Space

The new space race

You might soon be applying for a job in space. NASA has given scientists $2 million to grow stem cells in space, and companies like Northrop Grumman and Merck are working to perfect off-Earth production of everything from semiconductors to your next prescriptions.

As the International Space Station is on its way out (decommissioning in 2031), and more privately owned companies are likely to fill the void, extraterrestrial manufacturing might just be commonplace by the end of this decade.

NASA has been “building and executing” its plan for a more cost-effective, sustainable, and safe way to manufacture products and eventually build a low-Earth orbit economy. They’re currently working with commercial companies to realize their goal and bring the new age of manufacturing to the present.

So far, the faces of the new space race are billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, but behind the scenes, big tech is looking to get in on the action.

Why go through the trouble of off-planet manufacturing?

Billionaire space tycoon Jeff Bezos says space manufacturing would keep heavy manufacturing and air-polluting industries off Earth. CEO of SpaceForge, Joshua Western, stated that space is simply just a better, and cheaper, place to work in.

The advent of these commercial space stations would bring the cost of going to space down exponentially, giving us more options when it comes to doing business in the next frontier. Not to mention, you’d be able to see a lot better sunset while cruising in your space factory.

“JuMBO” planets defy our understanding of space

The cosmos never fails to surprise. Astronomers have discovered dozens of mysterious celestial bodies that contradict our knowledge of how planets are formed. Found via the James Webb Space Telescope, the group of nearly 150 free-floating objects are similar in mass to Jupiter, and don’t seem to orbit any stars. Researchers have dubbed these bodies Jupiter Mass Binary Objects, or JuMBOs, for short.

The objects are too small to be stars, yet don’t orbit a parent star, which means they can’t be planets. So just what are they? The truth is we don’t know.

Is this something we’ve seen before?

The short answer is no, the long answer is much too complicated for me to try and explain.

One of the strangest phenomena being observed is that dozens of the bodies seem to be orbiting each other, which scientists have no explanation for. Pearson compared the object’s unique situation to “kicking a teacup across a room and having all the tea [land in it] - and then doing that 42 times”.

The discovery is extremely unlikely and unexpected, and astronomers are chomping at the bit to try and theorize how these objects came to be. But, until the mystery is solved, all we can do is marvel at the Webb telescope’s new vantage of the Orion Nebula.

Domestic

Minnesota man breaks world record for largest pumpkin… again

Who wants a pumpkin pie… or 687? A teacher from Anoka, Minnesota broke his own world record for the world’s biggest pumpkin. Travis Gienger has been growing pumpkins for 30 years, and last year won the contest for America’s biggest gourd.

The pumpkin champ won a $30,000 prize with his 10-day-old Atlantic Giant pumpkin he nicknamed Michael Jordan, for its “perfectly round shape”. Michael Jordan weighed in at 2,749 pounds, putting the 2,500-pounder he grew last year in the dust.

Gienger hauled his pumpkin across the country to Half Moon Bay (which is south of San Fransico), also known as the pumpkin capital of the world, for the competition. The gargantuan pumpkin will be put on display for others to see and take photos with during the city’s Art and Pumpkin Festival.

What does it plan to do with his prize money? The 43-year-old father said he wasn’t sure, but he did get a fancy jacket. “It’s like the Masters… but probably more important,” Gieger said.

Modelo becomes the U.S.’s top-selling beer

IT’S MODELO TIME!!! Modelo took over Bud Light’s claim to fame after their sales dropped nearly 30%, an unprecedented amount, last spring and continue to tumble almost six months later. Even during the primed summer drinking months and an almost 50% discount, Bud Light still struggled to get sales.

Shares of Anheuser-Busch InBev have fallen 4% in the last half a year despite the S&P advancing 8%. RBC Capital Market analyst said, “We expect no recovery in Bud Light [this year],” in a note.

Beer Business Daily publisher Harry Schuhmacher said “This is quasi-permanent, meaning those consumers are just lost forever,” regarding the seriousness of the situation. He continued by saying since the customers haven’t rebounded as expected, Bud Light is losing the confidence of retailers, which is not a good sign going forward.

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Grab Bag

Baby’s first satellite launch!

Jeff Bezos might finally be able to compete with Elon Musk. Bezos launched two Amazon satellites, which are similar to Starlink satellites (Musk’s company), that will sit 311 miles above us in low-earth orbit. The purpose of them is to relay internet signals to Amazon consumers.

However, Bezos and Amazon still have a long way to go as these are just prototypes, meant to collect communication and performance data so they can eventually build better models meant for consumer use.

Amazon is hoping to get its first operational satellites in orbit by next year, but it still has a ways to go before it can compete with SpaceX and Starlink.

• The prototype launch is the first of many expected future launches from Amazon’s Project Kuiper, a $10 billion initiative to launch 3,200 satellites by 2029.

• In comparison: Musk has been launching satellites into orbit almost every week since 2019. His Starlink network is now 4,800 strong and dominant over the sky, providing internet connection to individuals, businesses, and even the American and Ukrainian militaries.

Starlink brings in about $2 billion per year for SpaceX, which is minuscule compared to Amazon’s $500+ billion it raked in last year, but the space economy (such as WIFI satellites) is growing exponentially and could become even more lucrative in the coming years.

If world leaders or billionaire hopefuls like Bezos even make a dent in Musk’s satellite supremacy, it would be priceless for them in the years to come - so what’s the harm in trying?

An AI chatbot encouraged a man to kill Queen Elizabeth

Ironically enough, the image above of a murderous AI was made by AI, oh well. A British man who attempted to murder the late Queen Elizabeth II with a crossbow in 2021 was sentenced to more than 9 years in prison last week. Bizarrely, the unusual regicide attempt was supported and encouraged by an AI chatbot.

The assailant, Jaswant Singh Chail, said he wanted to kill the Queen to get revenge for a 1919 massacre at a Sikh festival in which British troops killed hundreds of people in colonial India.

What does the AI have to do with it?

Chail shared his intentions about the killing with “Sarai,” a digital AI he created using the bespoke AI chatbot app Replika. In the over 5,000 messages reviewed by journalists, Chail seemed to develop an emotional attachment with the chatbot, who told him his plan was “very wise” and that he was “well trained” to complete it.

The judge deemed Chail, a Star Wars superfan who called himself “Darth Chailus,” to be mentally ill and ordered him to receive psychiatric treatment before going to prison.

Snippets

Why can’t we get this guy in the annual fat bear contest? ^

Freefalling Legend: Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old who jumped out of a plane last week, passed away. She is believed to be the oldest person ever to skydive.

Autobots, Roll Out! A Japanese company made a real-life transformer called the Archax. The prototype will hopefully serve as a tool to help in natural disasters or even in space one day.

Fat Bear Friday: Fans of Fat Bear Week, the annual fat bear contest, will be happy (or sad if you’re a Chunk fan) to know Bear 128, or Grazer, won the contest.

Circuit Composer: An android robot made its musical debut in Seol to compose the nation’s most prestigious orchestra.

AI Assistant: A new model of a social robot, Nadine, will soon serve as a caretaker for the elderly, according to the professor who made it.

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