Chuck GPT: Astrotech

How can a helicopter fly in space? How does LIGO detect gravitational waves? How do quantum electronic devices like Josephson junctions work? Could AI turn evil and destroy humanity? What about those grabby aliens? In this episode of Chuck GPT, Dr. Charles Liu and co-host Allen Liu answer audience questions about the technology of astronomy, astrophysics, and the future.

To read those questions, we welcome back our executive producer Leslie Mullen, community director Stacey Severn, and intern Eleanor Adams.

As always, though, we start off with the day’s joyfully cool cosmic thing: the ESA’s new Deep Space Antenna in Australia. This fourth antenna in ESA’s network will be used to manage communications for their slate of upcoming missions.

For our first audience question, Anna asks, “How is it possible that a helicopter can work in space? I heard that NASA launched a helicopter to Mars and is going to send one to Saturn in a few years.”

Leslie, who worked at JPL, talks about the Perseverance Rover and its helicopter, Ingenuity. She explains that they’re not actually flying in space, but in the atmospheres of a planet or a moon. Even so, the thin atmosphere of Mars (less than 1% of Earth’s) created unique problems that don’t exist on Earth. Leslie got to interview the inventor of Ingenuity, Bob Balaram, in her JPL podcast episode, “Flying with Ingenuity.” She describes how JPL tested the helicopter here on Earth, and what it was like the moment Ingenuity actually took flight.

The team discusses Dragonfly, the helicopter that will be flying on Saturn’s moon Titan, and how Titan’s thick methane atmosphere creates an entirely different set of engineering problems than Ingenuity faced on Mars.

Stacey reads our next question, from Joe: “Gravitational wave detectors like LIGO are said to detect changes in the length of space by less than the width of a proton. But how is that possible, if all the atoms that make up LIGO are so much bigger than protons?” Chuck explains interferometry (the I in LIGO!) and Allen offers a great analogy using a ruler.

Eleanor reads a question from TikTok, which Esmeregildo asked in response to our video about Josephson Junctions and the Nobel Prize in Physics: “What is the purpose of the insulating barrier?” Chuck’s answer takes us down a quantum tunneling rabbit hole, filled with superconductors, insulators, and quantum computing.

Diane asks: “Professor, you say that astronomers have used AI for a long time so you're not afraid of AI. But AI isn't being used by just scientists anymore, and corporations are using AI to make money now rather than to make scientific advances. So should we be afraid of AI today? Could AI turn evil soon and destroy humanity?” Allen, co-author of a soon-to-be published book about AI, offers a mostly hopeful answer, although Chuck compares AI to nuclear power and Leslie brings up real world problems AI is already creating.

Our last question from our audience is, “Hi Dr. Liu, I heard you talking about grabby aliens recently. Could you explain the concept a little more? For example, would humans be grabby aliens if we explore space and colonize Mars and we find there's life there? Would we have to destroy grabby aliens right away if we find them, or would we have to hide from them?” It’s the perfect way to end this edition of Chuck GPT!

We hope you enjoy this episode of The LIUniverse, and, if you do, please support us on Patreon.

Image Credits:

• ESA’s first and fourth Deep Space Antennas. Credit: European Space Agency
• Map showing locations of ESA tracking (Estrack) stations as of 2017. Credit: European Space Agency
• Video of Perseverance landing on Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
• Ingenuity on the surface of Mars. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
• Anatomy of the Mars helicopter Ingenuity. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
• Ingenuity’s Test Chamber. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
• Ingenuity in the Test Chamber. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
• Video of Ingenuity altimeter data and the first flight as seen from Perseverance. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
• Dragonfly space probe concept art. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins-APL
• Titan’s thick methane atmosphere gives it a fuzzy yellow look. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute
• Tuned Mass Damper used to stabilize buildings during earthquakes. Credit: CC
• Josephson Junction. Credit: Public Domain
• Josephson junction array chip developed by the National Institute of Standards & Technology. Credit: Public Domain

CHAPTERS

03:08 - Joyfully Cool Cosmic Thing of the Day –New ESA Deep Space Antenna

07:36 - How Can the Ingenuity Helicopter Fly on Mars?

16:26 - How Can the Dragonfly Helicopter Fly on Saturn’s Moon Titan?

19:44 - How does LIGO detect gravitational waves?

26:01 - Josephson Junctions, Quantum Tunneling, and Superconductors Explained

36:00 - Could AI Turn Evil Soon and Destroy Humanity?

44:48 - Would Humans Be Grabby Aliens if We Explore Space and Colonize Mars?

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