NASA is gearing up to slowly lower the orbit of the International Space Station until it burns through the Earth's atmosphere and drops into the ocean, starting around 2030.
The agency says the station's demise will be low risk, but other experts aren't convinced.
As <a href="https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/will-the-international-space-stations-2031-death-dive-cause-pollution-problems">Space.com reports</a>, having a gigantic chunk of metal and other materials burn up in the atmosphere could release harmful chemicals that could hurt the Earth's protective ozone layer.
"Considering its large mass of 450 tons — half of human-made reentry mass into the atmosphere in 2019, a third of the reentry mass of 2023 — it only enhances the atmosphere problem induced by reentry," Technische Universität Braunschweig researcher Leonard Schulz told the site.
"We'll probably take a look in the future at what this reentry could bring to the atmosphere in terms of released substances," he added.
Researchers have already found that when satellites such as SpaceX's constellation of Starlink satellites burn up during reentry, it may <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starlink-ozone-healing">inject harmful pollutants</a> such as aluminum oxides into the upper atmosphere.
The trend, which is only bound to grow thanks to the sheer number of satellites now being launched into low-Earth orbit, could contribute to "significant ozone depletion," according to a <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024GL109280">paper</a> published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters earlier this year.
According to the paper's authors, a 550-pound satellite generates roughly 66 pounds of aluminum oxide nanoparticles when it burns up, which would take up to 30 years to drift down into the stratosphere.
Therefore, given the space station's enormous mass, the environmental impact could be considerable — and researchers are only beginning to wrap their heads around the extent of the risks involved.
NASA <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-hires-spacex-destroy-international-space-station">recently selected</a> SpaceX to develop a "<a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-spacecraft-destroy-iss">US Deorbit Vehicle</a>" that's designed to pull the aging lab out of its orbit.
To pull the largest human-made object to have ever orbited our planet out of its orbit will be anything but easy, requiring a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-dragon-practice-destroying-space-station">beefed-up SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft</a>.
Nudging it out of its orbit over the span of several years could give NASA some degree of control over where it may hit the ground. While NASA has yet to officially announce a chosen landing spot, the most likely area is in the center of the South Pacific Ocean, the furthest you can get from the nearest shore on Earth.
Fortunately, as Space Flight Dynamics Laboratory physicist Luciano Anselmo told Space.com, the impact on the ocean itself will likely be minimal.
All human-made debris to fall out of orbit since the start of human space activity has a smaller mass than a single sunk World War II battleship, Anselmo said, making it "negligible compared to the mass of all the ships and cargo sunk every year, not to mention all other forms of marine waste dumping and pollution."
That doesn't mean the disposal of the ISS won't have any impact on the Earth's environment, though.
"However, this can no longer be said for the upper atmosphere, where the impact of space launches and reentries is probably becoming significant, and whose possible consequences are not yet fully assessed," Anselmo added.
More on the ISS: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/frank-rubio-stranded-space-thanksgiving">Astronaut Who Was Stranded in Space Laments Missing Thanksgiving and Child's Graduation</a>

Burning Up

The effects on the Earth's atmosphere could be devastating.

Experts Worried That Destroying the Space Station Will Damage the Earth's Environment

<h2>A New Polaris Dawn</h2>
President-elect Donald Trump <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-picks-jared-isaacman-head-nasa-2024-12-04/">has named</a> billionaire tech founder — and SpaceX space tourist — Jared Isaacman as the next head of NASA.
It's a confounding new development, given Isaacman has never worked for NASA nor held any government role.
The conflict of interest, given both <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-controlling-trump">Trump</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3ejevknlvvo">Isaacman</a>'s proximity and financial ties to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — already a major NASA contractor — is also unmistakable.
Isaacman's appointment will likely put NASA's existing efforts to push for private-public partnerships front and center, something that could turn out to be a major windfall for SpaceX.
"Jared will drive NASA's mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration," Trump wrote in an <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113595378122687080">announcement</a> posted to Truth Social.
<h2>Spacewalkman</h2>
As the new administrator, Isaacman will oversee NASA's renewed efforts to return astronauts to the surface of the Moon as part of its Artemis program.
The tech entrepreneur has commanded two private spaceflights on board SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft in <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/view-spacex-inspiration4-toilet-incredible">2021</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/billionaire-spacex-earth-radiation-belt">2024</a>. During the latter, Isaaccman became the first <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-private-spacewalk">private citizen to go on a spacewalk</a>.
Now in command of NASA, his close connection to SpaceX could further entrench NASA's <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-hyped-spacex-starship-test">existing relationship</a> with the private space company, potentially making space travel a top priority for the agency.
"At NASA, we will passionately pursue these possibilities and usher in an era where humanity becomes a true spacefaring civilization," Isaacman wrote in an <a href="https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1864346915183157636">announcement on X</a>.
Whether the payment processing founder will cherish his new bureaucratic role in Washington, DC, which likely will leave little time for future visits to space, remains to be seen.
"On my last mission to space, my crew and I traveled farther from Earth than anyone in over half a century," Isaacman wrote. "I can confidently say this second space age has only just begun."
"It is the honor of a lifetime to serve in this role and to work alongside NASA’s extraordinary team to realize our shared dreams of exploration and discovery," he added. "Grateful to serve."
More on Isaacman: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/billionaire-spacex-earth-radiation-belt">Billionaire Adventurer Rides SpaceX Spaceship Straight Into Earth's Radiation Belt</a>

Clown Cabinet

Didn't see that one coming.

Trump Names Billionaire Space Tourist as Head of NASA

<h2>Tracking Device</h2>
Experiments to alter the climate are starting to <a href="https://www.geoengineeringmonitor.org/geoengineering-map-explainer">take place all over the world</a> — to the degree that the United States is now building a system to detect when and where it's happening.
As the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/28/climate/geoengineering-early-warning-system.html">New York Times reports</a>, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Energy are aiming to start tracking "<a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/what-solar-geoengineering">solar geoengineering</a>" endeavors. There are <a href="https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/what-solar-geoengineering">various concepts</a> for how that might work, but the general idea is often to use some form of chemical aerosol, injected high up into the planet's stratosphere, to reflect sunlight back away from the Earth and reduce the effects — though not the underlying cause — of climate change.
Many scientists are worried that these efforts, while well intended, could do more harm than good by causing destructive weather patterns or benefiting some countries more than others. As such, the NOAA is working to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/29/noaa-warning-solar-geoengineering-climate-00148573">strengthen its surveillance and recognition</a> of these projects as <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/06/university-chicago-solar-geoengineering-david-keith-bill-gates/">institutions</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=climate+hacking+geoengineering&amp;oq=climate+hacking+geoengineering+&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORifBTIGCAEQRRg80gEINDkxNGowajSoAgCwAgA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8">individual groups</a> are increasingly undertaking pilot tests of geoengineering concepts in <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/tech-bros-geoengineering-stealth-rv">quests to "hack" the climate</a>.
As a result, the agency's Chemical Sciences Laboratory has begun deploying large balloon "sentries" with equipment to detect aerosol levels in the clouds. Sent miles above the planet's surface, these balloons report back the locations and amounts of any unusual aerosol concentrations in the stratosphere so the NOAA can begin to track where geoengineering is taking place.
<h2>Eye in the Sky</h2>
While a <a href="https://www.ciel.org/news/growing-momentum-for-solar-geoengineering-non-use/">growing number of countries</a> have <a href="https://www.solargeoeng.org/">formally taken pledges</a> not to do solar geoengineering, there are still some concerns that other nations or groups may <a href="https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-response-to-geoengineering-srm-technology-rejection-unea-6/">forge ahead with the untested technology</a> or attempt to do these sorts of projects <a href="https://atmos.earth/shady-science-the-dangers-of-secret-solar-geoengineering/">in secret</a>.
"If a country — a major ally, or a major opponent — is building up capabilities, can our scientists tell us what they’re trying to do, and what the impact of that would be?" asked Kelly Wanser, the founder of the nonprofit geoengineering watchdog group SilverLining, in an interview with the NYT.
Along with trying to figure out what other countries are doing, the NOAA's forthcoming aerosol tracking program could also help its scientists learn more about the longer-term effects of these projects.
As the paper notes, Laura Swiler, a senior scientist at New Mexico's Sandia National Laboratories — which works with the DOE — <a href="https://www.sandia.gov/app/uploads/sites/127/2023/04/Tezaur_CLDERA_CFC2023_talk_keynote_v3_shortened.pdf">developed an algorithm</a> decades ago that can retroactively tell where a burst of aerosols was released and how big it was. Though it's traditionally been used to pinpoint the origins of naturally-occurring aerosol injections, such as volcano eruptions or wildfires, her tool can also predict what effects may come of aerosols that are introduced to the atmosphere intentionally.
"The effect will possibly last months, and even maybe a couple of years, depending on how much aerosols they’re injecting," Swiler told the NYT. "Understanding what might happen two years hence — that is where we will have to rely on our modeling capabilities."
In tandem, the scientist's aerosol algorithm and the NOAA's tracking balloons should be able to help the US figure out whether and where Sun-dimming efforts are happening — and, hopefully, to begin understanding what effects they'll have.
More on geoengineering: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/tech-bros-geoengineering-stealth-rv">Tech Bros Releasing Climate-Hacking Chemicals From "Stealth" RV</a>

Climate Changers

Is someone already secretly geoengineering the Earth?

United States Attempting to Detect Other Countries Tinkering With the Climate

<h2>Meth Hall</h2>
Police in India have a bone to pick with Elon Musk after they say drug smugglers were using SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet to sneak billions of dollars worth of methamphetamine into the country.
As <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/indian-police-query-starlink-device-used-huge-haul-smuggled-drugs-2024-12-03/">Reuters reports</a>, police in India's remote Andaman and Nicobar islands are requesting information from the SpaceX subsidiary after discovering smugglers used its internet services to navigate its waters.
The discovery was made after police looked through Myanmar-based boats that had docked at the islands — and found 13,000 pounds of the crystallized drug, estimated to be valued at around $4.25 billion. Along with the seized meth, they also found a Starlink Mini device to access the internet.
Six Myanmar nationals were detained after the drugs were uncovered — and according to ranking Andaman police officer Hargobinder S. Dhaliwal, pressing Starlink for information will help bring the dealers behind this international scheme to justice.
"This is different because it is bypassing all the legal channels," Dhaliwal told Reuters. "[The smugglers] directly operated with satellite, creating a Wi-Fi hotspot."
<h2>Legal Ease</h2>
Police plan to ask Starlink for information about who purchased the Starlink Mini, when they bought it, and its usage history. Per its <a href="https://www.starlink.com/legal/documents/DOC-1020-91087-64">terms of service</a>, the company should comply with this law enforcement request — though it's unclear whether it has yet.
This is the first known time a police force has requested information from the Musk-owned company regarding drug smuggling, Reuters reports. The issue seems compounded by the fact that <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/elon-musks-starlink-has-to-comply-with-all-rules-for-licence-says-union-minister-jyotiraditya-scindia-101731399416563.html">India doesn't yet have Starlink access</a> as it wades through regulatory red tape.
Although Starlink claims to offer internet coverage in international waters to <a href="https://www.starlink.com/us/business/maritime">maritime subscribers</a>, the company also asserts that it seeks government approval for "territorial waters," which may well have been what the smugglers traveled through during their boat voyage from Myanmar to Andaman.
From <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-admits-to-sabotaging-ukraines-military">wartime</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-starlink-is-aiding-criminal-efforts-in-brazil-report-2023-3">illegal mining</a> to <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/pentagon-elon-musk-spy-satellites">espionage</a> and now drug smuggling, Starlink is now being used for all kinds of bizarre purposes — and it's likely people will keep using it for nefarious ends, whether sanctioned or not.
More on Starlink: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/military-personnel-trouble-starlink-terminal-warship-wifi">Military Leaders in Huge Trouble After Bolting a Starlink Terminal to a Warship for Unrestricted WiFi</a>

Easy Access

"This is different because it is bypassing all the legal channels."

Drug Smugglers Caught With $4.25 Billion Worth Of Meth Were Using SpaceX Starlink for Navigation

<h2>Another One</h2>
Yet another OpenAI researcher has left the company amid concerns about its safety practices and readiness for potentially human-level AI.
In a <a href="https://www.rosiecampbell.xyz/p/leaving-openai">post on her personal Substack</a>, OpenAI safety researcher Rosie Campbell shared a message she posted on the company Slack days prior announcing her resignation.
As she noted in the message, her decision was spurred by the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-agi-readiness-head-resigns">exit of the company's former</a> artificial general intelligence (AGI) czar Miles Brundage, a close colleague whose resignation also led to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/24/openai-miles-brundage-agi-readiness.html">OpenAI dissolving that team</a> entirely.
"After almost three and a half years here, I am leaving OpenAI," Campbell's message reads. "I’ve always been strongly driven by the mission of ensuring safe and beneficial AGI, and after [Brundage's] departure and the dissolution of the AGI Readiness team, I believe I can pursue this more effectively externally."
Though she didn't get into it too much, the former OpenAI-er said that she decided to leave because she was troubled by changes at the company over the past year or so. It's unclear what changes she's referencing exactly, but that timeframe matches the <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/tech-ceos-group-chat-openai">failed coup</a> against CEO and cofounder Sam Altman late last November, which was reportedly <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/reason-openai-fired-sam-altman">undertaken by board members with concerns</a> about the firm's lack of focus on safety under his leadership.
<h2>Growing Pains</h2>
Beyond <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/in-stunning-reversal-openai-rehires-sam-altman">Altman's reinstatement</a> after the ouster attempt, there have been several other <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-leaders-who-left-since-2023-sam-altman-leadership-struggle-2024-9">noteworthy OpenAI resignations</a> over the past year as the firm <a href="https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open-ai-division-for-profit-da26c24b">grapples with its increasing profile and worth</a>, not to mention its increasingly commercial focus.
"While change is inevitable with growth, I’ve been unsettled by some of the shifts over the last [roughly] year, and the loss of so many people who shaped our culture," the researcher wrote. "I sincerely hope that what made this place so special to me can be strengthened rather than diminished."
Campbell went on to add that she hopes her former colleagues remember that the firm's "mission is not simply to 'build AGI,'" but also to keep working to make sure it "<a href="https://openai.com/about/">benefits humanity</a>."
She also wrote that she hopes her former colleagues will "take seriously the prospect that our current approach to safety might not be sufficient for the vastly more powerful systems we think could arrive this decade."
It's a salient warning that's made all the more imminent by increasing concerns that AGI will fundamentally change or even harm humankind — and one, unfortunately, that's been <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/17/24159095/openai-jan-leike-superalignment-sam-altman-ai-safety">echoed by other people</a> on their way out the door of OpenAI.
More on OpenAI: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-weighs-ads-chatgpt">It Sounds an Awful Lot Like OpenAI Is Adding Ads to ChatGPT</a>

AI Sayonara

"I’ve been unsettled by some of the shifts over the last year."

AI Safety Researcher Quits OpenAI, Saying Its Trajectory Alarms Her

<h2>Moon Shot</h2>
SpaceX stock, to invoke a crypto — but aptly spacefaring-related — cliche, is going to the Moon.
The Elon Musk-owned space company is currently in talks to sell off private shares held by employees and other insiders at an even higher than expected price that would skyrocket the venture's valuation to $350 billion, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-02/spacex-discusses-tender-offer-at-roughly-350-billion-valuation">Bloomberg reports</a>, in a deal known as a tender offer. The predicted price had previously been around $255 billion.
This would put SpaceX, already one of the most valuable private companies in the world, into an entirely different galaxy from its peers. The next closest private organization in terms of market cap would be TikTok parent company ByteDance, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-parent-bytedances-valuation-hits-300-billion-amid-us-ban-uncertainty-wsj-2024-11-16/">at $300 billion</a>, and nothing in the private space sector would even come close.
The news comes as Musk, who owns a 42 percent stake in SpaceX, has dramatically aggrandized not only his business empire, but his equally formidable personal fortune following the election of presidential candidate Donald Trump, whom he backed with hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money. Musk's net worth now <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/22/business/elon-musk-net-worth-election/index.html">stands at nearly $350 billion</a> — or just about one SpaceX, now that you mention it.
<h2>Keeping Space</h2>
As with many Musk ventures, the hype with SpaceX is unreal.
This results in a significant gulf between its perceived value and its revenue — the money it actually makes — which topped at "just" an estimated <a href="https://payloadspace.com/estimating-spacexs-2023-revenue/">$8.7 billion in 2023</a> (though it's expected to be higher for this year). The comparably-sized ByteDance, for comparison, had a revenue of around <a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-parent-bytedances-valuation-hits-300-billion-amid-us-ban-uncertainty-wsj-2024-11-16/">$110 billion last year</a>.
SpaceX remains an indispensable launch provider in the US. Most of all, NASA relies on its Falcon 9 rocket and its Crew Dragon spacecraft to ferry its astronauts to the International Space Station.
The space agency will also be counting on SpaceX's flagship rocket, <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-starship-banana-cargo">Starship</a>, to play a headlining role in its ambitious mission to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over fifty years.
Besides government contracts, SpaceX generates <a href="https://spacenews.com/starlink-soars-spacexs-satellite-internet-surprises-analysts-with-6-6-billion-revenue-projection/">billions of dollars in revenue through Starlink</a>, its satellite-based internet service, which it can maintain using its own rockets.
<h2>Money Talks</h2>
SpaceX's jump in value is a testament to the resilience of Musk's brands, even though his personal image has sullied among some in recent years with his ardent support for far-right politics.
Whatever its owner's cultural cachet, SpaceX is set to be more valuable than any other private company on Earth, and Tesla's stock is up nearly 45 percent in the past month, following the election.
Despite the undeniable successes of both ventures, they still have some major proving to do. SpaceX is <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/trump-watch-elon-musk-starship-explodes">yet to perfect Starship</a> and show that it's reusable and thereby cost effective. Tesla, meanwhile, is weathering the controversy surrounding its shoddy Cybertruck and <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-realizes-all-teslas-self-driving-computers">self-driving tech</a>, and is also in the middle of making a huge gamble with its <a href="https://futurism.com/why-tesla-cybercab-robotaxi-no-sense">robotaxi pivot</a>.
For now, though, there're no brakes on the hype train.
More on SpaceX: <a href="https://futurism.com/elon-musk-city-mars-death-catastrophe">Elon Musk's Plans for a City on Mars Will Likely End in Horrifying Mass Death</a>

Among the Stars

Good God.

SpaceX Preparing to Sell Stock at Interplanetary Valuation

<h2>Forced Jassification</h2>
Old-world luxury automaker Jaguar has announced that it's pulling a 180 with a <a href="https://media.jaguar.com/news/2024/12/jaguar-unveils-type-00-unmistakable-unexpected-dramatic">new electric concept car</a> dubbed the Type 00 — a coupe that looks absolutely nothing like anything the company has built in its 102-year history.
The painfully yassified rebranding, which includes a soulless sans-serif-type logo, had the internet in a toxic mix of shock and apprehension. The Type 00 surfaced in an unnerving "Miami Pink" hue, coming off more as a desperate attempt to appear relevant than a reincarnation of an automotive icon.
It also drew plenty of comparisons to one of the most controversial vehicles ever developed.
"It’s big, it’s pink and it looks like the result of a struggle cuddle between a Cybertruck, Lady Penelope’s Rolls Royce, and an air conditioning unit — but I like it!" one X user <a href="https://x.com/activrightbrain/status/1863758789876269321">tweeted</a>.
"Jaguar's new concept car looks like Barbie redesigned a Cybertruck," reporter Jen Dudley-Nicholson <a href="https://x.com/jendudley/status/1863537795144274266">wrote</a>.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jaguar Type 00 | Copy Nothing Miami" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zqt7_sd_Sgo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h2>Pink Again</h2>
According to Jaguar chief creative officer Gerry McGovern, the fully-electric Type 00 is the result of the company throwing away the rulebook.
"Type 00 is a pure expression of Jaguar’s new creative philosophy," McGovern said in a <a href="https://media.jaguar.com/news/2024/12/jaguar-unveils-type-00-unmistakable-unexpected-dramatic">statement</a>. "This is the result of brave, unconstrained creative thinking, and unwavering determination. It is our first physical manifestation and the foundation stone for a new family of Jaguars that will look unlike anything you’ve ever seen."
That's an understatement. The concept car is over 16 feet long and trades in smooth and aerodynamic body lines for brutalist hard edges — and an unapologetic peak into a garish eyesore of the future.
Of course, the Type 00 is little more than a concept and it's anyone's guess whether the production version will look even remotely like it.
Besides likely turning plenty of heads, Jaguar claims the car will have a range of up to 430 miles and the ability to top up 200 miles in just 15 minutes of fast charging.
More on EVs: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-snow-headlights">Cybertrucks Appear to Have a Bafflingly Stupid Problem When It Snows</a>

Cyberjag

Did Jaguar want its own Cybertruck moment?

World Rolls Eyes at Jaguar's Yassified Electric Car

<h2>Paid Leave</h2>
Demand for Tesla's highly controversial Cybertruck appears to be waning.
According to an internal memo <a href="https://autos.yahoo.com/tesla-tells-workers-cybertruck-line-234540519.html">obtained by Business Insider</a>, workers at the company's Austin factory were told to take the next three days off, while still receiving eight hours of pay.
It's a mysterious development, and it's still unclear why the workers were told to stay home.
But the news hints at the possibility that as Tesla ramps up production of the vehicle, overall demand is starting to seriously slow down — despite <a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2024/10/15/tesla-cybertruck-sales-more-than-doubled-in-q3-became-3rd-best-selling-ev-in-usa/">healthy sales numbers</a> through the third quarter of this year, to be fair — as the brutalist pickup's <a href="https://futurism.com/cybertruck-appeal-owners-dangerous">reputation as a lemon grows</a> and the market runs out of <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-bumper-sticker">true believers</a>.
<h2>Terrible Investment</h2>
According to BI, some Cybertruck line workers had already been battling an erratic work schedule since late October. Some of them reported being sent home or told to clean up.
"When I started at Tesla you could expect to get overtime pay, now I feel lucky to get 40 hours," one worker told BI.
While EV sales have <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2024/trends-in-electric-cars">soared overall</a>, Tesla has sold fewer cars so far this year than last year, <a href="https://electrek.co/2024/12/02/tesla-shuts-down-cybertruck-production-for-3-days-at-critical-time-for-the-company/">Electrek reports</a>, in a notable decline.
The Cybertruck in particular has proven divisive, having been recalled a total of <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tesla-adds-sixth-recall-cybertruck-164438941.html">six times</a> so far this year due to a number of <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-review-brick">glaring technical problems</a> and <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-snow-headlights">baffling design decisions</a>.
The vehicle has also become a lightning rod on the street in large part due to its <a href="https://futurism.com/cybertruck-appeal-owners-dangerous">close association</a> with the carmaker's far-right CEO.
The value of used Cybertrucks is also <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/value-used-cybertrucks-freefall">dropping quickly</a>, indicating the sheen is really starting to wear off.
In short, it's still unclear why Cybertruck line workers were sent home. But the timing is certainly suspect as the company's fourth quarter closes out.
More on the Cybertruck: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/cybertruck-snow-headlights">Cybertrucks Appear to Have a Bafflingly Stupid Problem When It Snows</a>

Don't Work From Home

They're being paid not to come to work.

Tesla Tells Workers Building Cybertruck to Stay Home as Demand Slumps

<h2>Generational Gap</h2>
The youth are addicted to generative AI models — but their parents have no idea what their kids actually use them for.
As part of a <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.10461">new study</a> set to be presented at the IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy, a team of researchers interviewed seven teenagers and thirteen parents about their AI usage and perceptions of the tech, and also analyzed thousands of Reddit posts and comments from other teens.
Their findings illustrate a stark disconnect between the two demographics. Overall, the parents seemed to be under the impression that their kids used AI chatbots mainly as a search engine or as a homework tool.
In reality, the teenagers primarily said they used chatbots for therapeutic purposes or for emotional support. When having a <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/lonely-teens-friends-with-ai">virtual friend</a> wasn't enough, some even turned to the technology to fulfill romantic and even sexual desires.
"It's a very heated topic, with a lot of teenagers talking about Character.AI and how they are using it," study lead author Yaman Yu at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign <a href="https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/1589657898">said in a statement</a>.
<h2>Bad Influence</h2>
The epicenter of youth-oriented AI is Character.AI, an online service that hosts custom-made chatbots. Many of them imitate popular fandom characters from video games and anime, while others are explicitly geared towards romance.
The service has been criticized for the poor moderation of its often racy chatbots that are popularly used by minors. In more serious cases, some of that chatbots <a href="https://futurism.com/character-ai-eating-disorder-chatbots">promoted pro-anorexia eating behaviors</a>, attempted to <a href="https://futurism.com/character-ai-pedophile-chatbots">groom underaged users</a>, and even <a href="https://futurism.com/character-ai-pedophile-suicide-bots">encouraged suicide</a>.
Three of the interviewed teens said they used Character.AI — only ChatGPT was cited more often — and the service was frequently brought up in Reddit discussions. Their prevailing concern about AI was addiction to these character-based chatbots. One teen worried that they wouldn't be able to cope with their suicidal thoughts without the help of Character.AI, while another sounded quite self-aware of their unhealthy dependency.
"I have realized that I waste too much time on Character.AI," the teenager expressed. "I would like to be able to converse with my peers at school."
<h2>Out of the Loop</h2>
Yet the researchers found that parents didn't realize the extent of the personal and often intimate information that their kids share with AI chatbots.
In fact, eight of the thirteen adults said that their only exposure to AI was through using ChatGPT, while none of them had used CharacterAI.
"AI technologies are evolving so quickly, and so are the ways people use them," said study coauthor Yang Wang at UIUC said in the statement. "There are some things we can learn from past domains, such as addiction and inappropriate behavior on social media and online gaming."
And Wang's right: the emergence of AI among youths mirrors many of the concerns that reared their head with the dawn of the internet. To mitigate the risks that AI poses to minors, the researchers argue that the solutions shouldn't only be technical, like implementing stronger guard rails or parent controls. The onus also falls on the adults to proactively grasp what draws their kids to these chatbots — and that's an understanding that will take time to build.
More on AI: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/openai-weighs-ads-chatgpt">It Sounds an Awful Lot Like OpenAI Is Adding Ads to ChatGPT</a>

Shady Character.AI

"I have realized that I waste too much time on Character.AI." 

Teens Are Forming Intense Relationships With AI Entities, and Parents Have No Idea

<h2>My Battery Is Low</h2>
NASA's Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have long left the farthest reaches of the solar system, entering interstellar space in 2012 and 2018 respectively.
The pair were originally intended to study the solar system's outer planets when they launched in 1977. But both have outgrown their original missions, flying through the darkness of space over 15 billion miles away, far beyond those planets they were originally tasked with observing.
Instead of relying on tiny glimpses of sunlight as a power source, the pair are relying on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which use radioactively decaying plutonium-238 isotopes as a direct source of power.
But decades into their journey, that onboard source of electricity is almost depleted, as <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/the-end-is-near-for-nasas-voyager-probes/">Wired reports</a>, forcing scientists to shut down scientific instruments one by one. The power output is dropping around four watts per year, giving the probes a definitive end that's now rapidly approaching.
In other words, Voyager 1 and 2's days are numbered — though scientists are still hopeful the pair will last until their 50th anniversary in space just over two years from now.
<h2>It's Getting Dark</h2>
Most recently, NASA engineers <a href="https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/voyager-1-interstellar-spacecraft-finds-its-voice-again-as-nasa-restores-communications">confirmed last week</a> that they were able to restore communications with Voyager 1 after the spacecraft <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/voyager-1-probe-transmitter-trouble">went dark in October</a>.
Power levels are so low that when scientists switched on one of the heaters to get one of its instruments back online, a safety feature was tripped, as <a href="https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/voyager-1-interstellar-spacecraft-finds-its-voice-again-as-nasa-restores-communications">Space.com reports</a>.
The feature in question ensures that non-essential systems are switched off to conserve energy. Fortunately, communications resumed on November 18.
It's far from the first time Voyager 1 has struggled to stay online and on course. In September, engineers <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-activates-thrusters-voyager-1">managed to switch</a> its ancient probe to a different set of thrusters to keep it going.
In March, the probe <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-voyager-1-incomprehensible-code">returned nonsensical messages</a> back to Earth, forcing scientists to <a href="https://www.space.com/voyager-1-fully-operational">get creative yet again</a>.
Voyager 2 hasn't fared much better, suffering from its own thankfully temporary <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-mission-update-voyager-2-communications-pause/">communication blackout</a> last year.
But despite scientists' best efforts, little can be done about the two probes' dwindling plutonium reserves.
Nonetheless, the team is still appreciative of a groundbreaking, decades-long mission that's even managed to escape the heliopause, the outer boundary of the Sun's heliosphere.
"I think we’re all happy and relieved that the Voyager probes have both operated long enough to make it past this milestone," said Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd in a <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-voyager-2-probe-enters-interstellar-space/">November statement</a>. "This is what we’ve all been waiting for. Now we’re looking forward to what we’ll be able to learn from having both probes outside the heliopause."
More on Voyager: <a href="https://futurism.com/the-byte/voyager-1-probe-transmitter-trouble">Decrepit Voyager 1 Probe Runs Into Trouble Again</a>