Toggle light / dark theme

The world’s next generation cosmic observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope 0, is due for launch on an Ariane 5 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Webb is a joint project between NASA

Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. It’s vision is “To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity.”

Jamie Metzl is an author specializing in topics of genetic engineering, biotechnology, and geopolitics. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
- Mizzen+Main: https://mizzenandmain.com and use code LEX to get $35 off.
- NI: https://www.ni.com/perspectives.
- GiveDirectly: https://givedirectly.org/lex to get gift matched up to $300
- Indeed: https://indeed.com/lex to get $75 credit.
- Blinkist: https://blinkist.com/lex and use code LEX to get 25% off premium.

EPISODE LINKS:
Jamie’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamieMetzl.
Jamie’s Website: https://jamiemetzl.com/
Jamie’s lab leak blog post: https://jamiemetzl.com/origins-of-sars-cov-2/
Hacking Darwin (book): https://amzn.to/3lLqLsM

PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast.
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr.
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
Full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4
Clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41

OUTLINE:
0:00 — Introduction.
1:27 — Lab leak.
1:00:01 — Gain-of-function research.
1:09:32 — Anthony Fauci.
1:19:14 — Francis Collins.
1:23:56 — Joe Rogan, Brett Weinstein, and Sam Harris.
1:53:53 — Xi Jinping.
2:08:24 — Patient Zero.
2:21:38 — WHO
2:45:28 — Government transparency.
3:07:28 — Likelihood of a cover-up.
3:09:16 — Future of reproduction.
3:44:55 — Jon Stewart.
3:50:14 — Joe Rogan and Sanjay Gupta.
4:15:19 — Ultramarathons.
4:25:21 — Chocolate.
4:33:34 — One Shared World.
4:48:37 — Hope for the future.

SOCIAL:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman.
- Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman.
- Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/lexfridman.
- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman

On December 15, NASA announced that SpaceX submitted a new proposal to build a Starship launch site at Launch Complex-49 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Previously, SpaceX officials mentioned plans to build a Starship launch tower at historic Launch Complex-39A, the launch site from where NASA Apollo astronauts lifted off atop Saturn V on a voyage to the Moon half a century ago. NASA and SpaceX are working to return humans to the lunar surface by 2025. SpaceX is developing a lunar-optimized Starship Human Landing System (HLS) to land astronauts on the moon as part of the Artemis program that aims to build a sustainable presence on our closest celestial neighbor.

The unbuilt Launch Complex-49 is an 175-acre land located north of Launch Pad-39B and Pad-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center premises. The agency released a map of the region, pictured below, that outlines the locations of each launch site. “LC-49 has been a part of Kennedy’s master plan for several years,” said Tom Engler, Kennedy’s director of Center Planning and Development. “The Notice of Availability was updated in 2014.”

“Every new construction project, whether government or commercial, goes through a comprehensive environmental review process,” said Don Dankert, technical lead for the Kennedy Environmental Planning Office. “This ensures that we are able to identify potential environmental impacts and define any associated mitigations prior to project implementation.”

The U.S. government has warned for years that products from Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. pose a national security risk. Now, a Bloomberg investigation has found a key piece of evidence explaining why. Bloomberg’s Jamie Tarabay reports on “Bloomberg Daybreak: Asia.”

Greenspot lodges development application for Wallerawang battery, and it hopes to have the first stage in operation in just two years.


Privately owned NSW development company Greenspot says it has lodged a development application for a huge 500MW, 1000MWh big battery at the site of the closed Wallerawang coal fired power station near Lithgow, and hopes to bring it into service within two years.

The development application to the state government comes just weeks after the last chimney stacks of the closed coal generator were brought down. The battery will be called the “Wallerawang 9 Battery,” to acknowledge the legacy of units 7 and 8, which were the last coal fired units at the power station.

“The lodgement of the development application for the Wallerawang 9 Battery is an important early marker in repurposing the site for the next chapter of success”, Greenspot CEO Brett Hawkins said in a statement.

Neoen has doubled the size of its proposed Capital big battery, and started construction, after eyeing emerging market opportunities.


French renewables and battery storage developer Neoen says it has begun construction of a 100MW/200MWh big battery in the Australian Capital Territory, after doubling the size of the project because of emerging market opportunities.

Neoen is Australia’s most successful investor in battery storage, having built the original “Tesla big battery” at the Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, which was then the world’s biggest, and then expanding that facility, adding another at Bulgana in Victoria, and last week opening the 300MW/450MWh Victorian Big Battery, now the country’s biggest.

Now Neoen has begun construction of the 100MW Capital battery, which will have two hours of storage and will be double the size of the battery canvassed in its 2020 tender win with the ACT government.

Global Times, controlled by the government, announced on December 12, that China has “significantly” increased the serial production of the J-20 stealth fighter.


BEIJING, ($1=6.36 Chinese Yuans) – The information website Global Times, controlled by the Chinese government, announced yesterday, December 12, that China has “significantly” increased the serial production of the J-20 stealth fighter, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

“The transition to imported WS-10 engines has made mass production possible,” said Fu Qiangshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, noting that other J-20 systems, including the avionics system, radar system, and weapons systems, have already been developed. in the country.

“Why do people like Elon Musk and dislike Jeff Bezos?” And Musk has just been named the 2021 Time person of the year.

A flurry of upgrades is on the horizon.

The conference version of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 shows that the U.S. Congress wants new engines to be installed in the current and future F-35 aircraft starting from 2027, Air Force Magazine reported.

We had earlier reported that the U.S. military would be required to look into re-engining its F-35s towards the end of this decade. The F-16s and A-10C Thunderbolts are close to the end of their lifetimes which means that the bulk of the workload for the U.S. military will fall on F-35s’ shoulders. Under the Adaptive Engine Transition Program (AETP), the U.S. Air Force has already begun work to develop engines that can deliver more power or range as required.

According to the Air Force Magazine, Congress has sought details of the acquisition strategy and fiscal considerations that the Air Force will apply in its plan to re-engine its F-35As. We had reported that the development cost of the AETP is likely going to be too high for the Air Force to bear alone. However, the U.S. Navy uses a different configuration of the F-35s, where the AETP cannot be deployed in its present form.

Full Story: