Elon Musk plans to launch solar-powered AI satellites that could provide a nearly limitless source of energy to supercharge AI processing capacity, potentially disrupting traditional energy production and benefiting companies like Nvidia and Tesla ## ## Questions to inspire discussion.
Space Solar Power Economics.
đ Q: Whatâs the projected cost trajectory for space-based solar power? A: SpaceX could achieve $10 per watt for space solar by 2030â2032, down from previously estimated $100 per watt, with ultimate target of $1 per watt for operational systems, requiring 3â4 orders of magnitude cost reduction through Wrightâs Law.
đ° Q: How much would launching 1 terawatt of space solar cost? A: Launching 1 terawatt of space solar power requires $1 trillion in launch costs alone, not including manufacturing and operational expenses.
⥠Q: What energy advantage does space solar have over ground-based systems? A: Space solar plants generate 10x more energy than ground-based sources by operating 24/7 with double intensity, each equivalent to a nuclear power plant in output.
Our Solar System orbits the galactic center at an estimated 792,000 kilometers per hour, taking 225 million Earth years to complete one galactic year. Meanwhile, the Milky Way as a whole is thought to be traveling about 2.1 million kilometers per hour.
While our star certainly isnât lollygagging its way through the Universe, an analysis of radio galaxies by an international team of scientists suggests we may be moving even faster through the cosmos than anybody thought. A lot faster.
That would be noteworthy on its own, yet this contradiction also has âprofound cosmological implications,â the researchers write, hinting at flaws in our current understanding of the Universe in a way that potentially challenges a longstanding principle that argues our position in space isnât all that special.
Vehicles and buildings designed to enable survival in extreme environments, such as spacecraft, submarines and sealed shelters, heavily rely on systems for the management of carbon dioxide (CO2). These are technologies that can remove and release CO2, ensuring that the air remains breathable for a long time.
Most existing systems for the capture and release of CO2 consume a lot of energy, as they rely on materials that need to be heated to high temperatures to release the gas again after capturing it. Some engineers have thus been trying to devise more energy-efficient methods to manage CO2 in confined spaces.
Researchers at Guangxi University in China have developed new reconfigurable micro/nano-robots that can reversibly capture CO2 at significantly lower temperatures than currently used carbon management systems.
It is beyond Neptune, between 30 and 50 AU from the Sun, and it is very frozen. That is also where Pluto, Makemake, Eris and thousands of small bodies are.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is stepping back into an active operating role in technology after four years, taking the coâchief executive seat at a new artificial intelligence company called Project Prometheus. His move adds to the trend of tech billionaires emerging from semiâretirement to participate directly in the AI boom reshaping Silicon Valleyâs priorities.
Reportedly, Bezos will lead the startup alongside Vik Bajaj, a physicistâchemist and former Google researcher who helped launch Verily, Alphabetâs life sciences unit. Project Prometheus has already raised about 6.2 billion dollars, including a substantial personal commitment from Bezos, placing it among the bestâfunded earlyâstage AI companies in the world.
Bezos has remained executive chair of Amazon and continued to back Blue Origin, his private space company, but Prometheus is his first formal operational role since he stepped down as Amazonâs CEO in 2021. The venture comes amid an intensifying global race to build advanced AI systems, as companies across the United States, Europe, and China pour money into research, data centres, and specialist talent.
From cyborgs to hive minds and civilizations of pure thought, we trace the possible futures of our species through the next trillion tomorrows.
Checkout Scav: https://go.nebula.tv/scav?ref=isaacar⊠Watch my exclusive video Autonomous Space Industry: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthurâ⊠Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur Grab one of our new SFIA mugs and make your morning coffee a little more futuristic â available now on our Fourthwall store! https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall⊠Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a⊠Facebook Group: / 1,583,992,725,237,264 Reddit: / isaacarthur Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: / discord Credits: The First Interstellar Colony Humanityâs Leap Beyond Sol Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur Editor: Keith Oxenrider Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic & Stellardrone Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:15 The Road Ahead 2:24 What Do We Mean by âHuman,â âTranshuman,â and âPosthumanâ? 7:22 Life Extension â The Oldest Dream 10:33 Intelligence Beyond Biology â AI and Human Integration 14:19 Enhancing the Body and Mind 17:00 Civilizations of the Augmented 19:31 Scavenger Hunt 20:51 Strange Posthuman Pathways 23:11 Outward Migration â Stars and Timelines 25:00 Risks, Fears, and Pushback 26:27 Humanity on Cosmic Timescales 27:43 The Expanding Story. Watch my exclusive video Autonomous Space Industry: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthurâ⊠Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
Grab one of our new SFIA mugs and make your morning coffee a little more futuristic â available now on our Fourthwall store! https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwallâŠ
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net. Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur. Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur. Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a⊠Facebook Group: / 1583992725237264 Reddit: / isaacarthur. Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content. SFIA Discord Server: / discord. Credits: The First Interstellar Colony Humanityâs Leap Beyond Sol. Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur. Editor: Keith Oxenrider. Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images. Music by Epidemic Sound: http://nebula.tv/epidemic & Stellardrone.
Chapters. 0:00 Intro. 0:15 The Road Ahead. 2:24 What Do We Mean by âHuman,â âTranshuman,â and âPosthumanâ? 7:22 Life Extension â The Oldest Dream. 10:33 Intelligence Beyond Biology â AI and Human Integration. 14:19 Enhancing the Body and Mind. 17:00 Civilizations of the Augmented. 19:31 Scavenger Hunt. 20:51 Strange Posthuman Pathways. 23:11 Outward Migration â Stars and Timelines. 25:00 Risks, Fears, and Pushback. 26:27 Humanity on Cosmic Timescales. 27:43 The Expanding Story
Today, the European Space Agencyâs Argonaut lunar lander programme welcomes new members to its growing family. At ESAâs European Astronaut Centre (EAC) near Cologne, Germany, Thales Alenia Space Italy â the prime contractor for Argonautâs first lander â signed agreements with Thales Alenia Space in France, OHB in Germany, and Thales Alenia Space and Nammo in the United Kingdom.
Argonaut represents Europeâs autonomous, versatile and reliable access to the Moon. Starting with the first mission in 2030, Argonaut landers will be launched on Ariane 6 rockets, each delivering up to 1.5 tonnes of exploration-enabling cargo to the Moonâs surface, from scientific instruments and rovers to vital resources for astronauts such as food, water and air.
Earlier this year, ESA selected Thales Alenia Space Italy to lead the development of the first Argonaut lander, or Lunar Descent Element. Todayâs signing ceremony took place in a symbolic location: the LUNA analogue facility at EAC, home to a full-scale Argonaut model â a tangible vision of Europeâs future presence on the Moon.
*This video was recorded at âPaths to Progressâ at LabWeek hosted by Protocol Labs & Foresight Institute.*
Protocol Labs and Foresight Institute are excited to invite you to apply to a 5-day mini workshop series to celebrate LabWeek, PLâs decentralized conference to further public goods. The theme of the series, Paths to Progress, is aimed at (re)-igniting long overdue progress in longevity bio, molecular nanotechnology, neurotechnology, crypto & AI, and space through emerging decentralized, open, and technology-enabled funding mechanisms.
*This mini-workshop is focused on Paths to Progress in Molecular Nanotechnology* Molecular manufacturing, in its most ambitious incarnation, would use programmable tools to bring together molecules to make precisely bonded components in order to build larger structures from the ground up. This would enable general-purpose manufacturing of new materials and machines, at a fraction of current waste and price. We are currently nowhere near this ambitious goal. However, recent progress in sub-fields such as DNA nanotechnology, protein-engineering, STM, and AFM provide possible building blocks for the construction of a v1 of molecular manufacturing; the molecular 3D printer. Letâs explore the state of the art and what type of innovation mechanisms could bridge the valley of death: how might we update the original Nanotech roadmap; is a tech tree enough? how might we fund the highly interdisciplinary progress needed to succeed: FRO vs. DAO?
*About The Foresight Institute*
The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1986 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support. From molecular nanotechnology, to brain-computer interfaces, space exploration, cryptocommerce, and AI, Foresight gathers leading minds to advance research and accelerate progress toward flourishing futures.
*We are entirely funded by your donations. If you enjoy what we do please consider donating through our donation page:* https://foresight.org/donate/
