ceiling before it is reached the potential repercussions could include a downgrade of US Treasury securities by credit agencies, in turn increasing borrowing costs for businesses and individuals, as well as a drop in confidence in the eyes of investors. If you were to tally up these potential outcomes it would trigger an immediate recession in the US which could gradually trickle down to economies around the globe.
The fear of potential default would increase market volatility, meaning sudden fluctuations in stock prices, currency exchange rates, and commodity prices. Throughout history US Treasury bonds were and are considered some of the safest investments one can make, if a default was to happen investors would lose confidence in US government’s ability to manage its finances.
Higher borrowing costs would also be imminent as the risk perception associated with a potential default or credit rating downgrade would prompt lenders to ask for higher interest rates to hedge against increased risks.
Cash flow issues could also easily cause disruptions in supply chains, as US would be forced to cut spending immediately, in turn delaying payments to contractors and suppliers.
In extreme scenarios, if the debt ceiling is not raised in time, a default on US government obligations would have severe consequences for global financial markets once again causing a world-wide economic recession.
To end on a brighter note, it seems that Washington has reached a potential deal to raise the debt ceiling and cut government spending, but it is not yet passed. We can only hope that the agreement will come to fruition before 5th of June, which is the presumed date that the US Treasury runs out of money.
The Group of Seven (G7) nations are planning to develop worldwide technical standards promoting responsible adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).
The initiative aims to facilitate interoperability, ethical AI development, and the seamless exchange of AI technologies across borders. The nations are planning to collectively address challenges and harness the full potential of AI.
Standardizing AI technical norms on a global scale can unleash the power of innovation and stimulate economic growth. By streamlining AI systems’ compatibility, organizations can more effectively integrate AI technologies into various sectors, boosting productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, consistent standards promote market confidence, encouraging investment in AI research and development.
The development of global AI technical standards also serves as a crucial step in ensuring ethical AI practices. Fairness, transparency, accountability, and privacy protection will be the premise for global AI technical standards and should help mitigate some of the risks associated with the global AI deployment. Addressing biases, safeguarding data privacy, and establishing clear guidelines for AI decision-making processes are the main things on the agenda.
One of the key challenges in establishing global AI technical standards lies in bridging the digital divide. Developing nations may face limitations in resources, infrastructure, and expertise necessary for effective AI adoption. Therefore, international cooperation must consider capacity-building initiatives, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer to promote inclusivity and prevent further disparities.
The G7’s call for global AI technical standards also emphasizes the importance of engaging with industry leaders and stakeholders. Collaboration with technology companies, research institutions, civil society, and international organizations are key to ensure a comprehensive approach to developing and implementing AI norms that cater to diverse needs and perspectives of people around the world.
The G7’s push to establish global AI technical standards is a welcome initiative in the face of uncertainty with AI becoming more and more predominant in our daily lives.
In the recent explosion of AI and its seemingly limitless capabilities many are already trying to imagine what our future is going to look like. Some are seeing a gloomy picture similarly to the 80s classic the Terminator where AI has taken over the world and enslaved all humans. But most people seem to be welcoming AI and are eager to take advantage of the technology.
Here are 7 ways AI models could help us solve our everyday problems:
- AI can help translate languages in real time. Text, speech, image – you name it. The key is that language barriers around the world could be brought down like never before with the help of AI technology.
- Medical diagnosis could be made much faster, more efficiently and be accessible to people who do not have the means to seek medical attention thanks to AI. Of course, not saying that doctors would become obsolete, but perhaps their jobs can be made easier.
- AI can also analyze huge sets of data in real time helping predict natural disasters by sorting through many environmental factors.
- A lot of you have probably seen AI generated videos on TikTok or other social media platforms. It is scary how well made those videos are. An even more interesting fact is it only takes a small fraction of the time to make a similar video the traditional way.
- AI could help fact check news articles on the web. Perhaps reducing the number of people believing in the flat earth theory.
- A day soon may come when all the cars on the road are operated by AI. Is this a good thing or a bad thing is for you to decide.
- AI algorithms could prove to be very useful for institutional and retail investors in predicting stock prices and is already in use today.
These 7 possible uses for AI is just the tip of the iceberg. It is likely that AI will be even more significant to our future than the invention of the smartphone.
On February 14, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell filed a patent for his invention – the telephone. The invention of the telephone was one of the most significant events in the modern history. We could say that the telephone laid the early foundations to cellphones and the internet. What do all these significant inventions have in common? They were created as tools for people to communicate.
What is the next big step in the field of communication? How about a Moon-to-Earth satellite communications network.
Lockheed Martin has created a subsidiary company, Crescent Space, which goal is to help build lunar infrastructure. The first big project for Crescent Space is developing and manufacturing Moon-to-Earth satellite network – Parsec. Parsec will consist of small lunar satellites that will be capable to provide continuous connection between astronauts and aid with lunar navigation.
Just as here on Earth we can navigate with the help of a Satellite network, Parsec will bring same GPS capabilities to the Moon. Parsec’s navigational capabilities could prove to be very useful for astronauts working and living on the lunar surface, as it could lay out a route to a destination, avoiding craters or other obstacles.
The first satellite nodes could be operational as soon as 2025. Crescent Space CEO Joe Landon does not hide the fact that they are hoping to obtain a government contract from NASA. Company’s offering would be perfect for future Artemis Moon landing missions.
It seems that we have another space race on our hands with national efforts from China and the US as well as private efforts like SpaceX’s lunar tourism. Crescent Space is well positioned to profit from the “lunar race” especially with Lockheed Martin’s rich history of securing government contracts.
By now most of us are familiar with most of the ecological problems that humanity is facing. One of the biggest being elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere, causing global warming. Of course, there are plenty of preventative measures set in place such as a shift to clean energy.
But many believe that gradually moving away from burning fossil fuels is not enough to fully avoid climate disasters in the future. That is why there is a lot of investment from governments and privateers around the globe into carbon dioxide capture technologies.
A noteworthy example of carbon dioxide capture technology is synthetic fuels, where CO2 is absorbed from the atmosphere during the production process.
But it is also important to look back at some of the natural CO2 capture processes that have been used by mother nature for millions of years. The best known one is photosynthesis, where plants and trees create oxygen from CO2 through cellular respiration.
But there has been a new discovery made near the Italian island of Vulcano. A microbe, named cyanobacterium, was discovered in a volcanic hot spring. The researchers found that this microbe turns CO2 into biomass at a rate much faster than ever observed before.
This fast-growing aquatic microbe is shown to sink in the water, which might prove to be useful in the fight against elevated CO2 levels in the atmosphere.
Another promising fact is that the bacteria is self-assembling and under the right circumstances could grow exponentially without active supervision.
Carbon capture through bacteria is an actively researched field currently the same team of scientists are exploring bacteria found in the hot springs of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, US.
The prospect of using nature’s own organisms to fight the global warming is an exciting prospect that does not seem to get enough spotlight at the moment.
