Traveling Billions Of Miles Into Space | September 19, 2024

Summary

On CNN 10, the Federal Reserve's first interest rate cut in over four years signals a potential economic boost and relief for borrowers. Meanwhile, Voyager 1, the first spacecraft to exit the heliosphere, continues to explore deep space, with NASA engineers reigniting its thrusters after decades. Four Ocean, an organization founded by surfers, is tackling the global plastic pollution crisis, particularly in oceans, with innovative cleanup efforts. Lastly, decommissioned rail cars are repurposed into underwater reefs off the Georgia coast, fostering marine life habitats.

Takeaways

• 📉 The Federal Reserve has announced a cut in interest rates for the first time in over four years, signaling confidence that inflation is being managed.
• 💰 Inflation, which reached a peak of 9.9% in 2022, has been a significant concern, impacting the cost of goods and services, particularly in food and housing.
• 🏦 High inflation leads to higher interest rates, making borrowing from banks more expensive, affecting loans for cars, houses, and businesses.
• 📉 The Federal Reserve's decision to lower interest rates could benefit borrowers and stimulate the economy by encouraging spending.
• 🛰️ Voyager 1, launched in 1977, was the first spacecraft to venture beyond Earth's heliosphere, continuing to provide valuable data from deep space.
• 🔧 NASA engineers have successfully reignited thrusters on Voyager 1 that had been dormant for decades, ensuring its ongoing communication with Earth.
• 🌊 Four Ocean, an organization founded by two American surfers, is dedicated to cleaning up the world's oceans, rivers, and coastlines, starting with local efforts.
• 🚢 In Guatemala, Four Ocean has installed a containment boom system to collect plastic waste, which is then sorted and transformed into products or energy.
• 🌐 The global plastic pollution crisis is a significant threat, with an estimated 18 million kg of plastic entering the Motagua River in Guatemala annually.
• 🎓 Students from Bradley Central High School in Tennessee are recognized for their hard work and positive attitudes.

Q & A

What significant action did the Federal Reserve announce regarding interest rates?

The Federal Reserve announced its decision to cut interest rates for the first time in over four years, signaling confidence that inflation is starting to come under control.

What is the impact of high inflation on borrowing costs?

High inflation leads to high interest rates, making it more expensive to borrow money from banks, which in turn increases the cost of financing cars, houses, business loans, and even carrying a balance on some credit cards.

What was the peak percentage of inflation in the United States in 2022?

The peak of inflation in the United States in 2022 was 9.9%.

What is the Federal Reserve's hope for the economy following the interest rate cut?

The Federal Reserve hopes that the policy move to cut interest rates will stimulate the economy and encourage people to spend more.

Which spacecraft was the first to reach beyond Earth's heliosphere?

Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to reach beyond Earth's heliosphere in 2012.

What year was Voyager 1 launched, and what was its mission?

Voyager 1 was launched on September 5th, 1977, with a mission to explore outer space beyond the solar system.

What challenges did NASA face in keeping Voyager 1 operational after 46 years?

NASA faced challenges such as the need to fire up thrusters that had not been used in decades and to find creative ways to keep the aging spacecraft functioning.

What is the estimated amount of plastic entering the ocean every 60 seconds?

It is estimated that every 60 seconds, a dump truck's worth of plastic enters the ocean.

What is the mission of the organization '4Ocean'?

4Ocean is on a mission to clean up the world's oceans, rivers, and coastlines, with a focus on local cleanups and engaging local communities.

How does 4Ocean contribute to the local economy while cleaning the oceans?

4Ocean contributes to the local economy by providing jobs for fishermen and fisherwomen whose livelihoods have been affected by plastic pollution, allowing them to clean their local community while earning a fair wage.

What is the purpose of sinking decommissioned rail cars into the ocean off the coast of Georgia?

Decommissioned rail cars are sunk to create artificial reefs that provide habitats for marine wildlife, supporting biodiversity and underwater ecosystems.

Outlines

00:00

📉 Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates

The Federal Reserve has announced a cut in interest rates for the first time in over four years, indicating that inflation may be stabilizing. This move is significant for borrowers who have been affected by high interest rates, making loans for cars, houses, and businesses more expensive. The Federal Reserve's decision could be a pivotal moment for the US economy, as it aims to stimulate economic activity. However, there are concerns about the job market showing signs of weakness, with historically low unemployment rates. The script also includes a trivia question about Voyager 1, the first spacecraft to pass Earth's heliosphere, and discusses its ongoing mission to gather data from interstellar space.

05:03

🌍 Tackling Ocean Plastic Pollution

The script highlights the issue of plastic pollution, particularly in oceans, and introduces an organization called 'Four Ocean' that is dedicated to cleaning up oceans, rivers, and coastlines. Co-founded by American surfers, the organization has been working in locations like the Florida Keys, Bali, and Guatemala. They have built a containment boom system to collect plastic waste, which is then sorted, weighed, and transformed into various products, including bracelets that help finance their operations. The script emphasizes the importance of engaging local communities in the cleanup efforts and the need to address the root causes of plastic pollution to protect marine life and human health.

Keywords

💡Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve, often referred to as the Fed, is the central banking system of the United States. It plays a crucial role in implementing monetary policy, including setting interest rates. In the script, it is mentioned that the Fed has cut interest rates for the first time in over four years, indicating a potential easing of monetary policy. This decision is significant for borrowers as it can reduce the cost of borrowing, thus stimulating economic activity.

💡Inflation

Inflation refers to the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and subsequently, the purchasing power of currency is falling. The script discusses how inflation reached a peak in 2022 and has been a topic of concern due to its impact on the cost of living. High inflation typically leads to higher interest rates, which can slow down economic growth.

💡Interest Rates

Interest rates are the cost of borrowing money from financial institutions like banks. They are a key tool used by central banks to control inflation and stabilize the economy. The script highlights that the Fed's decision to cut interest rates can make borrowing cheaper, which may encourage spending and investment, thus stimulating the economy.

💡Voyager 1

Voyager 1 is a space probe launched by NASA, mentioned in the script as the first spacecraft to pass the heliosphere, a significant boundary in outer space. This milestone is important as it represents the farthest reach of human exploration into space. The script also discusses the spacecraft's ongoing mission to gather data from the outer reaches of the solar system, contributing to our understanding of interstellar space.

💡Heliosphere

The heliosphere is the vast region of space dominated by the influence of the Sun's upper atmosphere, including the solar wind and the solar magnetic field. It is mentioned in the script as the boundary that Voyager 1 crossed in 2012. Understanding the heliosphere is crucial for studying the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.

💡Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution refers to the accumulation of plastic products in the environment, causing harm to wildlife and potentially human health. The script discusses the efforts of an organization to clean up oceans, rivers, and coastlines, highlighting the global crisis of plastic waste. The script provides examples of how plastic pollution affects marine life and coastal communities, emphasizing the need for action to reduce plastic consumption and improve waste management.

💡Mangrove Estuaries

Mangrove estuaries are coastal ecosystems characterized by mangrove trees and are important for their role in protecting coastlines and providing habitats for various species. In the script, they are mentioned as being threatened by derelict fishing gear and ghost nets, which can inhibit their natural growth. The health of mangrove estuaries is critical for maintaining biodiversity and coastal resilience against extreme weather.

💡Containment Boom System

A containment boom system is a tool used to manage and control the flow of debris, such as plastic waste, in water bodies. The script describes how an organization has built and installed such a system in Guatemala to help reduce the amount of plastic entering the ocean. This system is part of a larger effort to mitigate the impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems.

💡Upcycling

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or for better environmental value. The script mentions that collected plastic waste is upcycled into various products, including bracelets and building materials. This practice is part of a broader strategy to reduce waste and promote sustainability.

💡Reef Project

A reef project, as mentioned in the script, involves creating artificial reefs by sinking large objects, such as decommissioned rail cars, into the ocean. These structures develop into habitats for marine life, supporting biodiversity and providing a unique ecosystem. The script describes an initiative off the coast of Georgia, where rail cars are being sunk to create a new reef, showcasing an innovative approach to marine conservation.

Highlights

Federal Reserve announced its first interest rate cut in over four years

Interest rate cut signals confidence in inflation control

Inflation rates reached a peak of 9.9% in 2022

High inflation leads to high interest rates, affecting borrowing costs

FED's decision could be a turning point for the US economy

Voyager 1 spacecraft reached beyond the heliosphere in 2012

Voyager 1 continues to send data from billions of miles away

NASA engineers had to get creative to keep Voyager 1 operational

Voyager 1's instruments are still functional after 46 years

Four Ocean is on a mission to clean up oceans, rivers, and coastlines

Plastic pollution is a significant threat to the planet's future

Four Ocean built a containment boom system in Guatemala

Plastic waste is sorted and transformed into products or energy

Four Ocean has collected over 16 million kg of waste worldwide

Four Ocean engages local communities in cleanup efforts

Out-of-commission rail cars are being sunk to create underwater reefs

Reef project aims to develop habitats for marine wildlife

Bradley Central High School in Tennessee recognized for hard work and positive attitudes

Transcripts

[Music]

hello everyone I'm KY wire happy to be

here with you this Friday Eve it's

Thursday September 19th and I've got 10

minutes to get you you caught up on your

news for the day right here on CNN 10

first up the Federal Reserve announced

its cutting interest rates for the first

time in more than four years it's a sign

of confidence from the FED officials

that inflation is starting to come under

control the Federal Reserve sets

monetary policy and has been taking

steps to make interest rates go down and

we've talked a lot about inflation here

over the last year inflation remember is

an increase in the price of goods and

services after the pandemic surging

prices reached a peak of 99.1% inflation

in 2022 those high prices came down a

bit but have stayed High since then

especially in food and housing and high

inflation means High interest rates it

makes borrowing money from Banks more

expensive so the announcement is big

news for borrowers who've been waiting

for those interest rates to come down

the FED has kept borrowing costs at

their highest level in more than two

decades making it more expensive and

difficult to finance a car a house or

business loan or even carry a balance on

some credit cards the FED hopes this

policy move will stimulate the economy

and get folks spending more again but

hanging in the balance is the American

job market which has shown signs of

weakness lately still unemployment rates

have stayed historically low overall the

decision could Mark a crucial turning

point for the US economy for consumers

who are fed up with the highest costs in

decades 10se second trivia Voyager 1 is

the first spacecraft to make it past

what boundary in outer space Earth's

exosphere Van Allen radiation belt

heliosphere or Kyper belt

your answer here is heliosphere in 2012

Voyager 1 was the first spacecraft to

reach beyond the region of space made up

of charged particles from the sun's

upper

atmosphere the Voyager one has proved

it's the little spacecraft that could it

lifted off into space September 5th in

1977 and it's still journeying into

parts of space humans have only dreamed

of going engineers at Nasa have

successfully fired up a set of rusters

Voyager 1 hasn't used in decades when

they ran into an issue that could have

prevented the 47-year-old spacecraft

from communicating with Earth they had

to get creative with ways to keep the

Aging craft going as the farthest

spacecraft from Earth NASA hopes Voyager

one will keep sending back incredible

new data from billions of miles away for

aging spacecraft 46 years now they're

actually very healthy we have lift off

of the Titan Centaur carrying the first

of two void spacecraft to extend man's

senses farther into the solar system

than ever before from a scientific

standpoint what's critical about Voyager

today is the record of data that it's

taking from Earth right out through the

outer Helio sheet across a helops and is

far into Interstellar space as we can

make that data last because we can see

the changes in the data changes in the

environment as we travel further and

further away they were identical at

launch different things have failed on

the spacecraft differently so if you

think of twins you one has lost its

hearing and and needs some hearing aids

and another one has lost a bit of some

sense of touch but for aging spacecraft

46 years now they're actually very

healthy Voyager has instruments

remaining on and operating that can

measure things like the magnetic field

the electrons protons and the particles

that are around the spacecraft a lot

going on in in a place where you can't

really see the particles but still a lot

that we can measure and learn about the

environment outside this bubble that's

generated by the solar wind we've turned

off many instruments most obviously the

instruments that were designed to really

look at the planets those we turned off

after the Neptune encounter in order to

repurpose the memory for the

interstellar Mission when we turned the

instrument heaters off and they got much

colder they had to recalibrate but

detectors often like being colder that

their SE to noise improves and it's so

in a certain sense we got a benefit out

of turning off the heaters that the

instruments were actually in some cases

slightly more

sensitive plastic pollution is a growing

threat to the future of our planet

especially in the ocean where much of

the waste ends up harming animals and

possibly even human health today on call

to Earth we hit the water with an

organization that's on an ambitious

mission to clean up the world's oceans

rivers and coastlines

[Music]

this is the mouth of Guatemala's motagua

River topping the list as the country's

longest river it's also one of Central

America's most polluted a tangible

reminder of a much larger Global

crisis it's estimated that every 60

seconds a dump trucks full of plastic is

entering the ocean Florida native Alex

Schulz first came face Toof face with

this issue on a surf trip to Bali with a

fellow ocean loving friend and that's

where we saw a crazy amount of plastic

pollution on the

coastlines in 2017 they launched four

ocean two American Surfers with an

ambitious and what some called crazy

dream to clean up the ocean most people

say ah what's even the point of even

trying but we believe that each step is

a step in the right direction cleanups

started locally like in the nearby

Florida Keys where Alex and the team

work to protect Mangrove estuaries from

a constant threat

these type of derc fishing gear and

ghost Nets pose a lot of dangers to the

mangroves number one it's going to

inhibit the natural growth of the

mangrove and mangroves are important to

our coastlines because it's our first

line of defense against any extreme or

increased weather systems that come

through but these days a primary focus

is put on their two International

locations Bali Indonesia where the idea

was

hatched and here in Guatemala where it

is the start of rainy season a time of

year when the country's biggest river

can grow much

bigger the real mataga is a huge River

and in such a little country the water

levels can rise and fluctuate even at 10

ft overnight and which we experienced

that the last

year it's a staggering amount of plastic

that flows through this River each year

according to four ocean more than 18

million

kg to help stem the flow of garbage the

they built a containment boom system in

2023 and installed it further

Upstream eventually the waist gets put

into what they call Super Sacks loaded

onto a barge this is our second barge

that the kto team has loaded this month

and brought back to their facility in

the seaport town of Puerto baros where

workers meticulously sort and weigh

everything they've collected the highest

quality of plastic gets transformed into

bracelets which are sold to help Finance

their operations while other materials

get made into different products or

upcycled into building materials they've

even been able to turn some of the

plastic waste into

energy while a ocean free of plastic is

the ultimate goal there's very much a

human element to what they're doing as

well it's extremely important that we

engage and Empower local communities to

do these cleanups um in Java in Bali in

Guatemala a lot of times these are

fishermen Fisher women whose livelihoods

have been taken away because there's so

much plastic in the water so what we're

doing is we're giving them a new job

that enables them to clean their local

community while also making um a fair

living wage today for ocean has

collected over 16 million kilog of waste

worldwide a remarkable achievement born

from a crazy idea but a solution they

recognize is only a Band-Aid for now

we're trying to drive as much attention

as possible to this issue so that we can

drive change within the industries to

cut down on the amount of plastic that's

being consumed and ending up in the

ocean in the first place we say it a lot

that cleaning the ocean alone will not

solve the ocean plastic crisis we have

to stop it at the source and turn off

the

[Music]

[Applause]

tap today's store getting a 10 out of 10

turning a train into an underwater Reef

there she go goes look at this outof

commmission rail car being dropped into

the drink on purpose just off the coast

of Asawa Island about 20 mi south of

Savannah Georgia these old Marta rail

cars are being sunk to the bottom of the

Atlantic Ocean in conjunction with a

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Reef project which deploys large objects

to the bottom of the ocean that over

time develop into wreath habitats for

marine Wildlife these Marta rail cars

once moved thousands of people through

Atlanta but will now help to create a

2-mile reef and home for thousands of

fish and all sorts of underwater

creatures it is shout out time now let's

hear it for all of our friends in the

volunteer state at Bradley Central High

School in Cleveland Tennessee home of

the Bears rise up all right Superstars

we are breezing through this week into

the best day of the week thank you for

your hard work and positive attitudes

I'll see you right here tomorrow Friday

on CNN 10