Many meteorites hit Earth every year. But have you ever wondered why you don’t see them where you live? It turns out that over two-thirds of all the meteorites people have ever collected are found in one spot in Antarctica. But why?
How NASA plans to back up data on lunar soil
Let me ask you a question: Do you think the cloud is a safe place to back up your data, the world’s treasures and government secrets? In a world of increasing breaches, hackers and threats, even cloud storage might not be enough.
Welcome to the next frontier: Lunar backups. NASA is teaming up with Lonestar, a Florida-based startup, and the Isle of Man, that self-governing British Crown Dependency you might’ve never heard of, to store data on the moon. Think of it like the ultra-secure Fort Knox but for digital information.
🚀 Blockchain goes intergalactic
How do you keep data safe on the moon? By using a blockchain — the same tech behind crypto. It ensures data is secure, genuine and tamper-proof. This isn’t your mom’s filing cabinet; it’s out of this world.
The first data cube, “Freedom,” landed on the moon in February 2024, proving the concept works. Lonestar’s first commercial mission takes off in 2026. Oh, and the Isle of Man’s post office got in on the fun, too, sending digital stamps to the moon. Now that’s first-class mail.
🌝 Why the moon?
The moon isn’t becoming a storage locker for your embarrassing selfies. The mission is first to preserve humanity’s crown jewels — our most vital data. Think of it as Earth’s external hard drive or a modern Library of Alexandria (hopefully, with a less tragic end).
What’s on the moon-bound list? Obvious candidates include:
- Scientific research: DNA sequencing data, climate models and pandemic studies.
- Cultural archives: Literary classics, historical texts and digitized art collections.
- Financial records: Stock market data, transaction histories and economic models.
- Health care information: Genome mapping and medical research.
- National security data: Sensitive classified information.
- Tech blueprints: Designs for critical infrastructure, from power plants to the internet backbone.
- “The Kim Komando Show”: Audio files of all my shows, because they’re that important to all mankind. (OK, I made that up!)
🌎 Earth vs. the moon
Not everyone’s on board with storing data on the moon. It’s not like you can send a tech to fix things. And retrieving something? Think “break glass in case of emergency,” not your daily backup.
Accessing lunar data would take spacecraft, encryption and dealing with space itself. Long-term storage? Sure. Easy? Not at all.
AI surveillance at Disney Parks
Enjoying yourself at the most magical place on Earth? If not, Mickey might know.
Space advertising: Imagine stepping outside to look at the stars … and seeing a giant glowing billboard in the sky. That could soon be a reality, with Russian companies planning to launch swarms of laser-equipped satellites to project light into Earth’s low orbit. The kicker? There’s no global ban on this yet.
8.2 billion
How many people we thought were on Earth. Researchers studied 35 years of data and say we’ve been underestimating rural populations by 53% to 84%. Turns out people are a lot harder to count when they don’t live near a Census office.
Can sponges ‘think’ using light?
Sponges are some of the simplest animals on Earth. They are very basic creatures that survive by eating whatever food passes through. Here’s a surprising revelation. Recent studies have shown that they may think and not in the way that WE think. They use light.
👽 Just for the record, sleeve them alone: This is wild. NASA launched the Voyager 1 and 2, each carrying a Golden Record filled with photos and audio representing life on Earth almost 50 years ago. Think a nursing mother, nature pics and human speech. The kicker? Both spacecraft are experiencing major power problems. Aliens are more into comet books anyway.
NASA’s new mission to deal with space junk is Apollo G: Over 11,000 satellites orbit Earth. When they crash into each other, it creates junk. (We’re talking 40K pieces of debris in low orbit.) The fix: ELROI (Extremely Low Resource Optical Identifier). In you and me terms, it’s a solar powered, stamp-sized device that’s a license plate for space identification and communication.
3.1%
Odds of a “city killer” asteroid hitting Earth in 2032. That’s like guessing the right coin flip five times in a row. The 300-foot space rock could explode with 500 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. The James Webb Space Telescope gets a closer look next month.
38,000 mph
Speed of an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. There’s a 2.3% chance it’ll impact in 2032. That’s the highest chance of any space rock we’ve spotted. At 460 feet wide, 2024 YR4 is 500 times more powerful than an atomic bomb. We’ll get a better look at where it’s heading in 2028. I’ll set a calendar reminder to update you!
12 times
As massive as Jupiter. That’s the size of an exoplanet spotted by the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft. Some context: Jupiter is equal to about 318 Earths, so this thing is huge. The exoplanet, Gaia 4b, is 244 light-years away and 64% as big as the sun. A year there? About 570 Earth days.
Find and track Starlink satellites in the sky
Did you know you can spot Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites from your backyard? More than six thousand of them are orbiting the Earth. Here’s how to see them.
What really happens when you hit ‘I'm not a robot’
You’re not just proving you’re human — you’re revealing your browser’s dirty secrets. We also talk to Jeff Johnson from The Trek Planner about using Google Earth to find ancient ruins. Plus, Gen Z brings parents to job interviews and human skills bots can’t replicate.
Spot the ISS in the sky
The International Space Station orbits Earth every 90 minutes. Here’s how to track if it’s above you.
Why men send di*k pics
Want to buy the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro? Here’s why you shouldn’t grab a used one. Andrew has a wild online dating story, plus he’ll share a viral trick for weeding out the bad eggs on dating apps. And get this: Elon Musk thinks 1 billion humanoid robots will be on Earth by 2040.
Map out your travels with Google Earth
Want a fun way to look back at your vacations? Try this trick in my one-minute podcast.
What’s hiding at the deepest point in the ocean?
One of the most unexplored places on Earth is the ocean’s deepest points. We know more about the moon’s surface than what may be down there. A few people have gone deep, and what they have discovered is incredible.
Space lasers and what they are used for
In the early days of rocket science, researchers wondered how an astronaut would communicate with Earth once they reached the moon. One scientist thought shining a bright light back to our planet was a good idea. Even though that was decades ago, his suggestion wasn’t far off. Today, lasers are used for a variety of space communications, and how they work is incredible.
May 13th, 2023
In this week’s show, will ChatGPT take your job? I chat with Matt Schlicht, CEO of Octane AI, about bots in the workplace. Plus, the scary amount of space junk orbiting Earth, TurboTax’s $141 million settlement, child predators targeting kids’ webcams, remote employees working under the sheets and secrets to saving big on your streaming bills. That and much more, plus all your calls and questions.
What happens when matter travels faster than the speed of light?
Light speed is the fastest anything can travel in the universe, right? It turns out to be a little more complicated. There are places on Earth where manufactured objects go even faster than light. So, how is this possible and what does this look like in action?