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If you saw the movie "Gravity," you have a sense of the dangers of orbital debris—and the risk is very real. More than 25,000 objects over four inches in diameter are tracked by the US Space Force, and millions of others are smaller or untracked—everything from derelict satellites to dead rocket stages to bits of shrapnel and even just chunks of frozen rocket fuel is there. And even something the size and mass of a paint chip, traveling at orbital speeds, can take out a window of a spacecraft. We're joined by Dr. John Crassidis from the University of Buffalo, an expert in orbital debris and its dangers. Look out below; this is going to be a hot one!

Headlines:

SpaceX Falcon 9 launch failure investigation underway after engine explosion during upper stage relight
James Webb Space Telescope celebrates 2nd anniversary with new "Cosmic Penguin" image
Boeing Starliner return date still uncertain as NASA and Boeing review data
Mailbag:

Zaheer Mohammed congratulates the National Space Society's Ad Astra magazine on winning the Marcom Awards in 2023
Main Topic: Orbital Debris Discussion with Dr. John Crassidis

Orbital debris defined as anything in space that is no longer useful, ranging from paint flakes to rocket bodies
Debris moves at extremely high speeds (17,500 mph), making collisions highly destructive
Kessler Syndrome: cascading collisions could render low Earth orbit unusable within 50 years if debris growth is not slowed
Approximately 47,000 tracked objects softball-size or larger, with millions more smaller pieces
Challenges in tracking debris due to limited coverage, object tumbling, and modeling uncertainties
Ownership and responsibility for debris removal complicated by lack of international agreements
Current remediation techniques not feasible due to cost and technological limitations
Urgent need for debris mitigation through international cooperation and improved satellite design
Future threats extend beyond low Earth orbit, with debris already accumulating around the Moon
Importance of investing in research to develop effective debris removal technologies
Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

Guest: Dr. John Crassidis

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The Federal Trade Commission bans an app from being offered to minors. A beloved DVD rental service files for bankruptcy. An old website publication has been resurrected as an 'AI-zombified' website. And what Samsung announced at its latest Galaxy Unpacked event.

Amanda Silberling joins Mikah this week on Tech News Weekly! Amanda talks about the FTC banning the app NGL from offering its social app to minors following a ruling that the company tricked users into paying its $9.99 monthly subscription.
Mikah talks about Chicken Soup For The Soul Entertainment, the company that owns the DVD rental service Redbox. It is now filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy following a filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection initially.
Christina Warren stops by to discuss how a company brought back an old website as an 'AI-zombified' publication, using content pulled from other website publications under the bylines of former authors who wrote for the publication, including Christina herself!
And finally, Jason Howell returns to TNW to talk with Mikah about everything Samsung announced at its recent Galaxy Unpacked event, including the Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Ring devices.
Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Christina Warren and Jason Howell

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You can join Apple's Developer program without needing to pay the annual account fee. Save for app distribution, a free Apple Developer account gives you access to the company's documentation, video resources, and beta software.

Apple Developer - https://developer.apple.com

Host: Mikah Sargent

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A.J. is a movie industry professional who built a new house in Los Angeles. Of course, he installed a home theater in the big bonus room with high-end equipment and a super comfy "pit couch" that's perfect for cuddling with his partner.

Host: Scott Wilkinson

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With the introduction of the first Snapdragon X-based Copilot+ PCs this past week, Microsoft has added another layer of complexity to the Windows ecosystem. Or, another layer of choice, if you're more of the glass half-full type. Regardless, this addition is confusing to many, as it's unclear which software or hardware you need to access the many new features that Windows 11 users will get this year and beyond. This week, Paul takes a first look at one of these laptops.

Host: Paul Thurrott

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In this episode of iOS Today, hosts Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard dive into the second half of the 2024 Apple Design Award winners, covering the categories of Social Impact, Visuals and Graphics, and the new Spatial Computing category. They discuss standout apps and games that push the boundaries of design and functionality across Apple's platforms, including innovative uses of Apple Vision Pro technology.

Social Impact category winners:

Gentler Streak: A fitness app that takes a more compassionate approach to fitness tracking

The Wreck: A narrative game exploring themes of grief and sisterhood

Visuals and Graphics category winners:

Rooms: An 8-bit style room design app with social features

Lies of P: A Pinocchio-inspired action game with stunning visuals

Spatial Computing category winners:

djay: A DJ app that creates an immersive turntable experience in Apple Vision Pro

Blackbox: A puzzle game that cleverly uses device sensors and features

Shortcuts Corner:

Discussion of how to add custom app icons to shortcuts in iOS 17 and 18

Rosemary and Mikah also addressed a listener question about the potential of AI-enhanced Siri to provide personalized recommendations based on user data, discussing the possibilities and limitations of such features.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

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You can also contribute to iOS Today by sending an email to iOSToday@TWiT.tv.